Mike Fox

1) Neal - not sure which boat.......yet! 2) Allan-Fisheagle-subject to weather/crew confirmation. 3) Mike and Carol on Frisky Fox

Do you have more information and pictures of some of the more effective lures you use? Thanks, Mike

Now this made me smile for a number of reasons: http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/biggest-great-white-shark-ever-tagged-in-australia-off-coast-of-wa-20140410-36eqx.html I think I need to use something a bit tougher than a 6lb class Kenzaki next time I hook a shark... Mike

For the harbour, spinning gear or 6lb class is fine. Remember there's a bass ban in the Nursery Area. Targets in the harbour aren't huge - bass,plaice, flounder, bream, wrasse etc, and light gear will be fine. I use a Daiwa Kenzaki 6lb class, and an Ugly Stik spin, both are great. Mike

A major update here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2600554/Vicar-body-washed-beach-drowned-rowing-150-miles-religious-pilgrimage-10ft-wooden-boat.html Seems a long planned trip under oar went tragically wrong. I suspect there will be more comment made as the MCA and others get involved in working out how and why this happened. Mike

Beerpan Rocks? Mike

Brilliant or insane....maybe both! Congratulations either way! Mike

Icom M323 now installed, after a bit of bodged carpentry with a hacksaw to enlarge the fitting slot. The cluster of little wires at the back was less of a hassle than expected, as only two were needed to interface to the fixed GPS. Fired up first time of asking, with GPS position recorded onscreen. and the radio check to Portland Coastguard was "loud and clear". Can't ask more. Mike

Does anyone know if Mark is still doing this? A friend of Carol needs someone to visit Broadstone to service a Mariner 25 four stroke. Mike

Am hoping to get Frisky back in commission at the weekend - save us a few Allan! Mike

This is a topic I had a good look at years ago when I spent a year on a swinging mooring. There are a number of failures possible in the mooring arrangement: - Fitting failure - the cleat is undersized, bolts too small, or backing pad ineffectual and the cleat ripped out completely. This is quite a common failure and is avoidable with chunky components. - Chafe if using rope, usually on a sharp fairlead or roller cutting the rope in extreme weather. Plastic tubing protecting all sharp edges usually prevents this, but judging by several boats I've found on the beach near Shore Road, this is not always done. - Bow roller failure usually caused by the lack of a retaining drop-nosed pin resulting in the chain jumping off the roller, resulting in the chain's saw-like action destroying the bow and eventually ripping it off. I've never seen this destroying a bow, but have seen the significant damage this can cause in a short time. - Structural failure of the bow area caused by a lack of GRP reinforcing on a boat not designed to be kept on a mooring. Catastrophic failure, and shouldn't happen on a well-built boat, but I have seen one boat with a missing deck part in the bow area, with no evidence of "saw" marks. - Failure in the mooring itself, which should NOT happen if it's renewed annually, with chain through to the buoy, metal rod through, and a chain loop accessible via pickup buoy. The arrangement I used was chain loop to a samson post kept slack, with a heavy nylon (stretchy) snubbing rope protected by plastic tubing about 4-5' long to the chain and a different cleat to reduce snatch loads. Both to an over-sized bow-roller with drop nosed pin to prevent jumping. Belt and braces, but it survived 50 knot+ winds with no damage. Mike

Hope you have a great one Jacob! Mike and Carol

Rob, The sheer strength assumes steady load. The snatch loading in a typical storm with 3' waves in Poole Harbour with wind against tide conditions will greatly exceed steady loads. Mike

Will your connection to the mooring be rope or chain? What is the diameter of the rope or chain? Will this fit your cleat easily? How will you stop the rope or chain from coming off by itself? Can you guarantee the rope or chain will not jump off your bow roller? Will you have a safety rope to a second cleat? How will you prevent chafe? Do you plan to use a padlock to prevent theft? Regarding the diameter of bolts, if you go oversize, with a chunky backing pad, then your boat should stay attached in 90 mph storms. Over the last 25 years, I've seen several boats washed up along the shore, and a brief check of their bows have shown a variety of reasons. In my experience, the mooring arrangement needs to stand up to any weather, but fishing you'll rarely anchor in more than a Force 4/5. You might also consider if you need an alternative pontoon berth, if you return to your mooring and it's too windy to get attached. I found that anything above a Force 6 makes picking up the mooring and attaching very difficult. Mike

Well, bought the Icom M323, with wires dangling everywhere. Just need to fit it and interface it to my GPS... Wish me luck! Mike

The convenience factor is definitely worth considering: - gives you a chance for quick evening or half day trips; - lets you pop down to do a few quick jobs; - no trips out to the mooring via water taxi or dinghy, making sure you have everything; - you can use the boat easily when you want, not just when the taxi is running - less lugging of heavy stuff back and forth, as you can use marina trolleys - all-tide access means no issues with day length as the season progresses; - no worries about stopping fishing in time to beat the low tide "window" - Ease of transfer for yourself, crew and luggage with reduced risk of accidents - More eyes around to reduce risk of theft - Ease of transfer means you take valuables home instead of leaving on board - Power for battery charging - Water to hose down - etc The list goes on, but the trade-off is the cost, which is usually the deciding factor! Mike

I found this one on the same site for not much more, but not sure if 90 HP inboard turbo diesel would be more economical and would still plane? http://fishing.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/offshore-cruisers/beneteau-620-fishing-boat-day-cruiser-90-turbo-diesel-PAA91188 I could almost be tempted myself! Mike

Dave, when "monkfish" is quoted there is often confusion. The monkfish or angel shark (Squatina squatina) looks like a cross between a shark and a ray, and I was on a boat in the Bristol Channel in the 1970s when 7 were caught using mackerel fillet for ray...all about 40lb. Weird looking fish! Commercial fishmen, fishmongers and restaurants call the angler fish (Lophius piscatorius) the "monkfish". These are all head, and from a 35lb one caught on Brixham Breakwater years ago, the edible meat on the tail was just 7lb. I suspect the latter have been caught in nets....but if they're around, a smallish live bait fished hard on the bottom is probably the only chance as they're low-speed ambush hunters! Mike

I'm now leaning towards the ICOM M323 at £179.95 from Force4. Anyone have this model, and anyone have any comments? Thanks, Mike

Some good comments on two suppliers there chaps - thanks! Will see if I can narrow it down. The old one did over 10 years, so I guess it's time for an upgrade. Mike

I think the fixed DSC radio on Frisky has had it, it's 10 years old, but seems to refuse to move from the MMSI number screen to ch 16 as in days of old. I suspect repair might cost more than the radio is worth. Can anyone recommend a decent fixed DSC VHF for a decent price? Thanks, Mike

It seems to me that the freshwater anglers are pretty clear about what they want the Angling Trust to do for them..... Mike