This report is the 3rd anniversary report of Madpolka.  The first one I wrote was on a cold February day when the fishing was tough and this trip would prove to be equally difficult!

Dave Pitman had been planning a special trip for us for some time to visit some off shore grounds where he had significant success as a commercial trawlerman in years gone by.  The target was to be Haddock as well as a variety of other white fish and rays.  To do this trip we needed small tides which today gave us, but we also needed good weather.  The forecast was mixed but we appeared to have a window of reducing winds which might enable us to give it a go.

We had an early start due to the distance we needed to travel and the strong sun light and sheltered conditions of the harbour raised all our hopes.

We headed out past Portland and the conditions remained benign.  Today seemed to be a day for a retrospective as on our way out we passed an ultra modern Royal Navy destroyer which I photographed this time last year.  What's more the shot below is very similar to one I took of a fleet auxiliary ship last September (apologies that it is yet another silhouette - I must learn to produce some other effects!). 

There was quite a lot of naval activity and we saw one vessel which headed west out of Portland in quite a hurry with helicopters stowed on the aft deck.  We wondered whether this was on its way to Libya to help out with the evacuation.  I also thought to myself what additional risks these service men and women may be facing without air support from the now decommissioned British carrier fleet, but to dwell on this would be quite political so I'll avoid that.....

We were making good progress in these lovely conditions but as we neared the Shambles bank the sky began to darken.  Very soon we were under a squall and the wind picked up dramatically.  I'm not an expert sailor but it seemed to go from a force 3-4 to a 7 within minutes.  Dave looked west along the coast and he could see more squalls heading our way.  As the wind picked up very large waves piled up on the edge of the bank and we could see these breaking in dramatic fashion.  Dave didn't procrastinate and immediately made the decision that we wouldn't take on these uncertain conditions and we would stay inshore.  There was no dissent amongst the crew!

Our first stop was the Eastern edge of the Mussel beds at the end of Portland Bill.  We have had success here in the past with Gurnards, the odd Ray and Conger Eel.  The end of February is however a very lean time for the inshore fishery with the Whiting tailing off and it still being too early for a decent run of Plaice so we would have to work hard for any rewards.

I had two secret weapons in my armoury today.  The first was a beautifully made rig that Dave Proudfoot of "Planet Sea Fishing" had sent me to use for Haddock.  This was a variation on a Wessex rig with all manner of bling adorning it's one up and two down hooks.

My second secret weapon was also planned for the Haddock.  Dave Proudfoot had also advise me that fresh Mussel was the top bait for Haddock in Scotland but having read about how to fix these to a hook it sounded very complicated indeed.  I decided to try a lazy alternative and acquired some chopped Mussel juice from a bait company who make additives for carp boilies etc.  I bough some raw prawns from the super market an marinated these in the Mussel juice as a speculative bait.  The most noticeable thing about the Mussel juice is that it did not smell in the least bit like Mussels or any other type of fish I have ever come across.  Whilst I did try a couple of these baits and did have one large Pout on a Mussel infused prawn the day was probably not a good test of it's effectiveness!

Armed with three different baits I lowered my haddock rig to the bottom figuring it would do equally as well for any white fish I might encounter on the Mussel beds.  I think it took all of 90 seconds for me to hook the bottom and no amount of jiggling the line would cause it to come free.  Dee, Dave's crew, donned the gloves and pulled the line free.  Fortunately I only lost the Muppet snood and the rest of the rig was intact.  I will rebuild it and try another day!

I switched to a 2/0 Wessex rig and tried again.  It was eerily quiet as we all waited for a fish.  First to show was a dog fish for Jack but it appeared to be on its own as no others followed.

Although not prolific, Jack did seem to have the touch whereas the rest of us continued to struggle.  Jack leaned in to what was clearly a heavy fish and we all hoped it would be a good cod.  The result was this 15lb Conger Eel which was easily the best fish of the day. I've included two shots of the eel as there were no other fish that merited a photo today!  Despite this fish not being remarkable in Conger standards it still represented an excellent angling achievement as it was caught on light gear - you can just make out the small hook in the fish's lip.

The Conger was released at the side of the boat and we settled back in to wait for the next bite.  After a little while we had a flurry of bites from a passing shoal of Pouts.  I had one of about 1lb and followed this up with a much better fish of around 2.5 lbs.  Now I know Pouts are "rubbish" fish but I was quite grateful at this point as I had at least avoided a blank.

After the pouts it went quiet again and poured with rain to compound our misery.

Dave called for lines up.  The next mark we would try would be the Adamant bank.  "Portland" Mick who was on board had taken some Whiting and a Ray there earlier in the week when out on Atlanta.  It was a short steam and we were soon back at anchor.

The sport was much the same pace as before with just the odd dog fish and a few baits lost to very small fish.  Much the same as the previous mark we again had a flurry of activity caused by a passing shoal of Whiting this time.  Most of the fish were small and returned, however I had one nice example which was probably a little over two pounds in weight.  It was this spell of activity that ensured everyone on board avoided a blank.

It then went very quiet again which was a real shame because with the rain having gone and sun out it was quite pleasant on the water.  The Skipper asked what we wanted to do as it was unlikely that the fishing was going to improve given we had tried the best of the tide.  The decision was taken quickly and unanimously - we would opt for an early finish and come back to try another day.

Whilst today didn't produce the frenetic sport I have often experienced on Atlanta and although our preferred pan was scuppered by the weather, it was still nice to be out with good company and a few fish.  I ended the day with two dogs, three pouts and a couple of Whiting - not a "wipeout" by any means.  I would have been very happy to catch the Conger and it made for a nice photo opportunity at least.

Weather permitting, it will be an off shore trip for Pollack next month then it's back to Mexico in April for Easter holidays and a crack at something more exotic.  By the time I get home the Bream season will be upon us - happy days!