Dorset Spear Fishing 2011

[north1]

Thanks for posting. That just made my day.

 

[misterlizard]

After leaving misterlizard with a ray, bass and pollack on my stringer, and with a dodgy eardrum, I decided to hunt the shallows of portland harbour for some mullet.

No mullet, but did see and photograph some seahorses.

View attachment 32187

Wow! I was chuffed with my 3 bass, but I would've been even more chuffed had I seen a seahorse! You lucky thing. I would love to see one of those.

 

[Dan_r]

Re: New guy...

Hello Everyone,

I'm new on the forum and have come to say hello.

I've done little spearfishing (a few days in warmer waters - hardly counts though) and am very keen to start in the UK. I'm interested in spearfishing and crab/scallop/lobby hunting. My wife's parents have recently moved to Dorset (Nr Wareham) and so I'm looking forward to plenty of missions ahead! I'm based in Sussex at the moment (wanting to move to Dorset) but will be coming down a lot hopefully (and so looking for some buddies at some stage - the whole SWB has concerned me!!!!).

I've got fins & mask from previous diving (I've done some Scuba) and just bought myself my first wetsuit (yay!)...which I tried this weekend just gone. No gun or SMB yet but reading the forums for good advice and an understanding of how it all works (reel vs floatline etc).

I went in at Kimmeridge on Thursday, (in the rain) down the slipway - I was dead keen to give the wetsuit a first go! Viz was about an outstretched arm!! Picked up a scallop there from the shallows...assuming it fell from a sack from an incoming boat or something as I thought they were generally in deeper water? Not sure on legal sizes, so after showing the kids, popped it back.

Went to Ringstead on Friday...viz was good (5+ meters) and saw some wrasse and the blur of a crab scuttling away.

On Saturday went to man-of-war which really appealed. Brilliant viz to start with (8+ meters), then turned slightly milky. I think that's possibly the place I might start?

Anyhow...just wanted to say who I was and hello at the same time.

Looking forward to joining in and meeting some of you hopefully in the near-ish future.


David

Ive been looking at man o war bay for a while aswell. Do any of the experienced guys rate it much?

Also could anybody recommend a shop in dorset to get a 5mm wet suit from?

 

[speerolee]

Wow! I was chuffed with my 3 bass, but I would've been even more chuffed had I seen a seahorse! You lucky thing. I would love to see one of those.

Yeah, I was well chuffed. It was a last minute decision to take the camera out. In total I saw 3 separate pairs within 5 mins swim of each other. Amazing little creatures; they almost seem playful. The one in the pic swam up with me to the surface when I placed my hand just below it, it just sat there 2 inches from the palm of my hand and swam back down to it's mate. They were all in about 2 meters of water or less.

I also saw a huge 'dead' mullet; est..around the 8-9lb mark!!

 

[BarnacleBoy]

Re: New guy...

Ive been looking at man o war bay for a while aswell. Do any of the experienced guys rate it much?

Also could anybody recommend a shop in dorset to get a 5mm wet suit from?

Re Man-o-War - I didn't see anything large apart from wrasse but it looked like the type of place that larger fish might hang out...but I'm completely inexperienced so I could be off the mark.

There's a shop on the west side of poole in a business park (Holes Bay Park). I got my weightbelt and weights there - he seemed like a nice guy and gave me a discount too. He's got oceanic wetsuits (same suit as I've just bought) and some others...but looking at most of the videos it seems people are getting specialist spearing suits (chest pads etc)...so if it's for spearing, someone more experienced will probably be able to help out more.

 

[Scoobaru]

Shops in dorset.....

Theres O three in weymouth, he has a couple of 5mm spearfishing suits (cressi technica, and cressi competition 2) as well as a good stock of other wetsuits. He stocks spearfishing gear as well and is highly recommended amongst locals.

If not you could try emailling enquiries@crystalvis.co.uk. They are an online shop and specialise in Rob Allen clothing and equipment. Again very nice people and a great service.

Another one is Scuba Diving. He is a small shop that has just opened in
Wimborne. And i think he has just started an account with omer. Really nice bloke.

Failling that you can try internet sites like Apnea Online Store. This is a shop based in jersey (channel islands) that have a large stock and will deliver.

Best of luck and hope this helps

 

[Dan_r]

Re Man-o-War - I didn't see anything large apart from wrasse but it looked like the type of place that larger fish might hang out...but I'm completely inexperienced so I could be off the mark.

There's a shop on the west side of poole in a business park (Holes Bay Park). I got my weightbelt and weights there - he seemed like a nice guy and gave me a discount too. He's got oceanic wetsuits (same suit as I've just bought) and some others...but looking at most of the videos it seems people are getting specialist spearing suits (chest pads etc)...so if it's for spearing, someone more experienced will probably be able to help out more.

