petesnr

Unfortunately I was at sea destroying fish stocks so missed it. P

You could probably siphon off some clean petrol from the top but would hesitate to use it in a boat due to safety reasons. For general information, products such as Fuel Set contain detergents which break up water in fuel systems into such small particles that they pass through the engine harmlessly but this would not work for large amounts of water at the bottom of a tank.

Judging by what is happening in other parts of the world we might soon be targeting squid as a major species to catch. As stocks of their natural predators have been depleted so populations of squid have increased--they seem a bit cleverer at avoiding nets!! It reminds me of an incident some years ago when fishing at this time of year off Southbourne catching a suceession of tiny bream. Something grabbed one on the way up and it was a decent sized cuttlefish that ended up in the bucket. Next drop the same thing happened 'something' grabbed a small bream on the way up but this time when I looked over the side my blood ran cold as I saw clear as day an enormous squid attached to my bream. I'm not saying how big it was for fear of ridicule but I still get shivers when I think about it. It did let go but I was still shaking an hour later. Incidentally any missed bites that are steady pulls at this time of year on the bottom may be squid or cuttlefish. Difficult to hook but great bait and even better to eat. Cheers Peter

Cant cut and paste as I am a dinosaur. Best fish 3lb 14oz, not returned. PeteSnr

Had four but biggest only went 3lb 14oz. Still it was great to be out and catching. Also witnessed Bobi's topknot--cetrainly never caught one of those myself. Paid

Have checked the CEFAS site which states you are not allowed to fish for bass from a boat within the bass nursery areas full stop. Therefore if you take part in a bass only competition and fish within the nursery area you are breaking the law. Happy hunting Peter

Interesting thread. My outboard is a mariner 60HP Bigfoot. This doesn't mean that it leaves footprints in the snow and is hardly ever seen! Basically it has a 75HP sized gearbox on a 60HP engine. This means that it can cope with a bigger prop as it has a lower gear ratio and is more suited to a slightly heavier boat. It also means that proportionately it has a larger water pump than a standard 60HP engine. This engine which I bought brand new in 1997 has been on the back of the boat sat on a mooring for 13 years coming home once a year for servicing. This is the only time that the engine gets flushed with fresh water. I have always been staggered at how little corrosion is visible when the thermostat housing is removed and I attribute this to the wonders of modern alloys and also regular checking of the sacrificial anodes. Reading about what causes problems in the waterchambers of outboards it would appear that it is encrustations of salt and corrosion that cause blockages and limit the flow of cooling water. Salt is hygroscopic which means that it absorbs water from around itself--no doubt most of you will have experienced the condensation on rods reels etc that have not been rinsed in freshwater and dried. This moisture is due to the salt from the seawater aborbing moisture from the atmosphere. If an outboard is left on a mooring then probably the salt inside the cooling chambers remains in solution and not as crust due to absorbing water from the moist sea air. So as long as your anodes are working properly the salt solution should not damage the inside of the engine and should be flushed through as soon as you start the engine. If the salt dries out in the chambers and forms a clot with corrosion then problems on start up could occur. My advice is that if you have a boat on a mooring monitor the anodes and dont worry about flushing but if your engine is likely to dry out then flushing is likely to be more important. There is a downside to my story. I'm on my fourth thermostat--they seem to seize open every 3 years--whether this due to not flushing I cant say but the engine definitely runs better with a functioning thermostat in the winter. Peter

Thanks for all your hard work Rob and co. Bit disappointed that your skills don't run to controlling the wind but then everything else was brilliant. Enjoyed three portions of food and even claimed a prize! Thanks again. Peter

Am now back from holiday and would be happy to have a chat Rob. Suggest a pub and a pint as a good starting point. Post your preferred venue and I'll confirm a time and date. Cheers Peter Russell

There are a number of points to make. Firstly--anything is better than seeing a good fish float off down the tide and almost certainly die. Secondly if you consider the food that many predatory fish eat it often has spines and spikes on it so it is likely that puncture wounds are something that many fish are capable of recovering from. I have a recollection of researching this topic in the past and the spike can be pushed through the shoulder of the fish behind the gills where the swimbladder sits at the top of the body cavity. If you carefully open a fish you have taken home it is possible to identify the position of the swimbladder and from this work out where to puncture the fish to release the pressure in the swimbladder. The swimbladder itself is inflated by gas coming out of solution from within the blood vessels around into the cavity of the bladder and is presumably regulated by gas being reabsorbed in to the blood. this mechanism should still work even with a puncture wound--there's nowhere for the gas to escape from inside the fish. Suggest dissecting fish then having a go with a live one. Blown eyes on pout probably means curtains for them anyway but wrasse, cod and pollack might have a chance. Peter

