Alderney
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27th June LIMITED STOCKS OF REDUCED ABU AMBASSEDEUR 7000'S BUY NOW!!!!! ONLY £80 WITH FREE POSTAGE TO UK AND CHANNEL ISLANDS. BUY NOW COS THE OFFER WON'T BE THERE LATER!!!!! 26th June Good fishing in the boats with Turbot and Brill, particularly from Alderney Felix our local boat. Around 12 flats per day seemed to be a common report, with Brill increasing in numbers. However not every boat is getting those numbers so don't get carried away! Bass are increasing in numbers now. Some good Tope too around, best fish reported to me was one of 55lb. Wrecks producing Cod for most boats, lots of Pollack in the Channel. A few Ling reported too. Shore sport over the last few days has seen a drop in numbers of Pollack and Garfish, still a few Mackerel reportedly caught. Bass have been slow with just a few schoolies, it seems that at the moment your best bet is ragworm and leave the plugs in the tackle bag!! More Couches Bream reported around the harbour. I had two guide trips Saturday, my normal stuff fishing for Gars and Pollack from the Breakwater and an evening Conger trip. Which one would you think I would blank on? The Conger one? Me too! The Breakwater never produced a bite which I think must be a first but we did have success in the evening by landing a 20lb plus Eel. We also had a couple of Dogfish and Pout. Out in the boat yesterday and we did ok. Tope were our first target, Gary and Jamie had five between them , best went 35lb. I lost a very good one, he was never hooked in the first place and when I eventually got him somewhere near the boat he just spat the bait. The Bass played ball, we started really poorly having traces go on us (breaks and not being able to tie knots!) but when we settled down we had a good time. I continued the Tope theme, I lost the best Bass. Got to see this one though, when he got to the boat he had a couple of more runs left in him before a severe head shaking sequence which saw him throw the hook, a quick wink at us I'm sure before he went back down to the bottom. I estimated it at around 8lb but Gary who was closer to it than me was convinced it was a double. Never mind. Then it was decision time, home for football or a crack at the Turbot. Turbot won the day twice, once in the fact they got the vote over the football and then again as we blanked. We did see a shark swishing around the surface though, just after Beckham scored! The heavens opened, enthusiasm waning so we called it a day at half 6 and shot home over flat calm seas. 20th June
13th June Shore sport improving now with the rise in sea temperatures. Plenty of Garfish and Pollack being caught, mackerel consistently caught from the Breakwater and some marks down the back of the island. Plugging for Bass slow though, one session for a local rod however did induce loads of takes on the retrieve but no hook ups! Sole have been encountered with one visiting angler landing two, best fish of 2lb and a Couches Sea Bream has been caught, are they going to show early this year when everything else has been so late? On my boat Sunday it was a slow day. We did manage 8 Bass though, best fish was 5lb, we also managed two smallish Turbot. My day.......1 of the Bass, a jellyfish, a launce that was hooked in the mouth with a 5/0 hook and a sliver if mackerel, and a dogfish caught on the drift at 2.5 knots when the other two lads hooked their Turbot on the same drift!! What a difference a week makes!! MAIL ORDER PAGE HAS BEEN UPDATED. LOTS OF GOOD OFFERS AND FREE POSTAGE OFFERS ON A MAJORITY OF ITEMS TO THE UK AND CHANNEL ISLANDS. 8th June Generally slow for flatfish although one boat located a few reasonable fish, topped out by a beauty of 19lb 3oz caught by Colin Tettmar from Sidcup, London who was fishing aboard Tango Bravo of Poole. There are a few Bass around, good numbers of Tope and some Bull Huss. Bream are still in the deeper water. Wrecks are fishing well for Pollack with the better fish topping out at 17lb, there is a sprinkling of Cod and Ling amongst them too. I was out again yesterday, work dictating I should have been at work and the sun dictating I should be fishing, guess who won that then! Back to where we finished on Sunday and as they say two days fishing are never the same. unfortunately plagued by Pollack to 15lb which was good fishing but we wanted the Cod. The two we managed were corkers, 21lb and 23lb. Dave had a Ling as well, plus there were plenty of mackerel. Shore sport consisting of Pollack to 3lb, a smattering of Mackerel and plenty of Gars. 6th June Photos loaded below 4th June Another flat calm day and another target..........Cod. We didn't get going till about 8.30am which was daft as we had close on 30 miles to travel. On arrival at our destination we were straight in to the intended target. We managed a dozen Cod to 25lb and a few Pollack before the tide and the fishing eased away after an hour and a half. We hung about for the turn but it didn't look as if it was going to happen so hopped off to a wreck. We added another couple of Cod there, loads of Pollack to around 15/16lb and yours truly landed John Dory, my first ever and it weighed 8lb 6oz. 5 days of fantastic fishing, it was great to see the boys again, now its back to reality and back to work!!
