Catch Report Data: Thoughts?

[big_cod]

fISHING can vary day to day its all about conditions especialy where cod are concerned you have to be in the right place at the right time, loads one day none the next it takes a good judgement to put you in the top spots in the right conditions as spring will tell you.

[spasor]

Fishing reports can only ever to allude to what happened on a certain day, and in that days conditions.

I know the skippers saying of `You should have been here yesterday`, is taken as a joke. But it`s true.

I book 5 or 6 week long trips with skippers around the country. Too many times to mention, we`ve hit a `hotspot` and had a manic session. Only, the next day, with many new faces on board

we struggle to have much action at all. Yet we fish the exact same spot, in almost identical conditions.

Sometimes, the magic fishing continues for days. A catch report can only ever indicate that the fish are `there`. Whether they`ll be feeding or not, is something that still puzzles even the best anglers.

[Socksy Squirrel]

It might produce some interesting results with seasonal fish like mackerel, date for the first fish caught in the SW of England compared with Scotland for instance.

[spasor]

Socksy?

Last mackeral caught out of Weymouth 2003? New years eve. First mackeral caught 2004? New years day! Boat of course. Mackeral never disappear. They just get thinner on the ground, as most leave for deeper (warmer) waters, early winter?

[big_cod]

There is an old saying, you are as good as your last trip ,have a good day brilliant skipper, have a bad one, skipper is a ****** pardon the expresion dont mean to be rude but this is the case unless you have your regulars who know the score.

[spasor]

big-cod?

Most regular anglers align theirselves with certain skippers in various ports. They fish with the skipper, instead of against him. they`ll be found pulling in the fenders and stowing them, dropping the aerials in some ports.

I think folk that only venture out after a good local report, will be found jumping aboard, tying their rods on the stern rails and disappearing into the wheelhouse before the stern line is aboard.

Their floatation suits will be in pristine condition and their rods will all have the latest `go faster stripes`.

Myself? I rarely ever blank. My suit looks like a refugee from the local dump and my gear looks decidedly worn.

Bitch at the skipper? 24/7 onboard. Back at the pub we`ll share a beer and talk about families, the price of petrol etc. Fish regulary and you`ll find the skippers that `try`!

Folk that depend on a good fishing report, should stick to Bingo. The odds are better, and there are more old women to whinge with?

[Davy Holt]

spasor:

big-cod?

 

Myself? I rarely ever blank. My suit looks like a refugee from the local dump and my gear looks decidedly worn.

Bitch at the skipper? 24/7 onboard. Back at the pub we`ll share a beer and talk about families, the price of petrol etc. Fish regulary and you`ll find the skippers that `try`!

Folk that depend on a good fishing report, should stick to Bingo. The odds are better, and there are more old women to whinge with?

Yup same here Paul, the rod I use most is 25 years old, my Float suit can stand up it's self

and I also cant remember the last time I blanked

[Steve Walker]

spasor:

Fishing reports can only ever to allude to what happened on a certain day, and in that days conditions.

<...>

Sometimes, the magic fishing continues for days. A catch report can only ever indicate that the fish are `there`. Whether they`ll be feeding or not, is something that still puzzles even the best anglers.

Exactly. That's the reason I think that having year-on-year data would be useful. You can bag up one day and blank the next, the idea is to get an objective view of the seasonal patterns in different regions.

[spasor]

Steve, Davy?

You`re not supposed to agree with me!

Ah, well.

I`ve seen kids on board wriggling with delight when they`ve caught a smallish pollack. Whilst their dad has bitched about not catching a 20 pounder!! It makes me wonder, what would that parent do, if ever he hooked into one? Would they have the ability to stop the fish from screaming back into the wreck? Would they have the nerve to leave the drag alone and play the fish with the rod and reel.

Some folk think that hooking the fish is the difficult part. I think the easy part, is selling certain folk loads of tackle and convincing them they`re anglers!

OK. Reports? Summer cod were caught over a month early from boats around the Isle of wight, black bream have also been reported earlier than usual this year. Neither should be taken as indicitive of a manic cod or bream bash later on. It just means that a few fish showed up early and were caught! Undoubtably they weren`t alone, but that doesn`t show a trend in fish behaviour. Bass, mackeral, cod, pollock, conger, whiting, plaice and turbot can be caught all year round on the South coast! Whether there are sufficient numbers to target any species is another matter.

[Socksy Squirrel]

I was talking about shore caught mackerel.

I have had the odd one in December, earliest in the new year was mid May so far.