Bob F

Yes, please Martin. I've gotta naked ring, too.

...I've just got to giggle. I can see Paul's face now... "Oh, yes, nice fish wifey"

Don't need a license below the marina at Wick, I believe.

... and neither have a rudder. Correct??? The prop is steered, like an outboard.

...and they are both in-board. Correct??

Not bad though, Billy. Making the move at the right time to the right place is always the difficult decision.

Just 5 juniors listed (including Billy's boy who has now been added to the list). Sam and Daniel C. Robert F Kirk G. Samuel S. Phil T (JNR) Michael

Welcome aboard, matey.

Depends what you mean by "pumping". I wouldn't say that just reeling in is the right way because it puts a lot of strain on the reel and doesn't necessarily use the action and power of the rod to lift the fish. Just winding on the reel is like using a winch. Pumping is the way I was taught to bring up a big fish, but this doesn't mean bullying it. The key techniques are using a correctly set clutch and keeping the rod tip high when the fish is fighting so the cushioning action of the rod is properly used. Avoid lowering the rod tip so that it is pointing at the fish when it is pulling, because this is effectively just winding straight on to the reel which could lead to a line break if the fish makes a sudden serge. If the clutch is properly set you can't really bully the fish because it should be capable of taking line if you are pulling too hard. He sayeth the guy who lost 4 fish last weekend due to my leader knots breaking!! Bob F

Nice session, Andy.

...and if the Bass aint biting, look for the small rock pinicles just out fromt he bay. We had some cracking pollack drifting over them on Sunday using sandeel-like feathers.

Paul D does it a lot with his phone, so he should be able to tell you. Bob F.

Boy, what a session. Talk about being in the right place at the right time... Bob F.

By the way, the title of this thread should read 48 hr SPECIMEN hunt, and not SPECIES hunt. It's a competition for the best specimen and not a competition for the most species. (see Adam, I thought I saw it written as a species comp somewhere, so it wasn't another of my senior moments).

Billy, The Hermits worked great. Didn't get the chance to use the swimming crab (this time). Thanks for the bait, Billy, it really made a difference. You ARE the man!!!!

A couple of the reasons I chose the Suzuki Grand Vitara was: # selectable 2 wheel or 4 wheel drive with Hi/Lo (saves fuel and tyres). # apparently one of the most sophisticated 4 wheel drives for its class. (not as good as a Range Rover or Land Rover, but much, much better than Rav 4). # Good head room for rear passengers (especially compared to Freelander and Frontera). My eldest son is over 6ft. # Good compromise between cost, road use and ability to pull a boat up a slip. Downsides: # boot area is smaller than I'd like (but no different than the Rav 4 ilk). # spare parts can be expensive, apparently, but I haven't had anything go wrong with it, yet. Bottom line - decide what you need from the car and then test drive as many different types as you can. The Grand Vitara wasn't top of my list when I set about looking for a 4x4, but it ended up as the best overall compromise for us. Bob F.

Sounds like the right way to go, Coddy. Yes, I always turn off the FF when at anchor. It serves no real purpose then, and only drains the battery. There is also a train of thought that the continual "pinging" scares certain fish away. Bob F.

Not going to be allowed out this weekend. Gotta work up some brownie points for the 48hr specimen comp.

Good quality pics, Marc. So which one is yous?

Eh???

Nice session Coddy. Interesting that your battery went flat whilst motoring. What is your battery set up again? Bob F

Nice offer, Marc. I'd take 30 quids worth if we could quarantee that it arrived frozen. Not sure how to go about it, though. Perhaps the supplier could advise??? What would postage (shipping) cost? Bob F.

...mutter, mutter, mutter.

How big was it? Let's just leave it as my PB, shall we...size doesn't matter.

Hi Kam, It was great to meet you on Saturday (I could have sworn you said your name was Ken). Anyway, that's a cracking smoothie for your first smoothie trip. It beats my PB by a mile. I hope all goes well with your boat launch. Looking forward to seeing you out there. Bob F.