Leicester Fisheagle

Passed through the Bridges at 7.30 am. and stopped in a couple of places for Mackeral. Our first mark only produced small Bass and was very weedy. The second mark was a bit hit and miss but gave us some nice chunky specimens and some Scad. We then tried a couple of spots about 6 miles south of Swanage about an hour before low. During the day we spoke to several Club Boats and heard Marichelle, Jojo, Alfresco and Hydra. The next hour gave us a steady stream of fish. There were plenty of Tope up to 25lbs. Conger to 20lbs, a good selection of Rays up tp14 lbs. A couple of specimen Red Gurnards just under the 1.5 lbs mark, Pout, more Mackeral and Scad and the inevitable doggies and bream. Late afternoon, we moved inshore for a few Plaice. We managed around 20 plus with three keepers on the 2 lbs mark. While we were Plaicing we were listening on Ch 16 to all the Maydays and Pan Pans which seemed never ending. One call was from a small 15 foot fishing with four on board. They were out of Cobbs. Initially, they put out a Mayday, but they had managed to tie onto a red can before the Ferry. The owner explained to the Coast Guard that he was new to boating and had only just got the boat and was using it for the first time. There were four on board with life jackets. The Coast Guard was very sympathetic and professional and explained the difference between a Mayday and a Pan Pan and put out a request for any vessel able to assist with a tow to Cobbs. We thought nothing more about the Pan Pan Relay and proceeded to the Secret Ray Mark. The Rays were very co-operative, especially the Undulates, and Mike managed a Spotted for his Species Hunt. Around 20 hours, we upped anchor and headed in. This was a good couple of hours after the original Mayday/Pan Pan. We came past the Chain Ferry and saw the broken down vessel still attached to the red can. The tide was now ebbing around 5 knots and they were beam on to passing boat traffic and really being bashed about in rough conditions. There was about just over an hours light left by now. We decided to respond to the Coast Guards Pan Pan Relay and were able to lash the vessel alongside with Mike and Jan's help. I was a bit concerned about the height difference of the two boats and had I not been happy at this point, we would have asked for a Lifeboat. Fisheagle was able to protect the vessel from several idiot Gin Palaces speeding through the Harbour. Most vessels slowed down when they saw the situation and a good blast on the horn caught the attention of others. Once we got out of the rough water and near the Island, things improved and we were able to proceed at 4 knots. We did not take any photos of the incident as we did not want to embarrass anyone. The owner could well become a Club Member in the future and will go out with a buddy boat next time. A big thank you to the female Bridge Officer on Condor Liberation who had been monitoring my conversations with the Coast Guard and Harbour Control and who, when I asked her, ensured that the Condor passed with minimum wash. Also, Bridge Conrol for ensuring that our passage through both Bridges was traffic free and unimpeded. Thanks also to Mike and Jan for a nice clean boat and a great day. Finally, a reminder to self after such a stunning day, that there is not much sun cream left on board. Now the fun starts, trying to upload a few fishing pictures.

Fisheagle hopes to be out on Saturday about 6 miles off Swanage. On Ch 6/16 as always. Allan.

Belated happy birthday to you both.

Fisheagle had quite a productive day. Nothing very unusual in terms of species and a few of the harder summer ones were sadly lacking. Spoke to several Club boats on Ch 6. Everyone seemed to be getting a few fish and enjoying the sunny if slightly breezy conditions. Total boat species on the day was 17. Mike will add some pictures shortly.

Fisheagle for Saturday. Alan and Mike Hall.

Happy Birthday Charlie. Hope you had a good one.

M.A.R.S. ( Mike and Allan's Reel Services) are on the look out for a couple of Shimano TLD 15's in at least reasonable condition,working or not working. Early or later models. Please contact Allan on 07758356474.

A day of two halves with the morning producing most of the decent fish with around six at 2 lbs. 8 ozs. Best two were 3 lbs. to myself and 2 lbs. 12 ozs. to Mike Hall.

Please add Fisheagle on Sunday. Allan Green and Mike Hall.

Happy Birthday Jerry. Hope you have a good one.

Wanted by Jan Tryska, a pair is s/steel hand rails 18 inch to 30 inches in length and at least 3 to 4 inches high. With drilled foot or thread for nut and bolt. He has tried Fource Four.

Fisheagle will be out late morning for a short trip. As always, on Ch 6 and 16.

Thanks for plenty of warning. Will try and get out Friday.

Happy Birthday Tony. Hope you have a good one.

A really interesting reel we have just serviced one for Ray Ashby, the ex England Boat Team Manager. As you say, a part turn of the handle in a micro second and you have reduced the clutch tension. They can fetch good money and are quite rare.

