With the weather being good for the time of year and the wind being almost non existent, Elpez2k, Shane B and Wanner headed for Jackstones a new mark for SWFF. The lads had been given plenty of information on the mark by the forum members on WSF, they headed down to Aberavon hoping for a good nights fishing.

The lads didn't leave Newport until around an hour before high tide and arrived at Jackstones dead on high tide. The breakwater was already populated by quite a few other anglers and after a quick chat the SWFF set up close to the end and set up casting away from the Port Talbot works. The lads were impressed with the venue and Shane B was like a school kid at Christmas, he was first to cast around 9.30pm. Elpez2k and Wanner soon joined him and it didn't take long for the bites to start coming.

Elpez2k was first to strike into a fish around 10 minutes after casting, the result was a small whiting of around 6oz. Soon after Shane B brought in the first dogfish of what was to be a very busy night. 10 minutes later and Wanner was in on the action too, bringing in his first dogfish of the night. By 10pm all hell had broken loose and the bites and the dogfish were coming fast. Shane B started pulling in double hit after double hit, Elpez2k wasn't far behind and Wanner was pulling fish after fish too. There were all sizes of dogs from 10oz up to some real good 2-2.5lbers.

10.30pm the fishing was full on and it took less than a minute after casting for the doggies to find the bait. Shane B had a nasty bridsnest that put his and Wanner's patience to the test. As they struggled with the nest Elpez2k carried on fishing and continued to pull in the dogs. By 11pm Shane B was back in the action as was Wanner. In between the dogfish the odd whiting would get a look in too and by 11pm Wanner had managed a pouting to add to the species. Elpez2k managed a SWFF first by bringing in 3 dogs on the same rig, and Shane B was looking odds on to break the most fish in one session record.

11pm until midnight and the fish kept coming, Elpez2k took a break for the madness for 5 minutes to allow his backache to recover and have a cuppa. The rest of the lads fished on, trying to cope with 2 rods was bad enough but Shane B had broken out the light gear and was having fun pulling in the dogs. The lads had jokingly set Wanner a target of 20 fish for the night, both Elpez2k and Shane B were well in this figure by now. Wanner was still lagging behind on around 16 fish.

Midnight to 00.45 the tide was now dropping off and retrieving was getting more difficult, Shane B switched sides and cast towards the steel works and estuary instantly producing a nice sized whiting followed by a pouting. The other lads joined in but with the tide dropping fast it was getting increasingly more difficult to retrieve. The lads had set a time of 00.45 to pack up and the last 15 minutes saw Shane B set a new record for the amount of fish caught in one session and finally Wanner hit the 20 fish in one session with a double hit of whiting.

The SWFF called an end to a crazy session even though there were probably a few more fish to be had. The lads had managed to break last February's total in one night and had managed 78 fish between them. The mark impressed for all the lads not just because the fishing was so good, but the ease of fishing and the fact it looks like it could throw up quite a few species. I don't think it'll be the last time the SWFF visit Jackstones this year...

Shane B - 27 dogfish, 5 whiting, 1 pouting

Elpez2k - 23 dogfish, 2 whiting

Wanner - 14 dogfish, 5 whiting, 1 pouting

After 2 days heavy snow fall Elpez2k and Shane B headed for Knab Rock for the third time this year to do a spot of "comfy" fishing. Armed with only mackerel and squid the lads hoped for a few fish and a break from the bad weather. The drive down to Swansea done nothing to motivate the lads for the night ahead as heavy rain plagued the SWFF from Cardiff all the way to Knab Rock.

The lads arrived at around 9.30pm to find a few other anglers braving the wind and rain. The lads sat in the car for around 10 minutes watching the rain coming down and finding it hard to spring into action. Finally Elpez2k dragged himself from the driver’s seat and went about setting up rod number one in the very unpleasant rain. Shane B sat in the back of the Bongo toying with the idea of unpacking a rod. He decided to sit back and see how Elpez2k got on for half an hour before putting what little energy he had into the SWFF cause.

Just after 10pm and Elpez2k landed his 1st fish of the night, a good bite resulted in a dogfish of just over 1lb. This was enough to motivate Shane B into unpacking a rod and joining in on the action. By 11pm Shane B had his first fish of the night a nice sized whiting of around 1lb. The fish was slow but steady and by high tide Elpez2k had managed another doggie and a nice sized whiting. Shane B was storming off managing to land another 2 whiting and 3 dogfish.

Into the ebb and Shane B carried on landing fish at a steady rate while Elpez2k struggled to keep within touching distance. A nice sized whiting of around 12oz did fall his way around 45 minutes after the turn of tide to take his nights tally to 5. Shane B was storming away by now landing doggie number 5 and whiting number 5 with half hours fishing left.

As the lads called it a night Shane B landed his 6th doggie to take his tally to an impressive 11 for the night. A good night for the lads not as fruitful as recent trips to Knab Rock, but a nice tally of 16 fish for the night.

Shane B -  6 dogfish, 5 whiting

Elpez2k - 3 dogfish, 2 whiting

A break in the rain, wind and snow gave Elpez2k and Wanner the chance of a quickly organised trip to Friars point in Barry. The lads set off armed with only mackerel and squid and arrived at the venue around an hour before high tide. The weather was perfect and a welcome change after the torment of the past few sessions.

