Fanbasstic

Here we are again another week gone and another blog created, this week I had a few chances that I was unable to take and one, that the weather scuppered. I was busy at work this week but Chris and I had Friday off to try and track down a Grayling, a bit of research had thrown up a couple of venues for this species. I then had a message from a friend saying there was a space on a trip targeting big congers on Wednesday if I wanted to join them, I know this skipper gets plenty of good eels and was desperate to jump aboard. Unfortunately I had some important meetings that day and its also the day Mrs D works and I have to be around to meet Matthew from the bus, this led to me declining the trip. I knew I'd regret that and sure enough the guys had a blinding day landing 80 eels to 60lb plus plenty of Ling, I could have kicked myself and after last Sundays species fail I could have done with a bit of sport. I did have a trip booked on Saturday from Minehead fishing with Scott Shepard but the forecast for Saturday looked horrendous and this just added to my frustration. I was banking on the Bristol channel trip, to try yet again for a Spotted Ray and I just knew that it would be cancelled, I really needed something exciting to do, a little treat. A boat I have been following on social media is Silver Halo charters, based in Torquay, the reason it stuck out, it was a smaller style charter boat aimed at smaller groups of anglers, targeting specific species etc. Part of my love of boat angling is trying new ports, boats and skippers it can be both exciting and educational, every skipper I have ever fished with has taught me something new. Its also incredible not only how diverse our various shorelines can be, but also how different the tides, depths, seabed and fish species can be. For example Dartmouth with its close proximity to the Skerries is great for Plaice, Lyme Bay for Black Bream, Falmouth for Red Band fish, Looe for Shark and Minehead for Cod, obviously much more can be caught from these areas but it highlights the opportunities we have. I think largely because of this challenge I have tried different areas and different skippers and its been not only productive but enjoyable, it just confirms how fortunate we are to have so many hard working, quality charter boat skippers available. I would say though, that most of these guys are really working hard to carve out a living and the costs associated with running a charter business mean that a long spell of bad weather can be crippling. Silver Halo skippered by Matt Forrester is a new 7.9m Cheetah Marine Catamaran that has been constructed around angler Matts specific requirements, and I was keen to have a go on this compact style vessel. I was to get my chance as Matt posted a Bass fishing trip for the coming Friday with spaces, the method was to be targeting big Bass on the inshore wrecks with live baits. This definitely was something exciting to do and the poor old Grayling was relegated to another day, I contacted Matt and booked a space, Chris was just as keen as I, and booked up too. The day before we were due to go I had a message from skipper Andy Howell asking if I was free Friday to try for the Porbeagle I was desperate for, another opportunity that I had to turn down, I was extremely grateful to Andy for thinking of me though. The day of the trip arrived and we left in the dark at 5.15 and arrived at Torquay Marina still in the dark at 6.15, time to have a wander around admiring the plethora of boats that adorned the marina berths.

Before long Matt arrived and introduced himself, the other angler who was out with us was one of Matts regulars Dan, we shall refer to him as fish pan Dan. Dan was a chef who along with his wife another chef ran their own restaurant in south Devon, Dan seemed to have a recipe for every single species and was happy to cook any fish, hence fish pan Dan. He was though a very good angler and superb company so I have no doubt he makes a mean fish dish, although his claims that Pouting were tasty are maybe a dish too far. We followed Matt through the marina maze to the berth that housed Silver Halo, the skipper invited us aboard and the well designed craft was like a sea tardis, everything was designed for angling. There was a lot of space and dozens of rod holders, collapsible seats at the rear of the bait table were a delight for a couple of ageing anglers with dodgy legs. The livebait tank was pride of place and large, proving that this was an important item of kit, for this boats method of fishing, the twin 115hp Honda engines looked capable of quite literally getting the boat airborne.

