Paul D

I have a large net. As could be seen in the photos of the conger I recently caught. I made the net from stuff that Wedger had procured and works a treat. It is long enough for the largest eels no problem. ( Have a gaff somewhere onboard but it is quietly corroding away as I always use the net ).

That must have been the one I failed to find last night - By the way, the picture did not arrive in the mail or on my phone, so you will have to get it resent/posted. Nice fish Paul and worth putting all the effort in I am sure.

Tides are decreasing by then and I caught my last eel when the current was running. Only way to find out, I guess is to give it a try ?

Weather forecast is looking good for a trip out on either Monday night or Tuesday night. I am thinking of trying the ledge for eels for a few hours on Tuesday evening/night and returning around 22:00 or 23:00 ish ( work in the morning ). Does anyone fancy 1) crewing and 2 ) buddying up ? Tides for Tue are HW 13:38 LW 20:56 I will probably aim for a launch from Mudeford around 17:00 ( if I can get home from work in time ) If you fancy crewing or buddying up then give me a call on 07887 875964 cheers Paul

Second shot

Popped down to Mudeford this afternoon/evening. Low water was at 5:30PM and the tide was a big one, so took a couple of pictures. Waded out to the last but one set of buoys and fished for a while. Tide was screaming in then, so worked my way back as didn't want to get cut off by the incoming tide. Lovely evening and I was wishing I had taken the boat out for a night fish. No sign of any fish though

Zed, The lever with "On" and "Off" on the left hand side is just to turn on/off the clicker which is typically left off but can be left on to give an audible indication that line is being let out - I only use mine when night fishing to be honest. ( or maybe it is supposed to be used for more than this ! ) The Star thing on the handle is, as you correctly surmise, the main drag for the reel. Tighten up to increase the drag ( ie. Line will be harder to pull from the reel ). You will want to set the drag so that a hard fighting fish can take line from the reel without breaking the line - typically something like a third of the breaking strain ? ( I prefer to have this set lighter and tighten up further if needed rather than having it set too tight when it could be goodbye fish ). The Paddle type button you can press down and this will then allow you to cast with the reel ( No need to keep holding this down as it will stay in "free spool" until the handle is turned to wind line in ).

7th October looks the best bet to me ( many people are unable to fish on Saturdays ).

Does raise further questions as well, which I intend to take up. Such as, why was the MLS for Bass not implemented when it was understood that it would be to the benefit of sea anglers and commercials ?

Well, Proof that sending a letter does get a reply. I have received the following reply which was sent to my MP ( 10/10 for him ). ( Couldn't get my scanner working, so typed it all out ). Thank you for you letter of 10th Sept to Hilary Benn on behalf of your constituent P Dore - ..... about recreational sea angling (RSA). I am replying as the minister responsible for this policy area. We recognise the importance of recreational sea angling and an increased role for anglers in local fisheries management and we have strengthened representation for anglers on most Sea Fisheries Committees (SFCs). We recently consulted on proposals to increase the minimum landing size for bass to benefit both commercial and recreational fishermen. We will also be considering the need for further measures to secure larger and more numerous bass, such as bag limits for recreational sea anglers, near shore netting restrictions, closed areas of seasons and gear restrictions. We would be looking at measures which would benefit the UK fishery and any such measures would of course be subject to full consultation with all relevant stakeholders. Last year we established the Coastals Waters Policy team, which provides a central focus for sea angling interests in Defra. We are also taking the opportunity of the forthcoming Marine Bill to consider equipping fisheries aqdministrators with powers that may be necessary for a more active approach to managing recreational fisheries. Work is currently underway with anglers, commercial fishermen and other interested parties on the drafting of a recreational sea angling strategy for England. The Marine bill will equip fisheries managers with powers that may be necessary for a more active approach to managing recreational fisheries in the future. These will include proposals to introduce a recreational sea angling licence and the extension of controls to anglers and fishers from the shore. This may include "bag limits" ( i.e. controls on the number of fish that can be retained ) for recreational and hobby fisherman. The Marine Bill is intended to give Defra the powers to be able to introduce a bag limit, but not a bag limit itself. The use of any such powers to introduce a bag limit would be subject to a full consultation, setting out the costs and benefits of any measures, so we can gather a range of views. Details on how a bag limit could operate, or how many fish could be taken, would be species specific and set out in the consultation options for any fish for which measures are proposed. The scheme would be similar to that operated by the Environmnental Agency for freshwater angling. Work on these proposals is in early development, so at this stage it is not possible to set out particular details, the cost or when it could be introduced. We would expect that any proposed licensing scheme would clearly need to demonstrate the benefits to sea anglers. It is clear that the needs of recreational sea anglers and examples of best practice should be considered as fisheries policy is developed and work is well under way towards an RSA strategy. The strategy will be developed through Defra's inshore fisheries working group, which meets to discuss and advise on fisheries matters of importance to the inshore zone. The group includes both recreational and commercial fishermen, SFC's and other key stakeholders which will ensure this work is taken forward in partnership with all who have a stake in fish stocks. Defra has recognised the importance of the RSA sector and the role that they have to play in local fisheries management. Jonathan Shaw

