Plaice showing from the boats

• Plaice are not a fish I have spent much time chasing over the years, but I fully understand their appeal and I would love to catch more of them. There's something about these flatfish that really get lots of anglers going. Although they had north east winds up on the famous Skerries banks off Dartmouth over the weekend, Malcolm Jones of the charter boat Sea Angler II tells me that the fishing was still pretty good. A fair few nice plaice were taken during the huge annual plaice festival they have up there every year. Check here for getting hold of one of the south west's best charter skippers. I can not recommend Malcolm highly enough.

• I spoke to Malcolm this morning as he was steaming back to Plymouth and he said it was about as beautiful as possible out at sea. How good was the weather yesterday ? I am not sure what the actual temperature was, but to me if felt like the warmest day of the year so far down here - so sunny and warm in fact that I even got my shorts on for the first time in the UK in 2009. Now that is an event !!

• Nobody can mistake the distinctive orange spots on a plaice - I have heard so many stories of when shore fishing for them over on the tiny Channel Island of Alderney was frankly awesome. We are talking about serious numbers of big, 5lb plus plaice coming to shore anglers, but as is usual on planet earth, the stocks were commercially hammered and what was once a world class shore fishery for them is now a shadow of its former glories. There is still some very good fishing over there at various times of the year, but imagine what it once was....................kind of like too many places on earth (sadly). Speak to these guys here for local info, guiding, tackle, bait and charter boats.

• I also spoke to a friend of mine over in south east Ireland this morning - Cian told me that north east winds and an incredibly small tide did them no favours at all on the bass fishing front this weekend, but persistence paid off and he managed to land a solid 5lb fish on a Duo Tide Minnow lure. See here for getting some of these awesome lures. Cian said he had at least five decent follows from bass, but that they then turned away at the last moment. Why ?

• The Wolves are howling - if you are into any kind of extreme metal music, do yourself the biggest favour possible this week and get hold of the new album by the US black metal band Wolves in the Throne Room. These guys get in your head in a big way, and their new CD called "Black Cascade" is a proper masterpiece. Listen here for some short samples of what this band is about. They play long, textured songs that won't leave you alone, and I reckon that's just about perfect. Kind of like a faster Drudkh if you get my drift. Monumental metal for the true connoisseur. Get the CD here.

A mighty return to form.....

• I was wondering when the mighty AC/DC were ever going to get back to releasing decent albums, and at last they have come good again with their new one, called "Black Ice". From the very first track, this is a typical AC/DC album that will have you banging your head and air-guitaring along with Angus Young all the way through !! Check out some of the new tracks right here. Will I ever grow up ? Life's far too short for that when music like this is still being released.....

• You know what to expect, but that doesn't take away from the fact that nobody does it quite like AC/DC does - I read one rather snooty review over the weekend that was lamenting the fact that Black Ice did not offer anything very new or different, but he totally missed the point (typical pseudo-intellectual music journo who seems to hate all kinds of music anyway). AC/DC are so great because they write awesome songs, plain and simple. They know what works, they know what they are good at, and thankfully they have decided to spend some proper time in getting a decent album out there once more. Nonetheless, I will always be a Bon Scott man at heart. Now if only I could get tickets to see them on tour, for it proved impossible the other day......

• I have heard various reports about the Jersey Bass Festival that took place over the weekend, and while the winning fish was a shade over the magical 10lb mark (on bait), sadly the fishing was not half as good as it had been in the week prior to the event. Ain't that typical ? But I gather that the guys involved had a blast, and there were over thirty visiting anglers over from the mainland - it seems to be a really well run, popular event, and I will try to get over for it one day soon.

• Below is a photo that I really like, of Andy Bignell right at the end of a cast while the fog surrounds him in a quiet blanket. While the bassing might have been a bit quiet over in south east Ireland recently, Graham told me the other day of some more huge mullet they had seen, estimated to weigh over 12lbs !!! Now if only some decent mullet anglers would head over there and spend some proper time on these fish, they would get a proper shock I am sure. The tiny Channel Island of Alderney might well be the mecca for mullet anglers chasing big winter fish, I have had a feeling for some years now that Ireland might well be the place to head for as well. Oh for more time......

