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Charter Dates - I constantly receive calls from anglers who would like to go "Fishing Dartmouth" so I've asked some of our most popular and successful Skippers to provide some dates when they are happy to take individual anglers.  Thanks Dave, Ian, Owen and Chris.  Your support is greatly appreciated.

Just single left click your mouse on the photo of the charter boats below, to see a list of dates and trips when these very helpful Skippers are happy to take individual anglers or larger groups to fish for all sorts of varieties of fish and in various locations.  I know you will thoroughly enjoy a day aboard any of these excellent local charter boats.

Tackle box fillers at TRADE prices, once they're gone, they're gone.   Sold out, more to come shortly Click the link to fill your tackle box for less.

Hi Folks, I'm on a bit of a mission to support my 10 yr old daughter, Alana and three of her friends, to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation. Alana is part of a group of 4 children at her primary school who are taking part in the Torbay Civic Award. The award aims to develop well-rounded, confident and caring individuals who strive to make a difference in their various communities and are prepared to take responsibility for change. There are a couple of press releases about the award at the following links and there are a couple of attached files from the brainchild of the award, Mrs Karen Thomson. http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/Civic-awards-aim-encourage-youngsters/story-13741413-detail/story.html http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/Prestigious-awards-school-pupils-undertook/story-13068270-detail/story.html As part of their award, the four girls are wanting to fund raise for the British Heart Foundation at the Warberry School Valentines Fair on the 10th February.  I know you probably wont be aware of it but my Father, her Grandad, passed away in October 2011 from a heart condition and one of the other girls in the group has a hole in her heart, hence why they chose the British Heart Foundation as their charity. In an attempt to raise prizes for the raffle they want to hold, I contacted the local charter skippers and fishing tackle wholesalers and the response from them was nothing short of fantastic. I really want to give them all a massive thank you for their support. This gave me another idea to help the girls raise funds for the BHF. The skippers have very kindly given me permission to use their donated trips to maximum effect so we raise as much as we can for this worthwhile cause. There are 3 ways in which you can help, please see below:   Option 1, Sealed Bids   I am offering trips from 4 skippers in a sealed bid auction format. The sealed bid format is where you place a bid by contacting me on rob@fishingdartmouth.co.uk or call me on 01803 294095. Please tell me which trip you're interested in, give me your contact details and your maximum bid and at the close of the auction, which will be at 23.59 hrs on Friday 10th February, the highest bidder will win the trip, simple as that. When you place your bid please take into consideration the value of the trip in the first place and as we are raising money for the British Heart Foundation, please be sure you'll honour your bid if you win. After all, this is a charity that helps research into all kinds of heart conditions and treatments, something that has or will touch us all in some way. Thank you. The trips on offer are as follows:  Chris Roberts very kindly donated a charter trip for one person aboard his Salcombe based charter vessel 'Anglo Dawn 3' up to the value of £50. This will include a trip to the famous 'Skerries Banks' or inshore reefs or mid-Channel wrecks. If you wish to place a sealed bid on this trip please contact me on rob@fishingdartmouth.co.uk or please call me on 01803 294095 and I'll be pleased to hear from you. If you are the successful bidder we will let you know from the contact details you leave and depending on the distance I will deliver the laminated voucher in person or post it by recorded mail. Plus I will inform the skipper of the winners details. We accept donations through our fundraising page on the charity giving website 'Just Giving' and our page can be found at the following URL: www.justgiving.com/valentines-fair1002 You can donate through the 'Just Giving' website with your credit/debit card. Please be generous for this worthwhile cause. Ian Noble very kindly donated a charter trip for one person aboard his Dartmouth based charter vessel 'Samuel Irvin 3' for a Plaice fishing trip to the famous 'Skerries Banks'. If you wish to place a sealed bid on this trip please contact me on rob@fishingdartmouth.co.uk or please call me on 01803 294095 and I'll be pleased to hear from you. If you are the successful bidder we will let you know from the contact details you leave and depending on the distance I will deliver the laminated voucher in person or post it by recorded mail. Plus I will inform the skipper of the winners details. We accept donations through our fundraising page on the charity giving website 'Just Giving' and our page can be found at the following URL: www.justgiving.com/valentines-fair1002 You can donate through the 'Just Giving' website with your credit/debit card. Please be generous for this worthwhile cause. Dean Farrell very kindly donated a charter trip for one person aboard his Brixham/Paignton based charter vessel 'Becca Marie'. This will include a trip to the famous 'Skerries Banks' or inshore reefs or Bass wrecks or mid-Channel wrecks. If you wish to place a sealed bid on this trip please contact me on rob@fishingdartmouth.co.uk or please call me on 01803 294095 and I'll be pleased to hear from you. If you are the successful bidder, we will let you know from the contact details you leave and depending on the distance I will deliver the laminated voucher in person or post it by recorded mail. Plus I will inform the skipper of the winners details. We accept donations through our fundraising page on the charity giving website 'Just Giving' and our page can be found at the following URL: www.justgiving.com/valentines-fair1002 You can donate through the 'Just Giving' website with your credit/debit card. Please be generous for this worthwhile cause. Owen Mallia very kindly donated a charter trip for one person aboard his Dartmouth based charter vessel 'Outlaw of Dartmouth'. This will include a trip to the famous 'Skerries Banks' or inshore reefs or Bass wrecks or mid-Channel wrecks. If you wish to place a sealed bid on this trip please contact me on rob@fishingdartmouth.co.uk or please call me on 01803 294095 and I'll be pleased to hear from you. If you are the successful bidder, we will let you know from the contact details you leave and depending on the distance I will deliver the laminated voucher in person or post it by recorded mail. Plus I will inform the skipper of the winners details. We accept donations through our fundraising page on the charity giving website 'Just Giving' and our page can be found at the following URL: www.justgiving.com/valentines-fair1002 You can donate through the 'Just Giving' website with your credit/debit card. Please be generous for this worthwhile cause.   Option 2, Raffle Tickets   In this section I'm offering the following prizes (3 fishing trips and fishing tackle) via a raffle. Tickets cost £1.00 a strip and you can buy your tickets by giving your donation through our fundraising page on the charity giving website 'Just Giving'. Our page can be found at the following web address:  www.justgiving.com/valentines-fair1002 Once you've given your donation please either email me at rob@fishingdartmouth.co.uk or call me on 01803 294095 so I can match up your donation with the amount of raffle tickets. I will then email or text your raffle ticket numbers. The raffle tickets will be drawn at Warberry Primary School, Cedar Road, Torquay at the Valentines Fair organised by the girls on the 10th February. Winners will be notified by phone or email (whichever you prefer). Depending on where you live I will deliver the prizes personally or send them by recorded mail. The prizes being raffled are: Prize 1 - Alan and Hilary Hemsley very kindly donated a half day charter trip for TWO people aboard their Dartmouth based charter vessel 'African Queen'. This will include rod hire, bait and tuition, the full works. If you wish to buy raffle tickets for this trip please make your donation through our fundraising page on the charity giving website 'Just Giving'. Our page can be found at the following URL: www.justgiving.com/valentines-fair1002 You can donate through the 'Just Giving' website with your credit/debit card. Please be generous for this worthwhile cause. Once you've given your donation please either email me at rob@fishingdartmouth.co.uk or call me on 01803 294095 so I can match up your payment with the correct amount of raffle tickets. I will then email or text your raffle ticket numbers. If you are the successful winner we will let you know from the contact details you leave and depending on the distance I will deliver the laminated voucher in person or post it by recorded mail. Plus I will inform the skipper of the winners details. Prize 2 - Dave Harrison very kindly donated either a charter trip aboard his Dartmouth based charter vessel 'Gemini' or £50.00 cash. This will include a trip to the famous 'Skerries Banks' or inshore reefs or mid-Channel wrecks. If you opt for the fishing trip, this will be valid from August 2012 when Dave's new boat, a brand new BW Seacat, arrives. If you wish to buy raffle tickets for this trip please make your donation through our fundraising page on the charity giving website 'Just Giving'. Our page can be found at the following URL: www.justgiving.com/valentines-fair1002 You can donate through the 'Just Giving' website with your credit/debit card. Please be generous for this worthwhile cause. Once you've given your donation please either email me at rob@fishingdartmouth.co.uk or call me on 01803 294095 so I can match up your payment with the correct amount of raffle tickets. I will then email or text your raffle ticket numbers. If you are the successful winner we will let you know from the contact details you leave and depending on the distance I will deliver the laminated voucher in person or post it by recorded mail. Plus I will inform the skipper of the winners details. Prize 3 - Dave Roberts very kindly donated a charter trip aboard his Minehead based charter vessel 'AlyKat' fishing the Bristol Channel for TWO people (1 Adult and 1 Child) If you wish to buy raffle tickets for this trip please make your donation through our fundraising page on the charity giving website 'Just Giving'. Our page can be found at the following URL: www.justgiving.com/valentines-fair1002  You can donate through the 'Just Giving' website with your credit/debit card. Please be generous for this worthwhile cause. Once you've given your donation please either email me at rob@fishingdartmouth.co.uk or call me on 01803 294095 so I can match up your payment with the correct amount of raffle tickets. I will then email or text your raffle ticket numbers. If you are the successful winner we will let you know from the contact details you leave and depending on the distance I will deliver the laminated voucher in person or post it by recorded mail. Plus I will inform the skipper of the winners details.  Prize 4 - Fladen Maxximus Offshore carbon boat rod 10- 20 lb class, braid rings http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/0777cb6d#/0777cb6d/51   Prize 5 - Fladen Warbird Big Water F/S Reel, 320m/15lb, 9BB, IAR (no spare spools) http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/0777cb6d#/0777cb6d/16   Prize 6 - Fladen Warbird Kevlar Graphite Spinning Rod 7-25g 8ft with 3 packs of muppet rigs. http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/0777cb6d#/0777cb6d/37   Prize 7 - Fladen Maxximus Camouflage carbon Match Rod 3.6m with 2 packs of super soft split shot http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/0777cb6d#/0777cb6d/61 Fladen Fishing from Weymouth who supply the Fladen Maxximus and Fladen Rescue System brands to the trade very kindly donated the fishing tackle on the left. Please click the links on the left to see detailed pictures of the fishing tackle. Kiddy Wholesale from Torquay who supply the Sidewinder and Storm brands to the trade very kindly donated the fishing tackle on the right.   Prize 8 - Beachcaster combo kit - 12ft Rebel 4-6oz beachcaster matched with a Rebel 65 fixed spool reel, 4.1:1, 310m/14lb, spare spool and reel bag and 6ft aluminium tripod. Prize 9 - Lady Luck pink bass rod and reel combo - One for the ladies/girlies - 10ft, Lady Luck 2-4oz pink Bass rod matched with Lady Luck pink F/S reel 245m/12lb, spare spool and reel bag Prize 10 - Small Sakuma Cool Bag - perfect for fishing and picnics. Measures  28cm L x 19cm W x 15cm D. 1000D waterproof fabric, fully insulated easy clean interior, anti corrosive zip, external rubber mesh pocket, tough padded carry handles and reflective piping. Prize 11 - Small Sakuma Cool Bag - perfect for fishing and picnics. Measures  28cm L x 19cm W x 15cm D. 1000D waterproof fabric, fully insulated easy clean interior, anti corrosive zip, external rubber mesh pocket, tough padded carry handles and reflective piping. Prize 12 - Large Sakuma Cool Bag - perfect for fishing and picnics. Measures  36cm L x 26cm W x 15cm D. 1000D waterproof fabric, fully insulated easy clean interior, anti corrosive zip, external rubber mesh pocket, tough padded carry handles and reflective piping. Prize 13 - Large Sakuma Cool Bag - perfect for fishing and picnics. Measures  36cm L x 26cm W x 15cm D. 1000D waterproof fabric, fully insulated easy clean interior, anti corrosive zip, external rubber mesh pocket, tough padded carry handles and reflective piping. Swift Worldwide from Exeter who supply the Sakuma and Redgill brands to the trade very kindly donated the fishing tackle on the left. If you wish to buy raffle tickets for the above fishing tackle please make your donation through our fundraising page on the charity giving website 'Just Giving'. Our page can be found at the following URL: www.justgiving.com/valentines-fair1002  You can donate through the 'Just Giving' website with your credit/debit card. Please be generous for this worthwhile cause. Once you've given your donation please either email me at rob@fishingdartmouth.co.uk or call me on 01803 294095 so I can match up your payment with the correct amount of raffle tickets. I will then email or text your raffle ticket numbers. If you are the successful winner we will let you know from the contact details you leave and depending on the distance I will deliver the prize in person or post it by recorded mail.   Option 3, Kind Donation   The final option is where I politely ask if you'd kindly donate to the British Heart Foundation. You can do this with your debit/credit card at our fund raising page which can be found at  www.justgiving.com/valentines-fair1002  We have an initial target of £500.00 and really hope we can surpass that. Please tell all your friends and support this worthwhile cause. Thank you very much. Alternatively, if you wish to donate any further prizes for the raffle or to sell, to raise funds for the BHF, please let me know as soon as you can and I'll be very pleased to hear from you. Thanking you in advance.

