Quick update on the Beach Clean.

I’ve got to take my hat off to the half dozen families and a group of Cubs, that turned up at the Bowleaze Cove beach clean this Sunday. Even with the British weather throwing all she had at us, the beach clean continued and in my eyes it was a great success. My plan for the day was to take part at the Swanage Beach clean, but due to traffic I only just made the 12 o’clock start at Bowleaze cove. I’ve always been fond of this beach as its normally that little more quieter in the summer evenings than Weymouth bay, whether you bring a fishing rod or towel you can always get a little time out. Plus there is a reef just behind the third breaker that runs half the length of the bay. When the bass show this can be an excellent mark for poppers and surface lures, just keep walking till you find the fish.

To add to this blog post, I thought I would add a few pictures of what can be achieved in just two hours.
I’m not going to rant on about how much fishing line and tackle was found. But if all those hooks weren’t rusty.. I could of opened a tackle shop.

To top off a great afternoon I had to treat myself to some scampi and chips from the local café. Yummy!

Blame it on the weather man!

Guess what! Its still blowing and its blowing me up the walls!! Seriously this past week has been one of those weeks where I wake up, look outside and things appear perfect, only to finish work at four and the winds have turned and a hurricane rolls into town. Its mad. I’ve been avoiding the LRF for later in the year, but I am starting to get the urges to find a sheltered ledge or pier wall, get those light rods out and focus on the smaller species.

This past week, with the poor weather, I’ve taken time to research and find new products, plus I received a few packages to expand my ever growing collection. One package being from JacksLRF containing some outstanding LRF/HRF lures and weedless hooks. My first impressions are ‘Wow, why have I never came across these size hooks in this style before’. Size 2 and 4 are just what the doctor ordered for those shy biting wrasse. Next up where the equally good Yoshikawa 2 inch paddle tails in white, red and glow white, I cant wait to get these lures in the water.. These are some top quality lures, match these with a size 6 finesse jig head from AGM products and the mini species are going be all over them. Bring on those calm winter nights!

I also received my Reins RAZ Ajiringer-Z 7'6" 0.4-7g LRF rod back from Mrfish over in Jersey, after a small crack formed in the second section. I’m planning to couple the rod with a new Alcedo Pride MSP 3000f which I brought today from Chesil Bait ‘N’ Tackle, it wont be long and Ill have it spooled up with the Sunline 2LB small game Flurocarbon that they thought I should try. Cheers guys! With all the new soft lures I received this week and my desire to fish for the wrasse and bass, I only just resisted walking away yesterday without getting even more lures from their great selection..

Just a couple of pictures from last weekend after bumping into a few chaps from the Weymouth Bumble, which sadly I didn’t take part in. Great guys though and I hope they caught a few good fish.

I also wanted to share some happy memories from the summer that I found on my partners phone today. Not all to do with fishing, but I had some great times with my brother and his family and Id like to share them with you all.

Until the next time. I’m off to do a beach clean today, hopefully meet some like minded people and most likely get really wet with all the rain, who cares skins waterproof!

The Great Dorset Beach Clean 2011

I cant urge people enough to go and spend sometime and get involved in a beach clean, not only is this a chance for some family fun but as anglers that enjoy the coast we have an obligation to do our part. We can all sit an moan about people leaving beer cans and used barbecues at our favourite fishing marks. But I expect those same beach using people moan about lines of mackerel feathers, 6ounce weights and tangled up pulley rigs littering our beaches.. We all lose a rig now and then plain and simple.. But for every rig you lose consider picking up some rubbish on the beach and putting it in a bin.
I can remember walking along Weymouth beach a while back and out of the corner of my eye I could see a long length of clear mono stretching out across the shingle, after a small tug and pull guess what.. 4 hooks and a 6 ounce weight. At first I thought WOW free tackle! But I don’t think the parents of a 4 year old kid would say that to the nurse in A&E. It didn’t take me two minutes to wrap the line up and put it in my pocket.

So don't miss the Autumn beach clean and monitoring on Sunday 18 September

Data collected on the day will be added to The Marine Conservation Society's National Survey on beach waste.

