Would you eat MORE fish if bones weren't an issue?

[vegster]

People’s attitudes towards bones had absolutely nothing to do with the demise of the U.K. herring fishery, it was simply caused by overfishing. It was so bad that from 1977 to 1983 herring fishing was completely banned in the U.K.

I’d agree that once the ban was lifted, by that time the younger generation were no longer accustomed to herring on the menu and the market demand dropped considerably.

This. By the time there was a sustainable fishery again most of the market had moved on to Fish Fingers.

There is a local Sussex run of Herring inshore between late October and the end of December.... Full of roe and good for smoking.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

Love all fish, can't think of one (salt water) I wouldn't eat. Not really bothered about bones, but if they are a pain to some, just buy fillet or steaks, generally none in them.

 

[SollysLeftFoot]

Have you ever tried the smoked mackerel. Lovely cut up in a salad.

I haven’t, I’ll encourage my missus to make it and I’ll try a bit of her’s.

 

[Stat Brother]

They would have been Mullet, great sport fish but inedible without a lot of preparation and loads of Garlic.

I'll bow to everyone else's greater knowledge but I'm not 100% convinced.

They certainly weren't 'sport fish', I could have walked down the jetty, reached over and picked one up!!!

I decided to not mention that to the 'all the gear' fisherman about 100 yards further down the river.

 

[Mr Putdown]

They would have been Mullet, great sport fish but inedible without a lot of preparation and loads of Garlic.

If he doesn’t think they looked like mullet on google there is the possibility that they were bass, especially if they really were “proper big fish” as described.

 

[vegster]

I'll bow to everyone else's greater knowledge but I'm not 100% convinced.

They certainly weren't 'sport fish', I could have walked down the jetty, reached over and picked one up!!!

I decided to not mention that to the 'all the gear' fisherman about 100 yards further down the river.

Notoriously difficult to actually hook as they " mouth " the bait then drop it mostly but if you do hook one, they go like a train.

 

[Mr Putdown]

Notoriously difficult to actually hook as they " mouth " the bait then drop it mostly but if you do hook one, they go like a train.

Thin lips are dead easy to catch in the summer. The local trick down here is to cut the treble hook of a Mepps #4 silver/blue comet and attach a couple of inches of nylon in its place with a trailing single hook baited with a small piece of rag worm.

Deadly!

 

[vegster]

If he doesn’t think they looked like mullet on google there is the possibility that they were bass, especially if they really were “proper big fish” as described.

The biggish Bass don't tend to congregate together as a rule, Mullet are usually seen in small groups, sometimes a dozen fish together playing " Follow the Leader " in the shallows. Used to watch them circling around in the shallows from the deck of Worthing Pier as the tide flooded in August/September. In the Adur and Arun you can get some beasts of 4-5 lb and they tend to be in threes and fours. Used to go charter angling from LA years back and the Mullet loved circling the jetty and the hulls of the moored boats...….. ******** .

 

[vegster]

Thin lips are dead easy to catch in the summer. The local trick down here is to cut the treble hook of a Mepps #4 silver/blue comet and attach a couple of inches of nylon in its place with a trailing single hook baited with a small piece of rag worm.

Deadly!

I know the trick but I fish to catch stuff to eat so catching something I would not want to eat seems cruel to me.

 

[Springal]

Notoriously difficult to actually hook as they " mouth " the bait then drop it mostly but if you do hook one, they go like a train.

Don’t most of the Worthing beach ones not get their fish delivered in? Only the one by Splashpoint sells what he catches, I think?

 

[Mr Putdown]

The biggish Bass don't tend to congregate together as a rule, Mullet are usually seen in small groups, sometimes a dozen fish together playing " Follow the Leader " in the shallows. Used to watch them circling around in the shallows from the deck of Worthing Pier as the tide flooded in August/September. In the Adur and Arun you can get some beasts of 4-5 lb and they tend to be in threes and fours. Used to go charter angling from LA years back and the Mullet loved circling the jetty and the hulls of the moored boats...….. ******** .

