Guernsey 2006

[portinfer]

Planning on a south coast dive today - low at 4:15pm (these pix taken yesterday at about 4:30pm - went for a swim - seemed colder than Rousse ) - so thinking on going down for 3:30pm... anyone interested ? Looks nice around the corner ....

 

[Mr. X]

Casting competition?

BTW Is Magpie casting at the CLA Game Fair in Hampshire tomorrow? (They have an international saltwater fly caster competition). Looks like I might be going there after all.

 

[loops]

Hi Guys
Awhite bream has 5 black stripes running from head to tail. And it also has a black spot on it`s tail. I you go to www.jerseyspearfishing.com there are a few pics on there. I shot one 6 weeks ago 775g.
Happy hunting Andy

 

[naiad]

Foxfish, are those pics from Guernsey or Dorset? Looks like somewhere nice!

 

[ADM]

The pics look like Saints Bay and just west of it to me. South Coast of Guernsey.

 

[naiad]

Thanks for the place name, it's a long way for me but I'll keep it in mind for somewhere good to go.

 

[portinfer]

Lucia - it is Saint's Moorings in the first pic and the second one is a bit further west, not sure of the actual rock names but I thought it would be a good place to go and explore ... as it turns out the weather changed so I went locally ... a few hours playing in the current as it ripped between a gap in two reefs - a spot Dave and Derek maintain holds turbot... I had a very very good look mostly diving 9m and saw nada ... but my bottom time improved - looked at the day history and it was 1:30 - anyway Lucia feel free to pop over any time - think it is 20 quid for a day trip - at least that's what the two lads from Dorset paid (Glowworm and 1kill, 1 shot) - bye Ed

 

[Magpie]

Re: Casting competition?

BTW Is Magpie casting at the CLA Game Fair in Hampshire tomorrow? (They have an international saltwater fly caster competition). Looks like I might be going there after all.

No mate, its not fly casting, its proper casting

Going ok (one of the two days gone), best of 223m today, which is in the upper mid table, nowhere near the lead though.....263m by the big lad from Belgium, Danny Moeskops.

 

[Draenog]

Afternoon all!

Not long now till I fly home for a week (16-23rd August). Looking forward to meeting some of you and coming out for a snorkel or 2.

I've bought my self a primary and backup light so I'm hoping to get in for a night dive if anyone's up for it (it'll be my first!- no one seems that keen over here and I don't fancy it on my own)

I'm itching to get in as the viz has been rubbish here for weeks (mind you have had some nice surf)

I don't want to bring weights on the plane, if I can't find my brothers presumably I can pick some up locally for a couple of £s?

Beardy and Fox - - I've got some of those Gara fins that are ridiculously long. I don't tend to use them here as a lot of the places I go are relatively shallow dives in gullies and kelp beds and they tend to get in the way. Is it worth bringing them for the places you might show me?

Cheers
Adam

 

[beardy241]

fins
I use long fins all the time, other guys use short jet-fins, it's up to you but I'd say bring 'em if you can - they'll help in the current.


lead
I'm sure we can sort you out with some. I've got a bucket-load, and spare belts. np
[m]

 

[Draenog]

Thanks Beardy

I love the long fins when I'm diving down deep, but on hte surface and going over shallow reefs with narrow gullies in and out of the kelp I find them really unwieldy. I'll bring them anyway if i can fit them in my bag. It's my Sons birthady just after we get back over here - so I'll have to leave some space for presents from the Guernsey grandparents!!

 

[foxfish]

Hi Draenog, you will need your long fins if you want any flatfish in the day time, very small tides on your dates.
I went in yesterday on a 3.1 & had to dive deep to get two sole, 2lb4oz & 3lb2oz.

 

[portinfer]

Good catch Mart ! Any pix ? Like the story of the shark too... was that close in where you catch bream ?.... I sometimes go around Pierre so might not go for a while ...

 

[foxfish]

No pics mate I gave the fish to my mate, as promised.
By the way Ed I have heard of the first gilthead (from a boat) this year, came from the bay nearest your house last sat. The guy who caught it once held the boat record which he caught from the same bay.
The shark was by the PlatteFougere light house.

 

[spaghetti]

No pics mate I gave the fish to my mate, as promised.
By the way Ed I have heard of the first gilthead (from a boat) this year, came from the bay nearest your house last sat. The guy who caught it once held the boat record which he caught from the same bay.
The shark was by the PlatteFougere light house.

Stay away of sharks, Mart. I want you to be there if I ever come to Guernsey.

(BTW...did anyone say gilthead? difficult fish to catch here in the Med, very fast and cunning in open waters,rarely found in reef cavities. How about the english ones?)

 

[foxfish]

Spaghetti the Gilt head bream is our most sort after fish (ED OMD Foxfish) I dont think anyone has caught one spearfishing, yet!? However there are more being taken by other methods than ever before.
Hear is a pic of one I eat last year, very, very tasty

 

[spaghetti]

have this as a wish for good luck to you
(I got only 3 gilts in 18 years, all in very lucky circumstances. And it's not me in the pic)

 

[Draenog]

Hi Draenog, you will need your long fins if you want any flatfish in the day time, very small tides on your dates.
I went in yesterday on a 3.1 & had to dive deep to get two sole, 2lb4oz & 3lb2oz.

Foxfish

I'll be just looking not hunting, but if I'm going to keep up with you two I'll bring the big fins as you and beardy both think it's worth it.

...........................

On a completely irrelevant point, does anyone know why there are so many ballan wrase in Guernsey (or conversely why there aren't here).

Snorkelling over here you see loads and loads of corkwings but I've only ever seen 2 or three ballans and they were less than 6 inches long. I've found hundreds of inch long baby ballans in rockpools ( an inch long or less).

From my limited experience of Guernsey there's a few corkwings but as soon as you get out a bit you run into loads and loads of ballans - including plenty of huuuge adults.

anyone know why?

 

[ADM]

I know ballans prefer the warmer water, years back when we had a really cold winter loads were killed off as they normally only prefer the shallows and they couldn't hack it. Perhaps the winters up there get too cold for them to thrive like down here?

 

[beardy241]

I think the Ballan Wrasse can be found in prodigious numbers here due to Guernsey's unique and extensive fish feeding programme which involves pumping thousands of gallons of human waste into the sea around the island every day.