The Amputee Angler

16/01/2025

I am not a chef or cook nor do I pretend to be 👨‍🍳 but I do enjoy cooking at home but not being a fish eater myself the fish side of my knowledge is lacking.

I rarely take anything for myself but when a fish blows I will take it rather than let it wash down the tide for the Birds and Crabs.

Today I practiced on making some lovely Pollack fish cakes loaded with fresh fish flakes, herbs and potatoes that had been baked not boiled to keep them extra fluffy. Served with Tartare sauce,rice and runners.

Not a bad first go and next go I will film the process but gone down a treat and there’s more in freezer for another day and a fish wasn’t wasted 🙏🏻

Double win.

Fish cakes, Who makes them and how? 👇🏻

16/01/2025

Greed out on the big blue yesterday was in full swing for these little critters.

I also managed a small Squid about the same size as the Thor on the left that was snagged through the fin on the mantle after trying to be a hero and attack my jig on the drift wasting yet another run over the wreck.

Taking the jigs next time out and putting a few in the box purely as punishment for the frustration they have caused last few trips 😂

Ben

15/01/2025

The Amputee Angler report 🖊️ 📔

Lots of miles in a different area today for a very poor result to be honest and I can’t really s*x it up anymore than what it is 🤷🏼‍♂️

3 of us fishing aboard the Barracuda 8 with a mix of jigs and lures for the grand total of 6 tiny Pollack and the usual suspects with the addition of managing to snag one of the many Squid that were hitting lures and letting go throughout the day.

Plenty of common Dolphins and Harbour Porpoise though and again a flat sea but the fishing left wanting for us.

A few days now chilling with the family and seeing how the weather looks for next week and make a plan!

Ben

15/01/2025

Here we gggooooooo 🎣🙏🏻

Rods up high safe out the way 👀

Here’s to a day of Pout and 2lb Pollack 💪🏻 😂

Catch you all soon

Ben

14/01/2025

I won’t lie this cut me DEEP 😭😭😭

While returning a fish the other day it unfortunately just wasn’t going back and floated up and I shouted to Jake casually to grab it as I was in the wheelhouse getting ready to go round again and as he lent over the back to do so there was an almighty crack and I just knew instantly it was my rod 😅

After a few choice swear words from both of us he turned around holding two bits of my previously one piece slow jigging rod 🎣

Part my fault for leaving it at the back of the boat which I always do going round wrecks and not in the holder and part Jake’s for not moving it out the way but it is what it is and was all taken with some laughs and jokes because otherwise I would of cried 😂

It happens.

Luckily the new one is ready and will be tested out tomorrow if all stays as planned but this one has been good to me as those who have watched it in action will have known and will be missed. R.I.P

We go again 😅

Ben

13/01/2025

Pollack Perspectives 📷

Same Pollack (13.68lb) but totally different angles and perceptions on size.

I purposefully posted the non flattering, candid and non posed picture yesterday in my report here for a reason which is to show the difference angles make to fish and gauging sizes.

Experienced folk will look at certain aspects of a fish and know instantly if it’s a decent size or not which can include 👇🏻

Head shape and size
Girth of the belly
Thickness of the tail compared to hands holding.
Size to length in comparison the person holding or even the lure size in the mouth.

I try to always keep bent arms in photos on nicer fish to negate the “action man arms” comments but the camera man zoomed in abit so the pollack looks about 6ft wide in the posed picture 😂

Pushing 6lb fish out to the camera or indeed action man arms is just part of social media but look at some of the factors above before commenting on your own perceived size of a fish and remember if it’s you holding the fish that no matter what you do some stranger on the internet will tell you that your nice Double is…..

“8lb tops” 😂

Ben

13/01/2025

We did our bit yesterday on the clean up front.

Those poxy balloons I have discussed before and are common place but yesterday we also encountered a rogue whelk pot buff and lots of leaded line trailing from it. These boats also use a section of floaty line between the buffs before the main leaded down line to aid getting buffs in to haul the pots onboard.

Now this wasn’t intentional, more than likely a whelk boat has had its pots towed away by a trawler and the line parted or a large boat has ran over the lines and cut it but either way it was floating down tide in the lanes ⛴️

Being that this would more than likely rip the prop off a small boat like mine if fouled at speed and of course float around endlessly we swung back around and hauled it in removing the danger and the large pot buff given to a whelk boat in the lock on return home to reuse.

Ben

12/01/2025

The Amputee Angler Report 🖊️ 📔

What a stunning day to be out on the water ☀️

The day started with long miles out to a wreck only to find a survey boat sitting right over it doing whatever it is that it is doing, pushing on we stopped to fish out some balloons and also a pot buff that was floating with 100 odd feet of leaded line attached to it dragging behind which was was just waiting to snag someone’s prop so with these good deeds done and hazards removed we were hoping to be rewarded by Neptune.

But fishing was SLOW 😣

One small Pollack and some bits we were staring down the barrel of a very poor day right up until lunch when I had one last Hell Mary card to pull out the bag and salvage the day out deep and thankfully it produced something to save the session.

