JULY 2009 COVER STORY

FISHING ON THE LEDGE

TSF deputy editor Roger Mortimore hops aboard ‘Wight Sapphire’ to do battle with some hard-fighting black bream on the Christchurch Ledge.

A couple of gentle taps turn into a bite that completely slams my rod tip over. Line is being ripped from the spool at an almighty rate as a hard-fighting fish dives for cover. I steel myself for the scrap ahead, my grip on the rod increases, muscles straining to hang on to the frenzy on the end of my line as beads of sweat run into my eyes. Slowly but surely, aided by the rod’s action, I bring it under control. My wrist aches as I gain enough line to see a huge shape appear from the depths. “Look at the size of this,” shouts skipper Bob Gawn as he slides the net under a huge black bream. Once onboard it slams the scales down to 4lb 4oz and smashes my personal best! I have a huge smile on my face and I am so pumped with adrenaline that my hands are trembling and my legs are shaking.

I first met Bob Gawn and Becki Florence in The Helm, a well-known hostelry in Westport, Co Mayo, during the 2008 Westport Skate Festival. Bob and Becki skipper and co-skipper ‘Wight Sapphire’ based at Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight. When Bob suggested that I join them on a trip out for black bream in the spring I jumped at the opportunity. I caught my first bream off Dartmouth, way back in the early 1970s, and was amazed at how hard these little fish fight all the way to the boat. A date was selected just after Easter, when the tides were right and, hopefully, the weather would be settled.

Read the rest in the July 2009 Issue of Total Sea Fishing

Latest Video...

Latest Review...

Latest News...