joe roberts

I have jut come back from jard ser mer in vendee. i didnt do any fishing as the mrs wouldnt have but all the same a cracking holiday. There were no fishing tackle shops here but i noticed loads fishing the beaches and the catch's were mostly all small bream and load's of mullet in the harbour. but on a plus side we were going to the super u supermarket in jard ser mer and they actually sold tackle rod's reels and all the terminal tackle.

with glynne having a big burden lifted off his shoulder's. and the test result's coming back begnine. we all decided on a trip to the island. first port of call was cod rock for the coalie's. cold westerly wind and drizzle for the first few hour's and very quiet. bait's were rag lug (fresh and frozen)razor fish macky and squid paul,john and glynne fished the channel and me and degs opted for more toward the sea ward side. result here was deg's with a few whiting a pollock and a doggie. me a whiting and two pollock and john a pollock. fishing was very slow and a bit of a swell running making it hard work.didn't get the camera as didnt want to ruin it in the drizzle. (think paul took some of the small fishy's). anyhow headed for the chippie in h/head filled our belly's on on to the range's. got there and no one on it.so we set up with the hope of conger and huss and possibly a few round fish. all set up using a veriety of bait's. i fished one rod with big worm and razor fish bait's and the other fish and squid. rig's were pulley's with 6oz gemini's. first to hook up was john with a big head banger but after a little tussle a big break and gone. next in glynne but this time he get's it out of it's hole. not massive but the duck broken and one happy man. the bite's were on and off all night .then glynne again hook's another and promptly landed another a bit smaller. given it tried to bite him glynne tried to bite it back. I my self had also missed two good takes both chomping through 40 snood's. next in was paul with a small huss. proven to be the only huss of the night. not massive but the hope's were raised and starting to think the journey worth it. like a light had been switched on the conger started to feed again most of us having bite's but missing them. it went quiet for a few hour's with only dog's being landed and the odd missed bite. so we decided big bait's use all our bait and off home then after the tide turned the bite's got a bit better. by this i was using 6/0 pennal's with full macky flapper's on. then i got a nice big tug and my first of the night. then ten minute's later this time with squid one a bit better. then it died a death so we headed home all quite happy even though the fish wernt plentifull.took this picture. not sure what he's doing to this conger though. i'll let you decide that one.

thought id give the island a go this morning with being off. to make up for sat. got to the mark and set up 3 rod's one close in small hook's and 10lb line for anything small. 2nd rod at distance with crab. 3rd feather's to see if i could get some fresh mackty for the gurnard's. straight away a single macky then none what's so ever for over an hour. all the time the little rod was going wild. first a goby. then a tom pot. followed closely by a few corkwing and small ballan's. ( never took there pic's as im sick to death of um). followed by a few poor cod and pollock. so with my single macky all cut into little bit's it was have a go at what i came for. 3 hook flapper size 8 carp hooks lobbed about 30 yard's. straight away. mission acomplished. then they came in two's and single's for about an hour. after a while i put 2 rod's down a messed about close in again corkwing and ballan's this time the ballan's were a bit better. all caught on size 8 hook's. using just crab's claw's and leg's. in all it didnt turn out to bad. 4 hour's fishing and well into 20+ fish.

glynne organised a meet at gimblet so the gang all headed there and a few other member's showed up also. fisher nick and his dad mick and we also bumped into pete. had to work in the morning till 14.00 but ended up finishing at 11.30. so me and deg's headed down to gimblet with bream top of our mind. but before we got there decided to do a bit of mini bashing at trefor pier first. got there and it was the case of floaty's at noon. so decided to head for the foundation, got there and the tide was well down. started to fish around the edge's but it was the old senario corkwing ballan corkwing ballan and so on. so we put both rod's down the coal shute. first me with a shanny (not sure which type i recon there all the same). then deg's with a double shot corkwing and shanny. then another shanny. after another hour we had had enough of shanny wrasse and blenny's so we headed to gimblet. got there met up with the lad's and had to settle for right down the beach as there was a match on. first in was pete with a bream (at distance). and the right size too. then it was deg's turn first a big thorny. then a spotted.( and not a pot in sight) then the banter started not long after pete's lad landed a dab and a gurnard. the old how's it going down there joe. then the only bite of the day i noticed i got this. . then as darkness fell i got one more bream and a single macky. the others also had red mullet. dog's.bream. and dragonet's.

