Dorset Spearfishing 2006

[UK Spearo]

Here's an interesting thought - don't walk 7 miles (there and back) in full wet suit gear in the blazing sun just to shoot 5 fish, and then loose two on the walk back!!!! Did that Sunday at the Ringstead Comp walked to the other side of Durdel door.... As I got back from Ringstead I met Fly flicker ... sorry John if I didn't say much, it was all I could do just to lay there.... and thanks for the water!!!!! hope you had enough to get back up the cliff.....

Portland comp was good - bar being the local guy I had a couple people on my float all day long scaring all the fish away.... nice... Like Spearo Dave said it's about the best catch of fish I have seen in a comp, a really good day....one Conger also camp out. Most of the fish were deep, between 15 and 20 mtrs.

Bognor Comp next week, no hills there, just an hours swim to the reef - thats better than a 2 hr walk I can tell you (assuming all the sores and sunburn have gone by then - doh!)

 

[Robbo66]

Probably should have stopped there then!

I personally don't catch anything under 500lbs and that is why i haven't caught anything this year!

Shooting and parading fish right on the limit does nothing for conservation or our image.

The main valid argument we have against the bad press is that spearfishing is sometimes subjected to, is that we can actually choose whether or not to take a fish ....depending on it's size.

Also feel, with certain other spearo's, that the comp's whilst great socially, perhaps give off the wrong message....jump in and shoot all possible within a certain time period especially when you include wrasse !.

 

[Spaniard]

The spearfishing competiton thing is something I struggled with a long time. I used to do all of the comps. in UK, and some abroad, as an individual and as part of a team. In the end I couldn't reconcile the fact that I was telling people I was a responsible and selective fisherman when they could see huge amounts of fish at the weigh-ins. The breaking straw was wrasse. At one competition, I think it was Branscombe or Thurlestone, 80% of the catch was wrasse, probably 300-400 fish, and I could hear members of the public at the weigh-in voicing their disapproval amongst themselves. Fortunately many of the clubs have now banned wrasse from their competitions but the general public see what they want to see. One of these days an individual from PETA will read a website and see where a competition is being held and turn up with friends then before you know it it's all over the BBC and I know where my money is on for who will be made to look the 'bad' guy.....I think comps. should be more US-style where only a couple of fish from each species can be taken. The problem is the weigh-ins tend to be in very public places, car parks, beaches etc. and at weekends when many people are about. What do other people think about the whole competition thing? Also, catches used to be sold but it's illegal to do that now so what happens to the catch?

 

[Mr. X]

Fish spears man

Don't feel too bad about it: Fish spears man: http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/07/24/bermuda.fisherman.ap/index.html

For me, competitions are OK provided they are done responsibly - nobody wants to see an area fished out or debauchery. Seems like they usually cover quite a
large physical area (the area around UK Spearo's float excepted!). I don't expect to take part (although you never know) but I'd like to see one. Probably best not to spear wrasse in competition - most Brits still considered them inedible (although they taste pretty good) & they are a welcome visual treat for scuba divers & snorkellers. All the fish should be eaten - the Countryside Alliance is going to great lengths currently to show that game shot in the UK is eaten as animal rights groups spread a rumour that this was not the case. [My own experience is that it is all eaten and greatly enjoyed (and more humane & environmentally beneficial that most commerically reared meat).]

BTW If there is any problem getting rid of the fish, then I'd be happy to take half a freezer full ... looks like I like I won't be filling it this Summer!

UK Spearo, 3 hours in the water is a good workout for me. 6 hours & a 7 mile walk, in the sun, with a significant catch on the way back, seems...excessive.

 

[Andy Davies]

Spearfishing comps are neither ethical or sustainable. How would you like it if someone organised a comp in your local spot. Bass are territorial!

Our whole sport revolves around the fact that we only take enough fish for the table and that we are selective about which ones we catch. We aim not to have a detrimental effect on the environment we cherish.

 

[Spaniard]

Fortunately not many bass (compared to other species) are taken at comps. In my experience it's mainly wrasse, mullet and pollack. Somebody told me after a wrasse-bashing comp that the area would be full of wrasse again in a number of days? Not sure about the biology/physiology of wrasse but because I rarely eat them, I don't shoot them. For me the best thing about the comps. was the social side as I live far from the sea and it was a rare chance to see all the best UK guys and learn from them and hear war stories. It was also an opportunity to buy and sell gear as a few years ago it was about the only way to do so here in UK. This could all be done on a club dive rather than a competition per se as there would not be pressure to fill the fish stringer, just catch something for the barbie like Portland Oceaneering do.

 

[UK Spearo]

last year not a single comp had Wrasse in. This year only one comp had Wrasse in (which I opposed - no point burring your head in the sand, but I was out voted)....having said that not many Wrasse came out anyway.

The comp that had Wrasse in two years ago at Thurlestone was a mistake and all the committee members and competitors recognise this. That situation should never happen again.

The amount of Wrasse at Portland was recognised, and unanimously decide that it was bad to shoot them there, so people are learning.

