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11/07/2016 Fishing Report by Ian Dale

11 Jul 2016 by Ian Dale

So, the 1st July was the big day that everybody was waiting for it seems. It meant it was now legal for our anglers to keep one bass per person. And we were itching for the weather to be good enough so we could at least get out there and try and get ourselves those silver bars.

We didn’t have to wait long, as the weather soon gave us a chance on the 6th to head straight out there. There were only 4 of us on board fishing, but this was great. Once we had left the harbour, we decided as it was so flat, we were going to go wrecking first instead. What a great idea that was, so we all tackled up ready to see if we could catch any pollack.

Arriving at the wreck, it was clear to see that there were fish all over it on the sounder. We all got excited and lined ourselves up for the first drift. The first drift produced a pollack of around 16lb. What a lovely fish. The next few drifts were just as good with the average stamp of pollack being around 13lb mark.

It was then time to look for those Billys, and we didn’t fail there either, the best bass of the day was 12lb 7oz when weighed on board, (unfortunately it had lost weight throughout the day, and weighed 11lb 4oz once back on shore). There must have been at least 20 bass landed between the four of us and even though we could have kept 1 fish each we decided to return all but one. Once the tide wasn’t in the favour of the bass, we then went back to looking for some more pollack.

After a few more drifts and more pollack, it was time to head back to the marina, clean down and put the boat to bed. Kelley’s Hero ended up with around about 50 pollack and 20 bass , and what a lovely stamp of fish they were, all in great condition and fighting fit. We can’t wait to head back out and get some more.
30/05/2016 Fishing Report by Ian Dale

30 May 2016 by Ian Dale

Since I last blogged, Kelley's Hero has done a few trips. This included 2 wrecking trips, 1 bream trip and 1 with both due to the weather.

Whilst out wrecking we have managed to find some nice fish. It is a great feeling being able to report to you that the cod are certainly in. We thought maybe it was a fluke with the last blog. The last 2 wrecking trips has thrown out some nice Cod.

The first trip the weather was perfect and calm seas blessed our day. The fishing never really slowed down all day with around about 100 cod hitting the decks, and 20ish Pollock. The anglers certainly were going to sleep well that night.

The second wrecking trip was just as good however the weather wasn't as nice. Before going to bed the night before the weather forecast was brilliant. We woke up, got the boat ready, all the guys were ready for there day afloat. Once we got the wrecks, the tide was just starting to die down, and the chop started from there. It made for some uncomfortable fishing, however we stuck it out and had very similar results to the last trip. Ending up with very similar numbers of fish.

We decided that it was time to stay inshore and head for some bream, and we did just that. The sea was flat, the wind was light, and the sun was out, what more could we want. We had plenty of grounbait, and plenty of bites. The bream that were being landed were anything between 1 and a half lb, and 2lb 6oz. The species weren't as prolific as the last inshore trips however we ended up with a couple of thornback rays, endless amount of bream, with many returned, and a couple of smoothound.

So the weather forecast for Saturday was giving light winds again, with a little bit of rain. We don't mind the rain, so we set up another wrecking trip. We turned up to the boat in the morning with our anglers all there ready to go. We checked the forecast before we left, and it had changed ever so slightly. Not enough to stop us though. We headed out to the wrecks once again. However we only had 3 Pollock and 1 cod before the tide turned it got too choppy for us and we returned inshore to go and find some bream. After finding a few fresh mackerel we headed inshore and put the anchor down. After catching a few nice bream, we decided enough was enough for one week and we headed for the pub.

Tight Lines

Ian
26/05/2016 Fishing Report by michael button

26 May 2016 by michael button

Booked a last minute trip on Kelleys Hero II, turned up early to a spotlessly clean boat. Set off in calm seas, cruising at 18-20 knots we were soon arriving at our target wreck. Skipper Ian gave me a good rundown on how the wreck lies in the tide, the size of the wreck, and where he thought the different species would be on the wreck.

First couple of drifts and I had two nice Pollock to sidewinder super slims, one around double figures and one about the 6 pound mark. The ebb tide slackened and the fishing went dead for half an hour until the flood started.

More advice from crew and I changed to a rubarb and custard shad. Next drift a nice 13 pound cod, followed by lots of cod being boated by all anglers while the flood was pushing hard. As the tide backed off the species turned back to Pollock and I had two more around double figures, before the cod switched back on.

