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Used to be able to get some lovely turbot here, not anymore, maybe in Santa Monica fish market I could find it, it was my dad's fave. Halibut costs a fortune.. now it's all swai and tilapia...

well i took up the sea angling bug again after about 16 years,first cast i caught a nice coalie about 1lb an a half,that was all i cuaght that session,been out a couple of times and have caught another coalie and a flounder,this weekend im going to a local mark and i am specifecly going to target bass,i know bass were caught at this mark many many years ago in fact way back in the late 70's early 80's,there have been no reports of any caught at this mark in a long time but some very discreet enquirie's tell me thats because it hasnt been fished,so heres hoping.
James Barr (Brvhrtjimmy)

What's a coalie?

Here's one. The full name is a coalfish, or is known as a saithe as well.

this is the one i caught with my first cast after a 16 year break it was returned alive to fight another day .



James Barr (Brvhrtjimmy)

Never heard the name Coalfish before, but Saithe was commonly caught at the Ardrossan Lighthouse at the entrance to the harbour. Happy days remembered, and I've never forgotten those multi-coloured Conger eels at the stairs next to the pilot's boat nearby.

Saithe is somewhat familiar but don't think we everate it..pretty much haddock or whiting..ma mum loved her soused herring though.

I don't recall saithe being part of the local diet, it was usually haddock, whiting, herring and some flatfish like plaice or sole. I remember my grampa eating kippers for breakfast, they taste oh so good, but the bones. One of those little blighters put the queen mum in hospital.
brvhrtjimmy, went out last Saturday hoping to meet up with you but no sign. There were at least 12 anglers around the Saltcoats harbour/prom area. Had a chat with the fellow Clugstone(sp), he had 2 small cod and returned a saithe, how did you get on.?

I fished the slip at Stevenston Point on a regular basis, from the early 70s to mid 80s. The late Jim Foster, from Hayocks, was a frequent companion. A lot of the lads from the bottom end, used to fill their boots (within reason) when the coalies came inshore and they made them into nutricious fish cakes for their kids. This is what good, sustainable fishing is all about. Personally, I still can't resist a nice flounder and dabs are so good, they are worth the effort of careful filleting. My kids used to love the cod I brought home, so too a few of the neighbours. Good times.

Dunaskin, I remember jim well, he would cycle down to the point and latterly he used a Honda 90. His preference was out on the rocks at the point whereas we would stand conjested on the slip or the old pier. I don't recall any of the Stevenston club members keeping saithe unless it was a club comp but I could be wrong.
I agree with you on sustainable fishing, I never thought that I would see the demise of so many species in the waters off the 3t's, I've been following Hugh Fearnly Whittingstall's " Fish Fight".
I hope this link works.
http://www.fishfight.net/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall/

overfishing ..here there and everywhere has bothered me for yonks...

Hello Little Plum. I had the Honda 70 that inspired Jim to buy a Honda 90! After buying it, he couldn't see past it. Great means of transport for a lone, roving angler. Like Jim, I also used to fish the slip and the rock marks - the aim was to put your bait in the deep gutter or gulley caused by wave action, just beyond the edge of the rocks. That's where the fish would seek out food. From the slip at low tide, a cast of 10 yards was more than enough.........at high water, one of no more than 25 yards.

I was only a member of the Stevenston club for one year, long enough for a lone angler. Archie (???) from Saltcoats was the club chairman, back then in the late 70s. He had a beard and a leather stetson-type hat.

The lads who kept the saithe were never club members. For them, it was all about feeding the family on a tight budget.

Like you, I am also concerned and saddened at the demise of our sea fish stocks, locally and nationally. Little more than 30 years ago I have caught as many as 17 different species on a short session, just a quarter of a mile off Saltcoats, which I returned to the sea (apart from the dabs, which I love to eat).

Thank you for the link and tight lines until I hear from you again.