duncan

still hoping to run over Friday pm as it looks a little more reliable/comfortable. will look out for you toeraq - although I suspect you will be back in the bar before we get over! it's always an anxious time until we get a few mackerel on ice at the begining of a trip - last time we spent

Mark I may give you a call Friday before I set off to find out if the poontoon has been put back ........ oh what fun! Looking at the comments re mackerel - Do you sell bait?

I would expect to see that model change to reflect a slightly stronger NW through Monday pm. Settled high pressure through into the following week with a series of weak Dave and I have a checkpoint later today which will be green with a late Friday afternoon departure most likely. There is however a long way to go yet!

Neal As you say there are a lot of factors to turn a trip into a fuel cost - not least the price of fuel! (I haven't a clue what the current price is). However, The trip from Poole to Braye is going to be about 70nm through the water each way. Braye to the 2 main bank areas is about 12 miles, but they are about 8 miles apart.........so if work to an average of 30 miles plus drifts a day for 2 days that's another 60 + This gives a rough guide of 200 nm travelling plus drifts - the latter being a function of when and where and long/short strategy etc etc Travelling in good conditions with neutral tides I would expect to use around 300 litres on this trip Does this help?

Neal If you think Poole Patch is a carpark wait until you see the Schole! 1. our few weights will be nothing (I realise the flaws in this argument from an ecological perspective) 2. they won't disturb anything but gravel 3. the gravel is constantly on the move anyway

more weight onboard........oh dear. I only have a 56lb one and I really don't fancy either handling it or having aboard all weekend. Can I use the the anchor on a short rode?

I will be looking to do the same as I don't have one of these ice makers (that everyone else has!) and will call in on Greenslades.

looking good

sounds a great trip out there - bit worried about these monsters though; that's the second that's had a mention recently!

hmmm - clearly have the wrong crew currently..........need to reconsider

nothing like getting your excuses in early Mr Chairman................

Charlie - I just stop when I see a mackerel schoal They show up well on the sounder - as do the individual launce (!) on the banks.

As it's your boat you get to choose! Seriously though it depends on what you will be fishing for. Some will want to drift the wrecks for pollack and cod Then there's anchoring the wrecks for conger Drifting with bait for ling. All the above is a matter of personal taste as to what you use from dedicated gear for each to a long soft 30lb class for all three Then there is drifting the banks for flats or bass - you will be drifting between 15 and 150 ft of depth. Using my own boat I like to fish light and enjoy any fish I hook to the full. On a charter boat this is a little selfish as everyone else is waiting on you to land the thing so the boat can go round again.... To me it's feel, feel and feel both before and after hooking up. Also as you are holdin the rod all day lightness helps! In my case it's a St Croix med/stiff action 6-10lb class (about 1oz) with a 400s calcutta and 14lb braid. 3 oz weight. Overall any 12 - 15lb class rod with a light multiplyer and braid will do the trick. It's worth having a long rod to fish for the launce - uptider is perfect. use at least 8oz and preferably 12 on the feathers or you will get the whole lot tangled on the first fish! having said all the above PaulJ's tuna pole does the job pretty well too!!!!!!

hmmm - rips are a little East of your track Charlie........... We tend to just run over watching the sounder until I see a mackerel schoal - worked last time and it took little time for AWOL and Phaeton to have enough for the 3 days (although we got more as we fished). weather will play a part in many peoples plans, as will the inevitable unexpected - mangling a pair of duo props and knocking the skeg clean of the drive in the middle of the harbour cost me 1 1/2 hours last time we crossed........ until I know the wind I won't know which banks and from that which tide and therefore time etc etc etc Running straight over to fish the banks we usually start on the SW casquettes as heading straight past Alderney to the Schole always seems depressing and will require a little planning even on Saturday's tide for the Swinge - let alone Race! Passing West of the casquettes rock is much less tide dependent. Ortac to SE casquettes is reasonably OK unless wot. weather.....whether.....weather.....whether

oh - dear................. and this morning's version was sooooooooooooo much better. someone must have screwed up in some way because it's changed on all the output I looked at for Poole/Alderny/Guernsey Here's what it said this morning...(alderney) Fri 2 May 0:00 5:59 6

"no-one had told the shark about recycling humans....."

time for someone else - some great responses as is becoming the expectation - notable's - Alun J clearly doesn't realise the advantages of sitting indoors for a comfortable meal whilst holding your rod; rod holders? BobF - for being honest....... Dan - for accents and photoshop skills the winner however, in best 'topical' fashion is Adam for " Really? - you think we'll make Alderney next weekend??? " Over to you Adam - please add to this thread...

well given that that is a huge change from yesterday's metcheck predictions I guess it could change again............. on the other hand if we could lock in that foecast, including the 16 degrees and sunshine on Sunday in the fishing area, it would be worth a few bob. what's really encouraging is that we don't seem to be dodging any timebound threats at the moment time, as they say, will tell.

as mike says you need a decent diameter - but that's the least of your worries! the lack of any give in the braid means it will eventually jar out the grip lead - yes you can add a long leader but why bother; just use mono. on the other hand I can't see the point other than to position more baits around the boat. generally we don't have a whole load of suitable water for uptiding with most marks favouring a downtide and drop back style. some opportunity around the dolphin bank area but not much else. as for uptiding in Poole Harbour - well the idea was to fish outside the 'scare area' of your anchor rode and boat hull............in the harbour you are feet from a mooring/hull in most places so there's no real advantage over dropping a bait back in the tide - and a lot of disadvantages.

almost certainly will be Alan - as we all know it's just a matter of luck once you have put the boat in the right place, at the right time, and stuck the right bait on the right rig.......... in this case a strip of mackerel on the bottom whilst bobbing around amongst all the other boats!

this gets my vote for the most constructive thread on here for ages! fwiw I have the coleman and it's as good as it advertises. I put a couple of shovel fulls of crushed ice in the box (with the beer and wine on the way over) swap beer for bait as the trip develops and, if fortunate enough to catch something for the table, the exchange is complete. For ice you have to be very nice to Greenslades (and it helps to offer a few quid or buy some produce) ............... I have a freezer aboard Phaeton but, at 36ltr, it's not big enough for fish unless filleted down etc and I don't have enough juice (batteries) to keep it bellow -10 overnight without the engine running. Freezer box full of crushed ice is the best way. Keep the melt water drained off as well. If you can't do this then seawater cooled with big ice blocks is the next best thing

well usually there's a bottle of champagne on arrival at Braye for your first channel crossing - but I guess that doesn't apply to fishing boats or those on other peoples boats................ as Adam - fingers crossed for 1. weather window 2. the spring bloom currently being experienced in the CIs clears 3. Phaeton starts when I turn the key.........it's been a long time!

your idea of fun clearly differs from mine Tom however I think we both agree that there is a world of difference between what you plan to set out in and what you occassionally decide to 'suffer' - as in the trip over a couple of years ago.

well - whilst it's a long way off still the weather seems to be moving in our favour a bit! 48 hours ago was giving NE3-4 pretty much all the way through the weekend into the following week which would have given sleepness nights and hairy dingy trips in Braye plus a return that, even timed to the ebb, would not have been 'nice'. In fact my thoughts watching this thread were decidedly on the 'unlikely' ... now Metcheck is suggesting the Sunday/Monday/early Tue will be stable with light W or SW meaning an early or late run back for wind with tide. heading over it's showing a relative light S - so the only good news there is that what you see about 4 miles past Anvil is the worst you will get. Certainly do-able relative to the previous situation but a bit changable right now. As ever we will watch and wait as the weather gods play with our plans and minds!

hmmmm try this for size