High Quality Species Hunt

Back in April I wrote about a trip that, whilst not prolific, had produced a small number of very high quality fish.  Well today surpassed that day by some margin for the sheer variety of quality sporting and eating fish we would encounter.  Whilst the sport wasn't the "fish a chuck" type fishing we have experienced sometimes in the Summer, it demonstrated the massive scope of in shore fishing that is available in Weymouth and we amassed 10 different species, six of which would be classed as worthwhile quarry for any angler.

Our venue for the day would be Dave Pitman's Atlanta again.  Dave had said the night before that the fishing had been very patchy in-shore and that we would have to move about and try for different species throughout the day to make up a day's sport.  He asked that we get to the boat by 7.10 am so we could cast off smartly to catch the dropping tide and slack water where we would try first for Bream and Tope.  We would then drift an in-shore reef for some Cod before finishing the day in search of a flat fish on the Shambles bank.

The crew assembled as requested and we headed of in beautiful sunshine (and a cold north westerly breeze) to find our first mark.  Crew for the day were Mick, Jack, Geraint and Neil from Lightwater, Tina and Mick from Portland, me and Pops and a guy named Charles from the Wirral.

When we arrived at the first mark the tide was still ripping at 2 knots so we had a drift to feather for some Mackerel to start the day.  It was a good sign as we filled a box in no time and were set up for the day with enough bait to compliment the squid and worm supplied by Dave.

As the tide eased Dave set the anchor and Dee (Dave's expert crew) prepared some baits.

I chose to start with Bream tactics as I wanted to try out my new 5lb class Awa-Shima Ugly Battler that I won in the March "Shoreangler.co.uk" fish of the month competition.  The rest of the crew were divided equally between Tope and Bream gear.

The tide was still quite fierce and I was pleased to find that my new rod, despite being very light in the tip, was easily able to handle the 10 oz weight I was using to hold bottom.  My first fish was an obligatory lesser spotted dogfish which didn't really tell me anything about the new rod as it remained a dead weight all the way to the surface.

Pops was first to register a quality fish with a nice Red Gurnard (one of his favourites) which was quickly put on ice to remain fresh for his tea.

Portland Mick was next in on heavier gear.  The fish was very solid and then took a good run.  A fairly lengthy battle ensued before we saw the long lean grey colour in the water.  A Conger?  No - a Tope!  You can see how pleased Mick was from the photo.

"Torpedo Tope for Tarpon Ted (aka Mick)"

With the Tope quickly returned we focussed again on our own rods.  I managed a large Mackerel on my super light rod and this gave a better account of itself than the Dogfish but with 10 oz of lead I was yet to see the true merits of this super light blank.  A couple more Doggies appeared and another Gurnard, but no more Tope and none of the very elusive Bream.

Dave decided on a move and we headed off in to Lyme Bay to try for some Cod.  Dave suggested drifting with Shads and Sidewinders and we all rigged up to try our luck.  Another charter boat was anchored nearby for the Bream but the sport didn't look prolific here either from what we could see.  Dave set up the first drift and the results were instantaneous.  As we came in to the face of a steep ledge Jack, registered a very aggressive bite from a decent weight fish.  A short tussle and a flash of the net and Jack was assured of a fish supper.

"Cod, Sunshine and Smiles - Perfect"

As the drift continued Pops hit a very good fish that bent his fairly heavy Abu Suveran to 90 degrees.  He battled the fish half way to the surface and then calamity - the fish spat the hook.  When Pops retrieved his gear it became apparent that when the fish had bitten it had folded the sidewinder tail so that it had buried the barb of the hook before the point stuck in the fish's mouth.  How's that for bad luck?

We set up for another drift and more cod were registered.  Not for me though as I couldn't seem to keep my trace straight.  More drifts and more Cod for most of the angler's on the boat including Charles, who added this species to an impresive tally he had amassed during his week long holiday.  Portland Mick and Geraint managed a pan sized fish a piece on the same drift.  Not sure who won but I'm pretty sure that size mattered in the conversation in the picture.