Speaking to Matt it quickly became apparent this boat was his pride and joy and he had invested heavily to get her to this stage, it is however no good owning a Zonda if you cant handle it. The skipper was however more than qualified as a proficient seaman and just as importantly an excellent angler, both of these crucial for successful charter boat success. We headed out through the harbour with the darkness departing rapidly, Chris and I both commenting on our many trips to Halden Pier. I told Chris one of my last trips from Torquay was when I took my then fiancé Mrs D on one of the tourist Mackerel trips, I had sneakily put a bit of bait on the bottom hooks on our feathers. Then little Mrs D told me that she had something on her line that was hard to pull in, I told her not to make a scene and just pull it up, it was just a string of Mackerel. That turned into a massive egg on face moment, as a near 20lb Conger appeared on the surface attached to her bottom feather, the boat full of tourists thought she was a god, I however thought, she was indeed marriage material. The skipper opened up the engines and we skimmed the mirror like surface towards the bait fishing mark, as the engines stopped the air fell eerily silent as we drifted into a mine field of black barrels. The barrels were a vast mussel farm and the whole thing felt strangely surreal and I couldn't help but feel that if we touched a barrel it would explode, like a giant game of battleships.

The area however was a very good fish attractor as is the case with any structure in the sea, the bait fish roamed in spasmodic shoals amongst the mussel covered chains, and that is why we were there. Fish pan Dan was first into a fish and would you believe it, a lovely Tub Gurnard a fish I needed, Dan was already planning the recipe for that one. Then Chris and I both started getting our target bait fish, the Scad and these were dropped quickly into the fish Jacuzzi at the rear of the boat. We went on to add some large Mackerel to the tank and 20 minutes later headed off to the first wreck, the tides were small and livebaits should be a better option to the lures in these conditions.

Chris had forgotten to take his seasickness tablets so I prepared myself to grab pictures of any suffering he may endure, however he was fine all day more proof he had grown some sea legs, makes the blog a tad less colourful. We soon arrived at the first wreck and skipper Matt had tied up a few Portland style rigs that were combined with an 8 foot fluorocarbon trace and 5/0 Mustad circle hook. I fixed this rig to my light boat setup and attached a Scad, this was steadily lowered to the wreck some 30 meters below. I asked Matt how we should be fishing this technique and he explained to let it hit the bottom then wind up two turns, which I did, he then said if a Bass is approaching the bait will start to panic and bounce the rod tip, this incredibly then started to happen. Matt continued, then the Bass will grab the bait and try to dive, the rod then arched over as a Bass indeed hit the bait and dived towards the wreck, this literally happened as he said it. I was now however attached to a very strong Bass and on the light outfit was excellent sport, it stripped line repeatedly in its attempts to get to the structure but luck was with me and the stunning bar of silver soon rolled on the surface. I haven't done much Bass fishing and I knew the fish was clearly a personal best, it was bouncing around 7lb on the scales but was long and lean. Chris and Dan hadn't even dropped their lines yet and we had our first Bass, what a start and for me species 71, a truly stunning example of the Bass, I am still so delighted with this fish.

This was proof, that listening to the advice of the skipper will help you put those special fish on the deck, ignore them and rest assured you will miss out. Chris kindly done the pictures before getting his own bait down, straight away he was also into a good Bass and with the fish nearly at the surface another big dive caused the line to part. Such a shame when that happens but all you can do is get set up and start again, this is exactly what Chris did and soon he was back in the feeding zone. Fish pan Dan was now attached to a Bass and they really were fighting well on our balanced kit, this turned out to be a fish of around 5lb, again another beautiful example.

Another boat arrived at the wreck, and this seemed to be full with a group of shirtless anglers targeting pouting, they were clearly happy pulling up string falls. As the Pouting pirates drifted only yards from the stern of Silver Halo, my rod started to show a trembling bait, slam the bait was smashed by a Bass and line was once again pouring from the spool. The other boats sumo like crew looked on as the fish battled in front of their very eyes, the skipper netted another Bass of similar size to the first much to my delight. The fish was released over the side facing the Pouting pirates, and you could here them exclaim " that was a Bass"! I started to get the feeling if they spotted us land anymore Bass they may very well board us and steal Chris and the fish.

With that, yet another boat arrived and skipper Matt suggested we move to another wreck as there were plenty to try, we all agreed and soon we powered off further east, leaving the cast of the full Monty to their Pouts. We arrived at the new wreck and I tried a joey Mackerel bait for something different, while Chris opted for a go big or go home approach with a big Mackerel, both baits were soon taken. Chris was into his second Bass and the fish around 4lb stayed attached for long enough to get netted this time, it just proves how big a bait a Bass will engulf.