Friday 3rd February - Mid Channel wreck fishing aboard "Anglo Dawn 3" - Chris Roberts has been at sea on Sunday 29th Jan, aboard his Salcombe based charter boat  "Anglo Dawn 3".  Chris emailed his fishy tale and photos for your interest and enjoyment.  Many thanks Owen, your input is much appreciated.  Here's what Chris wrote:

Hope you are well, Just e-mailing over some pictures of some of the cracking fish we had on the weekend.  The best Ling was 27 lb caught on a red shad, by a guy from Stadium Leisure SAC.  The next was a Ling which was 25 lb 4 oz caught on a small octopus and squid and the other Ling was just over 20 lb, again, caught on squid.

The Pollack was caught by Jerry Bennett from Stadium Leisure SAC that weighed around 14 lb 8 oz on a small shad and the Haddock, one of 4 caught over the weekend, was caught on a blue Sidewinder.  Regards Chris.
 

A happy angler from Stadium SAC proudly holds up the best Ling of the day with a fine fish of 27 lbs caught  aboard Chris Roberts Salcombe based charter boat "Anglo Dawn 3" Sunday 29th January 2012 Picture courtesy of Chris Roberts	A happy angler from Stadium SAC proudly holds up a very nice Haddock, one of four caught  aboard Chris Roberts Salcombe based charter boat "Anglo Dawn 3" Sunday 29th January 2012 Picture courtesy of Chris Roberts	Jerry Bennett from Stadium SAC proudly holds up a very nice Polack of 14 lbs 8 oz which he caught  aboard Chris Roberts Salcombe based charter boat "Anglo Dawn 3" Sunday 29th January 2012 Picture courtesy of Chris Roberts
	A happy angler from Stadium SAC proudly holds up a fine brace of Ling of 25 lbs 4 oz and just over 20 lbs he caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Chris Roberts Salcombe based charter boat "Anglo Dawn 3" Sunday 29th January 2012 Picture courtesy of Chris Roberts

Wednesday 1st February - Mid Channel wreck fishing for Pollack aboard "Outlaw of Dartmouth" - Owen Mallia has been at sea on Sunday 29th Jan, aboard his local charter boat  "Outlaw of Dartmouth".  Owen emailed his fishy tale and photos for your interest and enjoyment.  Many thanks Chris, your input is much appreciated.  Here's what Owen wrote:

Due to kinder weather we managed another day’s fishing last Sunday out to the mid-Channel wrecks in search of the larger winter fish, the winds were practically non-existent – which allowed us to press on to the deep water marks once again.  Our group was a mixture of local anglers and a few boys from Wales.

