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Trip to Guernsey aboard "Samuel Irvin 3" - June 2007 |
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I recently thoroughly enjoyed several days afloat fishing out of Dartmouth aboard Ian Noble's Dartmouth charter boat, the Blyth 33 catamaran "Samuel Irvin 3". Having tasted Ian's personable hospitality, I decided to book a four day trip to fish Channel Island waters aboard this modern and well appointed charter boat.
Ian told me that he was taking a group from the Clevedon area of Somerset from Monday 4th until Thursday 7th June and offered to contact the trip organiser to see if I would be welcome to join the party. Within a very short time, I received an invitation to come along and what an enjoyable party it turned out to be. I boarded "Samuel Irvin 3" at the town jetty on Dartmouth Embankment at 7.45 am on Monday morning together with Glen Ballard, another Dartmouth local, whose brother owns the very popular "Alfresco's" a truly atmospheric coffee house and restaurant which many of you will already know is in Lower Street, Dartmouth, just along from the Lower Ferry slipway. I sometimes pop in to "Alf's" for a Cappucino and breakfast. I thoroughly recommend it to you the next time you are in Dartmouth. We cast off and made our way across to Kingswear where we collected the rest of the group from the Darthaven Marina pontoon. As I already had met a couple of the guys on previous sea angling adventures, I immediately felt welcome amongst friends. Even if that had not been the case, I know that Ian would have ensured that all felt comfortable and at ease. Our plan was to head straight to the Channel Islands, without stopping en route in mid-Channel to fish a wreck mark. We can always book an enjoyable wreck fishing trip to a mid-Channel mark on a day basis, but a chance to fish in Channel Islands water is a rarer treat, being just that little bit further from home. We wanted to enjoy fishing for hard fighting Turbot, Brill, Bass and Black Bream in the waters close to Guernsey, where we were staying during our trip. We all realised that we could do our best to catch deep water fish species during our return journey and take a few home, fresh and ready for our own table. Unfortunately, as we crossed the English Channel, the weather deteriorated. On our arrival at the Schole banks, off Alderney, the wind had veered to the North East and the sea was significantly rougher around the Channel Islands than it had been when we left Dartmouth. We feathered up some fresh Mackerel as bait, but the prospect was not good. We caught several small Bass and Gurnard on Mackerel fillets before returning late in the afternoon to disembark in Guernsey. I confess that on day one, I did not even bother to take my camera out of its case. Not an auspicious start! In Port we spoke to the Skippers and crew of several other local and visiting sea angling boats who all related a similar tale of woe. It was not an ambitious start, through no fault of our excellent Skipper. I stopped at the "Duke of Normandy" which is just off the High Street, through the "Onion Arch" in St. Peterport. It was the only accommodation I could find at such short notice as the Hotel where the remainder of our group was staying was fully booked. I paid £60 per night for a very modern and well appointed single room with its own en-suite bathroom. It was clean and comfortable. I did not eat in their Brasserie, though the menu looked very good. Breakfast was excellent. I would definitely stay there again. That evening we met at the Yacht Hotel for a Pint. Jason Cleasby, from Clevedon, who really is a genuine "laugh a minute" told us how, when he had been an apprentice, there was not room for him to sit with his workmates in the cab of the lorry, so his colleagues used to wrap him in a tarpaulin and he travelled lying down in the back of the truck. When he complained that he was unable to smoke at such times, they allegedly got hold of an old wardrobe which they put in the back of the truck and bored two holes in it so that he could enjoy a cigarette during his journeys. You had to be there to hear it first hand. We were all in fits of uncontrollable laughter. We made our way to "La Perla" a restaurant some 400 or 500 yards along the front, towards the Town centre. A three course menu is available at £10 per head and was excellent. I commend it to you. Tuesday morning was overcast with a strong North Easterly breeze. We met on "Samuel Irvin 3" at 8.15 am. We punched the breeze and a rough sea until we found shelter in the lee of the island of Sark, where we fished a bay under the cliffs. We were scratching around but found some excellent Ballan Wrasse which greedily took our "mini Squid" frozen baits.
Glen Ballard almost caught his namesake, when he caught
an early Ballan Wrasse around 4 lbs in weight.
The best of the Ballans was caught by Jason Cleasby Apart from being a good angler,
Jason is one of the most naturally amusing guys I have had the pleasure
of knowing. I thoroughly enjoyed his company especially as he
regaled us with his tales of past adventures, some of which I have
briefly touched upon in my narrative, but more of that later.
Later in the day, we punched through the waves to fish a bank off Sark where Jim Maun soon caught a very beautiful Red Gurnard which was also returned alive and well.
As the day progressed the wind eased with the change of tide and we caught more fish, including some Bass, the majority of which were also returned alive.
Within a very short time Jason Cleasby was very pleased
to catch a fine Turbot of around 10 lbs, which took a live Sandeel bait
offered on a 4/0 Sakuma Manta Hook, fished on a flowing trace.
Roger Leviston, also from Clevedon caught a magical Brill which weighed 6 lbs 2 ozs which also took a live Sandeel
bait, mounted on a 4/0 Varivas hook.