This site is run by a work colleague of mine. I thought it was a really smart idea and he already has someone earning around

I tried along similar lines when it was Helen's birthday. Paul : What would you like for your birthday ? Helen : Nice pair of earings maybe Paul : You could really do with a fishing rod Helen : Yes but I would really like some earings Paul : We shall see Needless to say, she got the fishing rod. Who am I kidding - I value my life

Just realised that I forgot to congratulate you on your fish Dean ( and Martin ), got sidetracked on the recognition of blondes and Fugazi's radio. Cracking fish and sounds like a really good day out.

Jack, You think you have it bad with the " and @ reversed. We have pc's here which use Swedish language but which have UK keyboards. Nightmare !

In case anyone thinks I was a bit mad to be out, I was standing on the groyne ( well the start of it ) and the boat was on my drive at home. ( Even I am not that stupid ! ) The Safety Officer can relax

Interesting comparion with this one as well A bit bigger

Coddy, I have let Douglas Herdson of the National Aquarium know as well ( via e-mail ) as they are always interested in unusual captures.

I was wondering that as well.

Fished for an hour or so off Hengistbury Head this afternoon before the football but blanked. Was pretty damn windy though with waves going over the top of the groyne. Saw the drizzle coming, so headed for home then. Calling the comp off was certainly the correct decision.

Gordon, Yes - you have a problem with your radio. Called you as you waved ( Fugazi can be spotted from miles off with that flag on the front )

Winter months I usually target Whiting and cod ( although not many of them around these days. ) Popular spot for cod is the ground south of the needles - you won't miss where to fish as it is not known as the "car park" for nothing ! ( you will also catch conger in the day from here along with whiting and the occassional Pollack ) Last year found Whiting were not as plentiful as the year before. Cod - I have had 3 in total over 4 years, so don't expect to get many

I would say you would have had no chance of an eel from the ledge yesterday during the day ( it was sunny ). Maybe if it had been well overcast there would be a slight possibility ( ie. The eels think it is night ). I had one eel from the mark we were fishing in such conditions ( fishing with Dan actually ), but I think it is the exception rather than the rule. Jimbob or Adam will probably know better with regards to the possibility of daytime eels from the ledge.

Also in searching I found there is another clue in the mouth shape. See Fish ID Apparently Blondes have a more square shaped mouth and Spotted have a more rounded mouth. I confir with your view Duncan. Goes to show how easy it is to mix up spotteds with blondes. Somewhere on here is a picture of the first ray I ever caught on Neo and this started a "is it Spotted or is it a Blonde" discussion. I will dig it out and take a look as if it was a blonde it is the first known example from X-Ray