My first sea bass!!!!

[LENDERYOU]

Hey guys,
Although this is going to be very un-impressive to im sure all of you i thought id share my dive today.
After purchasing some more weights (up to 8kg now) i headed down to a local spot close to me and began setting up. Their was already a bunch of guys just getting out stating that they had seen nothing and that it was pointless..... Great start!
Nether the less i was still keen to get in and see if the apnea training app i purchased during the week had paid off. The vis was pretty poor on the surface but opened up to around 4 metres on the bottom.
I swam around for about 30 minutes before i found a little cove with lots of kelp on the bottom and a vast amount of little hiding spots. I steadied my breathing, started my timer to see if it had improved from the shocking 20-30 secs i had been managing before, i got into the gap in the kelp and waited. At the end of my 50 sec breathe (massive improvement) hold a large number of bass appeared from no where. I was soo excited as ive never seen them before under the water i took aim and managed to nail my first bass in the belly, terrible shot but i wasnt bothered. I soon realised i had no where to put it and had to swim ashore to stow it. I left today with a total of 2 bass each about 2lb!!! by no means a monster but i was incredibly happy all the same. I cant wait to get home next week and do it all again!!
Sorry for boring you all.
Ben

 

[Scoobaru]

Congrats budd. That is what this sport/hobby is all about. Enjoyment and learning. Stoked for you getting your first bass. This year has been a very peculiar year so far with even some of the big names of spearfishing not catching many bass.

Keep up the good work and keep the reports coming in, they are a great read and many others in a similar position will really appreciate you taking the time to write up reports.

Dive safe matt

 

[scrumpy]

Always good to read reports and hear of fish being caught. Well done mate. Reps on the way, get you started.

 

[charlie.]

nice work dude always a thrill to get the first of a species. on the subject of stowing the catch i posted this the other day and think it might help.
http://forums.deeperblue.com/spearfishing-equipment/98581-buoy-o-buoy.html

 

[denian]

Well done on the bass not one but TWO took some of us months to see one never mind shoot one! Your in the right place with good lads around you .Do keep us updated its great to hear what other have been doing.

 

[LENDERYOU]

Hey guys,
cheers for the support, i often read reports from guys on here who are accomplished and excellent spear fishermen and thought it may be interesting for people like myself who are new, still learning and running into the same mistakes as maybe many others, to hear it from a different perspective. Im just gutted i cant do it more often..... i hate being based in portsmouth!!!
Glad im part of the community.
Ben

 

[Broseidon]

Well done Ben - great report! I think we all remember our first bass. I was just like you and had no-where to put mine - no knife, float or stringer - I didn't make that mistake again!

 

[LENDERYOU]

A strange day

Hey guys, once again don't know if anyone will want to read this but good to hear it from a newbie's point of view.
Got back last night bursting with excitement at the thought of getting another bass, so i prepared all my kit for the morning. On my way to the spot i remembered seeing my wetsuit hanging up and giving myself a mental note to pick it up on the way out..... i didn't!! i couldn't believe what i had done, i went to the local dive shop as i needed a stringer as i didnt want the same problem as last time and their was a cressi camo wetsuit on sale...... so i bought it. The mrs is gonna kill me!The guy stressed that they can be a fight to put on but i didnt take it on board. i got to the mark and their were alot of people stood around maybe 30, it soon became apparent that it was a travellers wedding and it turned into 100's op people very quickly. they all congregated around the strange man in the funny wetsuit looking like i was about to enter battle!! The man from the shop was right, that suit was the hardest thing ive ever had to 'fight' it took an age and with all these people watching i looked like a right fool!! After what seemed like eternity i got my kit on and quickly made my way into the water, unfortunately i didnt see any bass but did manage to grab two 3lb ish pollock which i was chuffed about. Their were bigger in the water but they seemed alot more wiser to the thing at the bottom clinging hold of kelp because i forgot about the extra neoprene i was now wearing. I couldnt stay down long enough due to the effort of fighting my bouyancy.
I was wondering guys is their an easy way of getting those suits on?
any tips appreciated
cheers Ben

 

[Broseidon]

Re: A strange day

LUBE! You can't get a spearo suit on without it! Your best bet is to get some Aquous Cream, which you can get for about £2 from any pharmacy. Mix it with some water and squirt it into the suit, it'll slide on like a dream!

You need to be careful with the inside of the suit as the open cell neoprene is very delicate.

 

[scrumpy]

Remember my first experience as I didn't use enough solution. Stood in the little triangle parking area of Torcross, Slapton trying to get this new all singing suit off!! After what seemed an age I managed to get my arms out and went to take a well earned breath, big mistake the suit constricted over my face. I knew what it was like to meet your end by a Boa. To the watching few it must have looked like something out of aliens, as I fought to get my fingers inside the hood, gasping for air, trying to pull this thing off me.
I now use a mixture of cheap hair conditioner 10% - 90% water. 500ml bottle conditioner from Morrison’s 24p does me two 2 litre bottles so my suit slides on. If I am diving close to home I put hot water in to make it more snug. Big southern softy I know or not as the case maybe when the water is cold and -2 on the car read out.

 

[Kernowkayaker]

Congrats on the bass! Still waiting to get mine seen a few but nothing big enough.. Did you get your suit in Falmouth? I got stuck in one while trying it on in a dive shop! Still have trouble getting it off! But there are some useful guides on YouTube!

 

[scrumpy]

See above I drench mine for a few minutes, holding arms swishing it around. Same with bottoms hold the bottom of the legs etc. I use to use a small spray gun and spray a fine mist inside but had areas which were tight or uncomfortable. Where you are struggling to get it off, you will end up putting your finger nails through your suit or worse ripping to an extent of it being useless. Once fully swished around tip out water and slide on, taking off grab tail from behind, pull over back of the head, comes off inside out. I hang mine inside out and turn back inside to dry outside. If you get what I mean!!!!!!!
Remember the old deeper blue saying ' YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH LUBE'
Lee

 

[Trelawney]

I find some cheap anti bacterial hand soap does a better job for suit lube. For a 2ltr bottle, 6 squirts is usually enough with some hot water. You also smell nicer when you take the suit off, especially if you've turned the "central heating" on during the dive.
Tip: Wrap your towel around your bottle on the way to the dive and it will stay warm for longer. Save a bit in the bottle for when you get out. Warm towel, warm boxers, and then you can put some warm(ish) soapy water down the arms and the front of the suit to aid removal.

 

[scrumpy]

Hmm, central heating I seem to have a constant leak!!!
That's when holes in socks comes in handy.

 

[LENDERYOU]

Congrats on the bass! Still waiting to get mine seen a few but nothing big enough.. Did you get your suit in Falmouth? I got stuck in one while trying it on in a dive shop! Still have trouble getting it off! But there are some useful guides on YouTube!

Hey bud, yea I got my suit from Cornish divers, they have a sale on the cressi camo suits at the moment. You go often around falmouth area?
Cheers
Ben