As you know I've been really snowed under with stuff recently so, yesterday and today I had some free time. Yesterday I went freediving for a few hours in some deeper water (for Jersey) upto 16 meters deep and made some drop downs looking around for the fish that should be turning up now or, at least very soon. I totally enjoyed it bar the swell that was way over the forecast. It didn't help that is was confused stuff and unfortunately, it didn't change for todays skish mission on the Rockfish with Kev.

Pretty nasty, sloppy, rolling up to 6ft in places over the breaks but, the fishing was ok, the water was semi-clear, warm and overcast. Can't ask for much more than a few fish and we got amongst them after figuring out how to get the Rockfish 'Wrasse' out of the heavy kelp, stringweed, bootlace and swell bound rocks. I'll not be making any apologies for the photo quality this time as getting ANY shots was more than difficult at times and, once the camera has been under the sea, taking shots above water is a nightmare due to water sticking in the lens and sea spray constantly pounding the viewport and screen.

Kev draws first blood in the main gutter using a paddle tail just above the kelp tops.

The face of HRF underwater. Looks easy but, we were getting rolled about seriously by walls of swell.

Catch him quick as we are on barbless single hooks. The only way to C&R fish and guarantee minimal damage to these great fighters.

Another one..Kev had a fast flurry of fish to 3 1/4lb before we moved off them.

A better one comes in at around 3 1/2lb. Again to Kev on the slow paddle.

We had fished on for an hour or two taking 6 or 7 fish to a couple of pounds before we settled on this weed bed. It was thick but....

Get through the folded over stuff up top and this is what lies under it, well, sometimes it's this clean.

Tenyru Injection in the weed field. Look bottom centre picture for my lure and jighead. The lure in question is the Roboworm Grub from Monster Tackle. Wrasse love em.

More swell on the rocks adjacent to the weed field. The turning tide brought more Rockfish and a Spikey.

Not really fishing for them but HRF has a habit of throwing em up all the time. It just works. Swell is really pounding us now. From shore it looks a piece of cake but, let me assure you, with just the tops of your shoulders and head above the water, they are big enough swells.

Purple lures again doing the damage. I switched out to a purple Reins lure with a short curly tail for 3 or 4 succesive Wrasse.

I think it's called a ' Reins Saturn'. Not 100% on that. Mrfish sells a big range anyway so check it out....HERE.

< Update 2/08/10 > Actually, it's this lure here, on test from Mrfish in 105mm. G-Tail-Saturn in Junebug.

And another. A nice one too. Fought superbly.

It wasn't the end yet. I had a few more pulls as me and Kev worked on some new techniques to botton bounce and deadstick in this area. It wasn't easy I can tell you.

Then BANG, fish on, solid !!

Kev thought I was locked into the deck but I knew I wasn't. I swam over the area and gave a little slack which was enough for the fish to make it head out of the hole. Quickly another 3 1/2lb Wrasse was subdued and released.

Great little trip, had loads of fun. HRF rocks !

Until next time....

Thanks for reading.