Two little trips

[musket]

Hi all,

Borderman and I went out tuesday night to a local spot trying for bass.

Only one schoolie to Martin(BM) but we also got pollack,wrasse and best of all for me a decent flounder 1lb 12oz at a spot where I've failed in recent years to catch this previously reliable species:

 

 

 

 

Then as we had bait left decided to get an early start the next day-04:00 alarm

Despite the wind getting up,serious breaking surf and persistant rain for three hours had a great session with fish evident but only two fish landed:the best creeping out of schoolie range at 2.5-3lb (returned)but a hell of a fight on an 8' expedition,shakespeare travel rod.

Incidentally I used a new weighted float system from fladen called(I think)a cigarrello ? or something similar.I would have previously used a bubble float but I preferred this new type.

Edited June 1, 2007 by musket

[YakDiver]

Nice photos and report

[yakerbass]

Nice one lad's, good to see you out, I would be happy with your two sessions

 

YB

Edited June 1, 2007 by yakerbass

[chaz62]

Great pics like the flounder, I thought they would be further out spawning at this time?

 

Any chance of the location?? please,

 

Cheers, Chaz

[ACKOMEISTER]

Flatties spawn march april its now time to catch when they fatten up.

[musket]

Here's another Bass just about to be returned.

I now realise potentially, by putting up locations and tactics, there is a strong likliehood the day is fast approaching where I'm going to be paddling out to a favourite spot to be met by another kayaker proudly displaying a dead bass.Everyone has their own choice and every day see's others joining this branch of angling.

I'm going to be a lot quieter from now on:

 

[Simon Everett]

Great stuff Musket - nice fish that summer flounder!! Jealous as hell, long time since I caught a flounder, must 5 or 6 years. Blankseville every trip since then.

 

Good to see the bass going back too - I know you return yours. Not everyone does and it is simply ignorance that peole kill so many, or greed. Bass are so easy to catch that returning the youngsters is good management for the future. Killing small (under 3lbs) bass and definitely killing any bass over 5lbs is sheer stupidity. I will get my flack jacket as I know that this will rile some folks - but the Americans have recognised the value of a "slot size" for taking fish with restraint for nearly 20 years. The Irish have recognised how valuable bass ae and have also brought in strict restrictions on numbers captured and size limit - 45cms and only 2 fish per angler per day maximum. This is hotly enforced too. Consequently, you can go out in Ireland and catch good bass virtually every day - the fish haven't been fished out.

 

Are we the only anglers who are still living in the dark ages killing everything we catch?

 

Bass are slow growing - that little schoolie in your last picture at 1.5lbs is between 6 and 10 years old. Imagine a 5lber - it has taken 12 - 15 years to grow to that size. A 10lb bass is geting on for 25 years old. So look at it this way - if you kill a 10lber, it will a quarter of a century before that fishes spawning from this year grow to be the next 10lbers. A QUARTER OF A CENTURY. On the other hand, if we look after our fish and operate a 55cm Minimum Landing Size (by law) which is roughly 5lbs, the majority of the bass you would catch would be that size - a 5lber every trip......I could live with that. AND there would be more of them.

 

I am with you Musket, we must be very guarded about our fishing spots until we know who we are revealing them to. That may sound selfish, but it isn't, it is simply a measure to try and protect the fish stocks from unscrupulous exploitation - and it might not be YOU that does the exploiting. You only have to be excited and talk too ludly in the pub - that chap leaning against the bar has a mate who nets bass on the sly. Too late, your fishing has just been wiped out. Bass are very regional in their populations - if you net out an area it takes a very much longer time than simply the growth rate for them to repopulate that area - because it is like salmon returning to a river. Bass live in a certain area and it is those stocks that populate that area only - catch them all and the fishing will decline very quickly and remain in decline for years. The Manacles is a very well known bass mark, so is the Eddystone reef. The Eddystone has not recovered yet from being hammered in the 1980s - 20 years on and the stocks have still not recovered out there. The Manacles used to provide AN AVERAGE bass of 5lbs - now you are lucky to catch a 5lber and the main stock is only 2lbs, like everyhwere else.

 

I hope people reading this don't think I am having a go at THEM - i am having a go AT EVERYONE ho kills too many fish. Personally, I have killed 8 bass in the last 10 years - that is very sustainable. I caught about 200 bass last year and killed none. I have no worry about people taking the odd fish - but there are less susceptible fish out there to catch to eat. Personally, a nice red gurnard would be on my plate before a bass - far more flavour in a gurnard (or a monkfish from the prawn trawlers or scallop dredgers - don't get me started on scallop dredgers.....!!! They ruin the seabed for ever.)

 

Take care chaps about where and who you talk to about your good fishing spots - amongst your friends, quietly. But the walls have ears and the commercials are desperate for new fish and fishing grounds - so don't go talking openely about what and where - PLEASE. For everyone's sake, be restrained with your fishing and careful about disclosure.

 

Thanks.

[Martin Hurst]

Just out of interest Simon , is it known at what Age / weight the bass become infertile if at all ??

[YakDiver]

If you want to see very large Bass that are killed go to a spearfishing galley, yes I know there is a size limit but it is all too easy to shoot an under size fish and you can't do a lot to it once it's dead

http://www.underwaterfishing.co.uk/Gallery%20main.htm

I'm sorry if this offend anybody, but it's going on every weekend

[chaz62]

Here's another Bass just about to be returned.

I now realise potentially, by putting up locations and tactics, there is a strong likliehood the day is fast approaching where I'm going to be paddling out to a favourite spot to be met by another kayaker proudly displaying a dead bass.Everyone has their own choice and every day see's others joining this branch of angling.

I'm going to be a lot quieter from now on:

 

 

No worries Musket, can appreciate where your coming from.

Thanks for the report and pics anyway.

 

Cheers