ChrisE

Regarding rigs for cod, most me included, use a whole or two (or three or six....) squid or a cuttle on a pennel rig, bait bound tightly on with elastic to slow the rate at which the inevitable dogfish and pout remove the bait. Regarding your fixed spools if they can crank up a pound or more of lead (looking at the tides tomorrow you'll need at least a pound once the tide starts flowing at any of the marks more than a mile offshore)from 100' then they're probably ok. Re line strength I've used 20lb braid for years and have yet to be broken by a fish.

Ahem, Hampshire, if you don't mind. We folks from Lymington don't often fraternise with them Dursett types

At risk of stating the bleedin' obvious, you'll need at least 100m of rode to anchor around this area, all of the spots are over 20m deep and a fair few nearer 30m. There's a good chance that I'll be out there tomorrow on Hilda Maud.

I fish the area S of the Needles as my home ground and I have never seen anything like the number of boats out there as there was yesterday. I guess it's amazing what a bit of cod fever plus the first weekend weather window can do. All I can say is roll on summer and back to some peace and quiet out there....

We managed flat cod (thornback), long cod (conger), sandpaper cod (LSD), and poxy cod (pout) but no real cod What a horrible sea! And sooo many boats, including one that anchored 20 meters uptide of us then proceeded to drag past us.... Still, managed to navigate via the new radar through the peasouper at Hurst, so it wasn't a completely duff day Well done to those that managed to catch.

Some of us fish here all the time you know! We'll be charging all you lot from the West an entry charge....

1.) Ian Jones - JV 2.) Bob F - JV 3.) Alun J - JV 4.) Martin B Awol 5.) Dean B Awol 6.) RobF - JoJo - with non member 7.) Alfie and Stuie on Dream Drifter [defending Champion 2010] bring it on 8.) Graham + non member Little sal. 9.) Charlie A - AWOL 10. Charlie C Alfresco 11. Dan C Alfresco 12. Gordon Moore Alfresco TBC 13 Stuart Summerel Alfresco 14.Nigel Allen. wishin 15.Mike Toms wishin 16.Craig Jackie Abode 17) Bobi and Colin Boblin 18) Andrew + non member - Conyn Du 19) Chris Enstone plus brother (non-member) - Hilda Maud

Well done, Nigel. We were about 100m inshore of you and fed the pout for the day. For those of us that came out of The Solent The Bridge was an interesting challenge.... I hope that you do as well in Open next week. Chris

Hilda Maud will be there providing the good day weather scenario plays out, although the forecasts are not consistent and Hurst Castle wind is currently a tad shy of 20knots from the SSE. I'm expecting a fair swell, there's about 3-5' at present but it is forecast to go down as the day goes on.

Well done Paul. On a wider note given that last year the fish were averaging between 14-20, this year's crop look to have put a pound or two on.

Pair of beauties, Nigel. I was a bit further out than you and managed a 5lber. Heard your cryptic radio message that must have caught the attention of the fleet! Chris

It's a bugger. Hope that the insurance coughs up. We were done in Keyhaven River a few years ago, you have my sympathies. Chris

Yes and you did Chris??????????? Fear nought, Saturday currently looks doable, certainly around my neck of the woods. Sorry about Sunday! Don't worry I can't go fishing the following weekend (drunken weekend in Wales with my family) so the weather will be calm. Could be ok for the open as well.

Dave, Thanks for the info, although I suspect with the tides over the w/e weed will be the primary catch in The Solent... Have heard of the odd one out of Needles, caught my first cod last year on this day last year, so here's hoping. Chris

Sshh, the weekend's weather is looking good. Ahem, the odd cod has been caught it would be a shame to leave them alone on Sat and Sun wouldn't it? PS MrsE is away with the grandkids so might have to crank up the engine and have a little dabble or two.

