Goateeblank
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2020
- Messages
- 1,644
- Reaction score
- 5,623
- Points
- 115
- Location
- South Coast
- Favourite Fishing
- Shore
Catch up first. It a bit long, but may have something that may keep you or someone else alive!
A few bass in Southampton water. 3 on bait and my first lure bass of the year on a toby lure. All short and stocky, but enough to put a bend in the spinning rod. Had bigger this year on bait, but all when the ban was on!
West Bay. All a bit quiet on the fishing front with no new species, just a few of the usual culprits. The fishing highlight was a squid, a big squid. In fact my first call when l saw it was to Haddock for the drop net as l knew it would not lift. Whilst trying to sort that out, he got off. I remembered reading about dropping again as they are so predatory they come back. The problem was, I was fishing my species rig with size 6 hooks, not a squid jig. The rig had caught a pollack and the squid was attacking it. I dropped the rig and it was on again. Each time I got it to the top I could see it was much bigger than I have seen before. I would put the hood part at getting on for 400mm (16 inch) in the light of my headlamp, so that length plus the tentacles. I caught and lost it 4 or 5 times with it pulsing away and jetting water on the surface, before pulling the pollack up and quickly attaching a squid rig near the fish head as advised by Haddock. In that delay and not surprisingly, it was off. I took a picture of the pollack and Haddock was right about where they attack. That beak they have is nasty! That would have been a lot of calamari!
West Bay low light. A gent that was sat chatting to us, he suddenly jumped up (he later said he felt like he was on a boat) took a few stumbling steps and started going round in a circle. My first though was that he had stumbled and was making a joke of it, but then you kind of sense something is not right. He was a big guy, but we managed to catch him (before he could fall into the quay) and sit him down, with Haddock leaning on him to keep him propped up. Whats going on mate I ask? His reply from a dropped face was. "I think I am having a stroke". I did the FAST checks with him as you see on the tv. Face has it dropped? Yes. Arms can he lift them? No only one side. Speech can he talk. Yes but his face had dropped one side. Time call the emergency services. Called the emergency services and did all the checks with them and him on the phone. Told them where we were and to advise the Coastguard as the bollards have to be lifted for the ambulance to get down the pier. They advised that the emergency ambulance was on its way.The emergency ambulance did not turn up. After 45 mins the Coast Guard turned up (after going to the wrong pier!) and did the checks again. Then they cleared the beach for the helicopter to land. The helicopter did not turn up. After an hour and a half and still no ambulance, they loaded the guy into the back of the Coast Guard truck and took him away. That kind of kicked the guts out of the fishing session apart from the squid above. All praise to the Coastguard guys for attending. If l had not mentioned the Coastguard on the call to energency services, l hate to think how long we would have been left alone with him. Obviously at least 1 1/2 hours. Note. I am not knocking the nhs. Just saying what happened.
Update on the guy. The Coastguard took him to hospital in Dorchester. They did the tests again and were about to give him the clot buster drugs, which I understand are not without side effects, but better than the alternative. He suddenly said hang on l am ok! His face had gone back, he could lift his arms and everything. He was suddenly 100%. They were then worried that the clot had moved, so they scanned him. Nothing. The clot had dissipated. They gave him some medicine and sent him home. Fantastic news. I am arranging to go fishing with his son as we are staying in touch.
I slept in the van at Weymouth, but in the morning did not have the heart to fish and although bright and clear, the wind was nasty. Drove to Portland and had beans on toast and a walk around to set myself right again. It was beautiful - but cold!
Did you know that lots of modern phones have an SOS function? On mine a cheap Samsung. l press the power button a few times and it sends a text to my family members and my location for emergency services. See if yours has it. If not sure ask a teenager they know everything!
Back to fishing.
Calshot. Nothing but doggies and a cruise ship leaving port with a disco going on the top deck! It has a big eye and kissy lips!
West Bay. Slept in the van, fished the next day. Pier was not fully open and it was a ballan wrasse fest with a few others thrown in. Not the usual busy session for there. Think it has picked up a bit now.
Weymouth stone pier on Wednesday. The weather was perfect, warm, not much breeze, not too much sun and plenty of fish. I had seven species of fish. Long spined sea scorpions. Ballan wrasse to 1 1/2lb. Corkwing wrasse, pout, shore rockling, tompot blenny and a beautiful 3 bearded rockling. That gave me two new species for the year bringing me up to 29, so a good day all round. Haddock also had 7 species, but not all the same as mine as he had a pollack and a goldsinny wrasse. Considering it is the kids Easter break the pier was very quiet people wise.
3 bearded rockling. Beautiful colour and markings.
Tompot blenny.
Ballan wrasse. Bad picture l know.
