alun j.

Hi Terry / plaicemat....... ...... that was the X - ray area we were fishing... Hope you got up the river OK.? Getting across the Bar is always much more difficult in the winter .... today was easy ....... often there's a swell to contend with ..... which in that depth is often breaking !! Much easier to go out with the tide and then come back in with it !! ... like next weekend ..... but then it's neaps..... and less action ! But today was good with the weather being so nice ...... wasn't it!! Alun. [ in my little Orkney 4 40 ]

Grabbed a few hours on the flat calm sea before all the water ran away off the Christchurch Bar ........ Saw several little groups around the bay , and beyond , ....... but not being a herd animal...... struck out on my own....... for a bit of exploring. First tried some deep water [22m.] near the end of the Ledge.... but there was almost no tide as it was coming to 1st. high ..... predictable.... doggies !! Moved out towards Clan Mcvey wreck...... and ran across an interesting patch of bottom about 1/2 way there from previous spot....... several pot buoys still about , and in between a little patch of rough ground that came up nearly 2 m. Gave it a go on both sides [ up / down tide] ....... more doggies..... then one nice blonde. Confused by lack of whiting at all three spots I then went back to the lookout / X-ray area to fish the start of the ebb ....... and within minutes was into a steady stream of whiting.... a lot of little ones .... but still got more than a dozen decent ones before thoughts of shallow water sent me in. [ just in time...... with over an hour and a half before low water !!] Has anyone else found whiting here on the flood ....... I only seem to find them on the ebb?? Hope everyone has a good day tomorrow ..... esp. those excited by competition ! There's hardly any swell ...... even if the wind does come up a bit, shouldn't be too uncomfortable. I'll look forward to reading the results on postings. Cheers, Alun.

How big is your trailed boat? How much water does she draw? Mudeford is pretty shallow....... but a bit more info. needed. Alun

Snap ! ...... re. looking out the window! I was recovering from a horrible sinus flu' like bug..... but although well enough myself, my nearest and dearest was sufferring badly....... so brownie point earning was necessary !! [ + taxi service for daughter , with mum out of action ]. So , now quids in, hope to do every weekend to Xmas !!!!!! If too rough at sea , will try and find the flatties ........ possibly in Christchurch harbour where I hear a few are about [ on baited spoons ]. Alun.

Charlie, Do you have ' Ad-aware' ..... a free download of the net.? It seems useful at cleaning up a lot of things that creep into my old Windows 98 whilst my girls are on MSN. Good luck, Alun.

To rats.............. add foxes, badgers, mink........and other nocturnal animals. I have buried some remains of filleting sessions [ esp. after a tuesday fish and it's a week before the binmen return]..... last time I moved compost heap on top and all seems decomposingly well so far.... BUT....... I produce so much [ if I get out most weeks] ..... I could be getting other visitors if I buried it all !! Alun.

Rich, Thanks for your comments / observations. I 'm also a fan of skate [aka ray of one sort or another], esp. in a browned butter sauce ...... but still someway short in the gastronomic stakes behind sole, john dory, turbot, triggers, bass and several others .......... but boy what choice.......making meat very boring!! Perhaps I'll give the bull huss a try sometime....... but not when expecting a box of whiting !! Quality of fish is also very important. You notice as soon as you run a filleting knife through, how firm / flabby / thick the sides are ........ particularly on flatties. Must go and finish those whiting and ray from the weekend; the bin men come tomorrow. I must give them another big Xmas box again this year as they cart away an awful lot of smelly stuff in my bins [ esp. in summer months]!! Alun.

Thanks Bob, a 20 lbs.+ huss must be an ugly brute of a fish ...... and quite good at sanding down your deck paint whilst being unhooked !! Whilst awaiting reports of any good catches on this gorgeous day....... don't think it was as good as was hoped for........ my neighbour's just come back from fishing in that group of boats west of the Needles / off the end of the Ledge ...... only a few whiting and no cod. Hope others did better...... and coped with the big tide. Alun.

Lovely sunny day but a keen northerly put quite a chop on the water, even fairly close in.......but thankfully no swells to contend with. Spring tides meant it was a morning only session, so was at anchor near the ledge by 8, hoping for some good whiting or bass....... but no....... still dogfish every drop, until something bigger said not dogfish...... but nothing familiar..... a dogged pull but no action..... until it got to the surface!.... ol' big spots!!...... and more like an anaconda when on the deck... a writhing bull huss about 8 lbs. [ read somewhere. poss. Rick Stein, they aren't such good eating.... so put it back as only lightly hooked] [ haven't they got bigger shark - like teeth than the doggies!] Seemed big but how does 8lbs. rate in the bull huss league?? A change of scene as the tide eased, so scooted across to X-ray area..... scene of whiting bash two weeks previous ...... and yes...... loads more doggies..BUT.. interspersed with whiting [ managed 7 in the 1 to 2 lbs. range in the hour and a half there] and a blonde about 8lbs.+ So plenty of fresh fish for tea this week! Alun. PS. skate / ray certainly improves on being kept a few days in the fridge [ and is good after freezing {unlike bass}]. Don't waste time and effort trying to skin the wings ; drop them into boiling water for a minute or two and the skin slips off.

