19th May

Over we go.....!!

Sunrise over the Needles

The previous evening the skipper Rob Thompson had requested we prepare for the crossing, and meet at the boat at 04:00. THe whole crew (eight of us) had arrived to find the wind had dropped significantly, and it was suddenly looking viable to scoot across the channel. After getting the boat straight and equipment stored, we slipped the moorings and found ourselves heading into a sea still laden with energy after the previous days wind. Nothing dangerous, as Rob would never leave the moorings had it been so, but for landlubbers such as we were, an uncomfortable five hours lay ahead. After about three hours the engines slowed down, and we set up to drift, fishing for mackerel to sustain us for the duration of our session, in case, as last year, mackerel were scarce when we arrived. As we were mackereling, some red dots appeared on the sounder, hugging the bottom. A few people dropped down their feathers to see what was happening. Double shots of cod followed, although most had snapped the fine sabiki feather hook links before reaching the surface. A few were caught though, and the success threatened to jeopardize the main mission, the bait collection, so the skipper made the unusual statement, possibly the first time ever issued by a UK charter skipper, but one which highlights the success of the tighter channel cod management, to "Avoid the cod and focus on the mackerel".

Steve bending into the first Turbot of the trip

Bait, and a few cod for one of our hosts on Alderney, secured, the engines were back up to revs and we were heading for the beautiful island of Alderney. Another couple of hours steaming, and there she was ahead of us, offering potential for sheltered seas and huge flatfish. A very welcoming site after a bumpy crossing. Rob wasted no time in setting us up for the first drift across one of the vast sandbanks sitting in over 150 feet of water, which abound with Greater Sand eel (launce), mackerel and other, to a Turbot, tasty surprises such as Weaver fish, which I learnt on this trip is one of the Turbots favorite snacks!! Steve 2, who will now be referred to as Muppet, was the first to open an account, landing the first Turbot of the trip.

Rob nets the first Turbot

Then a couple of drifts with not too much happening, other than a dogfish I think, to Andy. "One more drift, then we will head in" came from Rob. And here is an example of why I rate Rob very highly as a skipper, and a situation that shows he is an Angler first, businessman second. On that last drift, someone else caught a Turbot. The tide was easing down, and Rob was aware that conditions were actually becoming perfect. "Ok, we will go across again", was the new command, as Rob identified and reacted to the changing conditions.

Fun between drifts. HAnd feeding the seagulls!!

I do rather find seagulls against blue sky's peaceful somehow!

7lb 12oz Turbot, beating my previous PB by 7lb......!!

And it was on this next drift that I got the experience I had failed to have bar once on the final drift. A bite from a Turbot. As I felt the interest, I slipped line from the spool, so that the speed of the drifting boat didn't carry the meal away from the fish before it was properly engulfed. I was fishing next to Muppet up on the front of the boat, and commented "That felt like a bite". After fifteen seconds I simply held my thumb on the spool, allowed the drift to take up the slack, and as I felt some weight lifted that rod up. There was definitely some weight, but was it Kelp? As I got the weight nearer the boat, and began raising it away from the bottom, it objected and tried to dive, just like a plaice of flounder would do. So, it was a fish. And in the crystal clear waters I could see some colour. At first, disappointment shot through me. I though I could see a dogfish. But it was a trick, as the waters are so clear, that I was seeing far further down that I would have thought possible. The more line I reeled in, the larger and rounder my dogfish became. And at the surface, it became the 7lb 12oz fish you see above!! I was over the moon, the demons of the last trip excised in the first afternoon. Now I could just settle down and enjoy the fishing. Rob put us over the bank for yet one more drift, which was unproductive, and no-one was disappointed when Rob called the all in (the actual "all in") as we were everyone of us tired, a little beaten up from the crossing, and most definitely hungry!!