The Amputee Angler

17/12/2024

This was one of the first underwater clips I took this year and one that truly had me buzzing when I was playing it back at home. The sheer numbers of Bass in the shoal just seems to increase the more I watch it back even now nearly a year on. Hopefully we can repeat this footage again shortly as they’re out there NOW.

15/12/2024

Well it’s looking like this fella maybe one of the last fish before Christmas as it stands from the boat but hopefully not the last of the year and we get a window or Two!

Currently the Bass have been feeding hard and are looking pretty pristine for the most part but that will all change within a couple of months and you will find them coming up looking battered with lots grazes and cuts on their flanks 🩸

Often this is mistaken for nets or seals but in fact it’s more often than not just where they have been aggressively breeding that requires lots of brushing up against each other causing lots of nicks and grazes so don’t be to alarmed if early part of next year you see that as it’s all part of the cycle and why those fish move so far offshore.

Ben

14/12/2024

Throw back here from the start of the year out on the slow jigs into some brilliant Bass & Pollack fishing.

These fish go to the same areas every winter and while the numbers and sizes can vary there’s a reason charter boats and some pleasure boats put the miles in and punch off with each having their favourite wrecks and ground out there 🎣🙏🏻

Windy again this week by the looks so some Pike or shore fishing is on the cards here 👌🏻

Hopefully we can get out on the boat again before years end!

Constant fishing action here from the very first drop in what was one of the best wreck fishing sessions I have had as a pleasure angler with lots of triple ...

12/12/2024

Any edge you can get is worth the time and investment in my view.

I have used Navionics platinum plus for a long time now and of course the app, both of which are brilliant but for some reason certain areas are just completely blank or lacking in detail compared to same areas on C-Map reveal.

A mate showed me some banks a while ago and Simpson’s showed me the chart in store the other week and I saw that whole wrecks that I had previously had to manually mark out old school in a search pattern are freely shown here on this card.

Little details but increased contour marking and wrecks outback mean life is abit easier after steaming 1-1.5 hours.

I also have twin card readers in my Lowrance HDS anyways so can switch between the two either ways if needed.

Who runs what in their plotters?

12/12/2024

A quick maths question for you all 🤔

This is the amount of w**d Tom has in One fleet of nets…..

He has 12 fleets of nets to clear of the same.

How many tons of w**d and hours to clear does Tom have to work before it’s all clean 😅😂😂

10/12/2024

Let’s put the cat among the pigeons shall we 🐈 🐦

Keep it civil please and I may be reading into this article more than needed and I also may not be for starters but it’s a good conversation to have anyway I think 🤔

For context, each year the EU and Britain gets together and works out our shared fishing quotas for both commercial and as a country as whole and it’s divided out and they also decide if any regulations need bringing in for anglers on any stocks - Think Bass 2 per day etc and of course any increase or decrease on species for commercial fishing sectors.

The bottom paragraph highlighted here from this years consultations seems to have (to me) at least highlighted intial murmurings of a bag limit possibility on Pollack for recreationals.

Again for context - Commercial wreck netting was banned/limited this year MASSIVELY for the commercial sector and the stock levels are deemed to be down some 70% from a number of years ago, coincidentally this year since that ban has seemed to myself and others been notably better for Pollack fishing in the the angling sector seeing notably more doubles and also overall numbers of Pollack.

Question to you all ⬇️

Would you support or even be in favour of such a restriction to the recreational sector or would you not? If so either way I am keen to hear your thoughts.

Talk to me 👇🏻

10/12/2024

My fishing career has PEAKED.

I don’t think I will ever top the accolade of making the top of the Simpson Marine Christmas tree made up as a fishing Snowman ⛄️ 🎣

What an honour 😂

09/12/2024

Nothing reminds you that you forgot to rinse out your Squid carrying bucket faster than being locked in with it, windows up for 10mins down the road to go bait collecting 😅🤢🤮

Christ alive that’s a smell 😬

08/12/2024

Something a little different yesterday as I did an impromptu LIVE video down at Seaford beach during storm Darragh.

It’s now uploaded to the channel and was a really great non scripted or edited chat with a few of you and lots of talk on Pollack, Bass, Tuna licencing and impacts of both them and seals and Cod and mackerel talk amongst other things 🙏🏻

If you fancy seeing a non edited video and just a casual fishing chat then it’s worth a watch 😀

07/12/2024

Big thank you to those who just joined on me over on the channel for an impromptu live while at beach watching Storm Darragh.