Andy 'Squiff' Howitt (L) proudly holds up the best Pollack of the day at 21 lbs 2 oz and Wayne Pontin proudly holds up his fine Pollack. Both fish were caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Owen Mallias Dartmouth charter boat "Outlaw of Dartmouth" Sunday 29th January 2012 Picture courtesy of Owen Mallia

We arrived at our destination in good time as the tide had just started to flood, although the drifts were a bit slow to start with, (as there was not a lot of current initially), as the tide started to build, so did the fishing, we were active right up until slack water around lunchtime (where we had about an hour’s doldrum), the Ebb tide started to make and after a few slow drifts the fishing just ‘switched’ back on.  Top man on the day was Andy ‘Squiff’ Howitt who managed to wrestle the sweepstake out of the Skippers hands with a fine 21lb 2oz Specimen Pollock caught on a Rhubarb & Custard Sidewinder lure, up until that point the Skipper himself had managed to land himself a nice 18lb + Pollock on a Redgill Evo lure!

Harry White (L) and Leon Draper proudly hold up their fine Pollack. Both fish were caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Owen Mallias Dartmouth charter boat "Outlaw of Dartmouth" Sunday 29th January 2012 Picture courtesy of Owen Mallia

Welsh Rugby International John Yapp was having a day off from Rugby and was out with us again, he managed to get in on the action along with his mate Leon Draper (also from Wales), both men catching a number of fine winter Pollock throughout their day.  Another Outlaw regular who was out with us was Harry White from Moretonhapstead, Harry managed to get himself involved with fish on practically every other drift throughout his days fishing.  Once again, I lined up for our last drift of the day and nearly everyone was in to fish, it was really encouraging to leave good fishing at the end of our day.

Mid Channel wreck fishing for Pollack aboard "Outlaw of Dartmouth" - Owen Mallia has been at sea on Saturday 28th Jan, aboard his local charter boat  "Outlaw of Dartmouth".  Owen emailed his fishy tale and photos for your interest and enjoyment.  Many thanks Owen, your input is much appreciated.  Here's what Owen wrote:

Following another week of inclement weather we managed to get out fishing again on Saturday 28^th January with members of the Cwmbach Predators from Wales plus friends, we headed for the deep water wreck marks in the middle of the Channel in search of winter Pollack, Ling and the odd Cod.  The weather was still a bit frisky with a stiff North Easterly breeze behind us all of the way out to the Channel, however the forecast suggested that the winds would subside as the day wore on, so we anticipated a comfortable ride back to Dartmouth.

Wayne Pontin proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Owen Mallias Dartmouth charter boat "Outlaw of Dartmouth" Saturday 28th January 2012 Picture courtesy of Owen Mallia	Mike 'The Conger' Morgan proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Owen Mallias Dartmouth charter boat "Outlaw of Dartmouth" Saturday 28th January 2012 Picture courtesy of Owen Mallia	Gareth Parsons proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Owen Mallias Dartmouth charter boat "Outlaw of Dartmouth" Saturday 28th January 2012 Picture courtesy of Owen Mallia

We arrived at our first wreck as the tide started to turn, fishing was a bit slow to start with but picked up as the day unfolded, we continued to catch steadily until I decided to move to an adjacent wreck in search of a bit more ‘pace’, thankfully my hunch paid off and the fishing was a lot more active, at our second destination, so we stayed there for the remainder of the day.  Top dog on the day was Mike (the Conger) Morgan from Aberdare who landed himself a number of excellent winter Pollock, Mike lost one particular fish that gave him a hell of a battle for a while but unfortunately the fish had the better of his tackle and was free to fight another day.

	Mark Williams (L) and Wayne Pontin proudly hold up their fine Pollack which they caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Owen Mallias Dartmouth charter boat "Outlaw of Dartmouth" Saturday 28th January 2012 Picture courtesy of Owen Mallia
	Mark Nathan (L) and Paul Frain proudly hold up their fine Pollack and Bass which they caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Owen Mallias Dartmouth charter boat "Outlaw of Dartmouth" Saturday 28th January 2012 Picture courtesy of Owen Mallia

Other notable performances from the Cwmbach ‘boyos’ were from Mark Nathan and Wayne Pontin, you may notice the unusual headgear the lads were determined to wear when they had caught a fish and we were preparing to take their picture – obviously this was some ‘angling ritual’ that perhaps brings good luck?!!!  Also pictured are Gareth Parsons from Wales (who caught the second largest Pollock on the day), Mark Williams with one of his winter Pollock and Paul Frain from Wales who landed himself a fine 3lb Bass for his efforts.  Top lures appeared to be variations of Sidewinders and Redgills today with no particular colour outperforming another.  We turned for home with calmer seas and made our way back in to Dartmouth, everyone was tired and relaxed after another great day’s fishing.

Large Wrasse and nice Dab - I received a very welcome email from Brixham SAC member Russell Farley who's been out and about wetting a line with his son Ciaran. Thank you Russell your input is much appreciated. Here's what Russell wrote:

Hi Rob here are some of our January catches. I had a nice Dab of 1 lb 1 oz 7 dr taken from Beesands on the 27th January. It was a very fat fish in perfect condition. Bait was frozen black lug and cockles  cast out as far out as I could sling it! On the 28th we fished at the mouth of the River Dart  targetting Wrasse.  Ciarans had a fish was 4 lbs 2 ozs 12 dr and mine 5 lbs 2 ozs 4 dr. Both were caught on peeler crab.

Russell Farley proudly holds up his fine specimen Wrasse of 5 lbs 2 ozs 4 dr which he caught on Peeler Crab while fishing at the mouth of the River Dart. Saturday 28th January 2011 Photo courtesy of Russell Farley	Ciaran Farley proudly holds up his fine specimen Wrasse of 4 lbs 2 ozs 12 dr which he caught on Peeler Crab while fishing at the mouth of the River Dart. Saturday 28th January 2011 Photo courtesy of Russell Farley	Russell Farley proudly holds up his fine Dab of 1 lb 1 oz 7 dr which he caught on Black Lug and Cockle while fishing at Beesands. Friday 27th January 2011 Photo courtesy of Russell Farley

Large Ling caught out of Dartmouth - I received a very welcome email from Garry Harding who caught a fine Ling out of Dartmouth during a very odd day of fine weather. Thank you Garry your input is much appreciated. Here's what Garry wrote:

Attached is a picture of a Ling that I caught on Sunday 29th January from a wreck on my mates, Simon Mitchell, boat "Laurenholly", out of Dartmouth. The Ling weighed 27lb 13oz. Happy fishing!  Garry Harding.
 

Garry Harding proudly holds up his fine specimen Ling of 27 lbs 13 ozs which he caught from his mates, Simon Mitchells' private boat "Lauren Holly". Sunday 29th January 2011 Photo courtesy of Garry Harding

Wyvern Division competition awards and presentation night - I received a very welcome email from Mike Spiller about the Wyvern Division competition awards which were held on Saturday 28th Jan. Thank you Mike, here's what Mike wrote:

Nearly 100 people attended the Wyvern Division presentation Night at Exeter last Saturday night. All the Divisions awards were made from the 2011 season along with the presentation of the Castle Trophy.

