A reflection from fishing this year, what are your targets for the next?

[Kine262]

I think I'll give up sea fishing and concentrate more on embroidery.

More chance of catching a cod!

 

[Cwab]

Speaking of cod, focus same for me, which is to catch one more double shore caught cod on north east coast of uk, began quest Friday into today, nine hours or so and cod fish of any sort not to be found.

 

[Mike hemming]

Getting out is my problem it all work and work just don’t seem to have the time anymore but I’m definitely going to Scotland this year for the skate

 

[squidword]

A funny year last year, seemed to take ages to get going. By late April time the fishing was starting to pick up and plenty of thornies to 9lb, spotted rays 3lb-3lb.8oz, small eyes to 6lb, congers to 8lb, limited numbers of small plaice. In may I had a surprise double figure bass, and a run of 5lb to 7lb bass on every session. A run of small hounds up to about 8lb, not one on crab, but all on mackerel, bluey or sand eel! A trip to the south coast (devon) produced 4 plaice biggest being 1lb8oz and 2lb1oz. As we went into summer my attention turned to sole, a single slip on both of my early trips, plus usual rays, congers odd bass to 5lb. As autumn approached a few trips to chesil produced loads of bream, Gurnard to 1lb3oz (red) tubs and greys, a big lobster. The best being a trip to bexy with plaice, a sole a chuck (1.3 to 1.5) a codling and a few other bits chucked in, great company and a beautiful evening on the beach, calm and warm. September I fished the reefs to try for a late hound and found half a dozen to 12lb odd, I did land one around 15lb but it threw the hooks and found it's own way back in before I could weigh it. I squeezed a couple of trips in on the bristol channel late October, plenty of rays to 11lb, more bass to 7lb, congers to 16lb and a lovely 2lb12oz sole to round the year off. Not been out since, no interest since the cod have gone, but next week I'll be out! Target for the year is to fish with my sons and nephew as much as possible, hopefully many good moments and pbs for them.

 

[Beach]

A funny year last year, seemed to take ages to get going. By late April time the fishing was starting to pick up and plenty of thornies to 9lb, spotted rays 3lb-3lb.8oz, small eyes to 6lb, congers to 8lb, limited numbers of small plaice. In may I had a surprise double figure bass, and a run of 5lb to 7lb bass on every session. A run of small hounds up to about 8lb, not one on crab, but all on mackerel, bluey or sand eel! A trip to the south coast (devon) produced 4 plaice biggest being 1lb8oz and 2lb1oz. As we went into summer my attention turned to sole, a single slip on both of my early trips, plus usual rays, congers odd bass to 5lb. As autumn approached a few trips to chesil produced loads of bream, Gurnard to 1lb3oz (red) tubs and greys, a big lobster. The best being a trip to bexy with plaice, a sole a chuck (1.3 to 1.5) a codling and a few other bits chucked in, great company and a beautiful evening on the beach, calm and warm. September I fished the reefs to try for a late hound and found half a dozen to 12lb odd, I did land one around 15lb but it threw the hooks and found it's own way back in before I could weigh it. I squeezed a couple of trips in on the bristol channel late October, plenty of rays to 11lb, more bass to 7lb, congers to 16lb and a lovely 2lb12oz sole to round the year off. Not been out since, no interest since the cod have gone, but next week I'll be out! Target for the year is to fish with my sons and nephew as much as possible, hopefully many good moments and pbs for them.

Must be an old good book you have been reading, sorry couldn't resist.

 

[squidword]

Must be an old good book you have been reading, sorry couldn't resist.

To be honest I didn't really fish very much last year. Got to say it was one of my poorest years for both quality and numbers of fish. Going back 10 years I could normally manage at least one specimen sized fish of most species but it gets harder to find quality fish with each year that passes. Next year there are no targets fish wise, just going to enjoy getting out, the fish will just be a bonus

 

[Wolf]

Just to get back sea fishing. So saving hard to make it happen.

You will get there mate, when I got back into sea fishing,I bought good second hand stuff then bought new when I could afford it.

 

[LeighamFox]

You will get there mate, when I got back into sea fishing,I bought good second hand stuff then bought new when I could afford it.

Yeah I will. Need to get my arse into gear making and selling my jig heads and jelly lures again.

 

[Timbc2]

In 2024 I only fished beaches for tope due to an injury. I had a dropped run in early June. I saw it offshore partially launch out of the water and thrash about before it managed to get off the hook.

I didn't land any tope off the beaches till mid July and I had 4 in the end over the season, which I was pretty happy with to be honest, given the circumstances, as quite a few lads I know fishing the rock marks for tope in North Wales caught less or none at all.

If my injury heals ok I'll be getting back on the rock marks down the Llyn Peninsula and Anglesey, and fishing some new one's I've recced that I was going to fish last year but wasn't able to. It's just a pipe dream at the moment though as I'm nowhere near ready to do that but I live in hope

One of the tope I had over summer:



One of the most memorable things I saw this year was a bait ball 2 or 3 meters out off the shingle. It was packed so tightly by the joeys herding it, that it formed a perfect shiny silver disc, several inches across, where it met the surface of the sea.

 

[Robbie_B]

Bit late to the party but 2024, getting out with my son, watch him get his first hound and before I ever got one which he won't let me forget, and, the fact now he always asks when can we go fishing again. We both joined a club last year too, him as a junior and me as a senior we get to fish along side each other and I just love it. This year we hope to get out more, catch more fish and one of us, preferably him to catch a tope. There really is no better feeling than a kid catching a big fish, the excitement

 

[Robbie_B]

I have to add, entering my first club match, catching two hounds in the first hour and ending up winning, overall, my zone and biggest fish, one of my highlights