Swainiac

At least you can se where you are going whilst poking said tongue out, now mike.....one benefit I guees!! Glad all is well matey, speedy yet quiet recovery!! Rich

Duncan, where on Sand Key will you be staying?? Its a meagre two minute jaunt on the "Jolley Trolley" from where I usually reside. Should you need a guide whilst there, I will give my pal a shout........he needs little persuasion to get out! Rich

Mike, you are truly off your trolley!! Seasons greetings chap, to you and your family. Rich

Dan...thats rare coming from the Big Gay Bear!!! Tom, there is nothing better than actually practicing your back cast, have you gear?? If not borrow some and get out there, with a watchfull eye behind you. The watchfull eye is there for two reasons really, to keep an eye out for the BGB, and pass constructive criticism on your style Rich

Hi Simon, welcome back. As you say, Florida sure is a great place, and everything seems to revolve around the water in some way. i find it amazing the way they charge for stuff out there, from rental homes, hire cars, or even boats. Really cheap, and with the current exchange rate, very reasonble indeed. (Whenever the rate gets to around $1.85 to the pound, I'm down in Marks and Spencers getting my $ Travellers Cheques!) I think that it would be hard to beat pound for pound, both fish weight wise, and enny wise, regarding a holliday abroad. And the 8 bed condos are a real possibilty, for groups too! Rich

Bob, just had a call back from SCH Bearings in Romsey, your two bearings, 4T-L44610 which should have a code on the cone reading 44643?? and 4T-LM7010 which should have a code on the cone reading 67048??, come in at

Unfortunately, I have to bruddy work today, but will be down to make the weigh in. Tight lines to all who fish. Addition to Hamper noted, thanks trev. Rich

Charlie, your previous posting states that there will be no change of course re. the derogation, but that it is a matter of time before it becomes Law. i guess that means that basically, we are stuffed from the outset...........unless we bale out of the EEC, something that this Govt doesnt want to do. Perhaps direct action by boaters of Reds and white petrol powered vessels may have some bearing on how the Govt actually views how the voting public actually feel about this. Its a shame that every household doesnt have a boat to run, then perhaps a blockade of millions of craft in all harbours and waterways across the country would have an effect, just like the go slow on our motorways and major trunk roads did back in the late 90's and 2000. If we continue to pay up, they will continue to increase. Rich

I cant remember us ever having cheap petrol for boats Mike, but red has been around for yonks. I used to pay 17p per gallon for my tractor........look how things have changed!! Despite not running a diesel, I have signed up. They'll be taxing our dreams next for goodness sakes!! Rich

I still can't confirm I'll be out.....................still trying to blag the day off work. Roll on the New Year, with the start of my new job, three months paid leave a year to fish!! Rich

Trev..........................Trout!!

Thats me out then Gord!!!

Martin, you have a PM. I didnt post it, maybe copywrited etc.....also best not to I thought. Rich

Martin, its on the bass website under supporting catch and release. Although I have joined Bass, I havent got the paperwork/emails through yet, so I cant access thir forum either!! Rich

Jack..........................what a fine moustach!

Hiya Charlie, no, not at all, although on the BASS site front page, they advertised the club open, and the fact that Bass were sponsoring a Catch and release prize. Underneath that, there is a comments heading. After the club open, I posted a quick comment on this site, and a quick witted annonymous person posted a snide comment, regarding the fact that we were, as a club, advocating catch and release of bass. The assumption by them, was that we have only just started this, which couldnt be farther wrong, as my angle on the PBSBAC is for conservation, first and foremost, with safety at sea etc coming a very very close second. The person who penned this comment obvioulsy doesnt know the faintest about the club. I think the Bass chairman penned an appropriate response though. Rich

