Deepsea Fishing ... from a rig

[Everything Mac]

Some of you may know my day job is in the offshore oil and gas industry. (Meh, pays the bills) And generally speaking I've little love for the industry or the job but as I say it pays the bills.

However, in a rare and convoluted twist of fate I find myself working on a rig in the Norwegian sector of the north sea.

Imagine my delight when I discovered that you're actually allowed to fish from the rig here. (We're not allowed to fish from the rigs in the UK)

IT's definitely a bit different. The reels are large drums basically and there's no rod, just a bit of metal with some runners.

Lures are extremely basic as well, just a coloured rubber sleeve over the hooks but so far I've landed a handful of decent sized coalfish, two 8-8.5kg Pollack and a 9.8kg Cod.
They also have a station for filleting, then you vacuum pack and freeze the fillets so you can take them home.

Well chuffed.

I'll see if I can get some pics.

Cheers
Andy

 

[FerlasDave]

That sounds awesome! I couldn’t imagine fishing from an oil rig. In my mind they’re hundreds of meters above the water are they not? Definitely get some photos I for one as very intrigued.

 

[bopdude]

Awesome, as said, some photos please.

 

[Falstaff]

Ha Ha,. definitely not allowed on UK Rigs, all sorts of perceived issues. Not least it's normally only possible from the lowest Texas deck.
The guys played a trick on the OIM once, by hiding a scuba suit in their luggage and then laying it out on the texas deck. OIM went spare searching the rig for an intruder/terrorist etc etc. Eventually told him when they realised it was getting serious.
We also had a lawnmower, painted green, fixed to the edge of the Production rig helideck, an example of nobody sense-checking the outbound manifest. The OIM allowed that.

 

[Everything Mac]

Ha Ha,. definitely not allowed on UK Rigs, all sorts of perceived issues. Not least it's normally only possible from the lowest Texas deck.
The guys played a trick on the OIM once, by hiding a scuba suit in their luggage and then laying it out on the texas deck. OIM went spare searching the rig for an intruder/terrorist etc etc. Eventually told him when they realised it was getting serious.
We also had a lawnmower, painted green, fixed to the edge of the Production rig helideck, an example of nobody sense-checking the outbound manifest. The OIM allowed that.

HA! Gotta love a bit of offshore humour.


I'll try and get a few pics up. Actually getting pictures is problematic as you're not allowed your phone outside but I might be getting one I can use out here shortly.

 

[Everything Mac]

These are the reels. Note the "Rod" part.

Naff pic but these are the fillets from one side of the Pollock I got. They're really thick slabs of meat. :O
But it must be said I am apparently terrible at filleting.

 

[Nice65]

It’s crazy, as an island nation, that we really only eat fish and chips, and hardly anyone goes fishing. And when you do need a bit of relief or a hobby because you’re stuck on a rig for weeks, you can’t fish.

Nice one Andy, any pics of the cod?

 

[Everything Mac]

It’s crazy, as an island nation, that we really only eat fish and chips, and hardly anyone goes fishing. And when you do need a bit of relief or a hobby because you’re stuck on a rig for weeks, you can’t fish.

Nice one Andy, any pics of the cod?

Yeah it's a real shame we aren't better at cooking fish as a nation. Particularly when you compare it to the likes of Portugal etc.

No pics of the cod sadly. We've got some issues here now so I reckon I'll manage another crack at them. Will do my best.

Andy

 

[Nice65]

Yeah it's a real shame we aren't better at cooking fish as a nation. Particularly when you compare it to the likes of Portugal etc.

No pics of the cod sadly. We've got some issues here now so I reckon I'll manage another crack at them. Will do my best.

Andy

Knowing you’re on a rig it doesn’t pay to skim read “issues” and “manage a crack” a bit too fast

 

[Everything Mac]

Knowing you’re on a rig it doesn’t pay to skim read “issues” and “manage a crack” a bit too fast

HA! You're not too far off there.

Absolutely naff weather today sadly. 6.5m ish waves and 70mph winds. Probably not great fishing weather.

 

[Damascus]

HA! You're not too far off there.

Absolutely naff weather today sadly. 6.5m ish waves and 70mph winds. Probably not great fishing weather.

Light weight, fair weather fisherman, ha ha ha ha ha!

 

[Falstaff]

I can get fishing for food to eat, all for it, but don't think I'd get much enjoyment from the fishing itself with a set up like that. I used to coarse fish, enjoyed the challenge/skills needed. Each to their own, but sea fishing just seems to be waiting for the fish to come along and take the bait, then hauling it out. I have tried it a little bit but no fun for me.

 

[Keith_Beef]

It’s crazy, as an island nation, that we really only eat fish and chips, and hardly anyone goes fishing. And when you do need a bit of relief or a hobby because you’re stuck on a rig for weeks, you can’t fish.

Nice one Andy, any pics of the cod?

Speak for yourself...

My mum used to cook fish for us at least twice a week when I was a kid. Nowadays, she eats more fish than meat. Every month or two she takes a trip up to Sunderland to spend a weekend with a cousin and then comes back home with a coolbox full of fish. And this is Sheffield, not on the coast.

 

[Nice65]

Speak for yourself...

My mum used to cook fish for us at least twice a week when I was a kid. Nowadays, she eats more fish than meat. Every month or two she takes a trip up to Sunderland to spend a weekend with a cousin and then comes back home with a coolbox full of fish. And this is Sheffield, not on the coast.

That’s not the norm though, which was my point. Give your average person a bucket of mackerel and they wouldn’t know what to do with them. Crabs…forget it.

We fry fish in batter, and that’s about it. Go to Thailand or any of the SE Asian countries and if there’s a bit of water, it’ll have a fisherman in it. As a kid I went out every morning to empty the lobster pots off Bognor, hauling in mackerel on feathers on the way in and out, but it doesn’t happen anymore.

