Sharkatag Bass

Willie's seen here making the best or worst of it depending on what way you want to look at it.

The lads being blown off on Friday and Saturday are taking a few fish on crab baits. I'm sure Sundays weather will be better!

Some Pike for Stewart

Stewart's been getting his clients some  fish down in Loch Ken. Give him a bell if you fancy a day afloat after some Pike and Perch.

Nico, catching the ghost fish

A nice report here from Nico. If you've never tried summer Mullet fishing or not had a go for years this pretty much sums it up and is a good reason to get out there somewhere, with a loaf and a float. It's basic angling and arguably angling at it's best.

I knew the mullet would be in with all the hot weather.  I headed down to my local mark with a bucket of groundbait in one hand and the rod in the other.

It only took me five minutes to spot them, lazing around on the top of the water. Without spooking them I started ground baiting, getting them close in. When the bait hit the water it started off a feeding frenzy, they were darting through the clouds of bait, eating off the top, it was amazing and great to see them again and in good numbers.

I got the rod set up with 7lb line, control float and a 3ft snood with a small carp hook. First cast landed right on top of them and the bread got hit but I wasn’t too eager to strike, just yet. My heart was going waiting for the float to go and then, the float darts across the water, STRIKE, but I missed the fish. For about 30minutes I kept missing fish and I was thinking, I’m not going to get one today. I know a lot about these mullet, so I kept going for it, then, bingo one fish on its own feeding in the ground bait. Here was my chance, without spooking it I slowly cast to the left, letting it go down towards the fish. It spotted the bread and swam up to it, mouthing it and then all hell broke loose and it was off, like a missile across the water. I was thinking don't snap, don't snap with my heart in my mouth.  What felt like 20mins later I landed this nice wee mullet to go with the other five I’ve had over the past couple of days. It was a good days fishing.

Gordon gets his first Tope of the year

Gordon was out of Ardwell on 2nd of June. He also managed a large LSD of  3 pounds 9oz and he's now up to 18 species from the boat this year.

The humble cluggie , probably one of the most photogenic fish in the UK

Wrasse on Bute

Martin took a trip on the ferry from Wemyss Bay across to Rothesay for third degree burns and some Wrasse on plastics, probably the last day of summer...

Must be fish here somewhere?

Some paddle tail rubbers?

Aye! Rothesay in summer no place for a bald man....

A walk in the sunshine and a couple of fish.

News from the south from Jim Hamilton in exile...

Well the cold start to the year certainly played  havoc with the start of the boat fishing season off the south coast.     The first charter trip was  a bit – well extremely slow a  few doggies each and only one decent fish an undulate ray of about  15lbs.    That was a get back on dry land and into somewhere warm as quickly as possible sort of trip.

First trip on my boat looked promising – absolutely flat calm steaming out of Langstone harbour.  As it was a big tide headed towards one of  the local reefs known to produce bream around  its periphery.  Well it usually does  but not on that day.    After two hours we had a small garfish and a nice thornback taken on an uptider cast to the side of the reef of about 10 lbs.   Decided we would  move to the next mark and there we  were motoring  along at thirty mph when the Teleflex steering cable parted.  I ended up in the lap of my crewman – he is a big bloke so I had plenty  of padding. 

Tried steering back using the cowling of the 60 – no good to much torque at anything other than tickover – time to phone a friend and a tow home.  See attached piccy.     Got back and rustled up a marine mechanic and after a week and some cash  back in business for  the next spell of good weather.

                             

The next trip was on a small tide and great weather so off to one of my favourite marks about 15 miles from  Langstone harbour.  Smooth hound alley so it was with the planned two rods each turning into one at a time due to the speed of the action had about 12 hounds from about 7 to 12 lbs and a  nice ( well for down here ) tope of around 30  which was bizarrely hooked on a smoothie rig of  40lb  snood length with a 4/0  but caught in the tail by  the second hook.   Once the tide stopped so did the fish.    Thought I try and catch some dinner -  so 4 hours produced a pout two small bream and a couple of garfish along with the ever present dogfish in vast numbers.   Dinner came from Tescos that night......