The evening started with a short talk on work of the Angling Trust by David Mitchell, David explained work that had been completed and what was going to be looked at in the future. The presentation then followed with all the fish of the month winners being awarded with Gilt medals and certificates for all the winners. Main trophy winners for 2011 were:-

Captor of the best specimen of the year and the winner of the Castle Trophy was Mark Bryce of the Rodbenders SAC for a fine specimen shore caught Pout of 3 lbs 4 ozs. Saturday 28th January 2011 Photo courtesy of Mike Spiller

Best Lady Gail Nathan (Paignton SAA) with a Ling of 28-0-2.  Best Flatfish Mike Hodge (Rodbenders SAC) Plaice 4-13-0.  Best Bass Pete Passmore (PaigntonSAA) 14-6-3.  Best Conger Chris Martin (Brixham SAC) 96-4-13. Best Bream Gordon Richards (Paignton SAA) 5-9-12. Best Junior Shore Ciaran Farley (Brixham SAC) Flounder 3-7-8.

Best Junior Boat Craig Doidge (Paignton SAA) Cod 23-13-4. The winner of the best specimen of the year for the Castle Trophy was Mark Bryce (Rodbenders SAC) Shore caught Pout of 3-4-0. Mark also won £140 for his chosen charity which was for the Brent Ward Trust at Derriford Hospital.  At the end of the nights everyone was treated to a free buffet.

Tuesday 31st January - Mid Channel wreck fishing for Pollack aboard "Samuel Irvin 3" - Ian Noble has been at sea on Sunday 29th January aboard his local charter boat, the big white and blue Blyth 33 catamaran, "Samuel Irvin 3".  Ian emailed his fishy tale and photos for your interest and enjoyment.  Many thanks Ian, your input is much appreciated.  Here's what Ian wrote:

Sunday was a complete contrast to yesterday with hardly a whisper of wind and flat seas as we travelled out to the mid-channel wrecks off Dartmouth.  Aboard were anglers from the Keltic SAC of South Wales looking for winter Pollack.  There was surprisingly little movement of water considering the predicted tide heights and the fish were slow to take the lures.
 

Ian Howells proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Sunday 29th January 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble	John Phillips proudly holds up two of his fine Pollack which he caught from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Sunday 29th January 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble	Gareth Brown proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Sunday 29th January 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble
	Gareth Gronow (L) and Bill Gronow proudly hold up two of their fine Pollack which they caught from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Sunday 29th January 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble
	Keith Hobbs proudly holds up two of his Pollack in prime condition which he caught from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Sunday 29th January 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble

We visited three wrecks during the day taking fish from all of them with the last being the most productive.  Again Sidewinders, white or rhubarb, were taking the fish.
A grand day out with flat seas, fish and good company.

Mid Channel wreck fishing for Pollack aboard "Samuel Irvin 3" - Ian Noble has been at sea on Saturday 28th January aboard his local charter boat, the big white and blue Blyth 33 catamaran, "Samuel Irvin 3".  Ian emailed his fishy tale and photos for your interest and enjoyment.  Many thanks Ian, your input is much appreciated.  Here's what Ian wrote:

With an improving forecast Saturday found us heading out to the mid-channel wrecks south of Dartmouth with a fresh North Easterly breeze behind us.
On board were experienced anglers of the Penywaun fishing club in South Wales. Most fish came to white or blue and white Evo and Sidewinder soft lures with Colin Thomas having the biggest bag, whist his son Chay took the pool money with the heaviest fish of the day.
 

Peter Truro proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Saturday 28th January 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble	Kevin Dillon proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Saturday 28th January 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble	Matthew Parfitt proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Saturday 28th January 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble
	Horace Rodgers (L) and Chay Thomas proudly hold up two of their fine Pollack which they caught from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Saturday 28th January 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble
	Colin Thomas proudly holds up two of his Pollack in prime condition which he caught from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Saturday 28th January 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble

The conditions were not perfect and though the improvement in the forecast didn't happen until we were nearly back in port the fish obliged and we were able to stay on the wreck all day. Come on Summer.

Wednesday 25th January - Mid Channel wreck fishing for Pollack aboard "Outlaw of Dartmouth" - Owen Mallia has been at sea aboard his local charter boat, "Outlaw of Dartmouth".  Owen emailed his fishy tale and photos for your interest and enjoyment.  Many thanks Owen, your input is much appreciated.  Here's what Owen wrote:

Thanks to a brief break in the weather I managed to get out to the mid-channel wrecks on Monday 23^rd January with a regular group of anglers.  With the very light winds forecast we decided to go for a long day’s fishing.

Allan Painter proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Owen Mallias Dartmouth charter boat "Outlaw of Dartmouth" Monday 23rd January 2012 Picture courtesy of Owen Mallia	Carl Jones proudly holds up his fine 18 lb Ling which he caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Owen Mallias Dartmouth charter boat "Outlaw of Dartmouth" Monday 23rd January 2012 Picture courtesy of Owen Mallia	Glenn Law proudly holds up his fine Cod which he caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Owen Mallias Dartmouth charter boat "Outlaw of Dartmouth" Monday 23rd January 2012 Picture courtesy of Owen Mallia

We arrived at our first wreck – only to find that recent commercial wreck-net activity on the last neap tide had left remnants of gill net strewn all over the wreck and its superstructure, so after a couple of frustrating drifts with fish coming up with net still attached to them we moved on to another wreck where the fishing was slow but steady, we fished until it started to dry up and then pressed on to another wreck where we instantly found good fishing, we managed to land a number of nice winter Ling, Cod and Pollack and again, just like my last trip out on this group of wrecks, regular Dartmouth angler - Glenn Law who is from Dartmouth caught himself a fine 7lb 15oz Bass on an Orange Eddystone Eel! Glenn also managed to wrestle a few nice Cod and Pollack in as well.

Leyton Yapp proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Owen Mallias Dartmouth charter boat "Outlaw of Dartmouth" Monday 23rd January 2012 Picture courtesy of Owen Mallia	Wes Donohue proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Owen Mallias Dartmouth charter boat "Outlaw of Dartmouth" Monday 23rd January 2012 Picture courtesy of Owen Mallia	Allan Painter proudly holds up another fine Pollack which he caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Owen Mallias Dartmouth charter boat "Outlaw of Dartmouth" Monday 23rd January 2012 Picture courtesy of Owen Mallia

Another local angler Wes Donoghue from Paignton managed to catch a fine Ling and a few nice Pollack for his day’s efforts.  Carl Jones the Dartmouth regular angler from Caldicot, Wales had himself a battle royal with a lovely 18lb + Ling, plus a number of great Cod and Pollack,. His buddy Allan Painter (another angling Dartmouth regular) consistently fished away all day (as he always does) and managed to land himself a number of fine Pollack for his efforts.  Dan Rees-Jones (originally from Brixham but now residing in Bristol) had his first ‘Outlaw experience’ and settled in to just doing what comes naturally and consistently caught fish all day.

	Dan Rees Jones (L) proudly holds up his fine Pollack and Leyton Yapp holds up his fine Cod of 16 lbs which they caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Owen Mallias Dartmouth charter boat "Outlaw of Dartmouth" Monday 23rd January 2012 Picture courtesy of Owen Mallia
	Glenn Law (L) proudly holds up his fine Bass of 7 lbs 15 ozs and John Yapp holds up his fine Pollack which they caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Owen Mallias Dartmouth charter boat "Outlaw of Dartmouth" Monday 23rd January 2012 Picture courtesy of Owen Mallia

Cardiff Blues and International Rugby Prop John Yapp from Cardiff – who is another Outlaw regular came down with the boys from Wales on Monday and brought his brother Leyton along for the day, both of the brothers made a slow but steady start to their catch rate in the early stages, but as the day unfolded John managed to catch himself a nice winter Pollack, then Leyton (who claims he hasn’t had much sea angling experience) started to get the hang of things and initially caught himself a super Pollack followed later in the day with a really chunky winter Cod of 16lbs, obviously there is one Rugby star and one up and coming fishing star in the Yapp household! As the sun started to set in the West we fished our last drift and pointed Outlaw for home, the Westerly winds just started to freshen up as we neared Dartmouth, so thankfully the forecast was accurate and we were safely back in to port before any weather took hold.

