Latest Fishing Reports: White Maiden II

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  • 05/04/2014 Fishing Report by Les Jones

    5 Apr 2014 by Les Jones

    A lovely week (includin four Calshot Lifeboat Launches) was followed by a miserable weekend which looked OK for the Saturday Trident SAC crew. In reality the mist, drizzle and a building sea followed by proper rain and a lot of voracious dogfish made for a hard day for the keen regulars. It wasn't cold though and we were in the right places and you certainly can't catch anything sat at home! Bob managed to break through the dogfish for a decent Spotted Ray but there were far too many dogfish on the Ray marks.

    A possible excuse for not catching, I believe, is that in a sloppy sea and shallow water (less than 45') the waves that bang the hulls increases the scare zone around the boat. Up-tiding is easy with long rods and fixed spool reels and is the best way to get out the scare zone. Otherwise working a very light lead well down tide is good. Or you could add a balloon to float your bait down tide, then jerk it free but in my opinion that can't be good for the environment and is basically littering the sea. Maybe a bit of wood will be more environmentally friendly (I'm serious about that).

    Yesterday John Skeggs was on an early start and went 9 miles but as the tide and sea built they came back inside too. Out deep were Spurrs, Blondes and Congers! I'm looking forward to testing these banks on Thursday as we have a small tide and the promise of some decent weather. I still have 4 spaces at £50pp

  • 03/04/2014 Fishing Report by Les Jones

    3 Apr 2014 by Les Jones

    Last Monday we had a reasonable enough morning forecast to venture out for a decent fish on a small tide before the wind picked up as promised. The total catch ended with Congers of 40lb, 35lb, 23lb, 21lb 12lb, 7lb, 6lb and nothing else. So just Congers and some good fun was had by most. Pictured left is Simon with his 40lb'er expertly controlled to take a fiver from the other five anglers for the biggest fish.

    Point of interest I have just completed my Professional Practices and Responsibilities course and passed the assessment. Actually it was very good and really worthwhile getting to grips again with the legislation around our boat work. The outcome for me is a more detailed safety brief and a request for signatures from the anglers to accept the risk before we cast off.

    The PBA AGM last Wednesday was interesting too; another directive is in the pipeline for all newly built vessels to have accommodation quarters for crews if they intend to go over to France and the Channel Islands! Be warned, be aware and be a PBA member, their fighting fund is to support us in our professional roles.

    This week Rays are showing well inshore. I have been busy with RNLI duties this week but if anyone wants a trip midweek I have dates and spaces, weekends are busy now with fishing charters.

  • 08/03/2014 Fishing Report by Les Jones

    8 Mar 2014 by Les Jones

    At last on Friday we had a decent forecast and a crew to go with it. The F6 SW was a bit too much in the morning so we fished comfortably in the Solent. See pictures referenced in Your Catches page.

    Roy caught his first ever Ray, a cracking very well marked specimen 14lb Undulate Ray. The very nicely marked and protected Undulate Ray came at the end of the flood tide and was soon followed by Gavin's specimen 4lb 8oz Spotted Ray. Both Rays were released.

    The lads also caught six dogfish and two Pout which was not too bad in an early March short session just down the Solent.

    A point of interest was a huge container that was floating end up off Newtown. It was reported by another Charter Boat to the Coast Guard but they didn't seem too excited about it. Packs of Cigarettes were in the tide too.

    Saturday was a better forecast again, so regular crew Trident SAC boarded White Maiden and we headed for the Needles Lighthouse only to carry on and duck behind the Shingles for the first couple of hours. It was a bit too bouncy 'outside' at the start of the day. This first mark was far too quiet so as the wind eased off we headed South and found two cracking fish with another nice Undulate Ray this time at 15lb 4oz for Steve and a big male 20lb Blonde Ray for Chris, both were released unharmed. Steve then caught a nice 6lb Small Eyed Ray and Chris a 5lb Thornback Ray which both were quickly dispatched and went home for dinner! Other species caught were a small Hound and a Conger and lots of Dogfish. It was good to see more nice Rays.

    Sunday today, was a better forecast again so we pushed out about ten miles South of the Needles, a big ask for the beginner anglers but we went as a buddy boat to another Charter. The fishing was good but hard work pulling in some big fish up from 130'. David caught the Bull Huss, while the other pictures are of Tom who did very well with the best Undulate Ray at 17lb, plus a Blonde of 11lb and a few Congers the best weighed at 26lb but another lost, after tangling its hooks at the net which was easily 35lb. Steve had the biggest Conger weighed on the boat at 27lb. Steve and David are pictured below.

    It was nice to get out and have a proper fish for three days in a row and the fishing was actually a bit better than expected.

    Note that I also saw the first Mullet on Friday and a shoal of them on Saturday, that is early! Tightlines, Les

  • 08/02/2014 Fishing Report by Les Jones

    8 Feb 2014 by Les Jones

    Brief report to say just how great this CBUK website is after rejoining again after a long period of 4 years or so, avoiding too many bookings. Recently, however I have gone full time,so have made the boat and myself available for mid-week trips and Sundays! Previously I looked after crews on Saturdays and Evenings only. Obviously I am looking for more business. I run my own website but this website is great to edit, use and update. I am well impressed.

