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You may like to join us aboard "Gemini", or to book her for your own angling trip
Updated 26th July 2010 - Dave Harrison who owns and Skippers "Gemini" out of Dartmouth has provided numerous advance dates when individuals can book places aboard for a day "Fishing Dartmouth". These opportunities to enjoy your angling in Dave's good company are as always dependant on the weather, numbers, and the wishes of those who book. Dave can provide rods and reels if you are new to the sport or require extra help. Dave will collect your fresh or frozen bait, by prior arrangement, from Brixham Bait & Tackle.
Several days will include Mike Concannon, well known for "Fishing Dartmouth"; sea angler, respected photographer, writer and film maker aboard, to enjoy your company and help anyone new to the sport, or who requires his easy going assistance. Dave is advertising several dates available for full charters at weekends plus mid-week dates, when he is willing to take parties comprised either of full charters or, of individual anglers.
If you would like to
book a charter on another date than those shown below, please call
Dave and he will take your booking,
Dave says,
"With a part of 10
anglers I'll sail to the mid-Channel
wrecks, up to 20 miles, for £50 per person
"With a minimum of 8 individual anglers
I'll fish the mid-Channel wrecks and reefs up to 20 miles for
£50 each Dave says, "I'll take a minimum of 5 anglers to fish on the "Skerries" at £35 each plus their own bait."
Dave can offer other mid-week and weekend dates for full charters aboard "Gemini" out of Dartmouth. To avoid disappointment - Please call Dave Harrison to book your spaces now.
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"Gemini" Pollack - I've just returned home, tired but happy and aching in every joint, after a thoroughly enjoyable day, fishing for Pollack on the mid-Channel wrecks out of Dartmouth, aboard my good friend Dave Harrison's local charter boat, his ever popular, bright orange coloured Blyth 33 catamaran, "Gemini". Today was something of a "red letter" day for me. I have endured 6 thoroughly unpleasant operations and I finally got the "all clear" from my Consultant last Wednesday. I couldn't wait to wet a line. I had been unable to fish for 6 months. I was so happy and excited that it probably would have taken two Stone Masons three weeks to chisel the beaming smile from my face. Look out fish, I am back ! Several weeks ago, I received a telephone call from another pal, Roger Lovell, who lives at Solihull, in the West Midlands. We know several mutual acquaintances and places, as that is where I was brought up as a young lad, at Lapworth, half way between Solihull and Warwick, where as a boy, I started my obsession with fishing in the local Canals. Roger explained that he had a group of 5 or 6 Midland based anglers, who regularly fish Dartmouth at any opportunity. He was having trouble in assembling a full charter party of 10 anglers, and wondered if I knew anyone who would like to join him and his pals, fishing aboard "Gemini". Roger was the original motivation, around a year ago, for the publication on this web page, of charter trips for individual anglers, aboard "Gemini". It had become apparent that many anglers experienced difficulties in organising enough people to fill a charter boat with their own group. Many individual anglers and small groups, sought the opportunity to meet and fish in the company of other like minded people. I was very happy to help, as was Dave Harrison. Three lads based in Paignton and Brixham saw this trip advertised amongst Dave's forthcoming trip dates on this web page and joined us, together with Graham Dryer, who is the Chairman of Brixham SAC, my home club. Graham is also the proprietor of Brixham Bait & Tackle. We had a full compliment of happy like minded people. Dave picked me up alongside the South Embankment in Dartmouth Town centre. I handed my bags and rods to his ever smiling crewman, another good pal and prodigious tea maker, Mick Hallam, who is also known by his "nick name" as "Mr Wilkes", which originated from the TV soap, "Emmerdale", but, I digress. We headed across the River Dart, to Kingswear, on the opposite bank, where we collected the rest of the lads from the pontoon at Darthaven Marina. It was great to renew acquaintances with guys I had not seen for quite some time. Roger was happy and smiling. I also knew Mitch Johnson, from Solihull. We have fished together before, several years ago. I recognised one of the lads from the other group of three; Jamie Hopwood, who is a member of Brixham SAC. Graham Dryer was his usual self, happy and relaxed. As we headed out to sea, past the twin Castles which guard the entrance to the River Dart, Mick