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South Devon report 2007

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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make sure you have a good float/SMB if diving bigbury bay as boat traffic from hope and the avon can be busy.
 
Took the day off work today hoping for a surf but it was pants so I went down to my new secret spot near Start Point.

A bit of swell was breaking on the beach making the go-out interesting but nothing major. It didn't bugger the viz either which was anywhere from 6-2m depending on depth and type of ground.

Only a few schoolies about but a healthy count of big arsed bass, some easily double figures. Spooked a bigun in a gully right beneath me so I doubled back to dive down into the gully and hit it head on . I tried to move slow but swift. Thought I'd get down there in time but just before I dived it bolted from under the kelp.

Later, I was crawling in 1-2m depth over some bootlace covered rocks close in and stopped just inside the edge of the weed looking out. I had come up behind a 3-4lb mullet with its back to me only 1-2 metres away. I spent a minute revelling in my stealthyness, aiming for its brain and was coming round to the idea of shooting it rather than horsing around. But a massive bass, at least 10lb, cruised in front between me and the mullet. It was 90 degrees to me, 1m directly in front of my spear tip and didn't quite have the measure of me as it was coming to see what I was. I aimed for the shoulder and pulled the trigger. The spear ran straight and true, hit its gill plate and bounced off

Absolutely gutted.

Managed a 3lber later that was full of crab. Small consolation but welcome anyway.
 
Reactions: Mr. X
Jez what part of the tide did you dive your secret spot and could you give me direction as I didnt quite get the name of the place

Sorry to hear about the loss, nothing worst then watching dinner swim away do you use a normal spear or one with interchangable heads?
 
Jez..sounds like you have yourself a good spot. must have been so frustrating to see the big bass swim away!

I have the week off work..so will likely head to the start point area tommorow if the weather isn't too bad..hopefully i will come across the one that got away

I went in at Talland bay in cornwall this afternoon..good vis but failed to see any bass and only spotted some large wrasse
 
Reactions: Mr. X
I almost feel sick reading that post Jez,i'd be a nightmare for weeks after that.But yeah,great sounding spot.
 
Whoa, just a note of warning, I didn't dive at or that near to Start Point, please be careful as the currents there are big. The spot is fairly easy to find on a map but navigating your way there is quite a challenge. Don't take anything wider than a small car! Just have a look on multimap aerial photographs for clues, if it looks good from the air it's good on the ground! It really needs a period of wind from the northerly quarter to calm the water down a bit. I might check this place on a good SW swell with the surfboard!
 
Jez said:
It really needs a period of wind from the northerly quarter to calm the water down a bit. I might check this place on a good SW swell with the surfboard!
Click to expand...

THis particlular spot has been on my list of places to try for a couple of years now but it always seems to have too much swell so I haven't dived it yet.
 
went in over high water today at spot near Start point. was a fair amount of swell.

vis was ok though once into deeper water as I swam towards Start. I seem to be having a tough time finding any bass but place was alive with pollack.

had 5 shots at these and hit 3 so was reasonably happy with this result.

saw a guy fishing on the way back to the car who was staying for the night and reckoned he had a 7lb bass 2 weeks ago

will likely be going in again tommorow..may try heybrook bay or if thats too rough then perhaps blackpool sands
 
Hi all

Went in today with my new birthday present, a gabbiano 90 Elite! Oh what fun but where oh where were the fish? 2hrs in and not a grey fish seen. Wasn't a total loss though although i did think to myself 'the gear doesn't seem so heavy as before?' only to think again ' thats because you've left your weight belt at home,Di******d'.

Saw two monster and i mean monster wrasse today, one most have been way clear of 7lb if not 8lb and they were a real pleasure to watch inside the cave i found. Pollack shoaled around me to make me feel at home but nothing tasty or takeable size.
Will keep going though, water was cooler out from the river but the suit from spearo kept me plenty toasty!
Weight belt next time and further out i think.

Take care all


Tribs

Out
 
Reactions: jwells1989 and Mr. X
Hi All

Went in today and it was pretty dire. The sea looked calm but boy was it not. After having been smashed about for two hours, ripping my suit, losing my knife, tangling my gun cord and snapping the tip off one of my fins i'd had enough!!!
Did take a mullet of 3 3/4lb but he looked to have a glaze over his eyes? his body was healthy and the flesh was fine when i filleted him but he definitely wasn't quite right.
Did see two mullet in the 7lb bracket but it seemed like it took an age to bring the 90cm gun around compared to my trusty 75cm and they were gone and past. Did see a really thick grey fish disappear from sight from under a rock ledge and it must have been close to a double, sadly i don't think it was a bass though. they seem very scare lately.

Tribs

out
 
Snapping fins seems to be the order of the week. I snapped mine on tuesday after spinging up from the bottom even heard the snap. It snapped inside the foot pocket so spent the rest of the week trying to get a new pair.
Got hold of Steve from bluewater sports and he no longer had my size so totaly gutted.
 
Reactions: Mr. X
had a nice early morning dive(s) from a boat in bigbury bay, still some good long period swell but the off shore reefs/pinacles were fairly clear 5m-7mts viz. came back with a nice bass. water 15c. bonus weather for this time of year.
 
Perhaps that's how it managed to get so big. Something similar happened to me once last year. I put it down to something slowing or stopping the spear short (the line can catch awkwardly in the muzzle clip if you are not careful when loading) - but will never really know for sure. I clean-up the spear-tip with a file after every trip - so it is kept reasonably sharp. In your case, perhaps the angle of the fish help turned it into more of a glancing blow. You'd thinking being whacked in the head by a spear would knock the fish out even it the spear did not penetrate.

I did hear of somebody on returning a 90cm speargun because the spear glanced off a fish's gill plate. It obviously does happen from time-to-time. I doubt if the speargun was faulty.

[Sounds like you found a good spot]
 
Reactions: jwells1989 and foxfish
An open water 10lb bass is not an easy fish to catch, a wise & careful creature it must be to have survived so long a life in this age!! I have shot at big bass with the same result more than once, sometimes you can knock them senseless for a min or two but a big bass will be very difficult to handle when it comes too "trust me"!
Of course now I use a mamba
 
Reactions: Mr. X

when my mate shot a 8lb bass a few weeks back on a night dive it went mental and it took both of us to finish him off! i had both my hands around its head with lee trying push the knife through its head not easy in the dark nearly lost a finger next time he can hold the fish
 
Reactions: Mr. X
Hi all

Half term next week, 9 days off school, Hooray!!!!!!!!!!! just wondering if anyone regularly spearo's Torbay, London arch area and could tell me if there are any dangers to be aware of there? Big tide/current etc also what sort of depth it available or indeed needed? state of tide to dive it at etc. Just thought i might give it a go?

All help greatly appreciated.

Tribs
Out
 
London arch can be very good, no tides to worry about only boats. The depth goes to about 30ft but then you are on clean sand.
You can have fun swimming through the arches and tunnels.
Meadfoot is just around the corner and is fishing well. Exeter club had a competition their last weekend lots of bass around, i had 10 Bass 1 mullet and a pollock.
 
Last edited:
Reactions: podge and jwells1989
Jwells, I bet it was spearfishing, spearheads is a up & coming champion. He is only young but already a recognised competition spearo.
 
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