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Bournemouth Spearos

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 90 days.
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I've seen a couple of very small (1" long) black bream on night dives. Apparently the big boys like to live squashed in between rocks with loads of their mates, and only come out if the tide is bringing them food, or they're certain the coast is clear!

The boat I've used a few times supplies decent quality gear and bait for about an extra £5, the skipper is an ex-spearfisherman and seems to have an uncanny knack for knowing what is going to be going on where on a any given day!

I've never had a blank trip with him, last year we went out for bream, he said it didn't feel right and I ended up with a 14lb and 8lb bass, several tope (all returned) and a couple of bream.

I'll give him a ring in the next week or so and see when he thinks the bream will be back...
 
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Sounds ideal mate. :)

I've only seen one bream in all my diving, and it was back when I was so inexperienced I didn't know what it was...had to look it up later! Doh. I'm always hoping I'll see another, April spearing has to be the key but then there's the May water to contend with...
 
Hi guys,

If you need any more to make the numbers up, let me know. I love a bit of sea fishing!

Saw some small bream on a night dive late last year in Portland harbour - very small though!

Jim
 
Chaps it's excellent to see a thread for spearos on the urban side of the coast! I'm drifting back into spearing after the winter break and am keen to have me some fish. Last year the consistently best spot I had was off Boscombe pier, even more so than the reliable places like Durlston etc. The builders left so much crap and rubble under the water that it built a little ecosystem supporting schools of bass and mullet very regulaly. The other spot I hit is just off the last few groins by the chain ferry. Last year suffered with schools of just undersize mullet but some of my mates have scored some monster bass off there. You do need to hit it at the right tide time though or it's swiming in murk!
 
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You do need to hit it at the right tide time though or it's swiming in murk!

Interesting stuff, Hightower. What tide is best? I've never dived there but always seen anglers perched on the groynes.

Haven't dived Boscombe since the renovation so I'm keen to give that one a go as well. Do you night dive it to avoid the crowds?
 
The piers - Bmth and Boscombe - always work best at dawn and dusk as the fish seem to like congregating close to the wooden struts. It's also a good way to avoid spearing a fat northern tourist - though that's not necessarily a bad thing. Bournemouth pier is horrific in the summer as the arcades have music blaring all morning and night and it seems to scare the fish away. Boscombe doesn't suffer with this and the lifeguards are much more amenable down there. Last year I scored bass, mullet, pollock and even mackerel off the piers and it's good as you're not trying to aviod the wrasse like over the other side of the coast.
Sandbanks is generally best towards the end of a high tide as the water isn't rushing in too much. It generally gives you a window of about an hour and a half to get in - 45 mins either side - and to spear what you can. To get to the best groynes walk to the ferry and then drop down behind the sandbanks hotel. There is a concrete walkway that takes you to the secluded beach behind the hotel. The groynes run out from there and you're looking for the one that has the first of the life bouys on it, from the direction of the ferry. If you go in the water on the Bournemouth side of the groyne it protects you from the current. At the end of the groyne about 4 meters off it is a metal pole jutting up. You can see mullet swirling around it some times. If not hide down towards the end parts of the groyne and the schools will swim in. I have still had more sucess at Boscombe pier as it seems less effort but one of my mates caught tonnes including an octupus off there last year. There is another metal pole further around towards the ferry that I know some guys use but I've never had the bottle as it's quite far into the current.
 
Hightower,

Excellent information there, if only other spearo's on the Dorset forum where a little more obliging - after all there are plenty of fish out there! I only live in Eastleigh and I am very pleased to see you have had such success off Boscombe pier, I will certainly be giving it a try from now on. If anything due to its closer proximity that Portland!

Once again thanks for the information. Maybe see you down there for a dive in the warmer months!

Cheers

Ryan
 
Nice info HT, thanks for that! Agreed the current can be quite sketchy there sometimes...

Tunny - there's a reason for caginess online and it's not trying to stop other spearos. The forums are great for sharing info between us, but the trouble is the spots further up the Purbecks can take a beating from gill netters etc. so the guys aren't too keen on posting details publicly. Generally people on here are pretty friendly and forthcoming in person, or if you PM them.

I think that the 'urban' spots (i.e. B'mouth and Poole) are a slightly different case because they are so crowded with tourists / anglers / boat traffic already in the summer months that there's nothing to keep secret.

All the spots Hightower has mentioned are well known angling marks already (do a google search for 'bass fishing marks poole'), which is not the case for some of the spots further up the coast. Sharing a bit of spearo specific information on tides and access isn't going to bring in anglers and netters who weren't there already if you get my drift.

I'm not having a go - just didn't want you to think people on here were less friendly than they actually are!! :) Come along to one of the spearo BBQ's or other meet-ups and you'll see!:friday
 
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Hightower,

Excellent information there, if only other spearo's on the Dorset forum where a little more obliging - after all there are plenty of fish out there! I only live in Eastleigh and I am very pleased to see you have had such success off Boscombe pier, I will certainly be giving it a try from now on. If anything due to its closer proximity that Portland!

Once again thanks for the information. Maybe see you down there for a dive in the warmer months!

Cheers

Ryan

Tunny my man all you got to do is ask and I’m sure that the grumpy sods down near Portland will be only to happy to help, just don’t expect it on the open forums.
Kudos to Hightower for a great post, and to Milkman for a very democratic reply.:)
 
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Tunny my man all you got to do is ask and I’m sure that the grumpy sods down near Portland will be only to happy to help, just don’t expect it on the open forums.
Kudos to Hightower for a great post, and to Milkman for a very democratic reply.:)

No problem Podge I understand a bit more now thanks to Milkmans response, it did seem that areas were being kept hidden and now I understand why!

I never thought for one second that everyone on here was grumpy, just that there was secret spots if you like - which were not helping me as a beginner...

Me and my Dad will be attending one of the BBQ's this year to finally meet some of you all! :friday

Cheers

Ryan
 
Glad everyone's happy! :)

I tell you what Ryan, the one thing that helped me out most as a beginner was going on one of Bryn's (aka Almostafish) courses. He's a very experienced freediver and spearfisherman, and the stuff I learnt in 2 days with him would have taken me a whole summer's worth of diving on my own. He also teaches you how to do it safely, which is no small matter.

Here's a link to his site: Portland Spearo and freediving
 
Glad everyone's happy! :)

I tell you what Ryan, the one thing that helped me out most as a beginner was going on one of Bryn's (aka Almostafish) courses. He's a very experienced freediver and spearfisherman, and the stuff I learnt in 2 days with him would have taken me a whole summer's worth of diving on my own. He also teaches you how to do it safely, which is no small matter.

Here's a link to his site: Portland Spearo and freediving


I second that Rick, I did a course with Bryn and have not looked back.
Top Bloke as well and has become a very good friend over the past few years.
You could do a lot worse than give him a bell.
 
Thanks Hightower
lots of good informations about Boscombe pier. As it will be packed
of turists this season it will be better early or late dive with barbeque
so if we fish something it can be taste straight on the beach with a glass of wine or beer :friday
Looking forward to get into the water......the weather start to turn warmer and warmer.
 
Thanks all for the advice.

I will look up the courses now!

Tony a dusk or dawn dive seem on the cards any day now then off Boscombe pier, let me know when your available mate.

Rick would you be up for a dive off the peir too?

It would be nice to meet up and have that drink on the beach afterwards too! :friday

Cheers

Ryan
 
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