Guernsey 2006

[glowworm]

Are you,Old Man Dave and Ed supplying the fish..rofl rofl Had some frozen Cape Hake fillets tonight and they tasted arse...:yack I am starting to crave fresh fish again so i have booked a romantic valentines meal at a fish resturant next week..if i'm in a good mood i'll take the missus..rofl rofl

Don't fancy freezing my but off to shoot spawning flatties that taste crap..

 

[Old Man Dave]

Went in for a solo night dive tonight. Definitely getting colder in terms of water and air temp. It was low water, neap tide. Westerly wind was generating a small swell but had some good shelter from the headland. Vis was 15ft+ but with some bottom surge.
Really dead. Went out into max 25ft and spent 1 ¼ hours up and down having a good look. Saw one squid and that was it. No soles, red mullet, bass, mullet or scad. Not even many smelt and no crabs out and about either. Beginning to think the fish have gone.
Weather forecast is for it to blow for the next few days. Not keen to go to “usual” spot again soon anyway. Not if the catches (zero) from these last few times are to go by. Might go next weekend to another bay just to see if it’s the same all over.
Dave

 

[gbo200]

Hi Guys,

Took some time off work an actually got in the water everyday last week. Saw a Napolean Wrasse, a couple Picasso Trigger Fish, loads of lion fish, tons of Nemos, a huge turtle and more. Didn't have buddy most of the time and the one day I did, my sinuses were screwed again and I could not break the surface. Ugh. Did do one dive to 23m to visit some scubies and the turtle. Didn't bother with a wet suit as the water was 22 degrees C.

Did I mention I was in Hurgadha, Red Sea? Oh yeah baby it was great, but not as good as the previous trip to Sharm before the bombings. :rcard

Hope to get in locally soon. Perhaps this weekend Saturday afternoon or Sunday? Please call on C&W mobile 430339.

Cheers!

g.

 

[Old Man Dave]

Found this out. The squid we see at night are called Veined Squid (Loligo Forbesi). They only live one year. They breed in the western English Channel and migrate east and then return west to breed and die. Max weight is about 7lbs. From egg to mini zooplankton, to immature squid, to active hunter, to long distance swimmer and eventually a parent and death – all in 12 months. Makes me feel sort of humble in the face of nature.
Lots of info on the net but liked this site;
http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/l/m/lmm298/heat_is_on_global_warming_a.htm
Dave

 

[RayBanFoxMan]

Hi Fox -
Sorry about not replying earlier. My computer took a dive... But here in Cali we usually go for opeleye, perch, sheepshead, lobster and the occasional haibut. I've only seen one hali thus far in my spearfishing ventures and he wasn't having it and took off... Whatever makes nice filets or fits in the skillet works for me This summer hopefully I can get into the open water and go for some white seabass and some yellowtail... What about you guys? What are the target fish in the Channel Islands?

 

[Old Man Dave]

Another night dive tonight. Joined Ed. Pete and Miles to try a new spot. Just after high tide when we went in, probably not ideal, but calm sea, big moon and good vis.
Didn't intend to do too much but ended up doing about an hour working the bottom with short repeat dives down to about 25 ft. Covered a lot of ground and was using my big torch but still saw nothing. It was the coldest I'd been so far but still think I'd have got anything that was there.
Those soles and reds seem to have buzzed off somewhere else, probably somewhere warm!
Turned out back on shore that hand spear Ed had spotted a bass and speargun Pete shot it for him. Let them tell the story. For me that's 4 night dives for no fish. Oh Dear! Good job I do this for the fun :head
Dave

 

[foxfish]

Hi Fox - This summer hopefully I can get into the open water and go for some white seabass and some yellowtail... What about you guys? What are the target fish in the Channel Islands?

Hope you are not taking the p..s. Your potential sounds like a dream, you are a lucky man. We hunt Bass over here, they grow to 20lb, but 10 is the target. Please tell us, what size of fish do you aim for? (weight that is)

 

[foxfish]

For anyone interested, Henry Gilbey is fishing in Guernsey & Herm, tonight on Discovery channel 135 at 12am.

 

[Magpie]

Too cold for everyone at the moment?

I'm off to France in April, around the Brittany area and will probably take me spearing gear with me. Anyone fished over there? I'd imagine is wasn't much different from here, except there may be a few more Giltheads (no Ed, you can't come :t)

 

[Spaniard]

Bretagne is identical to Channel Islands/Cornwall for conditions and species; lot more spearos about. I think the Gilthead appear later in the season but there should be some bass. Good luck.

 

[portinfer]

Tom I hear that it is illegal to spearfish over there in April - it is the closed season for giltheads and they fine you, take your gear AND confiscate your luxury camper van

Just kidding - have a good one mate !

Not too cold... just a little cold ... went on Sunday and had 11m visibility - about 8C and found a nice shaol of about a hundred pollack hanging a metre of so off the bottom and moving slowly in the current. Stayed to watch them for quite a long time and it was very beautiful in the clear water. Oh... had a nice shipwreck below it too which has come out of the kelp a bit now
Ed

 

[Magpie]

Grrr, I'm ashamed to say you had me going there for a moment!

A wreck? Where was that too then?
You been doing some underwater pruning?

 

[Old Man Dave]

Okay! Looks like night diving and lack of fish isn't all my fault.
According to commercial netters Red Mullet and Soles normally disappear by end of December. In fact this year (because of higher water temp?) they were here in January, but now they're gone. Phew! Thought it was just me.
Thanks to my brother for finding out some of the info.
Dave

 

[Magpie]

Ah thats good, least I know that being a wimp no longer means I'm missing out of some good fishing!

 

[Mr. X]

Great -- I needed a good excuse for staying of the water this last week!

 

[foxfish]

Painted a couple of guns this afternoon.

 

[Mr. X]

Hope nobody mistakes that flash of silver for a fish!

 

[portinfer]

Very nice Mart - breaks up the shape nicely and should confuse the bass

Dropped in yesterday and it was 9C ... 3m vis ... no fish and the red wine from the night before stopped me equalising below 2m Great dive .... oh well there will be better days

 

[foxfish]

Hope nobody mistakes that flash of silver for a fish!

Lets hope that flash of silver mistakes a fish into thinking it is another fish!

 

[Mr. X]

Lets hope that flash of silver mistakes a fish into thinking it is another fish!

Ah, good thinking. (I had just read about an incident in Ian Rodger's book where a fellow spearo mistook the glint of his diving mask for a shiney fish...).