duncan

No no no ; they are waiting for me to launch..........

Adam, This may be a teach granny job but I had exactly the same symptoms and found that I hadn't located the bit under the lever mechanism correctly to release the spool completely when moved right down. The reels worked but not properly - eventually found my mistake on one reel and guess what, I had made the same on another. Just a thought.

Actually managed to get away with the fly rod in the case. Waited a couple of days until a suitable opportunity appeared and was casting a small shrimp fly to some rising shad on the lower reaches of a tidal river near Plettenberg (just along the coast from Port Elizabeth). Line went tight and off downsteam went this 'thing'! Significant interest from the only other people on the stretch of river, all suggesting names of fish that I hadnt heard before, but eventually it becomes clear it was a mullet and 20mins later I bought it to the beach. Beautiful condition fish estimated at 5lb - picture to follow when I get back. A whole day on the river in a little boat only got me sunburnt but what the hell. Looking forrward to gettign back to the bream.........it is 32 degrees and calm there too right?

right I'm packed (nearly) and off tonight so I will be back with a catch report in a few weeks time! Absolutely gutted that I won't be able to fish for my intended species - see BFM article this month - so I have packed the fly rod and salt water fly selection; although I have no idea what to expect at all! bye!!!!!!!!!!!!

Having made up a load of rigs specifically for bream fishing this year I have gone for a relatively simple one up one down approach creating a short dropper about 18inches above a small snap swivel attached to a loop in the line and then a 2ft/3ft run to the lower hook. Lead to snap swivel will be via a vweak link of some sort! Lower hook whilst still small is a stronger model than the top (red) one. Hoping these will fish OK with or without tide - although all my best bream trips have had the fish 'switching on' to the flooding tide!

I struggle with phrases like an inboard is more efficient than an outboard - generally the OB will transfer a greater % of the engines crakshaft HP to the propshaft than an outdrive and match, or better, it's ability to bring this efficiently into play in driving the boat. The shaft drive inboard configuration can, depending on gearbox, transfer an even greater % of crankshaft HP to the prop but looses all this advantage and more through the lack of drive trim. If however we are comparing engines.......... I absolutely agree re the intrusion of an engine box in a small cockpit - I reckon that Phaeton's right on the limit (at a boat of 25ft x 9ft) for usefullness to put things on v getting in the way but have noticed that some anglers bring bigger tackle boxes than some engine boxes!

nice low key link paul

you bring a lot of good issues out here but not all of the logic follows through! For example not all large reels are strong or good for 'cranking' and an all through action isn't necessarily forgiving........ What braid does do is get you asking these questions more often! So - Level wind does definitely make for smoother drops, but doesn't handle all braids well on casting. A soft tip (top section) works better with braid (except for pirking and plugging) than a firm action - pretty much all through the range of lines. At the lower end though this tends to become an all through action anyway. A strong reel and a good drag system work well with braid - if you can get these in a small reel then even better to match up with some of the lighter (strong) rods now available. Penn's 975LD is a really good example, together with some of the newer small/strong reels coming out, but the Shimano's being discussed and the Penn 25 / 225LD all score in this area.

You have got to pity the poor bream on this date. It would seem that Poole Dolphins have their comp then too - going to be busy that day!

Paul, All down to money really in the anchoring dept - agree with everything said re lengths and handling. Money no object I would be getting 100m / 12 mm octoplait spliced to 9m / 8mm chain to a 5kg delta anchor. Switching the anchor to a 5kg Claw/M/whitchever bruce copy will save the first fortune and substituting potting line for octoplait the second (but I really would do the first quickly and the second only after a long hard lok at the wallet). Mooring/towing/rafting up lines for your boat would normally consist of 2 x 5m and 1 x 15m. Use 12mm 3 strand nylon and put a soft loop in the end of each around 1ft long with an eye spice and make good the other end with either a small length of heatshink tube, a back splice or a nice whipping In most circumstances you will be able to use just the 15m length - loop to pontoon cleat behind boat to boat stern to ponton mid to boat bow then made off to pontoon fore having positioned boat next to a cleat.....of course it never works that way but thats theory. Same goes for rafting up to another boat. 15m should work for a tow but in tough conditions or where a long fast tow is envisaged you would attach the 2 5m lenghts by loops to the loop of the 15m and you have a perfect bridle for the towing boat without the need to tie a knot. Hope the painting goes well - got a lot done on Phaeton Saturday but the list seems never ending!

