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Report from our holiday in Cornwall

733 views 15 replies 14 participants last post by  The Malt Man 
#1 · (Edited)
Well this might be off topic but it will be posted anyway and if anyone has any problems, tell someone who cares. There will also be a link on the South West forum as well as this is where the report centres.
Well we headed off as a family on holiday with expectations of great fishing trips but this was not to be due to numerous different things.
I had contacted a local charter boat based in Mevagissey, a place I was recommended by the South West section of the forum but the guy never got back to me so I never managed to get out on the boat. I had previously posted in the South West section of the forum as well about tackle shops and there was a shop in Mevagissey was suggested. When there I spoke to the guy in the shop and he said it would be very difficult to get me on board so we decided it would be fishing from the shore, which is not a problem.

We spent a few days looking at places at both states of tide to see what kind of ground we would be fishing from and we learned a lot and we also spoke to a lot of people who were fishing but I was somewhat perplexed by the answers.
Everyone seemed to be fishing using floats and nobody seemed to be fishing the bottom and when I asked people about fishing the bottom the majority of replies were that there was too much weed and it is very rocky, to me this is where the fish would be but I guess fishing with the float would save the snags but I thought I might try and a couple of different methods.

We got the tide times and set off one day with fresh rag worm and frozen sand eels.
We tried fishing the float for a while and Declan only managed one very small Pollock. I tried spinning with no joy either so I thought I would try a two hook flapper rig dropped down the side close to some rocks.
I had only taken my bass rod and two spinning rods. I put the flapper rig on the bass rod and as soon as it hit the bottom there was something having a go at the rag worm. I struck it and it went straight into a snag. I didn’t know what had happened as it was so quick. I pulled at it and it eventually came free and there was the culprit, a small wrasse, I think it is a Ballan wrasse but I wait on someone correcting me.


I took a quick picture and put it back and straight down it went. I never re-baited the hook, just used the rag worm that was left and as soon as it hit the bottom the same thing happened. They were hammering the bait and I missed so many bites but I was happy with the new bass rod as the bites were easy to see.
This carried on for almost an hour. I managed to hook up a good number of small wrasse and they put up a great fight on light gear. Declan was going back and forth but he didn’t really catch much. We were baiting up and as soon as the bait hit the water there were bites.



And another, but I thought this one was a Corkwing but I wait to be corrected



This is the one I thought was a Goldsinny but after looking at my wee book it might not be. Probably just another Ballan.


Above is a selection of the fish we caught. There was one that was slightly larger than this one but coloured exactly the same but it took me a while to unhook it so it was more important to return the fish rather than take a picture.

Lastly I got another bite and I struck it but it snagged right away. I tried everything to get it free but I couldn't get it. I left it for a minute or so and I managed to free this fish from where it was lodged. Declan had a hold of the rod and he reeled it in when I got it free so he is claiming this as his catch.


I think it is a Shanny but it had some set of teeth. When it was reeled in it had all of it's fins sticking out as if it has stuck itself in a rock. Maybe this is what it did and this is why we couldn't get it in.

As per usual Davy has corrected me and it is actually a Tompot Blenny, Thanks Davy

All in all we managed one small Pollock nine wrasse and one shanny.
I have to say, there were not any large fish caught but the sport was great.


I wait to be corrected on any of the species on this report.
 
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#10 ·
Thanks folks for the replies. I knew you would correct me Davy, I was waiting on it. I need to add the Blenny to my list. some set of teeth it had and it was reluctant to open its mouth to let me get the hook out.

TommyB, the weather wasn't that great but hey ho we managed a couple of days fishing which was good.

I am actually going to post another picture of a wrasse we caught but I wasn't sure if this was a ballan or not as it did not have a mark on it's tail but I will let Davy apply his superior knowledge and tell me which species it is. I was thinking Goldsinny but I am more that likely wrong.
I will amend my original post.
 
#12 ·
I am actually going to post another picture of a wrasse we caught but I wasn't sure if this was a ballan or not .
another ballan dougie they can be very different coloured !!:victory:
 
#13 ·
Well this might be off topic but it will be posted anyway and if anyone has any problems, tell someone who cares.
:thumbs: Like you style Dougy

Pity about the boat, it would have been good to see the skipper actually making the effort to get you on.
Apart from that, as long as you had a good holiday and there are one or two good fishing memories for you and the young lad, that's the main thing.

Good report and pic's by the way.
 
#14 ·
Great pics Dougy and well done on the wrasse - like yourself i needed mr holts expertise in identifying a corkwing recently ( he's very handy).

Shame about the charter but you made up for it..
Rule 1 : take advice from locals...
Rule 2 : dont always follow it if you think something else will work better...
 
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