    I'm just adding a recent picture of last Saturday 8th February where I was involved in the Solent RNLI Flank Station Lifeboats get together in Cowes to exchange stories over lunch and a pint.

    We had 35 - 45 knt SW gales on our return trip but as we were aboard the Bembridge Tamar All Weather Lifeboat we were very safe! I took this pictures as we entered the river Medina at Cowes. This is where we met up with our own Calshot Atlantic Lifeboat and the Yarmouth, Lymington and Cowes crews too. It was a great day and a very good opportunity for some social and serious chat about the winter.

  • 19/11/2011 Fishing Report by Les Jones

    19 Nov 2011 by Les Jones

    From my Fishy Grapevine 2011 - can also found at http://sea-fishing.net

    Weekending 19th November 2011

    Saturday 19th November the Tony Lavington crew had to put up with a swell and a sloppy sea that persisted throughout the day. One or two crew struggled with the continuous motion and to be fair it was not ideal but the fishing is definitely becoming very good. Tony can be seen with his best Cod at a shade over 20lb to add to another nice Cod he caught earlier in the same tide. Pictured below on the right is Mike with two handy Cod, Tony again and Phil showing his Bass. Other notable fish was a reasonable Thornback, a good Whiting and a 20lb Conger plus some lead cable! The Pout and Dogs were there too, hanging onto the smaller hooks.

  • 25/04/2010 Fishing Report by Les Jones

    25 Apr 2010 by Les Jones

    Struggling with the good weather! Who would have known this last September when these trips were planned! Unfortunately this lovely sun is not warming the sea up as the nights have been so cold. A cold winter, low sea temps, Easterlies plus high pressure is putting the fish off their dinner, that's for sure. The 'White Maiden' crew, Church Crookham SAC, found a few Gars, nice to see mind, plus a dozen wrasse and half a dozen dogs, but no Bream. It wasn't for trying, as rigs and bait looked good and we tested 3 marks. They just didn't want to know or are not there in numbers yet. The pic right, is Paul, with one of the early inshore Gars. Nearby 'Wight Rebel' and 'Our Mary' found a couple of Bream but they are hard work still. The water is clearing all the time and the best fish could be there any time now.

    We had lots of options open to us and boats went off in all directions but reports were very similar, lots of effort and little return. Andy Stevens on 'Make My Day' caught a nice 11lb Small Eyed Ray, Roy Davies on 'Agay' a 15lb Cod. One of Kev's crew aboard 'Voyager' caught a 12.5lb Pollock, these were all good but occasional fish with the conditions as they are. Everything could change, any day now, and those first Mackerel will be followed keenly by the rest of the sought after species.
    By the way today (Sunday) was very cold with more breeze than yesterday and a horrible sea fog that would have made it more of a challenge for all, lets hope they found a few more fish than yesterday. As I walked Hurst Shingle Bank and then had a pint and a ploughmans lunch in 'The Gun' at Keyhaven, I thought I should call a few of the skippers to find out what was occuring, and then I realised, what I may have thought myself, receiving the same call, while sat out in thick fog! So I didn't dare make the calls.
    Tightlines, Les Jones.

  • 21/04/2010 Fishing Report by Les Jones

    21 Apr 2010 by Les Jones

    As our weather continues to be dominated by a high pressure system, cold at night and still/bright at day, the fishing is a bit ‘slow’ all round, unless you are looking for dogs! The first Black Bream are making a show now. These early Bream, potentially the biggest of the season, are difficult to catch in the murky waters, but they are there, as the Geoff Wheeler crew minus Geoff (laid up with a bad back) caught our first of the season. Tom on the left is showing the returned hen fish. However, the fishing was slow and a move only found more dogs. The water is still down at 10 degrees. On Sunday one boat landed more than nine Bream all good fish, so they are there.
    On Saturday, unfortunately, White Maiden didn’t catch a Bream but found a couple of Edible crabs, a small Bull Huss, inevitable dogs and Pout plus a few Wrasse, for the Steve Forster crew. The day was very calm and quiet apart from a cold breeze for an hour on the change of tide.
    Wight Rebel of Lymington, fishing near to White Maiden, caught two good Bream and lost two, one thought to be a very big Bream. The other boats in the vicinity that did connect, found one or two fish, around the 3lb mark.
    The sea is gradually warming up but is cold still, too cold, maybe? Hounds are deep and falling to squid as they do this time of year. Some Rays are being caught on the banks with Blondes, Small Eyeds and Thornbacks showing. Pollock are being caught well out on the mid-channel wrecks. Kevin Duell, out from Lymington, on Voyager, found 48 for his crew last week to 15lb.
    On Saturday, inshore, Steve Davies fishing solo on ‘Agay’, baited worm to a size 2 and struck into what he thought to be a decent Hound (Smoothie). After carefully coaxing the nodder to the surface, after more than 10 minutes, through the 50’ of water he was in, he netted a Cod of 13lb. Maybe we should be fishing for them still!

    Good fish! Above is Richard Burgoyne with a cracking 21.5lb Spur caught two weeks ago now. White Maiden is the white mark near his thumb!

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