Bob F

Phew!! I don't think anyone noticed that one, Coddy. Did you buy the rubber suit??? BF

Sorry, couldn't resist it.

Hi Jack. Welcome aboard. BF

Has anyone caught one of those single colour flounders in Poole Harbour or Christchurch? These are the ones that have no white belly and are dark on both sides. Quite common in the Exmouth estuary, but not sure that I've heard of any in Poole??? BF

...and I do believe John I saw John return it after the weight in. Nice one John. Don't get me wrong, I will keep a flounder or two for the table, but it's nice to see a specimen like that go back. The big'uns are females, I hear. BF

I'd be interested to know what you get from an Engineer's report. Does it give any guarantees? Do they actually open up the engine? If not, how do they know if something like the Power Head is about the go (like it did on Adam's). I suppose you can do compression tests and stuff like that. How much is a full engineers report, typically? BF

Wish I had the answers, Duncan. But think on the bright side. At least you're making the rest of us feel a bit happier about our woes. Stick with it matey! BF

I got a last minute pass, so big Bob and little Rob will be fishing the flounder comp on Splash-Out. Be there or be square. BF

Kam, This does sound strange. With the Garmin GPS (not plotter), the external antenna version is about

Yep, you are spot on Peter. The rig worked well on the artificles. The only lure I lost was one of the bigger shads which is weighted and got into the bottom too quickly. The sandeels and smaller shads worked well. cheers BB ps - saw Shy Talk out there today!!

BF

I know what you mean about a hard day. Adam. It's really great fishing, but you don't get 10 seconds to sit down and relax. You are constantly watching the waves, watching the fish finder and concentrating on keeping the weight on the bottom, but being quick to lift out of snags. Like you said, the Portland rig worked a treat. I only lost one lure all day. If I did get snagged up, the weak link on the bottom snapped off the weight and left the rest of the rig intact. The bass weren't big, with the biggest 3lb, but they fought well on the light tackle, and played a few tricks like sprinting to the surface to make the line go slack. Some of those waves were a bit daunting, though. Glad we didn't drift through the breakers like the bigger boats. I've still got a bit of Kimmeridge running through my blood!! But once we got up the courage to move down tide of the ridge, we started getting takes on most drifts. Rich and Paul on Neo also got into a bass each when they moved down tide and switched to the Storm Sandeels. We only had a short session on the Wrasse using BB's hermits, but Paul and I did manage a PB Ballan Wrasse each. Both were 3lb 13oz. Boy, do they hit hard!! Thanks for a great day again, Adam. It's tough being the skipper on these trips, but again BW came up trumps. You'd get my vote for Skipper of the Year!! BF

Kam, With the boat you have, you should go for the external antenna. The cabin and bits of kit will block some of your signal if you have the internal type. Double check that the price of the unit already includes an external antenna. Most of the time the antenna is included, and the total price should only be about

Peter, Is it just a live bait rig or is it just as effective with Storm lures??? BF

Oh boy, I have been there before. Made me laugh...

Adam, that sounds like the two guys in the boat that we passed on the way in??? BF

Definitely sounds like Dad talking, Elaine!!

Nice Ray. I haven't caught a TB in...oooh...ages...in fact never!!

Eh???

Maybe Friday!! BF

The Cod are arriving, but it will get better towards the end of Dec, according to Charlie. BF

T'was a yellow-fin according to the Angling Press photographer that Adam and I spoke to, who took photos of it...but who knows. BF

Ooooh, I resemble that remark!!

Dan, I have the 12 and 30lb class Fladen rods. The 12lb is a great inshore rod, though some may find the butt a little short. Well built though. Metal fittings all round. I did manage to snap the tip on my 30lb travel rod, but Fladen were fabulous and sent me a replacement free of charge, no questions asked. Others I'd look at are the Shakespeare Ugly Sticks. These a bullet proof with a really tippy action. cheers BF

Not a bad pair, eh?? 14.5lb Cod and 8.75lb Pollack. There was hardly any meat on the Pollack fillet. It was so thin, perhaps there was something wrong with it or is just needed feeding up. BF