Double hook up of small pollack followed by a steam
train of a fish on the increasingly trusty Sidewiner Thor slow jig that gave a great scrap on the slow jigging gear. A few more fish for us and also to another boat skippered by Andrew who joined us and a short while later the wreck which is fairly small was seemingly fished out or spooked and that was that.

Half a dozen Pollack including the chunky one that weighed 13.68 on the scales and some bits and plenty of porpoise sightings 🐬

A few anecdotes of the day to also follow on in the week but a truly perfect Winters day regardless out on the water 🛥️

Ben

12/01/2025

Days on the water do not come much nicer than this 🙂 we have also had the first Double of 2025 and on the jigs 🥳 report out later 🙏🏻

11/01/2025

The Amputee Angler report 🖊️ 📔

Doing more anchor work and adding some variety this year was one of my things for 2025 and that started on the boat today with anchoring big baits up under Beachy head and and the Seven Sisters.

Not to be “that guy” but in years gone by all under here on a cold crisp day and muddy water on a nice tide would have had every charter boat and pleasure angler anchored up dropping back big Squid and Cuttles hunting big Cod but we all know the story with Cod here on the South Coast now but we try anyway in hope and with some solid info that they’re about it was worth a go today. I was surprised to see zero pleasure anglers or charters though anywhere near here. A sign of the times perhaps?

I digress.

Whole locally caught big Squid from the beach, two hook rigs on whole mini shop bought Squid and live whiting out all resulted in the same thing for myself and Jake who joined me today ⬇️

Dogs, Whiting and Pout.

Still a stunning all be it cold morning 🌅 in what is easy to forget is some of the nicest views in the South on any given day and a great social and pleasant day before stopping just after lunch as Jake has work and heading home past some local commercial guys on their way to hunt Scallops!

Ben

11/01/2025

Good morning one and all 🙂

Cold but flat calm and the water has a nice dirty look to it and we are anchor in and fishing 🎣

Have a great day all.

Ben

09/01/2025

She’s ready 👌🏻

Looking like there is a few weather windows the next 7 days 🙂

I think a mix of anchoring and some offshore work on the better tides is in order where I can then test out the new rod 🥳🎣

Who’s taking advantage of this calmer spell and getting out and what’s your targets?

08/01/2025

Tonight’s video is my shore session from the other evening in the crazy cold 🥶 🎣

So if you’re looking for some info on a nice easy access venue in Suss*x that’s simple to find and fish and gives you options for you or the children to snag a few fish then it’s worth the watch plus the usual chit chat and laughs I try to insert into my sessions 🙏🏻

There’s a whole Facebook group (The Whiting appreciation society) by the way dedicated to whiting I had no idea they were so well liked 👀🙏🏻😂

Here’s the session 👇🏻

It’s been freezing cold here in Suss*x lately and with some old lugworm and a cold crisp night ahead of me I decided to use up the old bait in the freezer an...

07/01/2025

The Humble Whiting.

To some they’re a brilliant live bait for Bass & Cod especially in the winter ❄️

To a match angler they’re points on the board towards winning an “envelope” at the end of the day.

To a commercial they’re a down right pain in the ass clearing nets.

To others they’re just a nuisance. Period.

To me the other night they were the target and got me out the house on a lovely evening to use up some old worms 🪱

There’s a quote here about your perceived value and your surroundings somewhere I’m sure but you get where I’m going with it!

What are they to you?

(Also look at them knashers 🦷)

04/01/2025

The Amputee Angler report 🖊️ 📔

Nothing fancy i am afraid but I had some lugworm in the freezer that’s been frozen and defrosted and not much use for anything other than a bash with small hooks that I figured I would use up on a calm night session before wind and rain sets in again shortly.

Newhavens West Beach car park 2 hours after low water was the venue in temperatures that got down to minus silly as the night went on, explaining why a usually rammed spot of a weekend was empty 👀 but it’s as easy access as they come and pretty much park and play.

In short exactly what I expected from the session, lots of Whiting and freezing cold hands 🥶 😂 i did while filming my outro video with the interior lights on have a couple pull up next to me and start flashing their headlights at me so I assumed they thought their luck was in 🤦‍♂️😂 but that’s about as eventful as it got!

Ben

01/01/2025

There’s another rod coming off the rails shortly and it’s another lovely slow jigging rod 🎣

Slightly different this one in its action to the current one featured in recent videos but built on the cracking “Bushido” blanks and imported from America 🇺🇸

Fuji guides and again like the current one I use its spiral wrapped which has a couple of benefits to traditional straight eyes those being it helps prevent tip wrap (line catching the tip while jigging) and it also helps even out heavy loads on the rod making it slightly easier on the wrists when playing nice fish or for a long day of slugging heavy metals up and down the water columns.

Flame orange thread and whippings with a dragon scale pattern to be finished off! He does work some magic does this man!

Can’t wait for completion and to give it a try out 👌🏻

31/12/2024

The last session and fish of 2024 🥳

As said this morning, it’s been a good one but can always be better and the targets and plays for next year are already written down 🖊️

Off out now for a few drinks with some friends and see in the new year and I wish you all a safe and fun night no matter what or where you are 🙏🏻

Ben

I dident know it but this was to be my last session of 2024 as family commitments meant I couldn’t take advantage of the next days weather but we ended the 2...