Bob F

I wonder if Shytalk has used them? I will be buying a bucket when next in Weymouth. They've gotta be a good bet for the Cod season. A nice cocktail of Lug and Squid. BF

Anyone tried the new Lazybaits. http://www.lazybaits.co.uk/ Sounds an amazing idea. They can be purchased by mail order, or I notice that Weymouth Angling Centre also sell them. How productive are Lug in our area? BF

If you ever have the pleasure of Jas's company on your boat, you will not be short of conversation. He's got some wonderful stories of his capers on flims sets and various military exercises. And then there's his award winning Trike, and numerous biking stories. Don't let him play his rings tones, though. Naughty, but nice. BF

Happy Birthday, Paul.

Martin It's the Stour Valley Canoe Club, SVCC. Naturally, I think it is the best club in the area. Why? Unlike the Poole Canoe club, SVCC do not charge for lessons, coaching, or taking the qualifications. They are very much like PBSBAC, run by a bunch of enthusiasic but experienced volunteers, rather than a commercial outfit trying to take your money. Members come from Bournemouth, Poole, Weymouth, Portland, etc, rather than going to more local clubs. You just pay an anual membership of

Took my Kayak onto the sea for the first time last Saturday. Our Kayak Club arranged a trip from Studland Bay over to Old Harry in memory of a club member who passed away recently. Proceeds of the trip went to Cancer Research. A really enjoyable trip and VERY different to paddling on the river. Had a fun time surfing the waves that were punching through the holes in the cliffs. BF

Enjoy Oktoberfest, Terry. I had a great time there last week. It's something everyone has to do at least once in their lives. BF

On Splash-Out we did a spot of wreck hunting. Found 3 new wrecks (new for me) and duely recorded the sonar soundings so I could browse them back home. We anchored one wreck for a couple of hours which was showing some fish to one side of it, but suspected they were just Pout. They turned out to be some nice Bream. Then moved over to the banks with Maverick and BW, and had the same run of small Bullhuss. Jas was feeling a bit fragile, so we didn't venture out further with the lads. This meant we had a fairly smooth ride back in. Nice day out. I'm developing a preference for Weymouth... BF

Yep, I'll be up for it. I guess Jas might want to tag along, too. BF

I use a Daiwa Emblem-S 5500T Fixed Spool for uptiding. And for the "uptide" rod I use a Penn Giller Thriller. It's shorter than a true uptide rod, so is more managable in a small boat, and has a nice flexible tip to prevent the lead pulling out. Typically only need 6oz but sometimes go to 8oz. This outfit has brought a 40lb+ conger to the boat in the tidal waters of the Bristol Channel, so it's capable of bringing in most fish in Poole Bay. BF

By the way, Terry, I will be taking my Eagle 2000C to the next club meeting to show members how to set up their plotters. So, if you have any questions on using the unit, that will be a good meeting to attend. cheers BF

Terry The Eagle Fishstrike 2000c is exactly unit I have. Been using it for a year now, and very pleased with it. The sonar recordings are great, and make interesting viewing back at home. I've been making recording of the local wrecks. The only real gripe I have is the mounting bracket. The tilt system for adjusting the viewing angle is very awkward to adjust because of the square notches. Other than that, a very, very good piece of kit for the price. And I have not missed having a separate FF and GPS. The screen is plenty big enough, and it's one less piece of kit to take off at the end of the day. I think I paid roughly the same price in the States, so it sounds like a good deal. BF

Jas and I fished the Adamant Shoal and 10 Fathom banks. Tally for the day was: Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Mackerel 1lb 8oz to Jason on a squid bait...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...LSD...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope...Tope... Get the jist? Biggest Tope was ~12lb. That Mackerel might be in for a chance of the Macky trophy, though. BF

Splash-Out will be fishing from Weymouth. Crew is Jas. BF

No problem. I've figured out a way to launch and get Jas on board, easy enough.

What are people planning to do tomorrow? I fancy giving Lulworth Banks and Adamant Shoal a bash for the Rays, and to practice for the Burnham Match next week. Anyone else launching from Weymouth? I may need a hand with the launch. LW is 9am. Was thinking of launching ~ 7:30 - 8:00. cheers Bob F

Charlie, It was bad enough seeing two blokes with mouths agape and dribbling, let alone getting a camera out, too. Having said that, she didn't seem to mind our stares too much. Paul, yeah we thought we were going to have to execture a MOB manouvre, but Mark can move quick for a big guy. BF

I guess that's got your attention ...but read on it's true! Went out of Christchurch with Pegleg on Splash-Out. Had a quick try for mullet, but nothing was showing, and too much weed. Still, it was a laugh watching one of our more senior members screaming at the rowers as they came past at >4 knts, shouting "there ain't one rule for you and another one for us, mate!!!" I guess he wasn't having much luck either. Hellofa wake those row boats make!! The Run was very "interesting" on the way out with the huge flood tide zooming in. The plan for the day was to just sit on XRay and try to get a ray for Jas, since he'd never caught one. We had a box of squid so didn't bother with stopping for macky. The session ended up with Pout, Bream, LDS's, Spotted Ray and SE Ray. Biggest was the SE at 7lb. Sadly, none of the rays fell to Jas. Bleeding typical, ain't it!! Anyway, back to the topless bird in the harbour. As we were plodding back in, about halfway up the harbour towards Wick, there was a boat in the shallows with a guy fishing and a topless beauty with bikini bottom having a quick dip (in the water). It's the first time I've grounded Splash-Out in a long time. Lovely way to end the day. I hope the bloke is a member...

John Have a read through the attached file. BF

Paul, Don't worry too much. I'll go out a little later and pick some worms up at Christchurch on the way. Thanks anyway. BF

Paul, What time are you launching tomorrow? Any chance you can pick up

I'm sure we can fix axles to the hulls, Fred.

Nice one Keith. That wreck has hundreds of eels on it. Popular with Dive boats as well, of course. BF

Abu will be ok but you will need to wash it after each trip and keep it well maintained. Penn's tend to be a little more tolerant of abuse and less prone to corrosion in my experience. BF

If you're just starting out, try Navman or Garmin for your GPS and FF. And if your budget will allow, get the daylight viewable colour screens. Much, easier to see. A GPS chart plotter (displays a marine chart) is preferable to a standard GPS plotter, but not essential. For the VHF, go for a fixed unit rather than a handheld. Navman and ICOM are favorites. Bob F