Could this be Mr. Twiss ??? Come on Stuart........ get fishing ....... and you could also hide under pseudonym [has your boat got a name ??]. Hemmingway ?????? as in 'old man'.....'of the sea' ..... or any other cave man references?????? Hunt the fish ........ grow the veg. .......... cook both to share ........ and put work into a different league [second !]. How are your commitments?? Phone if you fancy a trip out. Alun.

Nice day for fishing...... just needed a bit more tide / flow. Loads of fish about ............ if you like dogfish !! I took a box full ........ to use in school ...... yes , we still dissect them ........ but don't use formalin any more. Kept expecting a few whiting ......... but only managed a single solitary one between dog after dog after dog !!!!!! .... hundreds ....... my shoulder's aching ....... every 30 secs. ..... another lump to pull up ...... there must be millions down there !! I tried four different locations ....... between X-ray , the Excelsior and the Ledge ......; all the same. If I had a bigger boat, I might have joined those others out past the Needles; my neighbour was out there and got loads of whiting ........ perhaps they'll come back in a couple of miles as the tides build ?? Came back to favoured spot close to the Ledge for the last hour or so , as the tide started to flood........ and it didn't let me down ........ ONE...screaming reel bite .... and definitely not dog........ the rush to the surface and pull on the drag as it went sidesways said bass........ and a nice fat four pounder saved the day. Cheers, Alun.

Thanks Bliss, I've got the book...... albeit an old one [ but not as old as me !]....... but it's not listed........ so obviously a post 80s symbol ! Wonder if it's rocks or the remains of military manoeuvres/ accidents ?? Cheers, Alun.

Thanks Mike, .....but aren't they those purple diamonds, refering to tables on chart? The # symbols are a bit of a mystery to me; there's only one on the Western approaches to solent chart ......... just NE of the Fairway, halfway to the bridge , in the Needles channel. On the Poole bay chart , there's several near the East Hook buoy ........ something to avoid ?????? Alun.

Can anyone decipher the 'hash' symbol?? I bought an old booklet off ebay recently......... to make more sense of my charts! Have learnt a few things about the state of our bottoms and wrecks with or without lines next to them!! ....... but there's no reference to that hash-like symbol that features in several places around swash channel and across to the patch. I thought they might have been the valentine tanks..... but numbers don't quite match! Those wiggly purple lines heading south from Hengistbury are, I presume, power cables ....... are they buried ?? ...... I don't fancy snagging those [ jaws 2 - style] with the anchor !! Thanks for any info. Alun. PS. Sat. looking good for a trip out....... light NW.

Two hours filletting; 4 trays in the freezer; two bags given to friends, a big meal this evening with friends........ now I've got to get rid of a big bag of all the remains........a poly sac with about 50 - 60 lbs. of organic deris. The bin men came yesterday....... and she gets very twitchy if smells are left to develop for a week......... so I'll be looking for big bin tomorrow!!!!! P.S. the colouration on the whiting is so like a cod....... the marbling of olive spots and flecks on that silvery white background........ just stretched through the mangle! P.P.S. as a biologist, it was interesting to see the varied condition of the fish [ and boy did we have a big sample to compare !], most were fat and firm , several were soft and pasty, a few were thin and wasted; some were stuffed with food [ fish, crabs, shells] others completely empty; most in good finned condition but several were ragged [ fighting/ competition/ pecking order ??]. All adds interest to the day. I wonder how big the population might be; could be a good year; lots of tiddlers, to grow for the next few years too? P.P.S. Shoreham reg. trawler steamed straight past us ....... with no effect; if the fish were where it was , it must have been bursting at the seams/ overflowing ........... but it carried on , round the Ledge and beyond. Alun.

What a superb day !! No wind [ amazing on its own after recent days!], warm sunshine, small swells graually easing and briliant visibility[ if you got a chace to look up].............. because loads and loads of whiting { all sizes} kept us so busy!!. Thanks to Paul [ aka Sinbad] for the trip, the intelligent company and excellent tea. Picking me up at Mudeford at first light..... the first couple of hours on the Ledge produced little but pout and dogs [ no signs of any bass ] A move across to X- ray area provided all the whiting action , all through the ebb, and finished with a 10 lb. Blonde for Paul. A busy day tomorrow ......... filleting all those fish for the freezer [ 'cause who knows when we'll next get out this windy autumn??] Odd sight of the day ......... naval warship [ frigate ??]...... seems to be heading into Poole from the west.... then turns and comes across the bay, straight towards us......then does a handbrake turn..... and slows but going straight towards Boscombe pier / Southbourne beach ....... would it go aground/ how water do they draw??..............another rapid turn......then back out to sea at top speed ...... boy racers / learner drivers ????? We thought pernaps it'd been brought in to scuttle as the base for a new reef....... going fishing makes you think fishing!! Yum, yum.......fish&chips...... something different with whiting tomorrow ! Alun.