You’d be surprised regarding big bass hanging around together, we see it all the time down here (it helps that the HA runs crystal clear so spotting them is dead easy).

Our mullet shoals tend to hold hundreds of individuals down here whether thin or thick lipped. It’s only the golden greys that tend to be in small shoals.

As a pointless aside, the golden grey mullet British record was weighed and verified in my place.

 

[Mr Putdown]

I know the trick but I fish to catch stuff to eat so catching something I would not want to eat seems cruel to me.

That’s me bankrupt then

 

[Mr Putdown]

Don’t most of the Worthing beach ones not get their fish delivered in? Only the one by Splashpoint sells what he catches, I think?

The ones on the beach at Hastings certainly buy in fish as well as what is landed locally.

 

[vegster]

Don’t most of the Worthing beach ones not get their fish delivered in? Only the one by Splashpoint sells what he catches, I think?

Not sure but I wouldn't be surprised if at least some of the fish sold on the beach is not local, saw " Local Lemon Soles " on a chalkboard on the beach at least a few times, never seen one caught in my life !

 

[vegster]

You’d be surprised regarding big bass hanging around together, we see it all the time down here (it helps that the HA runs crystal clear so spotting them is dead easy).

Our mullet shoals tend to hold hundreds of individuals down here whether thin or thick lipped. It’s only the golden greys that tend to be in small shoals.

As a pointless aside, the golden grey mullet British record was weighed and verified in my place.

Wow ! that is a lot of Mullet ! hope the Gill Netters don't wipe them out


As for Golden Greys, years back I once landed one of 2lb 10 oz from Worthing Pier..... the day after fishing the two day Pier Festival ….. needless to say it would have scooped the Heaviest Round pool … doh !

 

[dazzer6666]

Nope I actually had it cut this morning.


Google image suggests 'no'.

These where proper big fish one of them certainly had a 'bit of a belly'.

Interesting. Unlikely to have been anything than other than mullet or bass if near the mouth..........if further upstream could have been chub or bream (or possibly carp). Whereabouts? I always hated fishing the Arun in my competition days - the Adur is much, much better.

Mullet can grow to well over 10lb and bass to almost 20lb. I know big bass used to be caught as far up as Ford.

 

[worthingseagull123]

I don’t mind fish but I have to eat meat every day.

 

[dazzer6666]

Wow ! that is a lot of Mullet ! hope the Gill Netters don't wipe them out


As for Golden Greys, years back I once landed one of 2lb 10 oz from Worthing Pier..... the day after fishing the two day Pier Festival ….. needless to say it would have scooped the Heaviest Round pool … doh !

I got moved by my firm to Guernsey in 1990, and joined the local sea angling club. I’d only been living there a couple of months, entered my first club match and won it with 3 thicked-lips for 14lb-odd [emoji16][emoji16][emoji16] Used a bucket of shirvey (minced fish, guts, blood and breadcrumbs) as groundbait and fished a small strip of mackerel flesh on coarse gear. Fantastic sport.

 

[Mr Putdown]

Wow ! that is a lot of Mullet ! hope the Gill Netters don't wipe them out

We run the harbour as a sporting fishery, it’s 100% catch and release for all but the bottom 100 yards or so. This can only be done because, unlike virtually every other natural UK harbour, it is privately owned.

A direct consequence is the number of double figure bass it now holds. Live baiting is the killer technique.

That’s a cracking golden grey you landed, way heavier than I’ve personally managed and I used to target them.

 

[vegster]

We run the harbour as a sporting fishery, it’s 100% catch and release for all but the bottom 100 yards or so. This can only be done because, unlike virtually every other natural UK harbour, it is privately owned.

A direct consequence is the number of double figure bass it now holds. Live baiting is the killer technique.

That’s a cracking golden grey you landed, way heavier than I’ve personally managed and I used to target them.

Actually I must fess up ! In the heat of doing multiple replies I got that weight wrong ( It was about 1979 ! )… The fish I caught was 2lb 4oz, and the British record at the time was 2lb 10 oz … Brain fade !