Actually speaking for myself, we have a local pub here, The Star and Garter, and every Thursday night, the Irish landlord drives up to Billingsgate and brings back some of the nights catch. He supplies his pub and also runs a fish stall throughout Friday, it’s market cheap and fresh caught. He also bakes a dozen loaves each day and sells organic eggs. Organic milk is available from The Milk Hut up the road. None of it is priced for “down from Londons” either. £2 for a small white loaf.

 

[Pattree]

I live as nearly as far from the sea as you can get. Our local Morrisons sells wet fish and it’s always bright eyed.
My wife doesn’t like “food with a face“ but a salmon meal is almost weekly whether a steak or in a fish pie. Left to my own meal prep I’ll happily gut mackerel, bass and sole. As well as those there can be herring, sardines and snapper in the freezer.
Like the OP I’m crap at filleting but I’ve taken on Tilapia.
I presume that all the other Morrisons customers here in the Midlands are equally content.

Winching a decent cod out of the North Sea must be very satisfying.

 

[Everything Mac]

I can get fishing for food to eat, all for it, but don't think I'd get much enjoyment from the fishing itself with a set up like that. I used to coarse fish, enjoyed the challenge/skills needed. Each to their own, but sea fishing just seems to be waiting for the fish to come along and take the bait, then hauling it out. I have tried it a little bit but no fun for me.

Totally get your point. It's not the kind of set up I'd generally choose to use and believe me I'd far rather be spinning off a lovely rocky Cornwall beach, but I think you may have missed the point. Sometimes you work with what you have to be able to enjoy at least some of your day and keep the mental part of your health, healthy.

And by the by, it's certainly far from simply drop the hook in and wait for the bite. My failed attempts are far more numerous than my successes.

All the best
Andy

 

[Everything Mac]

That’s not the norm though, which was my point. Give your average person a bucket of mackerel and they wouldn’t know what to do with them. Crabs…forget it.

We fry fish in batter, and that’s about it. Go to Thailand or any of the SE Asian countries and if there’s a bit of water, it’ll have a fisherman in it. As a kid I went out every morning to empty the lobster pots off Bognor, hauling in mackerel on feathers on the way in and out, but it doesn’t happen anymore.

Actually speaking for myself, we have a local pub here, The Star and Garter, and every Thursday night, the Irish landlord drives up to Billingsgate and brings back some of the nights catch. He supplies his pub and also runs a fish stall throughout Friday, it’s market cheap and fresh caught. He also bakes a dozen loaves each day and sells organic eggs. Organic milk is available from The Milk Hut up the road. None of it is priced for “down from Londons” either. £2 for a small white loaf.

That sounds chuffing ace to be fair. That said, we've never been a nation of good cooks have we?

We have a fish van that drives around my area every Tuesday. He comes from quite a way away but I can't recall where exactly.

Definitely not the cheapest fish you'd get but always fresh and decent. He'll often have crabs too.

As a boy we used to spend summers in Cornwall and would often get a crab for lunch. Great stuff.

All the best
Andy

 

[Silverclaws2]

I can get fishing for food to eat, all for it, but don't think I'd get much enjoyment from the fishing itself with a set up like that. I used to coarse fish, enjoyed the challenge/skills needed. Each to their own, but sea fishing just seems to be waiting for the fish to come along and take the bait, then hauling it out. I have tried it a little bit but no fun for me.

When I fished, of which I have always considered ' hunting ', I have fished for the sole purpose of acquiring food, for I have experienced some hard times.

It was that experience of hard times that necessitated the need to fish to acquire food that motivated me to discover what of the seashore is worth gathering to eat, what is worth gathering to include sea weeds and seashore land plants.

But when I was fishing to eat there was a little something one could do in these parts and that is fish to a slight excess for the purposes of trade, for in these parts one could turn up at a pub and trade fresh catch for beer - the going rate back then was two full size Atlantic Mackeral per pint.

I only ever went after the easy to catch Mackeral as easy to catch stuff is about expending less energy, but have unintentionally caught Bass, Coalfish, Pollack and Garfish

 

[Silverclaws2]

It’s crazy, as an island nation, that we really only eat fish and chips, and hardly anyone goes fishing. And when you do need a bit of relief or a hobby because you’re stuck on a rig for weeks, you can’t fish.

Nice one Andy, any pics of the cod?

I eat fish every day,

A pity though that in an Island nation living near a port with it's own fishing fleet that fish I eat every day is canned fish from Portuguese and North African fisheries.

I can't afford the products of our own fleets.

 

[Silverclaws2]

Some of you may know my day job is in the offshore oil and gas industry. (Meh, pays the bills) And generally speaking I've little love for the industry or the job but as I say it pays the bills.

However, in a rare and convoluted twist of fate I find myself working on a rig in the Norwegian sector of the north sea.

Imagine my delight when I discovered that you're actually allowed to fish from the rig here. (We're not allowed to fish from the rigs in the UK)

IT's definitely a bit different. The reels are large drums basically and there's no rod, just a bit of metal with some runners.

Lures are extremely basic as well, just a coloured rubber sleeve over the hooks but so far I've landed a handful of decent sized coalfish, two 8-8.5kg Pollack and a 9.8kg Cod.
They also have a station for filleting, then you vacuum pack and freeze the fillets so you can take them home.

Well chuffed.

I'll see if I can get some pics.

Cheers
Andy

Sounds wonderful, but then I am well aware the Scandi's are big on fish, I have experiences of the Swedish fish scene ; the aquatic critter festivals and hey, Swedish Christmas dinner. But no rod, who needs a rod when one has a platform above deep water, as I find when I can get out on a boat, just the need to clear the sides of the boat is enough when dropping lures down deep