Guernsey 2006

[foxfish]

WTF is that!? I presume its to reduce recoil? Going to make it a bit harder to track with though (though horizontal would be ok, vertical wouldn't?)

Looks like a good job though, whats it made out of?

PS. Any need for the page 3 shot? :t

Believe it or not that is the amount of buoyancy needed to balance the gun with the longer spear. I hope it might tame the barrel lift on firing but the point is the gun is now balanced.
I covered some 40mm pipe with polyurethane foam, shaped it & applied 3 layers of fibreglass tissue with epoxy. Lots of sanding & some paint.

PS It is rather warm you know!

 

[Magpie]

Stealth Mamda, I like it! Won't show up on any bassy radar now...

Looks like a good job though, must have taken a while to shape it.

 

[Old Man Dave]

Had an excellent day out in the boat, mainly diving with the tanks but also trotting and rod fishing as well. Lovely weather, sunny, warm and calm seas and even the spring tide was not too strong. Oh! and the vis was 12 metres. Well at least I could just make out the bottom from the surface at 12.5 metres. Caught a nice lot of fish (but not too much Andy ). A really nice selection of turbot, brill, plaice, sole, gurnard, scallops, spiders and ......millions of bloody dogfish. Was everyone's friend today with fish to take home, fish to give away and some to spare.

Good catch of bass Tom. Must be that lucky weight belt.

Nice one Ed (and Pete). I have caught a couches on the rod but not the spear. Haven't caught any bream by spearing though and by my count that's Ed's second :vangry . Looks like a good year in prospect for flats. They seem to be inshore earlier and in more numbers than usual. Let's hope that that continues. Seems like a bumper year for bass too, judging by the recent sightings and catches.

Dave

 

[portinfer]

Fantastic gun Mart - looks good - something that Darth Vadar would be pround of Join the dark side...

I would agree that the Mamba 90's need alot of float.

Surprisingly enough I found that trying to balance a Mamba in a half length bath is bloody hard

Also the handling IMPROVES by adding wings.... definitely feels lighter and easier to track in the water.

I prefer it with a slight nose lift - ie if you swim down 5m and release the gun it should float horizontally very very very slowly to the surface and on the way the nose should lift slightly. At least this is how I like my guns - but as you know I am an aspetto freak

Hell of a week - busy busy busy... no time for love Dr Jones but lets just say that Pete had an even score to mine (plus a couple of sepia ... and a scallop)

Been on the house all day and agree with Mart that it is hot as a pistol out there... Def. into the water tomorrow lunchtime for a longer dive

Cheers
Ed

 

[portinfer]

Oh .. also .. the smoke house is inspired Excellent idea ! Looking forward to seeing it in action.

 

[Old Man Dave]

Popped in today for a quick hunt. Mainly went to try my new float, which I need to carry my new neoprene shoes, which I need to go over my new 5mm socks, which I need for use with my new Ice 3 fins. Phew!

I'm in non slaughter bass mode at present. Caught a few and have max'ed out on sea food from a couple of boat trips and some spearo'ing. So went for a species hunt and a strict regime of large bass only plus head shots on everything.

Did okay in the end. Only saw about 6 bass but got a 6.5 lb-er with a head shot. Also got a couple of thick lipped (common) mullet and a golden grey, plus a big wrasse as well. Oh! and the float worked well.

Mart took a piccy but has a problem downloading it so maybe later ... maybe not!

Dave .

 

[portinfer]

Excellent dive today in the currents - really needed some sub time and was good to relax in the briny. Found it very clear and managed to see alot of fish too.

Out back around an aspetto type place I found a pair of almost white baby bass over the sand. Looked like fresh molten silver - really pretty - then some jet black pollack seen from above moving out of the weed and onto the sand.

Alot of various coloured wrasse and then the classic inquisitive bass - I was down on a shallow aspetto and the face came slowly into focus. Gliding effortlessly in the current towards me... I wasn't too friendly and shot it from a loooong way off - clear waters an' all that but managed to lodge a spear and then let the line out as it found a place to hide in the weed. Picked it up and found it was a good 6 pound bass.

Stayed around there for an hour or so - seeing alot of smaller bass but just watching them... hurried back across the current and into a patch of bootlace - saw a bunch more bass - all steely grey - beautiful - a couple swam under me but was just watching.

Off for home and a two and a half pounder looked at me funny so made it's way onto the stringer too

Good dive.

 

[Mr. X]

Popped in today for a quick hunt. Mainly went to try my new float, which I need to carry my new neoprene shoes, which I need to go over my new 5mm socks, which I need for use with my new Ice 3 fins. Phew!

I'm in non slaughter bass mode at present. Caught a few and have max'ed out on sea food from a couple of boat trips and some spearo'ing. So went for a species hunt and a strict regime of large bass only plus head shots on everything.

Did okay in the end. Only saw about 6 bass but got a 6.5 lb-er with a head shot. Also got a couple of thick lipped (common) mullet and a golden grey, plus a big wrasse as well. Oh! and the float worked well.
...

We get the picture - full foot fins are more hassle than boots & Jetfins (BTW noticed this week that Seacsub do a Jetfin-like fin still).

Must be great to live by the sea. Would have loved to have gone out today. We had a big social last night. Surprisingly I didn't have a hang over this morning but a nice long dip in the sea ...with an abundance of fish would have helped cleared the head. Had to make do with a run -- a very poor second best!

Sounds like things are going really nicely out there now -- everyone getting fish & being selective with it.

[By the way, where did you put your fish before you got your new float -- belt stringer?]

