Ever fancied a life at sea?

Bass fisherman, Barry Allcorn, who fishes out of Newhaven, takes us through a typical day.

 

"I usually start before 5am. I head down to the boat and sort out my bait. I use live bait - little fish - so I either have to catch it, or if I catch enough the day before, I store it in a pot out at sea. All I need to do then, is motor out and pick it up.

 

It's hard to explain how I decide where I'm going to go. I tend to stay inside the shipping lanes on what we call the 'hard ground'. It goes out for about 3/4 of a mile until the bottom shelves off and becomes sandy. The hard ground tends to have more plant life and rocky outcrops which the little fish like, and if the little fish like it, then you'll find the bass there feeding on the little fish. It's the same with wrecks. They like that too. There are a few good wrecks off Newhaven, but you've got to go well off shore to reach them - about 10 miles - and you need the weather for that.

 

Finding the fish is mostly knowledge and getting to know your favourite spots or a feeling you have depending on what the weather is doing and the time of day. I do have an Instinct sounder on board that detects shoals but you've got to know where the shoals are in the first place for that to do any good. There's not really that much co-operation between fishermen. We tend to keep it ourselves, but occasionally a mate will tip me off or I'll hear a bit of talk on the radio and head over to check it out.

 

I tend to fish on my own most of the time. Occasionally a mate will come along - that's if they turn up in the morning. Plenty of people say they fancy coming along when we're in the pub, but it's a pretty early start so they don't always make it. I don't stop for lunch either really. A quick sandwich and a coffee is all I need.  I never eat fish or seafood on board, or even at home. I can't stand the smell of it cooking. Funny really, because I've been into fishing all my life.

 

I'm usually concentrating on just getting the fish in if I'm having a good day. I stay out as long as the going is good and the light lasts because you never know what the next day is going to bring. These days we ice the fish as soon as it comes on board and when we land it at the quayside we tag it too. I'm glad people can see where the fish comes from these days. If they're really curious, they can go online and look me up because our boat numbers are all printed on the tags.

 

If I've got a good feeling about the next day, I get everything sorted out the night before - fuel, ice, bait - and head home for a shower and an early night. I used to be in the pub a lot more when I was younger, but these days I like to take it easy. Of course I like a drink on my night off, but you've got to get out early when there's fishing to do."