TomBettle

Anchored, drifting, trolling. I've no idea why we don't use them more in the UK as they can be a deadly way of presenting baits on either light tackle or just more naturally. SLLllllllooooooowwwww trolling a Mackerel Livebait in a known shark area would be my choice. One at close to the bottom and one just beneath Gannet diving depth. Your idea of a nice big bloody bait at the exact depth you want WILL work, but remember if drifting (or anchored) your chum slick will run off downtide in a cone shape as it drifts through the water column. What this means (and all rules are made to be broken is that the shark will come from downtide and usually rise up through the water column as they approach the boat and may be seen in the slick on the surface right by the boat. The usual pattern will be to have the bait furthest away from the boat set as deep as you can get it (you'll need a fair bit of lead if anchoring) and then gradually shallow the baits up as they get closer and closer. One bait literally hung in the water the length of the trace right next to the boat with the drag of the reel IN GEAR on this particular set up. Call it "self hooking" or a "bolt rig". You may be surprised how many times it is this set up that get's the final hook up after a few "tick tick ticks" of line from the reels further away. It simply needs the shark to get bolder and bolder and eventually get so excited it can't resist that last juicy mackerel it finds right where the chum slick is smelliest and strongest. Tom

Not bragging, but I've had a few fairly big fish Mono is standard practise on nearly all big fish boats. But the gear is also pretty heavy duty. Shimano Tiagra or Penn International in 30W size will be the minimum you'd see for shark in the 200 to 600lb bracket. Even then 800yards of 30lb mono or beefed up to only about 500 yards of 50lb mono isn't what many consider substantial enough. The next step up is 50W reels which are then beginning to get truly cumbersome when fighting big fish "stand up". The reel feels heavy and poorly balanced and begins to rock around on top of the rod which itself really knackers the angler. My own preference is to go to one of the very modern, far smaller reels originally designed for medium game or deep jigging. For me, A Penn International TRQ300LD would be perfect for big UK sharks. This I would load with as much 50lb braid as I could fit on it (I suspect about 1200 yards) followed by a LONG mono top shot of 50lb. Anything from 50 to 100 yards will give plenty of stretch and a feeling of security once it comes on the reel. Other reels would be the TLD 25 or Penn Formula 15 etc etc all loaded similarly. Make sure your braid is very well packed onto the spool as you don't want it digging in during the fight. Couple the above with a quality UK 50lb class or an IGFA 20/30 and you will stop any fish in the UK and still enjoy the fight. For smaller shark (typically sub 200lb), the type caught from Pembrokeshire (as with Dicky, I fish with Andrew on White Waters) then standard gear will follow a similar pattern, but stepped down to a UK20/30 and a reel capable of holding 300 yards of 30lb mono, but now loaded with 30lb braid as in the heavy gear above. The experienced Blue Shark (and small Porgie) angler may step down to 12lb class without too many issues, but remember as the pulling power reduces you will need to change the hook style from heavy gauge to a finer wire. The above heavy and medium weight set-up will also lend itself to Medium / Heavy game fishing abroad. Probably not quite suited to BIG Blue Marlin, but the lighter gear will be great on Tuna to 100lb, Sailfish, Wahoo etc and the heavier set up perfect for smaller juvenile Blue Marlin (Rats) and Striped Marlin up to about 300lb or so. Tom

STOLEN MERRY FISHER 625 & SUZUKI 115Hp Just had a call from an insurance company asking for us to keep an eye out for a white Merry Fisher 625 with a Suzuki 115Hp on the back. This boat has been stolen from Shell Bay in Poole. MF625s are two a penny, but this one stand out. It's the only one in the world with a custom made wakeboarding tower bolted to it! Even if the tower is removed there is likely to be giveaway signs that it was once fitted (it wrapped around the pilot house). Please keep an eye out for this boat and if you see it please can you inform the police straight away. Many thanks Tom

Bumping to keep on the Last posts scroll.

