lofty

Check out his other YouTube vids They are great Here's a conger

Its a minefield for sure

Well done Mr fox

Returning for 2015 is a spring meet to get everyone motivated for Summer This will be a great meet and a good excuse to raise funds for Heroes on the Water. This meet will to promote our sport with the Cam Clearie memorial trophy presented for 1st Plaice(pun intended) and a glass tankard to keep. This will run along the successful format of the flounder meet. Yakkers will register on the cliff top at Southbourne from 8am ,and can then go and fish from Boscombe to the Coast Guard hut at Hengistbury head . Most will launch from Southbourne but the parking can be a pain so first come,first served. There is also a pay parking with height restrictions further along towards Boscombe and parking near the pier. I've put a limit to the area as beyond the coastguard hut can potentially be trouble for beginners. Weigh in and prizes will be on the beach in the afternoon. Looking forward to meeting friends old and new. This post has been promoted to an article

Glad he was ok.

And just out for the really up to do tech heads http://www.navionics.com/en/sonarphone?utm_source

Have you looked at the Raymarine dragonfly Lots of kayakers are going over from humminbird. I shoot through without loss as you would expect on a thin hull, although my transducer is the specific boat shoot through one. I'll be looking closely at a dragonfly when the time comes

Twixt watchet and minehead

I need a conger for my species hunt and Blue Anchor seemed like a safe bet. Launched about 12.30 onto a windier sea than I was expecting The photo isn't as clear as it was taken through my new phone case I took live peeler, frozen peeler, lug, rag, squid, and cuttle . I was fishing 6/0 hooks and using 8oz leads I tried for 4 hours trying for a bite and nothing touched the baits except a pout with cod ambitions It was starting to get a bit depressing . As the bait dwindled down I opened up an old bag of cuttle with three huge ones in it. Too big for single baits so I cut the tentacles off and used them. First up a thorny about 5lb Then a strap conger around the 10lb mark Then a 69cm bass Then a smaller bass about 3lb Finished up with a smile on my face after all , all thanks to my manky old cuttle fish All fish went back for another day

Launched at Branksome. Weather was as predicted so a bit choppy but not to bad. Set a pot on some rough ground with loads of maccy guts etc in it and drifted down to about a mile off the pier. Mackerel were around so soon had some grub for tonight and bait for today. My big baits remained untouched all day but my rag was robbed by scad , maccy and robber bream. The arrows started and then Bri called me up on 8. He had a bend in his rod. Pulled anchor for the money shots I was expecting a SER or undulate so was surprised when a lunker thorny came to the surface. I managed to fold it into the torque forward hatch as Bri is going to have a crack at cooking it( tips anyone?) and then spent the rest of the afternoon tied to a Geordie, enjoying the aviators. Great to finally get out after a month away. Some shots Must be over a thousand small boats Looks like I should have my pipe and slippers Last of the lancs Our neighbours A PB for Bri I surfed in on a lovely wave. Perfect landing on a crowded beach. Felt like a boss A happy Geordie chappy, in front of his house 10 lb Wings anyone?

