Sussex report 2008

[huntfish]

Thats alright jwells i was in two minds to go but glad i did ,id like a squid so hopefully will see some tommorrow iv still got to sort out my weights i struggle to get down, i think iv sorted my equilisation problems tho.
Are u diving the palace at low tommorrow?

 

[jwells1989]

yeah i have seen quite a few squid under the pier lately and the odd cuttlefish, i really want to dive the low tide but cant because i have to work, but i finish at 5 so am gonna run home and try to get down to the beach for a quick dive at the palace pier after work, what time you getting down there?
have you not brought any extra weight yet!

 

[jwells1989]

hey huntfish did you manage to dive today, did you catch anything?
i did not dive today decided it was gonna be too much of a rush to get from work to the beach and get changed and all that so left it. i am diving tommorow though but not sure where yet.

 

[huntfish]

Hi jwells yea iv just got back from Newhaven the vis was poor about 3 meters but speared my first squid its not a bad size but when i first went in saw a huge one but took me to long to figure out what it was then it was to late. the one i shot had a bass of about 1/2 ib in its suckers which surprised me at first but after inspecting the bass it had very damaged flank so was just getting an easy meal. Other than that i didnt see many fish just the odd pollack.
I went to the dive shop in the marina and nearly passed out at the price of the weights, £16 for one 2kg weight . I ended up buying second hand weights off the lady behind the counter £16 for 2-2kg weights now i can finally reach the bottom.

 

[huntfish]

I just cooked the wrasse from yesterday i dont know why anyone doesnt like it i thought it was nice with a bit of lemon, would be excelent for fish cakes ill definitly take another one home.

 

[seasider10]

Hi all,

Thanks to huntfish for point this thread out. New to the forum and in my second season with the spear! Local to brighton i tend to go to the marina/pier/rottingdean-saltdean/newhaven arm.

Hope to see some of you in the water in the coming months. Will keep you updated on my progress.

 

[Spaniard]

Welcome to DB mate! You have good company in your area and if you are so inclined you can join Sussex Club, send PM to Eric_Aqua, this club has much pedigree and history in UK spearfishing! Otherwise enjoy yourself and try to hook up with the other guys on this thread!

 

[eric aqua]

Many Thanks to the British Squad members who turned up for the Squad dive on Saturday at 6am. The dive was held at Bognor from boats on a big rising tide with the Viz on the day up to 8 mts. Mick Veal was awarded 10 brownie points for the biggest bass a fish of 3.500 ks found lying in heavy kelp, it was taken with a perfect kill shot in the top of the head. Kevin Daly also gained brownie points for taking 4 bass for a total weight of 5.180 ks and a black bream of 1.640 ks. Despite working all night and then driving directly to the dive Dave Pearce still managed 2 bass and a big ray. I must thank the lads again for their hard work at the end of the day I measured the wind blown tide at two knots on my GPs and we still had to drag Mick and Kevin out of the water so we could get home to watch the cup final.

 

[Captain J]

Hi all,

Thanks to huntfish for point this thread out. New to the forum and in my second season with the spear! Local to brighton i tend to go to the marina/pier/rottingdean-saltdean/newhaven arm.

Hope to see some of you in the water in the coming months. Will keep you updated on my progress.

Welcome to the forum. Might see you out there, I'm in Ovingdean next door to Rottingdean.

 

[huntfish]

Has anyone been out today, iv just got back from Newhaven about 2 meters vis ,had a pollock 1lb, picked up a very large lobster but after it kicked a couple of times i was left with one large claw, whats the trick to keep these buggers without loosing a finger?
I recently purchaced a torch and did some hole searching tonight but managed to pull a muscle in my leg when i placed my beam on what i can only think was a conger i panicked as i was very close and have heard stories about congers, i sharply surfaced and twisted my leg, at first i thought the thing had clamped itself to my calf

 

[jwells1989]

hey i am gonna go tommorow morning at palace pier, looked really good this afternoon but finished work late so could not go.
unlucky about the lobster, pick them up behind the head that way they cant really get you with their claws and they cant flick off either.

 

[huntfish]

Did u make it down to the pier josh? I was hoping for a nice weekend but the wind looks like it might be changing to a southerly blow .

 

[jwells1989]

yeah i went to the pier for about 30mins then swam back it was rubbish, although it looked really clear from the top it was not when i got in, vis was ok on the surface but on the bottom there was loads and loads of little partcles in the water and it was completely un divable, i suppose its the may bloom so will have to wait for that to pass now, saw a few flat fish but only took one, may bloom is definatly here though judging by today.

 

[seasider10]

Was at the pier then too - saw someone out towing a smb -must have been you i saw there! Yeah vis was poor but managed to get a bass and saw quite a few others, and spotted a small conger not worth taking - apparently the bigger ones are spot on chopped into thick steaks and bbq'd. There were some bigger bass (5-6lb) right up in close in about 4-5ft of water - holed up, but with the vis they spooked as i got close enough to see them and i lost them. May rot quite thick though, was quite good camoflage but the fish tend to slow up a bit as it gets in their gills. Funny i never seem to spot the flatties - think i'm too focussed on the bass!! does anyone check the mizzen ground east of the peir when they go here? - have had some good success trolling over this ground but never snorkelled it.

 

[Pisces]

Hi guys. Is it worth driving down from london for some spearing tomorrow, or is the conditions not worth it?
Hope you are all OK.
Many thanks for any info.
Cheers. Happy fishing.

 

[huntfish]

Hi pisces the water is calm but quite murky check on met office weather in the morning, if the wind is between Northerly and Easterly u will probably have a bit of vis but anything else i wouldent bother , Brighton might be better Jwells should be able to give u better info . If u do decide to go good luck and happy hunting.

 

[jwells1989]

hey, yeah i was towing an smb seasider10, were you the guy that had silvery snorkel fins on? if so then how big was the bass that you caught? i saw quite a lot of flatfish just after you left. i have dived the ground just east of the pier and its just rocks and mussel beds with sand but i have seen bass, mullet and flatfish on it though.
i dived again this evening and the vis was bad due to may bloom, saw some bass though but they all swam off just as i saw them.
picese visablilty is bad in brighton due to may bloom the best it got this evening was about 1.5 meters at the very best.

 

[seasider10]

yeah that was me - have found the silver fins draw the fish in on sunny days , the vis is poor. The bass wasn't a monster, probably about 38-40cm. There were a few groups of schoolies and young fish just inshore from where i saw you - as i said right up in close I came across some bigger fish but they bolted almost as soon as i could make them out in the murk.

 

[KWM]

Don't want to spoil your fun, as I am not a policeman but the agreed minimum size for bass in the sussex sea fisheries area is 45cm. so if you are going to shoot fish and post about them it would be better if they were over 45cm.

So that you are aware the sea fisheries officers monitor this site.

regards Kev

 

[eric aqua]

Good work Kev as you said it is the World Wide Web, Jwells when the slub weed is thick, as it is now, fish in the strongest tide poss and let the fish come to you. I stoned a 5 kilo Bass to day and my mate had one of 5.5 ks both shot 1 mt in front of the guns.