I think you'll find Bass are not territorial, if they were how come they are never in the same place twice? They follow the food source and tides. If they were territorial how come they disappear in the winter?

I'll say what’s been said many times before, spearfishing or rod and line fishing is not what kills all the fish in the sea... commercial fishing is!

 

[Robbo66]

last year not a single comp had Wrasse in. This year only one comp had Wrasse in (which I opposed - no point burring your head in the sand, but I was out voted)....having said that not many Wrasse came out anyway.

The comp that had Wrasse in two years ago at Thurlestone was a mistake and all the committee members and competitors recognise this. That situation should never happen again.

The amount of Wrasse at Portland was recognised, and unanimously decide that it was bad to shoot them there, so people are learning.

I think you'll find Bass are not territorial, if they were how come they are never in the same place twice? They follow the food source and tides. If they were territorial how come they disappear in the winter?

I'll say what’s been said many times before, spearfishing or rod and line fishing is not what kills all the fish in the sea... commercial fishing is!

My experience both here and in France over the past 9 years is that Bass are without doubt territorial during Spring/ Summer period. Schoolies definately appear regularly at the same haunts and I have needed to move on from particular spots so as to not decimate the area, and always target 3lb fish and above as a minimum.

I did not realise that you cannot even sell the fish once caught during these comp's, that fact alone makes the whole competition scenario even more distasteful and as Spaniard said, provides perfect ammunition for the PETA brigade to get their foot on the ladder to convince the undecided for a ban of some sort.

Passionate as I am for spearfishing, I remain totally against this sort of competiton. We all know we could shoot countless pollack and wrasse of all sizes to 'grab a good bag' as to be quite honest it's a piece of p**s.
Then to swagger up the beach to a public car park to deliver your spoils at some sort of maccabre weigh in....indefensible.

Banging on about commercial fishing as an excuse to in some way to mitigate for these events is simply too shallow an argument.

 

[ben]

Never fished a spear comp, nor will i ever endeavour to do so, but in the past as a rod and liner i fished competitions with limited success. I stopped because although they were great fun they were wastefull and environmentaly unsound.

I dont know the first thing about spear comps so i have just several quick questions.....

Why cant spear comps be specimen hunts? fewer fish caught and more effort required.

Have any of the comps had bag limits? Maybe only two fish of each type to be landed and weighed.

Are any of the spear comps roving competitions? Less pressure on relatively small pieces of sea.

UK spearo....bass (larger ones) are terratorial and thats a fact. Territories are big but you can often find the same fish returing to take up prefered feeding positions even within intertidal zones .

And yes... rod, line and spear fishing isn't responsible for decline in fish stocks, however wastfull competitions will contribute to the downfall of minority sports like spearing....

 

[podge]

I'll say what’s been said many times before, spearfishing or rod and line fishing is not what kills all the fish in the sea... commercial fishing is!

Right on UK Spearo
I could not agree more all of the catch from all the spear fisherman in the UK for a whole year would not come close to the catch of a single large trawler in one week. Add to this the waste from the commercial boats and we defiantly have the high ground.
As for the competition thing I would not take part in one but I also would not speak out against them as they are part of someone else enjoyment.

 

[UK Spearo]

Talking about commercial fisheries is not an excuse it the facts.

Shoolie bass, I agree, do tend to be in the same places but I don't shoot those.... the big ones are never in the same place twice though, not that I have found anyway.

Sundays comp was won with 7 fish I think. I only had 3 myself. So your perception of people swaggering up the beach with so many fish they can't stand up is way off.

When you have 40 or 50 divers jump in the water you really think all the fish are going to stay around? If you think it's so easy why don’t you just do a single comp, win it.... and then I'll see how easy it is

Each to there own but we are such a small number of people (world wide) that enjoy this sport then in house fighting is not good for us or the perception of people looking in. We might just have to agree to disagree on this one I think and move on.

 

[Wrinkley Ninja]

Right calm down people have a cup of tea or something, While I would not partake in a comp I do not oppose them as long as the fish is being eaten somewhere along the line, and While I disagee with massive Wrasse hunts I dont have a problem spearing wrasse to eat. once again if going to eat it then by all means spear it, if your just shooting it to prove you can then you miss the whole point of the exercise. anyway theres my 0.02$

 

[Spaniard]

Never fished a spear comp, nor will i ever endeavour to do so, but in the past as a rod and liner i fished competitions with limited success. I stopped because although they were great fun they were wastefull and environmentaly unsound.

I dont know the first thing about spear comps so i have just several quick questions.....

Why cant spear comps be specimen hunts? fewer fish caught and more effort required.

Have any of the comps had bag limits? Maybe only two fish of each type to be landed and weighed.

Are any of the spear comps roving competitions? Less pressure on relatively small pieces of sea.

UK spearo....bass (larger ones) are terratorial and thats a fact. Territories are big but you can often find the same fish returing to take up prefered feeding positions even within intertidal zones .

And yes... rod, line and spear fishing isn't responsible for decline in fish stocks, however wastfull competitions will contribute to the downfall of minority sports like spearing....