Been looking forward to this as I've heard great things about it. Had a meal out with chums on Weds night and left Poole at midnight for Wales, arriving at 3.30 am on the campsite,and dossing in my mondeo. Up and at them for a practice on Friday and to find my feet with a new venue. It was horrible in the morning,lumpy and choppy, but it settled down in the afternoon. Fishing was hard but a guesstimate double smoothy put a smile on my face, and I'm hoping Chicky took the money shot? Had 5 species on Friday so had a personal target for Saturday The campsite filled up and had a nice night with old faces and new. Everyone was up at the crack of sparrows and down to the sign in Carpark was rammed and we all rigged up and assembled for the sign in, collect our photo card number, and receive a nice little goody bag from the sponsors. It has to be said straight off that the organisers and sponsors put together a prize table to behold. Well done Swka,escape watersports, palm, and all the others that donated and worked so hard to pull this together. Paul gave the safety brief , explained the rules and orf we jolly well went, all 141 of us. Watch out fish! I had a plan, get away from the crowd and go fishing. I wanted a plaice so down goes my spoon,rag and beads and start a nice slow drift, with a bit of jiggling for movement. Seems everything liked this rig bar plaice Should of kept going with it but fancied a change of scenery so headed over to the cliffs I became very popular as 4 others drifted into me for the next hour and my scissors were poised to cut wayward rigs off before they got me. Fortunately everyone managed to sort themselves out so the scissors of doom were put back Three more species and then it all went quiet http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/photolofty/media/July%2014/509894FD-0608-4CF0-85B1-96BAD0F65383_1.jpg.html I paddled up to the wreck and it was rammed. I know I could of got a few more out of it but I wasn't confident of dropping the anchor and snagging another kayakers anchor. I should of tried with hindsight, but I gambled on a short session to get on the prize table. For a while I was king of Oxwich I could of spent two more hours without a bite, maybe next year I'll try for the wrasse and pout earlier. By four o'clock it was all over and with a score board full of eights and nines I placed at 11. Happy with that, and a ctug courtesy of railblaza. Big thanks to Starvin who lent me his gel seat. Massive well done to Zebeddee who thought his trophy would bounce too. Really enjoyed the days fishing and the banter back at the campsite. Looking forward to 2015 now A few randoms http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g388/photolofty/July%2014/127B067A-D8AC-4FC1-8573-1F9438372254.jpg http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g388/photolofty/July%2014/814353C3-CD3D-4977-A39A-68F93C84CA4D.jpg http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g388/photolofty/July%2014/2B0D040C-46DC-4814-AB6D-6B90E70EAA80_1.jpg http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g388/photolofty/July%2014/49F69D1D-53D1-4FC5-B2AF-E003757CE028.jpg

Please no one buy an inflatable. If you want to go out I'll get you a loner plastic kayak from someone.

I luvs Dorzet. If you get a chance then you won't find a friendlier family launch than Knoll Beach. National trust carpark open at 8 and £6 for the day. Great for family kayak days as there is toilets, a cafe, and a nice sheltered beach with kayak hire, so you can bring your own fishing yak and hire a scrambler or rtm for the famalam to come too. And it is stunning on a day like today. Launched at 8.30 with the Barfleur in front of me and the hire hobies behind As I was going bassing I hugged the coast line around the bay rather than cut across In the photo below you can see what looks like a wall on the cliff top. It's actually an observation bunker where Churchill watched the valentine tanks practicing for D Day You can access it via The Pig on the Beach restaurant A fallen pill box Following the cliffs along to old Harry I picked up some schoolies( mission accomplished) They took my mullet rig that Cam showed me, on the rod that he advised me to buy Old Harry coming into view http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g388/photolofty/July%2014/B5B21259-30B3-4B8F-A20C-B7AAA8D3FCAB.jpg I tied on to a buoy and fished but it was very quiet. The wind picked up at lunch time and I headed back through the race. Bumped into Nigel( bass man ) and had a brief chat but I needed to concentrate on the swell. Sorry for seeming a bit "lost" Nigel In all honesty I don't think it would be possible in a dumpy yak as it was hairy but exhilarating. No pictures there as I was using my balance . Back on the beach and in the carpark they have showers so everything was rinsed down and put away at home . http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g388/photolofty/July%2014/845B0813-3504-4E2D-B3B5-1A4650217DF1.jpg http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g388/photolofty/July%2014/B75D3093-4F01-407C-B043-0354DCF0D005.jpg Chips and a coffee to end my day. Not amazing fishing but a great way to spend a Friday http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g388/photolofty/July%2014/48FA7DA8-15EA-40D3-B583-CCA1DA63429C.jpg And as a footnote I love these hto? Lure clips. Great for all lures and rigs Once you Suss the technique Marvellous things http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g388/photolofty/July%2014/A2D99397-6019-46E6-95C2-76C1BD54197B.jpg

1.3 million recreational French bass bashers!