I however, maybe should have not taken the Michael out of the bare chested boat stalkers as the fish that engulfed my live joey Mackerel was a blooming big Pouting, reap what you sew I guess.

Dan added another Bass to his total with a bit smaller fish of around 3lb and we all caught a few more of the voracious Pouting, maybe this information leaked out because steaming towards us was the Pouting Pirates. We moved on again, such is the abundance of inshore wrecks there is really no need to be sat in a pool of boats, with the nippy Silver Halo reaching each wreck in 15 minutes it was no hassle to move. This wreck produced a new best Bass to Chris of around 5lb and the fact we both now had personal bests proved we had been right to shelve the Grayling this week.

Of course Chris couldn't go the whole trip without causing some sort of drama and the fact the bait pump kept cutting out was initially a mystery, until we realised Chris kept sitting his fat backside on the pipe, crushing it flat, hence the flow stopped. We were also visited by a pod of Dolphins and no matter how many time these wonderful creatures cross my path I will never tire of seeing them.

The lack of tide was definitely effecting the fishing and the powerful slams of the morning Bass takes were replaced by cautious plucks and stolen baits as slack water arrived. We had used no more than 6oz leads all day which is great for light tackle fishing but the fish become lethargic and more suspicious of the rigs. We did try various options and a few more wrecks but the fish really switched off, however we were all delighted with the day and anything else was a bonus. Chris nicked another smaller Bass that he didn't know was even attached until he retrieved his trace and Fish pan Dan added another species to the fish pie as he landed a nice Pollack on the last drift. I cannot recommend Matt and Silver Halo Charters enough, a super skipper that will give you a great days fishing. Check him out if you fancy a trip with a smaller group from the Torquay coastline, www.silverhalocharters.co.uk As I suspected Saturdays Ray trip was cancelled and I spent the day with the family. Sunday was another chance to wet a line as Mrs D wanted to visit her mum, this meant I could have a couple of hours checking the lakes were okay, and consequently have a little go for a Crucian Carp. I knew with a little manipulation I would get another chance to add to the species list, and although I didn't have maggots I decided tiny cubes of Luncheon meat would suffice. I dropped the family off and headed out on what was a lovely sunny Sunday afternoon, I was welcomed at the gate by a stunning Red Admiral, and despite the recent frost the summer was clinging on.

I set up with a quivertip outfit and size 18 hook with a 2lb link, this was baited with a tiny cube of meat and cast out between two lily beds. Straight away I started getting line baits no doubt due to the bed of pellet and corn I had just put out, a few minutes later the tip swung round and I hooked the first fish, a lovely Golden Orfe. This Orfe was the first of several as the greedy fish seemed to get to the bait before anything else, clearly they have bred several times already.

I stuck with the meat bait and trickled in micro pellets that eventually lead to the swim beginning to bubble as fish dug amongst the bottom silt, the next bite was something different and I netted a lovely Golden Tench, now they were in the swim the Orfe had been pushed out and I had several Tench before the swim went quiet.

I introduced some bread dispersals to try and draw in the Crucian Carp but the bubbling had stopped, the sun had become shrouded in cloud and a cold breeze blew across the lake. I was beginning to doubt any further fish would make an appearance and started to think about making a move. Then the tip shot round and I struck to find myself attached to a small fish impersonating a Marlin ,as it breached twice from the water, I struggled to identify the species but once netted I knew exactly what it was. This was an Albino Grass Carp and I was unaware that they actually fed on Luncheon Meat, assuming they ate water plants and insects. Well a bit of a result really, as it certainly wasn't a species on my list and that was species 72 not what I had expected.

I had just slipped the little fish back when my parents turned up for a walk around the lakes, I knew this would mean that their crazy whippet, Shadow wouldn't be far away and sure enough he bounded over.

He was surprisingly well behaved and didn't eat to much of the luncheon meat, he actually sat and watched the water no doubt waiting to see a fish that never came. They soon had to make tracks and I remained for a while longer to feed the Carp with some bread and the Pike with half a dozen Mackerel. It was an enjoyable unplanned few hours and resulted in a surprise capture a great way to finish the weekend, next weekend its a road trip up to the midlands as a guest of Mr & Mrs Aldridge, no pressure Carl!