Baits on board were crab, lug, frozen razor, rag and a frozen mackerel.
On the water by 11:30 so first stop was the Turbot bank, No 6 buoy, for a few mackerel.
A few drifts and I had enough fresh bait mackerel herring an a few launce. Next stop was for a ray or two, ended up with 4 small thornbacks and a small grey gurnard all within 50 minutes
Two taken on mackerel fillets one on a herring fillet and the other on a herring head.
Job done so I headed on out into open water in search of fish for the pan. A few stops produced small pollack and ballans all returned.Next stop was on the Smiths first drop produced these 3 looked promising
a few more small pollack and it was back up on the same drift.
Next up of note were a double of pouting and cod.
Next on the menu was a whiting I like a bit of whiting served on well buttered toast and a cup of tea for breakfast . A few drifts was only getting me small whiting so I threw out the anchor in the hope of bringing in a better quality of fish and give me a chance to work the mackerel feathers. A bad call, while I was still getting whiting the dogs moved in and nearly every cast there was a dog with the whiting,
Picked the odd double of cod and whiting while I was there plus a small octopus and a goldsinny wrasse a dab a poor cod and a small little ling trying to eat a bit of mackerel that was way too big for his mouth. Having caught enough dogs (no photos and don’t go there) for a life time I decided to go on a long drift over ground I would normally not fish. This got me some more small ling the biggest been this fellow a nice cod of 3.5lb and a cuckoo wrasse.
That brought my species total up to 16 for the day.
With the sea starting to freshen up a bit it was time to head for the harbour.
Engine trimmed up a notch or two it was 20/22 knots and drive on. If that boat was a horse I’d be locked away for cruelty.
Back inside the harbour I headed back to No. 6 buoy for some fresh mackerel. Wind against tide on the turbot bank is no place for the land lovers, 4 foot swells 4 feet apart and everything sliding around the boat, mad.
Struck it out and had about 4 dozen mackerel 90% of them the perfect pan size.
Not a great day out for hard hitting fish but nonstop fishing all day.
Species: mackerel, herring, launce, thornback, grey gurnard, pollack, ballan, cod, pouting, whiting , dogfish, dab, goldsinny, ling, poor cod and a cuckoo .
