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Dorset Spearfishing 2006

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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Almostafish said:
I have had some great fish off Chesil. Work out of Tar rocks down to Blacknor point and you will have a hard time carrying the fish home. As for the gun choice... well it normally depends on what I left in the car boot.
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All being well, you can show me in April. Hopefully the waters will clear in the Spring (like last year) too.

I haven't seen anything worth shooting directly off the beach or the rocks directly up coast -- to be fair though, I only had decent viz. once and I usually have people with me or other plans -- so I have not managed to be in the water at Chesil more than an hour an half at a time. The awful state of the toilets usually necessitates leaving Chesil at some point! [By the way, itsounds like the council have no plans to fix them -- they are looking for somebody to takeover that small patch of ground for a business & they can provide toilets]. Scuba divers consistently tell me of seeing fish (e.g. dog fish) fairly deep around the wreck just off the beach. A local spearo mentioned he never got anything at Chesil either -- so I am heartened to hear several forum members have been successful there. Maybe the trick is to work further up the coast around the rocks?

FearTheSpear: if I get a shorter speargun -- it will just be one, not one for each location!

Part of the problem is, I dare say, that I am diving on days that most spearos would not bother with. The winds/tide/temperature/month/viz/swell/snow/rain is all wrong - every few weeks I just need to get in the sea, & if conditions don't stack up right for it, then I tend to go anyway. I am exploring locations at the moment, so I get something out of it -- quite fun & found some nice spots.

[Can anybody recommend a map with local landmarks? Also, can anybody recommend somewhere to stay (B&B/cottage/caravan/campsite/hotel/etc.) for a long weekend/short break...planning a short break down there sometime this year. Might be handy to be able to stop over Sat. night occasionally too.]
 
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Fish off Chesil 'ey? I know Chesil is a renouned Cod spot for rod anglers in the winter when a swell churns all the grub out of the sea bed. Anyone over Dorset way spearing any Cod then?

I think they usually hang around wrecks and only come into shore when its dim and the sea is moshing so chances of seeing them without a boat and a bit set of lungs seems remote but I'd love to hear different. Failing that what about Whiting, tasty apparently but I've never had the pleasure.
 
I have a 75cm gun which worked fine this year but i have also ordered a 90cm for this year but after using both the difference is small.All places will hold fish chesil included it's just finding them.

Whiting taste a bit watery for a member of the cod family.Not many cod left so shooting one even if the weather allowed is unlikely.That said i know guys who catch them with handspears while flatty bashing on scuba in the early and late part of the season.

Target Gilt Head Bream and Trigger fish this year for me:t :t
 
Reactions: Mr. X
Then get your ass down here this sunday!
 
Wind and swell at the moment so no vis even in portland harbour.Chesil looked flatish but didn't have a look in the water.

Sunday would be a miracle with the wind as it is
 
fearthespear said:
Then get your ass down here this sunday!
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Winds from the NE...I reckon it might be cold out of the water. Any likelyhood that viz will be good? ( I wasn't planning to dive again until Feb. -- it's just to hot this January rofl -- but I would make an exception for good viz).
 
"Not many cod left so shooting one even if the weather allowed is unlikely.That said i know guys who catch them with handspears while flatty bashing on scuba in the early and late part of the season."

I said to Ed only the other day "Sooner or later if we keep going at night, in the wintertime, someone is going to get a cod".
The only cod we get this far south are usually on the offshore banks in the summertime and out of practical range for freediving. I've caught a few over the years in these circumstances, all with a handspear, on SCUBA, while flattying on offshore gravel banks. However a few fish have been taken from the shore by rod anglers, in January and February and at night.
Here's one I caught earlier (actually about 25 years earlier, but who's counting?).
The "Old" Man Dave.
 
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glowworm said:
Wind and swell at the moment so no vis even in portland harbour.Chesil looked flatish but didn't have a look in the water.

Sunday would be a miracle with the wind as it is
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Ah feck! Thats that then...

Nice cod old man!
 
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I couldn't have said it better myself fearthespear.Will try to sort out a torch tomorrow so a night dive soon is still on.

Yeah nice cod Old Man Dave :t :t Did you make the chips from Jersey Royals??
 
Re: Dorset speargun size?

I have a few points I would like to make,"I love spear guns".However a typical bass foray might include clear water, bad vis, weed, deep water shallow water etc. Unfortunately I can only take one gun at a time! I figure its better to have one gun, that way you can't blame yourself for taking the wrong one. Personally I prefer a 900 with a big fat rubber, I would always prefer the spear to travel clean though the fish if possiable. If this happens there is far less chance of the fish ripping itself off as there is no resistance from the spear.
 
Re: Dorset speargun size?

I should probably clarify my definition of bad viz: bad viz is less that 1m (indicated by not being able to see the squid muppet on my muzzle nor the muzzle itself). Do you get a lot of that on Guernsey? Check out Miles' bad day spearfishing report today...sounds like paradise to me! I figure I can't even use my speargun as a handspear or flattie basher under such conditions! I am surprisingly easily pleased...2m and I am a happy chappy. More than 2m and life is real good .
 
foxfish said:
You had better book your holiday soon then!
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Looks like we're probably not be able to make it this year after all...real shame as we were already starting to look forward to it. I was looking forward to meeting you guys. When we started adding Ferry costs, surcharges & taxes it got rather expensive & one our party has some chronic health problems:crutch which have just flared up again after a short period of remission -- which makes long journeys impractical/dangerous; what our colonial friends call a "double whammy". We'll review things again later in the year -- but current plan is to stay close to home until things improve.
[Nice bass foxfish].
 
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You could always come as a foot passenger for a weekend, wont cost much!
That applies to all you guys.
 
[Nice bass foxfish].[/QUOTE]
Thanks, It was a nice Bass, 9lb15oz.
 
Could you tell me what the natural gas situation is on the island Foxfish.If you get natural gas i could become a regular visiter.Would like to visit this year anyway for a couple of day's as there is the condor ferry out of weymouth that goes direct i think.
 
foxfish said:
You could always come as a foot passenger for a weekend, wont cost much!
That applies to all you guys.
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Tempting... on the fast ferry perhaps? Maybe later in the year (I have a feeling Spring will be the best time though)? I know once we get there we'll want to spend more time there. What are conditions like in October (we had a decent break in Oct. in Cornwall a few years ago -- but we're less particular about sun/rain than most!)
 
I don't think there is a natural gas situation over here? What is natural gas?
You would be very welcome.
 
Foxfish natural gas that you run your central heating,gas stoves,fires on.The stuff they keep arguing over in russia.I was led to beleive the islands use town gas but were being converted to natural gas.

I will start to look at ferry crossing prices and hotels today.
 
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