Southwest Sea Fishing Blog

Yes folks, yesterday I actually managed to get some fishing done!

Newquay headland - 28/04/2008

The weather forecast was half-decent,  I had some 'free' time and I had some bait (a cunning 'family' outing to the beach on Saturday made sure of that)  so off I went to Newquay headland.

I fished a mark called Leonard's Rock hoping for an early Turbot (or anything, really). Got there at 7am and High Tide would be about 11am.

As my target were Turbot I put a frozen sandeel out on a 1/0 hook.  Rig was a running ledger, 30" trace of 12lb flouro with a 4oz (flattish) lead - not a grip lead. I wanted the lead and bait to roll/waft about a bit, but not too much.  A cast of 40 yards was enough and the bottom clean and sandy. The tactics were - cast, wait   10-15 minutes, wind in a yard or two, wait... and repeat. Simple! If there were any Turbot about that should have sorted 'em out. Sadly, after 3 hours fishing I'd had only one possible knock.

Then, nearly at  HW, I changed tactics - pully rig, 3/0 hook, grip lead and a rolled mackerel fillet tipped with squid. Could get a Turbot, might get a Bass!

While this rod was fishing I set up my carp rod with a 2-boom scratching rig, size 1 hooks each with head-hooked ragworm. Fishing the gulley to my right brought 3 smallish Wrasse which was very nice and great fun! At slack water I had a knock and out popped not another Wrasse but something else - I thought it was going to be a gurnard until I got it into my hand. I didn't recognise it; it was beautifully marked and very pretty - quite exciting really! I put it straight back and then 'dinked' out another and then that was it.

By now it was just Noon and I packed up. Nothing on the main rod! Too early maybe?

I've done some searching on the internet to ID my mystery catch but so far no luck.  Will keep you posted...

Full detals of the marks on Newquay headland will be passed to Nath shortly

Update on my 'mystery' fish - 29/04/2008

 Seems like my 'mystery' fish were... Common Blenny (called Shan in  Cornwall).

What 'threw' me was the fact that these had jewel-like bright red eyes but, apparently, this can happen...

Oh, well! At least it's another for my species list.

Further (and Final) Update on my 'mystery fish - 03/05/2008

Okay, scratch the above... thanks to Doug Herdson of the Plymouth Maritime Aquarium, Plymouth, my 'mystery' fish have been positively identified as female Dragonets.

No, not a Session Report at all, but an insight into my mind-set (perhaps), why I became an Angler in the first place and the tremendous potential around Cornwall.

I was born and raised in the Midlands and my first experience of Cornwall was in the late-60's when I was about 10 years old. It was a family holiday and we were stayng on a holiday site just outside Polperro. Time has eroded much of my actual memory of that long-ago holiday and I am left with only an impression. It seemed to be a glorious summer with hazy mornings and calm sunny days...

BUT three memories do still stand out with absolute clarity...

... me on the beach of a small cove watching a man standing up to his 'dangly bits' in the water, bending and scooping with his hands and now-and-again throwing live mackerel onto the beach...

... laying flat on warm, wet rocks peering into the water looking for crabs when suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere , a huge silver fish appeared just two feet below me...

... crawling to the edge of a steep, high cliff (while my parents were inside a tourist-attraction) and seeing sharks, yes sharks - maybe five of 'em - way below me, scooting over the bottom sand like underwater jet aircraft while only a few hundred yards away, around the point, holiday-makers splashed and paddled totally unaware!

The silver fish was identified as a Bass and I later came to believe that the shark were in fact Tope and what huge Tope they were!

It was these experiences that ignited the spark in me that was to become a life-long passion for angling but it was to be many years before I returned to Cornwall even for a holiday.

Then, in the summer of 2004, I and my own family moved to Cornwall to live.

Since then I have crawled (somewhat more cautiously) to the edge of steep cliffs, I have dangled over harbour walls at considerable risk to my polaroids, I have spent more time half-submerged in rockpools than is sane and spent more time in tackleshops than is healthy - I have listened and I have looked and I can tell you that Cornwall still has tremendous sea fishing potential!

In 2008 I hope to prove it to you!

Paul.