• If you ever get the chance to check out the awesome Norwegian fishing magazine "Alt om Fiske", have a look in the current edition at a big feature of mine on those magical golden dorado that I fished for and photographer earlier in the year. Look at pages 72, 73, 74, 75 and 76 for my words (handily translated into Norwegian, one of my many talents ??!!) and photos. Not much in freshwater comes close to these mighty fish, check out a load of photos from that trip right here. There are also a couple of photo essays here and here.

Off to Jersey tomorrow

• Tomorrow morning I am flying on Air SouthWest from Plymouth direct to Jersey, to spend a few days photographing some of the bass fishing over there. I simply can not wait to get back over there, it has been far too long since I was last in the Channel Islands. I have been lucky enough to spend varying amounts of time on all of them (Jersey, Guernsey, Herm, Sark and Alderney) and every island has its own different feeling.

• Jersey is an incredible place - on a big spring low tide, the area that makes up the bailiwick of Jersey essentially doubles in size. That is how huge the rise and fall is out there, and of course this massive range uncovers a scary amount of ground to go fishing over. However you come into Jersey, whether by plane or ferry, you are always struck by just how damn "sexy" the water looks for fishing. I know I will get this feeling tomorrow as come in to land, and I can't wait. Any angler out there loves seeing good looking water.

• The photo above is of a boat doing some bass fishing around the Ecrehous, a reef system that lies roughly midway between Jersey and France. The Ecrehous and Minquiers reefs are legendary bass fishing areas for intrepid boat owners, and I have been lucky enough to have enjoyed a few hours out at the Ecrehous some years ago when I was asked to come and help out on one of Rick Stein's programmes. The place got to me then, and if the weather calms down (it is meant to), apparently we will be spending some proper time out there on this trip. Am I excited ? What do you think ? I am that excited I can't sleep properly at the moment. There is something about small, remote islands that really gives me a kick, and we might have the chance to spend the night over there as well. It is going to be a blast. Cue the Deliverance music.........!!

• I am fishing and photographing with the Jersey lads that I was over in Ireland with the other day, so it will be very cool to see them again. They are all bass freaks, and it is Mick who does these awesome Tenryu bass plugging rods and so many of the best bass lures. See here for his tackle shop website.

• I will keep this blog updated as much as I can over there, hopefully with a bunch of photos of some nice bass and huge blue skies. Am I dreaming, or are we due some proper weather sometime soon ?

• Have a look in the new issue of Trout Fisherman at some fly fishing photos of mine from an awesome Dartmoor lake that Nick Hart and I photographed last year. It felt to me like we were fishing a wild Scottish loch. Check out pages 6,7,8 and 9. We shot some seriously cool material on that day, but sometimes the designers have other plans and don't use the stuff that you really hope they will. Oh well.

• I want to wish my mate Dave Box from Veals Mail Order a very speedy recovery. A van swerved out in front of him and knocked him off his motorbike the other day, and after a serious operation he is recuperating at home. Get better soon.

• Anyway, I bet you thought I had gone quiet on the extreme metal front ? No chance. One of my favourite death metal bands is previewing a new song off their upcoming album that I believe is out next month. This is insanely catchy, rousing, savage death metal that makes me want to rush around my office and bang my head up and down like the child I really am. Check here for the new track called "Twilight of the Thunder God", and after that, listen to one of their best ever songs at the same place, called "Cry of the Blackbirds". If this stuff doesn't get you almost crying with emotion then you have no soul !! Just the first few chords of the new track and I am nodding up and down here at the computer. Yes, the new album is on order already. There is no way but metal. Growing up is too boring to contemplate.

• I believe that my mate Cato and his band Enslaved over in Norway filmed a video recently for a track off their upcoming new album, so keep your eyes on their website here for a preview, or at their MySpace page here. This CD I reckon will be one of the great metal releases of the year. Bring it on.