The great thing about Alderney is that we are still finding new marks and forever trying to unravel the many secrets the island holds. This continues to be the case as those of you who experienced the terrific bass fishing from August onwards will know. We have also discovered new tope marks which mean that we could, should we choose to, fish all day for tope no matter what the strength or direction of tide! We continue to find more bass marks that even in the harshest tide allows you to fish with 10oz or less over clean bottom. There are dramatic sandbanks and underwater rock formations all over the place around Alderney, each one influencing the tidal patterns in its own way and each fishing differently according to the tide direction and strength and offering different challenges for the bass angler.
The photograph shows just how wild the seas around Alderney can get! Needless to say we did not leave harbour on this occasion...so even the Rebel does not go out in all weathers!
The bass arrived in Alderney in numbers at the end of August. The bass trips in September and October were superb with the best one falling at the end of September during massive tides. Because of the speed of the tide (6 knots plus) and the bass deciding to feed right at the North end of the Alderney Race in the deepest water, the team needed to go up to 1lb round leads and lengthen the traces to 18'. When we did this, the bass came on the feed very hard with many of the fish in the 7lb to 9lb range...amazing fishing.
From the third day onwards the lads decided to put all the bass caught back as we had plenty to take home. At 1600 hours on the 3rd day, the 100th (yes, the hundreth!!!) bass of the trip was returned to the sea weighing....12lb 7oz! Now, be honest, how many of you would return a bass of that size!! 'Good on the Lads', say I.
If you want to sample some of the finest bassing this country has to offer, then you need to consider booking the biggest tides from mid August onwards....and please think about this in advance. There are no bass slots left for 2012 and two slots have already gone for 2013.
Terrific turbot such as this one of 18lb 9oz caught by Mike, are one of the prize species to come from the Shoal Bank between Alderney and Guernsey. The Channel Island record turbot of 29lb 11oz which came from Offshore Rebel II back in 1995 has now been beaten with a 31lb monster this year and again the bass record has fallen to an 18lb 6oz beauty caught from Peace and Plenty in Ocotber. It just shows that it is still possible to beat records that we would think would be impossible to beat!
Well, what a brilliant fishing April and May gave us for the turbot and brill. Not only did we catch stacks of fish (up to 30 turbot a day throughout these two months!!) but we landed an impressive amount of double figure fish plus six over the magic 20lb mark with the best weighing in at 23lb.
The turbot thinned out dramatically in the middle of May but then made an impressive return in September and October. So, if you haven't experienced truly amazing flatfish fishing, get on a trip to Alderney in April/May or have a go again later in the year.
I see a multitude of rigs used for flatfish but really all you need is a simple running leger with either a single hook or a two hook 'Rebel Rig' (which I will show you when you're out there). Use a clock lead which are designed for hugging the bottom on the drift. Bring clock leads from 6oz to 12oz but you certainly won't lose many on the sandy/shingly banks.
Many anglers enquire as to how the Alderney trips work. The Alderney trips fall into three distinct categories according to the tide and it's up to you to choose the one that suits you best!
BIG TIDES. Some anglers love to just bass fish (with a bit of turbot fishing at the end of the tide) and book to go on the very biggest tides. This is a bit specialist as it knocks out the general wrecking and fishing at anchor. BUT you need big tides if you want bass. Often we just steam straight to Alderney and get on with the bassing.
MEDIUM TIDES. This allows for a mixture of fishing with wrecking on the way, some anchoring, some bassing, some tope fishing, flatfish..in fact a bit of everything.
SMALL TIDES. Many anglers love the challenge of the Hurd Deep and other less fished wrecks off Alderney which are full of conger. If so, then this is the tide for you with the emphasis on anchoring. There is still the opportunity for flatfish and tope around Alderney but forget about the bass. Chances are we will be fishing away from the Islands as they do not fish very well for roundfish unless there's tide. The small tides, especially in April and May, can be excellent for flatfish.
Photo shows Steve Musgrove with a nice Alderney turbot.
Funny some of the stuff you find floating around in the English Channel. Here we have a fine display of balloons which we used to decorate the boat and have our own evening party in Alderney Harbour.
Anyone lost them??
Last Updated: Tue Nov 22 2011