Not a lot to report fishing wise. Dogs, wrasse and black bream. Was using up Thursdays rag and squid really . Just a heads up for those thinking of coming here I arrived just as the local yokel was unlocking the parking hut. 8am " Oi don't know ow much to charge e?. Should be a tenner for a boat but yor the first today so a fiver." Result. Stopped for a piccy on the Smedmore road in Set up , launched and headed out of the bay and drifted with the tide towards Swanage. Feathers and lures but no takes. Who cares when its so beautiful? Fish finder was silent as the grave. Tied on to a pot and realised my leads were to small. I only had 4 oz from Southbourne and the tide rips through here so double them up. It's also snaggy and fishing for wrasse always is a tackle killer. I was hoping for a cuckoo or Ballions but all I had were orange kelp coloured ones, up to 2lb. Lost a lot of terminal gear so at slack I decide try further out for something bigger. Back with the tide and drop the hook and down go big squid baits Not a lot. A few dogs kept me interested and then the wind dropped and the sea glassed up I baited my hokais with squid and started catching sub lb black bream. Lots of fish breaking the glass around me. Herring by the look of them. I cast various lures at them but no hook ups Called it a day about 4, back on the slipway Slow fishing but you can't beat a day at Kimmeridge for a bit of scenery, including this fixer upper on the way home And for the lure men here's a selection that didn't work today Cheers Abdul

There was a 90lb stingray netted in the Solent last year. Possible candidate for pbm

Recently I've travelled to Wales, looking for Tope, only to miss my target. Last weekend was the Solent Smut meet, and everyone caught them all around me, I blanked. The forecast was for heavenly conditions today and I have a few days off. Well time to head to my local patch , Southbourne. 6.30 am on Southbourne beach and I'm ready to launch Wanted to try this mark for bass. Looked Bassy . Caught a bass . Also had pack Tope and a starry . The maccys where thin on the ground and the Tope made short work of my live baits. Time to head to my ray mark. Feathers over the side and paddled back to double dykes, dropping the anchor directly between the two yellow markers. Dozens of maccys here, ignoring the daylight feathers and hammering the tinsels. Within half an hour I had my first of 7 undulates today, a right scruffy round the edges one They got prettier and bigger as the afternoon went on, best going 13-7 on my digis Had a great fun with a cuttle fish. Squirted water right in my face. Had him on the chopping board but decided he could go back as its cheap as chips to buy. First time I've landed one but not sure if its a species for the comp? Not a fish is it? Had this rod of a club member( can't remember who) and it loved a bit of ray action Also had dogs, black bream and of course maccys. Dinner was 48 cm and with the maccys fed 3 with salad lovely job Tomorrow I think I'll pay a visit to Kimmeridge for a bit of a sight seeing paddle . Who needs to leave Dorset?

What a cracker

Happy birthday Dave Have a good one

I have a new favourite rod Okuma Octana spinning rod It is a cracking rod worth double the 55 quid for the quality of the fittings. Easily handled 11lb Huss last week. http://www.fishingmegastore.com/okuma-octana-spin-rods~10053.html Love it.