Tuesday 24th January - Updated catches from Brixham SAC members - Brixham SAC member Dave Fortune very kindly emailed me with some of the latest catches of Brixham SAC members. Thank you Dave, your input is most appreciated. Here's what Dave said:

Junior members fished Berryhead to find a few fish. Ciaran Farley had Dogfish to 2 lbs 4 ozs and Shay Upham caught a 3 Bearded Rockling of 1 lb 2 ozs 14 dr. Doug Mosedale and John Heather fished a wreck off Start Point, John taking Pollack to 15 lbs 12 ozs 14 dr and Doug finding Pout to 2 lbs 8 ozs 6 dr.

The clubs Flounder competition was won by Dave Fortune with a fish of 1 lb 9 ozs 1 dr. The Wrasse competition was also won by Dave Fortune with a fish of 4 lbs 11 ozs 7 dr and Rob Marshall came second and third with fish of 4 lbs 3 ozs 10 dr and 3 lbs 5 ozs.

Updated catches from T&BASA members -  T&BASA member Nigel Foord very kindly emailed me with some of the latest catches of T&BASA members during the clubs Exmouth Seafront competition held at the weekend. Thank you Nigel, your input is most appreciated. Here's what Nigel said:

Here are the results from Sundays Competition on Exmouth Seafront. It was fished in a strong Westerly wind but 24 anglers fished the competition and the winner was John Adey with a fine Flounder of 2 lb 9 oz 12 drms.  Second was Rich Corston with another good fish of 2 lb 9 oz 4 drms. 3rd was Ross Stewart with a Flounder of 2 lb 1 oz.

Tuesday 17th January - Reminder of the Wyvern Division competition awards - I received a very welcome email from Mike Spiller to remind everyone about the Wyvern Division competition awards. Thank you Mike, here's his reminder:

Please can you give a mention for our Wyvern Division Presentation of awards on the 28th January, again at the RBL in Alphington, Exeter. All winners have been notified by post and the night is open to all anglers. The evening will start at 7-30pm for a 8pm start. David Mitchell from the Angling Trust will be present on the night to give a short chat on the work of the AT. The night will end with a free buffet as normal.  Anyone needing more details can contact me on 01404 43397

Many thanks, Mike Spiller

Monday 16th January - Mid Channel wreck fishing for Pollack aboard "Outlaw of Dartmouth" - Owen Mallia has been at sea aboard his local charter boat, "Outlaw of Dartmouth".  Owen emailed his fishy tale and photos for your interest and enjoyment.  Many thanks Owen, your input is much appreciated.  Here's what Owen wrote:

I was out at the weekend with Outlaw on Saturday 14^th January with a group of anglers who were all fairly local to the region.  We headed out to the mid-Channel wrecks in search of Winter Pollack and that is exactly what we got (apart from one surprise along the way!). We arrived at our first wreck and tried a few drifts but there really wasn’t much going on so we pressed on a bit deeper in to the Channel to see if we could improve matters, we stopped at about four wrecks before we started to find any decent signs of fish (the fishing may have been a bit challenged due to the stiff South-Easterly breeze?).

Dave Stead proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Owen Mallias Dartmouth charter boat "Outlaw of Dartmouth" Saturday 14th January 2012 Picture courtesy of Owen Mallia	Dave Dinsborrow proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Owen Mallias Dartmouth charter boat "Outlaw of Dartmouth" Saturday 14th January 2012 Picture courtesy of Owen Mallia	Dave Dinsborrow proudly holds up his surprise but very welcome 6 lbs 1 oz Bass which he caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Owen Mallias Dartmouth charter boat "Outlaw of Dartmouth" Saturday 14th January 2012 Picture courtesy of Owen Mallia

We arrived at our fifth wreck to find large fish, although not in any great number, so we moved on to another wreck where we instantly found fish on every drift throughout the remainder of the day, young Max Bingle from Paignton had a bumper day winding up with six plump Pollack for his efforts, he was very skilful at catching fish each drift and would have had a higher total if he had managed to land another four fish that shook the hook before he managed to get them to the surface, Max tried Sidewinder Lures, Tsunami Lures and the new Savage eels to excellent effect.

Max Bingle from Paignton proudly holds up two of his fine Pollack which he caught on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Owen Mallias Dartmouth charter boat "Outlaw of Dartmouth" Saturday 14th January 2012 Picture courtesy of Owen Mallia

Dave Stead from Dawlish had plenty of action and also wound up with a few nice Pollack examples, Dave Dinsborrow from Teignmouth steadily plodded away all day winding up fish quietly at the stern of the boat, on one particular drift I readied the landing net for another of his fish (expecting another Pollack) only to realise that he had hooked himself a lovely Bass of 6 lbs 1 oz, he was elated with his catch – which was caught on a new white Tsunami Sandeel Lure.  Our plans were to fish later in to the day, we managed to catch fish even on our last drift as the sun sank in to the Western Channel, the South East wind started to gain pace and pushed us nicely back to the port of Dartmouth in good time, everyone was tired from their day and enjoyed another good day’s fishing on Outlaw.

Successful sea trials and Mid Channel wreck fishing for Pollack aboard "Outlaw of Dartmouth" - Owen Mallia has been at sea aboard his local charter boat, "Outlaw of Dartmouth".  Owen emailed his fishy tale and photos for your interest and enjoyment.  Many thanks Owen, your input is much appreciated.  Here's what Owen wrote:

After a major Gearbox overhaul on Outlaw last week I decided to venture out to the mid-channel wrecks with my buddy Glenn Law from Dartmouth – this was just to ensure that everything was ship shape and fully functional on Outlaw (before taking anglers out to sea the following day).  Glenn and I visited a number of wrecks that I hadn’t been to for a number of years, we managed to catch a lot of fish throughout our day, so the trip was 100% successful, the boat performed perfectly and we caught fish in abundance, so total result!

Glenn Law proudly holds up the best Pollack of the day at 19 lbs 8 oz which he caught during a sea trials trip on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Owen Mallias Dartmouth charter boat "Outlaw of Dartmouth" Friday 13th January 2012 Picture courtesy of Owen Mallia	Glenn Law proudly holds up a fine brace of Pollack which he caught during a sea trials trip on the mid Channel wrecks aboard Owen Mallias Dartmouth charter boat "Outlaw of Dartmouth" Friday 13th January 2012 Picture courtesy of Owen Mallia	Skipper, Owen Mallia proudly holds up a fine Pollack which he caught during a sea trials trip on the mid Channel wrecks aboard his Dartmouth charter boat "Outlaw of Dartmouth" Friday 13th January 2012 Picture courtesy of Owen Mallia

Along with many 12-15lb fish towards the end of the day Glenn managed to hook himself a super 19lb 8oz Winter Pollack using a White Tsunami Lure.

Sunday 15th January - Mid Channel wreck fishing for Pollack aboard "Samuel Irvin 3" - Ian Noble has been at sea aboard his local charter boat, the big white and blue Blyth 33 catamaran, "Samuel Irvin 3".  Ian emailed his fishy tale and photos for your interest and enjoyment.  Many thanks Ian, your input is much appreciated.  Here's what Ian wrote:

With strong easterly winds forecast for the weekend we took advantage of Friday's fine weather and set out for the mid-channel wrecks to the south of Dartmouth.  On board were a group of regular and experienced anglers from the South West.  They fished Red Gill Evos and Sidewinder soft lures with good effect throughout the day landing some fine Polack.
 

Graham Lewis thought he had the money with this excellent Pollack of 18 lbs which he caught from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Friday 13th December 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble	John Webb took the money with this cracking Pollack of over 18 lbs which he caught from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Friday 13th December 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble	Johnny Francis with a Pollack in prime condition which he caught from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Friday 13th December 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble

Graham Lewis landed a smashing 18lb Pollack and thought he had secured the money but he was later pipped by John Webb with an even better Pollack.
 

