Dorset Spear Fishing 2011

[Tunny]

Got up early doors today at 5am and hit the road for what I hoped was going to be good conditions, got down to 'the new favourite spot' and the visibility was disappointing at 1.5-2.5m.

I was half tempted to get out but thought no not after an early start, so I pushed onto the reef and followed it out after about 15 mins a mullet shot by only to slow down and present itself at an oblique angle. First fish of the season on the stringer and a smile on my face after 5 dives with varying success but no fish seen.

Carried on further along the reef and the Bass started to show all of a good size but I kept spooking them from their resting places - missed two by them seeing me first and bolting! Then crept over the reef to find a bass tail and guessed the length of it (not very well) and fired away and got this lovely bass. A new PB for me of 5 lbs on the nose.

The mullet was 3.5 lbs

After a squid and some shells and not much luck previously I finally feel as though my season has started.:friday

Happy hunting

Ryan

 

[devondave]

Nice catch Tunny, not sure about the tartan shorts though.

 

[Tunny]

Nice catch Tunny, not sure about the tartan shorts though.

Lol me wear tartan!? I did play at the Queen Mother's funeral in the Pipes & Drums - they used to call me the cockney drummer (from S'oton!) - Yes Gaz I know I am not a Cockney...

But the sweaty socks used to call me it all the same, they are merely rip curl shorts Dave.

Thanks for the advice on the bass roe though.

 

[Jonny250]

well done Tunny, sounds like a good trip

 

[misterlizard]

Another quick dip this afternoon in the Bridport area and was rewarded with a pair of lovely 2lb pollack to put on the bbq. Saw a couple of bass but they were only around 1lb so left them to get a bit older bigger and juicier...

 

[denian]

Good one tom them pollock looked so small in those numbers you must of pick out the big ones well done.Picked up me new 45 cm gun so i can get in them dark hidey holes now :friday
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[misterlizard]

The ones that I got weren't in the main huge shoals of small pollack - these two were a bit further out in deeper water. I could've got more of them but my new stringer hasn't arrived in the post yet so I spent too much time fiddling about with a mesh bag, grrr. One hell of a current was running out there so I had to try and do everything quickly before getting swept too far out to sea so only managed the two. Still, at least I know where they hang out now!

 

[podge]

Had another good day today (thanks to the royal wedding day off work).
Brilliant viz, water temps from 11 to 13 degrees, almost flat calm and with just enough sunshine to keep the feel good factor.
Picture tells the story.

 

[misterlizard]

Another dip, another pollack to add to the bbq collection. Lovely.

 

[fearthespear]

Had another good day today (thanks to the royal wedding day off work).
Brilliant viz, water temps from 11 to 13 degrees, almost flat calm and with just enough sunshine to keep the feel good factor.
Picture tells the story.

Top man!
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[tyrel123]

hey guys, thought i'd just jump in here. I'm from cape town south africa and recently went on holiday home and tried spear fishing with my brother and a good friend, now i'm hooked. Was wandering if there are any good spots around poole, bournemouth.
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[Spiderman]

Evening dive with Winky yesterday. Met Misterlizard part way through.

We both picked up a couple of spiders and then I found a good flatfish area although the first few I saw were either too small or too skittish. I got one plaice and then my first ever sole - woohoo!

Pointed out the flattie area to Nick and he found a nice plaice first dive.
We stayed in for an hour or so after dark although not a great deal happened except a monster bass escaping from Nick, and me getting a brown crab and a small squid. There were a few bigger squid about too but they were too fast for me.

Saw one spider crab with a good sized plumrose anemone on its back. Looked like it was planning to attend a royal wedding

Plaice for breakfast, crab for lunch. Happy days

 

[DafyddRees]

That anemone looks better than Beatrice's hat!

Nice catch mate!

 

[misterlizard]

Evening dive with Winky yesterday. Met Misterlizard part way through.

Nice to meet you yesterday, sorry I didn't hang around to chat much longer, but I always get a bit nervous being anywhere near somebody when my gun is loaded (it went off by accident earlier yesterday evening when I was swimming out - I got the float line caught on the trigger, oops) and we were getting carried fairly swiftly away from where I had just spotted a nice bass!
I got a decent pollack to put on the bbq, and spotted a couple of the flatties you talked about, but they were too quick for me. The squid in your sink looks familiar, I think I saw it flash past me near the end of the breakwater!

 

[Spiderman]

That anemone looks better than Beatrice's hat!

Nice catch mate!

Yes, it looks like her mum still chooses her clothes for her rofl

 

[Spiderman]

Nice to meet you yesterday, sorry I didn't hang around to chat much longer, but I always get a bit nervous being anywhere near somebody when my gun is loaded (it went off by accident earlier yesterday evening when I was swimming out - I got the float line caught on the trigger, oops) and we were getting carried fairly swiftly away from where I had just spotted a nice bass!
I got a decent pollack to put on the bbq, and spotted a couple of the flatties you talked about, but they were too quick for me. The squid in your sink looks familiar, I think I saw it flash past me near the end of the breakwater!

I saw a couple of squid near the end of the breakwater but I found this one close to the shore on my way back in.

 

[winky]

Not much else to report following on from Spiderman's. Very jealous of his sole but more than happy with my big fat plump plaice...lightly breaded with a dash of lemon, yum!

Saw a nice ray which I left alone and some squid that were just far too fast for me too! The bass (easily the biggest i've seen by some way) in its cave on my way in at the end of the dive will haunt me for a bloomin long time - it was that simple a shot I was already contemplating how I was gonna get it out of the cave and if I had a dish big enough at home to cook it in......doh!

Also probably need to invest in a smaller gun for this type of hunting, my gabbiano 90cm is just far too big and bloody nightmare to re-load in the dark!

 

[podge]

Great start to the season for the Dorset brigade, let’s hope it carries on for the summer!
Out tomorrow for a swift shore dive as I’ve buggered the jockey wheel on the boat trailer and can’t get it replaced until next week.
Bit of inshore reef hunting so we’ll see if there’s anything in a touch closer.
Have a good weekend chaps.

 

[Camanche killer]

Hi Guys,

Nice to see a lot more activity on the Dorset thread keep it coming.....

Here is a bit of footage from last week down Portland way. Didn't see a great deal apart from a few mullet. Viz was fantastic and I could see the sandy bottom at 10m easy.



Untill the next time.........

 

[podge]

Well the easterly wind stopped play at the spot we wanted to try so it was down to good old Cheisl Cove, lovely dive with the flat calm water and heaps of Pollock about if that’s your thing, spent a while diving down and playing hide and seek with them but left them alone for somebody that likes the taste.
Spent a couple of hours hoping for a Bass or Mullet, even a Cuttlefish would have been ok but none seen.
Loads of scuba types down there, at one point I was lead on the bottom at just over the 10 meter mark and all I could hear was the sound of bubbles, drifted back up and made off sharpish before there was an confrontation, although I’m sure they would have been cool about it.
Let hope that the wind either dies down a bit or swings around for next week.
Oh and cheers to the chaps at O3 for the coffee and biscuits.


Nice Vid Kev