My Spanish friend Emma and her husband Fran are staying with us for a week and he is always commenting when I put up a kayak fishing photo on Facebook , that he would love to do that in England, as they can't catch any fish in Spain ( no comment) Well my boss said " why don't you take Fran out fishing?" In a cartoon flash I was gone and loading up my car. Well I only own one fishing kayak ,and a two man perception, but gathering cobwebs on my rack is Simons Skua that he loaned Barry. Would be a shame not to try it while I've got it( I'm sure its legally mine now anyway ) So off to branksome with feathers and squid. Arrived at 7.30 to an overcast morning with a herd of paddle boarders having a race up and down the beach. They were being filmed by a drone. Amazing bit of kit. The pilot had a vr headset so could see what he was filming. This drone was incredibly stable. I'd imagined fixing a reel to it and feathering for maccys and lifting them clean out of the sea and on to the Dorados rear helipad. Met up with a new chum,Gary , and we swapped ideas for marks etc. Rigged up and ready to launch. Fran sat on my D2 and I pulled him out into the small surf. He was wobbling like a newborn lamb when a bigger than average wave took him in the face "CABRON" Back to the beach,drain away, and a second more successful launch. Now I'd given Fran my summer kit as we are both over 6 feet tall I knew it would be ok. Myself though was left with a choice. Drysuit or wetsuit shorts. You can't wear kolas in a skua so I didn't want to walk on my drysuit socks, so I chose the shorts. It's still too cold to wear shorts. I shivered for three hours and drifted feathers with the rod beneath my ballbag. A phot of my hairy toes and fungal big toe nail Fran was now quickly used to the dorado2 and loving it. Fish on. Pout. Fran hasn't blanked. We decide to try a pot buoy. I set up my rope for him and he's soon catching Species 2. Pollock. Species 3. Tub Gurnard Species 4. Starry smoothound pup Species 5. LSD Species 6. Scad A kiss goodbye All in three hours. We had to move as the potter came to lift his pot . I saw him talking to Fran who couldn't understand a word. I got there as quick as I could but he was nice as pie and said we could tie on again in 20 minutes. I also met another AA / Solent member, Graham, who had a nice 4.3 ,fishing really well. Good to meet you and Gary. I tell you no one has ever been happier catching a dogfish, and isn't that what makes kayak fishing great? "Like Sea Angler Magazine Fran" And that was it. We came in after 3.5 hrs and although the fishing was small it was constant and Fran had a "fantastico" time afloat 2 more for my species hunt, pollock and horse Mackeral, although actual maccys still allude me. Roll on Tywyn thurs and fri.

95 fished, 70 caught. Results are on quantity and time logged in

A new venue for me, Lepe, and a new chum,Digger, and off in search of some smuts and stingrays. Arrived at 7.30 as the carpark was opening , to an overcast day with forecasts of rain. Quickly rigged up and we were soon on the beach. I've had a few marks recommended to try, but this was also about getting a feel for a new venue , following on from tanners being a crime spot. Digger was looking shiny in all his new gear, thanks to the Navy and Bournemouth canoes . He was hoping for a bass and within three minutes of launching he was smiling as an 8 inch schoolie took a savage gear eel not much smaller than the fish. I made my way to a mark and fished at anchor with one peeler rig and one king rag rig. In the meantime James had been catching bass after bass. He only needed two for his barbie this weekend , and even though he went on to catch better sized ones, around 3lb the biggest, he fished c and r, and took home his first in sized bass from his new revo. Good effort mate. I was having no luck on the targets, but had bass as a by catch.Biggest was around 2 lb but I had 5 around this size and one tiny one. I didn't want any as I've dinner plans so mine can get bigger. Around lunchtime a squall came in and we pushed back to the launch with a few standing waves around shoulder height with the wind in every direction. I was happy to hit the beach and we dragged the yaks up as a storm rolled in Diggers Dinner And then the heavens opened and it all kicked off over on the island I can't remember such heavy rain, at first we hid behind a coach but common sense saw us soon in the cafe with lattes and cheesy chips I finished the day fishing the river mouth in the sun but it was only bass today A good venue , good parking , good cafe and good fishing. Shame about the target but I'm sure they will be there soon An hour after the storm Diggermobile

