Had a great trip out at Cobo on
Saturday. Chris (Spicer) came along but bailed after 40 mins with a really hacking cough that he picked up in South Africa - ebola me'thinks.
Just before Chris left I had picked a nice 41b Bass. I had been trying out some aspetto and found a nice little niche in the rocks overlooking a field of bootlace. Two bass has appeared out of the sun (vis was a rather nice 6-7m), swimming straight towards me. When they came in range the first and larger of the pair spooked and gave me a broadside. It happened fast and I hesitated because I didn't have a clean shot. Just a moment later and he'd turned 360° to come back at me so I let him have it. A good shot just behind that head as he turned away again. Probably about 2m range.
Once he had gone - hacking his way back to shore, I breathed up and dropped into my through again and as soon as I had settled a battleship of a wrasse buzzed in over my right shoulder. I had rejected lots of smaller wrasse already but this was game because of his size. (61b) As he cruised away I took a long shot which entered just behind his left gill-flap and came out his right eye socket. Pretty much a stoner.
A few minutes later, with the wrasse strung, the same thing happened again for another bass. A pair came from the same place out of the sun, paused at about 2m range, then the first one got a splitting headache. Spear entered in the middle of the head and came out half way down his side.
A Pollack joined the crew just a few minutes later. One of about 4 fish coming in with the tide. Pollack seems to be one of those fish that appears way bigger in the water. I think it's all the beautiful fins - they spread out to mach a very impressive shape - and then you shoot them to find it's only a 2lb-er. :duh
Tide was high, was fairly close in, in about 4m of water.
Sunday afternoon and I managed to get out with George on the boat. We spotted OMD dropping gear and chums off at the yacht club slip but he was too starry eyed to see us.
We took an adventure up north of Herm to visit the seals at Grande Amfrocque [sp]. After a bit of creative navigation we found the large markered outcrop surrounded by ripping tides. We saw two rather large seals. One was more inquisitive than the other. The water was CRYSTAL clear but on account of there just being the two of us and the current we decided not to jump in.
While we were enjoying the wildlife G took a phone call from an old acquaintance who had fouled an anchor in Fermain. A salvage team was called for! F.A.B.
20 mins later and we've met up with the folks in Fermain and we've been positioned over the mark for the anchor. A couple of mins to breath up and we drop - George goes right and I go left. First dive, 10m of water, I spotted the chain, followed it for a few yards and there was the anchor surrounded by zillions of baby spiders. Bingo! It had got caught on a bit of rope coming off an old mooring deadman. G found the bail of rope and after a bit of faff with George finning like a mad-man to keep the bail on the surface while we untied it, the owner was reunited with his hardware. Satisfaction all round.
It has to be said, the anchor, chain and rope are worth a fair few bob so it was well worth the call. (We await our promised reward with eagerness... :friday )
I cut the offending loop of rope on the deadman but the whole thing is a bit of a hazard - there was another smaller anchor wrapped up in it already.
We took a mooch around the bay and visited the little sea-cave in the north wall before coming home. It was getting quite dark.
What an adventure, what a weekend. The fish count wasn't anywhere near what you guys are pulling but it sure felt good to claim a little bounty from the ocean.
We're thinking of making a picnic trip to visit the seals with wives and daughters, one calm day. Maybe we'll be brave enough to drop in!?
[m]
PHOTOS: see the size of crab that this 3lb bass had swallowed whole!
Take a barrel.
