22nd May

Homeward bound

Peter Collins and 18lb prime channel cod

Its never nice when you check out of accommodation for the last time on a very enjoyable holiday, but at least we had the consolation of knowing we had one more very special days fishing to look forward to on the way home, as well as a much more comfortable sea state. The plan was to head out to the mid channel banks, where some decent shoals of cod have recently been gathering to gorge on the brittle stars which collect there also. Nice simple fishing bumping lures over cleanish grounds. And the plan went really rather well. No enormous hauls as have been had, but a steady trickle of good quality fish each drift, most certainly enough action to prevent the attention from wavering. When you factor in Shogun's "outdoor" echo sounder screen, which allows the whole boat to see the red dots that are often cod coming up to the boat. It also helps a lot for the anglers to retrieve and let out line as appropriate when bumping up and over troughs and wreckage. Best fish of the day was the stunning 18lb cod proudly displayed by Peter Collins.

Return to the Needles

As is always the case, far too soon it was time to rev up the engines, and point the sharp end North, to return to the moorings at Lymington marina. Passing the needles in the late afternoon returning from a fantastic adventure isn't quite as exhilarating as passing a lumpy Needles at dawn on the way to a fantastic adventure, but you still cant pass this amazing landmark without feeling some kind of emotion. The end of a fantastic trip, amongst fantastic company, in the hands of a fantastic, incredibly knowledgeable skipper, who is at the controls of a fantastic catamaran bristling with fantastic electronics. To sum it all up, Simply Fantastic!!!!!