Guernsey 2006

[Sarnian]

Hi Dave

Yes it was crystal clear at the Knife ( at first) but no fish worth having. Andy R also turned up and we set off together, Andy diving down for flatties and me looking at the weed beds . We got separated ( more later) so I don't know if Andy got anything.

Damn - the wrasse was certainly 71/2 lb. Oh well.

Dave I think it's budlo - I believe it stands for "bout de l'an" ( end of year) as they used to have bonfires to celebrate New Year. A think a bordello night would also be good fun though!

 

[spearheads]

omd

i like my puppies boiled but my kittens fried yummy :yack rofl
i think i might try one next year , just a small one.

 

[foxfish]

Spearheads if you do shoot a wrasse make sure it is 4lb+ as they are difficult to fillet otherwise.
I warn you though, dont do it if you are sentimental because they dont die easy, they dont struggle much & they look at you with open eyes. I am obversly getting soft in my old age but shooting wrasse is not my idea of fun!
However wrasse are perfectly edible, everyone to thier own I guess.

 

[spearheads]

Im no softy about killing for food i shoot rabbits and pheasants also i have shot a deer and how cute does rabbits and a deer look. Its just that i dont want to waste it if i dont like it

 

[foxfish]

No problem then, wrasse is a very nice fish to eat.

 

[Andy.R]

Met up with Colin at 11:30 @ the Knife. Crystal clear swimming out through the shallows, just like a summers day. We worked our way out to the end of the knife with Colin stealthing th eshallows and me working the sand for flatties. We got to the end and I started working the deeper bit on the edge of the tide where the sand meets the gravel.

I looked up for Colin and saw him dissapearing west with the tide!!!! I followed for a way, but peeled off and into port grat... Colin last seen in the area of triggerfish reef and still going west!!! (he obviously wanted to give his new flippers a good test )

Worked the eel grass beds and sand back into the causeway and stealthed the shallows in the weed. I came out with a good feed of clams and razors and a couple of nice plaice. There seem to be loads of rockies around, but no bass seen. I noticed that the kelp is definately thinning out now on the reefs and saw lots of ormers out and about on the tops of the rocks.

Driving past Port Grat on my way home at 2:30 I saw the figure of a lone diver walking across the beach carrying his gear....Colin.

Andy

Night Dive any good this week with the tide being high @ 7:00? The viz and lackl of swell would make it worthwhile

 

[Magpie]

You got some razors did you Andy? Good job, can you pm me your email address, I want to send you a map so you can show me exactly where...

Myself I'm bloney busy at the moment, but did manage to get in yesterday morning. Decided to take advantage of the flat calm and try Portinfer. Viz was good but not crystal and straight away I saw some bass out at the edge of vizability. Carried on across the sand, not seeing any sign of flatties before finding and missing a golden grey near the reef edge. This pattern continued for at least 4 fish, by which time I was doing aspettoes in 10m, which is a bit too deep for my comfort! Lots of GG's, absolutely no accuracy.
Not sure this Mamba is the gun for me. No matter how I try and aim I rarely hit the target, and just don't have the "feel" for where its pointing like I did with my band gun. One GG I missed was no more than a foot away....
If anyone out there is really kean to buy one let me know as I might be open to offers.

Anyway, swam back over the sand, with no sign of flatties and stood up in the shallows to work out where best to get out onto the rocks. Decided, put my head back down to swim in to find 2 3lbs bass literally under my nose. Not even moi avec mamba could miss and stoned one.

Anyway, Dave, there are squid around mate, saw loads off the breakwater last week and had a couple myself last night, maybe they come inshore later though?

Yeh, I'd be up for plonge du nuit Jinxy, can't do Tuesday or thursday though.

 

[Magpie]

Oh and theres one more thing. This bass was vegetarian!

It had a bulging belly and I thought there'd be something interesting in there.
Most of the bulge turned out to be gas, but in the stomach was a few crab bits and loads of green weed!? The intenstines were full fo the weed too.

Do I need to rake up some eel grass for my next fishing session?

 

[Spaniard]

Wrasse, small ones anyway, are crucial when making an authentic bouillabaisse! They also make good fish stock for any recipes that require it. I have experimented in using the stock in paella and it works well. I know they bake them in France too but that does not appeal to me personally.

P.S. sarnian, didn't get a chance to post suit yet - sorry.

 

[Andy.R]

There is another way to catch razor fish

'Cumbrae Oysters hand-dive for razor fish, but another, riskier, method is to trail an electric cable behind a boat which stuns the fish, allowing divers to grab them.'

Andy

 

[Magpie]

Dejavu monsieur!

 

[Draenog]

Well, thought I'd try a Swansea winter dive after reading all your reports.

Sadly, as I expected, even after a good long flat spell with no rain and mirror pond seas the water was just brown soup. Left my kit on the beach, swam out 200m and still couldn't see my feet!

I suppose living on one massive Estuary I shouldn't really expect anything else.