Chesil Beach Masonic car park (free parking permit available), 12 noon - 2pm
Ringstead Bottom car park at Ringstead, 12 noon - 2pm
Bowleaze Slipway, Bowleaze Cove, 12 noon - 2pm
Swanage, North Beach Seafront by Ocean Bay restaurant, 2pm - 4pm

All you need to do is join the beach master at the meeting point at the appointed time on the day and you will be given equipment for the monitoring and beach cleaning.

Monitoring can be done individually or in a team so if you can collect a group of people to help you, maybe from your business or a group of friends or family, please encourage them to come.

For further information, please contact:

Coastal Ranger (Purbeck)
Name: Jenny Penney
Email: j.penney@dorsetcc.gov.uk
Tel: 01305 228952

Quick catch report

Had a short 1 hour session on a local mark. By looking at last years catch reports I’ve started to find a correlation for when smaller and bigger bass will turn active. In this case, on this local mark, I made a prediction that the bass will turn on and then turn off within a one hour window, and that all the bass caught will be small (1-2LB). The only element that was not in play was the wind. Normally this mark fishes well with a SE wind and all we have had this summer is bloody SW. So on with a Duo Minnow SLD F in sand ell green. First cast and I felt a knock, second cast saw a positive bite, working the lure at a medium pace with a short pause every 5 seconds. In total 5 fish in 1 hour to about 2LB. Like clockwork the fish turned off as the 1 hour window came to a close... Just goes to show that keeping a record of catches and blanks will pay off big time and saves on parking fees.

Catch report HRF # 1

A day off work is never wasted when going fishing. With the winds settling down by mid morning and a gentle sea mist starting to clear, I made the choice to ignore plugging for bass and focus on the wrasse for a couple hours. I’ve been struggling to adjust to the techniques of HRF, but after my tuition in Jersey with Keith White, the pieces of the puzzle are starting to come together.
At first I was using a REINS 3inch rockvib shad Gold Legend coupled with a FOX size 1 offset hook and 3.5g cone head. I’ve used this combo for awhile now and only had a couple of hook ups, but a lot of short takes and bites. So I decided it was time for a change, with a moderate swell still forming after the earlier storms in the week I decided to use a heavier 8g cone weight the same Reins Rockvib lure. However, instead of using an offest hook I used a Kamasan size 2 Aberdeen hook effectively rigged weedless.

Second cast into a likely looking gully I had a massive take, but this fish got the better of me and smashed me up good and proper. On goes another lure… rigged the same but this time with a longer 3ft 20LB mono leader. Instead of casting up the gully I decided to drop the lure in half way and shake the rod tip, after about 5 seconds smash FISH ON!

For a wrasse of around 1.5LB the fight is fantastic on the 6.6 Okuma Octana 5g-15g.

Soon after this I had a text from a work colleague, saying I had a package in the post. Like a young kid, I cant wait till Monday to pick them up, so I made the mad dash to work to grab these packets of joy…

Until the next time.. have a good weekend everyone.

WOW!! Another first for 2011

Another Big well done goes out to Rob Mears today (my usual photographer), this guy must have had the biggest case of fishy bad luck I’ve ever come across, I’ve put him in front of fish so many times but I’ve lost count of the blanks he’s had.
However, last night was the night he’ll never forget. My plan was to give the heavy bass gear to Rob and let him feel the advantages of a top end rod and 8 strand braid, so off he went with the Tenryu Red ultimate one, coupled with a okuma trio reel, loaded with 15LB power shot line. Lure of choice was the IMA Sasuke 140 in rainbow pearl (debarbed).
Giving him the big boy gear was going to give me a chance to try out a new Major Craft Zaltz LRF rod I brought yesterday.. One problem in that plan, he never gave me a chance before he pulled this out… my jaw dropped knowing it’s the first fish this guy has ever caught.

This is what dreams and memories are made of. A stunning silver bar of 6.2lb.

From what I saw this fish was giving him the run around, the Tenryu was bent double when this fish took off, the sound of a tight 8 strand braid through the line guides sounds electric on a calm quiet night.

So after a whole lot of jumping around and hand shakes, we felt there was no need to carry on fishing. He was shaking and I was speechless there’s only one cure for that… and that’s a pint at the local pub. We must have told that story a hundred times before last orders.

Rob… I know your reading this… you still have to catch a double…Tehehe