Bob, Thanks for taking the time to answer my query in a courteous fashion. I think that I can see where we are either talking at cross purposes or just simply have a difference of views. Yes, you are right that compared to the majority of commercials we rsa don't scratch the surface but in a few specific areas the impact of a fleet of rsas in a small area can have more impact than our commercial cousins. I'm thinking here about bass and bream marks where the terrain doesn't generally support trawling. We have a fleet of over 50, maybe a 100 boats that fish for bream here and if each boat takes say a dozen fish (we have had days of 50+ fish, all returned btw) then you can see that the take on one day is significant. Ditto bass marks. I know that bass are on the up at present but talking to commercials and observing rsas a bass shoal can soon be wiped out until the next shoal comes along. Again, I don't know what the impact is of this but I'd prefer to base any views on independent evidence rather than local heresay. I don't agree that we should not engage with government or believe that we are above any regulations that we would have imposed on others. Still it would be a sad old day if we all agreed about everything and at the end of the day I believe that the best arguments win and the best way of getting to the heart of an issue is via robust debate. Chris

Bob, Welcome to the forum and thanks for your forthright views. I understand and recognise the no regulation, government will inevitably screw us point of view because I have heard it before from both the sailing and salmon fishing communities. As it happens, I don't agree with the 'it has been unregulated forever so why bring in regulation argument' for two reasons: Firstly, the world moves on, initially there was no regulation in air traffic because there were few enough planes for it not to be needed, now it is accepted that it is needed for the safe execution of air travel. Secondly, and perhaps more pertinently to this forum, lack of regulation succeeded in wiping out the cod in off the Grand Banks, the herring in the North Sea and nearly the salmon around the Uk. We are now in the happy position of salmon stocks slowly returning thanks to salmon anglers putting back most of what they catch, the herring are slowly returning to the North Sea and even the odd cod is being caught off the Grand Banks. I'm not saying that any of the measures were or are perfect but the regulations seem to be having the right effect. Taking your point regarding charter skippers, in the US the Florida rsa Market almost collapsed 15 years ago because of high take of fish by both commercial and rsa. Now both are regulated, netting is no longer allowed around parts of the coast and anglers are limited to a certain number of fish they can take a day. Result? Last time I looked there are more rsa skippers and anglers. I understand your concerns re rsa skippers and their ongoing livelihoods and would ask whether you want a short term gain for a long term pain ie reduced or no stocks for rsa to fish for? As others have said we, around here, have specific problems with rsa overfishing of bass and bream and fear for our long term sport. We used to have a fantastic shark fishery off the IoW until the majority were killed by rsas in the 70s. I can't support your version of an rsa vision until you start to talk about evidence not rights. Apologies if I have misread your message but I just didn't see any talk of how we know if rsas are having an impact or not. I don't know and am not prepared to just hope that you are right. You may be but if you are wrong, I don't want to have to explain to my two grandsons that the fishing used to be great but now it has all gone.

And the amazing thing is he doesn't look a day over 70! Happy birthday Chris

With the forecast of 26+ looks like an opportunity to hit the spikeys this weekend!

Cancel that request, I found an online manual. Ominously, it says 'contact service immediately', o joy. Chris

I noticed yesterday that on the engine readouts an engine block symbol started flashing at about 10 second intervals. I haven't got a manual for the engine. I'm guessing that it means either 'get engine serviced' (hopefully) or 'engine has problems' (more likely). Anyone know what it all means? Thanks Chris

Paul, Glad to hear that you got out. Heard you on the blower and was going to give you a call but after a hard week at work it was just about all I could do to remember how to fish, let alone how the radio worked I was sitting a bit further east than you but with similar results. Got bitten off second cast with a reasonable tope I'm guesiing. Spent the day day feeding the bait robbers which were bream (I got my revenge with two of them, now in fridge awaiting the oven..) Had a bonus conger around 25lb which gave me hope for a few moments that I'd hooked a good sized c*d. Will PM you re payments for the bait which is now ordered. Chris

Sunday appears to be going down the bog at last view of the weather gods. Let's hope it's a momentary lapse....

I've got this pal in Nigeria who could do a good job for the club. All we have to do is give him the club's bank account details........