Dorset Spearfishing 2007

[Allan B]

Due to the wind coming from the North around East for the last week I was thinking of giving the West side of Portland a looking at on Monday, if any of you are about over the weekend could let me know what the conditions are like, I would much appreciate the heads up.

Allan

 

[kkdavids]

i regularly launch at kimmeridge and havent had any problems myself. I have found that people are just a little bit curious to begin with but once you have talked to them for a while they seem more than happy. The problem is that with kimmeridge being a voluntary nature reserve it is frowned upon to spearfish there.
As for the diving, went in off the beach at lulworth yesterday, and it was dead! vis between 4 and 10ft as there was a ground swell - but it seems to be dropping off

 

[1 shot 1 kill]

All,

Thanks for the Birthday wishes, I was in the natural History Museum yesterday looking at the Blue Whale skeleton for inspiration!

Can't wait to get back in the water, Easter will hopefully be a good chance! I'll certainly see all the Guernsey boys later in the year too,

Cheers

 

[Old Man Dave]

All,

I was in the natural History Museum yesterday looking at the Blue Whale skeleton for inspiration!

Cheers

I've been working on the same idea. Am half way there already. I've developed no tail fin, no deep diving ability , no long breath hold but I've managed the blubber no sweat .

Dave

 

[glowworm]

Happy Birthday 1 Shot:friday :friday :friday

Ringstead looked clear on friday afternoon when i took the dog to the beach for a run.Wind has chaged direction since then though.

A Blue Whale for inspiration 1 Shot that's a bit ambitious:t :t

 

[Doc]

Unloaded my gear at Mudeford ready for an explore on saturday. NO MASK!

DUUUUUUUHH!

You wre right 1 shot I could have bought myself a spare in portland!

 

[1 shot 1 kill]

Unlucky Doc, sorry to hear you had a wasted trip!

 

[Allan B]

Yesterday I made it down to Portland after having to go back home to pick up my fins. Fortunately I had only gone a couple miles before realising.

Omer Ice fins so invisible you can’t see them to pick them up, that’s my excuse.

First stop was Castle Cove, but the sea was brown in colour, so moved on to Chesil Cove as planed. From the wall it looked promising, but in reality the vis was only 1½ mtrs. 2mtrs at the best, so I stayed in close and drifted up as far as Tar Rocks with no improvement and not seeing a single Fish.

Just back from Tar Rocks I moved out into deeper water but anything below 8mtrs and the lights went out, after finding myself under one of the huge rocks at 11mtrs and not seeing my hand in front of me, decided I had no business being there and called it a day.

Still I managed spear something, even if it was only my own float putting my gun back on the kayak.

West side Portland looking toward Tar Rocks

Allan

 

[flyflicker]

Thanks for the update Allan and what a relief that the sea is still shite, especially when I'm stuck in the office all week!

 

[Willpower]

He he flyflicker, fear and i had a quick explore on friday eve and the vis was not bad, 5 m although slightly milky. It was nice to get in even though my d3 was reading 9 degrees most of the time and there weren't any bass about, predictably. I did an aspetto at 6m and a razorbill (yes,i checked on the rspb website) flew past trailing bubbles at a hell of a lick, almost made me pee myself! Surfaced and he was sat on the top about 50 yards away, i felt abit rubbish at that point...

 

[the_milkman]

Ditto - was out last week...nice vis if a bit milky. Water temps were pleasant enough. The marine plant life is still looking a bit thin, not a whole heap of cover yet. Plenty of wrasse, the odd flighty pollack but none of the good fish...yet

Am going again this week in the morning, Weds, with the tide pushing to high at half 8ish. Wind forecast looks good too, light Nor'easters most of the early part of the week.

Probs heading in at Tilly Whim again, reliable spot, but I bet there's still bugger all bass though...not long now though, surely??

 

[Mr. X]

Milk but no honey

Viz today an Ringstead: v. poor (<50cm), milky.
Viz yesterday at Durdle Dor: poor (< 1m), milky
No toilets at Ringstead -- they're building new ones.

Low wind, chilly in the morning but warm & sunny later in the day (low tide). Water is chilly on any exposed skin.

Roads are starting to get busy - A303 to the SW is already choca. The forecast is excellent for the weekend - good luck.

 

[Old Man Dave]

First Guernsey speared bass of the year http://forums.deeperblue.net/639943-post413.html .

 

[flyflicker]

Ditto in Dorset at 7:45am a 5lb bass and a little mullet..

Will and I went out at 7:30 am and the sun was just starting to warm the sea. So I popped over to a place that bass like to rest. Why they like this patch of sand and weed I have no idea, but something attracts them. The viz was about 3m, but very milky at 6m. Slowly I crept along in about 2m of water, when the distinctive blue/grey shape of a bass head was staring straight at me, I lifted the gun and fired.

Saw & shot at two others -- the bass are well and truely back Did they ever go away?

New-1.jpg (image)

 

[glowworm]

Dived with 1 shot today.Nice to be back in the water.Vis was about 2 meters but this improved on the bottom at about 6-8 meters.Didn't see much just nice to be in.

 

[SurfnSpear]

Nice one Flyflicker! Good to see the silver torps again...

 

[podge]

Dived with 1 shot today.Nice to be back in the water.Vis was about 2 meters but this improved on the bottom at about 6-8 meters.Didn't see much just nice to be in.

Hiya John, Jim and myself had a little look and I managed my first Mullet of the season.
Bumped into Flyflicker and Will and Will has a bigger one than me.
Mullet that is.rofl

 

[the_milkman]

Nice fish Flyflicker congrats!

In at Tilly Whim today. Milky viz at about 2m and not much about. Coupla wrasse a few crabs...until 4 or 5 large bass gave me a quick check during an aspetto at 5m, but they were not sticking around at all and vanished rapidly...

So, came home empty handed but great to be in though...roll on summer!

 

[dalewatts87]

Hi everyone. I'm new to this site, I started spearfishing off Sandbanks beach last summer, mainly in a reed bed off the swim zone, this has now disappeared over the winter. Does anyone have any good tips for areas to go near Sandbanks? The vis today was pretty good, about 4/5 meters. Is it worth going off Swanage pier at this time of year? Any other recomendations - Portland way is a bit too far for me. Cheers, Dale.

 

[1 shot 1 kill]

Got in with Glowworm yesterday (as he mentioned), forgot my gloves & snorkel, now know for sure why both were invented!

Didn't even see any wrasse, let alone anything else, although it was great to find out that my gear (the bits that i remembered!) is ready to go, and we found a few scallops which went well on the BBQ last night.

Dale, I live in Bournemouth and have tried most of the sites around sandbanks/studland but quickly became sick and tired of either deep mud, zero viz, jet-skis and the parking, not to mention few fish! The best places i found (in reverse order) are a site known as 'Antlers' up towards Old Harry but this is a bit of a swim from any decent launching/parking and the currents can be bad, the rock formation in the middle of the main shipping channel about 100yrds out from the chain-ferry (only dive this in slack water at dawn with a boat!), and the piers. If i was you i'd give boscombe pier a look on a calm evening, just be careful the guys fishing off it don't see you and there is virtually zero swell or else you'll get to know the piles very well indeed while the rod & line guys run off with your stuff!

For your money i'd say give Swanage a go, and by the time you've got there you're nearly at Tilly Whim and Dancing Ledge which are great sites!

Good luck