alun j.

Fingers crossed............it's looking good for next weekend !!! .......on Metcheck at least!............ let's hope it holds true and we get a good weekend. Does anyone know if Burnham Boats are coming down....for Part II ?? Alun.

...........but will you be in any fit state to 'compete'? ...........and has Rachel made any comment yet ??? Alun.

Will the Burnham Boys be joining us then as well ?? ........and some of us may have a 'thick head' ......with it being A & R's day on the Saturday !! .........but , at least, I'll be able to join in now ........... if the weather calms down by then! [ no sign of an end to this run of Atlantic depressions]. Have a good weekend, Alun.

With today's blowy weather we are all inside thinking about next weekend rather than getting on with chores! I can't make next week's date for the bream comp..... but when I glanced at Metcheck and Windguru, they are calling 20+ mph wind .........so I was wondering I might get to fish it after all , if it got moved !!! [ I know......selfish!!] Much more important to get nice weather the weekend after ........ for Adam and Rachel ....... and the end of May for Half - term week and the possibility of someone planning to go out mid - channel or beyond. Alun.

Do we have a reserve date for the Bream Comp if the wind continues to blow all week and on to Sunday, as forecasters are pointing ?? If it has to be moved, will the pairing with Burnham Boats join it as well? Alun.

Having watched the glorious weather all week .......out of the classroom windows, I'm hoping the forecast holds true for tomorrow.........with a calm day to take a novice out and catch a few bream. Today the wind seems much stronger than forecast, so hope it dies overnight. Does anyone know if the mackerel are starting to show inshore yet.....or not ? Looking more grim for the othe two days.....so Mon's plans look to be scuttled and attention will switch to the garden! Good luck to others also out tomorrow ........speak up on Ch. 6 ... , I'm only small at sea! Alun.

What a lovely day for it !! ...... HAPPY BIRTHDAY ....to you both Have a great day in the sun, if you can. Alun.

Way - to - go Paul !! Could be the start of a good long bass summer [ April - Nov.] ?? Alun.

Well done Paul and Duncan. Paul, do you think those middle 3 should go ? ......... last summer / last Dec. ? Perhaps there'll be some big bass pics. soon ? Alun.

What's with the gloves ?? ........... Sun protection ??; like those Aussie lads have to use? Alun.

Duncan, You are right; I wouldn't have spent the day congering if I'd known better! Our buddy boat was convinced we'd find rays.........but few at our end of the bay found them......the cogers en mass found all baits first ......'twill be different next time! Odd spot.......... motoring out a few miles ........and you're in only 3 - 4 feet of water......and it all looks the same.........3 feet or 30 ! Charlie, You are familiar with the area......but I was amazed at the turbidity; how does anything find food and what is it? I scooped up a small bucket of water off the surface; in 10 mins it had dropped a hefty sediment on the bottom but was still pretty murky. I was wondering if the plankton that starts the food chains is greatly reduced with the lack of light ........but the amount of plankton 'debris' on the line sort answers the question.......so, apparantly not! Alun.

Well done Adam, you and everyone else who went did well and got amongst the rays........except us !! Having gained a bit of experience from this, my first trip there, I won't be as confident of getting rays from such shallow water..... 12-16 ft. when we anchored up [ with a couple of ebbibng hours to go] quickly disappeared to less than 5 ft. [and this is about 2 miles out!] Our 'Buddy boat' put us on this mark , with confidence of a mixed catch. A steady stream of action followed ...but was from numerous congers...... in the 3 - 12 lb range.......and more congers and no change when we repositioned .......in three more spots!! At one point on the start of the flood, we were invited to join them on the edge ot the bank in 4 ft. !! Radio reports of plenty of skate were teasing us........ but we stayed with our host ........... and continued to catch congers [ bright sunshine, six - 10 feet of water, conger !!!........new to me!]. Fantastic organisation and camaraderie in Burnham Boats who made us welcome and looked after us in their tricky beach conditions. Sorry I can't be around in two weeks to reciprocate. Alun.

Yeh!! ........... Well done!!

Just dug out a pair of uptiders........ with Speedmasters loaded with braid. Gentle, thumb-controlled lobs gives no probs. casting........... braid helps bite detection and contact with the fish. How's the convoy tally going ?? Any others joining a warm, sunny outing ?? Alun.

The weather for Sunday looks better and better each day !! Don't forget the sunscreen!..... ....and a cooler for the bait [ and beers ] !! Looking forward to a good day, Alun.