Due to the BBC weather man lying again, it did get a bit rough, but Ian stuck at it and we boated some good fish. Run in to Portsmouth was smooth and fast, crew were great and helped me fillet my catch which needed a barrow to move it. I would recommend Ian Dale to anyone looking for a good days wrecking, great boat and crew.
12/05/2016 Fishing Report by Ian Dale

12 May 2016 by Ian Dale

The last thing you want to hear at 5am in the morning is the alarm clock, unless of course you are going out fishing, and that is exactly what we were doing!
We left the marina at 0630, and battled our way through the fog, and eventually ended up at our first wreck. All 7 anglers were ready to get stuck in as we arrived, so once we set up the first drift, we were away……

When we arrived at the wreck the tide was still running and this worked in our favour as that meant that the fish were still interested in what we had to offer them. So it was all go go go for the first hour, with a mixed bag of fish coming aboard. Once the tide slackened off there was nothing more to worry about other than the kettle going on, and worry what was going to appear out of the fog next, whilst the guys tried to hook a few more out of the wreck.

Once the tide got away we steamed to the next wreck. This wreck fished for a few hours with a very nice stamp of Cod upto 12lb and Pollock upto 13lb. We had a new personal best for Mark on this wreck with a Pollock. Just as the fishing was getting even better, an unwanted visitor appeared from out of the shadows, which happened to be a French trawler. Unfortunately this meant we would have to move on to our last wreck.

We ended our day on this wreck after fishing for around an hour. We had a steady stream of Pollock being caught. There was a sprinkling of bass on this wreck aswell, which proved to me that grown men do cry……as they have to be and were returned.

After 2 hours of Filleting from Derek, it was time to go and sit down with a nice pint and reflect on our very Foggy day out on the wrecks.

Thursday wasn’t as early to start as Wednesday however we did leave the marina with 8 anglers aboard. We took around about 45 mins to get to where we were heading. As we were on a species hunt we thought we would try and head for some bream first. This proved to be very productive. We boated some nice bream upto 3lb.

We had 3 anglers from the Southsea Disabled angling club on board who all managed to catch some lovely fish. Simon had his new personal best bream, and Mark nearly reached another personal best with a bream.

So after moving around at slack water, we managed to hook into another few species. It was lovely to see some nice Cuckoo wrasse come aboard. Along with this we had garfish, whiting, dogfish, pout, bream. Brian obviously thought he had missed out on the wrecking yesterday so he thought he would go and catch himself a Pollock.

The spot we finished up on as the tide got away, produced some more nice Bream, and a few more wrasse.

The fog decided it wasn’t going to make too much of an appearance today, so we enjoyed a nice sunny day with flat calm seas, a lot of fish, and 8 very happy anglers. What more could a skipper want huh??!!

Ian
07/05/2016 Fishing Report by Ian Dale

7 May 2016 by Ian Dale

So i haven’t blogged in about 2 months, but this is only due to the fact that we haven’t managed to get out on too many occasions due to the weather.
Of course we would have loved to get out more but seems we didn’t even manage 50% of what was booked.
Luckily for us and the anglers we have managed a few trips in the last couple of weeks, mainly inshore for the early bream, and a couple offshore. We have taken beginners out to catch their first fish on their first sea fishing trip, taken regulars to try and better the PB’S and even regulars out just to test the water so to speak.
Well we did manage to find some Bream, unfortunately we didn’t find loads but we did get a few. On some days it was hard due to the wind and tide conditions, but we did our best and found what we could. Inshore we had species such as Tub Gurnard, Mackerel, Bream, Dogs, baby Bullhuss, Tope, Garfish, smoothound, conger, whiting, plaice and a variety of skate. If the weather conditions on some of these trips had been better then im sure we would have had a load more bream etc. Once the water warms up etc then im sure they will be in as normal.
And of course we managed out on the wrecks a couple of times since the last blog. The first couple of trips were hard but again due to the tide conditions. But the fish we were seeing, were in good fighting fit condition, Mainly Pollack. On the 7th May we managed back out again, the sun was shining, the sea was flat, what more could we ask for. We left the pontoon at 0730, with our anglers keen to go and catch some pollack.
We did find some pollack, but not too many of them, They were all a nice size and in very good condition. However we weren’t too bothered by the lack of pollack, as we managed to find some nice Cod. This was nice to see and our anglers soon starting filling the net time after time. The cod were in great condition also, and they were a slightly bigger than last year and seems they have changed their taste in lures, in a shaddy type of way !! ;-).
Kelley’s Hero is back out this week to find some more cod and pollack on the wrecks, and more bream inshore……..

