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Dorset Spearfishing 2006

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
Nice to put a face to a few of the names on Sunday and I’m looking forward to a few social gatherings next summer.
Paul
 
Ditto all.....really is healthy expanding the network of contacts. :friday

cheers
 
All,
I'm back, sorry i missed the BBQ but was busy with fish in warmer climes. If the weather holds for the next couple of weeks i might well get back down so will hopefully see some of you then. Cheers.
 
A good day on Sunday nice to see everybody.Nice to see you made it back 1 shot you were missed on sunday.

More beer and food ( not crisps and pork scratchings) the next time we meet.

Be safe and hopefully see you all again soon.
 
As it is quiet...A few issues raised earlier in the thread, resolved:

1. Big fish glimpsed at Ringstead - prob a large wrasse (saw plenty of big Wrasse & a few Bass/Mullet in Cornwall).

2. Reason for spear's shortened range: spearline caught round inverted muzzle clip. It happened again, the tip off is the spear line does not seem to be in quite the normal position looking down the side of the barrel.

3. Kimmeridge - my ethical dilemma - decided not to spear there. Obvious really.:duh (Make up your own minds).

4. Dubious Dorset speeding ticket last year - noticed that the camera had been set for km/hr rather than miles/hr Ticket dropped. If you got one, check the road markings in the image.

Weather has looked pretty windy of late though -- anybody been in?

A guy at work told me today he reckons they should ban fishing & he only eats farmed fish:yack
 
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Wrasse bass mullet.. They all look the same dont they?? Thats what it said on thread 98509428574958724095870985..

A closed mouth gathers no feet.
 
Reactions: podge
podge said:
Nice to put a face to a few of the names on Sunday and I’m looking forward to a few social gatherings next summer.
Paul
Click to expand...

Just got internet connected (Friday) since moving here to Dorset.
As Podge said nice to see everyone an interesting dive even though I fell arse over tit on the rocks.
Hope to see you sometime am a bit busy at the moment with moving in but will make up for it soon.
 
Reactions: Almostafish
Almostafish said:
Wrasse bass mullet.. They all look the same dont they?? ....
Click to expand...
I just got a glimpse of a big fish from above in slightly milky viz, dark against the weed...and I hadn't seen a bass for almost a year at the time. Having seen several v. large wrasse & bass in the same trip recently -- they do look & behave quite differently (your point, no doubt).

re. mullet, a spearo on holiday showed me a small-ish fish he had speared & told me confidently it was a mullet -- which surprised me as it looked just like a bass to me, with a particularly large head (I thought mullet had distinctively small heads) - but have never seen one in real life, so took him at his word. I caught one myself (on an handline) in the same place. Checking images on line later though, they look like bass not mullet to me. Either way, it looked and tasted good.

Almostafish said:
A closed mouth gathers no feet.
Click to expand...
Ok:mute
 
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Now let me have a wild stab in the dark guess
Would the Bass be the fish on the bottom and the mullet be the orange thing on the side of the picture!!!rofl rofl rofl
 
roflBass on top. At least that's the one we both caught.

(Perhaps the 30cm mullet catch limit vs. 37cm Cornish bass limit influenced the fisherman's identification decision. He reckoned bass have larger scales than mullet...which seems to be not the case in the picture above).
 
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Mr X I can assure you, you are not the only one to mistake one species for another. Bass & mullet are similar but once you have seen a few more you will easily spot the difference.
I doubt if the fish you caught on your hand line was a mullet, it would be very unusual for that to happen. There are three common types of mullet that you might encounter, thick lip, thin lip & golden grey. They all look very similar but again, in time you will learn the differences. More often than not it is the fishes behavior that is the first clue to its true identity, GGs tend to feed on the sandy bottom thick lips (by far the most common) also feed on the bottom but are more lightly to be seen near the surface. Thin lips are very rare in guernsey but prefer estuaries & big harbours.
Even experienced fishermen make mistakes, Pollock & coalfish, red gurnard & tub gurnard, turbot & brill, red bream & couches bream are a few.
As to the taste of mullet & bass, they can both be very nice to eat but bass are more consistent in flavour & much preferred in the restaurant world. I like to eat mullet fresh the day they are caught because they have a strong flavour that needs no maturing. Bass have more flavour the day after capture. I feel it is very important to look after your catch & clean the fish as soon as possible, a mullet that has been left to mature in the sun with its guts still in place is not a nice fish to eat.
 
Reactions: Almostafish and Mr. X
Have just moved near Bridport. Have any of you speared around this area Hive beach, Burton Bradstock, West Bay etc. Any info would be most helpful.
 
jurrasic said:
Have just moved near Bridport. Have any of you speared around this area Hive beach, Burton Bradstock, West Bay etc. Any info would be most helpful.
Click to expand...

Hi Jurrasic. Have been in at Eype. Tidy ground, especially on the west side of the beach towards Golden Cap. Could be good for bass late season,only saw a few earlier on this year. The marine life in this area is rich, the most edibles i've seen, lobbies, dogfish, mackerel shoals attacking bait schools above me whilst lying in the weed, cuttle fish conventions, even sea trout! You get the picture. Just keep it to yourself...doh!

You'll find that the smallest wind will kill the viz which means that it's time to get the rods out!

You're not far from here at all. Hook up if you fancy it. Should be available early Oct for a dive...
 
Reactions: Almostafish
flyflicker - why not show the whole of that pic - if memory severs me right there's another Bass in that pic
 
Reactions: Almostafish
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