Paul, You had me worried there for a mo........... as mine ends in nos. 607 !! ......but fortunately.......... it's tucked up alongside house! Alun.

....but not that big !! pictures CAN lie ! Paul, I'll put a catch report in. Alun.

Looking good .........if you can believe weather forecasts this far out ???? .......but gives a boost to enthusiasm!! Weather websites are giving LIGHT winds from East through to South..... nice offshore direction should give us a warm, calm day .........fingers crossed! Alun.

Fat to burst! She was stuffed, with about 6 good size fish and fish remains in the stomach [big sardine size] and some developing roe. ......and provided an excellent meal thanks to Adam's expert cooking skills. Alun.

.... on all counts! A leisurely start, that could have been more so........as there was no water in Christchurch Harbour an hour and a half after LW ! When we did get off the slip, the Run and Bar were fine with plenty of water for a tiddler like Gastronaught. Looking for a bream mark, there was already quite a flotilla out towards the end of the Ledge ........this spot has become sooooooooo popular. Not being a sheep, I was sure there are good bream in many other spots, so we dived right and went to one of my other fancied spots to fish a flooding tide on the Ledge. At anchor , the wind seemed much more benign, and had little effect over the tide pushing us nicely in towards the rougher ground. To groundbait or not groundbait ? ......that is the question!! First drop.....bites; mine's only a pout but Adam's into a 'steamer', that's stripping braid off his little reel with his 'bendy wand' have little impact; this can't be a bream! Down to the last few turns on the reel and the fish has stopped, on the bottom, some distance downtide. Boatfishing technique number *** required [ buoying off the anchor]; in fact we got away with all but.... by paying all the warp, we'd gone downtide an extra 60m, enough to get level with the fish, and Adam was back on scraping terms.... and a few mins. later netted a beaut. of a bass of 6lb 8oz........such a fat fish .......and what a good start! It took some time before any bream showed.........not in numbers, but good size. The action slowed as the wind increased and tide slowed.... so a change of scene. As we ventured out, the tide over the Ledge was a bit bumpy and big swirls of plankton coloured water going by made me reconsider the plan..... Back inshore, it was much nicer and the coat could come off! On one of my summer spots, the action soon got going again........ some nice bream amongst the doggies, pollack [small], wrasse, pout, gurnard.........and a monster cuttle for Adam....and a couple of brown crabs [that will be lunch today!]. I used up the groundbait ........but still not convinced of its efficacy ???? I suspect that if you are 'on the bream', you catch.........and not sure you can 'bring them to you' any better than having several baits in the water putting a scent into the tide. Thanks Adam for coming along........for the good company, gastronomic discussion, insightful comments about inexperienced folk with their new boats [messing up big-time!]....I thought they'd all come to watch us fishing until the Lifeboat turned up! ....and thanks for standing by when I messed up [i'd left the trailer clamp key at home and had to dash there and back]. Best laugh of the day......... for Adam, it must have been watching his cuttle squirt me with about a litre of inky water ! ....for me, watching a gang of novices trying to launch their new RIB forwards down the slip! Well stocked with fish for this week's menu, variations on a theme of fresh bream! Alun.

Anyone like to join me on Gastronaught for a session on Sat.?? Due to the Club 'do' in the evening and tide times [ LW 7.30 ], it won't be an early start { 8.30 - 9.00 }. Alun.

Duncan, If you plan anything in the half-term week [28th. May ->], then I'd be available to crew/ share costs. .........and [ hopefully] anytime from the end of July .......if retirement plans materialise!! Alun.

Bream ,aka 'porgies' in other parts , eat all sorts !!; catch them in summer through to autumn and they are full of weed [ not easy to digest for them] and it comes out much like it goes in. A few Kgs of rice - based 'food' will do nothing but good....... fattening them up for breeding, sport or this year's growth. Alun.

NO........other way round!! More mph than knots.........as a nautical mile is longer. Alun.

Yep! .......... but it could be either or both! I look to anchor in 11 or 12 m. of water [ or more!] Be sure and have plenty of warp.... 50m. min. The easiest start is to get west of the Ledge on a gently flooding tide. Drop the anchor as the deep water comes up shallower in front of the rough ground. The anchor will go into sand and / or clay; you can pay out warp and fish back onto the rough and be confident of few probs, retrieving............just watch out for lines of pot gear near the buoys; these will usualy run in line with the tide [ E - W]. Alun.