Bob F

Bloody mad the lot of ya...

They are out there, but seem to be grouping into bigger shoals, so that when you find them you find them big time.

That's two Brill in the last couple of weeks. Hope it's a new trend for the Bay. BF

OK, I'll bring a few nets back. BF

Mike, The transducer is fitted to a special bracket that's mounted on the outer skin on the transom. It hinges up if the back of the boat hit the sea bottom, so preventing damage to the transducer. The transom mounted transducer is specially shaped to reduce air bubbles when travelling at speed, but you will still have difficulty getting a good picture of the bottom when the boat is moving fast. Not sure if a through-hull will be any better from that point of view. People do epoxy the transducers to the floor and get a signal without having to drill holes in the skins. You need to make sure there is no air bubbles in the epoxy and that you have positioned it at a point where there are no air gaps under the floor. Any air kills the signal. To try it out, you can stick it into a big blob of plastercine to see if the location is any good before permanently fixing it. In the sump of my Alaska there's a mounting block which has been put there for floor mounted transducers. But if a mounted a transducer here it would prevent the fuel tank from sitting in the sump. Mine works fine with the transom mounted bracket. BF

A belated "Thanks Chaps!". Bob F

Ooooo, nice! For new electronics give Chris a call at Greenham & Regis. He does some great deals if you work at it. He's the best price for the Icom 421 DSC at

Wey Hey!!! Expect a surprise visit soon Mike. I gotta see her!!

The catch report on Maverick was 4 cod (all to Martin!!! ), best was 7lb, and 6 pollack up to 10lb (that was Martin's too!! ). Martin did at least allow me to catch a 7lb Pollack...well, it was my birthday. A super day out. BF ps - thanks for the cod, Martin. But don't tell Karen I didn't catch it.

I think that was Maverick on the Starboard side, closely followed by James to port.

I will be in Florida in August and will try to pick up some more nets if anyone is interested. I bought one last your to fit the s/s ring that Shytalk made. It's great!! A light net that is strong, but thin enough not to drag in the current. The nets fit a 48" diameter ring and costs around $10 is I remember correctly. Let me know if you want me to bring any back. BF

Paul, I might be having the same problem with my DSC radio. I've sent out a couple of DSC messages and not received a reply, even when I warned the recipiant that it was coming. Didn't spend much time trying to see what I'd done wrong, so I will look into it more thoroughly next time out. BF

Yes, I tend to agree with Duncan. It is possible to launch and retrieve a Warrior/Alaska type single handed, but it does take a lot of effort, and that's if everything goes ok. If a wheel locks or the current/wind starts moving the boat, the retrieval will be very difficult alone. In the end, I suspect that the extra effort needed in lauching and retrieving a boat alone will put you off going out. As you say, you are not getting any younger. And buying a bigger boat will mean a lot more expense in terms of running costs. In my opinion you should stay will the smaller managable boat, which you obviously enjoy, and have been very successful with. When you want to go further afield, just take advantage of being a club member and crew on one of the other boats. For lauching from Mudeford and fishing the local inshore areas, you have probably already got the best compromise for your situation. If taking another crew member means you go a little slower, so what? BF

I had all my Pollack on an orange worm with single tail. BF

I think we used about 70-75 litres on Blue Warrior. BF

I've got 22mm plastic pipe brackets holding short lengths of 22mm pipe as rod holders on Spash-out. BF

John, Was the "Along the Dorset Coast" you referred to? BF

eye tink datzwat Martin iz doin. BF

You have to admit, the yellow on red does stand out well. BF

Splash-Out will be going out from Mudeford with little Rob as crew. Intend to go out early and come in around 1pm, before LW at 3pm. But if it looks too iffy in the morning I will give it a miss. BF

You must've been on dual watch mode, Mark.

Thanks chaps.

On the farm lived a chicken and a donkey, both of whom loved to play together. One day, the two were playing when the donkey fell into a Bog and began to sink. Scared for his life, the donkey 'hee hawed' for the chicken to go get the farmer for help! Off the chicken ran, back to the farm. Arriving at the farm, he searched and searched for the farmer, but to no avail, For he had gone to town with the only tractor. Running around, the chicken spied the farmer's new Z-4 silver BMW. Finding the keys in the ignition, the chicken started the beautiful motor car and the chicken sped off with a length of rope, hoping he still had time to save his friend's life. Back at the bog, the donkey was surprised, but happy, to see the chicken arrive in the shiny BMW, and he managed to get a hold of the loop of rope the chicken tossed to him. After tying the other end to the rear bumper of the farmer's car, the chicken then drove slowly forward and, with the aid of the powerful car, rescued the donkey! Happy and proud, the chicken drove the BMW back to the farmhouse, and the farmer was none the wiser when he returned. The friendship between the two animals was cemented: best buddies, best pals! A few weeks later, would you believe, the chicken fell into a mud pit, and soon, he too, began to sink and cried out to the donkey to save his life! The donkey thought a moment, walked over, and straddled the large puddle. Looking underneath, he told the chicken to grab his "thing" and he would then lift him out of the pit. The chicken got a good grip, and the donkey pulled him up and out, saving his life. The moral of the story? ? ? ? When you're hung like a donkey, you don't need a BMW to pick up a chick.