handed around welcoming cups of tea and coffee, the first of many that day. We all chatted. There were so many moments to catch up on, and talk of what the day might hold for us. The weather was a little more settled than so many other days in recent winter weeks. It was a big Spring tide, with a difference of 5 metres between high and low water. The company was good. We all hoped the fish would be hungry. Dean West, from Paignton, chatted to me and explained that he was returning to sea angling after a prolonged absence. It was his first wreck fishing trip for quite some time. We headed out to sea at a smooth pace for around 2 hours, fuelled by several more cups of tea. Mick, you should be a "personal trainer". You certainly get me to "Pea Tea"; some would say it's the closest I get to hard exercise. I had my rod rods rigged and ready. Several of the other guys were fitting reels to rods and threading lines through the guides; adding monofilament leaders to braid lines; tying swivels to leaders; and discussing the merits of various designs of soft plastic "Shad", "Redgill", and "Sidewinder" lures. Someone asked me how much weight they might need to fish the anticipated 240 feet of water. I suggested that 10 ozs would be about right. The trip to the fishing grounds passed very quickly. It's an important but enjoyable aspect of a day afloat, "Fishing Dartmouth". The sound of the engines slowing down indicated that we were over the first wreck mark. We took up places along one side and across the stern of "Gemini". These big cats may not be the prettiest boats in the world, but they really are excellent and stable fishing platforms. You can easily accommodate a party of 10, fishing across the transom and from the same side of the boat; none of the problems associated with fishing under the boat from the "up-tide side" on the drift. On the second drift of the day, I caught my first Pollack for a very long time, not huge, but a feisty fish, around 10 lbs. I was happy. I knew that all was well with my world. Within a very short space of time, Roger Lovell caught another fine Pollack, of similar size to mine. It was time to unpack my camera and take some photos of our day together.
The tide was ripping through at a fair pace. The boat was drifting up-Channel, driven by a breeze around force 4 from the North West. There was a slight lop on the water, but conditions were comfortable and forecast to improve as the tide eased and breeze dropped. Dave suggested we should move on to another bigger wreck, which we did. It was only a few miles further out. More chat, more tea, and we were soon there. Graham Dryer, fishing alongside me, soon caught another fine Pollack around 12 lbs in weight.
Then it was Mitch Johnson who caught the next good Pollack, again a fish of similar size.
As the pace of the tide eased, "Gemini" drifted more slowly and the fish were easier to contact. Roger Lovell and Mitch Johnson, using the newer "Sidewinder" soft plastic lures, fished with a 10 ounce weight attached to a sliding boom, with a trace length around 6 to 8 feet, were into fish at the same time.
Dean West preferred the "Redgill" lures, which worked perfectly and certainly tempted some fine fish. Mitch caught several good fish, including a specimen Pollack around 15 lbs 8 ozs, all on "Redgills", fished from a thin wire "French Boom" on a flowing trace. Dean remarked to me how much he was enjoying his day and said he was going to be back for many more in the future.
Jamie Hopwood used a selection of "Jelly Worm" soft plastic lures, and on other drifts used "Redgills" to tempt several fine Pollack.
As the tide eased still more there were times when 4 or 5 anglers were fighting fish at the same time. Dave Poole from Coventry caught another good Pollack around 16 lbs. Roger and Mitch caught similar fish on the same drift. Jamie caught his best Pollack of the day another fish around 15½ lbs. Between cups of tea, pasties, chat, and taking photos, I caught four nice Pollack, all around 12 lbs in weight. I thoroughly enjoyed my return to angling. It made me glad to be alive in such excellent company. On the way home, we stopped off at the same wreck we had visited on our outbound journey and caught several more Pollack, before continuing our return voyage, arriving back in Dartmouth a few minutes before 5.0 pm, in good time for the lads with longer return journeys to Warwickshire and Leicester, and in time for Dave to re-fuel "Gemini" ready for another trip tomorrow with some regulars from South Wales. We said our fond farewells and all look forward to doing it again before too long. What a good day we all had. Thanks Dave and "Thank you" Mick.
Friday 13th February 2009
Staff Correspondent - Sea Angling News
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