July '15 Monthly Report

In a mixed month weather wise the inshore fishing off Poole has been held up by the absence of mackerel, a key bait fish when we are targeting bass, rays and tope. Up until about a week ago it wasn’t even worth trying for them as we found ourselves spending 3 hours feathering for just a few baits. Thankfully on the back end of the last spring tide they finally arrived in numbers which made our days somewhat easier. We have seen the first of the silver ones on our reef marks on floats and free line gear, Ian Webb produced a fine bass of 8lb 12oz on a free line jumbo mackerel which is the biggest of the year so far. Out on the offshore banks the tope are around in abundance, frozen mackerel has been good enough to get them on the feed whilst we have been struggling for the fresh stuff.

Cherbourg kicked off last month in brilliant fashion with 2 trips back to back without any wind and some of the best fishing I’ve seen those grounds produce. Huge numbers of cod and pollock on a wide spread number of wrecks, the bigger fish like Gareth Awbury’s 22lber coming on rough ground. With bait fish easy to catch just outside Cherbourg harbour we have seen a more positive start to the bass fishing over there with several fish coming to the net when we have tried. Highlight of July so far has to be Duncan Fleming’s 8lb 12oz john dory caught on a blue sidewinder whilst cod fishing. Taken on the last drift of the day it was a reminder of what I love best about this job; that you just never know what might appear!

Sam Cumming

Silver Spray II