If you would like to book either an inshore trip for the bream, or a wrecking trip for the cod, please give me a call on 07795 538933

Ian :-)
23/03/2016 Fishing Report by Bryan McNeil

23 Mar 2016 by Bryan McNeil

As usual a last minute booking (23rd March) due to a break in the weather did not disappoint with skipper Ian on Kelly's Hero.
An early season wreck fishing was the agenda for the day with Pollock being the main target and perhaps some early cod.
As usual Ian did not dissapoint putting us over 4 different wrecks that all produced good pollock up to 15lb with the only reason for moving being Ian is like a dog with a bone and would not stop searching for the first early cod.
We spent 12 hrs on the water with Ian only stopping once we had all run out of steam and the boxes were full not many skippers would put as many hours in as Ian. Mind you Dennis put in a few hours filleting bless him.
As usual tea/coffee was plentiful as was the usual banter onboard this very friendly boat.
I have been fishing with Ian for 3 years and he never fails to teach me something, either I'm a slow learner or Ian knows a lot, I think I know which one it is.
My recommendation is to always give the skipper a ring even at short notice and he will sort out a trip for you.
Thanks Ian yet again another great day.
Bryan McNeil
25/02/2016 Fishing Report by Ian Dale

25 Feb 2016 by Ian Dale

At 0500 in the morning, the last thing you want is your alarm clock going off, that is of course unless you are going out to try and find some of those wrecks and ruins to gain you and your crew some nice pollock. Of course getting out of bed isn’t easy when it is -2 outside, not only have you got to dress up in all the gear and then de-ice the car, you then have to go and do it all over again to the boat.
We steamed for around about 2 hours before reaching our first wreck, and we couldn’t moan and grumble as the weather was just perfect. Flat calm, sunny, and not too much of a breeze, we certainly were lucky. There were only 2 anglers aboard Kelley’s Hero, who were both as eager as ever. All their gear etc was ready before leaving the marina, now that is dedication.
The first wreck never produced any pollock, we were hoping that this trip wasn’t going to end the same way that the last one did. So off we went to find another wreck, and hopefully some fish. The next wreck proved quite successful, we had a few takes and misses, and then as the tide died down, the fish started to feed. “Fish on” Kev shouts, “fish on” shouts Mark. Out comes the net, and welcome aboard 2 lovely pollock. We had a nice couple of hours and a nice few fish on that wreck, and then we moved on to the next wreck to fish over the slack water period, however this only produced a few pollock as expected.
As the tide got away we welcomed a new addition to the fleet, we were fishing with 2 other boats on the wreck when this fourth one thought it would be a good idea to try and beat us to the start of the drift, but we weren’t having any of it, so in true fisherman fashion, we gave him a “TOOT” on the horn. To which he replied with a mighty “BLAST”, so of course, we let him go ahead of us, as you do.
Now once we had our tea and biscuits, and the tide had turned, we headed straight back to the wreck from before and started drifting once again. It started slow, but once the tide got to a steady pace, the pollock started feeding again. They were a bit picky at first and were only playing with our lures, but as before, they soon started feeding. Even though there weren’t any real monsters this trip, we had a good stamp of fish running between 6lb-13lb. And as they say time flies when you are having fun. and before we knew it, it was 1645, time to head home.
Tight Lines
Ian
16/02/2016 Fishing Report by Ian Dale

16 Feb 2016 by Ian Dale

Tuesday the 16th February saw Kelley’s Hero Leaving Southsea Marina for a 5th time this year, and we aren’t even at the end of February yet (that is more than the last few months before put together). This time we were on our way out to try and find the last of those big winter mud piggies (COD). We had 6 keen anglers on board all willing that big lunker on to the end of there rod. The weather couldn’t have been any nicer to us apart from the frost and ice first thing. That soon cleared and we were met with sunshine, flat calm seas and no wind….Luxury!!
Once we got to our first fishing spot and the anchor was set, the guys soon had there hands in that frozen bucket of squid, getting ready to put their bait in the water. Things were looking up within the first 10 minutes as we landed our first whiting of the trip. Unfortunately this didn’t last long and things soon got slower and slower, until of course we reached slack water. Now we all know that cod like slack water as they don’t have to work hard for their dinner, Kevin’s Rod was the first rod to go, and he pulled in a nice codling of 5lb. Sadly for Kevin and everybody else on board, that was the first and last cod of the trip.
We reached the afternoon and no more cod showed up, so we picked up the anchor and headed South East to try a deeper spot. The weather remained the same, the kettle was on, and the biscuits were being handed round. You would think this was the perfect time to get a nice Cod, but no, Mark had to go and catch a Conger Eel, this weighed around about 25lb. Our lovely friend the dogfish showed his face on more than one occasion throughout the day, and began to be a regular visitor to John from the Disabled angling club. After a very long and slow day, we began to see a few more whiting being landed, however it was then time to head back in and re think our tactics for another day.
Even though we didnt have many fish, it was a nice day to be out, and once the weather has settled again, we will be straight back out looking for some more.

