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South Devon 2015
- Thread starterTrelawney
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
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Had a long awaited trip to the South Hams yesterday afternoon. I took a mate with me who was new to snorkelling let alone spearing so the murky water and swell didn't help much for a beginner - wrong destination methinks. However, a bit deeper and there were a few fish about. Plenty of mullet and also a lot of small bass. Nice to see the little ones about but no bass worth taking. Shot a mullet about 3 pound and missed one of the biggest mullet I've seen over the years - absolute sitter as well so must be rusty. Good to be back in the water though. I guess the light northerly winds should make a fair few spots in the South Hams crystal clear by the end of the week.
I was in today ( hope cove area ) good vis 5-8 metres ..variable .... bit choppy but that helps disguise my noise!! .... very strong current in one spot due to big tides , not many fish seen , saw a few bass but all too small ... took a pollack and a crab and a lobster , thinking about it now I have not seen many mullet this year ... nice day out , and next weekend is looking promising if the forecast is correct ...
Had a good dive Torquay area . Patchy vis 2-5m-ish. Lots of small bass and mackerel schools. Neither seemed too bothered by my presence.
Took two tidy mackerel, a golden and a thick lipped grey mullet aprox 40 and 50cm.
The thick lipped mullet was following a school of bass - I was watching all the little school bass swim by when I saw the mullet tagging along behind them. I've seen dog fish following bass before now as well. It seems that bass have a following on both sides of the water!
Took two tidy mackerel, a golden and a thick lipped grey mullet aprox 40 and 50cm.
The thick lipped mullet was following a school of bass - I was watching all the little school bass swim by when I saw the mullet tagging along behind them. I've seen dog fish following bass before now as well. It seems that bass have a following on both sides of the water!
Hi All, a few of you have been chatting about Freediving courses. I really recommend them as a way of making your spearing safer through understanding your bodies better. Apneists UK with Steve Millard are really good and they even run spearing courses. http://www.freedivers.co.uk
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Took the dinghy out from Teignmouth yesterday. Vis was silty ~4m at slack water before low tide reduced to 2/3m when the tide was flowing. Lots of good sized mullet about. Some good bass too. I missed a perfect shot on one of them all because I'd forgotten to take the safety off from earlier! ****!
I don't often take photos but as I had my phone...
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Well spotted foxfish. It is indeed a golden grey.
I got another golden grey from Torquay area today. Missed a lovely big grey, and got teased to my wits end by a school of bass that stayed on the edge of the vis and wouldn't keep still! I was being sooo patient waiting for a good shot but after 5-6 dives they were not to be seen. I'm yet to spear a bass this year. Still time yet...
I'm seeing lots of pollack recently, but none bigger than 50cm. Does anyone know where/when to find the big ones?
Patchy vis 2-4m.
Halfandy ... bigger pollack are usually to be found in deepish water with current ... headlands especially but they are not that common around Torbay .... 50 cm fish are fine for eating ( MLS 30 cm I think ) well done on the mullet , I have not seen / taken many this year ...
Thanks mirror. I'm a bit weary of deep water as I usually dive alone, I'll give it a go next time I have someone with me. I only take the 'smaller' pollack if there are no other fish about. I find them a bit of a fiddle to get all the bones out - even compared to mackerel. There seems to be no shortage of juvenile and small pollack, so I wonder if the bigger ones come this way to spawn and then go back to where they came from. Some research is in order I think.
Funny you should say about the mullet - last year I saw very few on took none, this year has been the year of the mullet for me. This may be down to experience though as I only started spearing last year.
Funny you should say about the mullet - last year I saw very few on took none, this year has been the year of the mullet for me. This may be down to experience though as I only started spearing last year.
In again today , calm sea , good vis 5-6 metres , only saw 1 bass , no chance of a shot though ! Found a couple of nice Plaice and was chatting to a fisherman ( crabber in boat ) showed me his lobsters , and he gave me the crab ... nice chap !!
Take a look at this fella and his filleting videos, very well done and easy to follow without him showing off doing it at a break neck speed.
Thanks pointandhope, I think I'm gonna have to get hold of a decent filleting knife and give it another go! Those fillets look very nice.
AlastairB, some very nice catches! I think I'll be making my first S.Hams trip on Wednesday to try and hide from the easterlies that are forecast.
I went out for a night dive after work on Saturday. vis was 1 - 2 m but I caught a lovely bass. My first this year and also a PB at a guestimated 3 or 4 kg.
AlastairB, some very nice catches! I think I'll be making my first S.Hams trip on Wednesday to try and hide from the easterlies that are forecast.
I went out for a night dive after work on Saturday. vis was 1 - 2 m but I caught a lovely bass. My first this year and also a PB at a guestimated 3 or 4 kg.
Nice variety there Alastair, you've been eating well!
In at South Hams last night, 2 decent bass to show for it. Milky but good vis of 5+ meters. My buddy saw a john dory the size of a dinner plate and left it. Never seen one before while diving, personally I'd have taken it.
In at South Hams last night, 2 decent bass to show for it. Milky but good vis of 5+ meters. My buddy saw a john dory the size of a dinner plate and left it. Never seen one before while diving, personally I'd have taken it.
Another after work dive last night. There were lots of gurnard and red mullet so I came home with four of each. The gurnard were 25-30cm and the red mullet 20cm ish. Do the red mullet get much bigger than this? I spent ages looking for bigger ones but they all looked much the same.
Speared my first plaice right in the head. I thought I'd stoned it as it wasn't moving, but when I tried to put it on the stringer it shot off quick as a flash! I spent a while looking for it but I guess it buried. Danm. Nice size too. Also saw a few rays, but left them there.
The squid are getting bigger - about finger size now.
Speared my first plaice right in the head. I thought I'd stoned it as it wasn't moving, but when I tried to put it on the stringer it shot off quick as a flash! I spent a while looking for it but I guess it buried. Danm. Nice size too. Also saw a few rays, but left them there.
The squid are getting bigger - about finger size now.