alun j.

Well done Adam ............... you certainly have the measure of this type of fishing. Perhaps I could tag along one time and pick up a few tips. If live mackerel are hard to find , and trout expensive and less available, perhaps you could have a go with live smelt......... I'm told there are plenty to net up around Mudeford Quay ........ and providing sizeable bags of bass to 8 lb. !! ???? James ....... don't give up yet! The relatively warm water stays a couple more months. I got my pb bass on the Ledge two years ago , near the end of Nov. using squid [ 14 lb. 4 oz. ]. Alun.

Adam. ............ brilliant article, ; thanks for posting........... may influence future choice of boat ........ big enough for a string of pots,,,,,, ......... problem is...... where to drop them as the Ledge area is so busy........ but sounds fun............. and we both loooooooove the shellfish so much Alun.

Could I join Adam as next in a line of members keen to try some of the crayfish 'pests' ....... for use in the kitchen ?? Perhaps we could cook some up and bring them to the club meetings . Rich........ when I visited Two Lakes with Soton Uni. in the 80's, they were looking at farming the crays ....... perhaps they escaped from there ?? Adam........ have you tried the crayfish with dill [ flowers...... rather than leaves], the Scandanavian way...... on the radio recently ?? Alun.

Come down to Mudeford instead........... esp. now the summer crowds have gone. A. J.

Are the rsults of last Sunday's comp going to be posted? Shame the plaice we got were after the comp. closed for us. Also....... shame the timings don't allow for a sole session to be included!! Alun.

Hi Terry, I think the 7000 BG NLD is well matched with that rod .............. and has plenty in the gears and long handle to cope with big weights.......... as I found with the rays last w.end ........... just up the line strength a bit !! Alun.

Your 10 -20 Solid C rods are dainty wands, that bend through to the handle. Most reels seem too heavy; I team mine up with 5000 or 6000 size Abu s. Rather than writing loads......... you are welcome to come and try a few and talk through pros / cons. ........... if you are in the Christchurch area. Alun.

Martin, I agree in general.......... but it wasn't 'grinding pads' ..... line parted at swivel knot. Too much welly........ with impatience......break at weakest point.......... where expected as I was using 20 lb braid. When I upped the trace later......... and got hooked up in the bottom........ it was the braid that broke then. The solution would have been the buoyed-off anchor....... as we quickly concurred on !! Alun.

Day out on Maverick with Martin [ what an impressive skipper]! Not only does he take you his best marks [ very quickly] but then lets you catch most of the fish !! After pulling up a few mackerel for bait.........bumped out to the SW.Banks in a fresher than expected N. to NE. breeze [ 3 increasing to 4 and later 5 ??] Arriving at slack water , I hooked into a fish first drop, using light tackle. A 10 - 15 minute tussle heaved up a pb. Blonde, that just squeezed into Martin's net. The acrobatic ballet of digital weighing at sea followed [ with me trying to hold his arms still]........... Taking that minimum 'steady weight' principle........ Martin called it at 24 1/4 lb. before we slipped it back. As tide started to flow , Martin responded with dogfish, as I upped the weight of lead on the trace......... but all was quiet apart from unhit bites. My turn next just before a move was called for......... and I was in to a ' beast' that I could hardly budge in that tide. Lack of experience caused me to 'up the welly' as my arm was tiring; instead of asking to buoy - off the anchor, and pull it up on the drift ................. I pulled harder ...... until the inevitable...... and line parted !!! ****** A good fish I'm sure.......... and I was well impressed with the muscle in my solid C rods. Following moves inshore and out of tide and wind were fruitless and comp. time elapsed. We finished off drifting the Swash........... I was not expecting.........on the basis of past experience........... but Martin did it again !! ......... some fine feisty plaice for supper tomorrow! and a gurnard Thanks again Martin ........... I enjoyed my day on your super boat and your relaxed good company........... esp. with another pb. to add. Alun.

Bob, About half a mile or less out when you are about in the middle of the bit between the lookout and the groyne. Depth varies between 13 and 15 m. according to tide........ which puts it between 11 and 12 on chart datum. Whatever the charts say ............... if you are a mile or more out on that line, you'll be in 16 - 18 m. ; as you travel in it shallows up to about 12 then briefly goes deeper again. There are often lots of pots and ropes down there to get tangled in ............. and I have lost one anchor there. Hope this helps. Alun.

I've got that old book too !!! .......... it got me started when I came to the area in the mid-70s. 'Pout hole' is part of the drop-off from the Ledge; here it is steep and quickly goes down to 14 or 15 m...[ deeper here than a bit further out ........hence the 'Hole']......... rough one end........ muddy sand as you go towards the look-out. Great area for lots of species bream, bass, triggers and occasional cod; this tear I've had little there but masses of tiddly bream and mackerel Alun.

Hi Martin, Have sent you a pm. Alun.

Hi Terry, Great rods......... I've got three [ different sizes]....... but try and get a better deal. First two I got for

First day back at work .........too much to think about; needed a good start to the weekend.......... so the propect of a calm evening was most welcome. Not only was it calm, but warm and sunny and Paul F. [sinbad] was able to join me in pursuit of that record sole.......... [ but not last night] A few 'senior moments' delayed start when I realised I'd forgotten the lights and had to shoot home to retrieve them......DOH !!......... but this gave Paul 20 mins to tackle up and watch a bit more water start to fill the harbour. Lovely smooth trip east of Christchurch.......... looking for 'groovy' ground at 3.5 to 4 m. Another two boats in a bit closer didn't seem to get any !! ....... but we had a steady stream of fish; plenty of 'pesky' little bream, but not the huge numbers of recent weeks, a few small spotted rays, smoothies and 8 sole ....... mostly just under a pound each; best only went 1 lb. 3 oz , so no challenge to the record this time. After the fantastic sunset, the next light show was the phosphorescence in the water .......... just swirl your hand in that warm calm water and watch .......; pulling up the warp and everything flashes; drop it in the well and it glows, clap your hands and they flash green ! ......... all caused by tiny dinoflagellates [ part of the plant plankton ........ algae ] present in large numbers and most active in calm spells, during dark nights after sunny days [ particularly when day and night are both close to 12 hours] ........ just like we've just had !! Thanks Paul for the company, the beers and the excellent tea making ........ do it again soon??? Alun.

