will church

Good shout Duncan - any idea of who to speak to there, or which clubs? Also can you get amongst the mackerel from there - important as when girlfriends/drinking buddies come out they always want to catch mackerel!

Hi Martin I have just bought a Sea Nymph - perhaps we could have a Sea Nymph Forum?!? Anyway, you'll be welcome to come and have a look, will be hoping to pick her up next week, or come out for a sea trial. She has a 15hp and yes is very slow, but seems to handle the water very nicely - though it was calm when i went out yesterday. What does seem good is she doesn't roll really bad when two people are on one side (that was a test, not my usual practice!) I think they're great!!! PS one adaption I have been thinking of is making a ply box to sit over the outboard, providing space for bait boards etc., just not sure how to keep an eye on the water tell tale with that on. Humm? All the best, and look forward to you getting her on the water - I'm guessing she's undergoing a refurb at the moment? Will

Thanks Tom - solent would be perfect, I am based at jct 6 of the M25 so really the south coast is my oyster - will go where the boat parks are cheapest. Thanks also for your wise words - I don't expect the principle of chucking money away to change, just hoping the ratio will! Will

Hello everyone, I'm back but minus Ultimate Chaos. As part of my re-think about boating (ie how much I was spending compared to how little I was using it, coupled with soemthing always going wrong) I have 'rationalised' and bought a Sea Nymph - a displacementy type thing with a 15hp engine (cheap to replace when it goes wrong!) that can't possibly lose any more value unless it sinks! Slow though. To encourage me to use it more I really need somewhere like a boat park to keep it so I can just rock up and launch. Anyone got any ideas? Thanks in advance and sorry for my long silence! Will

I am away on the boat for the long weekend with the missus - don't know how much fishing I'll get but it's a start! Is there anywhere near the Mudeford slip where a trailer can be overnighted? Failing that is there an alternative slip with overnight parking? Thanks Will

And I'm going to stick my halfpenny's worth in for the cabin Wilson Flyer - they get a lot of bad press, but a new boat with a trailer and a new 50hp 2st Tohatsu for

I don't yet tie my own bass flies, but I tie other sorts - I just bought a handful to copy with half a mind to have a go catching something on them. From what I saw and the patterns that werre working, a white mackerel feather would probably be perfect - though not very flash looking! If anyone is prompted to have a day out fly fishing, I'd love to come along as crew (or we could take UC). I just don't know enough about sea fishing and the area we all fish to even find the bass at the moment! Would an hour or two each side of high tide on a big tide on the banks outside Christchurch harbour find the big fish? It seemed to me the breaks were only really happening aorund slack water, though this mayjust mean the fish had moved off. It also seems that as drifting is pretty much required this may be the best time so as not to move away from the fish too fast? Will

Well I hope so - that's what the bloke who drove from Portsmouth to Chertsey to look at it said I am prone to being paranoid about stuff like that. Perhaps you'd have a run on it with me for ten mins next time we are both out Paul? It isn't blue, it's just slightly white and smells a bit of burnt fuel. And the outboard isn't new for info. I was a cheapskate. It's 7 or 8 years old. Thanks everyone for reassuring advice

I have a Honda 4 stroke 50hp (you know one of the gold ones) on my boat, and I have only used it 3 times, so I don't know if this is normal behaviour: Will it/should it emit exhaust from above water level? All compression is good, it is pumping water well etc, bit it seemed to blow exhaust above transom level but below the head. As it only did it when it had been running for a bit and at fairly high throttle I couldn't exactly see where it was coming from. But there was definately exhaust above the transom coming into the boat. Is this normal? Please help, I am just beginning to love my boat fishing! Will

Perhaps we should try a fly-only trip out together then Paul? Either on Neo or Ultimate Chaos (there's a good bow for standing on and casting on UC, though you could probably cast out of the window on Neo). Maybe the exhaust was just blowing back in towards the boat with the wind and I'm not used to it? Do they emit exhaust above the water level then? If so I'm probably ok. The guy that sold me it has been up and checked the pressure from all the cylinders - apparantly they are all ok, so perhaps I was being paranoid? It's only my 3rd trip with the Honda.

was fantastic fun, can't wait to get out again for them.

Launched from Wick on Sunday morning, loaded with all sorts of peculiar freshwater kit in case we were going to have a go at the mullet. Bumped into Paul J on the way out of the harbour. He very kindly gave us a few live sandeels and pointed us over to the sand bank nearby (thanks Paul). On motoring over, I spotted a bass break and thought we ought to have a crack at catching them. Caught one on a sandeel, then a bit short of spinning kit (Tom, my crew was using it) I though well I'll jump on the bow and have a fly cast as I happened to think about bringing a rod. Well it was killer! Tom got nothing on the mepps, I got a follow every cast and caught half a dozen. They were all small, except the one I lost which would have looked handsome on the barbie, but I proved a point to myself - it is possible! Following this we noticed engine problems, so we hung around, got a few mackie (and a gar) off the ledge (including some on our match fishing float rod), which is a shame as Neo was kind enough to offer a shepherding service again. Just need to know where else the bass tend to break and I think it'll be my new favourite type of fishing!

As alluded to by Paul J, had a great run fly fishing for the breaking bass - it's a killer technique (first time I used it) because it's so easy to accurately imitate a sandeel with a fly rod. That's real toy rod fishing - caught half a dozen schoolies and lost a fish of approx 1.5lbs Beats stocked trout, and I'm sure a 5lb fish would give a grilse a run for it's money. I loved it! If anyone can point me to where I may find breaks of bigger fish, I'd give anything...........except Ulitmate Chaos.

Thanks Paul, it'd be appreciated as always - Tom is taking the boat to his mother in law's (near Mudeford!) on Friday night, and we'll be chucking it in Sunday at 7 or 7.30 depending on the drive down. I presume from the previous comments we'd be best off at Wick? Will

Sorry Adam, didn't mean to call you Paul, just trying to work whilst dreaming of big bass...

Thanks paul, I'll give it a try this weekend. Will report back on progress! Will

Having read all the great results from livebaiting, can anyone give me a diagram/description of the right rig to use (and perhaps which spots to troll it when out of Xchurch?) Thanks in advance Will

Can anyone shed any light on launching at Xchurch, and specifically Mudeford? I gather you have to be careful to come in and out when there's plenty of water about, but otherwise? Will

well if you are out it'd be nice to see you and Neo!

reference my previous post, I meant Christchurch. Must be the strain of being back from hols! Anyway, is anyone out on Sunday from Christchurch? Will

My ever trusting crew Tom and I are planning to take Ultimate Chaos out from Lymington on Sunday. Is anyone else likely to be around to show us a thing or two? Actually I suppose I better check the forecast before I get too excited. Will

I've just answered my own question - apparantly a steering cone. Thanks Martin

Can anyone help? I need to know the real name for the rubber 'witch's hat' or rubber cone that the steering/power cables pass through on my boat. Thanks Will

I have a #5 weight fly rod made for catching half pound river trout that I use for salmon. The experience is almost literally heart stopping (biggest so far on it is 13lb). Perhaps I should get that out after the bass? Does anyone in the club fly fish for bass?

oops sorry about the 'toy rod' jibe, want I meant was....well, you know what I meant! it seemed to go well! Tom and I have decided next trip is to be Christchurch, so it'd be great to have your company again. Will