Monday 9th May - "Moonshine"

And so to Monday. Waking up to a stiff Northerly wind, I new straight away that it was unlikely we would head to the tope holes. That added to an earlier than normal weed problem, pretty much restricted our choices to another day on the Black Bream. So, I packed the carp rods, six shooters, and optimistically a couple of uptiders, my girlfriend, a friend of ours Joe, and a friend of mine from Brighton, Andy, and headed down the A27 to Hampshire, complete with my three eels, and a bucket of live prawns. A quick breakfast in Carol's Cafe, and then down to the "Moonshine". The skipper Pete confirmed that it was unlikely we would get amongst the tope, which is really distressing having spent two days chasing the bait for them, but with a possibility of finding a few smoothounds, we set off to a rocky mark just inshore of the Boulder Bank.

Down with the light rods, two hook flowing traces on 6.8 amnesia. Hooks size 4, slim strips of calamaris, and there wasnt enough tide to move even three ounces of lead donwstream. Never mind, a short lob to get the bait away from the disturbance of the boat, and sit back and wait for action. THe skipper was in straight away, the first of an entirely male catch of prime conditioned black bream, displaying their incredible bright blue courting colours. Then the skipper was in again, and again. Finally Andy was into a fish, and then Joe. Then Peter again. I checked out what Pete was doing different, and there it was. There was a box of ragworm left on from a previous trip, and Peter had suggested we try a cocktail, but as usual I hadnt listened. But Pete was slipping a small piece of ragworm above the squid. I reeled in, and got Radka to do the same. I changed the baits and we dropped down. Bang, straight away we were both into fish (this being Radkas very first fish she has caught!!). When the next fish came aboard, Peter showed us why. The bream were feeding on a small red worm, possibly tube worms, and there were some frilly remains caught on their tiny teeth. Either that or they were browsing anemones or something. But the ragworm certainly made a difference.

After a few bream, and a succesion of pouting, I started using live prawn on one hook. After about half an hour, I had a very strange bite. A big slam, and then just a strange nodding of the rod. I wound down, and felt a weight that kicked a couple of times, and then went all weird. In the clear water I made out a brown shape that I couldnt Identify. It wasnt until I got it to the top and into the boat, that I realised what it was. A topknot. These creatures are not uncommon, divers frequently seeing them around rocky shores. They are rarely caught on rod and line though, although this is actually the second one I have caught. The first was in a baited drop net in Brighton marina, a fish which well exceeded the british shore record of some 15 ounces, I think. But this was my first one on rod and line, a fish of some 10 oz or so. I was well pleased. Check out how beautifully ugly these fish are, in the pictures below.

 

So no Dolphins this trip, but the end result was black bream, pollock, pouting, dogfish, ballan wrasse, topknot and mackerel. Not bad for a tope trip!! My next tope trip is on the bank holiday Monday, so fingers crossed for that one. I have a full crew of six including myself, so it will be plenty busy!!