What Recession?

Business is booming according to the second-hand boat dealers and brokers, apparently they can't get enough to satisfy demand. This is probably because everyone has been saying "now is the time to get a good deal on a boat", consequently good deals are harder to come by.

I see the old VT site opposite Port Solent is now in use for leisure marine purposes, with boat launching, storage and a variety of boat businesses. Check out Trafalgar Wharf.

There will also be a marina built near Lee on Solent some time in the not too distant future. Looks like there is still no shortage of people willing to keep pouring money into their own personal holes in the sea (myself included!)

Another Great Fish Recipe Book

I have great respect for writers of seafood cookery books who are also anglers or fishmongers (preferably all three). These chaps really know about fish, from swimming creatures to bones on a plate. Mitch Tonks is one of those, a self-taught fishmonger who also opened the Fishworks restaurants. His latest book, simply called "Fish", is arranged by species which is very sensible for anglers, as that is where we tend to start - have fish, now how shall we cook it? Highly recommended, and you can order it via this handy link.

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For the boy in us all

There is a lot going on around us and Queen's Harbour Master Portsmouth is a great source of news - both of general interest and for navigation and safety. The last three have been particularly interesting for us grown-up boys. Local Notice To Mariners 11/09 tells of a visit of a nuclear submarine from 4th to 8th April - hurry up or you'll miss it. 12/09 advises that HMS Endurance (presumably the one that got mixed up in the start of the Falklands war) is arriving on the back of heavy lift ship MV Target, and will anchor off Spithead to offload her between 8th and 12th April. That will be a sight - it will take up to 20 hours to ballast MV Target down so Endurance can float off (which by then will be over near Sturbridge). Finally there Might Be Something Down There. Reading between the lines of 13/09 someone has picked up an odd echo under the causeway to Fort Blockhouse which might be a thumping great bomb. Seems like they are going to burrow down and find out, and in case it goes bang at the wrong moment there will be a sizable exclusion zone. Fingers in ears between 5th and 10th April! If you want to subscribe to these Notices, visit http://www.qhmportsmouth.com/

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P.S. Nav Warn 13/09 has just been cancelled. Perhaps it was a lump of rock after all.

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Plaice Places

My blog has taken a back seat recently as my laptop was stolen and I have had to rebuild my on-line life (that sounds very sad but it is the way we live today). All back to normal now, and time for a quick comment on plaice. We have had one of the best early season plaice catches from The Blocks in a few years, both in size and numbers. Not all will agree, and I am convinced that is because plaice feed in very localised areas. The trouble with The Blocks is that the seabed is almost flat so it is difficult to find a mark with the fishfinder. Plaice feed here on shellfish, and somehow manage to crunch with their mouths shells that are so tough we would have to break them with a hammer. These shellfish live in patches, and if you are lucky enough to find a patch you could catch up to ten a session. Miss a patch and you will just as likely blank. Beads, sequins and jangly stuff all work but it is not essential, my personal best was a plaice of 3lb 9oz on a plain rig intended to find a stray bass. Top fish I heard of was a 4lb 6oz caught by Ada on Arron's boat Aquaholic - see picture

Free DVD "Serious Fun" Now Available

You may remember from earlier posts that Salar, Aquaholic, Arron and I helped last year with the filming of the Sea Angling section of the new DVD from the RNLI. This as now been published and is available free from this link to the RNLI web site - just log your details and they will send you a copy.

QHM Nav Warn: a double warning

A bland but helpful statement from QHM Portsmouth today:
Nav Warn 08/09 Nab Outer No:1 Buoy
The Nab Outer no:1 Buoy Pos. 50 38.18N 000 56.88W has a damaged top mark. Mariners navigating in this vicinity should do so with caution.

Now have a think about this one. This is a large, well-lit and charted buoy on the main approach channel to Portsmouth. Buoys don't just fall apart on a clear day, something large and blundering must have hit it. Could this be any more of a warning to get the heck out of the way of large ships in the area? They can't always miss a large buoy, let alone a small angling boat.

EU Article 47 to limit sea angling

In December 2008 the European Commission announced that they intended to regulate sea angling. This represents the biggest threat to our sport we have ever had and we must resist it. The plan is to put sea angling on the same (discredited) quota system as used by commercial fishermen. It will mean that every private boat or kayak that wants to drop a line over the side will need a licence. All fish landed will need to be reported whether caught from boat or shore. Once the quota for angling is used up, any fish taken could result in a fine of £50,000!

If you want our protests to be heard, please sign the petition (and confirm the subsequent email) at http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/rsa-eu-proposal/

Alternatively, or as well, email the UK Fisheries Minister Huw Irranca-Davies which you can do through www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/huw_irranca-davies/ogmore

Keep an eye on http://www.boat-angling.co.uk/ for future news on this.

Winter Work

Winter fishing can be great when the weather is bearable but the last two weeks have had mostly cold northerlies and to be honest I just haven't fancied it. Instead I have been fiddling about with my tackle box and discovered just what a mess it can be after a season!

After a good tidy it is a lot better, although I had to throw out all the used mackerel traces. The problem with the cheap, bought traces is the knots are less than perfect and after a few fish you may find there are less hooks attached than you thought. Also, the ones I have been buying have very thick mono, so I rescued the rubber faces from the Hokkai lures, took some good strong O'Shaughnessey hooks and made up a few of my own with 30lb mono. All it takes is a bit if Christmas tinsel, silvery ribbon and some fur, and tie the lot on with a wrapping of cotton. Seal the cotton with varnish (or even borrow some nail varnish) and the whole job will cost next to nothing, will be tied properly and has created some fishing-related time at home you weren't expecting. One tip - don't cut the fur from anywhere on the cat where it will be noticed.