Guernsey 2008

[Old Man Dave]

Looks most like a brill although rather longer and thinner. I assumed that was a camera angle thing. Topnots are very brill like but usually darker colourand obviously smaller. Does look a bit strange now I look again. Other pics would be interesting.

Dave

 

[ADM]

It doesn't look like a sole. Eyes are the wrong way round and the nose is pointy where a sole is much rounder IMO. Nice pics though tom.

 

[Sarnian]

Perhaps we could ask the oracle? Richard Lord's Google Group was mentioned in the Guernsey Press yesterday - I haven't investigated yet but it's at:
Discussions - CIenviron | Google Groups

 

[Magpie]

Some more pics

 

[ADM]

I subscribed to that Sarnian, lots of emails about Mushrooms at present which are appearing in numbers round the island in this settled weather but they are a knowledgeable lot

 

[Magpie]

Dunno what you mean about the eyes Andy, seem the same way round to me, compare them to the obvious sole in this vid, which is a few clips from last night including a gymnastic peeler spider crab.

[ame=http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=CMDjYutKc6c&fmt=18]YouTube - Night Dive October 08[/ame]

The diffuser works but makes the LED's white light, yellow, especially when combined with the cameras dive mode, which saturates the red spectrum to compensate for the waters absorbtion. Putting the camera in normal mode should sort that, and I'll get to find out tongiht as I'm off in again in a place that Ed was too chicken to try last night, so I'll just have to do it myself eh!

 

[Magpie]

Well what a load of nudibranchs that was!

I don't remember any night dives where I didn't see one fish of vague interest....until now!

Dived a bank that holds lots of razors and its adjacent huge eel grass bed, somewhere I've fished lots but never dived, and won't be again any time soon.

If it wasn't for the sea slugs that plagued the eel grass and one solitary cuttlefish on the bank it'd have been a total waste of time.

Bit disappointed in the photos, must work on my underwater macros, was difficult staying still enough in a bit of tide and swell. They must have been mating because the slugs were everywhere, of all sizes, and some had lines of what were presumably eggs stuck to the fronds.

[ame=http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjTmxDHHZJ4&fmt=18]YouTube - Cuttlefish[/ame]

 

[Old Man Dave]

Nice pics and vid Tom. That cuttle had 2 false eye spots on its back end. Never seen or at least noticed that before.

I went in west coast last night. Vis was poor and there was swell. Swam out a good way then swam back in again. Got out and drove to east coast. Went in but vis was not too good there either although less swell. Both coasts were fishable but I was very disappointed with conditions. Like Tom I saw little. A few reds, a cuttle or two and some small sole.

Dave

 

[Magpie]

It made the eye spots whenever I prodded it, for only 5 seconds, then they went again. The one in a vid I did last year did exactly the same. Try it on the next one you see.

It didn't ink me once despite annoying it for a quite a while.

Good to hear the viz west was no better, I was thinking I'd been a muppet going there!

 

[Old Man Dave]

Just back from a low water day dive down west. Monster swell out to sea with white water around all the reefs. Went in around Rocquaine way but didn't hold out much hope. Vis was not good but fishable, especially in any lee from the swell. Saw a few bass and a few mullet. Should have had at least 4 bass but must be getting old and only managed 2. The 2 smallest ones as well. At one point had a nice 4 or 5 pounder right in front of me but I was oh-so-slowwwwww!!!! It must be an age thing although lack of practice don't help much either.

Dave

 

[Trelawney]

Hi Magpie.
What torch are you using in your two recent videos'?

 

[Magpie]

DIVETORCH UK - SEAC-SUB X-LED 40 WATT DIVE TORCH with custom Magpie diffuser.

All my night diving vids have been with that torch I think, not just those two. YouTube - jaketheshed's Videos

 

[Spaniard]

Great vids Magpie! As I won't be getting wet anytime soon it's great to see underwater action of any kind! Keep 'em coming mate! Is the viz still as awful as it was earlier in the season?

 

[Magpie]

Better than it was but patchy now mate.

 

[Spaniard]

Well I hope it improves but well done to all you boys for not giving up completely! Maybe Winter will be the new Summer?

 

[Sarnian]

Perhaps we could ask the oracle? Richard Lord's Google Group was mentioned in the Guernsey Press yesterday - I haven't investigated yet but it's at:
Discussions - CIenviron | Google Groups

I subscribed and have now received the following very full reply from Richard Lord:

The fish cannot be a brill or a topknot because the fish in the image
on the CIenviron website is right-eyed and brill and topknot are left-
eyed flatfish. What do I mean by this?

All flatfish go through metamorphosis. As larvae they swim upright
with one eye on each side of the head. During metamorphosis one eye
migrates to the other side of the head and there is a 90 degree
rotation in posture as the flatfish begins life on the sea bed. The
pigmentation is also asymmetrical as usually one side becomes white
while the other side retains pigmentation to blend with the colour of
the sea floor.

A flatfish has two sides just like a round fish like a cod for
example. In adult flatfish usually one side is white (the blind side)
and one side is pigmented (the eyed side.) The left-side is blind
(has no eyes) in right-eyed flatfish and the right-side is blind in
left-eyed flatfish. In right-eyed flatfish the left eye migrates to
the right side of the head during metamorphosis - both eyes in
adulthood are on the right side of the head. In left-eyed flatfish
the right eye migrates to the left side of the head.

You can just see the small mouth as a crooked line in front of the
left-eye in the picture. The left eye in the image is actually the
fish's right-eye (from the right side of the head) and the left eye of
the fish (originally from the left-side of the head) is to the right
of it. The left eye has migrated across the top of the head from what
is now the blind side to join the right eye. So the fish in the photo
is right-eyed. Fish in the family soleidae are right-eyed. This fish
is a common or dover sole, Solea vulgaris. The pectoral fin on the
eyed-side has a blackish blotch, which is clearly visible in the image.
.
Best wishes,

Richard
Richard Lord

 

[ADM]

I stand corrected then Sarnian. Just didn't look right to me, appeared very pointy loooking in the pics.

 

[Sarnian]

Never mind Andy. That Richard Lord bloke seems to know his stuff though!

I tried at a tall rocky place this afternoon. Vis very variable - from about 1m to 3m. Apart from the usual rockies, the only silvery fish I saw was a decent sized bass in the distance in shallow open water, which flicked its tail at me with a "clop" and was gone!

Let's hope October improves a bit.

 

[Old Man Dave]

Have to say that despite the less than ideal conditions I have managed a few fish this last month. None of them have been record size but the old freezer is looking nicely full. After a couple of bass yesterday and a few plaice from last week in the freezer I decided to have a go at the inshore gravel banks for a brill or turbot. You need a boat of course so it's lucky I've got one. Hardly remember how to drive it but then i've only managed to get out 3 or 4 times this year.

Nice sunny day and not much wind but some of the big swell from yesterday was still there. Vis was okay and although the tide was springing I did a couple of drops on the banks.

Ended up with a nice mixed bag. Nothing too special but I got a few brill (no turbot), a few scallops, a big cuttle (for my mates wife) and a jumbo daddy crab about 6lb. Tried the rods as well and added 6 big mackerel.

Fun day.

Dave

 

[foxfish]

Good catch Dave but are you sure they were brill?
Col i don't doubt Mr Lords knowledge but he forgot to mention that the confusion was based around the fact that that particular sole does not actually look like one!
PS Dave, they definitely taste like brill
PSS forgot to mention that we went out in my boat for a short fishing session, the normal bream & mackerel but also a nice little cod. Unfortunately the cod escaped at the net!