Atlanta Lucky Dip!

When I originally booked three trips in the space of 15 days I convinced myself this was reasonable as I was bound to lose at least one to the weather.  The 28th of October proved that to be wrong as it was trip number three and all were in fabulous conditions.  Dave Pitman, skipper of Atlanta out of Weymouth, had told me the night before that due to the gales earlier in the week the water would be very coloured and we would have to try a variety of tactics to see what fish were biting.  As I had already accounted for lots of different species in the previous two trips I wasn't concerned what we went for, it would just be nice to be out.

Weymouth Bay Sunrise

On arriving at the boat it turned out we had a small crew for the day - the Skipper, Dee (Dave's Crew), myself and a guy called Ian from Hemel Hempstead.  With plenty of space on the boat it meant that Dave and Dee would have time to wet a line and we could have more than one rod on the go to cover the most options.  This is a real luxury and a rare treat!

Dave decided we would head off to a reef mark in the middle of Weymouth Bay where he and Dee had hit a rich vein of Bream the previous week.  They had actually been trying for Pouting to use as Conger baits but the Bream were in such large numbers they couldn't find the Pouts!  Dave did caveat this though by saying that we did run the risk that the Bream shoals would have been dispersed by the wind.

As we arrived I rigged my 8lb Sonik SK4 with a Bream rig baited with whole baby squid.  My 12lb version of the rod I baited with a small pennel rig and a strip of frozen mackerel as Dave also suggested we may find a ray or two at this mark.

Ian was new to boat fishing and Dee set him up with a Bream rig, showed him how to bait the hooks and use the rod and reel.  Ian's target for the day would be to catch something worth taking home as his previous fishing attempts from Chesil Beach hadn't provided him any dinner to date!

Dee set up to try and catch a Ray as she wanted a Thornback of over 10lbs for her club league competition.

It was only a couple of minutes and I had a bite.  This was quickly followed by me landing a small Pout which went in to the bucket for use as pot bait by Dave's provider of Hermit Crabs.  I continued to get bites for the next half an hour landing a few Pouting, some mandatory dogfish and a couple of small but edible Whiting (not long and they will be here in numbers).

Ian wasn't having any luck at this point but that would change!

What happened next was bizarre to say the least.  I had another bite and wound in to a Pouting.  Typically it gave a decent bite then gave up.  As I reeled in it was becoming increasingly agitated and then started gaining weight from time to time.  As I got the fish to the surface we saw that it had been chased all the way by a small Tope of around 5lbs.  The Tope continued to try and attack the fish until it realised it was in the sunshine at which point it headed back to the sea-bed. 

A few minutes later and I had another fish that behaved in a similar manner.  This time however it was a Dogfish with a similar sized Tope biting its tail!  The Tope again let go at the surface and returned to the depths.  Jokes about Tope chasing 'Dogfish Tail' kept us going for most of the rest of the day.

As this was happening Ian was reeling in to his first fish.  He couldn't believe his eyes when his first fish turned out to only be half a fish.  The bite dimensions on this ill fated Pout suggested that there were bigger Tope to be had.

Shark Bite

So we had come for Bream and Rays but if there was ever a situation when the sea could tell you this was a Tope trip then this was it.  I retrieved my Pennel rig and attached a strong 6/0 hook with a short wire trace attached to a longer 40lb nylon trace.  I baited with a side of frozen Mackerel.  Dave showed me a neat trick with telephone wire to keep the bait in place and nice and tidy.

Dee switched Ian on to a Tope rig and Dave put out a second rod for the same purpose.

In the next hour or so the action was fabulous.  Dee was first to successfully land one of these little grey sharks.  It was a small fish similar to the ones that had come to the surface earlier.

Dee's Tope

Dave had a strong run on a Whiting flapper but the fish dropped the bait before he could set the hook. 

Then I fought a fish to half way up before I lost it.  There was no need for despondency though because the bites were still coming and I was sure we would see more to the boat before we were finished.

I then had another bite and leaned in to what was a reasonably hevy fish, so not a Pouting.  It was not athletic like the Tope however so I wasn't sure what might surface.  Whilst I was playing my fish Ian had a strong run on his rod and became attached to something heavy.  Meanwhile Dee was also into a good fish.

Mine came to the surface first and what a nice surprise - a 5lb 1oz Spotted Ray (a 100% South West specimen and my personal best!).  A quick photo and the fish was released.

Specimen Spotted Ray For Me!

Ian was next to bring his fish to the boat.  A Tope estimated at 15 to 20lbs.  What a catch for your first proper fish!  I don't think Ian could quite believe it.  Again the fish had its picture taken and was then released.

