You may like to join us aboard "Gemini", or to book her for your own weekend angling trip.

The following weekend dates, up to the end of the current year, are still available to be booked for full charters.

To avoid disappointment - Please call Dave Harrison to book your spaces now.

Places are also available for individual anglers on mid-week charters.

Dave says, "I'll take a minimum of 5 anglers to fish on the "Skerries" at £35 each plus their own bait."

 

"Seiwa Explorer 3" Colour GPS Chart Plotter
with "Neovo" 15 inch flat screen

As new - fully updated by UK agent
to latest specification July 2008

£ 800

Contact:  Dave Harrison direct via 01803 851 766 or 07968 599 245
or Email dave@geminifishing.co.uk 

I spent a particularly enjoyable day wreck fishing off Dartmouth aboard Dave Harrison's very popular and successful charter boat "Gemini".

I've known Dave quite well for several years and I am amazed that I have never been fishing aboard his boat before today.  There's a first time for everything and as the Actress said to the Bishop, "I was certainly not disappointed".

I joined John Page, Mick Dickin and Stuart Coyles, all from Sheffield, who regularly travel down to fish our local "hotspots".  You may recall that only last month John Page was featured on my "Fishing Dartmouth" web site, holding a 19½ lb Coalfish he had caught.  They had chartered "Gemini 2" just for themselves, so I felt privileged to be invited to join them.

We headed out to a mid-Channel wreck about 25 miles from Dartmouth.  We again found that "Storm" lead headed holographic "Shads" were the most consistently effective lure.  Although we fished rubber eels and jellyworms at certain states of the tide, particularly around slack water, the Shads really worked well yet again even when little tide was moving, you just needed to reel them in a little faster to induce that killing wriggle of their tail.

Dave Harrison is the most 'customer friendly' charter Skipper with whom I have ever had the pleasure of fishing.  Time after time he put us on the perfect drift to catch fish.

Throughout the day, he continually paid close attention to his party of anglers.  He gaffed or netted every fish.  He quietly dispensed ready advice whenever the catch rate slowed down, without ever crowding or overwhelming any of his customers.

I can understand why he has won the award for Top Charter Skipper with the best catches in two out of the past three Torbay Borough Sea Angling Festivals.

Dave Harrison (r) is presented with the Trophy for Top Skipper by Simon Pedley (r) Torbay Fishing Festival

We all caught many big Pollack.  I saw 5 fish in excess of the 16 lbs 100% specimen weight, with a further 3 fish in excess of 18 lbs lifted aboard.

Mick Dickin's best fish was a Pollack of a little over 18 lbs.

Mick Dickin from Sheffield proudly holds his specimen Pollack 18 lbs plus aboard Dave Harrison's Dartmouth charter boat "Gemini"

Stuart Coyles lost a couple of big fish early on but soon settled down to reel in several memorable fish.  His best Pollack was yet another in excess of 18 lbs.

Stuart Coyles from Sheffield proudly holds his own specimen Pollack 18 lbs plus aboard Dave Harrison's Dartmouth charter boat "Gemini"

During the return journey I sat in the wheelhouse talking to Dave, while the lads were gutting their fish to take home to put in their freezers.  They kindly offered to gut my fish too.  I only wanted a couple, as I am already fortunate enough to catch more than my fair share.

I had caught one really special fish, which I intended to take back to Paignton SAA to be weighed for inclusion in my own Winter League competition tally.  Oh dear!  It serves me right, yes you guessed, the lads had gutted it for me!  It was entirely my own fault for not doing my own dirty work!  I can't weigh that fish in for any competition but I don't really mind, it will still taste superb.

We returned to Port just after 5 pm as darkness fell having all enjoyed a great day out aboard "Gemini 2".  I must have behaved myself, because the lads have invited me to join them again in January.  I'm already looking forward to that.

Later that evening on returning home, my Wife Patsy went to fillet my couple of Pollack.  She was quite amused when I recounted how the largest fish had been prematurely gutted, but she insisted on weighing it on my "Salter Abbey" electronic scales which are very accurate.  Even minus its stomach and all internal organs, my Pollack still weighed 18 lbs 8 ozs.  I guess when whole it would have weighed something in excess of 19 lbs.

Mike Concannon holds his specimen Pollack 19 lbs plus caught aboard Dave Harrison's Dartmouth charter boat "Gemini " Photo courtesy of Dave Harrison

I know I really enjoyed catching it.  It fought very hard making three crash dives which ripped the 20 lb mono line from my Abu 7000 lever drag reel before I finally managed to subdue it.  Unlike the fish, I'm not at all gutted by the experience.

Staff Correspondent - Sea Angling News
UK Committee Member - International Game Fish Association
Hon. Secretary - Torbay Borough Sea Angling Festival
Visit Mike Concannon's Web Site