Paul D

10lb 14oz. ( Was also witnessed by Paul J as well if my memory serves me right ).

Gordon, Don't forget the extra 10 points for catching 3 species. So total = 40 points

Can confirm that the biggest released bass reported to me was the one Alan McAvoy caught during the bass only comp. I am 100% sure it was released as I saw him doing it at the time !

Second picture of the 19lb Ray

Fished today on AWOL with Dean, Mike and George Fox. The target was Blonde Rays so we headed out to some banks to target the rays. First 15 minutes and George is into a ray weighing in at 10lb 8oz which he is well chuffed with. Then fishingf slows but I then watch Dean and Mike both land rays and the odd Bream and Mackeral. Not a bite ! I was beginning to think that I was experiencing the same fishing as the previous day when eventually I have a bite. This fish takes from fighting and eventually a nice thick Blonde is landed - 21lb, my biggest Blonde to date ( not too hard as I have only caught the one before on Phaeton ). Then back to watching the others again when Dean decides to dop the boat back a bit to reach the bank. This seemed to work as he is into a fish almost immediately. I then hook into a fish at the same time. Took a while to convince Dean they were not the same fish but eventually both fish are onboard and photos taken. This time my fish weighed in at 19lb. Well chuffed. No more bites for me for the rest of the day. So I had two bites and two fish, but what good fish they were. Many thanks to Dean for a great day afloat.

Hmm - My newest ABU has now managed to shear off the screw holding the lever drag plate. It certainly appears that the cheaper far eastern reels may have weaker metal screws. Still, managed to haul up 2 rays today with it

Will be fishing with Dean Burt, George Fox and Mike Fox on AWOL.

Just stripped down my 7000LD and corrosion is limited to the outer case ( slight pitting ). One of the screws holding the lever drag plate has sheared off. Rest of reel is smooth as silk. I would say the screw / screw threads are the weak link but at

The far eastern ones also have "Made in Taiwan" on a label on the reel seat. ( at least the ones I had have ) I have one "made in sweden" one and one "made in Taiwan" one. Both have issues with the side screws but apart from that are fine and still working OK. I would be interested to hear of the fate of the reel which was won for the last competition ( remember the one where the pieces were put together in a jigsaw thing ). Who won that and what state is it in now ?

Good report Alun and that sunset was awesome was it not. It was that impressive I stopped the car to take a look at it on the way home.

Rob, Feel free - Post it here if you like

Good to see OOTB back on the water Adam. Great news.

I have to admit I have the same problem with the screws on the ABU 7000 working loose and then no longer being able to screw back in though - I thought it was me not looking after the reel properly. I have 2 Charter Specials, one I seized up but easily fixed ( same method as with my TLD20 ) and the other I bought from Rich so was well looked after but still not as smooth as my ABU 7000.

I would have been up for that. However, taking Neo over to the island on Saturday to see what is around there. Mind you if you are short for Sunday ( unlikely I suspect ) , I might be able to come along

Thank you Christchurch Angling Centre :-

Assuming Sheila Marie and crew had nothing to report then the results are as follows ..... 1st Alun Jones Undulate Ray 15lb 8oz 110.71 % 2nd Rob Francis Small Eyed Ray 10lb 2oz 92.05% 3rd Duncan Mackie Undulate Ray 11lb 13oz 84.38 % 4th Martin Burt Blonde Ray 12lb 10oz 5th George Fox Small Eyed Ray 3lb 11oz 33.52% 6th Mark Winfield Plaice 12oz 16.67 % 7th Dave Samuel Blonde Ray 8oz 2.17%

Tom, The argument ( or rather "discussion" ) I would have is that I do not consider that most are actually capable of accurately guessing a weight of a fish ( I certainly include myself in that category as well ). Maybe I see a comp coming here Also as Fish Recorder I have to make it quite clear that EVERY fish recorded in the book needs to be weighed on board or on land or to be recorded as weight estimated. I agree, that if not interested in recording then no need to weigh. ( Indeed my best Tope of est. 30lb I did exactly that ). I wouldn't want someone causing a fuss if their non-weighed fish was not accepted for the book as its weight was estimated.

I second the Charter Special vs ABU 7000 NLD. My Charter Special needed new bearings after 2 years and in fact I managed to seize up the handle and also did the same on my TLD20 - ( Salt X + a hammer + some grease fixed it mind . The ABU's on the other hand have cases corroding away nicely but are still running as smooth as silk. At the end of the day, I see the reel as expendible. After all, how much do you spend on the boat to get out there ?

Not convinced I could weigh a 50lb conger over the side of my boat. 1) Would be too near the water to lift off the water 2) Would be dangerous having myself and crew hanging over the side with 50lb of live conger weighing us down. ( and at night ! ) I have not had any trouble with eels "going beserk" since I learnt to keep them in the net all the time. As for "Most of us are experienced anough to be a reasonably accurate judge of weight and with competition aside, I'd take your word for the weight you said it was...." - I am sure I saw this argument proven incorrect somewhere else before ?

Haven't got all the results to hand at the moment. Will sort the final scores out on Tuesday or Wednesday, however, I suspect that AWOL may have clinched it again

BB, E-mail it to me at webmaster@pbsbac.co.uk and I will have a go at sorting it out.

Chris, How big was your plaice ? - ( it is eligible for the comp ).,

Oops - I can't spell their name correctly. These are the people I would recommend :- Ambrow Trailers

Coddy, The place I use ( and I have had 3 fitted by them now, and the local Honda dealer told me I would be better off having my towbar fitted by them than a dealer fitted one ) is Amrose Trailers on Barrack Road. Top notch. Also, check the price you can get the towbar online first and then you have an idea what they are charging for fitting. :- http://www.towequipe.co.uk

I've got one of each and they are smooth as silk. However, I am not one for caring after my reels particularily, so leave salt deposits on an ABU 7000 and it will eat away through the outer casing. Also, had two, different, screws break on each reel - but not in a "critical" position, so both reels working fine. Shimano TLD reels much more sturdy but the ABU reels are smoother. Would I buy another one for