Bag limits is a good idea, many US comps use them. The UK comps generally cover a big area and sometimes boat comps are included which can cover a much wider area. I believe the Jersey boys hold a specimen hunt for bass once a year, don't think it's done in England, not under BSA anyway. I am surprised to hear that bass are territorial, they must cover a big area; i'm sure the schoolie ones are in nursery areas like estuaries but I would have thought the bigger ones travelled further????

 

[ben]

Big fish become big fish by being territorial. There is even some eveidnce that large fish dont migrate long distances because they are loathed to leave productive food holding areas......warming sea conditions will untimately ensure they dont leave at all during the winter simply moving to slightly deeper water with a more stable temp. There are places where big bass can be watched...im not spilling the beans on those though!. they return each tide and take up their station which is the optimum food ambush / collection point......

Thanks for the offer of spearing in a comp but really its not for me! I only shoot what i can eat and thats the same if im rabbiting with airgun or spearing. I understand the enjoyment of comps.....im not bagging anyone who partakes either, i would just like everyone who organises and takes part to think of the public image and to act responsively......smaller bags,variety of species and maybe less public weigh-ins.

 

[Mr. X]

...How would you like it if someone organised a comp in your local spot. Bass are territorial!

I can answer that, as Ringstead (site of Sunday's competition) has been been my most regular haunt this year. Obviously it would be better for me if nobody else fished there, let alone held a competition there. However, I've never seen a bass there & I bet most of the competitors didn't. The competitors obviously ranged far & wide, if UK spearo was on the otherside of Durdle Dor (3.5 miles & 2 or 3 spearing venues away in practical terms) he had zero impact on the Ringstead -- basically having had a day's spearing at a completely different location.

I will likely leave Ringstead alone for a while: never saw bass there, it probably should be rested for a while and, if it was "hit hard" , then there is not much point going anyway (self-limiting). There are plenty of other similar spots nearby.

I am more concerned about the stories of commercial fisherman (pair trawlers, ex-anchovie fishermen, ...) hitting bass breeding grounds off the French & Guernsey coasts (what's their size limit, 36cm? - the bass at the last fishmonger I visited were plentiful & tiny). Ineffective symbolic gestures & the apparent modern (British?) need to have to feel guilty about everything...let's look at the real cause.

 

[SurfnSpear]

Spearfishing comps are neither ethical or sustainable. How would you like it if someone organised a comp in your local spot. Bass are territorial!
Our whole sport revolves around the fact that we only take enough fish for the table and that we are selective about which ones we catch. We aim not to have a detrimental effect on the environment we cherish.

Andy, I read your first post on the forum....
just joined
New to the forum today. I live in West Wales about 100 metres from the sea and have been spearfishing for around 20 years. Really interested in hearing other people's experiences when bass fishing in the UK. Would particularly like to know about bass behaviour to know the best places to find them and when. Eg. When do you find them in holes, deeper water etc. My efforts have been concentrated in fairly shallow water along rocky coastlines.
....you seem to have learnt a hell of a lot about bass suddenly.
And I'm no expert either, that's why I prefer not poking spears at other people pursuits within reason. This perception the public supposedly have of spearfisherman....Realistically, just what does that amount to? I doubt the topic is discussed much at coastal pubs, let alone nationally. I find many of these debates cancerous and circular. Just go dive. :mute

 

[UK Spearo]

surfnspear - well said - I'm off diving see ya later....

 

[Buster Lung]

Calm down and concentrate our efforts defeating the common enemy?????.................

The trawlermen?????.............


NO!

............The Judean People's front!

:martial

 

[Willpower]

Wow, this thread is on fire! Thought i'd distract you all with a nice story. Went out in the boat on Saturday with flyflicker and fearthespear; getting our eye in for our trip to Cornwall in a few weeks. Found ourself a nice new venue after a quick burn around on the boat. Got in the water and saw a bass straight away that i put at about 2lb (too small) so i watched him till i had to surface. About ten dives later i went down, pulled myself onto the bottom and was almost immediately approached head on by a very large fish. I was so flabbergasted (?) by its size that it was only when it went side on to ogle me that i realised it was a bass! I reckon it was about 12 lb, on the conservative side, and i have seen big fish in the water (and a few times out!). Anyway, from approaching me head on and then turning sideways this fish went from 12 o'clock to nine o'clock (with my gun following it) appearing to do a sort of territorial display! This is the first time that i have seen this in a bass; whilst swimming to my left it 'flexed' in a pronounced way three times, pointing its fins out while doing so, making a distinct cracking noise. Needless to say i shot at it at nine o'clock, feeling certain that i had it... and missed completely. What an idiot. What a beautiful fish. I got the fish in flyflickers photo (about 4 to 4.5lb) about half an hour later, using the same agachon technique, typical that i didn't clench on that one! Then proceeded to bore fear and fly with the tale of the one that got away!

 

[SurfnSpear]

Will you are the one on fire! Don't worry Ben....4 of us went out of Mudeford to the Isle of Wight on Sunday and one 3lb'er came back after very hard scratchings and plenty of fuel:head !