3rd June It didn't quite go to plan, but fishing doesn't does it? When we arrived at the mark the tide was on the turn so rather than anchor for the remaining ebb we got some fresh Mackerel, hung about for a couple of Pollack before setting the pick in, and for me that was where the disappointment set in. I was expecting 30 to 40 Eels and some Ling. The lack of action saw us re-anchor three times on the reef we were on and in the end we were so happy with the ground that we were sat over we decided to sit it through. We finished with 11 Eels to 45lb and a cracking Ling of 26lb which Lee had. Most of the fish came on the turn of the next bit of tide so I think where I was is strictly an ebb tide mark, never mind, live and learn. By then it was getting late, we were tired so it was time for a few beers. Other boats had a slow day on the flatfish although private boat Wahoo had a cracker at 22lb.
Lee with his cracking Ling, 26lb and myself with one of the Eels. 2nd June Lee had a good day yesterday, he kept a clean sheet in the tackle department in as much as he never lost any, and he virtually kept a clean sheet in the fish department too!! Pete and myself had a superb day, certainly my best day with the flatfish since I moved here as regards to the quality of the fish. On the boat we had 9 Turbot and 1 Brill, it wasn't so much the numbers of fish as you can see, it really was the quality. Pete's best was 21lb and I had 2 PB's, firstly one of around 14/15lb and then another which was around 17lb. We finished the day with somewhere around 30/35 Bass to 7lb so by the time we got in the amber nectar flew down the throat. Another two days to go before they go back and the target tomorrow is Conger Eels and Ling in the Channel, hopefully Sunday we'll finish on some Cod. Private boat Flying Fish had a couple of quality Turbot too, one over 20lb and another 14lb. They also had a couple of Bass and some Pollack
1st June Fishing every day certainly beats working! Wasn't a great outing today, we had a long period where the fish didn't play ball but with the cracking weather we're now having who cares. The Pollack fed well first thing with fish to 14 or 15lb then it went quiet. Feathered up enough mackerel for bait for tomorrow and then we had more Pollack towards the end of the day (finished with 27), a very welcome Cod and a Ling. Lee lost plenty more gear so he was happy enough! Not sure what we're doing tomorrow, a later start it has to be as I need to do some work but so long as the craic is there and we're afloat what else matters.
One of our first Cod, lovely condition as they generally are in the summer. This one went around 14lb to Pete.
31st May A couple of good pals of mine from Portsmouth arrived today, cracking forecast ahead of us so everyday we're boat fishing!! YIPPEE!!! They arrived at the airport at 10.30am, by 11.45am they were in to the first of ten Tope. Unfortunately not big fish, best couple were around 25lb. Pete lost a good 'un, Lee just lost loads of tackle! Taking the mick I think because I have a shop! Then we went to have a look for some Turbot...........and managed three Bass! Lee got the biggest at 8lb 4oz, well he had too didn't he as he couldn't snag the sand and had to concentrate on the fishing!! I managed one Turbot. With a few Pollack chucked in for good measure it was an interesting afternoon. Tomorrow we're in the Channel.
