petesnr

Might take a couple of days off myself next week. Petesnr

Thanks again guys. I survived the walk on Swanage beach in a deluge with the wife and canine friends. Went to a pub called The Silent Woman (lead me to her!!) and dried out in front of the log fire with a nice steak and a couple of Guinesses. Not a bad birthday considering the weather. Incidentally my present was a competition bodyboard so I'm waiting for the council to get this surf reef sorted or I may have to move to Cornwall! Petesnr

There are all sorts of technical measures that can affect size and species caught. Trawl speed is one thing--cameras show that if the net is towed more slowly then many cod just swim out of the net. Square rather than diamond shaped mesh allows the mesh to stay open so that more small fish escape. It was interesting on the first programme that the inshore netter said that they had used large meshed nets for years to fish cod in a sustainable way but once the quota is gone they now revert to smaller mesh for other species and end up catching more cod that have to be discarded! The question of enforcement of no discards is a thorny one but in general if regulations are in place then a good proportion of operators will abide by the rules. there will always be some who break the rules but a few high profile prosecutions could help. The question of profitability comes back to stock levels. If we have reached the stage where you need to have a boat costing millions of pounds and you have to travel 90 miles offshore to catch adequate fish--isnt this an indication that the stock is overfished? If stocks were good then fish like cod would be everywhere and the need for expensive giant fish destroyers wouldnt be there. If all fisherman had to bring back all of their catch then they would adapt their methods to try to catch the most profitable species but markets for less well known species would also open up. Petesnr

According to my emails Angling Trust is totally backing Hugh FW. Hugh provides the celebrity angle as well as the perfect media coverage for what we all know is a just and sensible cause. AT on its own could not hope to get the viewing figures of HFW. Incidentally a lot of the commercial boys interviewed were in favour of everything landed but a limit on days at sea. Could also be an idea to have a total tonnage quota rather than a species tonnage quota with discards being severely punished--would need some policing. Petesnr

Thanks Dave. 39 again for the 17th time! Petesnr

Done. Hugh is at least giving it a go. PeteSnr

I thought that there were three programmes, Tues Weds and Thurs but dont have listings in front of me. Good luck to HFW we need some kind of high profile publicity. PeteSnr

Completely agree with you Neal. No sense in risking your life and boat to catch a fish in those conditions--there's always another day. Petesnr

Super fish. The wait for a trip was well worth it. Petesnr

Peace joy and goodwill to all men --employed or not!

It's the mistake that a lot of people have made simply comparing the government finances to a business and it is the argument that underpins the governments philosophy on cuts. If we all earned enough we could pay for services that we require such as health as and when we need them. Unfortunately macro-economic models used by governments rely on a lowpaid workforce to generate maximum profits and a percentage of people unemployed to create the incentive to work. The welfare state provides services through taxation and there is no doubt that services and benefits provided have hugely outstripped the tax revenues. The coalition not only want to reduce the deficit but also get to a system where central and local government do less and people select and pay for services provided more and more by private concerns--this is basic Conservative dogma. They could choose to raise revenues by increasing taxation not on hard pressed small business entrepreneurs but on banks and large conglomerates. They are not willing to do this as many ministers have connections to banks and businesses. So what do they do? They target services and benefits and who suffers? Not the millionaires club from Eton but you and I the ordinary people who actually benefit from public services, tax credits etc. To have swept the country along with the idea that we are all in this together is deceit on a massive scale. There is no doubt that there are serious flaws in the way that the benefits system is run but our economy and the wellbeing of society depend on the driving forces of cheap labour and some unemployment. A benefit safety net is essential to protect the genuine unemployed and the vulnerable. Full employment is not an option as it would fuel inflation. There is no simple answer but governments do not have to balance the books overnight--certainly not before they have created a situation where job opportunites are available to those laid off from public services. I know that the high profile cases of excessive benefits to certain families make the headlines but for the vast majority of claimants it is a struggle to get by, maintain dignity in the face of media hype and adapt to the meagre job opportunities and pay on offer in this area.

Couldn't agree more as long as it allows people to have a decent standard of living and not be looked down on for doing community type tasks. Trouble is that the coalition has just axed funding for services so is unlikely to finance the infrastructure necessary to get people working on this type of basis. There's a dilemma here isn't there? Do you spend money on benefits or on public job creation? The coalition is cutting both options very suddenly so I can foresee that the situation will only get worse in the short and medium term. The private sector are not filling the gap in jobs for a variety of reasons including the lack of lending by banks, natural caution in a recession and most importantly this is just a dream of politicians that this can happen overnight. The victims in this will be those who are willing to work, claiming benefits which they are entitled to and have financed through paying tax in the past and then finding there are a lack of proper jobs (i.e. fulltime, decently paid opportunites). If you take the opposition to benefits too far you end up with an underclass who are forced to beg borrow or steal just to survive and the rest of us will be looking over our shoulders all the time--a situation I personally do not relish. PeteSnr

