The group of five including, Reg Talbot, Keith Cartwright (an avid fly fisherman who is new to sea angling), Gary Allen (a river keeper) plus myself and son Lee met up on Clovelly Quay for a days tope fishing on the Independent with Dave and Doug. The sun shone, but following their experiences with brisk squalls the previous day, we decided to head for Lundy rather than go around Hartland.
Lundy looks close from the shore but it took about 1.5 hours to reach there, by which time we were all set up for mackerel fishing with feathers to catch fresh bait. We started initially just off the southern end of the island and were immediately into fish with the mackerel being of good size and we also caught pollack to about 3lb plus a few codling and coalfish (the latter being a species that I had never caught before).
After a couple of drifts, we then decided it was time to head to the tope grounds some 4 miles further on. This is normally a hot arera, and Doug told us that the only fish we would catch there would be dogfish, huss and the tope we were after. Sport was very slow, and then suddenly Gary struck into a heavy fish and brought to the surface - a CONGER; there is no such thing as certainty in fishing.
After over an hour, the swell was growing so it was decided to move closer to the island and try there. We were all swaying about, often losing our footing so there was no argument.
Once we anchored on the new mark we tried varying techniques. I continued with larger bait to be rewarded with a decent bull huss. Keith Cartwright switched to baited feathers and put us all to shame bagging a succession of mackerel, pollack including the best one of the trip and a ling; another fish I hadn't seen before. Reg found a hotspot for dogfish. Although Keith Cartwright also caught one, Reg seemed to be able to select them, or should I say they could select him, much to his dismay, only breaking the succession with tyhe occasional pollack and a solitary pouting.
Lee used a running lead with a strip of mackerel and was rewarded with his first conger followed immediately by his second. I was suprised how docile they seemed when brought on board before being unhooked and returned alive, nothing like I expected from catching their freshwater brethren.
Gary meanwhile had steady support on baited feathers, mainly mackerel and pollack.
We finished at about 4.30pm allowing an hour or so to head back to Clovelly and then home where sandy had prepared a great evening meal which was gratefully consumed.