Something abit different and it was nice to just chat fishing and life with a few of you! It’s uploading as we speak 👍🏻

Stay safe those out in this wind,we got trees down and boats breaking moorings and all sorts here!

07/12/2024

It doesn’t look like we shall be out on these again for a little while now does it 😅

Last sessions morning on the Bass & Pollack is now live 👌🏻

As always thank you for watching and leaving any comments it all helps and makes a difference!

Ben

This trip sees the first of this years winter season offshore wrecking trips in search of some of those BIG migrating Bass & Pollack and we had a hunch where...

06/12/2024

TWO rules I obide by when it comes to talking about a good fishing trip when everyone’s asking where and when and how.

They’re here below ⬇️

1 - Don’t tell them everything!!

2 -

Ben

04/12/2024

The Amputee Angler Report 🖊️ 📔

It’s that time of year when my head starts getting turned southwards towards the deeper offshore wrecks and to those big fat Pollack & Bass as they migrate away to breed and pack on the lbs!

Knowing when to stick inshore and when (and where) to punch off is the difference between burning loads of fuel and scratching for a long lonely drive home or hitting some really good quality fish and often in big numbers 👌🏻

Today was the first exploratory one of these and we headed out in a rough sea forecast to get worse BUT confident we would find some laying on the first mark we punched on 🌊

Fish from the first drop doing 15 drifts in total on the one wreck with a fish or two each drift bar the odd exception. Bass & Pollack with pesky Squid hitting lures to being the main reason for the fish less drifts with one nice one landed.

Best fish of the day was my 14lb 9oz Pollack that fell to the often overlooked luminous Orange Skerries Sidewinder but the Candy Kings and Super Real colours all in 6inch also hit their marks well 💪🏻

Wind stopping play now but we got a starting point for next trip with todays wreck being the closest of 6 we like to play on through winter 👀

Out at 8.15am stopped fishing 11.30am due to wind and oil warning alarm.

Ben

Sidewinder Lures

01/12/2024

There is only 31 potential fishing days of 2024 left 😳

Perhaps it’s just me but this year has flown by insanely fast and so much has already been and gone in a fishing sense but that mild and calm last few months proved to be a god send for both anglers and tackle shops alike with the Squid especially this year causing a buzz 🐝

This month will see our first dart offshore for a while to do some prospecting on the wrecks to see how far out those migrating Bass & Pollack have gotten already and if the spring and summer Pollacking was anything to go by this Winter SHOULD be an absolute Banger!

It’s also my birthday month and of course Christmas and New Year’s and there will be an end of year summary video between then and of course a look ahead to 2025 but in the mean time I fully intend to make the most of the days left starting tonight 🎣

Anyone else feel like they have been in a Time Machine this year and lost 2024 or is it just me 😅

Ben

30/11/2024

The latest video is now live and is all action and fun from start to finish 😃

Feels absolutely crazy to be saying it’s the last month of 2024 tomorrow doesn’t it 😅

Thanks for checking it out and again a big thanks to Stan for a really fun day on his boat “Quinny”

Ben

Todays instalment see myself and a few of the guys out fishing aboard our friend Stans boat “Quinny” which is a cracking Osprey that really shifts and is the...

29/11/2024

Tomorrow’s video is of our trip out with Stan on his boat “Quinny” over on the channel at 8am 🙏🏻

This instalment features the last of our Squid escapades along with some really hard fighting Black Bream off a wreck and more than a few laughs and a couple of bloopers like this one below ⬇️ because where’s the fun in cutting them out right 😅😂

29/11/2024

www.spritefishing.com

The home of Cox & Rawle and Partridge of Redditch have a 25% off Black Friday sale on using the below code ⬇️

So if you’re looking to add some tackle be it sea fishing gear or perhaps some Pike snap tackle or some Carp hooks now is a good time to do it and save abit of money 💰

Most of the range is also available on Amazon 🙏🏻

Ben

26/11/2024

Number 1 on my list of “Storm Burt will do” the other day was displace and destroy all the shingle works that the council spends £100,000s on each year.

This is the aftermath at Seaford.

For Context is normally level with the concrete there 😅

The other 4 points on that post have happened you will just have to take my word for it 😂

Ben