Goateeblank
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2020
- Messages
- 1,659
- Reaction score
- 5,657
- Points
- 115
- Location
- South Coast
- Favourite Fishing
- Shore
The dramatic entrance to get down the slope to Weymouth Stone Pier, is via this tunnel to Nothe Fort. Built between 1860-1872 to protect the Naval Harbour at Portland.
Oh, the parking up there, and I think in Weymouth generally, is free for the Christmas period, saving you £6 on an all day ticket. The toilets are clean and open late for those that like to hang around public toilets!
Down onto the pier, which I had all to myself. Whilst walking to the end at low tide I was looking for clear spots to cast to, in the rocks and weed. There was a shoal of fish going along at the same pace as me with several jumping clear of the water. The fish were around 200mm long with I presume a bigger predator under them!
Got to the end of the pier to find that the squidders had been busy with squid ink all over the place, on the deck, on the steps and on the concrete benches.
Set up the usual 1 x light beach caster float rod, with foam float and a 2 up 1 running ledger down, beach rig, baited with mackerel belly strips. Sounds strange I know, but you always have one with you and I have had plenty of gar and mackerel on this set up in the past. This was sent out to fish itself and did nothing all day. Also set up my usual and trusty, 2 x 9ft spinning ugly sticks with 1 up 1 running ledger, size 6 aberdeen pattern hooks baited with rag.
The fish were coming in immediately and throughout the day.
First in was a corkwing wrasse, the first of 20 or 30 or more. By far the most common fish on the day.
Good to meet @Steveburt who turned up around this time. A very tenacious angler and sure to do well in his different quests.
Next up a nice reddy bronze ballan wrasse, that I was hoping was a baillons wrasse.
I think around this time, there was a royal trumpet sounding and @cap'nhaddock arrived!
Then my favourite mini, a long spined sea scorpion. Had a few of these in different colours on the day.
Another one of my favourites a tompot blenny.
It took a while for them to come in, but the pout made an appearance.
Took a while to get a black goby even though Haddock by now had black and rock gobie's on the board.
Not as many pollack there as there has been. I had to drop into @Steveburt s spot to get this, as he was attracting them with his orange hands! He might explain!
The wrasse have a habit of getting into the rocks and weed to snag you and this one, the best fish of the day landed was no exception. I had to pull for a break and thought I had done so, but managed to get my gear and this wrasse up onto the pier. Around 225mm long and very fat!
The squidders arrived so we moved just into the harbour entrance out of the wind.
Took a while for the fish to come on, but come on they did, lots more and bigger pollack and pouting and a few whiting. The whiting went to a fellow visiting angler who has caught 8 -12lb bass there!
Haddock hooked into something big on a size 6 hook with a snippet of rag. It was taking line from the light rod and tiny reel he was using and was giving him some grief until it straightened the hook and was off. What is was we will never know, but it was meaty!
Still not got my rock goby and reminded of such by Haddock! I muscled into a spot he has fishing, which was a corner in the wall and not long after got my rock goby as denoted by the cream colour on the top of the dorsal fin came in.
I had one of my biggest ever long spined scorpion fish, which was a nice turquoise/blue colour on its underside.
Crabs became a nuisance with them coming in on every hook.
It was getting to time to pack in, when Haddock again hooked into something on his as he says "size 6 hook with a snippet of rag" on it. This is again giving him plenty of grief and I suggest I pull in my rods and he gets it to the ramp there for me to land it. My rods are in and the fish is still staying deep. Got our lamps on the water and it breaks the surface. This makes me roar with laughter as out of all the many, many, many, species Haddock catches, there is one fish that he hates the most and there it is, all 1m plus long of it. A conger! I don't know who was the most unhappy the conger or the haddock!!!! Anyway the conger has the advantage here and after plenty of splashing and wriggling, it snaps him off and goes about his business.
