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Just got back from caravan holls in Dartmouth, fantastic place. Went out in my 3mtr inflatable dinghy fitted with 4hp outboard.
Not serious fishing, just trying for mackerel, schoolie bass etc, anything that swims in fact. But after a few tries at different locations, Pauline and me both decided, enough was enough, we're not catching out, not a hint of a mackerel.........well, except for the one "she" got from the shore at Berry head
. Right, things just got serious, I needed to get some fresh crab and fish properly, so down to the upper estury at low tide and got a few.
The next morning, crept out of bed at 6-30am loaded up the car with the boat and engine, and everything else that goes with that, and she never even stirred.
got on the water at 8am, and with the parking restrictions around the launching ramp right next to the ferry, I had two hours to get to a likely looking shot, catch fish, and get back.
So I headed to the area opposite the Dartmouth castle at the lower estuary, cast a single hook, 1/0 with a small drilled bullet above a trailing hook with 3ft trace. soon I had a bite, struck.......missed it, waited then, wallop. line streaming from the small fixed spool reel, what a scrap, and soon had a nice little bass around 2 and a quarter pound. until now, I've never knocked a bass on the head, but determined to one day try eating one, this little fella would do.
Chucked in again, and another bight straight away, this fish felt a good bit heavier, and turned out to be a nice plump wrasse edging 4lb, followed by another two wrasse about 2lb each.
Time flies by when your having fun, so I headed back to the car before I got a ticket.
The following evening, we decided another trip back to the same place, but this time Pauline didn't fish, she would take photo's, but after a frustrating 3/4 of an hour.......zilch, simply as there was no tide pull, so pulled up the anchor and headed a little further down estuary where the flood tide was making swirls on the water as it pushed over underwater rocks. This looks perfect I said, so dropped the anchor over, and the boat swung round in the tide. Same set-up as the day before, and settled down ready for any action...........didn't have to wait long, nice nock, picked the rod up, struck as the rod bent over, then...........bloody hell, the fish shot off like train, with line screaming against the clutch, whoooooaaaaah. This happened 3 or 4 times, never experienced that kind of ferocity on light gear before. When the fish finally came to the surface, and me sitting only inches away from it, I thought, wow, what a beauty, a silver slab of a fabulous bass which I carefully lifted into the boat, also worrying that the spines would puncture the rubber.
Don't no what's wrong with photobucket, hover over IMG but curser not changing to finger in order to copy!!!!!!
Cast out again and got a schoolie about 1lb that went straight back.
By now, it had turned cold and only in light t shirts, and thunder clouds gathering, we set of back to the car and weigh the fish on land which turned the didgie scales at 5lb.42 so about 5lb 7oz. We will be back next year, and hope for a bit better settled weather this time.
Not serious fishing, just trying for mackerel, schoolie bass etc, anything that swims in fact. But after a few tries at different locations, Pauline and me both decided, enough was enough, we're not catching out, not a hint of a mackerel.........well, except for the one "she" got from the shore at Berry head
. Right, things just got serious, I needed to get some fresh crab and fish properly, so down to the upper estury at low tide and got a few.The next morning, crept out of bed at 6-30am loaded up the car with the boat and engine, and everything else that goes with that, and she never even stirred.
got on the water at 8am, and with the parking restrictions around the launching ramp right next to the ferry, I had two hours to get to a likely looking shot, catch fish, and get back.So I headed to the area opposite the Dartmouth castle at the lower estuary, cast a single hook, 1/0 with a small drilled bullet above a trailing hook with 3ft trace. soon I had a bite, struck.......missed it, waited then, wallop. line streaming from the small fixed spool reel, what a scrap, and soon had a nice little bass around 2 and a quarter pound. until now, I've never knocked a bass on the head, but determined to one day try eating one, this little fella would do.
Chucked in again, and another bight straight away, this fish felt a good bit heavier, and turned out to be a nice plump wrasse edging 4lb, followed by another two wrasse about 2lb each.
Time flies by when your having fun, so I headed back to the car before I got a ticket.
The following evening, we decided another trip back to the same place, but this time Pauline didn't fish, she would take photo's, but after a frustrating 3/4 of an hour.......zilch, simply as there was no tide pull, so pulled up the anchor and headed a little further down estuary where the flood tide was making swirls on the water as it pushed over underwater rocks. This looks perfect I said, so dropped the anchor over, and the boat swung round in the tide. Same set-up as the day before, and settled down ready for any action...........didn't have to wait long, nice nock, picked the rod up, struck as the rod bent over, then...........bloody hell, the fish shot off like train, with line screaming against the clutch, whoooooaaaaah. This happened 3 or 4 times, never experienced that kind of ferocity on light gear before. When the fish finally came to the surface, and me sitting only inches away from it, I thought, wow, what a beauty, a silver slab of a fabulous bass which I carefully lifted into the boat, also worrying that the spines would puncture the rubber.
Don't no what's wrong with photobucket, hover over IMG but curser not changing to finger in order to copy!!!!!!
Cast out again and got a schoolie about 1lb that went straight back.
By now, it had turned cold and only in light t shirts, and thunder clouds gathering, we set of back to the car and weigh the fish on land which turned the didgie scales at 5lb.42 so about 5lb 7oz. We will be back next year, and hope for a bit better settled weather this time.
..... some nice bass there....
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