Comments (1)

By Vic, 28 April, 2014 12:27

After a bit of fiddling, some cursing and tantrums, I’ve got the Live Video Feed up and working. At the moment, it would only seem to work with quicktime, so I’ll be doing a bit more fiddling and throwing a few more tantrums.

It may well end up being ditched if it puts too much strain on the server, in which case it will be back to refreshed static images only.

Anyway, hope it works out and people find it useful. >>>>>>> Live Video Feed

Can also be accessed via the drop down from the ‘Beach Cam’ link in the navigation bar at the top of each page.

Comments (0)

By Vic, 23 February, 2014 10:10

Still being incapacitated as far as fishing, or any strenuous activity goes, I’m left feeling a bit like a desk warrior. This means I’ll also be missing out on the ‘Cuckmere Beach Clean’ event, taking place on 1st March. It has been organised by fellow WSF‘er and local ‘Fish whisperer’, Craig Gosling and in conjunction with the R.S.P.B. and Sussex Sea Angling Network (SSAN). Not being able to join in, I’ll just have to do my bit in trying to get the word out.

The event will see the guys clearing up all the crap that has accumulated on the beach at Cuckmere Haven after the recent storms and leaving it in a more habitable condition.

Sea anglers do occasionally, get a bad reputation (sometimes justified) for leaving venues in crap conditions, with discarded rubbish and the like. This event will hopefully, go a long way to showing that the great majority of us are responsible and caring folk who do care about the environment. We are not the same as the tossers who are just too idle or too fucking stupid to either use a litter bin, or take their crap home with them. We take our crap and usually the crap left by others, home or dispose of it in a sensible way. There is a world of difference between dedicated sea anglers and the other group, who are arseholes who just happen to fish a bit.

It also has to be said that crap leavers are not always people who are fishing, there are other culprits – like tourists, or locals having a day at the beach, or partying teens and adults, or flotsam and jetsam, negligent dog walkers who fail to clear up after Rover has emptied his bowels – the list is endless. We just happen to get it in the neck as we are more easily identifiable and therefore blameworthy.

Anyway, here’s the link to the event with times and meeting places etc. Cuckmere Haven Beach Clean

Have a great time and I will be there in spirit, not in body.

Comments (2)

By Vic, 19 November, 2013 15:22

As I’ve now moved to Seaford and overlook the bay, I’m lucky enough to be in a position to answer any queries regarding conditions. If you want to know what it’s like before making the journey, drop me a line on an email via the site, or text if you have my mobile number and If I’m home, I’ll have a quick look and get back to you asap.

I’m looking to get an ip cam set up and have a live feed on the site, so you can see what the conditions are like for yourself. I’ve got a few other commitments at the moment but I’m hoping to get it up and running pretty soon.

Comments (0)

By Vic, 9 November, 2013 16:09

In the past, many people have said that I’d end up living on the beach at Seaford, considering how much time I spent there. Anyway, I recently found myself in the position of having to move house (gain).

After much searching, viewing and general ‘Moving house buggeration factors’, I finally settled on my new current abode. It looks like all those who jokingly suggested where I should live, turned out to be right. Not only in the right area but virtually on one of my favourite marks, I couldn’t have done better if I’d built it myself. Here’s a couple of pictures from my front bedroom window.

Due to various reasons – long boring story – I’ve hardly fished at all this year, to my eternal shame. Fingers crossed and touching wood, I’m hoping that my long awaited surgery will go ahead at some stage in the bear future. Once that’s sorted, I will be back with a vengeance and shall be putting some serious hours in on the shingle. I’m hoping that the weather improves from what we have at the moment and have had recently. Talk about sod’s law kicking in firmly, I’d only been in the new place days before the wind ripped the skylight off my roof, leaving a big hole above the bathroom. Landlord was brilliant though and was soon out to get it fixed. There is the smallest of gaps which means that a good South Westerly finds the skylight whistling away like Roger Whittaker on speed.

Comments (1)

By Vic, 21 July, 2013 08:21

Sunday morning a couple of weeks ago, saw me down on the slipway at Newhaven, waiting for boat owner and fellow angler, Terry Hill, as we were going out on the hunt. The plan was to hit some wrecks and hopefully find some cod before heading West in search of bream.

Once supplies for the day were loaded, ‘Sea Mistress’ slipped out the port and we headed to the first mark. We stopped en route to stock up on fresh mackerel, which were duly plonked into the live bait tank.

After a not too long steaming time, Terry found one of his favourite marks and set up the drift. The rods were rigged with running ledger with a six foot hook length. Live joey mackerel were hooked and sent down to the bottom to work their magic.

Almost immediately, something hit the bait and although there was a fish on, it could only have been small, as there was no fight. It was brought to the surfaced and I was gob smacked to see a pout fairly hooked in the mouth and no sign of the joey. The bloody pout wasn’t much bigger than the bait and had no business being there!

Anyway, a fresh joey was sent down on the next drift and both our rods arched over as the baits were hit. Two fine pollack were boated, mine going 8lbs, terry’s 13lb – a nice start.

My next catch wasn’t so good as I got got snagged in the wreck. I wrapped the braid around a stern cleat and hoped for a pull out or a break. Unfortunately, the braid slipped on the cleat, pulling the rod tip onto it and snapping it clean off… Bollax!!

Terry loaned me a rod for the rest of the trip but the words.. “you can christen this one, it’s hasn’t been used before” made me shudder… no pressure then.

We boated a further two pollack on this wreck, both just under the double figure mark. On the way out, Terry had told me of some fish that had been lost previously on this mark, strong, fast fish that smashed tackle up. Could be big coalfish (coalie), maybe even tope or similar sharky things. I was to experience this myself when something below grabbed my live joey and took off like a bat out of hell. With the drag set as hard as I dare, the fish just stormed off and snapped the 30lb mono leader like cotton. I guess we still don’t know what the mystery fish is.

With not much else happening, we moved off West to fish Kingmere rocks, a reef just off Littlehampton known for its black bream fishing. Once there, Terry dropped anchor and started to fish. I used a two hook flapper baited with strips of cuttle and was almost immediately in to a bream, albeit a small one. Although most were small, I did manage a few keepers, while Terry had the best individual fish of the day at 2½lbs. He also bagged the one and only bass of the day.

Later in the afternoon, with the wind starting to freshen, it was decided to call it a day and head back to port. I had a fantastic day in good company and with a few fish fillets for the freezer. The only downside, was the smashed rod with a good 12-18″ lost, I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do with it – a stubby boat rod maybe. I guess it means having to go shopping for another – shame 😉

Tea time was nice, lovely fresh bream fillet gently fried and served up with a crisp salad… yumm.

Well done Terry for putting us in the right place and many thanks for the loan of the rod.