Why do I do it

2011-08-04T02:45:00.000-07:00

I keep getting told to update pictures on my website. Must try harder

I would like first of all to give a big Thank You to WELLINGTON SEA ANGLING CLUB for not turning up for their first of series of bookings they made with me. I am sure that if you had contacted me I could have re-booked Sunday 24th July without a problem had I known. Invoice follows.

I must thank David Harper of Western Aspect for my website. It has certainly generated a lot of business for me, which has justified the vast cost. I have a lot of repeat bookings as well as new customers.

FISHING.

After a very poor start this year with high winds ( I will not go out when you have to hold on with both hands and try to fish ) and hard to find fish the Black Bream arrived together with a good selection of other fish. Ist Bream on 10th April. Some times fish have been difficult to find but after several moves we have been able to find the little buggers, as the pictures should show.

Thats all folks.

Rain has stopped so time to go and tidy up boat and make ready for next trip.

Tony

Another wind up?

2010-08-27T10:05:00.000-07:00

My ideal customer.

With apologies to all concerned. Italics are mine.

A genuine enquiry that I was unable to fulfill.

Tony

I would like to take my family out for a fishing trip. There are four of us, kids are 9 and 13.

For safety and my sanity I do not take children under 12

We want to do a short trip along the coast with a bit of Mackerel fishing.

No problem

We would like to help you lift a few pots, the kids would find this fascinating.

6 pots in a string connected with 400 mt of rope and flags and buoys. Bad enough with self and trained crew

We also have a small dog who is good on boats.

Can it swim well tangled in rope ?

We would need to borrow tackle..

Unfortunatly I was unable to do this trip as boat was booked for time requested. Shame it would have been FUN.

2010-08-11T13:06:00.000-07:00

This makes all the problems with running a boat worthwhile.

"Thanks for today mate we all enjoyed it and you were both a great help..
Jason"

Text from Jason Bryant after todays fishing trip.

2010

2010-07-14T03:10:00.000-07:00

I have been told many times this year its time to update my Blog.
Here goes.

It seems that my Boat has decided to do its best and empty my bank account this year (as boats do).
As the wooden deck was starting to wear I decided to have it sprayed with a non slip plastic coating which is working very well. This of course was not cheap.
While it was out of the water I did all the usual painting and repair work that has to be done.
Put it into the water and the engine cooling pump, which I replaced the impeller on decided to suck air not water and it took a lot of time to obtain more new parts and get it going. Great
A few weeks later I was out with a party and as I was heading back to port the temperature alarm went and I found that the header tank was empty (radiator) Filled it up and steamed back in. The main heat exchanger had corroded through and had to be replaced. A mere £ 1700.00 and three days work.

Nothing else can go wrong.
A few weeks later the alternator went. Then the gearbox for my hydraulic pump. Then my autopilot. Then a bilge pump. Then one of my fishfinders. Then the bearings on the deck wash pump

Anyway while all this was going on I was still fishing but made my first landing of crab on 25 April instead of 7th March the previous year.

Thanks to David Harper of Westernaspect my re-vamped website has generated a lot of interest and new bookings are well up this year. Can't say that about the fishing.
Its been a very slow start but the last 6 weeks or so has been reasonable, with good catches of POUT and DOGFISH for the novices and Pollock, Bass and Conger for the more experienced. Black Bream are now beginning to show. The first a couple of weeks ago.

Now the school holidays are looming the weather is doing its usual thing for July / August so we will have to see what the wind will let us do. .

I personally tend not to go in much more than a force three as above this fishing becomes even more difficult and nobody really enjoys their trip.
I have taken Experts out that think they know sea condition better than me, but I have had their money first and not given refunds when we are heading back in an hour later.

Will try and update a bit more often as I now have a new laptop after my 4 year old one gave up the ghost.

Bye

Update 21.06.09

2009-06-21T07:37:00.001-07:00

There has been quite a bit going on since last post, but nothing spectacular. The potting side of my business has certainly improved now we have a closed area locally. We are catching more small Lobsters ( which are going back) and the Crabs have not got the claws missing and various shell injuries that they had a year ago.

Fishing has been very slow so far with me having to move boat position 5 or 6 times a trip to find fish.

There have been the usual mix of pout, conger, wrasse, and dogfish. It was not until last week I managed to find Black Bream.

Thanks to Tony Rose fron Yeovil who booked the boat for today but did not turn up at 0800 this morning
My crew member, Richard and I managed to go out to do a bit ourselves. We went out to drift a local wreck and had about half a dozen Pollock and a fair few pout before the Divers arrived and we had to move. So off we went to a piece of rough ground and managed to catch some of the Cod that are plentiful East side of Portland Bill but not our side. So thanks to the divers who also provided a helicopter display when two of them were airlifted to the re-compression chamber.

We had an other no show last week that takes some believing.
I was phoned by the customer that they were going to be a bit late, bearing in mind it was a 1300 hrs start. 1330 had another phone call saying that they were nearly there. 1415 I gave up and was not in a very good mood as in my book it is utter bad manners to be late. So once again I went out with my crew. 1430 another call to say they could not find me. After giving them a piece of my mind we returned back to port as they said they had come from the midlands for this trip. They said they were on the pier where the divers go from. When I got back , guess what no sign. After a phone call trying to decide where they were, much to my amazement they were on SWANAGE Pier. So Mr Hodder full marks for that.