Wind has created another job ........... sweep up leaves !! Planning to get out tomorrow ........ tiny weather window ....... hope swells aren't too bad ....... fingers crossed..... small tides recently might help. Tight lines, Alun.

Thanks Rich. ; just looking for somewhere to get afloat and out of the horrid wind/swells. Thought the deep water close in to calshot, just up from the castle, looked promising on the chart ........ but perhaps not !! ....... and the tides a bummer too! Will have to wait till later in the week [ tues. looks possible ]; and will try to get some worms. Cheers, Alun.

just have to catch some ' heavy duty ' fish to fill it! ...... when the winds ease ?? Alun.

Desperate to get out...... but pinned in with this wind ...... I went exploring launching sites on this side of southampton water...... what a variety !! Eling and Marchwood looked OK for my little boat to fish the top end for flatties, but I haven't got any worms, the water won't get down in Poole to dig, and they're so expensive to buy [ enough ]. Calshot looked by far the easiest slip [ big concrete ramp, loads of space, parking etc.] and the clean, clear water looks nice and deep close in on the western side. Q. Is this area any good for whiting, rays or others, fishing with squid or mackeral baits ?? Never fished the area before..... but the water looked calm and inviting on a wild old day like today ..... wet but still reasonably warm !! Can anyone pass on any tips ?? Cheers, alun.

Hi Eddie, I have a TLD 10, which is excellent despite being over 15 years old and plenty of use. Even though this is smaller than the 15s and 20s available now ...... I find it a bit on the biggish size for the inshore fishing around here [ esp. using modern braid]. I find I'm using my TSM speedmaster reels more; even though designed as a casting reel for beach fishing , they are tough and rugged. Coming to the point, these reels have a Stardrag .... but ....unlike Abu style drags, they have a rapid , clutch-like action..... full to min. drag in about 3/4 turn; this almost like a lever drag action when 'tuned' to setting required. Only down side I've found is the disengage lever gets clogged up with salt deposits and grime after a year or two and needs a complete dismantle, clean and regrease. ........ but they go back together easily. Alun.

Good fish Charlie; did you get those swells 5 miles out ? ....... or is the water too deep?? ........ probably i t's the steep slope on the ledge that pushes them up when wind and tide conspire. Alun.

At last...... wind light enough on the weekend for a fish.....[ JUST !!!] Crawled out , bleary-eyed at 7, to see the trees were still and metcheck sticking with light westerlies ....... so quickly got the boat ready....and out on the Ledge before 9. Hefty swells coming in [ hope no one tried Kimmeridge??] and a freshish force 3 out of the shelter of Hengistbury. Anchored up on the drop off and straight into doggy [but this was the only one !!!, couldn't believe it!!] After a quiet hour, whiting started to arrive....... a few smaller ones first.... then the bigger ones [ haven't weighed any yet .... but 7 or 8 between 1 1/2 and 3 lbs. would be my judgement] ....... a couple of fat bass [ similar size ] ..... a lonely mackeral and several scad...... before the tide swung round and all action stopped. Tried moving a bit to be able to fish back into the drop ....... but nothing except a strange feeling in my insides in response to the tide pushing into those swells, despite the wind disappearing !! Had to pick my moment to come back across the top of the Ledge as those swells and tide were breaking with the bigger ones !!! ...... but it looked worse than it was and the trip back was fun ....... whizzing down the wavefronts like a surfer !! Now, lets go sort those whiting out !! Hope this is the start of a good autumn / winter for them. PS. All taken on mackeral strip ; only the doggy went for squid . Stuck to fishing one of each all morning ....... but only mackeral scored !! Tight lines to those trying tomorrow, Alun.

Thanks again Martin, for getting all that squid. Looking forward to putting some of it to use soon........ to catch some nice fat whiting.... and possibly a cod [ or several]. Tight lines, Alun.

Paul, Thanks again for the trip......... enjoyed myself.....and your company. Well done on that brill. bass !! and your first sole. Must recommend sole baked in cream on the culinary stakes ...... perhaps we could extend a fishathon into a cookathon with the catch. How about another sole session before the end of the month .... if weather, wives and jobs allow ?? Cheers, Alun.