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  • 19/07/2016 Fishing Report by TERRY BATT on Vanishing Point-2 (Bradwell Marina, Essex)

    19 Jul 2016 by TERRY BATT

    Report on-board Vanishing Point-2

    What a lovely couple of days we chose to go on a long 24 hour trip, exploring mid-channel wreaks and offshore banks..!! with temperatures hitting 32 degrees we were glad we took the huge Igloo ice box I brought back from Florida..!!!
    We steamed 42 miles South West to make a start, we tried a couple of wreaks but with little success, it was possible pilot error but we didn't go blind we did have co-ordnance but the wreaks were not as big as I was expecting but we did find one that was defiantly there as some of the guys hooked pt on it...lol But Dave Barham had a lovely Gurnard off it , then we started to search for the under water terrain that looked like it might throw up Plaice and Turbot, and we found the perfect spot so we marked it on the plotter with a view to come back to it, as the tide was running to hard to fish it at that moment in time.
    Looking at what it was we were trying to achieve, and that was to unlock the mystery of where the Plaice hand out, and with no inside help it was very much a coming together of heads with my 30 years knowledge, and Dave's vast knowledge of all types of fishing, we set about looking at the ground available to us in basically our area, and not having to steam to the Goodwin sands or the Varne ..some 52 miles away, but I was tempted to say the least, as I think I would have found Turbot, but I wanted to find fish on the wreaks and banks off Essex not Ramsgate, or Dover, that would have not posed so much of a challenge as they are known hot spots for these fish, I needed to find these fish on my manor.
    Well after a bit of a disappointing start with the wreaking thing we steamed 16 miles Nor-east to some ground me and Dave thought it screamed fish..!!! but more over we though Plaice..!!.
    So we covered the distance in roughly 40 minutes, the we started to survey the area, then we found exactly what we were looking for, with large Knowles rising and falling beneath us and went on for miles, this had to be the place..(no pun intended) but first we wanted to see what bait fish was available... and there they were...!!! Sand Eels, mackerel, and launts
    As some of you know, me and Nicola have been going to Brighton to learn to fish for Plaice for the last couple of months, and with some success I must say, but learning how to set up the drifts and getting the right set up were critical, and on the first drift, I got a bite, and promptly landed my first ever Plaice on Vanishing Point at £3.5 lbs that was followed by everyone catching Plaice not all as big as mine I have to say..... well it is my boat...lol
    But we steamed through the early hours of the morning to an off-shore bank and thought this looks great for some Bass fishing, and with the stern of the boat backed up on to a shoaling bank we were set..!
    The only thing that concerned us was although everything was looking good, fist light, calm sea, with just the surf braking over the bank, tide just flooding nicely, no birds were working the the bank, not even patrolling which did not bode well we thought, and after an hour of nothing but a doggie, we thought this is not going to happen so we decided to move on and have another go at the wreaks.
    We didn't have to go to far until we came on a huge wreak about 300 foot long, and I set up the drift, it took a few goes to get it right, but once I managed to doge the pot buoys around the wreak I managed to get Vanishing Point drifting right over the bulk and we had Cod, Pollock, Pouting, Gurnard, and the wreak it's self...lol but that was a bit more successful than the attempt the day before.
    Well during the night the huge wheelhouse on VP-2 was a sanctuary to everyone as we had a lovely curry for evening dinner which was prepared by our special guest Dave Barham with pilau rice...Emmm,,!! then a bit more fishing, before everyone put their seats back for a well earned sleep in the nice warm dry wheelhouse for a few hours.
    Well we will be running more trips similar to this one, but will trim up the distances per trip as we know where we need to be and at what time.
    I would like to finish of this report with thanks to some of our regular fishermen for coming on the trip with us to share this adventure .. Tom, Andy, and Dave, well done guys, and to think you were there, to catch some of the first Plaice to be caught as a target species...!!!
    And a special thanks to my good old mates Dave Barham, for all his input to this success for the hunt for the elusive Plaice, and also to Jim Midgley for his amazing photography skills and great humor ......Tight lines.

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