South Coast What a difference a few years makes!

[Mr Fish]

Those of us in our 50s and older have seen so much decline in the fishing over the years It is really sad how it has been so mismanaged. I’d be surprised if in another 10 years there is much of a charter fleet left and the tackle shops will continue to disappear. When retirement arrives I’d hoped to be doing a lot of beach and boat fishing but I might have to go to dark side and take up coarse fishing if I want to catch anything over 1lb!

I’ve more or less given up on charter fishing because I just don’t see the point of paying well over a ton for a day catching sub standard fish compared with what we enjoyed 20 years ago, even 10 years ago.

Used to have some cracking days wrecking with decent cod, pollack and ling.
I just don’t see those sorts of reports these days and the stamp of pollack is vastly inferior to what it was.

Going out on a boat to catch conger, spurs, tope etc just has no appeal to me.

 

[Leginfisher]

I’ve more or less given up on charter fishing because I just don’t see the point of paying well over a ton for a day catching sub standard fish compared with what we enjoyed 20 years ago, even 10 years ago.

Used to have some cracking days wrecking with decent cod, pollack and ling.
I just don’t see those sorts of reports these days and the stamp of pollack is vastly inferior to what it was.

Going out on a boat to catch conger, spurs, tope etc just has no appeal to me.

Red letter days are few and far between now. Didn’t do any charters in 2024 and not planning on doing any this year. The pollack ban has seen Brighton boats catching a few fish but I’d be surprised if they have had more than 10-15 between a crew of 10, and 1 or 2 might be doubles. I guess if you are new to the sport then maybe catching a singe pollack is a good result but not when you know what it used to be like. Ban will be lifted at some point and won’t take long to wipe them out. Cod are gone on south coast, pollack not far behind. What will they turn to next? Probably see the squid getting much more attention as there have been a lot about. Fewer predators to keep them in check.

 

[chesilpete]

It would but when they restart it wouldn’t take them long to deplete the stocks. Undulates were thriving whilst commercial ban in place and once lifted it only took a couple of years for them to be decimated. Reduced quotas and boats is what’s need but more chance of finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow unfortunately.

We used to get three double undulates a session.
When the ban came off Grant and I were about five miles off Chesil and there was a net wall around three miles long in the May. God only knows the tonnage they took or even what they did with it.
In all the years I have been fishing the slaughter of the undulates is the most shocking thing I have seen.
Fifteen years of restraint undone in six months.....
In my early 20s about 35 years ago, I fished Chale on the IOW many many sessions just to get one of around six pounds and I was made up.
Of all species they seem the easiest to slaughter.
Let the commercials have these bluefins give them a quota of 200 each and get them away from the other species.

 

[crablante]

...there was a net wall around three miles long...
...the slaughter of the undulates is the most shocking thing I have seen...
...Fifteen years of restraint undone in six months...

F-king hell...what a bunch of savages

 

[fishybuisness]

We have tried reporting him....... just gotta keep doing it. Ultimately the one I am after is one of the west bay boats. I want to get him and the wholesaler bang to rights, him landing and the wholesaler receiving....

I’ve been on to the same boat! They call it sustainable fishing in a conservation zone. Government grants for being green and all sorts.

Just waiting on the weather to brake for the turbo sessions. Yes light rods work the best it’s just a twat when a big blonde takes and the 30g spinning rod is just flatlined. I’m still yet to break the 10lb turbo target but I’m close. Not many commercials working the skerries so far this year, so going to give that a good push - it’s on my doorstep and there were a few 20s that came out last year.
Stay cool

 

[concrete]

We used to get loads of hermits in our dropnets on the local piers, but I can’t remember the last time I saw one. The boats get the odd few further out, but people are always nicking their pots.

 

[concrete]

My best haul of thornback rays was 39 and my mate fishing with me had 35. Twenty a session was normal and we only kept the deep hooked fish. We used circles and didn’t deep hook that many. A year of them being targeted again and numbers plummeted. The commercials say it wasn’t them, but one particular guy got permission to net the colne and the rays all but disappeared. He was telling people just how many rays he was getting and it was ridiculous, but totally legal. If you get two or three a session now, you’re doing well and they’re usually sub 4lbs.

 

[Shirleycodlin]

Greed greed and more greed.
The motto of commercial filth.

 

[Leginfisher]

My best haul of thornback rays was 39 and my mate fishing with me had 35. Twenty a session was normal and we only kept the deep hooked fish. We used circles and didn’t deep hook that many. A year of them being targeted again and numbers plummeted. The commercials say it wasn’t them, but one particular guy got permission to net the colne and the rays all but disappeared. He was telling people just how many rays he was getting and it was ridiculous, but totally legal. If you get two or three a session now, you’re doing well and they’re usually sub 4lbs.

Yes, I remember seeing a picture of a commercial probably 40- 50ft length where the whole deck was covered probably 5-6 fish deep in thornies just after the ban was lifted. I’m glad I’m not a charter skipper or a sea fishing tackle shop owner. I think they are on borrowed time with the way the fish stocks are dwindling due to overfishing.

 

[flappy]

Greed greed and more greed.
The motto of commercial filth.

Or the motto of human nature.

 

[concrete]

One commercial I know has moved over to crab and lobster pots, as there’s sod all fish to catch now. I was talking to one of the Harwich guys a few months back and all he had in his tub for several hours trawling was three rays and a turbot of 3 or 4lbs.

 

[Leginfisher]

One commercial I know has moved over to crab and lobster pots, as there’s sod all fish to catch now. I was talking to one of the Harwich guys a few months back and all he had in his tub for several hours trawling was three rays and a turbot of 3 or 4lbs.

And they won’t stop till the last fish or shellfish has been caught.

 

[Mr Fish]

And they won’t stop till the last fish or shellfish has been caught.

Then moan they can’t pay the bills and feed their families and blame the government for poor fisheries management

 

[Shirleycodlin]

Got round to watching GM proper jobs last night.
Nothing wrong with GM, but the commercial filth boiled my piss.
Such waste.

 

[crablante]

Got round to watching GM proper jobs last night.

What's GM ?

 

[concrete]

And they won’t stop till the last fish or shellfish has been caught.

Or until it costs too much in diesel.

 

[concrete]

What's GM ?

Guy Martin.

 

[fishybuisness]

One commercial I know has moved over to crab and lobster pots, as there’s sod all fish to catch now. I was talking to one of the Harwich guys a few months back and all he had in his tub for several hours trawling was three rays and a turbot of 3 or 4lbs.

Crabs also completely failed the last 2 seasons, the rooster is finally coming home. The penny has dropped, the years and years of nonsensical plundering has left them with nothing. Maybe a few dogs and scuttle.

Its a shame that the pressure is only on the smaller commercials instead of the larger beam trawlers. They seam to do ok - out of brixham anyway.

 

[Trampster]

I see South Devon college were running a training and information session yesterday for youngsters who might be interested in going into commercial fishing as an occupation. Pointless - there won't be anything left to catch the way things are going.

 

[Leginfisher]

Doesn’t seem like a lot of regard paid to the future. Probably a mentality of if I don’t catch it then someone else will so I might as well catch it. And the totally inappropriate quotas and lack of enforcement hasn’t helped. Most I’d expect have made a good living out of it for some years. Ex charter skipper I fished with turned commercial running several boats will have done well if their returns were as indicated, see picture attached. And who can blame them! Should be sitting very comfortably on a nice big nest egg. Just using the quotas that they bought with the boats. Not sure how easy it will be to maintain that sort of income in coming years with dwindling fish stocks.