"Mine's bigger than yours?"

The Cod then seemed to go off a bit so Dave suggested we anchor up and fish in to the ledges, either with whole squid for Cod or with Bream gear.  There was an ulterior motive as well as Dave had Barbecues to light and burgers to cook for the Lightwater contingent who also offered to share with the rest of us!  I opted to switch back to Bream gear and try and hunt down one of these fantastic fish that have been so fickle this year.

I started with an obligatory Doggie whilst Pops managed a large Poor Cod.  A few more Doggies came to the boat before I felt a sharp rattling bite transmitted through the unbelievably sensitive tip of the Awa-Shima Ugly Battler.  I let the bite develop a little and then reeled in to the fish.  It went berserk as only these pint sized scrappers can do and with just 6 oz of lead I felt every shake and dive on this great little rod.

In the photo below you will be able to see the unique feature of the rod.  It has a jointed but section so that you can turn the round butt in to longer bar which is much easier on your mid-riff if you are fighting a large fish.

"Black Bream tamed by an Ugly Battler (the rod that is!)"

Like the Cod, Tope and Gurnards, there weren't masses of Bream but we found a few and some nice quality fish too.  Geraint managed to find four which matched the number I captured.  I thought I had a real specimen at one point but it turned out to be a double shot with a one pound fish on my top hook and a lovely two and half pounder on the bottom hook.  My light rod had no problmes with this weight of fish and I suspect could manage much larger prey.  I will try it for some Summer reef Pollack in Plymouth at the end of August I think.

"Geraint grabs a great Bream"

Geraint added a surprise Pollack to the species tally for the day which he brought in as a double shot with a very large Mackerel - I think he thought he'd found a four pound Bream as well!

As the Bream bites dried up Dave once again called for lines in and we headed off to the Shambles (where the entire Weymouth charter fleet appeared to be).  We set up for a drift using slivers of Mackerel to try an tempt a Turbot or a Brill.  Now I have to confess I think this is the most difficult form of fishing there is.  I did manage to hook and land a 10lb Turbot once (a few years back) but I have never been successful since, even when the rest of the boat is doing well.

Once again it was not to be for me.  Pops also blanked on the flatties but did boat a very large Lesser Weaver.  As one, we all shouted "don't touch it".  The look on his face said "I'm 72 years old and I've been fishing for 35 years - I think I know that!".

It was Tina however that saved the best until last.  She was very quiet until she called for the net.  It then emerged that Tina and Portland Mick have had a long running context to see who can be the first to catch a Brill, a feat neither had managed until today.  It was the stream of expletives that came from Mick rather than congratulations that gave us the biggest laugh of the day, but Tina doesn't look too bothered in the photo!

"Brill fishing for Tina"

No more flatties made an appearance after this and we headed back to Weymouth in glorious sunshine.  As Dee gutted the fish and took fillets off the Cod we attracted a large following of Gulls.  I have tried to feed them by hand before with no success but decided to give it another go as they seemed to be very close.

After several minutes the gulls swooped closer and closer to my offered Mackerel until finally one brave bird decided to take a chance and neatly plucked the fresh fish from my hand.  I was so pleased and even better was that Geraint captured the event on video using his i-Phone.  You can catch the short video here on you tube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY5TQf0oYPg

After one Gull got brave and showed the way they all wanted a go and getting them to take fish from the hand was easy.  Dee held out this tail section which enabled me to get this shot as the bird came in for its treat.

"Too tempting to resist"

Another top day's sport on Atlanta came to an end.  Dave showed us that even when the fishing is tough if you are prepared to cover the ground and are willing to adapt your tactics to any circumstance you can still put together a good day's sport.

At the start of the day I had been considering whether I could find anything new to say in one of these reports but being at sea always seems to throw up something new.  Couple this with a few nice fish and great company I reckon this is what keeps most of us coming back time and time again.

If you are interested in the Awa-Shima Ugly Battler, have a look at the Moonfleet Angling web site as they sell a number of rods in the range - http://www.moonfleet-angling.com/

Contact - steve@madpolka.co.uk