TomBettle

Not bad Dan Actually It was Cuckoo Wrasse and then three separate Conger. Much to Dan's disgust and me continually reminding him.... all to me! Report by the end of the day. Tom

Full report and pics tomorrow. 10 species! 4 fish over 100%! Cuckoo Wrasse Pout Poor Cod Mackerel Cod Red Gurnard Pollack Tope Bull Huss Conger Awesome day afloat with Charlie, Dan & Paul D. Thanks for the last minute invite and thanks for the top company! ....fishing wasn't bad either!

WOOOOOHOOOOO! After some great news for the family (we may be moving to a stunning farm house on the edge of the Drax Estate) I have been given a reprisal on my fishing pass. Revoked earlier in the week for family committments it has been returned with a kiss and a smile. A call to Charlie to see how he did today saw a last second space on Alfesco offered (apologise to my other offer of a place... this has been rather rapidly organised and not exactly well thought through). Thanks Charlie, I'll see you bright and sparky at the yacht club! Albeit for the final 12 hours, please book my name in for the 48 hour! Tom

Gotta second Cobby He is an absolute artist!

..at a guess... Quotas

Hi Andre Welcome to Poole Bay Small Boat Angling Club. The forum is good, but you will gain much MUCH more by joining the club. By joining the club and also contributing something back you'll be partie to brillaint information, gps numbers, shared trips, buddy boats, offers for you to crew with others and people offering to crew with you. It is give and take though. Take take take and people won't be so helpful. Give some of your own knowledge back and it will always be appreciated. I haven't looked back since I joined in late 2005. Both marks are approximately 20 to 30 miles South of the harbour. The BSG is tailing off now and I'd only bother with it if I was also fishing the local wrecks etc for other species too. This mark fishes most effectively with a hopper rig. The Rips is further South and be fished with a hopper or flying collar. The later being used to pick up Pollack too. Both marks are a little past their best for the Spring, but there will be one or two fish on them... The wrecks will be a better bet now with Cod hanging around through much of the Summer.

Welcome to the forum Mike, but I sincerely echo the other guys. Join the club "proper" and come along to a meeting.

As with Adam, I doubt whether I'll be able to fish, but may be able to pop over one evening (BBQ night?) for a beer and a chin wag.

Certainly comfortable and "reasonably" priced rooms above Loch Fyne in Canford Cliffs. They may do a deal too. Likewise, a bit more basic, but possibly a bit cheaper, rooms above the Shah of Persia....

Gutted After managing to bag a trip out, my pass has now been revoked by she who must be obeyed and have a day with the outlaws... oh joy... instead. Tom

Could be a good call Graham Do you know what you fancy catching?

....I have a pass for Sunday if anyone needs semi competent crew for something meaty like Cod or Bass.... I am on my knees and begging if anyone needs a spare anchor monkey.

Guys your offers are fantastic and exactly what makes this club what it is. Superb! I think that could be quite good fun, dotting us about on a couple of boats, maybe a

Gents Just had a message from Ewen Hill (the reel Doctor) to say he is down for a week from 24th July. My boat is unlikely to be repaired by then. The tides for that week look like spectacular Bass tides with early starts in the usual marks between Christchurch and the Needles and other banks. Is anyone able to offer a trip out to fish the Bass marks to?: Ewen Hill Ian Houlton (Moonfleet Angling) Ewen's uncle who came to the club meeting Me! Obviously we will all chip in as is usual. Many thanks Tom

And by eck my knees hurt. Tom

Stunning fish! Well done!