1) Nigel Allen 8lb 3oz Bullhuss 2) Colin 3lb Ballan Wrasse 3) Dave (Pirky) 10oz Mackeral 4) Gordon Moore 46lb Conger 5)Pete Snr small eyed ray 10lb, cuckoo wrasse 1lb not sure which is best

1) Adam F 2) Alun J 3) Charlie C 4} Dan C 5) Will S 6) Gordon M 7) Neal S 8) John Y 9) Dave Evans 10) Terry Bartell 11) Bobi F 12) Colin F 13) Jackie 14) Craig 15] Ben 16) Graham (Little Sal) 17) Pete snr

Try Fuel Set. It's a green liquid that keeps carbs clean and breaks up water. Quite expensive but only small quantities needed. I've used it for years every trip and had no fuel problems. Damn I shouldn't have said that--bound to get a problem next trip! Peter

Thank God you've caught me up!! Have a good one! Peter

Dont like to worry you but they seem to be putting the wheelhouse upside down. Is that what you mean by a structure scan--you'll certainly be able to see all round underwater---only joking--it looks great. I'm having my trailer rebuilt so that I can bring my boat home to tart it up. One has to keep up with new cat that is going to be on the next mooring. On second thoughts maybe that sounds too much like hard work--you'll just have to put up with a scruffy boat next door!! Pete

Echoing Martin. Anyone can set nets. There are Bylaws affecting nets in the harbour to safeguard seatrout and salmon. The exact rules are available on Southern Sea Fisheries website or ought to be. The only legal issue for nets outside the harbour is whether the fish are sold or not. The decline in flatfish and other inshore species dates back to the introduction of nylon monofilament nets which are basically too efficient when used in the quantities we see in the bay. Inshore netsmen had good catches for a few years all along the Dorset coast--unfortunately fish populations are now down but instead of a reduction in effort to allow stocks to recover fishermen have bought longer and more nets to try to catch the limited fish remaining. only a reduction in efficiency and fishing effort will halt the decline. Trawling has always gone on but again as catches fall more effort is put in, boats move along the coast when their own stocks are depleted, fish finding and positioning equipment gets ever better and better so awkward areas near reefs and wrecks can be safely trawled. Fixed net and towed nets compete for the same grounds and stocks--it's the usual story of short term gain and political influence overcoming common sense and the scientific research. As anglers we arte held to ransom by a relatively few very loud voices with financial backing and until we speak with a similar backing and all from the same hymn sheet we will not be taken into account when it comes to fishery management. Peter

Laughed so much my front fell off!!!!!!!!!!!

Fantastic Paul! The award reflects the attitude of the members many of whom embrace conservation wholeheartedly. Long may it last. Peter

I've used an octahedral for years and one of my marks is directly on ferry route--so far they have always changed course at some distance away!! Peter

I had a run of wins at competitions several years ago and thought I'd got the skill thing sorted. However, angling has the habit of being a great leveller---like the time my crew caught the only cod of the day on a lump of manky mackerel on a paternoster rig while I had been fishing with carefully prepared multi-squid baits. And another time when I was thinking I was the bees knees having caught all the fish so handing the next bite on my gear to my biteless crew who proceeded to land an 8 lb bass----- by far the best fish of the day--I didn't feel so cocky then!! Hopefully it's my turn this year but I'll use the word 'skill' with care and remember to go through my superstitious rituals (details on request) to appease the Great God of fishing. This cabin fever is beginning to take its toll............................................... Peter

Don't worry--he won't be around for long. I see the pattern--With luck like that he'll die young! Peter

Happy Birthday Clive. Hope to see you on your mooring soon but leave some fish for the rest of us! Peter

It's easy to confuse the behaviour of a few selfish fishermen with European policy but in fact the European Fishery Commission has recognised the eel problem and quotas were set for some of the catch to be used to restock areas depleted by disease. That individuals have ignored the rules is not a new thing and is certainly not confined to the French. Enforcement is the problem as we know from our own waters and until that thorny issue is tackled we can whistle in the wind. Incidently if we weren't in Europe we would have no means of influencing anything on the high seas without the use of gunboat diplomacy and that has proved in the past to solve nothing. Peter

Have a good one! Pete

Just wondering if for the first year a new cat should be called a kitten? If so watch out I know its going to be moored next to an old dog!!