My first boat trip of the year was wrecking for Pollack and
ling aboard Flamer IV out of Weymouth.
It was also the first match in the Flamer Friday Fishers Specimen
League. A friendly (ish) species
competition focusing on bigger fish. The
rules are simple. Each species scores
between 2 and 20 points with a maximum of 10 fish counting for each
species. There is a maximum of 2 hooks
(Pennell rigs count as 2 hooks), mini species (those with records less than
1lb) and mackerel do not count and for any fish to count on the score sheet
they had to be over 12” long. 5 bonus
points are awarded for fish weighing 5lb-10lb, 10 points for fish weighing
10lb-20lb and 20 points for any fish over 20lb.
We left harbour just before 7am and it was obvious from the
start the weather gods were in a good mood as the winds were light and the sky
clear. Colin opened up Flamer IVs engine
as we rounded the stone pier and we started the long steam to our first wreck
more than 20miles south of Portland Bill.
The flat calm seas as we left Weymouth harbour
I opted for a Portland rig a simple but effective rig ideal
for working artificials over a wreck. To
begin I used a lure I had success with last year…a bright pink redgill
evolution which was soon nicknamed ‘the pink peril’. Through the day, I also tried sidewinders in a
range of colours including the popular rhubarb and custard. The rest of the crew opted for a variety of
Portland, Flying collar and flowing trace rigs loaded with shads and
sidewinders.
The first drift was unsuccessful but on our second we had a
few takes and the first couple of fish hit the deck including a small Pollack
for me only about 3 or 4lb but I was on the score sheet. The third drift was also good with a second
fish for me probably about 6-7lb, which gave me 5 bonus points. The next few drifts were blank and Colin
decided on a move. Unfortunately our run
of poor drifts continued. Over what
should have been the best part of the tide we visited a number of wrecks
catching the odd fish here and there some of which were into double figures but
we failed to find a wreck, which produced consistent fishing. By the end of the morning, with the fishing
so slow, the competition was close with only a few points separating all the
anglers. It was on our 6th
wreck of the day where we finally found a few fish as the tide began to
drop. I managed to add 3 more Pollack (1
small fish, another in the 6-7lb bracket and one just into double figures) and
a pout, which was just over the minimum 12” to my tally.
My largest pollack of the day 10lb 4oz
As we approached slack water Colin said it was prime time to
try for a ling. I swapped my Portland
rig for a flowing trace with a 6/0 pennell and a yellow muppet above. I baited with a fillet of mackerel and a
whole squid and sent it down to the depths.
This is high-risk high reward fishing.
Either you catch a fish or you catch the wreck. On the first drift I found metal work and
lost my gear. I quickly tied on spare
trace and was ready for another go. The
next drift looked to be going the same way as the first as I hit something
solid but as I tried to bump out the lead felt a bite, which pulled me clear of
the snag and I was into a fish. It was
not the hoped for ling but turned out to be a small conger eel of maybe 7 or
8lb. This gave me a very useful 20
points (congers are t-bared outside the boat and are worth 20points regardless
of size). I had a second conger on the
net drift this time around 25lb, which gave me a good tussle and another
20points.
The conger was the last fish of the trip and at around 3pm
colin signalled the competition was over and we headed back into port. On the way in the scores were added up and
double checked and it turned out I was the top rod on the day with 112 points,
2nd was Stephan Attwood (54 points), 3rd Mick Nunn (47),
4th Trevor Cozens (32) and 5th Andy Collings (27). The crew managed to boat some decent fish with the biggest over 14lb with a number in the 10lb-12lb bracket.
Although the fishing was on the slow side the day was
thoroughly enjoyable the weather was great for February, we caught a few fish
and I added 3 species to my total for the year.
Colin worked hard to put us on fish trying a number of wrecks but some
days the fish don’t play ball! The next competition is in the middle of march which (weather permitting) should be a
reef and bank trip targeting rays, spurdogs and other reef fish in the morning
with a crack at the big turbot on the shambles bank in the afternoon…I cannot
wait!
If anyone fancies joining the league or booking a trip on
Flamer IV check out Colin's website
Until the next time
Tight lines
2013 Species - Thick lipped mullet, whiting, flounder, common goby, black goby, pollack, pout, conger eel
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