I jumped onnto the BASS site last night, to see if other anglers who fished our Open had posted comments on the link provided by BASS. It was shame that fewer of us posted comments, and indeed to see a negative comment from an anonymous angler. This angler asked where we had been and that other clubs have been doing this for years! Shame that angler hasnt been following our own website, and noted the huge number of Bass caught and released, not just by a few individuals, but the whole club in general. Perhaps that angler may like to vollunteer to help out this winter with reading the scales we have collected for the data to be given to the Prime Ministers working group on Bass, or indeed even take time to get scale samples and pass them on to other agencies to help in this vital project. True and accurate data is required to farther this study, which we can all help with, and negative comments such as his/hers really do not provide constructive criticism. Guys, please take a little time to visit the BASS site, and say a word or two to give these guys feedback. It is important. Cheers, Rich

mmmmmmmm.......Bobbing Bobcat!!! I can see Dommy is a busy boy at work!

Martin, good luck with the survey. I too, will be sad to see Maverick go, as she was the first club boat I crewed on. Three years on, and how things have changed!! Part ownership as well!! Rich

Adam, what is stopping you registering as a commercial?? I'm sure it cant be that difficult to get a ticket, after doing all the cert's you already have, there are only a few left to get. That is what Skegsy has done, and he runs a boat similar in size to what you are looking at. Then simply run a few trips a month with paying guests, or indeed declare "shared fuel costs" with other club members, hey presto, tax free red again. Mooring costs, engine maintenance, boat maintenance, even fishing tackle then become tax deductatble!!Surely it cant be that simple, or everyone would be doing it?? But then there is always moe than one way to skin the chancellor........I mean a cat!! Rich

I think Gordon has hit the nail on the head, fuel costs are only going to go one way in general, and thats upwards. Perhaps the new generation of 2 stroke will prevail, maybe the ecconomic four strokes, but mile for mile, deisels are better I guess. One way around this, would be a friendship with a local farmer I guess, who gets VAT back on his red, after all, if they dip test your boat at sea, the dye will remain in tanks for years, and what are the chances of getting dipped?? Our travelling fraternity have been running on red for decades!!! Rich

Martin, I too, have been experiencing probs resizing and reloading pics.......I did away with my Bass avatar, and haven't been able to reload a pic to replace it.....not that I have a better specimen to replace it, but was getting borted with that one!! well done on the winter cod guys, shows they are about now. Rich

Paul, time of year has a huge impact on how the Bass fights. I have found that early and mid season fish fight far harder than late season ones, and the mid range fish fight harder than the largest. Perhaps just my thoughts, but it would be interesting to see how others views pan. Rich

Dan, Tom, go onto the CEFAS website and download the reports on Bass studies, and read them at your leisure. In essence, yes the bigguns are still spawners. The thing is, the bigger the female, the larger quantity of eggs she is able to lay, however, she may actually be past her prime fertility wise, and only a certain percentage of her eggs will hatch and thrive. A fish of say, 50cm, which should have spawned a couple of times already, is just getting into its prime, egg weight to body weight wise, and this younger more virile fish should be producing better offspring, than a fading female of say 15lbs, which will probably be over twenty to twenty five years old. So, if we are taking a few fish in the three to five year class, which may have achieved six pounds in weight, we are in fact removing an important fish, especially if it is a female, from the demogarphic pyramid. At the end of the day, and this is my personal view, I feel that if I catch a bass and want to take that fish for the table, I can do so with a clear conscience, as I return far far more bass than those killed for the table. It is perhaps, the commecial sector whose actions may have detromental effect upon the local Bass populations in specific areas. When you drift an area, such as Portland Race, using many different baits and methods, and feel the number of hits, takes, and ultimately fish in the net, it shows you how many Bass there actually are in that specific feeding area. However, when a smaller hotspot is found, and then fished continually, it is easy to remove all the prime breeding fish in a few sessions, with catastrophic efffects upon the immediate population. Also, to bang a 12lber on the head..................you first have to catch her!!! Rich

Dan, I spoke with the guys after the presentation, and the general consensus of opinion was that bass dont do too well in livewells on small boats. One suggestion to combat culling any fish in such a comp, was to issue a tab at the sign in to be included in a photograh of the fish, but also use a tape measure to show the length of the fish, in photos. Just a thought. Rich