Lee's bass came at an unexpected time, lovely fish at around 8lb 8oz. 30th May I'm starting to get booked up now for my shore trips (not before time!), fishing is good and fun. Three trips in two days have yielded loads of Garfish, quite a few over a pound and up to 20 fish in a two hour session, Wrasse and Pollack to 3lb as well. On one mark there were quite a few Pollack. Three separate marks on two sides of the island too so fish abound everywhere! On one location down the back we saw loads of Mullet too. Picture of that fine Brill has gone on my Gallery page as well. Lovely fish. 29th May Weather played havoc last week with the fishing. Over the weekend though a near Channel island record Brill was caught aboard one of the visiting boats, just short of 12lb. This came amongst a moderate catch of Flatfish. All round the fishing was a little on the slower side, Bass featured for some boats whilst it seemed most boats got amongst Turbot and Brill. As far as I know no-one had a go for the Tope. Shore sport has consisted of the odd Bass, some Pollack and a few Garfish, not a lot but now with an improved forecast there should be a lot more rods out there trying. For those that don't know we have had thick fog in Alderney and the Channel Islands in general which has prevented planes from flying. This has disrupted the holiday period significantly, hence the lack of action. 22nd May Only one boat has arrived this week due to the excessive winds. Not easy conditions to fish but the lads are well amused finding a few bits and pieces. The island is unbelievably quiet for the time of year as regards to people, boy how we rely on that currant bun to warm things up. Fish wise from the shore it is still the same, a few good Garfish being taken on the float and spinners. Some real chunky fish being reported and as most go back it is a hazardous guess as regards the weight but as I've said before I have seen more than we normally do over a pound. Pollack are hit and miss, this time last year we were getting in to them but there seems to be minimal fry close in for them to chase. When they are there its good sport. I've not heard of any Bass reported these last few days but I think that is more to do with the lack of lines in the water as opposed to anything else. 21st May MAIL ORDER PAGE HAS BEEN UPDATED. LOTS OF GOOD OFFERS AND FREE POSTAGE OFFERS TO THE UK. 20th May This weeks boat fishing action was curtailed by the weather. Flattie sport was ok with most boats getting their fair share of the action. The boats that got involved in the Bassing had plenty of fun although you needed to find the fish first. Lots of Tope around which has helped to give a bit of variety to what's caught, nice to have line stripped of your reel at a sometimes unstoppable rate. Plenty of Launce and Mackerel for bait. Mixed reports from the wreck and rough ground in the Channel. Pollack to 15lb caught, odd Cod and some Ling as well. From the shore there has some some good reports of some fair sized Garfish, the odd Mackerel, a few Bass to plugs and an increasing number of Pollack. The weather now is very poor. We've had gale force winds today, Force 9 overnight and tomorrow and Monday not looking that clever neither. 15th May It seemed to be a slow weekend for most boats. A few flatfish, some Bass and not much else. If you look around there is plenty of other bits, Pollack, Mackerel and Tope seem to be featuring well. From the shore the Pollack fishing is improving and a few Mackerel now being caught. We had some nice Garfish with the kids on Saturday from the breakwater, several fish over a pound. One really good fish lost, we never saw it though. The first I knew of it was when one of the kids Dad swearing as he leant in to it, trace snapped and the float came up to the surface like a Polaris Missile a few seconds later. No doubt a very good Pollack. Our trip out yesterday was hampered by fog so we didn't get to fish the marks as planned. We wanted to have a crack at the Bream but that never happened. The day though did fall in too place. We had 10 Tope, several in the thirties, a couple of Bull Huss as well. We then finished up somewhere where we didn't want to be, winkled out three Turbot. Used the full bore of the tide for Pollack, best went 7lb, back on the flats where we had one more, best was 7lb. Loads of Mackerel and Launce about. Some pics below from last weeks fishing, 3 of which were sent to me by Jan Kiel, many thanks. In sequence they show Jan with a 7lb Brill, John with a 21lb Turbot, myself with a 7lb Turbot (arm well extended when you look at the 21lb fish of Johns!!) and Jan again with a 38lb Tope.