Nige and also Kevin who has been in touch. I genuinely appreciate the offers of runs out, but the dates actually clash with the launch of our new Sea Ray dealership which we are having here at the marina and at Studland on 10th and 11th. I would have loved to have joined you all and would have been bugger all use as crew, but could have merengued or salsa'd around the deck with either of you. Sorry, but tight lines to all who go. Tom

Alfresco Fri and Sat 3 for restaurant confirmed Awol Fri and Sat 3 for restaurant Confirmed Joint Venture 2 for Restaurant Serenity Fri and Sat 2 for restaurant Wishin Fri and Sat 2 for restaurant Abode 2 Fri and Sat 2 for restaurant confirmed by75% Phaeton ?? Sweet Chariot 2 White magic Prodigy Fri and Sat 2 for restaurant Just perfick Fri and Sat 6 for restaurant Moonshine Fri and Sat 2 for restaurant Imagine Fri and Sat - 1+ for Restaurant By Road: R2D2 trail down Jo Jo trail down - Sat - 2 for Resturant Marineboy trail down lady jane Quest II removed for the time being due to cash flow! I may be up for a role as anchor monkey on someone elses boat if they need crew for a day though. My specialities are wrecking, conger and the merengue

For Sale My '99 Vectra Sri. I've owned her for 18 months and she has not once failed to start. In Feb she had a new timing belt fitted by our very own Nigel which comes with a 2 year / 35000 mile warranty and that is the worst to have happened. (Note: the belt didn't give way, it was replaced on his advice). MOT until March next year. Drives beautifully, not rocket powered, but good sustained power through the range. Put your foot down hard and she does go well, but it's not all about that. Driving like you granny I can get a combined 36mpg, but driving a little more normally sees a combined 32mpg jumping to well over 40 on the motorway. SRI spec includes, but not limited to: Superb trip computer, electric front windows, good radio, ABS, sports seats, electric mirrors, 4 good quality tyres with plenty on them and a LOVELY V6 engine that is a joy. Good service history and 96K run. Interior is good with no obvious damage. A couple of marks which should come out of upholstery. Exterior is very good overall (she looks lovely when clean), but is just beginning to get a few flakes of lacquer here or there. One small crease (need to look in the light) to nearside front door and another very similar on tailgate where a cyclist used me as his brakes. No rust at all with the exception of a blob on either side of the spoiler where it attaches to the tailgate. Overall a very reliable, remarkably economical, fun and safe family car in pretty good nick for the year. Asking

John You MUST see the original VAT invoice. The boat could be built in Outer Mongolia or in Holes Bay. It makes no odds. You need to be able to prove VAT has been paid. Especially now you have a boat capable of visiting France etc. If you cannot see evidence of VAT payment then in theory you have all the cards. You can still buy the boat and may never ever have to prove VAT status, HOWEVER, there is still the risk that you will. It's this risk that you now wave at the broker and say, "I love the boat, I want the boat, but what happens if I get the boat to Cobbs and HMRC are down checking paperwork? They'll expect me to pay VAT on the boat at her value on the day they check. Based on that, my revised offer is

John Just as an add on. Not saying that Boatshed are bad, they are not, but do check you have all key paperwork. The original supplying Faeton dealer back in 2001 was not reknown for being good with the docs. They have now gone bust so trying to get copies could be fairly hard. A boat can be sold on the back of a cigarette packet and no law says you must have any of the following except the RCD CE mark, but there are possible ramifications to not having some of it. Declaration of Conformity (to RCD CE standards) This will be shown by a little placque in the cockpit somewhere and ideally backed up with a certificate (the certificate is useful, the placque is essential. Builders Certificate from Faeton Faeton don't seem to know what these are, but if anyone had ever financed the boat the finance house would have wanted this. Original Invoice from when the boat was first sold. This shows VAT was paid at the time. There is a tiny chance that UK customs could ask you to prove VAT has been paid on the boat. This invoice will be sufficient for that purpose. Without it and that tiny chance happens you could be liable for VAT at the value of the boat on the day they ask. I stress the chance of this happening is a bad luck version of winning the lottery. More likely is that if the boat was ever sold into the EU, the local country in questions own customs may / will require evidence. An MCA Bill of Sale from the supplying dealer to the first owner and from that owner to the next and another to the next and so on. These are not essential, but originals of these help show the boat as being free of encumbrances and that title can truly be proved. Just a heads up, but if original documents are not available it is possible that the boat has outstanding finance on it. Take the hull number and contact all the key marine finance houses and ask if they have an interest in the vessel. Lombard Bank of Scotland (Capital Bank) Barclays They are the main ones. Best of luck Tom

