Mike Fox

See here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14133913 Mike

Sounds a stunning few days Martin, and well done on that plaice! Mike

Good bit of "buddy boating", when an unfortunate incident happened. Well done to all involved for handling a potentially difficult situation so effectively, and without needing to involve the RNLI. Very nicely done! Mike

All the best Bill ! Mike

Currently targetting Saturday....on the basis that there should be some shelter from the SW winds then, but not so good shelter from Sunday SE winds! Mike

Well done!!! Mike

See link here: http://web.orange.co.uk/article/news/feare...ed_off_cornwall Mike

Well done Graham, sounds a great session ! Glad to have been of some small assistance! Mike

Popped out to a mark or three in the vicinity of the Spoil Grounds off Old Harry, to see if something interesting was out there, and saw a few other club boats too with similar ideas. Arrived at the last of the flood, and drifted the first mark at about 0.3 knots...in a blue sky, and flat sea with no wind. Idyllic conditions, apart from this scummy brown water that made a bait (or string of feathers) disappear quickly. May Water, methinks? A couple of doggies showed on mackerel chunk, intended for something bigger, but that was it. Squid remained untouched, as did launce. The feathers did nothing. There wasn't enought tide to anchor safely, and wanted the ebb to start properly before lobbing it down, so moved to another lump (actually a bit of an underwater cliff) and managed to anchor it spot on, so you could feel your baits trundle back, then drop....but again just doggies. Carol had a fat doggie of 2lb 4oz, but that was the best of a slim bunch. One mackerel eventually showed...and was slipped onto a livebait rig, and slipped back into the depths, but to no use, other than it seemed to have a personal mission to tangle all of the other lines We moved again, then went inshore off Ballard for ray, but again, it was dead, with just one doggie here. We eventually decided Carol had won the day, but the best part was some decent weather for a change, and seeing a few friendly club boats out. Chatted with a few on Channel 6, and there seemed general agreement that the mackerel (and proper fish) were hard work. Even the commercial boats were struggling to find them. Mike

Frisky will be popping off Swanage way I guess, for a quiet dangle, and see what might be around to add to our species list. Will keep listening on Channel 6.... Mike

Gentlemen, This has blown out of all proportion, with many members of the committee and others planning to go to Alderney making comments on this thread. If you re-read my original (unedited) post, my concern was for a level-playing field for the smaller boats in the club, not specifically myself, and to get a wider number of entrants. I acknowledge that in previous years, this comp has been won by inshore boats, and chances do exist inshore. However, the committee has previously asked why so few members join in our club competions. My personal beliefs seem to need to be expressed more clearly, so here goes (with head down for the next barrage of flak ): - There is the PERCEPTION that angling opportunities are better over the Alderney side; - The fishing APPEARS to be so good over there, that the offshore boat owners that can get there think it's worth

Frisky Fox and crew will NOT be fishing this comp, yet again. I can't help but think that the club constitution had it right with Objective 4.1 "To promote the sport of Recreational Sea Angling from small boats in Poole Bay and adjacent waters". If the competition rules had a clause such as "no more than 6 miles offshore from the Dorset and Hampshire coastline, within the Eastern and Western limits of Club Waters", then I might reconsider. This would then put the 16 and 17 foot boats of the club on a level playing field with the offshore-capable boats, and would result in a much more "inclusive" competion, and might even attract a wider number of entrants. Funnily enough, this would then also go a long way to meet the club's Objective 4.2 "To promote and enhance safe practices in small boats." Just my personal views, but sorry folks, we will not be joining in this one, and that's my honest reason why. Mike

Have a great one Sam, and keep off that bike until you've sobered up!!!! Mike

I'm beginning to suspect there has been overfishing by angling boats. Take a smallish area like Poole Patch. In the bream season I suspect this has an average of 10 boats, including an average of 4 charters....say 50 anglers per day. Let's assume each keeps 10 fish (sizeable, males, BBQs, freezer, mates, etc), and pops the rest back. 500 fish per day kept, 7 days per week. for maybe 4 weeks in the peak bream season. =14,000 fish kept Average size 1.5 lb = 21,000lb of fish - call it 10 tons of bream for round numbers. Yes, the estimates might be wrong, but however you adjust up or down, it's a lot of pressure on a small area, and it's hard to imagine too many more bream being down there. Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me, and it's hardly surprising that there's not as many around as before. Is it time for the club to recommend a bag limit for the Poole area to the PDSA, to sustain our fishing for all? To start the ball rolling, how about a maximum of 3 fish per angler per day, and no more than 10 bream kept per angler in any calendar month? Mike

Watchable video in this link: http://www.swanagelifeboat.org.uk/home/lat...bsection=Latest Mike

In my experience, there's no problem arriving at France either from the UK or outside of the EEC (the Channel Islands), they ask you to record your last port when registering at the marina, and I think that's all. Duncan's list looks good, to which I would add: - Passport - I take the current original insurance certificate as well, not a copy. - An E111 card allows medical cover in France. - Paper chart/Pilot book/Almanac - if for example, electronics fail in fog on the final approach I've never bothered calling ahead on VHF, and either find a vistor's berth myself, or get directed on arrival. This is all pretty laid back. Cherbourg pontoons are plastic with low buoyancy, and an awkward loop at the end, not a cleat. Take care leaping off! Note that out of date flares, and red diesel in containers other than the main fuel tank in France are illegal and you can be fined on the spot. Armed Customs officer have the right to board you at sea in French waters or in harbour. It's only happened to me twice, and they were polite, professional and courteous on both occasions. Their English was ok, but they appreciated me dealing with them in French, and didn't ask to search the boat. Mike