After the dissapointing, but unavoidable cancellation from Adam I was all set to go to work yesterday morning when I checked my messages to see one from Dean saying he was missing the Cod (after 24 hours away from them) and did I want a run out on AWOL. A very lazy start saw us arrive on the mark at about half 12 which was a little after slack. It took about 3/4 hour for things to get moving but when they did it was steady (not frantic) action for about 2 1/2 hours with a fish each on most drifts. Nearly all fish were peas in a Pod at 4 to 6lb with one for Dean at 11lb and one for me that was touch go at double figures, maybe just under. Interestingly, Dean started well using a side winder lure, but that stopped working so well as the tide picked up. I was using my favourite twin tails and lead heads which seemed to work steadily through most of the tide. The odd thing about the twin tails is that a large percentage of the fish were foul hooked anywhere from the gill plates right down to the doopher (note, an 8lb Cod hooked up the doopher on a 6 / 12 rod goes like a 30lb Tope). After about 2 1/2 hours fishing, the fish went off a little and so with about steady, if not spectacular 15 fish (we each returned a couple) we began to head in with a brief diversion on some Bass banks. We feathered a couple of live mackerel and Dean managed a perfect 4 or 5lb Bass on our second drift, but the tide was dieing away all the time and we had a pleasant one hour run back to the Swash. ...Pleasant for Dean as I was on my knees gutting the Cod and Bass befor tidying the boat. Great company, great boat and not bad fishing either. Thanks Dean! Tom

Dan, I'll see you at work!!! ...no worries Adam. Some things are even more important than fishing and I am absolutely cool about that. This week, the weather looks great, and the tides are strong, but not impossible for next Monday too. All the best Tom

EMERGENCY REQUEST!!!! Adam has unavoidably had to cancel our trip to break all Cod records on the Rips tomorrow. Does anyone who is heading out have space for two stowaways? Myself - a cantacarous middle aged git Norman Berry - a cantacarous old git Promise we'll both be good and promise we'll chip in to costs. Don't have any phone numbers to hand to call around so if anyone knows a way we can get fishing, please call 07780 687795. Cheers Tom

Bad luck Dave I know how you feel mate, but well done for erring on the side of caution and letting the RNLI know straight away. Tom

Have heard some iffy stories about Predator build quality and a rather blunt response to warranty issues. In the fairly rare event that a Warrior breaks the boys in Lancs will put it right. The powerglide that was mentioned is a VERY good small boat. Some odd anchoring configurations (which you can forget) and a rather basic layout, but the floating part is as good as it gets. Tom

a little dicky bird tells me that a certain rather smart Merry Fisher 925 may be heading to the Cod grounds on Monday too.... The confusion is, "What boat will Bob be on?" Ch06 boat buddy....

temptress - good tides and weather for a number of options then? Buddy up with us Duncan.

Metcheck Monday.... 2mph to 4mph N to E and 25 degrees....

With good technique, a good deckie and a good skipper you don't actually get too tired. You don't pull when the fish is pulling and a good technique will mean you can wind the huge handles on Big Game reels without being exhausted. Bad technique will see you actually wearing yourself out the first time the skipper backs down the three, four, seven(?) hundred yards on the fish. You have to wind fast enought to maintain a tight line whilst the skipper backs up at a rate of quite a few knots (fast enough to flood the cockpit). This is when you feel like you are dieing and you'll get back to within a 100 yards or so of the fish and it will tear off again.... now you simply wish you were actually dead. After two or three fish, you begin to learn to manage the technique and either the chair (still very hard work) or stand-up will start to become a less daunting prospect. Modern Marlin fishing is a very rapid sport with small (under 450lb) fish coming to the boat in a matter of 20 minutes rather than the old 2 hours. This means the fish is released still full of beans and not much more than rather confused as to how the hell it got it's lip pierced. The angler gets to experience all the incredible acrobatics and can potentially catch a lot of fish in a day giving true value for money (albeit a lot of money) so everyone wins. UK fishing is simply a different form of the art of angling. Marlin fishing isn't everything, but it is incredible when they are biting. It certainly isn't for everyone and the normal trolling for days and days without seeing a fish is very dull indeed. This is where Cape Verde is different.... My personal best is 6 in one day (part of a 15 fish catch). Until I went to Cape Verde I am not sure if I had even seen 6 Marlin despite having spent tens of thousands hunting for them. Check out http://www.marlincapeverde.com for more information on the most incredible Marlin fishing experience on the very best Marlin boat/s in the world.