13th May Nice surprise when I downloaded my emails this morning. Thanks for contacting regarding the previous statement as regards to what is really caught and kept from the visiting angling trips. It's a lot for me to reply and deal with, it is a busy time of year in the shop, but a good idea would be to write direct to the Chamber of Commerce in Guernsey themselves as really they are the ones that need to know and are going to make the rules. Guernsey Fisheries only enforce what the politicians want. Here is website address to look at: http://www.gov.gg/ccm/general/web-enquiry-form.en or write to: Minister of Commerce, Raymond Falla House, Long Rue, St. Martin, Guernsey, GY1 6AF. 12th May Reporting the boat fishing accurately to those of you that log on to the site to keep updated is becoming very difficult. Unfortunately the site is being used as a basis to try to estimate the amount of fish being taken out of Guernsey waters by visiting anglers and used in a propaganda war. I want to get this bit straight. If I report on this site numbers of fish caught it does not mean they are dead and slaughtered. Many anglers are conservation minded too and are happy to put fish back of any size. So when I report X fish caught..........that is it...........X fish were caught. It is a shame as I know many of you track what is going on to either bring your own boats over or to visit the islands to fish. Lets hope the future hold some sensible bag limits and to up the ridiculously low minimum landing size limit of 11.8 inches for the Turbot. (Another thought is maybe I leave this page alone and construct my other pages that have sat dormant for two years, I keep saying they'll get done and it never happens!) There are Bream, Bull Huss, Tope, Conger and of course Flats landed yesterday, a few Bass starting to show too. No problems reporting from the shore.........because there is naff all there worth noting. A few reasonable Pollack from the south side, Garfish as well. Small Bass on plugs in that afternoon sun, or fog if your on the wrong side of the island. 11th May We struggled to find any mackerel close to Alderney yesterday so headed out in the Deeps where we quickly found plenty. Then we got on the Tope mark (we only had time left for 45 minutes fishing because of the footie, waste of time that was........leave it, another day!), anyway Fieona missed the first three, I missed one, then landed one, she lost one and then eventually on a 12/20 got one over 30lb. Elsewhere in the boats the flats seemed slower than the day before, one or two Bass reported, reasonable numbers of Bream around with some Bull Huss and Conger. 10th May After a slow weekend the bigger tides has seen improved flatfish fishing, both Turbot and Brill amongst catches. Elsewhere Bream have been located along with Conger Eels and Bull Huss. Some boats getting in amongst the Tope action, the last couple of years have seen these mini sharks a little quiet but current fishing is quite explosive. Wreck fishng is a bit mixed it seems, one or two Cod starting to show and the Pollack are hit and miss dependant on water conditions. There are a few Ling too. Weather calm today so I shall have a dabble for the Tope this afternoon after a bait collecting session. Fieona is coming along too, to see what all the fuss is about. 8th May Slow weekend on the flatfish, really not much too report. My trip went well though. Had loads of choices of what to do and making a decision was hard and never really happened till the morning. We were in the Channel by 8.00am getting enough mackerel for bait before the ebb tide got under way. When it did our first wreck produced nothing and before we committed to much time to it we darted off to some rough ground further away from Alderney between the shipping lanes. This proved the right decision as we found plenty of Pollack to 14lb. They were in excellent condition and fattening up on all the smaller fish available to them. Returned to port about 3.30pm, dropped one of the lads of who wasn't feeling to good and went back out on the Tope. Great fun and sport on 12/20lb gear, we managed 9 in 90 minutes with all the fish but one between 25lb and probably low to mid 30's. Lots of miles but we found fish. Friday evening I was doing much the same and we managed 6 in an hour and a quarter, roughly the same size. Plenty of follow ups too. Shore sport not to clever. The Breakwater is only producing a few fish, Garfish and odd Pollack. 