The Species Hunting King

No, it's not me. What do you mean you knew that ? No, it's Richard at Poole Bay Guiding.

Richard helped me find some fish on the Kennet and Avon canal back in the spring and this time I was on his manor.

He put me on to a mark in Poole Harbour where I hoped to bag either a gilt head or black bream. Or both if I was greedy.

I parked the camper a few yards from the water and unusually didn't have to walk three miles to the spot.

First chuck out, the rod tip jagged firmly down and a minute later a barbeque sized bream surfaced. No, it wasn't the size of a barby, it was suitably sized to eat on a barby. Get it ?

What a great start. I re cast and minutes later another bite, this time a stronger fight, resulting in a cracking gilt head bream.

What a stunning looking fish.

I continued catching on and off and ended up with two gilts, six black bream and three bass. Cracking session.

Heavy rain was forecast for the next day. I was go to sit in the van and sulk but Richard offered to take me out on the hunt for, amongst other things, a goldsinny wrasse. How could I refuse ?

It was peeing down. First spot we had lots of gobies, ballan and corkwings. A move across to the other side resulted in bigger ballans for us both.

Richard was feeding bread mash to get the mullet feeding, which he succeeded in doing. Generously, he handed me the rod and first cast I hooked a thick lip which I ended up losing. I was gutted. But not as much as him. I was expecting him to say " I'm not angry, just disappointed " and then put me on the naughty step.

He then told me to move a hundred yards along to some steps where he said it would be a wrasse a chuck, with the chance of a goldsinny. He was not wrong, there must have been hundreds down there. 

I must have had forty corkwings and ballans when Richard came up and said keep at it, you'll get one soon. Next fish....yes, a goldsinny. And next cast another. OK not a massive fish, but another for the species list.

We then went on the hunt for a sand goby which unfortunately were conspicuous by their absence. Richard spotted what he he said were small pollock. Small ? They were like pin heads ! But I needed one for the hunt. Size 16 feathers did the trick and a micro pollock was in the bag. A very small bag.

Next stop a mark near the ferry where we fished in some places I wouldn't of even considered putting a bait. What an eye opener this was.

Plenty of tompot blennies, shannys and wrasse. Great stuff.

What a fantastic day. The bloke is a whirling dervish, he doesn't stop. Certainly one of the very best anglers I've ever fished with and a thoroughly nice bloke too.

He dropped me off at the camper and while I crashed out , wet and knackered, pigging out on food and drink, he walked out in the pissing rain and carried on fishing.

Different gravy Brian.