What a way to end a busy day with an easy 50 plus fish each caught (difficult to keep count}? Unfortunately no new species, but 8 species caught which Haddock matched no doubt and time is getting short for me to get more!
Back to rays, cod and mullet - again!
That conger though! Ha, ha.
Oh, the parking up there, and I think in Weymouth generally, is free for the Christmas period, saving you £6 on an all day ticket. The toilets are clean and open late for those that like to hang around public toilets!
Down onto the pier, which I had all to myself. Whilst walking to the end at low tide I was looking for clear spots to cast to, in the rocks and weed. There was a shoal of fish going along at the same pace as me with several jumping clear of the water. The fish were around 200mm long with I presume a bigger predator under them!
Got to the end of the pier to find that the squidders had been busy with squid ink all over the place, on the deck, on the steps and on the concrete benches.
Set up the usual 1 x light beach caster float rod, with foam float and a 2 up 1 running ledger down, beach rig, baited with mackerel belly strips. Sounds strange I know, but you always have one with you and I have had plenty of gar and mackerel on this set up in the past. This was sent out to fish itself and did nothing all day. Also set up my usual and trusty, 2 x 9ft spinning ugly sticks with 1 up 1 running ledger, size 6 aberdeen pattern hooks baited with rag.
The fish were coming in immediately and throughout the day.
First in was a corkwing wrasse, the first of 20 or 30 or more. By far the most common fish on the day.
Good to meet @Steveburt who turned up around this time. A very tenacious angler and sure to do well in his different quests.
Next up a nice reddy bronze ballan wrasse, that I was hoping was a baillons wrasse.
I think around this time, there was a royal trumpet sounding and @cap'nhaddock arrived!
Then my favourite mini, a long spined sea scorpion. Had a few of these in different colours on the day.
Another one of my favourites a tompot blenny.
It took a while for them to come in, but the pout made an appearance.
Took a while to get a black goby even though Haddock by now had black and rock gobie's on the board.
Not as many pollack there as there has been. I had to drop into @Steveburt s spot to get this, as he was attracting them with his orange hands! He might explain!
The wrasse have a habit of getting into the rocks and weed to snag you and this one, the best fish of the day landed was no exception. I had to pull for a break and thought I had done so, but managed to get my gear and this wrasse up onto the pier. Around 225mm long and very fat!
The squidders arrived so we moved just into the harbour entrance out of the wind.
Took a while for the fish to come on, but come on they did, lots more and bigger pollack and pouting and a few whiting. The whiting went to a fellow visiting angler who has caught 8 -12lb bass there!
Haddock hooked into something big on a size 6 hook with a snippet of rag. It was taking line from the light rod and tiny reel he was using and was giving him some grief until it straightened the hook and was off. What is was we will never know, but it was meaty!
Still not got my rock goby and reminded of such by Haddock! I muscled into a spot he has fishing, which was a corner in the wall and not long after got my rock goby as denoted by the cream colour on the top of the dorsal fin came in.
I had one of my biggest ever long spined scorpion fish, which was a nice turquoise/blue colour on its underside.
Crabs became a nuisance with them coming in on every hook.
It was getting to time to pack in, when Haddock again hooked into something on his as he says "size 6 hook with a snippet of rag" on it. This is again giving him plenty of grief and I suggest I pull in my rods and he gets it to the ramp there for me to land it. My rods are in and the fish is still staying deep. Got our lamps on the water and it breaks the surface. This makes me roar with laughter as out of all the many, many, many, species Haddock catches, there is one fish that he hates the most and there it is, all 1m plus long of it. A conger! I don't know who was the most unhappy the conger or the haddock!!!! Anyway the conger has the advantage here and after plenty of splashing and wriggling, it snaps him off and goes about his business.
What a way to end a busy day with an easy 50 plus fish each caught (difficult to keep count}? Unfortunately no new species, but 8 species caught which Haddock matched no doubt and time is getting short for me to get more!
Back to rays, cod and mullet - again!
That conger though! Ha, ha.
