Bass as a by-catch?

Chats with our local "characters" around the marina provide some interesting stories which can evolve into new ideas. Apparently, a Chinese man was fishing rather unconventionally nearby (and I won't incriminate him by saying where), using a shad. Now everybody knows that shads are used for "hopping" on rough ground or wrecks well offshore, and that's the way it is. This chap didn't know that and used a shad as a normal lure (just as they use shads elsewhere in the world actually) - and caught two very nice bass. My informant tagged a shad onto the bottom of his mackerel trace and guess what he started catching too. So when I went out on Saturday and was kept inshore by the wind, I tied a 4 inch curly tail shad on a short trace below the weight of my mackerel trace. I found that if I made the movements of the feathers more gentle than usual the shad did not tangle and in fact swam pretty well. And, yes I did. Not as big as the fellow below caught recently, but nice to catch all the same.

Catching big fish is boring

The people I know who regularly catch big fish do so because they target them, not because they are lucky. Therein lies the problem. If you target big fish, and as we all know they don't happen along very often, what do you do when they are not happening along? That could get boring. So I confess, I don't target big fish, but I would like to catch a big fish now and then (and in the meantime catch a lot of medium-sized fish). You might be surprised just what is lurking under your boat while you are hauling up dogfish, even if you are fairly close to shore. I have the luxury of fishing one or at most two people in my boat so I regularly put out several rods. One targets small and edible species like bream and gurnard; another for bass and ray, and one put out more in hope than expectation with a wire trace, 5/0 hook and half a mackerel for bait.

Often the big bait does nothing all day except pull in a stream of dogfish, but a good many times it comes up trumps. This Friday was just such an example. No more than a mile from shore, I settled down with the usual mix and caught the usual August haul of not very much. Then suddenly I noticed the butt of my big rod where the top should be - it was bent right over with line screaming out right under the boat. Forgot to adjust the drag! I just saved the situation by spinning the drag wheel back and got the rod out of the holder. The fish was heading east and wasn't coming back. After a while I gained a bit of line, then the fish changed it's mind and went deep again. This time the hook gave up the struggle and straightened. Despite the disappointment of losing a tremendous fish, I felt elated. It proved there were good fish close inshore and catchable - with the right tackle and tactics. The lesson for me was - don't get complacent. That big fish may come and when it does, be ready with the drag set, rod secure and with tackle that can handle the fight that will follow.

PS One week to go before the August Quiz deadline with all still to play for - no entries received yet with 100% correct answers! Have a go....(or even two)

Win a FishPrint t-shirt in the Boat-Angling Quiz!

Let's face it, August is not a great month for fishing, and catch reports so far have confirmed it. On top of that, the weather has been, shall we say politely, unsuitable. To cheer us all up we have devised a quiz on http://www.boat-angling.co.uk/ with a prize for the winner of a t-shirt from the Shop. No strings, free to enter, just fun, how easy is that? Not so easy when you see the quiz! Actually, with a few minutes and Google it should be no problem. Click here and have a go!

More on Cowes Week....

The firework display is on Friday 8th August, not Saturday as in my previous post. QHM are sufficiently worried about idiots to issue this Notice:

COWES FIREWORK DISPLAY FRIDAY 8th AUGUST 2008 TEMPORARY 15 KT SPEED LIMIT

• NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN jointly by the Queens Harbour Master Portsmouth and the Harbour Master Southampton that a speed limit of 15 knots will be temporarily introduced in the Solent and Southampton Water to ensure safety of navigation for the COWES Firework Display on Friday 8th August 2008.
• The 15 Knot speed limit will be in force between 2130 and 2300 on Friday 8th August 2008.
• Mariners are advised that this measure has been introduced to reduce the risk of collision between the many hundreds of small craft which gather to view the fireworks display. In previous years collisions have occurred, particularly after the event which has resulted in serious personal injury to passengers and crew of small craft.
• Mariners are reminded of the importance of displaying the correct navigation lights, maintaining a good lookout at all times in all directions and, proceeding at a speed consistent with safe navigation, particularly at the conclusion of the display as spectator craft get underway and return to their home ports.
• Cancel this Local Notice To Mariners Sat 9th Aug 2008 (5 days)

Cowes Week already...

Skandia Cowes Week (I was wondering what they were doing with my pensions money) runs from Saturday to Saturday 2nd to 9th August, so it will potentially affect two weekends in the Solent. There are full details on their official web site http://www.skandiacowesweek.co.uk/. There will be a lot of racing, and mixing racing yachts and anchored angling boats is likely to end in tears sooner or later as racing yacht crews are highly competitive and may not see a small angling boat anyway. Best to keep well away from the action, which would be made easier if the organisers published courses in advance but instead they make it up on the day based on weather and tide. If you do plan to fish near the racing, please make sure you are not on a course line or anywhere near a buoy they turn around, and remember to rig your black anchor ball signal.

If in doubt keep away or at least keep a good look-out and be prepared to move. Whatever the rights and wrongs of being hit by a racing yacht, it it better not to be and if there is a chance you can avoid it then it would be sensible to be cautious. There is also a strong possibility of skippers of large spectator boats not being their normal alert selves after a few glasses, so it is not just the racing yachts to watch out for!

If that all sounds a bit nanny-like and gloomy, sorry! To end on a cheerful note, in previous years there have been spectacular fireworks on the last night so if you are fishing on the evening of 9th August anywhere in the northern end of the Solent you may see a great show.