We don't claim to be quite up to the Dave Lynes standard yet, but we are getting there. The big problem at the moment is getting parts. Have had some Carbon Tec clutch plates for a couple of Charter Specials on order from the States for several months. Some Companies like Jim's Reels, a Company that does a wide range of reels and a good job, but twice our price, will not touch Modern Mitchell's or Penn Surfblasters for example. When you say lure fishing are you thinking of light spoons, shads etc? We have just returned a Shimano Tyranos 8, a multiplier lever drag which has an extra narrow spool for lures. The owner uses it in 60 plus foot of water for bass using artificial and live baits but these cost £170 plus. Budget can be a big factor for many people. Personally, one of my favourites on the lighter side are the old Shimano Bait Runners. I have seven of these and probably around 20 spools. Perfect for braid or fluorocarbon around the 10 to 12 lbs mark. Not really designed for saltwater use, but like any reel wash them and spray them with Corrosion Block from time to time. I also like these as they are pretty bomb proof, not the easiest to repair, especially the clutch/bait runner parts. Mine are 40 years old. There are plenty for sale around £35. Check if they have a spare spool and some of the later ones have a metal lipped braid friendly spool. Go for the GT Mdels. More recently, I have become a fan of the small and two speed Penn Fathoms. These are budget copies of far more expensive reels. Also, look at well known brands and read online reports. Some people's favourites could be Avets or American Fin Nor or expensive quality Shimanos. Abu, Akios and Scorers for example are all clones of each other and worth a look at. They can suffer from corrosion if not looked after. Gear ratios can be a bit low for some and handles a bit small.The once great flagship Penn reels and lots of other Companies reels are mainly outsourced to China. Pure Fishing seems to buying up Companies all over. Others may have older reel which have a nostalgic value, a gift, a prize or one from a deceased friend or family member. How many of us have reels going back to our childhood or the first reel we were given. I will perhaps come back to this theme in another post. Can I answer your question, yes, in part. You tend to pay for what you get but it still needs washing and looking after. What are other Members favourites and why? This is a discussion that could go on for a long time. Please feel to add your thoughts.

Always welcome on Fisheagle if you don't mind slumming it after all those great offers.

At Mars ( Mike and Allan's Reel Service) we receive all sorts of different reels. I hope to put up a picture showing an Abu Garcia Fixed Spool called a D4. The clutch is located on a dial ring located under the reel with nos. 1 to 10 on it. Internally, parts are quality stainless or metal and quite heavy by today's standards. Some of the Abu Garcia reels in mint condion from the 60's and 70's are fetching thousands in the States. From the picture, it can be seen that this classic reel has very few parts. The second picture shows a modern big Pit Reel used by Carp Anglers with a bait runner feature which has not yet been stripped down. In this case, a Wychwood costing around £80 new. Much lighter, long cast coned spool, better clutch etc. There are a lot more parts and they are far more complicated.However, lots of plastic and nylon and the bearings are not stainless. I don't think it will be around in four or five years time if used regularly.

Happy Birthday to you both. Hope you both have a good one.

Fisheagle subject to weather. Crew TBA.

Happy Birthday Chris. Hope you had a good one.

More belated best wishes was down the Shambles

Has the Shambles lost some of its glory? We headed down to the Shambles from Cobbs around 7.15 am. on one of our annual pilgrimages. Departure was a little later than anticipated due to a few hiccups and an iced up boat and slippy pontoons. As high water on the Shambles was 8 am. We had a little bit of tide against us and conditions were relatively calm. Our average speed was around 18 knots. Spoke to Doombar and Bobblin 3 several times during the day ( Buddy Boats). On our arrival at the East Shambles Buoy, we joined the flotilla of some 22 other boats. Our attempts to catch Mackeral and Launce resulted in one Mackeral so mainly frozen baits were used. We had seen Mackeral earlier in the day on the way down not far from Dancing Ledge. They were skillfully being chased by Puffins. Around half the birds were diving to chase the fish to the surface, while the remainder of the flock were scooping them up. Great teamwork. I would have loved to get a picture but they would not let us get near and the shoal of fish was darting in all directions. The weather during the day was quite chilly and, at times, the water was a murky grey. In total we caught four Turbot. Three keepers and one returned. The largest was just under 5lbs. so nothing exceptional. However, as they say, fishing is not always about catching fish. There seemed to be very few fish about and most boats were hammering a small area. For those who are interested, three of us used "bling boom" rigs while Ray Ashby ( ex England and former Boat Team Manager) used a simple single flowing 5 ft trace baited with a thin sliver of Mackeral as a Launce look alike nailed to the bottom. This caught him one fish. No real conclusions here. I had two fish on bling booms, Mike Hall had one and our other Club Member, who will remain anonymous, blanked. We left early in the afternoon after a couple of hours of the flood as we were catching nothing. We then headed some twelve miles to Kimmeridge having first checked with the Lulworth Range Safety Boat before entering the restricted Firing Range Area on Ch 16 and then Ch 10. Fortunately, the Bream were more cooperative than the Turbot. Fuel wise (there were no unforseen circumstances and the weather and tides were favourable). Hooky on Doombar, a Wilson Flyer with two on board with a new FStroke 115 Mercury used under 70 litres. Fisheagle, Merry Fisher 755 Marlin with four on board and quite heavily loaded used around 170 litres with a Suzuki 200 V6. The total distance for Fisheagle was around 90 miles. A bit less than anticipated as we did not stay for the whole afternoon. So saved on going back up drifts and wind and tides were favourable both ways.

No, at Kimmeridge. Go past Old Harry then past Peveril continue past St Albans. Probably better to go with another Club Boat who knows the tides and likely effect of weather conditions as some of the Headlands can really rough up. I have had to turn back or leave early due to inaccurate forecasts. If you go there, it is about 12 miles from the Shambles Buoy. Go a short distance past St Albans and before Kimmeridge. If you go just past Kimmeridge you need to be aware of the Firing Range and the times when they operate. You can phone or contact them at Range Control on Ch 16 or 10.

Ditto.