No Fish Stew

[Mr. X]

I'm surprised that we don't have flightless pheasants!

I think we already have -- those wings are mere vestages!

Itching to get back in the sea. This winter has been really loooong. Haven't got any scallops yet this winter -- should probably make the effort one weekend. (Lost some of my drive to dive for scallops when I saw a Supermarket - possibly Morrisons - advertising them for just 80p each last year!).

 

[naiad]

(Lost some of my drive to dive for scallops when I saw a Supermarket - possibly Morrisons - advertising them for just 80p each last year!)

I saw that - I can only hope that they are sustainably harvested. The price looks a bit suspicious, I hope they haven't discovered some unspoilt scallop beds somewhere and started bottom-trawling them...

 

[Oldsarge]

Another thought for those far from the sea, Pastor's sermon this morning mentioned that when the Spanish colonists settled into Colombia they found themselves a looooong way from the traditional fishing grounds of the North Sea so in order to conform to the required meatless days during lent they proposed a water-dwelling, web-footed creature that was . . . almost a fish and could they please eat capybara on Friday? One must wonder what the Vatican thought of the request given that it is unlikely that any of the curia had ever heard of, let alone seen one. Hundred pound rodents! That's a lot of bunny rabbit!

 

[Spiderman]

All this talk of shotguns, rifles and air rifles makes me think that perhaps we need to define which type of gun is sporting for different types of fish bearing in mind their speed of swim.

Here is a suggested starting point for the UK:

Wrasse: may only be caught using bare hands
Pollack: hand held spear
Bass: Standard speargun (Aluminium barrel, bands, value less than £100)
Mackerel: Special spearguns (value over £100, carbon fibre bits, mamba etc)

 

[spearheads]

Actually i find sometimes Pollock can be a bit jumpy, well that's my excuse.
As for wrasse you can only use your teeth.
I have only had a few mackerel this summer but when you hit one you feel well chuffed.
Congers should be shot with a normal spear gun with an explosives chargerofl .
bass mullet again a normal euro speargun.

 

[foxfish]

Mamba power!
I somehow managed to shoot this 8oz garfish.

 

[Amphibious]

great knife rack, and gass range..... need a roommate?

 

[Huw]

Damn... i have always wanted to shoot a mackerel and garfish, but i have never ever seen one whilst in the water. In what ort of water do you guys come across them... perhaps in the open as you go from one side of a bay to another? How do they act in the sea? I can only really imagine them swimming past at rediculous speed... do they circle spearos, or come in a large ball and you just fire into them or what?

Huw

 

[Magpie]

The mackeral I've seen have been loners and the move on pretty quick when they work out what you are. Had a good shot at one but missed.

Have shot longnose before, they don't seem that bothered by you and can circle you getting a good look, small target though!

 

[Huw]

The mackeral I've seen have been loners and the move on pretty quick when they work out what you are. Had a good shot at one but missed.

Have shot longnose before, they don't seem that bothered by you and can circle you getting a good look, small target though!

cheers mate, what depth have you found them? I always kinda presumed they would be baitfish level as in the top 3m or so of water, but in open water and not near the weed and rocks ( where i usually hang out!

Huw.

 

[Magpie]

The water depth was no more than 5m on all occasions. The mackeral were mid-water, the longnose, sorry garfish swim in the top foot of the water often just an inch below the surface.

 

[Spiderman]

Damn... i have always wanted to shoot a mackerel and garfish, but i have never ever seen one whilst in the water. In what ort of water do you guys come across them... perhaps in the open as you go from one side of a bay to another? How do they act in the sea? I can only really imagine them swimming past at rediculous speed... do they circle spearos, or come in a large ball and you just fire into them or what?

The mackerel I have seen are usually going past at 100mph chasing sandeel. I have seen a couple of slower ones but even then too fast for me to shoot.

 

[SurfnSpear]

I shot a Scad at Bognor a while ago....was quite chuffed with myself too.:king

 

[spearheads]

In the shallows they come past me quite slow, but if deeper they have gone over the top of me.
normally see them in small shoals.
I have only seen one scad when i saw it i thought it was a john dorry.rofl

 

[island_sands]

Mamba power!

love your kitchen mate.

 

[foxfish]

It is funny that you guys comment on my kitchen (thanks) because I made a post on Medfish picturing a gun I am building, there was almost as much interest in my coffee table as the gun!

 

[Magpie]

New career as an interior designer mate!? rofl

 

[Mr. X]

How do you cook the gar Foxfish? I had one circling me at Chesil last year - its behaviour was really odd - it never occurred to me to shoot it; it was the first one I've seen while diving. (Nice Kitchen -- are those Lidl's German knives?).

Re. fast moving mackeral, I had a shoal of bait fish swim past me (again at Chesil) followed by a shoal of mackeral. I was tempted to shoot into the middle of the fast moving mass of mackeral -- figuring "bound to hit at least one" (although, at the back of my mind, I wondered if they might be so quick witted that they might all dodge it!). However, I restrained myself as a local fisherman had just told me the day before that the mackeral chase the bait fish in and often the bass follow the mackeral. So I waited for the bass .... none showed up unfortunately.

 

[Magpie]

I find they're not disimilar to mackeral mate, you don't need to anything posh with them. They're an underrated bait too.
And don't be put off by the green bones,it just makes them easier to spot!

 

[Amphibious]

the gar, or Hagool as the arabs called them when I lived in Saudi are excellent table fare. they get quite large in the gulf (well over a meter). would just streak them and lay them on the BBQ covered in a mild curry sauce. yum yum!