alun j.

An opportunity to join Neal and John on Court Jester was jumped at [ esp. as the forecast had a fresh S. in the call........and I'd bumped about enough on Weds!] As it turned out, it was a gorgeous day with light winds and warm Spring sunshine. A shame the fishing didn't match the weather; despite a focused effort, we couldn't find the bream in a well-known area west of Poole, we couldn't find the plaice near the Swash nor in the Harbour. We did find a few mackeral .... so perhaps things are starting to warm up a bit. As Neal said, it was a practice run for next weekend......it would be great if the weather turns out as good ....... but I'll be hoping for some much better sport! Great boat Neal........ handled with skill , comfort and SAFETY in mind; thanks for the trip. Alun.

Good to see a report from the [presumed lost!! ??] fishcatcher James. Well done on squeaking a couple out ...... seems to match my experience so far this Spring ........ of just one or two bream per session ! All change soon ....... we hope ?? ......... now it's getting a bit less cold. Have a good weekend everyone, Alun.

Weather ???????? .........and this morning it's back to looking more pleasant again ! They must put it to bed with a pleasant outlook...........then make it look nasty when they wake up with a thick head! I'll stop looking until the middle of next week [ I wish!] .... and stop my hopes going up and down ! Charlie.... it must be worse for skippers' planning ?? Alun.

That's a great streamlined tank for keeping the beers cool

Kayak fishing wasn't supposed to get this exciting !

Even by this afternoon..........it's COMPLETELY DIFFERENT !!

It's tooooooooo windy today, even for me! My flowerpots were getting airborne whilst I was doing some planting out on the alloment ........ another 'Old Gits' hobby !..... but fresh asparagus for supper tonight! Alun.

No Obvious break in the weather in the foreseeable !!!! Mudeford is OK for your boat as long as you're careful with the ebbing tide; this is when the water running out into any bumpy water will kick up the waves!! If ebbing, get in \ out by about 2 hrs 30 mins before LW.; you can cut it finer if you are on Neap tides and \ or air pressure is Low . Beware of Spring tides and High pressure...... the water runs away very quickly mid-tide. If flooding ...... things are much easier. Take care at the seaward end of the buoyed channel......it's shallowest near that last yellow buoy.......go East of it ,if the water is low. Hope this helps; it's amazing how many seemingly big boats get in and out! Alun.

Can you believe it ??? Will it hold ??? [ Everything crossed !!] Look at Metcheck for the weekend we are thinking about... Light Northerlies ........ to speed us across....... then little or no wind ALL WEEKEND Almost bound to change ...... by tomorrow ?? !! Alun.

Quite a variety of forecasts for today........but it turned out windy than any called! ......but it was odd the way it came and went ...... and came back ... stronger!! Initially calm....... a few hours on the Ledge was breamless.. pout, dogs and bullies and the sun was nice!! |But then the wind freshened and it got lumpy [when the tide changed].....so we moved ...... a splishy \ splashy trip back inshore ... to a favoured spot for ebb fishing .....and a couple of lively hours of action followed...... ...... first was the squid grabbing the bait [several!] .... some were small, but a few were BBQ size!!, ..... all evaded the net !! ....... then pollack action up to about 4 lbs ...... and much to the pleasure of crew, some bream action ......just two .....but Terry's first of the year...and sorted his menu for upcoming dinner party! Lesson from the day....... don't be 'sheep' and follow others to the 'bream mark' ; go where others aren't.....that have interesting features. Alun.

Sorry Charlie............just twigged......re 'pint'......... next Thurs is May 1st.......so there's a club meeting............see you there .........as early as I can make it. Alun.

That's right Trev., ...that's why I put the frozen bottles into seawater poured into the box ........that then gets freezing cold ......and keeps the fish just right!!

Are you sure ??? THe temperature is the temp of the freezer !! approx. -18 C Seawater will just have a lower freezing point; its specific heat capacity is little different to fresh water ......... that's the energy it takes to warm\ or energy that comes out as you cool 1 cm3 by 1 C.... approx 1 Calorie or 4.2 Kjoule per litre per degree C. Then there's more energy needed to change state [ melting\freezing] ... Latent heat. Summary.......fresh water is easier and doesn't make much difference to temperatures. Alun.

Thanks Adam for sorting the accommo. and contacts. I'll meet up with others for a jar..........just say where\ when. Alun.

Mark ........Icy tek probably best \ most robust .........Igloo cheaper and good compromise. Look on eBay ...... get the biggest you have room for [ will double as bait table] to keep fish straighter ........until you get a really big bass !!! Don't bother with ice \ ice packs ........ freeze water in plastic milk bottles; keep fish in seawater chilled with a couple of these bottles; you'll hardly be able to pick them up at the end of the day ! Alun.

Mark ......... that

Don't we just squeeze into the PBSBAC 30 foot limit ?? ....... where do the rod holders go ? AJ.

Hi Mark, There'll probably a few of us looking for B&B if the weather allows to get over for that weekend; myself and Paul Dore for a start ....I think! Fingers crossed, Alun.

Simon........I've got no influence on the weather......or we wouldn't be having this awful, cold , windy Spring would we ?? We'll just have to wait and see about Burnham........last year it got moved about 3 times [ from mid-March and ended up late April ] Next time you're in Florida, I can see you getting some Tarpon 'seeds' ! We've got Barramundi being farmed in the New Forest; I wonder how long it will take for some of them to 'escape'? [ like mink, coypu, grey squirrel, signal crayfish, fathead minnow et al.] Alun.

...well just go fishing on others' boats and\or keep busy!!...time flies and no sooner than you think stuff happens!!

So .....I might be able to come after all !!..[not wishing anything on anybody]., .......just want to go fishing!!

That's a bonus....I thought you'd have to use the NFDC one.........room for your trailer as well ?? Good luck for the season.....we'll compare results at the end of the year? Alun.

Paul, How does the BFM entry work?? Is it just connected with the 4 comps. marked ++.....++ on the calendar? Alun.

Paul, They are on the site.......... .......in the calendar .......on the Home page, top right........Comp. details. Bream Comp.......May 18........ will you get a pass so we can both attempt to retain our trophys ?? Alun.

Dan, Can I ask how much for the Keyhaven ticket?? Does that include car parking or can you get another season ticket for there ? I've just got my Mudeford pass {