Finally "christened" the antler priest!

[FrenchieBoy]

Many of you will remember that Willy Gunn very kindly gave me a piece of Red Deer Antler to make a fishing priest with - Well I finally got round to using the priest today on a nice Sea Bass, and what made it even nicer was the fact that this Bass was a PB for me!
I had had near enough 4 hours of fruitless fishing for mackerel with feathers and lures at Llandudno North Shore and was ready to call it a day when I latched into something that felt good on my spinning rod, I knew it was good when it started taking line. It turned out to ne a nice bass that was 58cm in length and weighed at home it tipped the scales at just 2 ounces short of 5 pounds. OK I know that this is not a monster but to me it is not only a PB but the first Sea Bass that I have ever caught so it was a 200 mile round trip that was well worth the drive!
The priest did it's job perfectly with only one rap on the head to kill the fish (It was quick and painless as I kept my fingers well out of the way) so we will be having pan fried Bass Fillets served with a mixed salad and crusty bread for tea tomorrow.
Once again Many Thanks to Willy Gunn for the antler.
Here's a short video of the fish being measured.

 

[shakey jake]

Well done!
Thats a decent bass from the shore. I always make bass stock from the carcase then rissoto, the collars and checks are worth picking off.

 

[User00047]

Well done sir. Thats a really nice Bass.
Good effort. Goes to show that persistence pays off !

 

[User00056]

That's a beauty!

 

[FrenchieBoy]

Well done sir. Thats a really nice Bass.
Good effort. Goes to show that persistence pays off !

Yes, you have to persist some times but I honestly had decided that it was going to be my last cast after near 4 hours of casting feathers and lures for just one small Gurnard.
I have to say that I have so much confidence in the rod I was using (A Fladen 8 foot "Vantage Predator" rated to cast up to 120 grams) which was the same rod I landed a mid 20 pound pike on earlier this year! It's only a "budget priced" rod but it is a dream to handle and with a 5000 sized reel loaded with 20 pound braid I have no problem casting a 20 to 23 gram lure well over 50 yards and is so responsive and has the backbone to handle big fish!

Edit: The wife says she has never tried Sea Bass before so she is in for a treat this evening!

 

[Andyquadra]

I sued to use a priest, but now dispatch fish using the Ikejime method of brain spike and bleeding

 

[FrenchieBoy]

I sued to use a priest, but now dispatch fish using the Ikejime method of brain spike and bleeding

I've never tried that method but I am quite happy with a priest and then bleeding them straight away!
Do you feel that it makes any difference to keeping the fish clean, fresh and tasty please?

 

[Andyquadra]

I've never tried that method but I am quite happy with a priest and then bleeding them straight away!
Do you feel that it makes any difference to keeping the fish clean, fresh and tasty please?

I think it does, and the flesh is less bloody, but honestly couldn't put hand in heart and say a definite yes. Main thing I recon is bleed ASAP.

 

[Nimrod1960]

Yum Yum
Well done FB

 

[artschool]

put up a pic of the priest

 

[FrenchieBoy]

put up a pic of the priest

This thread shows the priest and details of how I made it!

Antler "Priest" - Thanks to Willie Gunn

I would like to give a huge thank you to Willie Gunn (Dom) for sending me a piece of Red Stag Antler to make a fishing priest from - Dom, many thanks, you are a credit to The Stalking Directory. O.K. so how did I go about this "project"? First of all the brow tign was cut off and sanded down...

www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk

 

[artschool]

This thread shows the priest and details of how I made it!

Antler "Priest" - Thanks to Willie Gunn

I would like to give a huge thank you to Willie Gunn (Dom) for sending me a piece of Red Stag Antler to make a fishing priest from - Dom, many thanks, you are a credit to The Stalking Directory. O.K. so how did I go about this "project"? First of all the brow tign was cut off and sanded down...

www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk

very nice!

 

[willie_gunn]

Many of you will remember that Willy Gunn very kindly gave me a piece of Red Deer Antler to make a fishing priest with - Well I finally got round to using the priest today on a nice Sea Bass, and what made it even nicer was the fact that this Bass was a PB for me!
I had had near enough 4 hours of fruitless fishing for mackerel with feathers and lures at Llandudno North Shore and was ready to call it a day when I latched into something that felt good on my spinning rod, I knew it was good when it started taking line. It turned out to ne a nice bass that was 58cm in length and weighed at home it tipped the scales at just 2 ounces short of 5 pounds. OK I know that this is not a monster but to me it is not only a PB but the first Sea Bass that I have ever caught so it was a 200 mile round trip that was well worth the drive!
The priest did it's job perfectly with only one rap on the head to kill the fish (It was quick and painless as I kept my fingers well out of the way) so we will be having pan fried Bass Fillets served with a mixed salad and crusty bread for tea tomorrow.
Once again Many Thanks to Willy Gunn for the antler.
Here's a short video of the fish being measured.

A lovely sea bass, and most certainly a fish to remember.

That priest has turned out beautifully, and I trust it will get a lot more use as your fishing adventures continue.

 

[pendle]

Well done. I am at the moment just around the corner at old Colwyn the arches off the rocks by the new fishing pier. No bod has caught anything as yet. My mate is on a sandeel lure I am on feathers Last night at north shore they were bagging up with mackerel.

 

[FrenchieBoy]

Well done. I am at the moment just around the corner at old Colwyn the arches off the rocks by the new fishing pier. No bod has caught anything as yet. My mate is on a sandeel lure I am on feathers Last night at north shore they were bagging up with mackerel.

That is typical! Yesterday morning's high tide would not produce a single mackerel. Oh well, I guess that's fishing for you!

 

[User00047]

Why is everyone calling them “sea bass” these days?
It’s just BASS

 

[FrenchieBoy]

Why is everyone calling them “sea bass” these days?
It’s just BASS

I guess it's something to do with the Americans having various other types of Bass!
I have always known them as Bass but I suppose that I am trying to be politically correct in calling them Sea Bass!

 

[User00047]

I guess it's something to do with the Americans having various other types of Bass!
I have always known them as Bass but I suppose that I am trying to be politically correct in calling them Sea Bass!

Whenever I see the term Seabass, I think of that scene in Dumb and Dumber

 

[FrenchieBoy]

That Bass really has done me a huge favour. We had a pan fried fillet of bass served with a salad and buttered crusty bread each last night and the wife said she had never tasted a piece of fish that was so nice so I will need to get out more often to try for another bass!
If that's not a result and playing right into my hands then nothing is!