Highlights for me include the day off Ballard when the dolphins played around and under the boat all day, catching numbers of plaice in the harbour, and seeing the look on Biggcols face when a conger turned into a 22lb cod!--the big man turned into a gibbering wreck! Happy Christmas to all. PeteSnr

i am certainly not supporting those who make a deliberate decision to live off benefits but the reality is that the media hype has made this out to be the case for the majority who are on benefits which in my experience is not the case. In the case of those struggling to work and pay rent etc. it might be worth them enquiring if they are entitled to any help from housing benefit, that they check with HMRC that they receive all Child Tax and Working Tax credits--these have to be applied for and are not automatically paid--these entitlements significantly increase income. Whilst understanding the constraints of employers it is obviously a nonsense to have a minimum wage that does not allow someone prepared to work to escape the benefit trap. Incidentally those who do not have quite a stringently tested disability (not like in the past) will be on Job Seekers Allowance and will be asked to produce evidence fortnightly that they have followed up three job leads. New regs are that after a year on Job Seekers allowance housing benefit will be reduced by 10% as an incentive to get people back to work. If you know of cases where partners have moved back in after lone parents have gained tenancies and are on benefits then unless they have reported the change they may be committing benefit fraud and/or be in breach of tenancy (should be joint claim for Income Support or Job Seekers allowance)--suggest you report them to DWP. Incidentally those foreigners who are not from certain EU countries are not entitled to lone parent benefits unless they are genuine refugees or have been granted asylum. PeteSnr

They would not get a council house in Bournemouth as there are virtually none, there are more than 7000 people on the housing register and unless they have priority needs (which does not necessarily incude being a single parent) they do not stand a chance of getting a council or housing association property. In private rented accommodation the housing benefit rules mean that for most people the rents are too high for them to be able to work and pay the rent as housing benefit reduces as soon as earnings start. The problems in this area are low wages and high rents. If you are fortunate enough to be able to live comfortably in this area please don't throw too many stones--it could be your turn next. PeteSnr

Done PeteSnr

could only manage 8lb 5oz cod but netted a 22lb brute for Colin! PeteSnr

Biggcol has a degree in smelly groundbait making! Incidentally the fish in the market are probably being sun-dried so that they keep longer. No doubt this creates a monumental stench. As usual Robson did not give us enough information. This week's programme was the only one that has made me green with envy as he cast his enormous surface poppers towards the Chimneys. But why our sport has to be represented by such a pollock sorry pillock I do not know. His ideas on playing a fish could be written on a postage stamp. Come back Jack Hargreaves all is forgiven (or maybe not). Peter

One of the problems from the recreational angler's point of view is that a sustainable commercial fishery is viable at a stock level that leaves few big fish and the remaining little fish spread thinly. The reality is that every time the scientists put forward proposals for sustainable quotas the commercial sector use their political muscle to get them watered down. 'Sustainable' fishing of an already depleted stock leads to ecological impoverishment and runs the risk of natural fluctuations in recruitment leading to stock crash which benefits no one. It's no good expecting the Angling Trust to be able to work miracles on our behalf. The vested interests in the commercial sector are always likely to have more clout with the decision makers. The Angling Trust is representing us at government level so our voice is being heard and with persistence the contribution that therecreational sector is making to the debate is being recognised. Reform of the Common Fishery Policy is looking at less destructive methods of fishing and downsizing of fleets and the British fishermen want regulation devolved to local committees. There will be increased pressure on inshore waters from the under 10metre fleet but if offshore activity is better controlled then migratory stocks should improve for all. Hears hoping. Peter

I think you'd find it hard to produce evidence that mackerel are on the increase particularly in the English Channel--from my own experiences over 45 years of angling I can safely say that their are dramatically less mackerel now than in the past. There is some evidence that mackerel are being harvested at near sustainable levels in Scotland but the stocks are reduced historically and the methods used are questionable. Catching entire shoals of migrating fish leaves an uneasy feeling that localised populations could be wiped out completely and indeed in the extreme case if overfishing began then entire stocks could crash as has happened with various species around the world. In my view it makes no ecological sense to catch such vast quantities of fish at one time. When is someone going to realise the lack of value of having most of the fish either in cans or in freezers? They certainly can't reproduce in that state. Far better to take fish when they are not all in one place and vulnerable to population crash. Line fisheries or small seine net fisheries are unlikely to damage stock levels on their own. Effects on the economy? If you base canneries and other industry on unsustainable practises then the job losses all come at once whereas getting rid of the big boys actually would create more opportunites for local artisanal fisheries and be far more likely to lead to stock increases. Peter

not sure if this is the place for results. I had three rays on Whistler 10lb blonde, 11lb small-eyed and 11lb 8 oz smalleyed. Petesnr

Unfortunately I'm away so won't be able to help or learn! Peter

1. Gordon - Fugazi - crew Paul D 2. Brian - MegaByte, crew = Mark (non-member) 3. Martin & Dean on "AWOL" 4. John - Rosie One - Crew Dave 5. Dave Wight Magic - crew TBA 6.Nigel-Wishin-crewTBA 7. Tony - Serenity Crew TBA or will crew for someone else 8. Alfresco Charlie and Dan space for two crew 9. Frisky Fox - with Mike, Carol and George 10. Boblin - Colin & Bobi 11.Whistler-PeteSnr with non member

I would back up what Coddy said--don't over oil the fuel it will only cause you grief and not solve anything. If the engine starts run it for a while in a tank--say 20 mins to half an hour max. My long experience with two strokes tells me that running them up in tanks eventually leads to oiling of plugs even with oil injection and the best way to keep them in good condition is to get it on a boat and get the revs up under load. An hour's blast around will soon let you know what's what. Take a buddy boat if you're unsure. Peter

Suggest you dont rely on fishfinder to find fish in the harbour as there is much weed and debris in the water that looks like fish on the screen. Ragworm is a natural bait in the harbour and will provide a variety of species on occasion. Live bait for bass. Shrimp rigs also produce at times. Dontt forget Poole Harbour has a bass nursery area where fishing for bass from a boat is prohibited between 30 April and 1 November each year. the line is from Jerry's point on 011 degrees true through Brownsea Castle to Salterns Marina.