john c

I would like to report a catch but I hav'nt caught anything yet. Can anyone tell me whats about nearer to Poole Entrance or off Durlston general area. Are there any makrel still out there. John C

Thanks for your advice chaps. I can't see an engine number anywhere on this one. Guess I'll have to take it along for an ID. Regards John C

Hi, My neighbor has just taken up boating and was serviceing his newly acquired Mariner 15hp 2 stroke. It has lasted probably 15 years until last night when adjusting the carburetta float bowl with a large screwdriver and hammer (He's a Farmer). The brackets that hold the float mechanism have sheared and totally written off the casting. Does anyone know where I can get him a replacement carb. The engine has no numbers on it but is quite old. TK carburreta co written on casting. Any help would be most appreciated. Regards John C

Thanks Dan I got one o ebay that will get me going for now. Regards JC

Has anyone got a roadworthy trailer fo sale to fit a rowing dinghy measuring 10ft x 5ft Regards JC

A snap link with built in swivel is ideal. It stops the line twisting and you can change the lure quickly JC

The Penn 321 is virtually bomb proof. I have all left handed reels as this is the right way to hold your tackle!!!!!! Most of my Abu left handed reels have disintegrated or develope niggly faults at regular intervals but the Penn just works. The only problem once was the level wind pawl got worn out. But this was because the reel got used a lot as opposed to the Abu's which were out of service. For a really good lightweight reel in left hand, try the "Toothy Critter". Sounds a joke but it really is a brilliant piece of engineering. Good luck JC

Grant The Frome is fairly mixed and I don't know the full stort but I believe the following: Above or upstream of Wareham Bridge is definately all syndicated water as this is a good Salmon fishery. I think "Wareham Angling Society" do have some fishing on certain stretches of the river out of the game fish season. However there are a lot of rules regarding type of bait and methods. Enquire at Deanos shop in South street "Purbeck Angling" he will know and will probably sell the permits. Down stream is Environment agency. They do sell permits for certain stretches and I have heard that a lot of the south bank fishing is free as long as you have a licence. Check this with the EA though before attempting any fishing. Well downstream as the river reaches the harbour the rules change. There are white posts marking the end of the EA waters and the begining of Poole Harbour. As you approach from the east in Wareham channel you will see one to the north just before the entrance of the river piddle, then turn the bend toward the Frome and as you get nearer to the mouth of the river you will see a further white post. Draw an imaginary line between these posts for the boundry. It is not wise to venture upstream of Wareham bridge in a boat as the fishing is guarded fiercly in these parts. Hope this is of some help, John c

Jack Once, my crew tied off the anchor line to the stern cleat whilst retreiving on Poole Patch. Very scarey but it's suprising what strength you can muster in panic. I do use the stern cleat when recovering but I dont tie the rope off. As we motor away, the now educated crew catches the anchor line alongside the boat with the boat hook and pulls the slack just inside the cleat. It's not tied on but has the same effect. You now know that the line can't get around the prop. An important consideration on shaft drive boats as we can't lift up a convenient leg or outboard. The line can be reasonably easily freed if the anchor does not let go. All the strain is still on the bow roller which is strong enough to cope. We then pull in the slack line and pile it on the deck. The anchor is either dumped on top of the pile if we are moving position wher eit can simply be lobbed back in at the new position or we pop the anchor into the stern storage box untill we can tidy it up when back on the mooring. Regards John C