So the sun shone, the wind was settled, and the turnout for the Ocean Kayak Classic was at record numbers. All manner of rigs were tied and baits bought for the 5 hour species competition in Swanage bay. A safety briefing took place on the morning on the green and everyone signed in . David Morris, aka Starvin marvin, who owns Anglers Afloat has been organising this event for years, and it has grown year on year. Two years ago the company who organised a support rib were going to charge close to £1000 for there services. This is where PBSBAC came to the rescue, and by providing support vessels ,indirectly put that expense straight into the charity coffers, in this case Swanage RNLI. HOW were also on the green selling raffle tickets, and had two injured servicemen participating in the event, using Drysuits supplied by PBSBAC. The safety brief and gathering A round of applause in remembrance of Cam Clearie followed a touching tribute speech. At 10 am, with AWOL and Court Jester on station, the competitors took to the bay It's quite a site to see and soon the bay was full of kayakers at anchor I was one of the " naughty" boys that fished the boundary but was advised to go haul and go inside the fishing area , a line between the end of the pier and Ballard. Not a problem. It was well policed and I was very impressed by Neals stern talking toos that he gave some reckless gin palace drivers. I'm sure if he had canon he would have fired across the now. Good man On a personal note I had, dogs, black bream , corkwing, and my best fish was a beautiful undulate , around 10-12lb. I should have changed tactics but after the ray I kept ray fishing until it was time to head in. Back on the green for the presentation and the sun was out. The results were in The Mayor presented the winners and our own Brian Chapman( Geordie ) won a rod/ reel combo for best photo. A conger. The organisers The winners and the mayor The results from the day The final results for the day are: OK Classic 2014 - Final Results Competitor and Number of Species 1 William Chellingworth 8 - Winner of Ocean Kayak Big Game II 2 Mark Radcliffe 7 - Winner of Garmin Virb Action Cam 3 Raymond Cole 7 - Winner of Humminbird Fish Finder 4 Ryan Turner 6 5 Andrew Tracy 6 6 Michael Harpur 5 7 Amos Mak 5 8 Jonathon Large 5 9 John Gilling 5 10 Richard Cooper 5 11 Mark Crame 5 12 Mark Leake 5 13 Bill Scott 5 14 Douglas Lea Hamlen 5 15 Martin Colison 5 16 Steven Tibbenham 4 17 Keith Ward 4 18 Richard Chapman 4 19 Clive Joyner 4 20 Martin Payne 4 21 Stephen Hill 4 22 Steve Loftus 4 23 Colin Smith 4 24 Terry Tucker 4 25 David Harrison 4 26 Cormac Meeneham 4 27 Patrick Banks 4 28 Philip Green 3 29 Alistair Cole 3 30 Christopher James 3 31 Rosa Tuffney 3 32 Ian Harris 3 33 Brian Chapman 3 34 Simon Adams 3 35 Dane Wood 3 36 Jason Stanbridge 3 37 Gavin Deegan 2 38 Michael Horton 2 39 Mike Roberts 2 40 James Gammon 2 41 Andrew Kelly 2 42 Julian Byait 2 43 Marcus Ward 2 44 Dan Richards 2 45 Ben Welfare 2 46 Adrian Saunders 2 47 Charles Tones 2 48 Thomas Probyn 2 49 David Anstey 2 50 Ian Brown 2 51 Andrew Parry 2 52 Kev Lewis 2 53 Terry Wright 2 54 Paul Newman 2 55 Leon Evans 1 56 Arthur Whiting 1 57 Colin Chick 1 58 Dean Collier 1 59 Grant Spencer 1 60 Christopher Arnell 1 61 Wayne Shipp 1 62 Steven Heath 1 63 Andrew Board 1 64 Richard Bateman 1 65 Ian Pickering 1 66 John Elsdon 1 67 Matthew Torington 1 68 Stephen Crook 1 69 Tom Wilson 1 70 David Neil 1 First Junior (Sponsored by Mike and Gill at Swanage Angling Centre) - Matthew Torrington Best Fish (Sponsored by SPRO Performance Professionals) - Brian Chapman Thanks for reading Lofty