Chucking in my 2p Alex, and staying focused or 2 sets of gear to cover any downtiding (it can be done!) - Reels - TLD20 or Penn 225LD Rods - Fladded solid C 20-40 (if you can get them - see link on the top of this page)or here I can't wait to actually use one of these on the boat - played with the range in a bar and can only describe the 20 - 40 as a 6 - 60! Put some quality braid around the 30lb mark in the reels and you really could use the same gear for bream, bass, conger and rays as well as pollack and plaice...........

havent got to kemsing yet! Sourced one that is supposed to be the same fitting but they have loat it - too cheap to ignore but I am loosing option time. Plan is to go for Kemsing next week if it isn't sorted by then.

Jack, Easy to be wise after the event but you could have tied the anchor warp off to a fender (preferably marked with the boats name and you phone number) and logged the position on your plotter. I realise there's not a lot of charter / dive traffic around at this time of year but someone might have eventually got it back for you (or even you on your return). I had to do this 2 years ago and got it back over a neap slack - it's still got a bent shank from the ordeal. The area you were fishing as best I can work out is pretty weedy and rocky until you get a mile off the markers. Nice shingle bank about 2 miles off - had some good blondes off it but not good in a big tide!

glad something went right! you can start plotting your route to the fish later in the year.....

not yet! - becoming a farce but you never know!

at the risk of being at odds with comments to date most of the boat forums and mag tests put Mer at the bottom of the pile polish wise - and this from the guy who has a 5ltr pot of the stuff! Usual commnets are that it gives a good initial shine but doesn't last.

listed at 12lb 12 oz on the catch reports Paul - lot of fillets still swiming around out there!

with reference to the cod comp wouldn't it be better to list it as not fished than nil recorded - sounds like we all went out and blanked!

my money is on the purple wire being the safety. it is the circuit that prevents the engine being started in anything other than neutral based on a sender in the throttle/gear unit. depending on how it's wired cutting it will either (1) prevent the engine from being started at all or (2) enable it to be started in gear either way doesn't sound clever to me........... facinated as to why you would want to cut a wire when you don't know what it's for? of course I may be entirely wrong as usual - and look forward to hearing what it was

thks all - unfortunately I had already left before your posts (went via Birmingham for a couple of days!). Barry - found a spare bottle of kettle descaler in the van so thought I would try your tip early Sat (if it all cam eapart easy!) For once it did and after wedging the valve open and leaving it for 30 mins full of neat descaler it cleaned up nicely. Put back together and it seems to be holding pressure (certainly better than it was!!!). Will order up a new one given the price and ease of fitting anyway - now I know the model! Left me a fair few hours and with Dave's help we overhauled the drive and the changed the engine zincs. Still got a paint job on the drive and then a full antifoul hull and drive to do yet but I should be back in for the bream at least!

Jack, Unfortunately I won't have Phaeton back in the water for that trip otherwise I would have run across with you. Maybe next year!

yep - if you can keep it for me until May we can take out 6 members and try it.

thanks Barry but I don't have the 'window' for that sort of operation - overnight without heating or water doesn't sound appealing and the replacement should be under 10 squid. It's sourcing one for this Saturday as well because leaving the van gradually loosing pressure so that it will eventually cutout when it gets to 0 isn't clever either!

through all the discussion previously I don't think anyone highlighted the need to check all's clear before heaving the little sucker over the side...................reason you should it's a 1mb quicktime file for those on dial up.

Having got down to the van for the first time since the park reopened I find that the pressure release valve on the combi boiler is leaking at just about any pressure. Tried purging it a few times and various pressures but it's determined to drip drip away. Don't want to go poking around with it as it is a safety feature (although it's plumbing rather than gas!) so simply replacing it seems the best option - don't seem expensive compared to boat parts anyway! Worcester combi (don't know number so can't order from online spares this week) - anyone know a source of such spares in the Poole area that would be open Saturday am? Clearly until I resolve this I am unable to move onto less important things like serviceing the outdrive and antifouling ready for the bream! Thanks in advance