4th May Far better in the boats yesterday. Smuggler V got to 22 flats which included a nice Brill, Alderney Felix managed 11 with only five anglers, best fish went 9lb. Offshore Rebel had a cracking fish, a 20lb Turbot which was caught by Paul's lady crew Ji. On her first drop it was too, next to an angler that hadn't caught one in two days fishing! The story gets better, feeling guilty (at this point you need to know Ji is from Thailand) she cut off the fins and gave them to her fellow angler, you see in Thailand this is the finest part of the fish as part of their tradition. Whoops.....I think this probably added insult to injury. Tango Bravo managed 17 flats including a fine fish of 17lb for Brian Fox. Chris Caines' Tiger Lily had an 11lb Brill in their 20 flatfish catch, best turbot 14lb. And there were more fish caught but I couldn't get to speak to everyone. Not much action from the shore, nobody giving it a real test. 2nd May It could be the fishing is improving, Peace and Plenty managed 20 fish yesterday including some chuck backs. Other boats arrived but didn't get in to it so well, lets see what this set of tides bring this week. Best fish went 12lb. Sundance managed a couple of Brill in their catch, more Bass as well. 1st May Shore sport not over exciting, on Saturday we had 5 Garfish and some missed bites whilst I was teaching new people to the sport to fish. Two of the Gars were over a 1lb though, stuffed full of fish and looking very healthy. There are some Pollack about, Launce on small feathers from the sandier marks and Wrasse from the weedier and rockier marks. Out in the boats there is a few flatfish being caught, Peace and Plenty had a dozen or so yesterday whilst not knowing how many were caught I do know through talking to Roger this morning that on board his boat Sundance the anglers did manage a fine 19lb Turbot and an 11lb Bass. Look out for the pictures through the www.deepsea.co.uk site later this week. Big debate locally at the moment is there seems to be a lot being said about the apparent lack of Turbot around our banks for this time of year, both here and around Guernsey. There is some concern that the species is being fished out by visiting charter anglers and of the commercial exploitation. The last three seasons and particularly last has seen some tremendous catches and now we have what appears to be a drop off in these catches, maybe something though nearer to normality. Although it is everyone's concern to protect the fishery because whether you are holidaying, a local recreational angler or fish commercially we would all dearly love to see more fish around. Whether you own a trawler, longliner, charter boat or a pleasure boat the Turbot is a valuable species in one way or another and one would like to think that the local fisheries would quickly implement stricter regulations to protect, maybe to much to hope for but a good idea none the less. The body paid to protect our fishery to actually protect it! This would be to the benefit of everyone. Even with higher size limits (currently the minimum landing size is 11.8 inches!!), or bag quotas, all would be a benefit as most things in life police themselves and I see this issue as no different. The other thing I'm not sure about neither is we had these recent seasons where the Turbot fishing was brilliant, this happened with the same exploitation and pressure from all and sundry and yet it still happened. We also had relatively mild winters, daffodils were out early and all that so maybe it is Mother Natures way. This year we have had a longer winter than we have had in recent years and it has played a part in the lack of sandeels and mackerel around in the Channel, Pollack fishing wasn't as it normally is, birds not emigrating as normal, the daffs were later............and all that. Anyway, highlighting it all is great, it is raising the awareness of what we need to be doing, lets hope we all play a part in making what we have here better and not destroy it, and what ever the fishery people implement lets hope it is quick. Also got told the following this morning, this bit of news is staggering. 150 Ton of Smoothound/Tope got caught at some point last year on the north side of the English Channel and sold as fertilizer for £10, 000 to another country!! (I think New Zealand). Convinces me more the fisheries have a bigger part to play than any sea angler. My trip yesterday beat the weather, better than the other way round. Early start and we needed to get some mackerel as that was key to the days events. After failure at my first mark I had to head away from where I wanted to be to find them. We managed 18 which was enough for what we wanted to do. A 9 mile trip was now required to be where we needed to be, against tide and bumpy but we got there. Tope were the intended target. For two and a half hours we had loads of fun on 20lb gear, we got 6 to the boat, best was 45lb. Dropped about 6/8 fish as we were trying to hook them early in the fight so as they didn't swallow the hook and missed a few too. The forecast was for an increasing wind, it dropped so we stayed out and fished for some flatties. The ebb produced nothing but at slack we managed 3, best around 8lb. Wind did increase eventually but it was all done and dusted as we headed home.
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My two Cod in the pictures went 14lb, didn't expect to beat that but did with
the 21lb fish, and Pete had a cracker with a 25lb plus fish. Below is my John
Dory.
The above three pictures is my 'Alderney Slam', Brill went around 5lb, Bass 7lb
4oz and Turbot 17lb. The Turbot below was around 14lb 8oz. The Brill came later
in the day, you can tell that by Lee in the background, by now not amused, boy
what a blanker!!
