TomBettle

Sounds good Rich Charlie A can have the kettle on and we all rendevous there? Should have plenty of leads onboard, assuming that the Quest II Crew haven't demolished the stock pile. I'll have a quick check before we cast off and can always grab a few more from WAC if necessary. Tom

Anti clockwise is the way they swim so you need to pump water in a clcokwise direction to create the current.

Wasn't I being cryptic enough or was it spotted by Kam's slightly less than subtle description......

Let me know Paul. My "other" boat or yours? Tom

Sam, the boat does most the driving itself. It's called autopilot. It just needs a muppet like me to set up the drifts, but if you are feeling adept you can have a go at a couple of them. Tom

You got it Mike You already seem a master at the techinique.... ....whatever technicque it was.

We are on Subject to the weather.

I think the whole of the WWW probably does too.

Oh you mean the one up towards Cobbs Quay.... "Admin edit"

Tuesday is sorted! Sam Charlie Rich Myself (I should be there really) Charlie or Rich to drive (anything to get out of it) Tackle as described or whatever oddball concoctions Rich decides to bring. Rich I have emailed Richard E to see if I can buy sandeels off him. Can you pull any strings, otherwise we will be on mackerel if we stop for them (and they stay alive in my Tek Tank ) and rubber bits n bobs. Please let me get Poole Afloat out of the way (my boats have dissapeared and I need to find out where they have gone...) and we shall sort out the finer details on Monday. Friday is still available: Moving towards neaps, but still some tide. Wrecking is first choice or possibly Tope if the conditions aren't perfect for a trip mid channel. Britboard is booked (although still to confirm) Two spaces left. Tom

Hi Sam Rich or Charlie will be running a chauffer service and cost will be most of a tank of diesel split between all crew and any bait if we buy sandeels. Fuel will be about

Rich Exactly as I have been trying to point out about the jolly nice Tek Tank's (which I happen to own one of) failing. I was trying to be very polite as the nice chaps from there have spent a lot of money with the club. As a user, I know where it fails, but was trying to be a bit diplomatic. Tom

PJ I can get down and dirty with the best of them. I do have my back-up plan of my "other boat", based up in Southampton which I can dash up to the "Bass Marks" in half an hour of open water. "Nautibusiness" is on the water and ready to go if anyone fancies a bit of blatting around at silly speed. ....costs a bit more to run mind.... Any boat, any place, anywhere.

Al I am glad you agree with me. I am, of course, an expert in this technique....

Hi Terry Yep it certainly goes cloudy with bubbles if you flood the tank with oxygen, but simply changing the water with a bucket doesn't seem to work very well. Yes it certainly helps, but I have found that even with fresh water going in regularly via a bucket and with a mass of oxygen they seem to roll over much quicker than a standard tank with a regular flow of pumped replacement water. I am sure it is the flow of water rather than masses of oxygen and colling the water that is the answer. Most the boats I have been on that have replacement water being pumped in to a circular tank seem to keep the bait alive all day with no problems (so long as the water circulates in a clockwise direction which means the fish swim into the current facing anti clockwise. Maybe mackerel and sandeel are more susceptible to this than American live baits like ballyhoo etc? Tom

Hi Mike Stacks of mackerel (when I last tried) round behind Portland Bill, but may be a tad far in the wind assisted vessel I noticed they were very hard to catch when I went out from Christchurch with the boys on Aquafresh, however they did come on with the start of the flood tide and we caught plenty then. If you are float fishing with them set the depth at about half a metre above the mean average sea bed depth. You may loose the odd set of gear over the rocky pinnacles, but if you use a lightish hook length it will normally only be this you loose. Tom

Hi Guys I am available to crew any boat anywhere, anytime on either Monday, Wednesday or Thursday next week. Early mornings, late nights are no problem. Would love to go Bassing, but happy to do what the skipper tells me Happy to chip in my share of costs or exchange for a trip on Quest II from Weymouth. Please see my post in Trip Planning as I still have a space available (at the time of writing) for a days wrecking on Quest II on Tuesday and 2 spaces available for the same on Friday. Tom

