Mike Fox

That nasty forecast for Sunday and Monday now looks confirmed, and we'll not be going up to the Solent after all today. Will restrict our trip today to a session in the Swanage area - or slightly further round. George fancies something bigger than bream to test out his new rod, so we'll have to see what we can find. Hope to see a few members out there! Mike, Carol and George

What a great day Tom! Mike PS Bob, how on earth do you expect someone to perform an RNLI SEA Safety check on a lilo?????? PPS Inner tube and pair of flippers would save on fuel.... PPS Admin edit needed?

Might give Sowley a bash on Sunday, if not, my other Solent smoothie spot... Mike

Hi Alun, Pollack sounds fun! Might be out Southbourne way on Saturday where we had a couple of plump 2lbers last weekend on rag. Do they grow bigger on Hokkais? Mike

Silence

Winds were light and variable in the morning off Southbourne, some Easterlies 1-2 first off, then Southerly 1-2 and later S-SW 3 in the sea breeze in the afternoon. Back in Poole Harbour, the wind dropped and it was like a millpond for a while. An interesting swell at times too ! Would like to claim a great day's fishing, but we only managed 4 or 5 bream to about 1.5lb, so no challengers for the trophy from Frisky. Did manage a few other species though, with dogs a plenty, pollack and pout to nearly 2lb, wrasse and a solitary bass of about 1.5lb that was very lean (and naturally returned). Mike

Updated forecast.... Inshore waters forecast 24 hour forecast: 0600 Sun 20 May 0600 Mon 21 May Wind Variable 2 or 3, becoming north 3 or 4. Sea state Moderate becoming slight. Weather Occasional rain. Visibility Good, occasionally moderate. Seems to be improving! Good luck all. Mike

Update to Inshore Forecast: 24 hour forecast: 1800 Sat 19 May 1800 Sun 20 May Wind Southwest 4 or 5, becoming variable 3 or 4. Sea state Slight or moderate. Weather Mainly fair. Visibility Good. This may prove bumpier than some might like, but should NOT be dangerous for a well-equipped boat handled carefully, in the inshore marks. As such, I do not believe this direction and strength of wind is likely to cause most club boats any problems - but do be careful, and keep an eye on ACTUAL conditions, which may be a notch higher. Mike PS Frisky will be fishing, with George, Carol and I, and will fish the harbour if need be, rather then get bumped around breaming! Our planned hours for the comp are 10.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.

<gulp> Mike

Having checked the latest forecasts, and compared information, I think the wind will have dropped to no more than 2-3 occ 4 for Sunday. There might be some leftover lumpy stuff from Saturday, but that's typical ! As such, I cannot currently foresee major change to this, and the PBSBAC is therefore ON !!!! Register etc as per usual. Any change, to this, and I will let all know on here. Mike Safety Officer

You probably fouled your anchor on a previously lost anchor, that was tangled in an anchor snagged long ago, on.... Any divers in the club fancy a session on the end of the ledge? 5,000 anchors at

Terry, Sounds to me like a new head on the handle of the hammer too, but don't worry, it will still be the "same" hammer...... Mike

The probable weather conditions for most of Sunday's Bream competition are likely to be around: South to South-Easterly 4-5 (with a chance of occasional 6) Showers or prolonged periods of rain Visibility - Moderate, Poor in rain Sea State - Moderate, Moderate/Rough offshore. This "guesstimate" is based on the combined output of several websites. Apologies if this proves to be too conservative, and it is actually a nice day! However, if this combined forecast comes true, or ends up being a notch down, then I believe this will be borderline for the safety of some club boats, and too lumpy and uncomfortable for most boats to consider being out a few miles, and attendance will at best be very low. Also, as this is a bream comp, with most hotspots exposed, and no "harbour" option being really viable for bream, I think it best to postpone early, so that no-one feels obliged to fish, and all have plenty of time to make alternative arrangements, to suit themselves. Discussions with Martin have resulted in a delay of one week being recommended, and as a result, the PBSBAC bream competition will be run on Sunday 20th May - which just happens to be the same day as the Poole Dolphins bream competition. Mike Safety Officer

Hi Kaptin, Did you get a cable to link the S15 to both GPS and Navtex? I bought the S15 because of the Navtex capability at little extra cost. Mike

Thanks for the suggestions chaps. Now got the VHF bit working (Solent Coastguard confirmed on Channel 67), and the old slot enlarged as a temporary fix. Might have to cut my GPS cable - it looks like a moulded plug round it - and no way to free it. Now have the smallest chocolate block I could find in Maplins, but have run out of time today. Have a Sea Check to do tomorrow evening, then the rest of week away on business. Might not get another chance till after the Bream Comp. Anything else I should know? Mike

Has anyone ever installed their own DSC radio? I bought a new DSC Radio last week, following comments about clarity etc, and am struggling to install it properly. Ariel and power no problem - it's the missing bits from the manual about connecting it to the GPS! The radio is a Silva S15, and comes with a nice bit of cable, with 4 dangly wires, labelled: - Red GPS+ - Shield Wire (GPS GND) - White (EXP. SP -) - believed to be to an external speaker - Yellow (EXT SP +) - believed to be to an external speaker My fixed GPS is a Garmin 128 with 4 years of usage. It only has the one connector, which is a 7-pin plug, which according to the manual is as follows: - 1. Red. 10-40v volts - 2. Black. Ground - 3. Blue. NMEA Out (presumably to other devices) - 4. Brown. NMEA In (presumably from the GPS ariel) - 5. White. No connection - 6. Green. No connection - 7. Yellow. Alarm. In theory they should talk. The bit "missing" in the instructions is how to join the devices. The only way I can see, is to cut the Garmin 128 7-pin wire, and separate it into constituent parts into an electrical "chocolate block" - and join like for like to make sure that the GPS continues working. In theory - I should just join up the DSC bits to the right GPS bits, and it should all work! But which bit to which? Instinct suggests the following: DSC Red to GPS Blue; DSC Shield wire to GPS Black DSC White - leave disconnected for now DSC Yellow - leave disconnected for now Is my understanding of connections correct ? Is a "chocolate block" the best way to go ? Is this best hidden behind a bulkhead, or kept accessible (and vulnerable)? Finally, do I have to select the "right" NMEA protocol to use on both devices? Phew. Whoever said boating was easy? Mike

