But whilst they're around why not, hehe!

Since my last report fishing has been picking up on a daily basis. More species are moving in en-mass. Catches of late have included pollack, wrasse, coalies, rays – blonde, spotted and thornback. Recently though our attentions have turned towards the influx of smoothounds.

Since mid May some quality fish have been landed ranging from the smallest of around 6lb to the biggest that fell to local angler Jonathon Law and topped the scales at a whopping 25lb. We have managed 3 twenties so far, Jon’s 25lb, a 24lb 3oz and a 20lb fish – all starry hounds, and all putting up a great fight.

Over 80 fish have been landed in 7 days with many of the fish caught in the late teens, with numerous 16’s, 17’s 18’s and 19’s. With this stamp of fish it is no wonder that many anglers are smashing their personal best smoothie captures.

Last Friday 23^rd, all 5 onboard smashed pb’s with fish of 25lb, 20lb, 19lb 8oz, 19lb 6oz and 19lb 3oz.

These fish were caught in a 17 total haul with only 5 smoothies going under the 10lb mark, and all caught using a selection of sensor tip rods and light lines.

We should have them around for a few weeks to come, let’s hope they get bigger.

Whilst fishing aboard My Way on Sunday 27th April, local angler Paul Whittle hooked into a cracking spurdog that weighed in at 19lb 13oz. The current WFSA record stands at 19lb 2oz, also caught aboard My Way last year by Manchester angler Damon Brierly. Please note that these fish are Caught and then released. As the governing body for angling in Wales, the WFSA have for a number of years now, allowed C&R on record claims.

My Way finally went back in the water on March 14^th following her annual routine maintenance and general TLC.

But, typical early year the weather has been horrendous of late with the many trips falling foul to the extreme northerly winds we have been experiencing; we have only managed to get a float on 9 occasions, so lets hope this late run of poor weather will abate and leave us with a mighty fine summer. 

Fishing has been at best described as up & down. One day we’ll have a fish filled time afloat with the next seeing us struggle to keep the rods bending. Typical winter quarry are here with the odd signs of spring – dogfish, conger, huss and whiting with dabs, pout, pollack, coalies, a few ballans and some nice spurdog offshore making up most of the bags when we are able to get afloat.

Small tides and weather permitting the reefs and wrecks in Holyhead Deeps are proving once again to hold a good number of spurs and huss, many of both into double figures.

I would love to say plenty of decent congers as well, but yesterday especially we failed to land any of the big fish we had hooked. Myself and Paul Whittle both losing out to what appeared to be very good fish half way up from the 200foot depth we were fishing.

Yes I know – we need some better anglers on board.

Well that’s it the first brief report from 2008.

Best wishes to all reading and happy fishing wherever you wet a line.