Bob F

As Adam mentioned, I also had one of these rods to try out. First impressions were not that good for me. I wasn't keen on the colours which were a bit too garish for me. The wippings were purple and sat on top of the rod varnish, rather than included in the varnish like most other makes. However, this may be a more practicle solution because if a ring brakes it will be much easier to remove the whiipping and refit the ring without having to touch the rod varnish. But for me, the method of whipping gave the impression that the rod materials were a bit on the brittle side and would not survive the bumps and knots that a rod gets on a small boat. In use, the rod tip was very sensitive, registering every bite and nibble. But I like to leave my rod in a rod rest, and on a small 5m boat I found the tip a little too sensitive. All your movements and bumps around the boat are registered at the rod tip which gave me quite a few false bite indications until I realised what was going on. However, if you are fishing a competition on a large charter boat and need to register every bite, the rod tip would be superb. If you need to use anyting above 6oz I think the tip will struggle, but that's where the second tip comes into play. Unfortunately, we didn't have the second stiffer tip to try out, so I can comment about its performance. With the sensitive tip that we were using I would say this rod would make a good match rod where quick bite indication is vital, but it's a bit too specialized for general small boat use. I'd like to have given the rod a few more tries before passing judgement on it because the rod tip is so different to what I am used to, and I may have grown to liking it. But, I could never get used to the looks and those whippings. RATINGS: Looks - 5/10 Quality - 5/10 Fitness for Purpose - 6/10 Value for money - 7/10 because you get two tips OVERALL - 6/10 For a tip action rod I think the Abu Colon or Ugly Sticks are hard to beat for value, or if you prefer a through action rod the Fladden Maxximus range are unbeatable for price and quality of materials.