first have you tried contacting century for a replacement you'd be quite suprised at how much they will replace tip's. personally i wouldn't try to fix it as it might break when casting. as for lose spigot's rub candle wax on the spigot and it will tighten it up.

got to agree with colin on this one . i would of put 99.9% back personaly.

a few more pic's. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- what the spotted brought up must of had a sore tummy. aparantly there's a bug going around. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ a close up of my blenny (i think it's a tom pot) im sure someone will put me right. as i dont normally fish for small stuff. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ f****** camera's gone off to soon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ keep still you b******.

was going to fish it this morning but after keeping an eye on the weather thought stuff it sunday night in the pub. had picked 20 peeler's saturday so it looked like they were heading for the freezer. sitting having tea last night the good old lady ask's are you going out tonight i thought stuff it im staying in. well why dont you go fishing tonight then. within 15 minute's the car was packed and heading to the peir for last minute bait and bit's and bob's. the weather on route didn't look to promising until i reached bangor. and as soon as i hit the bridge it was fine. the plan was if there's anyone on raven's head to porth dafarach. got to raven's walked around and low and behold it was empty. a quick dash back to the car loaded up and was sitting on raven's with in minute's. set up two rod's one with a single pennal loaded with sandeel. and the second fresh crab (a few softie's keep the fresh for later) on a pulley pennel. then set little rod up for down the side. raven's with a slight chop on it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- from the start it was none stop action close in first wrasse (ballan) and load's of pollock. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ then through the corner of my eye i spot a good bite on the sandeel straight away i new it wasn't a doggie and reeled this little feller in. the little rod kept on rattling for hour's wrasse one after each other and plenty of small pollock.the wrasse were all ballan's and the thought was no new spiecie's i'll put it away in a minute. then as i went to put it away a nice tap and one more speicie's. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ then darkness was falling and the old faithful's started one after each other. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- so the decision was put small rod away till pitch black leave a big one out loaded with sandeel to see if i could pick up a huss. and one on feather's for fresh macky. the result was a big bite on sandeel close in only to loose a nice huss on the rock's as i was on my own i couldnt lift it and the line parted.well peeved i can tell you. not a single macky just a few more pollock. again time to change tactiks this time two big bait's for conger on 8/0 pennal's loaded with macky after an hour no joy so put the small rod out to see if the small fish wanted to play. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- straight away it was nothing but slug's one after each other. followed by what i think was a small poor cod the only thing that threw me was none of it's scale's came off and the thought's were pouting . but i'll let you decide that. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- had my last cup of coffe then looked at me watch it had gone over low and time to set of home. it's funny you stop getting bite's and your thought's start im here on my own what if.?? so off i went quite content with my night's fishing.

decided to try and find dive inn rock on the llyn for about the 4th time and again failed to find it. so ended up after another mystery tour to fish porth ysgadan. got there the target was pollock and wrasse. first in was me with a ballen. caught on rag close in . then paul with a pollock. then a cry from swelly (who was out of view) ive broke me duck. and this ballen. it went on ballen after ballen . until we changed to jellied eel's. and a few pollock. and a few more wrasse for degs and paul junior. ----------------------------------------------------------------- so it went on then mr shenton again changed taktik's and fish crab close in. a few minute's went by and the cry was this is a good pollock. only for this feller to break the surface. after this it slowed down a bit. with the odd wrasse and dog's. and young abu catching a big tompot. corkwing and a few other little fellow's (which he'll post pic's of later. and finally a launce for me on feather's. ----------------------------------------------------------- after that we headed for gimblet which turned out to be a disaster all we had there was a few dog's one bream and a tub gurnard (again young abu). so in all not to bad a day and we all caught. also nice to meet up with the lad's again and also pete and josh. the other's will put a few more pic's up later. and finally one outtake a ballen that wouldn't keep still.