	Rodger Leviston (L) holds up his fine Pollack and Brian Atkinson with a nice Pollack that came to a Sidewinder soft lure which they which he caught from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Friday 13th December 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble
	Kev Smart (L) holds up his fine Pollack, with a little support from Rodger Leviston and Steve Howell with a nice Pollack that came to a Sidewinder soft lure which they caught from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Friday 13th December 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble

Another 'Summer Day' in January, hard to believe.

Thursday 12th January - Updated catches from T&BASA members -  T&BASA member Nigel Foord very kindly emailed me with some of the latest catches of T&BASA members. Thank you Nigel, your input is most appreciated. Here's what Nigel said:

Just a couple of decent fish to report for the Torbay and Babbacombe club members. Firstly, Simon Kingshott has weighed in a decent shore caught cod of 9 lb 7 oz from reefs in North Somerset.  Kevin Rouse has weighed in a shore caught flounder of  2lb 3 oz 10 drms caught in the Exe on peeler crab and  finally, Denise Stacey caught a Pout of 2lb from an inshore boat mark.
 

Simon Kingshott proudly holds up his fine Cod of 9 lbs 7 ozs which he caught from shore at a North Somerset mark. January 2012 Photo courtesy of Simon Kingshott

Mid Channel wreck fishing for Cod and Pollack aboard "Samuel Irvin 3" - Ian Noble has been at sea aboard his local charter boat, the big white and blue Blyth 33 catamaran, "Samuel Irvin 3".  Ian Emailed his fishy tale and photos for your interest and enjoyment.  Many thanks Ian, your input is much appreciated.  Here's what Ian wrote:

A sunny day and a cracking forecast in January had to be taken advantage of, so with a group made up of individual anglers we set off for the mid channel wrecks to the south of Dartmouth.  From the first drift we had fish coming aboard up to the mid day slack. This turned the fish off but thankfully as the Ebb tide built the fish came back on the feed.  The catch was mainly Pollack and the most effective lures were Sidewinder and Redgill Evo soft lures.  A lovely day with sunshine and good company in January!!
 

Dartmouth angler Mike Donovan with his first Cod of the day which he caught from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Wednesday 11th December 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble	Local angler Tony Hewett with a Pollack that came to a rhubarb and custard Sidewinder soft lure which he caught from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Wednesday 11th December 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble	Local angler Derek Hopcroft pictured with one of the Pollack which he caught from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Wednesday 11th December 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble
Alan Painter with the first of his Pollack caught using an Evo soft lure from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Wednesday 11th December 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble	Dartmouth angler Mike Donovan with one of the Pollack he caught using Sidewinder soft lure from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Wednesday 11th December 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble	A cracking Tub Gurnard caught on a rhubarb and custard Sidewinder soft lure by Charlie Sayers from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Wednesday 11th December 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble
Derek Hopcroft pictured with another of the Pollack he caught using Sidewinder soft lures from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Wednesday 11th December 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble	Dave Henshaw pictured with a fine Pollack which he caught from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Wednesday 11th December 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble	Welsh rugby player and fishing fanatic John Yapp with a fine Pollack which he caught from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Wednesday 11th December 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble
	Carl Jones (L) and Bill Morris hold up a fine trio of Pollack which they caught from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Wednesday 11th December 2011

Wednesday 11th January - Mid Channel wreck fishing for Cod and Pollack aboard "Samuel Irvin 3" - Ian Noble has been at sea aboard his local charter boat, the big white and blue Blyth 33 catamaran, "Samuel Irvin 3".  Ian Emailed his fishy tale and photos for your interest and enjoyment.  Many thanks Ian, your input is much appreciated.  Here's what Ian wrote:

Sunday was the first day for a while that the weather was half decent and so with a group of local anglers we set out for the Channel wrecks to the south of Dartmouth.
The fish came mainly to Sidewinder soft lures with Rob West sticking to his favourite white one throughout the day.  Fishing was not easy though and several wrecks were visited during the day, but the anglers stuck to their task and were rewarded with some nice fish.
 

Dave Quigel proudly holds up his fine Pollack which he caught from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Sunday 8th December 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble	Mark Painter proudly holds up his fine Cod which he caught from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Sunday 8th December 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble	Dave Murray proudly holds up his fine Cod which he caught from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Sunday 8th December 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble
	Rob West proudly holds up his fine Cod and Pollack which he caught from the mid Channel wrecks aboard Ian Nobles Dartmouth charter boat "Samuel Irvin 3" Sunday 8th December 2011 Photo courtesy of Ian Noble

Updated catches from Brixham SAC members - Brixham SAC member Dave Fortune very kindly emailed me with some of the latest catches of Brixham SAC members. Thank you Dave, your input is most appreciated. Here's what Dave said:

Brixham SAC members have been out and about from the shore over the Christmas and New Year break. The best fish was a very nice Whiting of 2lbs 5 ozs 8 dr from Berryhead for Jason Upham. Darryll Farley had a 3 Bearded Rockling of 1lb 11 oz from the same spot, while brother Russell had a good Pout of 1lb 10 oz 6 dr. Junior angler Ciaran Farley fished Berryhead to take a good Pout of 1lb 5 oz 6 dr and a Whiting of 1 lb 2 oz 12 dr. Dave fortune fished the Kingsbridge estuary and had a number of flounders, with the best 2 weighing 2 lbs 8 oz and 2lbs 15 oz 14 dr.

Rob Marshall fished from Chris Martins boat"charlotte lee" to take a good cod of 24.0.0 (story below)
 

Dave Fortune proudly holds up his fine Flounder of 2 lbs 8 ozs which he caught from the Kingsbridge Estuary on a recent trip. Photo courtesy of Dave Fortune	Jason Upham proudly holds up his fine Whiing of 2 lbs 5 ozs 8 dr which he caught from Berryhead on a recent trip. Photo courtesy of Jason Upham	Dave Fortune proudly holds up his fine Flounder of 2 lbs 15 ozs 14 dr which he caught from the Kingsbridge Estuary on a recent trip. Photo courtesy of Dave Fortune

Monday 9th January - Brixham SAC's, Rob Marshall gets a new PB Cod - At last some good news that fish are being caught. I received a very welcome email from Brixham SAC member Rob Marshall who ventured out to the mid Channel wrecks. Many thanks for your input Rob. Here's what Rob said:

Happy new year to you. Just to let you I went wreck fishing with my mate Chris (ralph) Martin on his boat 'Charlotte Lee', out from Dartmouth on Sunday. We were after Pollack but could not find many at all. Then with a change of wreck & tactics I managed two Cod in three drifts. The smaller went 10 lbs 14 ozs & the other a new personal best for me with a fine Cod of 24 lbs exactly .
We caught a few more pout & some small Pollack before the wind freshened signalling it was time to go home, a great day out.
 

Rob Marshall proudly holds up his fine Cod and a new PB for him with a fine specimen of 24 lbs. He caught them from a mid Channel wreck on a Chris Martins boat 'Charlotte Lee' 8th January 2012 Photo courtesy of Rob Marshall

                                   
Bass fishing on my own private boat - On Friday 23rd I decided to take an 'on the spur of the moment' trip out in search of Bass. The XC weather forecast was good and my eldest son, Lewis, had a non pupil day, so all the gear was made ready. Due to the tide it was an early start and we launched from Paignton harbour at 6.30am. We arrived at our mark and got the Mackerel feathers down to catch our livebait. On the first drift Lewis was set up and lowered his Mackerel to try and tempt a take from a Bass. And what normally happens when you've rigged your son up and he's fishing while you're still setting up. Yep, his rod starting bouncing around to indicate a bite and the next thing he's into a Bass. He played his fish well and after around five minutes I slid the net under his fish, a very nice Bass of 5 lb 6 oz.
 