Boy, do I look forward to this trip each year!! It never seems to disappoint. It was an early start getting up at 5am to allow me time to "drop a couple of kids off at the pool". I got the shock of my life as I came out of the loo to find Mark Adams standing in my kitchen!!! "How the hell did you get in!!", "Through the back door" was his smart reply. My eldest son had been on the raz the night before and had forgot to lock the back door. Bloody teenagers!! Anyway, Mark was obviously eager to get going, and outside I found Enticer looking the business hooked up to his Suzuki Grand Vitara. A nice looking package. He also came armed with a 6kg sash window lead which would be ideal for dragging behind the boat to slow our drift. So, off we set and 40mins later we were at the slip at Weymouth for 7am. Marverick, Neo and Blue Warrior were already there and getting setup. Also waiting for us was BoyBilly, a local expert that we had met on the Lounge Forum. Billy was to crew for Royal Loyale who was running late. Billy had also brought along a couple of the Spanish made Grauvell rods set up with super soft tips that he had kindly allowed Adam and I to try out for the day. Pete Russell (snr) took the opportunity to give Enticer her safety check which she passed with flying colours. Anyway, by 8am we were all ready for the off after being urged and proded by an ever impatient Bob Horne who was eager to get out and hit the plaice. Out at the Shambles we found the tide was running at slightly over a knot so no need to drag a weight yet. Mark was first into the water with his rig which was a no frills basic patternoster baited with rag tipped with squid. First drop and 30 secs later he was into his first fish, a small plaice of about a pound which he returned. I hadn't even got my line in the water, yet!! My rig was made up with a zip slider and bead which was slid onto 20lb braid and tied off with a swivel. I then clipped on my modified shop-bought plaice rig which I'd purchased from the Bournemouth Fishing Lodge. This consisted of a medium sized delta spoon attached to a 12" length of mono adourned with a series of brightly coloured tubes and micro-beads. I replaced the small, fitted hook with a larger and sharper 1/0 Kamazan Aberdeen incase there were any Turbot about. The modification was to add a 2 ft length of mono between the swivel and the main line onto which I put a small ball lead, in an attempt to keep the end rig firmly on the bottom and away from the zip slider. Bait was king rag tipped with squid. I also set up another rod with a pennel rig and whole squid. Mark set up his second rod with a flowing trace baited with a slither of smelly mackerel fillet. The next hour was slow with no bites. The tide started to pick up to 2knts so we rigged up the 6kg sash weight to slow the drift, This worked beautifully all day, keeping our drifts at an ideal 1-1.5knts. Drift speed can be slowed or increased by letting out or bringing in rope, respectively. Just before noon we were on a drift close to the rough water on the northern edge of the bank when Mark's second rod baited with the mackerel took a couple of sharp nods. He waited a short time then lifted into the fish. There was some weight to this one. I called Turbot and sure enough it was a Turbot that came to the surface. It was soon nettted and in the boat (phew!) followed by a deep grunted "YES" and much punching of the air by Mark. It was a nice fish too, weighting 4lb 4oz. Not huge by Turbot standards but it was a first for Mark. So, I had still not had so much as a bite and Mark was already two fish up on me. I was beginning to think Mark really was the jinx that we had kiddingly previously said he was. He always catches fish but his boat buddies don't!! But encouraged by the Turbot I switched my squid bait to smelly mackerel on a single hook and set out with renewed enthusiasm. An hour later I was rewarded with a similar double nod of the rod. I lifted the rod and felt the tap, tap of an interested party of the end of the line. A short wait and I struck. Fish on!! And a bit of weight, too. A short fight followed and up to the surface came a similar sized Turbot. Mark did the biz with the net and the fish was safely in the boat. My first ever boat caught Turbot! Poor old Mark had to suffer the now typical Bob Fuller reaction of a cuddle a kiss on the cheak, followed by many whooping!!!. But what the heck, we're 6 miles out and no ones looking. But still no bites on the plaice rig, so I decided to try a modification to the rig. I moved the ball weight to the hook side of the spinner about 6 ins from the bait, so that I was sure the bait was on the bottom. 10 mins later and the light tip on the Grauvell rod indicated some interest followed by a change in the line direction against the tide. I lifted the rod and sure enough a fish was on. It felt light at first but at mid water is started fighting hard. After a short battle the fish appeared from the depths. It was a beautiful brightly spotted plaice of exactly 2lb. I was dead chuffed. It was now a turbot and a plaice each for Mark and I. 30 mins later and I had another bite. It was another plaice of about 1lb 8oz which I let go. I wasn't happy that the hooks were being taken deep by the plaice. Was I waiting too long before striking? I decided to change the Aberdeen pattern to a small circle hook. It wasn't long before I had another plaice on. The rig change to move the ball weight nearer the hook was obviously working, and this time the plaice was also beautifully hooked in the corner of the mouth and it was easy to return the fish completely unharmed. The circle hooks seem to do the trick. It was now 2:30 and Adam was getting impatient on Blue Warrior and wanted to dift the Hood for the last hour before going back to the slip, so off we went to the Hood. As Charlie said, this is the easiest wreck to find in the south being positioned right in the middle of the southern entrance to Portland Harbour. HMS Hood was deliberately scuttled here during WWII to prevent U-Boats entering the harbour. You are not allowed to anchor in the entrance, so the technique is to drift using a patternoster or light flowing trace rig, baited with rag. Neo and Maverick joined us and it wasn't long before we were hitting the pollack. They were only small, ranging from 1/2lb to 1 1/2lb but great fun. At 4pm we called it a day. Back at the slip Mark's Suzuki Grand Vitara made short work of getting Neo, Blue Warrior and Enticer out of the water. A fantastic day. The final tally on Enticer was: Mark Adams- 1 Turbot 4lb 4oz, 1 plaice 1lb 4oz, 1 pollack 1/2lb. Bob Fuller - 1 Turbot 4lb 4oz, 3 plaice 2lb, 1 1/2lb and 1lb 4oz, 1 pollack 1/2lb. Adam and I will post another report on the Grauvell rods that we used. cheers Bob F

I think my vote would be either the Nab Tower for the big blonde rays or Weymouth again, but this time trying the Adamant Shoal for a change. Bob F.

Yep, good idea, if you have the time.

I have the same as Martin in a zip up bag. And also just spray them with WD40 from time to time. Bob F.

Hope to have some good stories for you tomorrow, Milke. And if not, I'll invent a few...

Forecast is anything from force 2 to force 4 NNE, so sounds ok to me. See you around 7am at the Weymouth Harbour slip. Remember, it's bank holiday weekend so it will get busy later on, so don't be late. cheers Bob F.

Good news!!! They have found the problem and the engine in up and running. Apparently, it was a problem with one of the small thermostatic valves that was causing the overheating. And they are going to waive the cost of the service.

Not sure what they are. I thought there were just blow lug and yellow tails. Bob F.

Didn't know St Albans was in the Solent...

Lets hope so...

50m around Hurst Point, but otherwise typically 25-30m elsewhere.

As Martin says, if it is mounted directly to the transom you will probably find that the prop will be dragging in the water even when it is fully raised. With an adjustable OB bracket you will be able to lift the engine clear of the water. If you go for the OB bracket buy one that is rated to 20-25 hp. The smaller ones are not up to the job and soon brake.

...but be aware, I think the check-in is at the ferry slip in Dartmouth.

Thanks for the comments guys. Watch this space... cheers Bob F

Guys the Competion entry form and contact number are on page one of this thread, the 6th posting. I suggest you call the competition organizer for cark parking details, etc. Again, his number is on the entry form. cheers Bob F.