Hi John Happy to help with delivery if she is mechanically sound. Great boat, Duncan has the hard top version (Top Morague) and has had plenty of long distance trips. Can be quite lively in a big sea. Not bad, just typical of a planning hull. But, in clamer weather she'll cruise far quicker than the usual shaft drive pilot houses (I am assuming yours is on the more common leg than the shaft which they did as an option?). Do get a mechanical survey on the engine. It will be a small amount of money well spent. The engine itself is excellent, but as with many similar boats the engine hatch has a habit of leaking water onto the back of the engine and exhaust manifold causing some serious corrosion and eventually failure to the exposed parts. I seem to remember that water also leaked in from a deck drain from time to time too... could be wrong on that point. Lovely boat though, well done! Tom

Was sold again, now back on due to a second time waster. This one had trials and loved it and then cancelled the deposit cheque out of the blue. Where do these people come from (in this instance, Jersey!).

Great fighters, only ever caught one and that was on my 6/12. I imagine on fly or a light lure rod they are something else. Like a Bass on steroids with very sharp teeth!

Nice one PJ, the stuff of angling dreams (at least for me). Cracking fishing! Which fight harder, Bluefish or Stripey

Bump bump bump BUMP! Relisted due to time waster! The buyer couldn't fit it on his drive.

He may have done I would have put his Orkney on brokerage, but through the company i would have had to charge him a fare wack and he's just done me a big favour which I haven't got he cash immediately available to pay him for! Said I'd find him a buer and pass them straight to him, I didn't expect someone to walk in the office the next day asking for exactly his boat and by co-incidence Cobby was driving into the marina at the same time. I pointed the buyer at the boat and told him to speak to "that man". The buyer seemed dead chuffed and so did Cobby when i saw him a few minutes later.

Struggling to load some stills we had of some of the fun, but here is the bigger of the Tope. Apologies for not cradling her properly. I was trying to return her and she was misbehaving so the photo was a little adhoc. Note the camera was a standard, basic digi and not my "special" lens so she really does have a large head and is long and thin.

Pretty semi displacement. Kind of a "traditional" pilot house of the style from an era before pilot houses became popular. Will be cramped.

SOLD To the first person who viewed her.

I like to bump everyday if I get the chance. Bump Bump Bump Bump Bump Bump Bump Bump Bump

bump

Here's some pics I have just taken. Some general boat pics first The engine fired up on the first turn And pumped water brilliantly View from the cuddy There is a fishfinder available too, along with an anchor, some basic lines and fenders etc.

Selling privately for Martin Cobb. Anyone who knows Martin will know that he is probably Dorset's best GRP repair man. This means that his own boat is always kept beautifully polished and the GRP is pristine. Anyone looking for a very capable 19 footer from the Orkney stable would do a lot worse than look at "Sheerwater". This is the cuddy version. Tonnes of space, you could even see this boat working as an inshore potter or commercial rod and line Bass boat. Martin is asking for OIRO

Thanks Rob Quite simply, if you look at one of your pics and say, "Wow!" then I feel sure that it will look great in BFM. I think that like me, most spent more time fishing than taking pics, but any good snapshots will be welcome. Cheers all Tom

Come on guys. It's great seeing your own pictures in print. I am going to do my best to get the club detailed in the write up too. I've got pics, but not enough to be confident of a great feature. Please help! Tom

Hi Charlie I've certainly seen them on the gallery, but don't think I've had them on email... Dave Barham has actualy contacted me in this instance. He'll be after the best selection of pics I can give him and as I was concentrating on fishing rather than taking pics any I can get from you guys would be fabulous. Flatties, Cod, Pollack, Bass, Tope, Boats, general fishing or boating..... Without knowing the angle Dave wants, ALL pics would be very much appreciated.