The Amputee Angler

26/09/2025

As I touched on the other week, cool looking and sort of angry mix between a freshly caught Bullhuss and a Conger with its temper and death rolls! I made the mistake of calling these a menace in my underwater video out there and have been explaining myself to the locals ever since who have come out in big defence of them and saying how nice an eating fish they’re!

24/09/2025

This is a BRILLIANT series on channel 5 for those of you who watch stuff like this.

This particular incident here took place at our very own Newhaven West beach and is worth watching and the take aways here are many.

For those who won’t watch they were trying to get him to simply jump in the sea in order to be rescued or simply swim the few hundred yards to shore rather than be smashed on the rocks HOWEVER despite the severe gales and rough seas he wasn’t wearing a life jacket 😬

So he wound up washed on the rocks; boat and his body smashed to bits and a very daring winch rescue saved his life.

Quite why he chose to anchor there instead of nipping in to the safety of the other side of the wall and marina I don’t know.

I am lucky enough to know folks both in the coastguard and lifeboat crews and once again what an amazing job they do 🍻

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/173T37L3jf/?mibextid=wwXIfr

20/09/2025

This one’s a bit different – more of a help-out video for anyone thinking about heading to Norway (even if you don’t follow me yet).

When we planned our trip, we were all hunting online for videos about the camp, the fishing, tactics, gear… you name it. So it only makes sense to give you a little show-and-tell of the brilliant camp and boats over at Sandland Brygge with a lessons learned video to come in the future.

We’re already booked to go back as a group next year – heading out a bit earlier to chase colder water and putting all the lessons from this trip to good use. Can’t wait!

🎣 Don’t worry – fishing’s back on show in next week’s video 😃

Ben

Thinking about booking a Norway fishing holiday? In this video, I give you a full walkthrough and review of Sandland Brygge fishing camp, showing exactly wha...

19/09/2025

Mental Health & Fishing 🧠🎣

Tonight’s Friday night waffle is on a serious note. With recent high-profile struggles in the news, friends fighting their own battles, and my own daily challenges, it feels right to talk about it this week.

Mental health takes many forms and can be a silent killer. Mine is mainly military-based, long before I was blown up, the job role I had took its toll and then at 27, a 5kg IED tore my body apart as I tried to reach someone else.

Three weeks in a coma, staring in the mirror missing parts, learning to drink from a sponge, eating through a tube for weeks, walk again, and even p*e straight without redecorating the walls 😂—all of that was my new reality.

Fishing was/Is/Always will be the best therapy I could ask for. I’d sneak out of rehab just to get on a charter boat. I know many of you feel the same—fishing is an outlet that should be prescribed like the gym on the NHS. The peace and quiet and for me the hunt of the quarry is a leveller.

Also for me now the editing and this very page plays a part in that rehab now too.

Two things with that in mind if you watch follow and view content from others online in this fishing world we take part in:

1️⃣ Before commenting online, think. A throwaway negative comment might hit harder than you realise—positivity, on the other hand, can change someone’s day.
2️⃣ If you’re struggling, please reach out. Talk to a mate, or message me—I’ll listen. Don’t let it get to the point of no return.

Go fishing. Talk. 👍🏻

Have a great weekend

Ben

18/09/2025

The Wolf Fish

Being our first time out to Norway we all really wanted one of these purely as they make a cool photo and look angry as F**K 👀

By the 10th one to the boat in an hour while chasing Halibut we were very much over them already though 🤣

All the anger at life and bad temper of a Bullhuss combined with some serious dentistry and powerful jaws they were a handful when you had a bigger one or a double shot of them.

They do however make great eating though I am told.

17/09/2025

Already weeks ago this now and not had chance recently for another crack at them 🥲

We have the chance to do something Friday night hopefully and then it’s forecast hard northerly all next week which if that water clears out before I go on holiday we will have the opportunity for some shingle Squid locally which will be well established now and bring us some fun 🦑 👌🏻

14/09/2025

Here’s a little ONE minute clip of the latest underwater instalment that I put up yesterday for those who haven’t seen it! There will be plenty more little snippets of this vid to break down for here but for now here’s that Turbo I showed in pictures the other week 👍🏻

13/09/2025

Turbot, Greater Weever, Bass and all the other usual suspects all feature in today’s underwater video from a trip out to a mark a few weeks ago!

