Season so far and new PB

[Bones]

So...I hope everyone has been out enjoying themselves and catching loads of fish!?

The plan for me this year was to fish the life out of three different marks in the hope of sussing out some kind of rhythm. A couple of short sessions a week and a bi monthly all dayer. I've kept a diary and everything. It's going ok, I've very rarely blanked but just as rarely caught anything worth of a mention. lots of bits around the 2lb mark and lots and LOTS of proper tiny ones. 

Last Saturday I spent a good few hours at a mark where I've had all my best fish and where I felt I was really getting to grips with. 2 fish in a handful of casts straight of the bat. Nothing massive, just short of a couple of pound. "Yes mate, here we go", I thought, and then nothing....for five hours, even though at times every couple of seconds I would see a spikey dorsal darting about or a big swirl or bow wave. I tried everything I had and could I catch one? Could I fuck. I must've covered every square foot of water and just as I was reeling in to walk off the beach and blame it on something other than my shit angling, WHACK! I'm in. Brilliant scrap, it had a few tries and fair play but it was well hooked and eventually I slid it up the beach onto the wrack. 

Real thick 62cm. New PB for me. Unfortunately there was lots of blood and although I rushed the photo and tried my best it was not swimming away or even looking to get any better. Ive never killed a bass and was massively unprepared. I don't even carry a knife. I looked around the shore for something to speed up the job and inspired by my old parachute regiment days, picked up a brick and used my initiative. To make myself feel better I gave her to a mate who would do something special with her.

So a bit high and low on this one but worthy of a report I thought.

Thanks for reading.

[Andy135]

Great report Bones! It's often the way that a fish takes at the very end of the session. Maybe it's the speedier retrieve when we're keen to pack up? Who knows, but well done on your new PB. 

Yes, it's a bittersweet moment if you have to dispatch a good specimen, but you did right by the fish instead of letting it bleed out and suffer, plus your mate got a decent feed out of it too.

Top dangling 👍

[Bones]

7 minutes ago, Andy135 said:

Great report Bones! It's often the way that a fish takes at the very end of the session. Maybe it's the speedier retrieve when we're keen to pack up? Who knows, but well done on your new PB. 

Yes, it's a bittersweet moment if you have to dispatch a good specimen, but you did right by the fish instead of letting it bleed out and suffer, plus your mate got a decent feed out of it too.

Top dangling 👍

Cheers mate. How have you been getting on? Any more sessions on the lures?

[Andy135]

4 minutes ago, Bones said:

Cheers mate. How have you been getting on? Any more sessions on the lures?

Had a blank on the lures with Dave a few weeks back but fishing has taken a bit of a back seat lately as we're gearing up for a house move. Will be fishing at the boat meet on Saturday but then it'll be heads down packing more bloody boxes 🤣. When life calms down I'll get onto the lures again, hopefully in time for the tail end if this season.

Sounds like you've had a productive season so far though? Putting in the hours and getting the results!

[Bones]

3 minutes ago, Andy135 said:

Had a blank on the lures with Dave a few weeks back but fishing has taken a bit of a back seat lately as we're gearing up for a house move. Will be fishing at the boat meet on Saturday but then it'll be heads down packing more bloody boxes 🤣. When life calms down I'll get onto the lures again, hopefully in time for the tail end if this season.

Sounds like you've had a productive season so far though? Putting in the hours and getting the results!

Ah mate, I sympathize. I'm in the middle of a move ATM also. Only next door but it's still a NIGHTMARE 👎 

[Saintly Fish]

Well done bones, cracking fish. And as Andy says, sometimes it can’t be helped. At least a decent meal was had and the life of the fish met a tasty end instead of being washed up on a beach half rotten. Now that would have been a waste . 

[suzook12]

Good angling and perseverance. Sure many of us wouldn't have stuck it out for 5 hours without a fish.....

It is a shame. but fish mortality happens, the real crime would have been wasting it...... It is good to see more and more people are conservation minded and return fish alive. going away from the bad old days of seeing piles of dead fish left on the beach (obviously before freezers). Keep up the good work

[mike farrants]

great report and a great fish! cant return them all, but if we all returned what we didn't absolutely need we'd be in a good place! 

[mike farrants]

14 hours ago, Andy135 said:

 It's often the way that a fish takes at the very end of the session. Maybe it's the speedier retrieve when we're keen to pack up? Who knows, 

 

i think its more that that last cast never actually comes until we have caught something - then we can finish on a high!!

[GPSguru]

On 7/1/2021 at 11:08 PM, Bones said:

Ive never killed a bass and was massively unprepared.

Cut the gills on both sides with scissors, and they are dead very quickly. It would be like somebody cutting the main arteries to your heart.

A clonk on the bonce doesn't do the trick very often.

Sad when you have to do it on decent specimen, but it happens ...........

It would have made good eating, sear the fillets in the pan and rustle up a red pepper, red onion, and watermelon salsa, serve with sautéed baby new potatoes...... lush 👍

Edited July 2, 2021 by GPSguru

[Bones]

13 hours ago, GPSguru said:

Cut the gills on both sides with scissors, and they are dead very quickly. It would be like somebody cutting the main arteries to your heart.

A clonk on the bonce doesn't do the trick very often.

Sad when you have to do it on decent specimen, but it happens ...........

It would have made good eating, sear the fillets in the pan and rustle up a red pepper, red onion, and watermelon salsa, serve with sautéed baby new potatoes...... lush 👍

Nice one. I'll keep a pair of scissors on me from now on just in case. Watermelon in a salsa? Never thought of that, sounds really good 👍

[Davemc]

Well done Bones , Great to hear an update , Been a strange one this year for me , Lots of decent fish plus some head scratching too...

I had a similar fish last week that took a sp down the throat ,  I was in two minds whether it would make it after a lengthy unhooking , it went back after a while  but I still think I maybe should have taken it as it may not have recovered .... 

[Bones]

7 hours ago, Davemc said:

Well done Bones , Great to hear an update , Been a strange one this year for me , Lots of decent fish plus some head scratching too...

I had a similar fish last week that took a sp down the throat ,  I was in two minds whether it would make it after a lengthy unhooking , it went back after a while  but I still think I maybe should have taken it as it may not have recovered .... 

That sounds really good Dave. The head scratching is my favourite bit, as long as it leads to a fish! Any joy on your gravity sticks yet?

I think they are tougher than we think because as well as being rammed with 9 big hard backs it also had an old rusty hook in its guts!!

[Davemc]

3 minutes ago, Bones said:

That sounds really good Dave. The head scratching is my favourite bit, as long as it leads to a fish! Any joy on your gravity sticks yet?

I think they are tougher than we think because as well as being rammed with 9 big hard backs it also had an old rusty hook in its guts!!

Still to catch on a gravity stick , I have given them a couple of sessions water time and changed and caught straight away so it's a confidence thing now , they certainly look good.

[mike farrants]

On 7/3/2021 at 1:00 PM, Bones said:

Watermelon in a salsa? Never thought of that, sounds really good 👍

i do mine with mango- red onion, orange pepper, and mango - goes very well with fish 

i'll try water melon next time!