Hi all I have dived the Betsy Anna a number of times in the last couple of years. There is a lot of wreckage standing high off the sea bed and plenty of plates laying around the sides. The boilers hold an interesting cargo. While we were looking at the lovely little prawns on the edge of the boiler tubes, we glanced down to see dozens of broken edible crab shells on the sand. Further investigation into the tubes with the torch showed a whole family of congers. Some were very big. The large shoals of fish we have seen are mostly Pout. The ones that hang in the tide normally upstream of the wreck are very large for Pout, but there are a lot of them. There are some Pollack and the inevitable Wrasse. The sea bed around the wreck is fairly clean sand and broken shell. I havn't ventured too far from the wreckage so don't know what lies beyond. The bow and stern of the ship are both upturned facing the surface as they have become detached. There is a fairly sizeable lump amidships and the boilers of course. This ship was not particularly large but is does show up well on the sounder. It is very snaggy so be careful when anchoring. During the summer it can be located at slack water by the number of large and small dive boats hovering over her. What stood out for me with this wreck is the visibility. On each occasion that I have dived her, the water has been extremely clear. Perhaps next season I will be able to get some photos of her. This I hope to make a bit of an interest. Actual photos of what we are fishing over. Takes out the guesswork but also throws up a lot more questions. Regards John C

Planned to get to the Needles on Sunday. All kit put in car Saturday night as I'm so efficient. It did'nt occur to me that the L in LCD meant liquid as I loaded the stuff into the boot after scraping the ice from the lock. Lovely morning. 8am @ Ridge. Hooked up all the electronics and started the engine first turn. But whats this. The screens on my GPS units where very strange colours. Now the L in LCD means ICE. It took 20 mins for the screens to defrost and start working properly. Note to self, leave the electronics in nice warm hallway overnight next time. Motored through Wareham channel flat out and on to the entrance. Some boats presumably trying for Herrings in the main ship channel opposite the lagoon. Make mental note of that. Out of the entrance, down swash and hang a left at the historic wreck bouy heading due east for the needles marks. What looked very promising had us asking serious questions about half way accross. The slight easterly wind seemed to be making more than slight waves. As various internal organs became detached and it was impossible to eat the sandwhiches we decided that as we fish for enjoyment, we were doing something wrong. About turn and headed for the Spoils off Swanage. Lots of boats there but all seemed to be rolling heavily. After our earlier battering we decided to hunt for Herring. The serenity of the harbour at last. Pulled up near to Jigabyte in the main channel and trolled about untill we spotted a huge shoal of something on the sounder. Down went the feathers of various type but no fish. Chased the shoal up and down for half an hour or so but they could not see our offerings. Off to Wareham channel and out over the mud. The double high tide coming in very handy at this point. Dropped the hook near some sticks. On with some worms and caught some flounder. It was fun on a 7ft spinning rod with a woolworths plastic spinning reel. Caught 5 in all approx 2lb ers. Saw Overdraught on return up the channel who looked nice and comfortable tied onto a channel marker. The flounders took our worms readily but the only food they had before that was loads and loads of small crabs about the size of a 5p piece. Flounders full of roe but the meaty side is very thick. I'm glad we did't battle on to IOW as we had a very pleasant afternoon right on our own doorstep. John C

Hi All I'm taking Mad Miller out to the Needles tomorrow to take advantage of the weather. Although I have heard that high pressure and wind in the East is not good. Anyhow I'll have a go. Anyone give me a clue as to the best distance south of the Needles. We've caught a 28lb Cod a coup[le of years back 1 mile off so thats always worth a try. Are they more prolific further South??? Got some californian squid in the Chinese supermarket today but looks a bit freezer burn't. Where can I get some decent stuff near to Wareham?? James, how did you get on today? John C

Probably covered many times before but what is the significance of Nov 1st. Can you fish for Bass after this date in the nursery area??? Regards John C

Hi Look hard at the Arvors as they will fit into most budgets if you look on the secondhand market. There are usually plenty available on the essexboatyards.com site. They will also part ex your old boat which can save a lot of grief. They are stable and solid. My 20 cruises at 15 - 19 knots as there is only one throttle setting for me. It runs at about 2 gallons an hour. Nice and warm in the cabin when out in the winter for Cod and good for family outings. I would have thought the older 18ft versions with the 50hp engines would be a bit sluggish so go for 20ft up according to budget. Happy hunting John C

Paul We were drifting all day. What a nice change to not have to worry about the anchor. When we saw you we were 1/2 mile due south of the needles. Now tuned to channel 6. Regards John C