The lads set up just over half way along the point next to a comfy looking bench and first casts hit the water around 7pm. The lads slung out a mixture of large baits (hoping for conger) and flappers tipped with mackie for the whiting. The 40 minutes or so to high tide passed without a single bite, a few anglers were already leaving the venue none of which had managed to bag a fish.

Into the ebb and no improvement for the SWFF, Wanner and Elpez2k spent the time discussing future trips and Wanner's ever increasing computer problems. By an hour down a few more anglers had strolled past a few of which had managed the odd whiting. The wind was starting to pick up but it was still one of the most pleasant nights out the SWFF have had this year.

Around 1.5 hours down and the lads had to call it a night after Elpez2k was called home to find his runaway hound. The lads didn't mind having to pack up, not a single good bite had been recorded by either member. The second trip to Friars and the second blank there for Elpez2k don’t think we'll be in a rush to get back...

Elpez2k - Blanked

Wanner - Blanked

With the fishing closer to home being poor at best Elpez2k, Wanner and Shane B decided on a morale boosting trip west to get some fish the board. The venue of choice was Swansea West pier, and the lads left Newport with a good 3 hours until high tide. Neither Elpez2k or Shane B had ever fished the pier before, and it had been several years since Wanner had. By the time the lads reached Swansea, refuelled at Mc D's and spent 30 minutes driving around Swansea trying to find the bloody mark the goal posts had moved. The weather was not good and there was one hell of a westerly wind blowing up. The rain was now coming down too, the lads opted for the comfort of Knab Rock making this the SWFF's 4th trip there this year.

The lads reached Knab Rock around 8pm and quickly located a spot and went about setting up in the harsh conditions. First casts hit the water around 8.20pm and the lads sat back hoping for a good night. The fishing started slow with only the odd knock to excite our trio of fine anglers. It wasn't until high tide that the first fish was landed, after a good bite Shane B reeled in whiting of around 6oz. The conditions were harsh and the lads were finding hard to put some motivation into their fishing, despite this the lads went about setting up another rod each.

Into the ebb and Wanner managed to bring in a small dogfish and whiting on the same rig, unfortunately it wasn't his rig it was someone else's lost by another angler. The lads (including Wanner) debated whether or not to allow the fish, and after much deliberation allowed the fish to count.

Around an hour down and Shane B managed his first dogfish of the night taking his tally to 2 fish. Elpez2k was getting nervous; could this be his 3rd blank in a row? The rain showed no signs of giving up and most of the other anglers were packing up. Finally around 1.5 hours down and Elpez2k hooked into his first fish of the night; he safely landed a dogfish of around 1lb to save his blushes. The lads stuck it out until the water left the base of the wall, only the odd bite came along but no other fish to show for their efforts. No camera on this trip i'm afraid, like you never seen a dogfish our a whiting before!

Shane B - 1 whiting, 1 dogfish

Wanner 1 - dogfish, 1 whiting

Elpez2k - 1 dogfish

With the month coming to an end Elpez2k, Wanner and Shane B opted for an easy session at Barry waterfront. This venue tormented the SWFF last year. One session would throw up some awesome fish, and the next would see a 6 hour session without a single bite. The waterfront is a great spot to fish in terms of comfort, and the lads hoped that there might be a few good whiting trapped in the docks. The lads headed down to the venue full of optimism and arrived at around 7.30pm.

A quick chat to a few other anglers didn't boost the lad’s enthusiasm; nothing had been caught by the several anglers fishing along the waterfront. The SWFF headed for the far end of the waterfront and quickly went about setting up. Wanner pulled out his new bling bling slosh and ziplex combo, hoping to christen it with a good fish. By 8pm the SWFF had a total of 9 rods out, 3 each with a various selection of large and small baits and all sorts of rig combinations. The night started off quite well with Elpez2k receiving to small knocks in the first 25 minutes, the weather was perfect and reminiscant of the trips taking to this venue last October.

By 9pm the lads optimism was starting to dwindle, no more bites had come along for any member. Elpez2k went about setting up rod number 4 a small float set up on course gear was the option hoping for a small whiting, goby or anything. The lads tried casting into different areas, close to the walls and out in the middle of the dock all to no avail.

10pm-11pm things showed no sign of improvement; Shane B had a few small knocks on the light gear that was dropped down the wall only to be confronted by crabs when winding in. Elpez2k was casting one particular rod out towards another jetty with pinpoint accuracy, landing it right next to the wall. His good fortune was soon misplaced as one cast over shot landing him clean in the centre of the jetty. Wanner just stared at his new ziplez like a teenage boy ogling his first pair of titties.

11pm till midnight and at last things picked up, Wanner had a good bite (not on the new rod) that resulted in a pouting of around 4oz. With the wind now picking up and a very light shower of rain the lads started to wonder how much longer they would stay. With Shane B facing his first blank and Elpez2k heading for his 4th of the year the lads doubled their efforts.

Just after midnight and Shane B finally had a good bite, he waited looking for a sign the fish was definitely hooked. After 10 minutes or so only the odd rattle had come along and he was still not convinced enough to strike. Elpez2k and Wanner were slowly packing up Elpez2k had faced the fact another blank was on the stats, Wanner was still stroking his rod. As Shane B brought in his last rod 2 pin whiting broke the surface around 20 yards out. One fell off as it reached the wall the other was safely brought to shore to save himself the insult of a first blank, and leave Elpez2k as the new owner of "the sardines of shame".

Wanner - 1 pouting

Shane B - 1 whiting

Elpez2k - Blanked