Bookings are coming in quite fast now so we will be able to do a bit more fishing ourselves and are thinking of having one day a week when we take individuals due to the number of enquiries for one or two places.

Things have been quiet for a while now as the wind is putting paid to quite a few trips. This is a shame, as you book a while in advance and look forward to going out. The fact that I also lose income does not come into it.

Watch this space

Here is one I did earlier

2009-04-18T05:21:00.000-07:00

Dedicated to all those big Conger Catchers.

It was choppy and rough as he put out to sea,
but never a thought of danger had he,
as he battled his way out past the old sewer buoy.
He was tossed up and down like a small plastic toy.

The going was rough but the skipper was tough,
(as he spewed all over the side)
a forty five pounder was all he could think of,
t'was mainly a matter of pride.

His hook was the size of a monstrous harpoon,
with barbs all shiny and bright,
his bait were six mackerel all hung in a row,
for he intended to do everything right.

He cast his line over the side of the boat,
the weights pulled it down in the deep.
The tide it was strong, and the line it was long.
T'was enough to make lesser men weep.

It was twenty below,and then came the snow
but the grip on his rod did not weaken
for he knew when the Conger he sought took the bait.
It would be the one he'd been seekin.

He fished all the day in the rain and the snow,
His rod bent double and the line ran out,
He knew for sure a conger was down below.
He sweated and played it with never a doubt.

At last he began to reel it in. Oh heck
With a tug and a shake it caught in the net.
A girt conger of forty five pounds on the deck !
His dream of joining the conger club met.

He's been there, done that.
and now has the "T" shirt and hat.
But he'll still be out in the Bay every day
for the big'uns he knows got away !

Joys of being a Skipper

2009-04-17T01:40:00.000-07:00

Having been an owner / skipper of various charter boats for the past 25 years, I feel now it is time to get my own back on many of the different things I have had to put up with from my customers. The most common: "You have an easy job" Yes, great on a sunny day with flat sea. Come back in the winter when there is the annual job of scraping barnacles, rubbing down paintwork re-coating anti foul, etc. From the time he gets up in the morning the skipper is concentrating on all sorts of things. " What is the forecast? " Is it reliable? " What will the tide be doing? " Where are the fish likely to be? " Will the group all turn up on time?
Then it's down to the boat to do the daily checks, sort bait out, sort rods out, fill water container up. Then a cup of coffee while you wait for customers. Customers arrive for the day's fishing.
Oh dear he has only got tee shirt and shorts on, forecast is bright sun early then rain later. He looks as though he has been on the beer all night, and is even opening a can now, make sure he does not go into wheelhouse. He has a bucket of Leads and a big tackle box. He won't catch anything. This one knows more than me about the local fishing, another one not going to catch
"Good morning skip, are we going to the same spot as we did last year and Joe caught that big Cod?" Since that trip I have had umpteen trips and hundreds of customers, so I smile, and say you will be trying somewhere different.
Right, we are now at my chosen spot. Which way is the tide running, how much wind is there and what effect is it going to have on the boat when I place the anchor? Tell the punters what we are likely to catch and what type of tackle to use. Why don't the 'experts' listen to the skipper? Everyone starts fishing. Joe, who took notice of the skipper, is out-fishing expert 4 to 1 You are planning what to do if fishing is slow. Can I find better tide at spot x. Are there more likely to be better fish elsewhere. Will fish feed better when tide turns. Oh dear Joe at the front is tangling up with everyone else, get him to put on heavier lead, if he has one in that big bucket. Why come out on a boat and try to cast as far away from the boat as possible. Kettle boiling better make tea.
Then the questions. How big is the engine (4 foot 6 x 3 foot) what does a boat like this cost? How long have you been doing this, what is the best fish you have caught (73 lb tuna) What did you have for breakfast?
Time to return to harbour. Land passengers then scrub boat down, put gear away, fill up with fuel. Shut sea-cocks etc. and go home. Looking forward to another nice easy day tomorrow in the force 6 that is threatened by the met office.
Why won't they listen and take my advice to cancel?

Christine Anne is a sea fishing charter boat running out of West Bay in Dorset. Tony takes out sea anglers for reef and Mackerel fishing trips, also runs sightseeing trips along the Jurassic Coast.
The boat is licensed for 8 passengers and 2 crew. Carries all the safety equipment required under the Code of Practice grade 4 (20 miles from base)
Tony is one of very few full time experienced skippers at West Bay and can be contacted via the website http://www.westbayfishing.net or by mobile on 07836 711828

I love fishing

2008-10-21T05:23:00.000-07:00

This is new to me and I am not all that good at the written word. I shall endeavour to share the JOYS of fishing, what I have to put up with as a skipper, and how much HARD work is involved in owning and running a fishing boat, not to mention how much money has to be thrown into the big hole in the water that the boat creates.

Have been out this morning to work my crab pots. Sea had quite a few big holes in it but I carried on. Had phone call from another boat saying it was rough where he was , which was about 2 miles south of me and he was turning for home. Carried on to my first string of pots and whilst hauling them took a couple of waves over the side so I re-baited them, took out the three crabs and two wrasse that they held, re-set them and headed for home. Was a nice comfortable ride back with a following sea. Another day without earning anything.