Is that the shop that used to just down from the lifting bridge? Sells shooting stuff and airguns ect? I totally forgot about that shop!

Shops in dorset.....

Another one is Scuba Diving. He is a small shop that has just opened in
Wimborne. And i think he has just started an account with omer. Really nice bloke.


Best of luck and hope this helps

Cheers for that! The shop in wimbourne is where im off to today for a look around and chat. Ive spoke to the guy on here and he does seem a nice guy

 

[Spearo Si]

There's a shop on the west side of poole in a business park (Holes Bay Park). I got my weightbelt and weights there - he seemed like a nice guy and gave me a discount too.

- Almost everywhere seems to give a discount if you're lucky, makes me wonder if it's really a discount or that's just the real price and they inflate it then drop it just to make you feel better!!

This place Spearfishing store | Spearguns | Fins | Wetsuits is good, very helpful, got a shop in Paignton worth a visit if you're down this way. Stock a fair bit of kit / range of guns etc (This is not a hard-sell I don't work there!)

 

[Scoobaru]

Yea i think he is a scuba instructor, but he said he is starting to stock spearfishing equipment. I found it quite hard to find as it is a small building (looks like a conservatory) and when i went there was a van parked right in front of it.

 

[Spiderman]

Evening dive with winky last night. He had a 5lb bass and a cuttle. I got 2 crabs and 3 plaice. I managed to miss a bass of 4-5lb at nearly point blank range :head

 

[BarnacleBoy]

Is that the shop that used to just down from the lifting bridge? Sells shooting stuff and airguns ect? I totally forgot about that shop!

Sterte Ave W off the A350. Yeah, they sell air gun stuff too.

Spearo Si - Yeah...the whole discount thing has crossed my mind - I reckon they make a call on whether you're a potential repeat customers or not, then decide whether to offer one or not Lead is pretty expensive isn't it?!?!? D'you find a pot big enough for that crab in the end?

 

[Spearo Si]

Couldn't get my hands on a big enough pot, ended up getting the oven up to top whack, filling a deep roasting tray with boiling water and cooking it in there for about 20-25 mins. Did the jobs pretty well, still going to keep on the look out for a big pan though.

Lead is a bit pricey, I did hear of someone doing an offer where if you have to drop your first lot they will replace it at cost price, makes dropping your belt seem a little easier if you have to. Cant remember who it was - someone on here might know?

You can buy molds on ebay to make your own if you can find scrap lead.

Its not unknown for people to take out 2 belts on a boat to make you feel more inclined to drop it if you really feel the need, at least you have a chance of recovering it that way as well.

That's my thoughts anyway, for what its worth, but there are people far more experienced than me on here likely to have better input

 

[devondave]

Evening dive with winky last night. He had a 5lb bass and a cuttle. I got 2 crabs and 3 plaice. I managed to miss a bass of 4-5lb at nearly point blank range :head

Those plaice look very flounderish.
Have some rep' anyway.

 

[misterlizard]

Those plaice look very flounderish.
Have some rep' anyway.

Really? How do you tell you the difference? They looked like plaice to me but I'm certainly no expert.

 

[Spiderman]

I thought bony lumps on head means plaice, no bony bits means flounder.
Not too bothered as they were a great breakfast whatever they were

 

[tecdave]

I would say the bottom one is a flounder and the others are plaice. Have a look at the lateral line scales (raised) and a row of prickly humps along the base of the dorsal and anal fins (the fins that run around the fish). You can feel them if you run you finger from the tail towards the head where the body stops and the fins begin.
Great fishing to you both!

 

[Scoobaru]

I always thaught the easiest way to tell the difference is to run your finger down the back of the fish (coloured side) a plaice has lots of small knobly bumps starting between the eyes and going down towards the tail. Flounders are smooth except for rough scales protruding through the skin around the fin.

 

[Scoobaru]

Damn beat me to it

 

[podge]

Tasty flatfish, Plaice Flounder they all make good eating although I’d have to go with tecdave on the species.
Top gathering chaps.

 

[Spiderman]

I would say the bottom one is a flounder and the others are plaice. Have a look at the lateral line scales (raised) and a row of prickly humps along the base of the dorsal and anal fins (the fins that run around the fish). You can feel them if you run you finger from the tail towards the head where the body stops and the fins begin.
Great fishing to you both!

I'm pretty sure you're right. The top two were definitely plaice and now I'm looking at the picture the nearer one does look very much like a flounder. (It was a long day yesterday and I wasn't very awake this morning when I cooked them )