Crews for Saturday are: Maverick - Martin, Bob H, and Pete R (snr) Blue Warrior - Adam and Stuart Loyal Royal - Paul J and BoyBilly (Billy Short) Enticer - Mark A and Bob F. (Splash-Out will not be there ) 7am at the Weymouth Harbour slip. cheers Bob F.

Thought you'd be interested in hearing about the saga of my outboard. As most of you know, I bought the boat and engine from new almost two years ago. The outboard is a 70hp Forustroke state-of-the-art jobby. I'm not going to mention the manufacturer yet, but most of you know. The warranty expires in May 2004. I took the engine in for a service, and at the same time a new temperature sensor was to be fitted under warranty, which had been playing up since new. Week one went by without the service being completed, because it had been raining and the dealer does not have indoor facilities (???). But they had at least fitted the new temperature sensor. Week 2 started with the promise that they would start the service on Monday. On Thursday I got a call from the Service Manager saying that they had discovered an oil leak from the crackcase seal. I was advised that the seal would be replaced under warranty. I was also told that the job required removing the power head, but this wasn't a big job and they would have it completed within a couple of days of receiving the new oil seal. The oil seal was duely ordered. Week 3 started with the removal of the power head. I phoned on Weds to ask how things were progressing. I was informed that it was "a nightmare". Apparently, the manufacturer has changed the design on the new 4 strokes and the oil seal isn't in the usual place and it now requires the removal of the wiring loom and crankcase to get to the seal. Almost of complete strip down. The work had begun and the oil seal was replace and the rebilud was started. I phoned on Friday and was told the the rebuild was just about complete, but they were waiting for a new gasket which had to be ordered (why didn't they know that the gasket would need to be replaced?) Week 4 commenced with the continuation of the rebuild. I phoned on Weds for an update and was told that they had snapped off a bolt and needed to order a new one. I asked how they could snap a bolt if they were using a properly set torque wrench. I was told it was not unusual for bolts to snap on marine engines. On Saturday I went into the shop and was told that the engine was rebuilt and that I could take the boat for the weekend but that they wanted to run it for a few hours to ensure everything was ok, first. And there appeared to be a problem with the new sensor they had fitted because the Over Temp light was staying on. I told them to keep the boat until it was all fixed. Week 5 - phoned on Monday and was told that they hadn't been able to work on it. I told them I needed to boat back on Weds at the latest. Tuesday, today, I was phoned by the Service Manager and told that the boat would not be ready on Weds because the engine was overheating after 3 mins. He said that they were not sure what the problem was and have been consulting the manufacturer for advice. They suspect the thermostatic valve and have ordered a new one. I said, ok when do we say enough is enough and ask Suzuki to send me a new motor. I was quite firmly told it will never happen. I quoted "fittness for purpose, etc" and was told the manufacturers stance will be that the engine will be fit for purpose when they have fixed it. There is no commitment from the manufacturer to replace the engine if it is repairable, and this is even if it takes 50 attempts to fix it. So guys, where do you think I stand, and what course of action should I take to get this all resolved? cheers Bob F.

Hi Allan. Nice to have you on board. Look forward to meeting you some time. cheers Bob F

A plaice after sundown, isn't that unusual? I didn't think they fed at night. Bob F.

... or "Doggie Style" ???? I'll get me coat...

Most insurance policies I have seen insist that the outboard has a lock across the mounting bolts. Both and main and aux motors. Of course this doesn't help when the BassTurds chainsaw through the hull to get your engine off, but at least you will be properly insured. There was a spate of vandals slashing tyres on the trailers at Baiter last year, so always remember to have at least one, but preferably two, spare wheels with you, which you store in the back of your car (not on the trailer of course!!). The problem with all these measures is that is takes 2-3 hrs just to unlock everything!! Bob F.

And Mike used to live on Hayling Island, so he knows he stuff when it comes to plaice fishing. He even knows how to navigate by hamburger boxes, but that's another story...

Don't know. Suck it and see. But you are right, there must be a limit to the sucking power of the petrol pump. I assume that depends on the size of engine you have. What engine will you be using? And I suppose you will keep the same diameter fuel pipe right through.

Yes, this is sometime that is said. How true it is, who knows? But I have seen many boats and ships that have had their names changed. Who's to say that the boat isn't happy with her present name and would only be too glad to have a new name and a new lease of life... My view is if you don't like her present name, she probably doesn't like it either. Doing a jig around the boat in the nude is always worth a try, just don't post any photos of the session, and warm the neighbours so they can keep their cats in doors. They have a nasty habit of lashing out at dangly bits (or so I'm told). Bob F