Popular Post Andy135 Posted June 13, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted June 13, 2021 Up at the absolute crack of dawn this morning before it was even properly light, 4am to be precise. At the boat by just before 6am. Stopped to have a quick chat with @Rocket Ron in the marina. Everyone and their dog appeared to be planning an early session judging by how densely moored all the dry stack boats were on the holding pontoon. Ron's anchor was pretty much in the the next boat's splashwell, so I did my good deed for the day by helping to shove him off... the boat off the pontoon I should say, not him into the water. After seeing him off I gently nudged Jersey Girl out of her berth and into the harbour. Lovely flat calm conditions. As I turned on my VHF I caught the tail end of the coastguard asking all vessels to keep a sharp lookout for a MOB in a red lifejacket...! Fingers crossed he/she was ok. The conditions remained flat out past St Helen's on the IoW. The plan was to try off St Cats Point for a bass or pollack with the slow jigs, then head into Sandown Bay to drift for bream. The first half of my plan sucked. St Cats was empty of fish, or maybe just the marks I was trying, because after 2 hours of prospecting it was one-nil to the blank. Coming back east on the flood to Sandown Bay I rigged up my bream rod (aka a 9ft spinning rod and fixed spool reel). I was using 2 hook flappers with yellow pop-ups and I had rigged the snoods as pennells. Hopefully this would maximise my chances of hooking up instead of having my bait nipped off. Squid strips were the main course and they went down well! Plenty of rattles from the off, followed by a small bream. One-all and the blank beaten! On the next drift a better specimen presented himself. The next few drifts offered up another couple of bream and plenty of missed bites. I was starting to turn lobster pink in the sun by this time. Too hot! Time to head for home. On the run back into the harbour I saw the biggest flock of sea birds I've ever come across. Didn't seem to be feeding though, which was just as well seeing as it was crazy busy with boaters in the harbour. By now there was a 7kt breeze from the SE, which had risen just in time to make a mockery of my solo mooring attempts. They say a picture paints a thousand words, so I'll just leave you with this rough outline of my attempt to get onto the holding pontoon. It's ok... you can point and laugh... 🤣 jonnyswamp, suzook12, Davemc and 2 others 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saintly Fish Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 What no dog fish? Come on, your slipping. Well done on getting out on your own though. Just to rub it in, Leo caught a 5&6lb bass yesterday just 10ft from the boat in the marina. 🤣 Scotch_Egg2012, jonnyswamp, suzook12 and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy135 Posted June 13, 2021 Author Share Posted June 13, 2021 Well done Leo! 👍 Top dangling that lad! No dogfish indeed! The session wasn't quite the same without one 🐶😭 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyswamp Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 Well done on getting out solo and a brace of bream 👍 But I think Leo has trumped you somewhat Andy135 and Geoff 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy135 Posted June 13, 2021 Author Share Posted June 13, 2021 15 minutes ago, jonnyswamp said: But I think Leo has trumped you somewhat He often does that... I will gently suggest to his dad that the next time he does that to either of us he can swim home... #outfishedbyaschoolboy #musttryharder jonnyswamp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotch_Egg2012 Posted June 14, 2021 Share Posted June 14, 2021 Glad you managed to have a go, marina looked quite busy when we got back in on Saturday, saw Jersey girl and Scorchio in ready. I'd say as long as you didn't hit any one else's boat or damage yours it was a successful first go. Fair play on heading to St Catherines. Nice to see the Bream still showing. I can give you a set of numbers for the reef we've been fishing if you want, between mine and Ray's boat we have caught over 200 on this reef in the last month and a half. Andy135 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy135 Posted June 14, 2021 Author Share Posted June 14, 2021 55 minutes ago, Scotch_Egg2012 said: Glad you managed to have a go, marina looked quite busy when we got back in on Saturday, saw Jersey girl and Scorchio in ready. I'd say as long as you didn't hit any one else's boat or damage yours it was a successful first go. Fair play on heading to St Catherines. Nice to see the Bream still showing. I can give you a set of numbers for the reef we've been fishing if you want, between mine and Ray's boat we have caught over 200 on this reef in the last month and a half. Honestly it was like the dry stack team were playing sardines with the boats on the holding pontoon in the morning 🤣. But yes, no boats bumped = a win. Especially as coming back in there were boats moored either side of the holding bay area, so it was a bit like threading a Jersey Girl-shaped needle to get to the eastern corner 😬. I'm forming the opinion that St Cat's is overrated. I've been there maybe 6 times now over the last two or three seasons and I've only caught there twice. Too much fuel burned for too little return. Sandown numbers would be great - thank you. 👍 Scotch_Egg2012 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotch_Egg2012 Posted June 14, 2021 Share Posted June 14, 2021 Can I ask where at St Caths you fish I also have a mark there that you might be better off trying Will pm you the Sandown numbers Davemc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GPSguru Posted June 14, 2021 Share Posted June 14, 2021 Well done Andy, at least you found the time to get out for a few hours and catch some Bream. Andy135 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy135 Posted June 14, 2021 Author Share Posted June 14, 2021 2 hours ago, Scotch_Egg2012 said: Can I ask where at St Caths you fish I also have a mark there that you might be better off trying Will pm you the Sandown numbers I've had a few bass from the Pinnacles in the past, and the 70m hole further east near Ventnor. Yesterday I was drifting the reef system to the west but no luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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