Thanks for the advice, really helpful.
For the Devon/Dorset area what could I expect to be searching for (fish wise) close to shore in the Autumn and Winter months?
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South Devon 2016
- Thread starter Trelawney
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
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For the Devon/Dorset area what could I expect to be searching for (fish wise) close to shore in the Autumn and Winter months?
Well, I had a day off today, so me and the lads took the boat out to the breakwater. Great viz, 12m-ish. Lots off bass and mullet about, and this cheeky chappie...
He took me by surprise really. My wishbone broke, so I was hunting the sand patches for plaice when I almost bumped into him. It was at the end of my dive, so with no bands, I had to stab him in the head and drag him 12m to the surface.
I just need to find one now at next years Fish In. Hahahah.
I just need to find one now at next years Fish In. Hahahah.
Saw one just off the Louis sheid last month but only about 4lb, amazing to watch the mouth open and shut, rolls of teeth. First one I'd ever seen diving
I had a short window for a dive this morning, so I turned left out of Plymouth and dived Lobster Reef. It was a very low tide and looked glorious from the cliff, so in I went.....only to be met with 1-2m viz all round. Bugger.
The sun was low, so all the gullies were in darkness. I had a mooch around the end of the gully where I got in and found a really nice lobster in a hole. He wasn't coming out at all until I dropped a small brown crab outside his hole. He came out half way to scare off the intruder just long enough to get a spear behind him. He went in the bag. Swam along another 10m and found another one.
He was a bit easier to tickle out, but was a bit smaller than my personal size limit, so he went back.
The sun was low, so all the gullies were in darkness. I had a mooch around the end of the gully where I got in and found a really nice lobster in a hole. He wasn't coming out at all until I dropped a small brown crab outside his hole. He came out half way to scare off the intruder just long enough to get a spear behind him. He went in the bag. Swam along another 10m and found another one.
He was a bit easier to tickle out, but was a bit smaller than my personal size limit, so he went back.
I would say you catch an anglerfish, but eat a monkfish! Anyway, that giant green/brown tadpole/ angel shark/ anglerfish, was it bloody tasty?
When you are cooking and eating fish all the time, angler is nice because it offers a different texture to work with.
You can do certain things with it like stuffing a whole tail or wrapping it in bacon and roasting it, then it can be sliced like a joint of meat.
It makes better scampi than Dublin bay prawns!! but yes, I will go along with Chris and say it is not the best fish out there.
I haven't eaten one for about 15 years anyway!
Give me gurnard any day.
You can do certain things with it like stuffing a whole tail or wrapping it in bacon and roasting it, then it can be sliced like a joint of meat.
It makes better scampi than Dublin bay prawns!! but yes, I will go along with Chris and say it is not the best fish out there.
I haven't eaten one for about 15 years anyway!
Give me gurnard any day.
I could not agree more - I saw one in the fishmongers a while back and as I'd never tried it, thought I'd give it a go - quite amazed by how good it was. I was alway told they were pot bait and nothing more.
Yeah, unfortunately they are not easy to spear, well they are very easy to spear if you can find one!
Two main varieties, the Red and the Tub with the Red being the most common.
Of course like all the other fish nowadays, they are not really common at all!
Anyway around my way, Gurnards are generally found in deeper water, 50' +.
They are very prized by shore anglers because very few are caught close to shore, the guys call them 'Carrots' where I live.
We catch them from the boat over gravel bottoms, we prefer to use shellfish for bait but they are scavengers so will eat virtually anything.
One point of note is just how vocal a gurnard can be, they make a croaking sound when under stress, for some folk the noise, really can be quite disturbing!
For average size Reds of around 1.5lb I boneless fillet them like I would do to a mackerel but, I then skin the fillets.
Crispy fried Gurnard, in a white bread sandwich with lashings of salted Guernsey butter has long been a family favourite
Two main varieties, the Red and the Tub with the Red being the most common.
Of course like all the other fish nowadays, they are not really common at all!
Anyway around my way, Gurnards are generally found in deeper water, 50' +.
They are very prized by shore anglers because very few are caught close to shore, the guys call them 'Carrots' where I live.
We catch them from the boat over gravel bottoms, we prefer to use shellfish for bait but they are scavengers so will eat virtually anything.
One point of note is just how vocal a gurnard can be, they make a croaking sound when under stress, for some folk the noise, really can be quite disturbing!
For average size Reds of around 1.5lb I boneless fillet them like I would do to a mackerel but, I then skin the fillets.
Crispy fried Gurnard, in a white bread sandwich with lashings of salted Guernsey butter has long been a family favourite
I think I mentioned this before but I swam above a decent sized Tub Gurnard for several minutes last summer in about 12 foot of water with my spear tip just inches from it's head. It wasn't remotely bothered by me at all.
In the end I decided not to take it because I wasn't 100% sure it was good eating fish, only knowing of the smaller red variety. Gutted when I realised. Wonder how long till I see another one.
