A Smorgasbord of Cornish Fish

The Smorgasbord of an anglers life

Angling is about far more than catching fish a fact that sinks increasingly into my mindset as the years rapidly pass. Places and people are an essential part of the smorgasbord of an angler’s life.

I have been visiting Looe in Cornwall for close to sixty years and it was at this Cornish seaside town that my inextricable link with angling was born. Crabs from the harbour wall were followed by garfish, pollock and mackerel from the Banjo Pier.

The blue shark that were brought ashore and hoisted onto the Shark Angling Club of Great Britain’s weighing station scales fascinated me as a child and I dreamt of one day setting out to that far horizon where monsters of the deep prowled in a vast and mysterious ocean.

My wife Pauline and I have been visiting Looe since we met over forty years ago. We also introduced our son James to the delights I had discovered as a child.

Undiminished beguilement

Over recent years I have joined up with a group of angling friends each autumn enjoying boat fishing forays and adventures out from Looe sailing to the fishing grounds that still hold a deep and undiminished beguilement.

I normally book onto just one boat trip during the week alternating between sharking and reef fishing. The excursion is a good excuse for a short holiday and we spend non fishing days exploring the coastline often just relaxing in old familiar haunts. Cornwall has a rich and fascinating history and is a great place to just chill and savour whatever the weather. Time worn churches, wild beaches, coffees by the water, watching boats go by are all simple pleasures that are good for the soul.

It is also far more enjoyable in early autumn whilst everywhere is still open but the hordes of tourists are back home.

It was in late September and early Autumn that I visited Looe as a child with my parents a fact that probably adds a certain poignancy as I cannot help but reflect upon the passing of time and how life drifts along. The ebbing and flowing of the tides always give a deep reassurance of constancy.

The facts of maturing lives are reinforced as we senior anglers meet up with many touching upon challenging health issues through the preceding year.

September can often be a bit of a lottery as regards to the weather. As can any month in this world of increasing climatic turbulence.

I had booked onto Thursdays Reef Fishing Trip and it seemed I had struck lucky for once with the previous two days cancelled as the remnants of some distant tropical storm pushed across the Atlantic.

Cheery greetings and flowing banter

I climbed aboard the boat ‘Sowenna’ with the rest of the motley crew at 8:30am after grabbing a fresh Cornish pasty and a jam doughnut from the bakery.

The party were a mixture of long-time friends and a couple of new faces. Cheery greetings and banter flowed as we sailed out of the harbour waving to our partners on the shoreline who would undoubtedly be contributing to Looe’s economy as we sailed the high seas.

We passed the iconic Banjo Pier and headed out past Looe Island. It was no surprise that it was a different world as we left the sheltered waters of Looe. A large and lively swell buffeted the boat and we were all a little concerned when one of our party took a nasty tumble as we paused on our journey to feather up some fresh mackerel.

I was glad I had remembered to take my sea sick tablets and had to subdue thoughts of queasiness as I know that this infliction is undoubtedly partly within the mind. Keep focussed on the horizon, breathe in the fresh salty air and savour the splendour of the vast and rolling ocean.

It didn’t take long to catch a few mackerel for bait before heading out to reefs that were probably ten miles or so offshore. We glimpsed dolphins in the wake of the boat. Gannets plunged into the sea their white wings clearly defined against dark stormy clouds that loomed on horizons as we savoured sun and blue skies above.

One of sea anglings greatest attributes is the essence of mystery and what lurks beneath. Today we were setting out to try and catch as many species as possible with variety very much the spice of life.

On the voyage out we had discussed a recent sighting of a huge mako shark that had seized a small blue shark as it was released boat-side. Lee Armishaw, (Watersmeet Publications) is soon to publish a book that documents many historic encounters with mako shark in UK waters. The British Record mako weighing 500lb was boated off Looe by Joyce Yallop in May 1971.

Pondering upon monsters of the deep

It is fascinating to ponder upon these monsters of the deep and what might take the bait. I was hoping to catch a john dory after hearing that Keith Armishaw had enjoyed a red letter day with these alien looking fish a few days previously.

We drifted over the reefs using a variety of lures. A few pouting succumbed with some large mackerel and scad.

I hooked something that felt good and I hoped it was a dory. Sadly, whatever it was came off and I will never know.

A whiter shade of pale

Dom Garnett hooked a good fish and battled it to the boat despite a face that showed a distinct whiter shader of pale. A fine pollock of close to ten pounds proved a partial remedy for the curse of mal-de-mer.

After an hour drifting with lures results were disappointing so we changed tactics and sent down small hooks baited with slender strips of squid or mackerel.

Rod tips rattled as an abundance of fish seized our baits. Pouting, poor cod, plump hard fighting mackerel, large scad, brightly coloured cuckoo wrasse and gurnard were swung on board bringing smiling faces.

Another species to life's tally

After catching scad, cuckoo wrasse and pouting I reeled in a brightly coloured exotic looking fish that I did not recognise. Skipper Dan Margetts immediately identified it as a comber. These fish of warmer climes are a rare catch though perhaps more frequent as climate change increasingly yields its influence. Adding another species to life’s tally is always a pleasing result.

Dan Margetts the skipper worked hard for us throughout the day providing useful advice assisting with unhooking fish and making a welcome brew if sport eased.

As the tidal pull increased I went back onto the lures hoping for a dory and caught a pollock of a couple of pounds. Mark Everard and Dom switched to mackerel flappers and added some nice ling to double figures.

The sun was shining lighting the seascape while dark ominous clouds loomed in the distance. Keith Armishaw caught a large pouting and reluctantly held it aloft for a picture.

Big game fishing prospect

The heavy downpour swept across, a boat trolling for tuna passed slowly the rigs swaying high above the water a reminder of this exciting big game fishing prospect. I wondered if they had enjoyed success with these giants of the ocean.

Bouncing back to port

The day came to an end all too soon as always and Dan suggested we reel in and return to port. The boat bounced across the waves with a brisk breeze assisting us on our way. Dan set about filleting a few fish for us to take home.

We sat back and chatted about fishing life and future plans. It was good to see gannets diving after  prey their numbers sadly depleted by the recent outbreak of bird flu.

We climbed out of the boat a little wearily after more than eight hours riding the waves. I am sure none of us would endure such a hard day if it was work, bearing in mind several of us are retired!

Reconvened for an analysis of the day

After a quick freshen up some of us reconvened in the Olde Salutation Inn for a meal and drink. We reflected upon the day that had passed, put the world to rights and began plotting future forays.

On the wall old pictures told of a rich fishing history and successful battles with shark of a bygone era. Fortunately, we live in more enlightened times when these magnificent creatures of the deep are returned to the depths. The quest in which we share brings us together in a love of waterscapes and adventure.