The Skipper's Blog
2011 Review
Apologies for being a very lazy blogger, but here is a quick resume of the 2011 season.
The bloody weather:
The weather defined the season. In short it seemed to be -
April - fine
May - rough
June - rough
July - middling
August - middling
September - rough
October - rougher
Doubly frustrating was the fact that when we could get out we had some fantastic fishing days.
Mackerel report:
This year again the mackerel appeared late - we had our first during the third week of May on the Port Logan bank, the water temperature by then being about 10.5oC. At times, mid-season, getting sufficient mackerel bait was a bit of a struggle but curiously they were still plentiful in early October. In fact during the first weekend in October the water seemed full of feed - herring of all sizes, decent mackerel, joeys, and the smallest mackerel I have ever seen were taking shrimp lures aimed at the herring.
Fishing the offshore marks:
The most consistent marks throughout the season were the outlying shingle banks south from Portpatrick towards Crammag Head. Good stocks of whiting, codling, haddock, gurnards, mackerel, scad, and launce supported LSD, huss, spurdog and tope.
James Smith of the Loch Fyne SAC had a fine brace of huss. Fortunately I carry a very large landing net and was able to boat this pair for him. Anxious to return the fish he weighed only the larger one - at 11 pounds plus. In my opinion and that of Robert MacBrayne who took the photo, the only slightly smaller one was at least 9 pounds.
Fishing with a small mid-week party in this area in late June I hooked a small fish on a bare Hokkai. Being distracted by a neighbouring angler I was only paying half attention. I noticed a spiny dorsal fin sticking up and thought, "Strange! An immature bass?" It was only as I reached out to grab it I realised it was a lesser weever. An odd catch in a hundred feet of water.
Inshore marks:
Inshore the pollack fishing was consistently good. Some splendid specimens took ragworm on leadheads and float-fished sandeel. I feel the consistency of this fishing is enhanced by our policy of encouraging the return of undamaged fish, especially fish of over five pounds in weight. These are the more prolific breeders and, in any case, are inferior to the two and three pounders in eating quality.
Species hunting:
The best species hunt of this season was by John Green's party from Wigan Hare & Hounds SAC who totalled 16 species in a day. The bank I call the Stag Bank (I first fished it with a stag party a good few years ago) yielded mackerel, grey gurnard, haddock, poor cod, whiting, red gurnard, ling, herring, huss, LSD, starry smoothhound, spurdog and cod. Then a move close inshore to Money Head added Pollack, coalie and short-spined bullhead.
A personal best:
The charter season effectively ended on Saturday, 2nd October but the following day was a fine flat calm that I couldn't resist so I went out alone to do some trial fishing. As the flood tide began to slacken I anchored in 250 feet of water uptide of the Port Logan wreck and drifted a whole mackerel down tide and hooked my own personal best conger. Alone, I could not boat it without gaffing it, but I managed to unhook it alongside. It was not less than 40 pounds.
I may try more often here next season although it is a difficult wreck to fish because it is so deep. It also seems to be upside down as it has a very smooth profile and a Hokkai trace drawn over it doesn't always snag but comes up with "dead man's fingers" on every hook.
I have hopes that I might get in a last day or two fishing before we lift the boat out for the winter later this month (October).
So what about 2012?
First of all, although I am now officially an OAP I am not retiring yet. I will carry on as long as I'm fit enough. You can safely book for 2012. My rates will remain the same as this year. Please note that I have reduced the maximum party size to 10. I find this is easier on me and it gives more space to the individual anglers.
Of course I will retire some day and it would be good to pass the business on as a going concern to a like-minded person. Yes, I know it might be difficult to find someone as dour and crabbit! But all the same, does anyone fancy taking on a seasonal "lifestyle" business in the next couple of years?
The bloody weather:
The weather defined the season. In short it seemed to be -
April - fine
May - rough
June - rough
July - middling
August - middling
September - rough
October - rougher
Doubly frustrating was the fact that when we could get out we had some fantastic fishing days.
Mackerel report:
This year again the mackerel appeared late - we had our first during the third week of May on the Port Logan bank, the water temperature by then being about 10.5oC. At times, mid-season, getting sufficient mackerel bait was a bit of a struggle but curiously they were still plentiful in early October. In fact during the first weekend in October the water seemed full of feed - herring of all sizes, decent mackerel, joeys, and the smallest mackerel I have ever seen were taking shrimp lures aimed at the herring.
Fishing the offshore marks:
The most consistent marks throughout the season were the outlying shingle banks south from Portpatrick towards Crammag Head. Good stocks of whiting, codling, haddock, gurnards, mackerel, scad, and launce supported LSD, huss, spurdog and tope.
James Smith of the Loch Fyne SAC had a fine brace of huss. Fortunately I carry a very large landing net and was able to boat this pair for him. Anxious to return the fish he weighed only the larger one - at 11 pounds plus. In my opinion and that of Robert MacBrayne who took the photo, the only slightly smaller one was at least 9 pounds.
Fishing with a small mid-week party in this area in late June I hooked a small fish on a bare Hokkai. Being distracted by a neighbouring angler I was only paying half attention. I noticed a spiny dorsal fin sticking up and thought, "Strange! An immature bass?" It was only as I reached out to grab it I realised it was a lesser weever. An odd catch in a hundred feet of water.
Inshore marks:
Inshore the pollack fishing was consistently good. Some splendid specimens took ragworm on leadheads and float-fished sandeel. I feel the consistency of this fishing is enhanced by our policy of encouraging the return of undamaged fish, especially fish of over five pounds in weight. These are the more prolific breeders and, in any case, are inferior to the two and three pounders in eating quality.
Species hunting:
The best species hunt of this season was by John Green's party from Wigan Hare & Hounds SAC who totalled 16 species in a day. The bank I call the Stag Bank (I first fished it with a stag party a good few years ago) yielded mackerel, grey gurnard, haddock, poor cod, whiting, red gurnard, ling, herring, huss, LSD, starry smoothhound, spurdog and cod. Then a move close inshore to Money Head added Pollack, coalie and short-spined bullhead.
A personal best:
The charter season effectively ended on Saturday, 2nd October but the following day was a fine flat calm that I couldn't resist so I went out alone to do some trial fishing. As the flood tide began to slacken I anchored in 250 feet of water uptide of the Port Logan wreck and drifted a whole mackerel down tide and hooked my own personal best conger. Alone, I could not boat it without gaffing it, but I managed to unhook it alongside. It was not less than 40 pounds.
I may try more often here next season although it is a difficult wreck to fish because it is so deep. It also seems to be upside down as it has a very smooth profile and a Hokkai trace drawn over it doesn't always snag but comes up with "dead man's fingers" on every hook.
I have hopes that I might get in a last day or two fishing before we lift the boat out for the winter later this month (October).
So what about 2012?
First of all, although I am now officially an OAP I am not retiring yet. I will carry on as long as I'm fit enough. You can safely book for 2012. My rates will remain the same as this year. Please note that I have reduced the maximum party size to 10. I find this is easier on me and it gives more space to the individual anglers.
Of course I will retire some day and it would be good to pass the business on as a going concern to a like-minded person. Yes, I know it might be difficult to find someone as dour and crabbit! But all the same, does anyone fancy taking on a seasonal "lifestyle" business in the next couple of years?
The following week, this angler was dismayed to lose what would have been a nice codling of about 4 lb. According to him, "A big black shark came up and grabbed it." I was busy at the other side of the boat at the time and didn't see it but there are some very big tope around at present.