Mike

Sounds an interesting day Graham! Am thinking of going out that way the next set of neaps. Mike

Not sure what happened today, but it seems no-one had told the fish they were wanted! Tried drifting inshore banks off Bournemouth, then the Southern edge of the Dolphin Sands, without anything interesting. Used half mackerel fillets for large flatties, whole squid for other stuff, as well as launce and rag. We were all surprised just how quiet it was...until later...when we saw a blue trawler with beams out both sides criss-crossing where we'd been. Moved in towards Southbourne Rough, and found a charter boat right on the edge of my favourite mark. The paying guests looked astonished when we anchored, and dropped back, adjusted our barn-door rudder, and sat right on top of the mark. Mind, it wasn't fishing too well, but a few small pout came to bream gear, and went into the bucket, and got converted to live baits for bass. George rigged one on his new 6lb Kenzaki and 7000i combination, and was rewarded by a plump bass just under 3lb, that went like a train. Weird having a dozen pairs of eyes boring into you as you wave a net... Carol had a keeper pollack, and I just had pout. The two squid that took (and killed!) my livebaits both let go just under the surface, and refused to be netted. Shame, one was quite a big one! Wonder if Coddy would let me count it in the species comp if I'd boated it? A second charter boat anchored uptide, and looked to be directly over our anchor. We had arrived as the tide was dying, and decided to move before we had problems. George hand-retrieved the anchor instead of using the Alderney Ring, and luckily it came up cleanly between the two other boats. We tried a few other spots on the Rough, but really couldn't find the fish there. We moved inshore, took half a dozen mackerel trolling off the Chines (for a spot of sousing tomorrow!), and called it a day. Great to be on the water, and also saw Court Jester and Rossi G out that way, but with the cold wind which seemed to be steadily increasing, it suggested we had the best of the day. Mike

Frisky's crew are all game for a Dolphins Sands trip (with extra marks) on Saturday. We'll be leaving via the 9.30 bridge probably, and having our characteristic slow trundle across....hopefully getting a few fresh mackerel en route. Anyone else keen to have a session that way doing something a bit different? Share info on channel 6, and perhaps a few of us smaller and slower boats can see what's there? Will be bringing squid, frozen mackerel and worm. Are sandeels worth a go ? Mike PS Graham, you have a PM

I suspect they're currently somewhat preoccupied with playing Mummy and Daddy bream.... Give them a short while to recover (have a fag and pint of beer etc), and am sure it will be back to business as usual soon Mike

Hi Adam, Can we have your confirmation on the winner, please? Thanks, Mike

The Clan McAvey is a small, broken-up wreck about 55-60' deep between Southbourne Rough and the Dolphin Sands, which sometimes holds stuff of interest, including conger, tope, bass, etc. X-Ray is a gravelly mark to about 55-60' deep between Southbourne Rough and Hengistbury Head, that produces thornback, small-eyed and spotted rays, together with the odd conger, bass and other stuff. I'll try to find the numbers if you're interested. Mike

I'm game for a session too, subject to weather of course. Usually at Springs, I try to avoid the heavy leads by staying in Poole Bay or nearby. I quite fancy a punt at the Dolphin Sands, and try to squeak out a small-eyed ray, tope, smoothhound or bass. If that blows out, I might have a quick check on the Clan, or Southbourne Rough, and if they fail, an hour at X-Ray is always worth a punt. Spurdogs are usually further afield in the deep water and stronger tides, so they're out for me. Decent pollack don't seem to exist inshore, and we rarely see anything over 2lb. If you have better knowledge, please let me know! Mike

Hi Johny, Wind direction is also a big factor, especially how far it has travelled over water...the "fetch". The direction and strength of the tide also needs to be considered. Swell can also be a major factor at times. Around the Poole area: - Winds with a northerly component come off the land, the "fetch" is relatively short, and the waves don't get much time to build. This weekend a NW Force 5 kicked up 2' waves on Poole Patch with white tops, making anchoring difficult and uncomfortable, and drifting hard work. Closer inshore was flatter...but just as windy. - Winds from a South or South-East direction can travel 60 to 100 miles or more over the water, and can kick up bigger waves. If these are combined with a flooding tide to give "wind against tide" effects, the waves get much larger and steeper. The Swash Channel can kick up 8' waves at times in a spring tide ebb, for example, and should be avoided. - for Westerlies or SW winds, Old Harry, Anvil Point and Portland Bill can reduce the wave height, and as you get out of shelter of one, you can get some shelter from the next, and so on. The stronger the tide against the wind, the worst the sea state can get. The opposite is also true, if wind and tide are together for a while, the sea state can flatten off until turn of tide. Take care in big tides! Swell is usually less of a factor in the Poole area, because this is usually considered to be an oceanic type of wave, rolling in from the Atlantic with a long wavelength. If the direction is such it comes around Portland, and rolls in to the Purbeck coast (especially Kimmeridge) it can make for dangerous conditions close to shore, and the slipway at Kimmeridge is then best avoided. If it's blowing and lumpy outside, the fishing isn't always that good or pleasant out of the harbour, and tucking up in Poole Harbour can still be possible, and can produce a few fish. Hope this helps, Mike