It still seems to be generally tough fishing wise, but the black bream are starting to show and the hounds are due. Good luck all. And check your phones for the SOS function.
A few bass in Southampton water. 3 on bait and my first lure bass of the year on a toby lure. All short and stocky, but enough to put a bend in the spinning rod. Had bigger this year on bait, but all when the ban was on!
West Bay. All a bit quiet on the fishing front with no new species, just a few of the usual culprits. The fishing highlight was a squid, a big squid. In fact my first call when l saw it was to Haddock for the drop net as l knew it would not lift. Whilst trying to sort that out, he got off. I remembered reading about dropping again as they are so predatory they come back. The problem was, I was fishing my species rig with size 6 hooks, not a squid jig. The rig had caught a pollack and the squid was attacking it. I dropped the rig and it was on again. Each time I got it to the top I could see it was much bigger than I have seen before. I would put the hood part at getting on for 400mm (16 inch) in the light of my headlamp, so that length plus the tentacles. I caught and lost it 4 or 5 times with it pulsing away and jetting water on the surface, before pulling the pollack up and quickly attaching a squid rig near the fish head as advised by Haddock. In that delay and not surprisingly, it was off. I took a picture of the pollack and Haddock was right about where they attack. That beak they have is nasty! That would have been a lot of calamari!
West Bay low light. A gent that was sat chatting to us, he suddenly jumped up (he later said he felt like he was on a boat) took a few stumbling steps and started going round in a circle. My first though was that he had stumbled and was making a joke of it, but then you kind of sense something is not right. He was a big guy, but we managed to catch him (before he could fall into the quay) and sit him down, with Haddock leaning on him to keep him propped up. Whats going on mate I ask? His reply from a dropped face was. "I think I am having a stroke". I did the FAST checks with him as you see on the tv. Face has it dropped? Yes. Arms can he lift them? No only one side. Speech can he talk. Yes but his face had dropped one side. Time call the emergency services. Called the emergency services and did all the checks with them and him on the phone. Told them where we were and to advise the Coastguard as the bollards have to be lifted for the ambulance to get down the pier. They advised that the emergency ambulance was on its way.The emergency ambulance did not turn up. After 45 mins the Coast Guard turned up (after going to the wrong pier!) and did the checks again. Then they cleared the beach for the helicopter to land. The helicopter did not turn up. After an hour and a half and still no ambulance, they loaded the guy into the back of the Coast Guard truck and took him away. That kind of kicked the guts out of the fishing session apart from the squid above. All praise to the Coastguard guys for attending. If l had not mentioned the Coastguard on the call to energency services, l hate to think how long we would have been left alone with him. Obviously at least 1 1/2 hours. Note. I am not knocking the nhs. Just saying what happened.
Update on the guy. The Coastguard took him to hospital in Dorchester. They did the tests again and were about to give him the clot buster drugs, which I understand are not without side effects, but better than the alternative. He suddenly said hang on l am ok! His face had gone back, he could lift his arms and everything. He was suddenly 100%. They were then worried that the clot had moved, so they scanned him. Nothing. The clot had dissipated. They gave him some medicine and sent him home. Fantastic news. I am arranging to go fishing with his son as we are staying in touch.
I slept in the van at Weymouth, but in the morning did not have the heart to fish and although bright and clear, the wind was nasty. Drove to Portland and had beans on toast and a walk around to set myself right again. It was beautiful - but cold!
Did you know that lots of modern phones have an SOS function? On mine a cheap Samsung. l press the power button a few times and it sends a text to my family members and my location for emergency services. See if yours has it. If not sure ask a teenager they know everything!
Back to fishing.
Calshot. Nothing but doggies and a cruise ship leaving port with a disco going on the top deck! It has a big eye and kissy lips!
West Bay. Slept in the van, fished the next day. Pier was not fully open and it was a ballan wrasse fest with a few others thrown in. Not the usual busy session for there. Think it has picked up a bit now.
Weymouth stone pier on Wednesday. The weather was perfect, warm, not much breeze, not too much sun and plenty of fish. I had seven species of fish. Long spined sea scorpions. Ballan wrasse to 1 1/2lb. Corkwing wrasse, pout, shore rockling, tompot blenny and a beautiful 3 bearded rockling. That gave me two new species for the year bringing me up to 29, so a good day all round. Haddock also had 7 species, but not all the same as mine as he had a pollack and a goldsinny wrasse. Considering it is the kids Easter break the pier was very quiet people wise.
3 bearded rockling. Beautiful colour and markings.
Tompot blenny.
Ballan wrasse. Bad picture l know.
It still seems to be generally tough fishing wise, but the black bream are starting to show and the hounds are due. Good luck all. And check your phones for the SOS function.
