Becky M Newsletter

Monday 29th November, 2004

After a lot of hard work by the skippers of the West Wight Charter Skippers Association, and a bit from myself of course we managed get the event underway.

There were a few hic-cups with the prizes, and last minute chase arounds, but we got there in the end.

The weather was perfect for the competition, nice and settled with calm seas and all that we like to dream of for these occasions.

We had to get twenty boats organised for the first day, and twenty-one for the second day. A lot of work but our competition secretary managed to find all that we needed.

You can just imagine what our little Harbour looked like with an invasion of charter boats for two days, and the best part of one hundred and seventy anglers milling around waiting to board their nominated boats. As it happened everything ran smoothly on day one, although it took a bit of time for the first Cod to be caught, and I was beginning to wonder if we were going to have a competition, but then there was a steady amount being reported. It wasn’t as prolific a catch as last year, but there was enough for us to have a good weigh-in though.

Day two saw everyone on the quay ready to go, I had got over early so as to pass a load of prizes over so as they could be set up for the presentation, but for some unknown reason I decided to get out to the boat without Terry, and check the oil and water etc prior to bringing the boat on to the quay. Bad move!!

That is when everything decided to go pear shaped, by then Terry had got the harbour staff to bring him out to the boat so I cast off my ropes, went ahead, and wrapped one of the ropes around my prop, and rudder. Of course this had to happen in front of all the competitors waiting on the quay, and I let fly with a blue streak, and poor old Terry unfortunately boar the brunt of my ranting and raving. Meanwhile I steadily rose to thirty-thousand feet firing “Nelsons” broadsides at all and sundry, but my luck was in as my mate Eric Elliot fortunately had a dry suit and a bottle onboard, and another good mate Spike Spears (who used to be a diver) suited up and came to the rescue, and freed me from the ropes.

When I finally got alongside I was still acting like a bulldog with a raging toothache, and piles to boot, and my crew (bless ‘em) also received a couple of broadsides just for good measure.

We made our way out to the mark that I had chosen, (I was pouring over charts until the early hours of the morning, just to find the right place), and the crew had kept clear of the wheelhouse, even Terry kept out all the way out to the mark.

I kept hearing remarks being passed about me being a “Grumpy Old Sod” but it helped me to simmer down.

One of my crew, Phil Crowe had managed to bag a Cod the day before and was soon boating his second one, this put him into the running for one of the major prizes, and when he caught a third, well I was chuffed for him. Then Jamie Woodley caught his first ever Cod, and at the last knockings Colin Bartlett hauled one up to give us a total of four on the day. The crew fished hard all day and they came up with the goods. Thank you lads it was a good achievement on a day when there were very few Cod being caught. Well done to you all, not to forget Terry who handled the net well.

Back at the weigh-in I found out that there had only been sixteen Cod caught, and my crew had bagged a quarter of them.

Phil Crowe managed to come a respectful forth overall with three fish weighing 43lbs 4ozs, Colin Bartlett was fifteenth, and Jamie Woodley was eighteenth.

Over the two days “Becky M” was declared the “OVERALL TOP BOAT FOR THE “BRITISH COD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2004”

A title that I am dead chuffed to have, maybe I will have to throw all my toys out of the pram again !! Either that or put it down to taking a short break to see my daughter in Yorkshire.

Whatever!

My thanks to all of you who took part in this competition, and congratulations to Steve Meakins who also made it to the prize table.

Tight Lines,

Dave.

Monday 22nd November, 2004

I am sorry, that there hasn’t been any jottings this week, but I have been busy involved with our forthcoming British Cod Championships, and I doubt if there will be anything from me next week, but as soon as I can I will get back to giving you updates.

Good fishing, and tight lines,

Dave.

Monday 8th November, 2004

This last week has seen me getting a bit of sea-time in for a change, and we have managed to get in amongst the fish, with a rather surprisingly mixed bag of species showing over the week.

The first part of the week we had to contend with a south-easterly wind direction, which then veered round to a southerly, not strong, but enough to set us rolling and spinning around like a “turd in a piss pot” and make my kneecaps ache like the dickens. Still we were able to find some Cod, and Whiting, along with some Thornback, and Spotted Rays, of course there was the inevitable Dogfish on the scene as soon as the baits got down, and the Pout, well some of them were nearly big enough to put a saddle on and ride them ashore. Well maybe not quite that big, but big enough to get a couple of fillets off.

In fact they are quite nice cooked in the microwave for about two minuets with a knob of butter and a sprinkle of parsley over them, you can tell when they are done when you can apply slight pressure onto the fillet and the flakes part.

You can also do the same with either Cod, or Pollock fillets, but instead of parsley try a sprinkle of Cajun Spice over the fillets. Be adventurous give it a try, it doesn’t all have to be surrounded in batter!!

As I said in the beginning of these jottings, we have had a surprising mixture of species showing for November, there have been Mackerel, and Scad being caught, Trigger Fish, one of my colleagues even had a Shark follow a fish up to his boat as it was being landed, and to top it all we even caught a Black Bream yesterday. That was defiantly a first for me in November, but it just goes to show how warm the water is at the moment.

Still I mustn’t lament over the summer months, we have got all the winter fishing in front of us to look forward to, especially those big bucket mouthed Cod and those hungry Channel Whiting, not to forget we also get some big Pollock as well.

I feel that I must remind some of you of the importance of changing your baits regularly, even though squid is a hardy bait, in my opinion after about fifteen minutes the scent gets washed out of it and it needs to be refreshed. If there is still some good bits of bait left, don’t throw it away, just replace a couple of the squid, and put the other on as a sacrificial piece for the scavengers to tear away at, and hopefully they are leaving a tempting enough bait for the Cod to find.

Well that’s my theory for what it’s worth anyway!!

The prospects for this coming week are looking good, what with the tides getting bigger, and the weather swinging around to the north our chances should greatly improve.

So on that note I will wish you all good fishing, and hope that all your bites are big ones.

Tight lines,

Dave

Monday 1st November, 2004

Well for a change I haven’t got anything to moan about. We have had some nice weather, we have been able to get to sea, the fish have played ball, I have landed Cod on the boat, so everything is looking good.

It has certainly made a pleasant change to be able to get out that’s for sure, not only does it cheer everyone up, it also means that we are able to earn some money, and try to bring pleasure to the public.

This coming week is looking good too, so we will be able to eat real food this week, and not the manky old “road deaths” and hand outs and stale old sarnies that we skippers have to put up with when we are severely hampered by inclement weather and left in harbour.

What has been most annoying these last few days are the amount of Congers that are imitating Cod, in fact they must have been practicing how a Cod bites all summer, and the have got it weighed off to a “T”, because nine times out of ten just when you think that you have got a Cod on it turns out to be a blasted Conger. Still there have been some reasonable sized ones taking the baits, and they have bent a few rods and got people going.

Unfortunately today we didn’t manage any Cod, but it wasn’t for the lack of trying, but the odds were stacked against us with an easterly wind blowing. Never mind tomorrows another day, and we haven’t touched it yet, so we shall see what it brings.

Sorry it is only a short report this week, but I will hopefully be able to put more in on my next set of jottings.

Good fishing, and tight lines.

Dave.