Still, my new Fuji F10 with underwater housing arrived today, so I can take it down to Pembrokeshire where the viz is more like back on The Rock.

Also got a battered old shortboard for £60 so at least I'll have something to do nearer home until the water clears up next year!

 

[foxfish]

Magpie dont be to despondent with your gun, it would appear a lot of new owners go though the missing stage! Colin seems to be on target, maybe it is because he was never used to a band gun? Any how it is an interesting problem as mambas fire very true & straight! It took me a while to find my mark & to be honest I dont know how it happened? I do use a longer spear & I did persevere through a lot of missed shots though.

 

[Magpie]

I wouldn't say I was despondant with it mart, and I'm certainly not blaming the gun, I'm sure its shooting in the same place each time, its just I can't work out an aiming system to make that place correspond with the place I want it to go!

Loading it is also a bit of a hassle, not the compression part, thats fine and I'm happy doing it in the water, but getting the little barrel shaped bit of pastic into the muzzle is a right b*tch! I know this varies from gun to gun, and I've got a tough one, and changing the Orings may well help (haven't tried that yet). I've carved the end of my loader so its got a spear shaped indent on one end, with a lip that fits in the plastic bit, but I've got to pull far harder on it to get it sealed properly than I do to load the spear! Its bruising my leg trying to get it in! I'm also sure that it must be affect power/accuracy as if it needs that much force to get it in, it must take similar force to get it out again on firing.

But tbh its mostly a confidence thing. I've lost confidence with it and it would take a while to get that back. It does seem to me that the spear speed can vary from shot to shot, though I'm probably imagining it, which is just the confidence again.

And anyway, is a good excuse to get something new! Looking at the X-fire at the moment!

PS. Still got your little adapter jobby in the car!

 

[Huw]

Magpie...

The X-fire is shaping up to be my next gun too! i love everything about it, and i want a gun bigger than my 90cm at the moment for travelling next year. Glad to hear that someone else likes the look of it too!

Huw

 

[foxfish]

Are you sure you are not accidentally taking your gun to bits as Dave said he has all the components for the adapter!?
Nothing wrong with a new gun mate, going to build a very interesting design over the winter myself.

 

[Magpie]

Erm, don't think so! You remember it had a little jobby that you screw into the gun, put the pin part in, then screw the gauge into that, it showed it in the instructions.
If its meant to be in my gun I'm going to get even worse foot bruises from it when loading!

Ooh, new project eh, come on then, give us a hint!

Does look good doesn't it Huw, I like the very open sight picture you get, and its very clean looking, nothing fussy.

 

[foxfish]

Well I am still working on design but you wont have seen any thing like it before, think match rifle thumb hole multilaminate. Going to try & form at least 20 thicknesses of beach in a very radical style.
Strange about the Joby?

 

[Sarnian]

Met up with Colin at 11:30 @ the Knife. Crystal clear swimming out through the shallows, just like a summers day. We worked our way out to the end of the knife with Colin stealthing th eshallows and me working the sand for flatties. We got to the end and I started working the deeper bit on the edge of the tide where the sand meets the gravel.

I looked up for Colin and saw him dissapearing west with the tide!!!! I followed for a way, but peeled off and into port grat... Colin last seen in the area of triggerfish reef and still going west!!! (he obviously wanted to give his new flippers a good test )

Worked the eel grass beds and sand back into the causeway and stealthed the shallows in the weed. I came out with a good feed of clams and razors and a couple of nice plaice. There seem to be loads of rockies around, but no bass seen. I noticed that the kelp is definately thinning out now on the reefs and saw lots of ormers out and about on the tops of the rocks.

Driving past Port Grat on my way home at 2:30 I saw the figure of a lone diver walking across the beach carrying his gear....Colin.

Andy

Night Dive any good this week with the tide being high @ 7:00? The viz and lackl of swell would make it worthwhile

At least you got something Andy! Hadn't gone around that end of the Knife before, and didn't realise there would be such a current at slack tide. Anyway, I thought I was just being carried to the other side of the Knife and had lost my bearings conpletely until I got out and realised I was on the other side of Port Grat! At one time I swam in a large shoal of small mullet and also saw longnose.For the record the diving boots and fins from Squeaker ( £ 60 the lot) were good value. Nice walk back with a weight belt and gear! Oh well fun in the tide, as Mart said!

 

[Sarnian]

Tom, I suppose it's because I've only been used to a pneumatic, and a small one at that, but I find the Mamba excellent, and the aiming instinctive, like firing a normal firearm. I'd probably be crap with a band gun. I also haven't had your problem with the sealing ring. The other thing I did at first was let a bit of air out, until I got used to it, then pumped it up again. Perhaps we should go out together and swap guns?

So what's this X-Fire then? Sounds like more Star Wars stuff - oh no that was X-Wing fighter. Has it got a HUD? And as for Foxfish 's project- I don't know what you're talking about, but it sounds pretty cool!