Nice 1st Fish

Last to show was Dee's fish.  Another surprise - a Conger of around 20lbs.  I took the shot with the fish in the water so that Dee could just T-Bar the eel away.

Dee's Conger

We all took a moment to re-bait and then set about trying to catch another before the tide at this mark became too strong.  Encouraged by the run that Dave had on a Whiting flapper, and as a result of getting plagued by Dogfish on my mackerel bait, I was concentrating on trying to get a small Pout or Whiting to use as a live bait.  The presence of so many large predators seemed to have turned the small fish off though.  It was the shout of "Fish On" from Dave that caused me to look round and see my 12lb rod about to go over the side!  I grabbed it half way along the blank and felt the braid being stripped as I held on for dear life.  Ian kindly took my other rod from me so I could fight the fish.  To this date my previous best Tope had been a 10lb fish that I had taken on a 30lb rod when Congering in Cornwall and, frankly, I wasn't sure what all the fuss was about. 

Now I know. 

After an initial strong run the fish swam towards me and I wound like fury.  It then became placid for a few moments and I wasn't at all sure how big it was.  I made ground steadily and then it took off.  I have never experienced a fish this fast and this strong outside of tropical waters - I can see why people are hooked on these and Smoothounds and think I could go the same way!  After what seemed like an age I got the fish to the surface.  It promptly turned round and headed back to the bottom!  Another minute or two and the, now tired, fish was back at the boat.  An estimated 25lb'er.  Sadly, when we tried to lift the fish aboard for a photo, the nylon part of the trace broke so no picture.  I don't need a picture to remember this fish though.  I know 25lbs is not big by Tope standards but on my 12lb class outfit it was as good a fighting fish as I think I have ever caught (and another personal best - that's four in two weeks).

With the tide now racing, and just one more small Conger coming to the boat, Dave called for lines up and we would have a move.  We discussed that as Dee hadn't had a Thornback and we wanted some more ray species, as well as something Ian could take home for tea, we would head for a Gully that I have fished with Dave before where I have had Undulate Rays, Spotted Rays and often seen some Bream.

At this mark Ian switched back to Bream tactics whilst I hedged my bets with one rod set up for Bream and another for rays.  Ian and I soon started to have sharp rattling bites and it seemed certain there were Bream in the vicinity.  This continued for a while with only dogfish showing until Ian hooked a much more lively fish.  It was a Bream and Ian had supper!

Ian's Tea!

Dee still hadn't found her Thornback.  Dave, whilst attending to another job on the boat, noticed he had a bite on his rod and asked Dee to reel it in - you guessed it - a Thornback!  The fish wasn't as big as Dee needed for her club competition so we didn't need to have the debate about whose fish it was.

Thornback Ray

The action continued as I managed a couple of late season Bream but it was Ian who showed he had the knack for finding something difference when he boated a small but beautifully marked Bull Huss.

My Last Bream Of 2011

Ian Bags A Huss

Dave called for lines up and we headed off to fish a small sand bank at anchor to see if we could find a flat fish to go with our other species.  The weather by now was more like early June with little wind and temperatures in the high 'teens.

I attached a plaice rig to my light rod and baited with fresh Rag Worm and Squid.  Ian and I only managed Dogfish at this mark but as the Dogfish was the first Ian had caught he was delighted to add yet another species to his haul.

Dave however managed two more species.  A beautifully marked Dragonet and a tiny but perfectly formed Smoothound.

Dave's Dragonet

Does Size Matter?

Next mark was a small wreck which is usually full of Pouting but as you swing away from it in the tide can produce Bream - on this day three years ago we had a massive haul of Bream from this wreck.  This year we found the Pouts but as we swung away from the wreck we just found bigger and bigger pouts.  Hauling them two at a time at two and half pounds each it started to become and endurance test.  I don't think Ian could believe that you could catch so many fish.  With the buckets full of future pot baits we had a short but unsuccessful attempt to find a squid before we headed back to harbour in glorious Autumn sunshine after a rare days sport that I think exceeded all our expectations.  We had 11 species on the day and some cracking fish on light tackle.  There can be few ports and few times of year that can offer both the variety and the quantity of fish as Weymouth in the Autumn.  In three trips inside of 15 days I saw 22 species caught with each day being distinctly different from the rest.

The winter Whiting beckon next, and who knows - maybe a Cod or two.

Autumn Gallery

Jurassic Sunshine

Blackback Gull

Nothe Gardens "out of the blue"

Contact - steve@madpolka.co.uk