Hi Terry - thanks for the offer, but I had discounted this model from my short list. Mike

Will be watching the weather carefully regarding the PBSBAC Bream Comp on Sunday, from a safety perspective. I get my medium range synoptic charts from here: http://www.meteonet.nl/aktueel/brackall.htm and longer range combined temp/pressure charts from here: http://85.214.49.20/wz/pics/avnpanel1.gif This represents data sourced from the UK Met Office, sold on, re-packaged, then made available freely. The forecast and actual conditions may also differ, but I've found these sites good in the past. I already suspect that few club members will be able to venture to the recognised bream grounds, or want to fish for them in the likely bumpy conditions next weekend. However, there is a significant difference between being unsafe, and being uncomfortable. Rather than define a limit in advance what constitutes "safe" (for a well prepared, well-kitted out boat) a couple of miles out, I'm keen to understand what a small boat can practically fish in, and where the safety "margin" deteriorates unacceptably. Please put your suggestions onto this thread. Will discuss with Martin in advance, and a decision will be posted on the Forum the previous day - one way or another. Mike

The advantages from the effective use of better electronics is getting hard to resist. My fixed Garmin GPS gives lovely lat/longs but it takes time to pop them onto the chart etc. We saw a load of equipment at the last club meeting, as presented by Greenham Regis (thanks chaps!) which was very interesting, and has spurred me into making some comparisons. I can pick up a Lowrance 5150C with integral chart of English Channel etc for under

So - not a single fish officially recorded this month so far! In an attempt to get the ball rolling (and give George a crack at the fish of the month) we spent a day off Swanage fishing various marks. Was really optimistic about one - a hole of 90' deep. however, despite getting the wind and tide perfect for drifting...nothing! Whole squid failed. Heads too. Rag didn't even get a touch. Wonder what really was down there - rumour has it bull huss and conger. A charter boat appeared and anchored up tide....so he thinks something is there! Stopped me dropping the hook and finding out. Drifting failed to be blunt. We anchored in our usual ray mark, but had the usual doggies and small female bream - so we popped them all back and moved. Went to check out one of the marks shared at a recent club meeting - but another boat was sat on top. Tried drifting Ballard for bream - then the end of the ledge at Old Harry. Found features on the sounder - thought we were in with a chance...but snagged again and again. Nice to be out, but cold in the morning! Wonder if the last of the Easterlies made a difference! Roll on Summer. Mike, Carol and George

Hi Alan, I spoke with you briefly last night at the start of the meeting... Couple of general suggestions for tomorrow: - Poole Patches (1-2 miles East of Poole Entrance) - and park up with 20+ other boats for the bream! You might get wrasse and pollack too. - Back of Ballard Down...bream starting to show there too, especially the Swanage end. A few rays here sometimes too to bigger baits on the bottom. Squid is doing well (thin narrow strips) as is ragworm. Try on a no 4 hook, on or just above the bottom. Drifting will catch fish - anchoring might bring the fish to you. If nothing in an hour or so...consider moving! Best of luck with your PBs ! Look forward to hearing what you catch. Mike

Pearce Avenue, in lower Parkstone. Mike

I use fine wire up to about 3/0 (mainly size 4 and 2 for ragworm), and something a little sturdier above that. The ease of setting these on light spinning gear makes these most effective. I have bronzed hooks from 5/0 through to 7/0, and a few bigger ones of 10/0 should I ever need them - but must admit to having had little success in this size - even though doggies and rays seem to manage them. Have plans for bigger fish this year - but think the existing hook range is ok. Just need to find some special marks, and anchor in deeper water I suspect. Mike PS Went to the market in Wimborne on Sunday and ermmm invested a fiver on 3 mini-plugs of about 2" length. Roll on the lure-only comp!

Have you checked the magazine adverts for deals? Whenever we need anything we try to research what we want from recommendations, try to find one to look at, then use adverts and internet to find the best price - ideally with some comeback! Just a thought. Mike PS Am tempted too to get a fishfinder and a plotter - but am considering last years models and deals etc to keep the cost down.

Welcome to the club! If the Easterlies die down, you might like to try the Poole Patches, which have been producing a lot of black bream lately...and other species. Check the charts...but they're a mile or two East of Poole entrance, and usually with plenty of boats anchored on them (might need to "trip" your anchor). Best to use bottom gear, smallish hooks such as No 4 fine wire, and either squid or ragworm. As they are here to spawn, a lot of the members pop the smaller reddish female ones back, and keep the larger males - which have bluish markings. A couple for the table usually go down very well! If a bit breezy, you could try picking up a buoy in the harbour down towards Sandbanks near a deepish channel, and bottom fish ragworm, for bass and flatties. There's a bass ban in force North of the line from Brownsea Castle to Salterns Marina - and any caught "out of bounds" need to be returned. Oh - and have a browse on the Catch Reports on the forum too ! Mike