Ian ��
11/02/2016 Fishing Report by Ian Dale

11 Feb 2016 by Ian Dale

February started with many failed attempts at getting out fishing, it was nice to finally get the chance to go and find those fish. When we got down to the marina first thing it was flat as a pancake which filled us with hope. Once we had de-iced the deck and scraped the windows, we were ready for the off……….

We headed out of Langstone harbour and steamed for around about 2 hours when we finally reached our first wreck. Of course everybody was hopeful, they had all the gear set up, and they had had a cup of coffee on the way out, Now, the tide proved to be a little frustrating as when we first got to the wreck we were drifting at around 3.5 knots. The tide eventually died down, however we had to still hunt around for a wreck that was going to produce some fish. The anglers were still full of hope as we headed out another 10miles to see if we could find any clearer water. Once there, unfortunately we didn’t have any luck, so after 5 or more drifts we headed back in to see what some of the other wrecks produced. By time we got in the tide had slackened off. Now, at slack water you would normally get a pout at least try and attack and peck at your lures, but nope they were not playing either. Obviously everyone was starting to get frustrated, and just as we went to move again, “FISH ON” we heard someone shout. This should have been the start of some fishy action. Kevin had managed to catch an 11lb Pollock. The only good part of our day up until then was the fact that the weather had been kind to us for once and allowed us to get out so far.

Time was getting on and the fish were still deciding that they were not going to play. Decisions had to be made, what were we going to do?! We headed to our second last wreck, 4th drift in, “FISH ON”, no one expected to see an 18lb 7oz Pollock arrive on the surface. Now this also fell to Matt, who had his personal best pollock on the trip before, so he had beaten it once again. This pollock was the highlight of the day. Sadly we only had two fish on board, with a couple of takes missed. The only thing we can put this down to is the colour of the water, where the weather has been rubbish, the water hasn’t had any down time and time to clear.

We are hoping that this will clear very soon so we can get back out as soon as there is a weather window. As we say, every day is a school day, and a bad days fishing is always better than a good day at work. If you would like a trip with us whether it is wrecking or inshore fishing, please don’t be shy and give us an email or a call!

Tight Lines

Ian ��
20/01/2016 Fishing Report by Ian Dale

20 Jan 2016 by Ian Dale

Well that was a shock to the system, no not the freezing cold weather, the fact that Kelley’s Hero made it to sea two days in a row. And what a lovely two days of weather we had despite having to deice the boat in the mornings, with this view and the fish it was worth

Tuesday saw us leaving the marina with The Southsea Marina Disabled Angling Club, ready for there day cod fishing. They had been trying to get out for over a month but due to the weather it kept getting cancelled. It started off a bit chilly, with a bit of a swell. But we soon forgot about all that once the first cod came aboard. It was around 7lb. Throughout the day we had plenty of nice sized whiting, pout and 2 more cod upto 9lb. All in all we all had a great day and a good laugh. We can’t wait to get the club back aboard Kelley’s Hero in the future.

On Wednesday, the weather had calmed down to not much wind and a little bit of a chill. Kelley’s Hero headed out for the first wrecking trip of the season. We had 6 good anglers on board all eager to see what the day had in store for us. There wasn’t tonnes of pollack, but just enough to keep us busy and warm. The biggest fish of the day was caught by Matt, and weighed 12lb. John got a nice surprise when he reeled in a nice Tub gurnard, there many caught throughout the day, but his was the biggest. Now, what is the last thing you expect to see in January in the freezing cold?! Well we caught a Mackerel, just one though, yes we were all shocked too. My overall thought on our first wrecking trip of the season, is that if we leave it a few weeks yet the fishing will come on a bit more, but it was nice see a few pollack starting to show already.

If you would like to book a day aboard Kelley’s Hero, whether it is inshore or offshore please feel free to contact me.

Tight Lines

Ian ��