Not to be outdone, I caught a small Turbot of my own, but I guess you've all seen far too many photographs in the past of me holding fish! During the late afternoon, the wind and sea conditions had abated sufficiently to allow us to fish some rough ground in search of hard fighting Black Bream and we found some in good numbers and brilliant condition which gave great sport on light tackle.
Dave Cooper caught his 3½ lb Black Bream on small
Calamari Squid baits, mounted on a rig with a couple of short "flyers"
with small hooks.
Dave Newman matched it with another Black Bream of very
similar size and weight.
Not to be outdone, our Skipper, Ian Noble caught
another fine specimen Black Bream. Again, the majority of Bream
caught were returned alive and well.
I caught several good Bream on my Snowbee 7 foot 4 inch, 8 lb class boat rod, fitted with a new Accurate 197 miniature multiplier reel, loaded with 300 yards of 14 lb bs, Berkley Fireline Crystal Braid line, which provided some fine sport. I did not notice how time flies when you are preoccupied and having fun. It was almost 7.0 pm when we returned to St. Peterport harbour. We met up for a pint and Jason regaled us with tales of how on a previous fishing trip to Wales, his "mates" had told him he needed to buy some Welsh money from his Bank. He tried and failed. Next they told him he needed to take his passport with him, which he did. That night we ate at the "Library" a well known carvery restaurant, which we have often used on previous visits. The consensus is that it is not quite as good as it used to be. The starters were either "unavailable that day", or no longer on the menu. Personally I would not dine there again in a hurry. Though the food was something of a disappointment, once again, the company was great. On Wednesday, it again was blowing around force 5 North Easterly and the seas were choppy. Again, Ian took us to fish some rough ground, close in-shore, in the lee of the islands. We caught some small Bass, Tub and red Gurnards, and spectacularly brightly coloured Cuckoo Wrasse, which provided great sport on light gear. Although they were all returned alive to grow breed and fight again another day, none of them would have looked out of place in my home salt water tropical fish tank!
Roger Leviston caught a beautifully marked specimen.
In fact he caught several and more than most.
Chris Hall was delighted to catch another particularly
brightly coloured example.
Once again, during the late afternoon the wind and seas abated and allowed us to drift a bank in search of those big flat fish we all love so well.
It was clearly Chris Hall's day, when he was the first
to catch another good Turbot of around 10 lbs with a live Sandeel bait
fished on a sliding ledger rig with an extended trace.
Throughout the trip, my good pal, "Slim" Dave Skinner,
had told me that this was his seventh trip to the Channel Islands and he
had never managed to catch a Turbot himself from boat. I so hoped
that he would fulfil his ambition and yes, his dream did come true, when
he caught his very own quality Turbot on a flowing ledger baited with
live Sandeel. I could not have been happier if I had caught it
myself.
That evening we ate again at "La Perla" where the host and his staff looked after us very well indeed. Jason regaled us with more of his tales of "Ladies I have known", which kept us thoroughly bemused and entertained. These are not stories I can ever repeat, not even if I changed the names to protect identities. I feel sure that the people allegedly involved would know who they are from the wild antics! It's enough to tell you that I laughed until my sides hurt. On Thursday morning the day dawned again windy; a force 5 North Easterly drove choppy sea conditions. We boarded "Samuel Irvin 3" at 8.15 am and headed for home. As we were in mid-Channel, the wind and sea conditions started to ease down and we fished a mark where we caught some fine Pollack and Cod, mostly on "Storm Shad" lures.
Ian Noble borrowed my 20 lb class Snowbee 7' 4" rod,
fitted with an Accurate B-870-M multiplier reel loaded with 30 lb
Berkley "Fireline" braid. He told me he was particularly impressed
by the smoothness of the reel, which he used to catch the best Cod of
the day, a fish of around 17½ lbs, which put up a spirited struggle
before I safely lifted it aboard in the landing net. It took a 4
inch "Storm Shad" lure with a striped green body, orange under its chin
and a bright red tail.
Not to be outdone, I used my brand new 2-speed Accurate B2-870 reel, which has both 6:1 and 3:1 retrieve speeds. I found it great for working "Storm Shads" on my 25 to 50 lb class Abu "Suveran" pro boat 7' 6" boat rod. It too was loaded with 30 lb Berkley "Fireline" braid. I rounded off my trip by catching the best Pollack of the trip, a fish of around 14 lbs, which scooped Thursday's daily on-board competition and won me £45 in ill-gotten gains. Typically, by mid-afternoon on the last day of our adventure the wind had dropped to a light zephyr and the seas flattened until they shone like glass. We arrived back home in Dartmouth around 6.30 pm, tired but happy. I know that the lads have already booked another trip to the islands with Ian Noble, aboard "Samuel Irvin 3". They have been with Ian before and now make it one of their regular events. I'm already looking forward to my next "Channel Islands Fishing Adventure" aboard "Samuel Irvin 3". (c) Mike Concannon - Fishing Dartmouth 8th June 2007 |
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