I was in S. Cornwall last week. For the most part, the sun shone hotly, the water lay flat and
gin clear and there was much less surface weed and bloom than on previous visits - conditions were
as close to ideal as they are likely ever to be in the UK I saw a wider variety of fish and fish activity than I have ever seen in one place before.
Lots of
Wrasse of course, of various sizes, patterns and hues
. Mackerel - tiny tiny bait fish size only though.
Where have all the big mackerel gone? On board the new 4-ton net capacity trawlers perhaps
. Gar fish (small & medium only), sandeels (greater & lesser), flat fish (a tiny
Turbot and
Plaice greater than handsize). The back end of an eel (small
conger perhaps?).
Grey mullet (medium and large size) and one that was mainly
white with patches of silver (many of the local fish - including Wrasse & weaver fish, have white-ish varieties which provide camouflage over the local sand) - I assumed it was a Wrasse at first. A few
Bass, mainly very small schoolies (small even by schoolie standards) but a few of reasonable size, and at least two big ones in quieter, more remote areas of coast. My best one of the week 64cm, as measured by a third party - enough to feed 6 or 7 hungry adults.
In these unusually favourable conditions, in general, the spearos enjoyed greater success than the shore and kayak based anglers. One poor chap speared a decent mullet but dropped it close to shore. I know this because I found it while snorkeling in my shortie wetsuit without a speargun, etc. - quite a laugh to get such a nice fish without any gear!. Alas the spearos had all gone home, so that one is my freezer now.