Lewis Miller proudly holds his fine Bass of 5 lbs 6 ozs which he caught on a local wreck mark out of Torbay on live Mackerel. Friday 23rd September 2011 Photo courtesy of Rob Miller

Unfortunately, after what seemed to be a very promising start, everything ground to a halt. The Mackerel were hard to come by and despite live baiting with the odd Mackerel, as we got them and Scad, swapping to various lures when the bait had gone and moving to two other wreck marks we failed to get anymore Bass. That's fishing.

Thursday 15th September -  'Rich pickings' on a Bass fishing trip - With perfect weather conditions and good tides I managed a day afloat with two of my mates, Richard Parsons and Andy Smith out on my own private boat. We left Paignton harbour around 8.00am and headed for a mark that's produced some nice Bass for me in the past few weeks. Fishing was a bit slow but finally Richard bent his rod into the first fish which turned out to be a nice Bass of around 4 lbs. Andy followed this a bit later with a nice take and judging by the bend in his rod was a decent fish. Unfortunately, around half way up Andy's line parted and the fish was gone. When his line was retrieved a very scuffed end to his trace and no weight probably meant the fish had got back to the wreck and this had weakened the line by rubbing it against the structure.
Having identified the place where the Bass were hanging we repeated the same drift. Just as I said we were reaching the 'mark' Andy and Richards rods both bent over. After a little confusion it seemed that Andy had got the fish but tangled with Richard so Andy reeled in 'his' fish. Stood ready with the net I saw 'colour' down deep and it appeared to be pretty big. As the fish got closer I could see it was in fact 2 fish so both of them had got a fish on. I netted the bigger one first and then scooped up the second. Now it was time to find out who had the very nice 7 1/2 lb'er or the still very nice 4 lb'er. After carefully unravelling the traces Richard came out the captor of the bigger fish.
Things went very quiet after that. We eventually tried two other wrecks but again very quiet with no action at all. We returned to our original mark on the way home for the last hour. Richard decided to get his 'hat trick' and bent his rod into another Bass and landed a good fish of around 6 lbs. For me it was a very quiet day with only two 'investigations' on my Mackerel bait but I put in some good practice on netting some nice Bass :O). Richard was definitely the man of the day and a pretty good day at that for his first ever Bass trip.

Richard Parson (L) proudly holds the best Bass of the day with a nice fish of around 7  1/2 lbs and Andy & Richard proudly show off the 4 Bass of the day. Thursday 15th September 2011 Photos courtesy of Rob Miller

Saturday 20th August - A day to remember fishing aboard our own private boat - Personally, I think of all the fishing trips you can have you can categorise into the following: Bad trips where you blank or things go seriously wrong and hopefully they don't happen too often.  Reasonable trips where you catch an amount of fish and this tends to be the 'norm'. Or you get the exceptional trips when the real memories are made.  Friday 19th August was a day of the latter for us. I was out on our own private boat with my youngest daughter, Charli and mate Richard Gauge. We were in search of Bass but when we got to our mark the Mackerel we intended to use as live bait seemed hard to get. That soon changed. With the arrival of literally 100's of seabirds (Gannets, Guillemots, Shearwaters and Gulls) we were surrounded with a scene from David Attenboroughs 'Living Planet'. Birds were diving all over the place and the sea was 'full' of very large Mackerel. I can only assume a massive shoal of Sprats or similar was around.

8 yr old Charli Miller holds her first Bass of the day and a fine specimen at that of 6 lbs 10 ozs she caught on live mackerel while fishing on our own private boat. Friday 19th August 2011 Photo courtesy of Rob Miller	Richard Gauge proudly holds his fine brace of Bass of 3 lbs 8 ozs and 4 lbs 8 ozs that he caught on Sidewinders while fishing on my own private boat. Friday 19th August 2011 Photo courtesy of Rob Miller	3 large Mackerel that 'hung' them selves on my weight while fishing on my own private boat. For scale to show the size of the Mackerel, the weight in the middle of the picture is a 6 oz seabomb. Friday 19th August 2011 Photo courtesy of Rob Miller

One of the things that had to be seen to be believed was after putting a live Mackerel down I gained extra weight and a jigging feeling you get when feathering for Mackerel. I wound back in to find 3 large Mackerel 'hanging' from my weight. With all 3 Mackerel the weight had come out of their gill cover. I followed that later with a single Mackerel 'hanging' from the weight and another had noosed it's tail on my mainline.  Richard then bought up a large 'Herring like' fish.  Unfortunately, it got off the hook before being landed but as it was around the 2 - 3 lb mark it was too big for a Herring so I can only assume it was an Allis or Twaite Shad. Sadly I didn't get a good enough view to see if it had a black mark behind the gill plate to positively identify it. Amongst all this action Richard had 3 Bass up to 4 lb 8 ozs and I managed them to 2 lb 8 ozs.
Later, when the tide started to Ebb, the Mackerel disappeared. We also then had a situation of wind against tide which made the drift a little awkward. This was when Charli, my 8 yr old daughter showed her true colours. After a long wait she had a good 'take' on her live Mackerel and this resulted in a very spirited fight with a good fish. With a little help and tuition she bought up her first Bass of the day with a fine specimen  Bass of 6 lbs 10 ozs. A great result for an 8 yr old.

8 yr old Charli Miller holds her second Bass of the day and a truly exceptional specimen at that, weighing an impressive 12 lbs 8 ozs. She caught this fish of a lifetime on her third ever sea fishing trip on live Mackerel while fishing on our own private boat. Friday 19th August 2011 Photo courtesy of Rob Miller

Then came her pièce de résistance. About an hour after her near seven pounder she had another almighty take on her live Mackerel bait. This fish took off like a train and Charli needed some real help stopping this fish getting back to the wreck and from having the rod ripped out of her hands. After an exceptional fight of crashing dives and head shaking a large Bass surfaced a long way from the boat. This cracking fish wasn't ready to be netted yet. After another 5 minutes of diving away from the boat and thrashing around on the surface violently shaking it's head we were able to slide the net under the cracking Bass. Once laid in the boat Richard commented "Look at the size of that *!&"^$ fish". Out came the digital scales. I was quite shocked at the size of this Bass and to see the scales reading 12 lbs 8 ozs it bought a lump to my throat. My 8 yr old daughter, Charli, had caught a fish of a life time on her third ever sea fishing trip.  A true memory for life for a fishing mad Dad. Well done Charli for showing us the way to catch Bass.

11 yr old Lewis Miller lands 9 lb Bass - Saturday 6th August was one of those day's where all my regular fishing buddies were away on holiday, partying or working, so I decided to take four of my children out for a spot of angling instead.  The XC weather forecast had been good for days right up till the moment we left.  Instead of the wind freshening in the evening it had moved forward to early afternoon.  As I'd already got the kids up at 6.30am and the boat was ready  I decided to go anyway with the updated forecast in mind.  Lewis caught the first fish (or should I say two) as he reeled in a nice Bass of 2 1/2 lbs on the hook and a large Mackerel that had gone for his weight and that had come out of it's gill cover. We had a few other nice Bass up to 4 lbs when Lewis hooked into a much better fish. With a bit of coaching and clutch set, he lifted the rod and wound down very smoothly and slowly pumped the fish to the surface.  After a few hairy moments as the fish dived for safety, the result was a safely netted 9 lb 1 oz Bass. A great result for 11 yr old Lewis, well done.