Off for home and a two and a half pounder looked at me funny so made it's way onto the stringer too

If we meet, I am going to be real careful not to look at you funny!

 

[Namron]

Hello all - long time since I have posted here but now have something to report. First bass of the year, have been in about 10 times so far this year with only a wrasse (pot bait) to show for it. However, today was a different story. Went out to a spot that I have had some luck with before and had scoped out on Friday when I took the PM off - I managed to miss two sitters on Friday. I was in about 1 hour after low tide and was in for about twenty minutes before this chap appeared and I hit it in the belly, luckily it stayed on the spear (have gone back to the trident) and was safely on the stringer in no time. It wasn't till I got out that I realised how big it was and mentioned to my buddy that I would probably weigh this one before gutting it. It topped the scale at 9lbs, my record to date - chuffed to bits I was! Looks like we are going to be eating bass all week! I only saw a few more during the dive but didn't get a shot off. A pic enclosed:

 

[Magpie]

Top work Harbhajan! Thats a beauty.

How are you finding the Ice's Dave? Still love mine though I have found one problem, when using a float the line can get caught in the little clips on the sides that hold the blades in. They did that once when I was down at about 7m and had to surface using one leg because the other was all wrapped up, was a bit worrying at the time, though I've easily cured it by sticking some tape over the clip.

 

[Old Man Dave]

Spent years diving around float lines. On the tanks I use up to 150ft of line and have developed (IMHO) some good specialised gear - but that's another thread.

For snorkelling I much prefer no float, but I recognise the often need for one. (Mr X, yes, without a float I just use a belt stringer, looped around the back so my fish ride tight to the small of my back). I'll stick on a pic of what i am using soon but for now I just want to mention the line. I have tried loads of types/sizes/configerations. I prefer minimum 6mm diameter floating polyprop rope. It doesn't tangle or hook up. I use about 40 ft but I lenghten or shorten the amount between me and the float depending on what i'm doing. I shorten it by the simple device of coiling it on my float secured by a big rubber band (made from car inner tube). Pic would be better but ....soon as!

Reels and mono I steer clear of. The drag is mainly the float unless your rope is 100 ft long, so personally I go for the non tangle option.

Dave .

 

[portinfer]

Hey Adrian ! Been pulling them out ! Nice bass .. but still not sure about those tridents - all a bit "underwater huntsman" for my liking

How is the suit - keeping you toasty ?

 

[Namron]

Hey Adrian ! Been pulling them out ! Nice bass .. but still not sure about those tridents - all a bit "underwater huntsman" for my liking

How is the suit - keeping you toasty ?

Yeah I'm not sure about the trident's either, definitely not good for long range shots as it can sail off all over the place. My string broke the other day with a single spear and when restringing it I just thought what the heck why not give it a try again. Rather pleased with it after yesterday!

The suit is brilliant - I'm still using the 2mm wife beater (bit pansy?) otherwise I tend to find that I get a pool of water in the small of my back. So much warmer than that other thing I had.

Ad

 

[foxfish]

Hi Namron, nice bass.
I am interested in the 2mm wife beater!! Is it a neoprene vest? If so I am very interested as I also suffer the puddle back condition! If not, I may still be interested in a wife beater!!

 

[Mr. X]

Does the trident stun the fish -- I've seen them called "paralyzer" tips?
Re. the puddle of water in the small of your back, have you considered developing a beer belly to make your suit a tighter fit.
(Super fish Namron:king. I'd have a big Bass dinner party if I'd caught that sucker).

 

[foxfish]

Does the trident stun the fish -- I've seen them called "paralyzer" tips?

Mr x take a look at my post on page 34 & check out my spear.

 

[Mr. X]

Does the trident stun the fish -- I've seen them called "paralyzer" tips?

Mr x take a look at my post on page 34 & check out my spear.

Regular Taihitian? That's what I, & most, use (& it is what RA recommend - as everybody comes back to it in the end!). Your point being ...that it works? Yup, I am not planning to change my main gun -- it works very well; although my squid muppet is beginning to irritate me, so that's coming off!

I am still mulling over the idea of getting an additional, smaller gun (60-75cm) that would act as spare & specialist poor-viz/gulley/cave gun. No rush though & I still haven't formed a clear opinion of what, if anything, I need. I think we already covered much of that on a separate thread though. Maybe I should just go to clearer locations or use a fishing rod when viz is < 1m (got some new lures!).

Maybe I should just come out to Guernsey to find out how it's really done. [Just checked flights from Southampton for a long weekend in June -- website (http://www.aflight.to/) says "No results found for specified details"!:hmm Not very promising. Foot ferry from £76, car + 2 from £303 (http://www.aferry.to/guernsey-ferry.htm). Hmm, won't give me a price w/o vehicle from Portsmouth & no Sunday ferries. Oh, I see, I need to choose Vehicle = foot passenger(!). Accomodation club/recliner? 1 foot passenger from Weymouth, £105 out friday (5pm though) back monday :hmm Bit steep.].

 

[Magpie]

For flights try www.flybe.com or www.aurigny.com or www.blueislands.com
And the boats is http://www.condorferries.com/

HTH

 

[foxfish]

Regular Taihitian? That's what I, & most, use (& it is what RA recommend - as everybody comes back to it in the end!). Your point being ...that it works? Yup,

Not quite, look about 12" down from the spear tip, you will notice "my whooper stopper" A 25mm cone of wood epoxied onto the spear.

 

[beardy241]

Camo Suits are amazing!

It has to be said, these camo suits are amazing!! The fish simply don't see you coming!!
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