I'm with Craftinsure........... everything done online.......... same premium as when I started , three years ago. Alun.

I use Poole rag; big, lively, juicy ........ and lots of them. Don't believe tales of having to use small baits on little hooks........ these sole are voracious at this time of year........ and wolf down big baits , easily. I fish two size 1 or 1/0 hooks, Pennel style, and Mr. sole has often swallowed both !! Adam is right about time for sole to find bait ......... probably , they don't move far or fast.......... sniffing out the bait, they sit on it and munch it down, sometimes not giving a bite. Any other fish about often get there first......... so small bream are a real sole - killer. Neap tides seam to make the bream buzz off; I hope they don't come back as the tides build again later this week .......... or you can easily get through all those worms and get little to take home [ save the odd bigger bream ]. Alun

Look out James.......... I'm after your sole record! Like Adam, I was a little apprehensive with the winds forecast to be stronger than they turned out...........so was surprised early Sat morning to find almost none as I set off to get worms for a night fish [ and wished those boats out a good day with the better conditions]. Alarmed by the lack of tide...... the water hardly went out......I had to struggle in the stones at the top of the shore...... but still got some good rag. Launched from Mudeford [ in the crowds] just before 7.....planning to fish the ebb at Barton......... but there wasn't one...........or it was so weak that the light southwesterly just held us against it; put in some groundbait and it just stayed put! Fished with fish on one rod, worm on the other....... and not a bite....three hours and not a nibble [ seriously thinking I might blank ] ; decided on a move........away from usual area........ used the sounder to find a more interesting bottom contour a bit further west. [ NB. any regulars to that area....... do you notice how the bottom varies with the tide ?? On neaps , those 'grooves' at Barton are much less pronounced.] Found a spot with a goodish slope [ 3.5 m down to 4 m.] .......... and still nothing until the tide changed [ about 11]........ then bites !!........ a steady stream of soles, punctuated with a few bass [small], smoothies [ v. small], eel [annoyingly slimey!] and little spider crabs. Ran out of worms at 1.30.......... but total of twelve soles wasn't bad !! Best fish........ ! lb. 10 oz. to tie with James's ......... but there are others there to match my 3 lber. last autumn. Will try again later this week [ wind permitting]! Tight lines, Alun.

OK......... I'm cetting the hang of this now ........ just takes longer than I thought

try again.........

I lost my anchor once, a few years ago............. but didn't want to go in; so I beach the boat on Mudeford Sandbank, found a good sized flat rock and tied it to some spare rope and added to remains of anchor warp,,,,,,,, and it did the trick in lightish tide............. and jetisoned it at the end! Necessity being the mother of invention! Alun.

Oh....... to have the room! Envious again of BW. Will make plans soon............. when is the Soton Boat Show?? Alun.

Adam, What a well-kitted boat you have. I noted with curiosity the 'cooker, gas and cooking equipment'! When do you get time to cook on board?? My expeience says it's usually too bumpy to do anything with hot liquids and naked flames . Usually fishing is so busy....... there's hardly time for a tea/ coffee before something needs seeing to......... and ........ when you do open the sandwiches....... that's the time you'll get the big bite that makes you drop it on the deck![ or gets it knocked over!]. Just envious of BW. Alun.

......... trying to fit in fishing .......between diy jobs , shopping, gardening and social commitments etc. ........meant....... fri afternoon........bait dig for worms + cockle gathering ...... sat. early morning trip to Ledge ......... masses of mackerel but very few small ones and no joeys.......... but impoved my method of keeping a few alive in big bucket. So many mackerel about nothing else got to to mackerel strip baits......... hitting them going down.......or up! BUT........ not a bite on livebaits. Moved a bit to where I was getting triggers last year........but none yet this year [anyone else had any?].......... and picked up a 4 lb. bass on the light, fish strip tackle............ still no takes on the whole mackerel.......back in and home for 11 with plenty of bait for the winter!....... and dinner menu sorted. sun......... a family day out in the sun.........walking the Purbecks........ saw boats bashing into that fresh westerly and big tide........ hoping it would calm down for the evening. Still fresh at 7.30 had me in two minds over sole fishing plans........ but westerly and veering a bit decided to give it a go. Leaving Mudeford at 8..ish needed some throttle to get out through the Run as big tide was charging in! A fast and wobbly rollercoaster ride to Barton with the tide and wind got me there just as the lght was going. Anchored inwater that went fom 3 to 4 metres with swell and quickly found the area is stuffed with fish......... mostly small bream and bass. If the sole were there , they didn't get a chance........ every worm was grabbed in seconds........... by either bass , bream , smoothies , one solitay pout [ which promptly coughed up tiny, little sole] and, closest to a flatfish........ one small eyed ray. Coolbox catch return ......... one sizeable bass; five medium bream. Highlights.......... spectacular moonrise........big orange ball over Hurst, just as sea calmed down;......... phosphorescence in the water [if only they could put that in washing-up liquid!; that would get kids to do the dishes!] ....... and fishing with really lght tackle........screaming reels in the dark. Tight lines, Alun.

Oops!......... try again

24 lb. 'spring' or chinook salmon.