Well I have just returned from Dartmouth. What a fantastic location!
After the initial problems - drivway not suitable for boat on trailer! I ended up keeping JoJo on a pontoon berth for the week, I could hardly sleep a wink due to worry!!
I managed some trips just outside the mouth of the river to search for maccy and pollack but the state of the water mean't I couldn't go any further. But the water state was quite changeable and I did manage to get out.
I ended up with only one day suitable to make the 5+ mile jouney to the Skerries in JoJo. So I headed out mid morning to find a flat sea and blue skies - amazing.
I ran out to the bank in no time at WOT cira 28knots! Not sure if that was more fun than fishing!!!!
Anyhow - when I arrived I thought i would break out the new binoculars (first ever fathers day present I have received!! (Auto\fixed focus - very good, no idea how that works but they are great!))
I spotted 3 boats making regular drifts a mile to 2 further down the bank. So I headed over to join them. close to the marks there were huge floating rafts of weed, surrounded by millions of fry and a few jellyfish. I soon had a good few maccy and some launce from under these rafts.
Long story cut short - great weather and location - not flatties to report and I saw only one small plaice landed. Still, better to be out their doing it than thinking about what could be.
I headed in about 14:30 and popped over to investigate some wreck numbers I had found, only could locate one wreck our of 3 looked for so I tried a shad over the top on a couple of drifts. Nothing, so headed to some interesting features, rock mounds coming up 20m from the seabed in 60m of water - anyhow I managed a pollack of 4lb and a few days later one of 6lb so I was pleased with that.
I had read Adams post re. the bass in Alderney earlier in the week and yesterday stopped in a cove in the mouth of the Dart and I flicked a dead launce over the side during a lunch and a coffee, the line tightned and started to move off - I will never know what that was but it was there for 20 seconds and gave a good tug - the trace parted just above the hook so who knows!!! But hey - next time I'm there it will be bigger!!!!
The place is great and getting to it is fairly easy - With sand bank and rocky outcrops and deep water close in, with shelter available in most winds, Dartmouth has good potential for a club trail away \ camp away!
I will be back and get a flattie from the Skerries one day!
(note, if usinf mackrell feather dont just add launce feathers to the end of that rig, at one point I landed 7 maccy on trace with 8 feather!!! It was a little much unhooking that lot single handed in a reasonable swell!!)
Rob