Right so far Tuesday: Rich & Charlie with space for one more if needed Friday: Britboard (Simon) with space for two more if needed Rest of the week is still open for me to blag a days / evenings bassing with anyone who fancies a run out on their own boat..... Tom

If you can't get it all at Poole SAC then Weymouth AC will have the rest. We do have leads onboard (assuming the guys didn't loose them all last trip), but it is worth bringing some too. The taxi service sounds great and you are very welcome Tuesday. Tom

Yep! I am hoping to get out wrecking on Quest II on Tuesday and also Friday. Both trips are likely to be mid channel for Cod and Pollock and are subject to weather. I am happy to take up to 3 guests on either day adn each guest may wish to contribute to the cost of fuel and any bait (we may get some live eels) we have to buy. Tackle: Typically 12lb class rod and balanced reel. Loaded with 12lb or 16lb braid. Either a French boom or loooong sliding boom and bead to a swivel attached to about 8 feet or so of 20lb or 25lb clear amnesia hook length to a 4/0 wire hook for eels, 6/0 wire hook for mackerel. In case we can't get livelies then please bring plenty of jelly worms, shads or storm lures (all can be got from the tackle shop in Weymouth. Leads will range from 6 oz to 10 oz, but you shouldn't need more on the above gear. You may loose a few sets of gear, but it shouldn't be too much. Plan is to hit Weymouth at about 7:00 for a bacon butty at the new place on the quayside. Dash to the tackle shop, load the boat and be off for about 07:30ish. Fishing for 09:30 30 miles off. Returning to Weymouth at about 17:00. Takers will be expected to help clean the boat down before we leave. Bookings: Please place your name here if you are up for it. First come first served. So far I have Britboard confirmed for Friday, but the boat is free other than that. Tom In addition, I am hoping to cadge a trip with anyone who may be giong out Bassing from Poole or Christchurch on Monday, Wednesday or Thursday. Happy to chip in on all costs and evenings will be no problem.....

Channel 06 sir. We also have a group MMSI number which will allow you to chat to anyother person partaking... ...and also ping their numbers to see where they are fishing! That reminds me, I must input my MMSI details sometime soon. Tom

Hi Terry I have used the system for a little over a year now and changing a bucket of water doesn't do the trick. Sandeels and Mackerel both like to have a flow of water and whilst they last a couple of hours with the diffuser alone, they rarely last much longer. If I was doing it again I would do it the DIY method and use a deckwash or bilge pump to simply circulate a fresh supply of water round the tank and keeping the bait alive and well all day long. As soon as I can get round to it I will be removing the diffuser and throwing it over the side (into a bin of course) and simply fitting a through bucket hozelock connector with a right angle on the inside and a few small (or one larger with mesh over it) holes for the excess water to drain out. The plus side is that my bucket looks much prettier than an old 10 gallon drum , just a bit more expensive Trying not to be negative as the idea is good, but it barely works for more than a couple of hours. Tom

Exactly my point Adam. The tek tank system just oxygenates the existing water which would be fine except that we tend to live bait most during the Summer when the water in that nice big bucket gets warm and everything dies anyway. The water in the bucket needs constant changing to keep the bait alive, in which case a standard pump system should be much better....? Also, becuase the bucket has no "flow" the fish can't swin naturally against the current in that anti clockwise direction that we know they like to. Great system, but needs some work to get a my 100% vote. Tom

At a guess, that would / should cost more dosh. Without shooting myself in the foot, I believe we pay extra to have our details on every page. Tom

Thanks Terry The system is very good and on the whole I can only praise it, but the price is very high too for what is essentially a nice posh big bucket, a bilge pump with a sponge round it and still the need to manually chage over the water unless you pay even more..... I love my tek-tank, but cuold do with a better water exchange system that is easy for my rather non engineering brain to fathom out. My thoughts on purchase were that the diffuser would keep the bait alive as well as any water exchange, but it doesn't quite hack it. If I was to put a water exchange system in place then the diffuser would be obselete? Do you have the boffin's name and number at Tek Tanks as my criticism is constructive (like I keep saying, good but pricey) or maybe ask them to come and join the thread so we can all get their views.....? Tom