Lewis Miller plays the much better fish with a nicely controlled 'lift and wind' while fishing on our own private boat. Saturday 6th August 2011 Photo courtesy of Rob Miller	The result for Lewis for his excellent concentration was a lovely 9 lb 1 oz Bass he caught on live Mackerel while fishing on our own private boat. Saturday 6th August 2011 Photo courtesy of Rob Miller	Charli (L) and Baylee Miller look very happy catching Mackerel while fishing on our own private boat. Saturday 6th August 2011 Photo courtesy of Rob Miller

Wednesday 3rd August -  Bass fishing with Charli and Alana Miller - With perfect weather conditions and good tides I managed a day afloat with two of my daughters, 8 year old Charli and 10 year old Alana on their first ever fishing trip on our own private boat. On the first mark we visited, Mackerel, which were intended for bait seemed to be absent. After 10 minutes or so of trying for them the reason became clear as a pod of Dolphins surfaced.  So after a few minutes of the girls watching them playing in the mirror smooth sea we moved to another of my favoured marks.  Once we were there the Mackerel seemed to be everywhere and the live bait buckets were full in no time.
After some tuition Charli started the day off well with a nice Bass of just over 3 lbs. She continued the trend with another 4 Bass with the biggest going to a very nice 5 lbs 4 ozs. Poor Alana only had 1 bite all day which turned out to be a truly big fish. Unfortunately by the time I got to her to help out the fish had made valuable ground. I tightened the clutch to slow it down and with the rod hooped over the fish still managed to make 2 more unstoppable runs and made it to the wreck where it snapped her tackle. Personally, having had Bass to just under the 10 lb mark, the way this fish fought it was every bit as good, if not better, than the one's I've had, I was truly gutted for her. Hopefully there'll be a 'next time'.

After some tuition Charli Miller carefully brings in her first ever Bass, caught on live Mackerel from our own private boat. Tuesday 2nd August 2011 Photo courtesy of Rob Miller	Charli Miller beams with pride while holding her first ever Bass,  of 3 lbs 4 ozs caught from our own private boat. Tuesday 2nd August 2011 Photo courtesy of Rob Miller	Charli Miller (L) and Alana Miller proudly hold Bass of 5 lbs 4 ozs and 3 lbs caught on their first ever sea fishing trip. Tuesday 2nd August 2011 Photo courtesy of Rob Miller

In amongst my fatherly duties of re-rigging (countless times :O), catching bait and re-baiting I did manage to wet a line about half a dozen times with a Sidewinder and caught a couple of Bass to 3 lbs and a couple of small Pollack. Overall a very good day's fishing with excellent weather.

How to Remove a Fishing Hook from your Flesh - This Email was forwarded by my good pal Grahame Garry, who hails from Torquay, but is now a resident in Perth, Australia.  Thanks Grahame.  Much appreciated.  I've used this technique myself in the past to remove hooks from your body.  I'm not sticking hooks into myself to show you how to do it, but this video makes it very clear.

Filleting Fish - Paul Whiting, (what an appropriate name), of the Milnrow Sea Angling Club was telling me about a really useful web site, with concise instructions and videos about how to fillet the fish you catch for your family table.

I took a look at www.filleting-fish.com and I'm quite impressed.  It's another useful web site well worth adding to your "Favourites".

Some parts of the sound track is in Dutch - I think - but the step by step videos make it look very easy and are simple to follow.

I was amazed at just how much flesh the guy doing the filleting saved from the cheeks and head of a Cod.

A Dutch guy makes short work of filleting and skinning a big Ling, complete with a step by step commentary in English.

There's a video with a Canadian narrative which shows several ways to fillet a Pout.  The flesh is clean, white and appetizing, with few pin bones remaining.  It makes excellent fish cakes and fish pie, but can also be deep fried in batter.  Much of this is what you allegedly buy as fried fish.

This is too tasty and valuable to allow to go to waste.

Bream, Plaice, Turbot, Dab, Sole, Bass, Whiting, Pollack. Ray, Mullet, Monkfish, Lemon Sole, Gurnard, Dory; they are all on here, with step-by step "how to" video instructions.

There are videos and step-by-step instructions on this site for every variety of fish you are likely to catch and some that you are not.

My own filleting looks presently as though the fish has been dismembered by a rabid dog.  Fortunately Patsy, my long suffering Wife, owned restaurants for 23 years and that's why you see me sometimes take a couple of fish home, gutted but not filleted.  I could learn a thing or two from this web site myself.

MC Commented:  Please catch and release any fish which you do not require for your own family table.  Many species can successfully be returned alive to breed, grow and fight again another day.  Use these videos to make the very best of those fish that you do retain to enjoy.

Wednesday 17th February - New Accurate 2-Speed BX2-400 Reel - Yesterday, I popped down to Snowbee (UK) Ltd, at Plympton, on the outskirts of Plymouth.  Snowbee are the UK importers of Accurate reels.  I bought myself the very latest model Accurate 2-speed reel.  Those of you who know me well, will be aware that I generally only use the USA manufactured Accurate brand of reels, in various sizes, for all of my angling.  They are by far the best that I have ever encountered.  I have been a consistent user of their products for the past 14 years.

The model I chose is the Accurate BX2-400 which is approximately equivalent in size to an Abu 7000.

The two-speed version has its own internal gearbox.  With the press of a single button, you can change for 6:1 to 3:1 retrieve ratio.

It has no level wind, which suits me just fine.  It's something else which cannot go wrong.  I can easily lay the line flat on the spool as I retrieve, using my left thumb.

The body and spool are both machined from solid blocks of aircraft grade aluminium.  It's weight is 20 ounces, which balances any rod perfectly.

Accurate's main manufacturing business, which is based in Corona, California, USA, centres around the production of jet turbine blades, so you can be certain that these reels are manufactured to the finest tolerances.  All major components are machined in-house, so spares are readily available, though rarely needed.

The spool holds 275 metres of 20 lb BS Monofilament line, or 411 metres of my preferred braid line.  I will fill it with with 300 metres of 30 lb BS braid line over around 150 metres of mono backing.

It features the Accurate world patented twin drag system.  There are titanium disc and fibre washer clutches on both ends of the spool, which make the drag very smooth, with absolutely no jerkiness whatsoever.  The drag is pre-set by the user and operated by a very solid lever on the end plate of the reel, as is the case with all Accurate multiplier reel models.

It has 7 class 5 ABEC stainless steel bearings.

The gears are machined from stainless steel.  The entire gear train has been beefed up from previous models to easily deal with the most aggressive and hard fighting fish species you are ever likely to encounter anywhere in the world.

The blue anodised crank handle is very comfortable and solid.  It feels very secure and "chunky".  This model is available in a choice of left or right hand handle, which suits all comers perfectly.

This beautiful fishing reel retails in the UK for £489 inclusive of VAT.  If you are really serious about your angling, whether that is for Tuna, or other hard fighting tropical species, or big fish in our home UK waters, I know you will consider it excellent value once you have handled and used it.

My current favourite reel is the predecessor to this model, the B2-270 which has been superseded by this more recent model.  Yes, I'm a tackle tart, I already own 8 other Accurate reels across their range of sizes for different angling applications.  At one stage I owned well in excess of 100 reels.  To date, I have not used any reels which come close to matching the quality of the "Accurate" range.

I intend to fill the spool with  some 30 lb class mono backing, topped off with 300 yards of 30 lb B.S. Tuf-Line XP braid line which is also distributed by Snowbee (UK) Ltd, and is available in yellow or dark red.  I use the dark red version, which disappears to become almost invisible within 10 feet of the surface of the water.  The 30 lb B.S. has a line diameter of just .28 mm, which really is very fine.

You can be certain that I will give you an honest review of both these products, when I have used them for several serious angling adventures.

Another good friend, Graham Dryer, Chairman of Brixham SAC and Proprietor of Brixham Bait & Tackle has also bought himself an Accurate BX2-400 reel in the left hand wind version.  I shall be sure to seek his view, before I finally tell you our verdict.