I hate this time of the year, there's only so many rigs you can tie. Actually it can be pretty good off our beaches right now but this Indian summer isn't doing us any favours. We need some good Northerlies, sooner the better. There's a few small whiting showing darn sarf of the region and occasional codling and bass up here. I reckon if we get some decent conditions I'm sure we're in for another top winter season.

So with the lack of action I got to thinking about what we'd done this summer, and if I'm totally objective about it we didn't do that well. A few early season bass, a few nice sole then odd early codling, but no great catches of rays or hounds etc. it's been a slow summer. The Jolly Boys did get away for a few days fishing to the Isle of Wight this summer, that was ok but then again the conditions conspired against us and we never got the variety we'd hope for down there.

Jolly Boys July 2006

Five of us made the pilgrimage this year, Keith Hall, Karl Gibson, Johnny Everett, Paul Kerry and yours truly. When I say pilgrimage its more like a few days cutting loose with the boys, the fishing is important but it's not everything. The first day we got there it was full on sun around 80deg and no wind, not ideal usually but we still felt confident we'd get into a few smoothounds. We met up with Russ Catling who lives on the island; he's an old mate of Paul's from his casting days and an absolute godsend info. wise. Russ suggested that we'd be as well fishing Castle Point the first day as we were stopping in East Cowes and it would be an easy fish only 5 minutes from the digs.

Now while I mention the digs, we've had some pretty ropey digs in the past but this place was mint! We had a four bedroom apartment with sea views, outdoor heated pool and onsite bar, bloody marvellous, the only down side was I had to share with Keith who snores like a herd of wildebeast, I'd be ok as long as I was anaeshetised. The place was Waverley Park and I'd highly recommend it. We also managed to time our arrival with the last night of the Isle of Wight rock festival; we listened to Cold play whilst supping cold beers that night after fishing, bloody marvellous.

Back to the fishing, its pretty simple stuff really. 3/0 pennel rigs, no need for clips as its all within 70/80 yards of the shore and peeler crab the must have bait. I'd borrowed a state of the art video camera and the plan was we'd do some fishing and put a dvd together of our trip. The plan never quite worked as I realised I couldn't fish and film at the same time, so I'm afraid the filming never really happened! I did manage a few minutes of film, including Karl's and Keith's first ever smuts. I also made a complete twot of myself, yes yes I know it won't be the last time.

I had the camera set up on a tripod and set it recording (or so I thought) whilst I gave some spiel about who was fishing where and what has happening. As I did my rod bucked forward and I'm into a nice smoothound all in front of the camera in real time! Not being one to miss an opportunity like this, I talked the fish all the way in, even pointing my rod tip at the camera and coming out with crap like "this is why we're here" and "even small fish around 6 or 7lb pull your string" etc. you get the picture. That night back at the digs I thought I'd charge the camera battery and preview what we had filmed, when I get to the point where I should've been in full on "John Wilson" mode, there was nothing, not so much as a flicker on the screen. Id left the effing thing on standby! The boys found it very amusing, needless to say the camera never made an appearance after that.

Castle Point that first day was superb. We all had smuts to about 7lb and bass to around 4lb, perfect after the drive down there and we're all set for an early night after a couple of pints. That's all except for Johnny, he wasn't feeling too good so I packed up and took him home early, was handy for me as it meant I got in the shower first before the rabble got back. I think Johnny had mild heatstroke; it was a tremendously hot day on top of a long journey with PK driving. I just have to giggle to myself, whenever I think about PK driving. I remember him picking Karl up and meeting us down at Salthouse for a social fish. Karl got out of the car shaking and said "That was effing surreal, he drives that Skoda like he's Alain Prost while he listens to Boney M!" still cracks me up now. Anyway we averaged around 5 or 6 fish each so a successful start to the break.

Small but perfectly formed, Johnny's spotted ray

Johnny recovered after an early night and the rest of us were all sprightly despite a night on the pop. The next day saw Russ fish with us down at a place called Hamstead. We didn't have so many fish here but they were generally a bit bigger. Karl had a nice one of 9lb 4oz and Johnny had a nice little spotted ray. If anything that's what disappointed me a little bit. The smut fishing was ok but I do like to try for other species. I'd hoped to go back to Blackgang Chine to try for some of the rays the areas famous for but conditions worked against us me and PK have had them there in the past, some good ones too. In those situations you have to rely on your local contacts and trust their knowledge, if they say it's not worth fishing don't waste your bait, fish were they say you've a chance of one or two.

Karl's Smut a beauty at 9lb 4oz

The break was rounded off with a trip to Gurnard Ledge. It's a decent walk but easier than Hamstead and one of my favourite marks, unfortunately my companions don't rate it as highly as me. The flood runs from left to right and to the left is an arm of rocks that run out across the tide (Gurnard Ledge). The rocks create the effect of two tides. The tide floods as normal and the water rises, then when it ebbs the tide runs right to left and against the rocks, the rocks push the water back giving like another mini flood. It can be weedy here as the rocks trap debris as well as food etc. but I've generally done ok here. This trip wasn't so successful with only odd small smuts caught and a few schoolies, the area seemed to hold more spider crabs than anywhere else we fished at that time of the year. As we walked back to the cars, Russ asked me if I was losing my bait elastic, I said no, mine was safely stowed in my box and reckoned it was old stuff that had been left in the bushes. Turned out it was Keith's, he'd bought a new bobbin of elastic from Scotties that morning and dropped it in his bucket rather than his box. Upshot is he had a lovely clean cardboard reel minus elastic when we got to the car, doughnut.

All in all a decent trip, great company and a laugh a minute; roll on next year. This winter we hope to get away for a night or two up my old neck of the woods. We'd planned to fish the Humber bank last year but the cod fishing was too good round here and it wasn't worth the trip, maybe this year. Here's an idea of how good it was, these three numpties sent me this knowing I was stuck at work, its from Kessingland in February this year. Its a surprising picture as the subjects are managing to hold the fish AND smile, they're not renowned for their ability to multitask, I've even heard Karl reminding himself "breathe in, breathe out, breathe in.......

PK, Johnny and Karl, doing what they do best.