Aswell as looking at the life of the banks I also try to explain a few things for you too in terms of Turbot and the ground so if trying to catch ones on the agenda it may help 👍🏻

Enjoy 😁

Life on the Sandbanks — in this video we take a look beneath the surface of the English Channel, filming with the WaterWolf 2K camera while fishing over sand...

12/09/2025

Boats Down the Years 🛥️

I’ve owned a few over time—both for pleasure and commercially—and there’ll be another to add to the list at some point soon. But for now, here’s the journey 👍🏻

17ft Dory – Bought “halves” with a mate from the back of a pub car park without so much as a sea trial for about £1,000 while we were in the Army. Luckily, she turned out to be a sound little boat. We used her for bassing and hauling a few single lobster pots—it was a fun distraction.

Kingfisher 2 Aquabell 33 – A boat I bought after injury. Big, slow, but spacious and comfortable—she served me well. I had some great fun on her, as did my mates, back when a three-hour steam for turbot would throw up doubles and numbers guaranteed!

Lionel Thomas Open Boat – The most fun I had commercially as an owner/skipper. She used next to no fuel over a day, and you could get right in close (too close at times!). A handful of big sole and bass, with a lobster or two, was enough for a decent pay.

Catherine Anne Blythe Cat – Commercially, a beast of a boat and one I absolutely loved. But the added pressures—bigger costs, more gear, crew let-downs—meant she became more stress than she was worth. She was sold to a family in Newquay and I think has recently been sold again. She taught me great lessons though, both about fishing and about people!

Bonefish Predator 1700cc – I was chuffed as hell when I bought this one, and she was so much fun. Hit a wave wrong and you went to the moon and back with a bang! But I quickly realised she wasn’t going to suit my needs for adventure and offshore work, so she was sold—and she’s still local.

EZ Living QS 640 Pilothouse – I first saw this boat out turbot fishing, then owned by my now-great friend John. I said to Deano at the time, “I’d love to have that one day.” And so it was. An excellent fishing boat—she’s taken me on some brilliant trips and provided excellent fun. HOWEVER… she won’t (and isn’t going to) be the end boat… 👀

11/09/2025

I promise you it’s good IF you can get there 😒 I had a rare day in the office on Tuesday which was the only real decent day for the last few weeks and now we are back to horrible weather again. Totally diffrent to last years September where we had 30+ degrees and flat calm seas and Big Bream and Squid were our focus both in sizes and numbers. Let’s hope this blows through pretty quick and we can get out and find some fish!

07/09/2025

The Float Set Up 🎣

I like to fish with a set-up that works across multiple species. Being a boat angler who fishes for the sport, this nails it nicely for me.

I use the same set-up not only for floats, but also for lure work both from shore and boat, targeting Black Bream and even Squidding 🦑.

The Penn Battle 3 is a bit outdated now, but it’s proven bomb-proof for me. I’ve had no need to upgrade to the newer 4 just yet — if it’s not broke, don’t fix it 🤷🏼‍♂️.

As with anything in fishing, it’s all down to personal preference. This is just mine 🙏🏻.

Happy Sunday 😀

06/09/2025

Bass on the floats 🐟

The ability to just quickly nip out on a flat summer sea and sn**ch a quick morning session is already being missed here I can assure you!

Limited time and commitments saw me flying out first thing for a quick bash on the float fished prawns for some Bass and again we hit the mark nicely 🙏🏻

I said I wanted to do more of this style this year and I’m happy to have ticked that box nicely off with some lovely sessions.

Enjoy 😀

Ben

🎣 Solo Bass Fishing at Beachy Head | Float Fishing AloneNothing beats the buzz of float fishing for bass, especially when you’re out solo and you’re short o...