Sinbad

Adam Have you looked at these airstone type aerators sold in the tackle shops ? I realise you've gone for the water in / water out type... but was wondering how these other type work. Personally, I dont fancy any more weight at the back of my boat - 20 litres is about the max. Regards Sinbad

Though Ive never caught one, I've eaten plenty.... Someone once told me that Poole harbour small ship channel along the Xboat moorings, just down from the parkstone platform, there's a special oozey mud that they love. .... but this came from the same bloke who recommended a roast chicken skin for the bass off salterns. Charlie should know it, as its his patch ?

hi Dan Might be my electronics, but whenever I am looking for a bump of a wreck, most inshore wrecks are covered in sand, and you dont get much of a profile. Still even a metre change allows some fish to shelter from tide, and on a featureless expanse of sand /gravel, thats where I'd live. Fished a few wreck marks last winter on a friends boat, and that's where the whiting were in their hundreds. The other point is that any Weekend in the summer, with the amount of boat traffic, your not likely to have a mark which is shown as clear as day on the chart to yourself. they are pretty small features anyway. I expect if a report comes in of loads of fish, everyone will be there. Still ....Winter or mid week... give them a go. Even the best top secret marks fish like pants sometimes, as you know, and you wonder why you bothered going all that way. hope thats cheered you up ! Paul

spent the day attending to some chores, but had already got the rods out the previous evening - which is fatal. made the excuse just to pop down to the boat, some late sun came out, and I was off.....must have been a 6ft swell in places off the ledge, so wasnt the best conditions for a "relaxing evening" Loads of mackerel, pretty much every where, but coming up in ones and twos rather than a whole string. In the end, the rod was fishing itself, whilst I concentrated on holding my dinner down and the other rods. After about 6 bait robbing pout, a few small pollack, I called it a night, deciding that conditions were only to get worse. Weed seems to be on the increase over the ledge.... lobster pots seem to have spawned, lately they're everywhere. Roll on those summer days, glassy seas, and hot sun... then we might stand a chance of a decent session! Paul

Well, agreed to use up a valuable days brownie points on a charter out of Keyhaven with some mates from work. Fished south of 50 36.50 deg in about 30m. As usual, wind against tide, and out of 8 of us, two were not fishing. Still not bad compared to the other charter nearby who had 4/4 not fishing! We were quickly into a 35lb conger and a 10lb thornback, so the day started well.. then nothing... a reasonable tope lost at the side of the boat... a small smoothie.. a tope for Sinbad (must remember how flexible the end with the teeth in is next time when holding the tail. The fish managed just one pass over the back of my hand and that was enough) then the smallest bream Ive ever seen (was perfectly formed and about 2" long) and dogfish after dogfish. Skipper must have had over 100m of warp, but still dragged off the mark... We fished arround alum bay for the afternoon, which was alot smoother in the westerley 4-5, but only had mackeral. So on reflection, a good day out, but would I bother again ? I suppose we dont know how lucky we self styled skippers are, come and go when we please, and flexible enough to try different spots if they dont produce. So when you think the fish are greener on the other side etc, just stick it out on the ledge, there's everything I want and only 20 mins steam from the shore. Paul

Hi Adam From all reports sounds like the bream are well scattered. I've had nothing much in any quantity recently from the marks I fished last season. (if this makes sense) But maybe its the time of year, I've heard they dissapear arround end June/ july and return later in the season. Anyone got any ideas ? Paul

Hi Adam, Mines, Sundance, an Orkney Strikeliner, white hull and cuddy, - As I was motoring in at arround 13.00hrs I might have seen you crossing over to the coastguard lookout. I stayed over the wreck from about 0900 to 1300hrs. How did you do on Friday ? Paul

had an excellent day off work on Friday. headed out to the end of the ledge - mackeral were non existant and there was still a reasonably heavy swell. Almost convinced myself, I was going to see by breakfast again. In the end steamed over to the excellsior, which wasnt easy to find, probably covered over by the storms.....and anchored up about an hour before LW. Was straight into a few dogfish, so was quite chuffed especially as they were only lightly hooked .....I got my small hooks back.....and a fish is a fish right ? Then... bang and screeeeeeeech ! the reel took off, and I lifted into something more decent. First fish to actually fight and take line against a fully bent rod I've had for ages. Twas a reasonable sized Tope, which I lost at the side of the boat, due to dithering (teeth went through the trace). So put something a bit heavier on.... 50lb leader and 6/0, which fished up a further two of arround 8-10lbs. I was really pleased - first tope over the gunnels of this boat, and brilliant sport. They really do go...... Then another screaming run and this time I knew it was something different, as it surfaced about 50yds off the boat, a nice bass of 4lb. Then a dozen more Dogfish and at last a passing few mackeral which were pressed straight into service, in the usual manner. then I had a few bream, and lost many more - the wind had increased to a force 4 and the swell was making it very lumpy, and it was getting difficult to connect with any of the bites. Anyway, headed in after that. Lots of yachties coming out of Poole off to the Round the Island race and I was beginning to become a bit of a steering mark. Determined to try this mark again. No fish were show stoppers, but the sport was constant even around LW, and lots of different species. Paul

Not fishing more's the pity....was at the Beach Hut. But visibility was >20 miles on Sunday - could make out half a dozen sizable boats in a tight group out about 2 miles off southbourne (probably Charters). from the bearing must have been fishing the rock patch. Anyone had any luck there this season -maybe the Bream have shoaled up ? Paul

Mikes got some very good advice. Its always blowing 'old boots' when I've got a free pass so I also have some first hand experience ! When I was a lad, we used to dream of a 5 off the ledge, prefferably S or SW. ...white caps everywhere ! Some of those 'growlers' you could steam down the face of the wave and surf clean onto the back of the next one....wheee ! But then this was dinghy racing..... now I wont fish in a 4/5, and if the foam starts to blow off the tops of the waves, then this means you've probably sunk anyway. A friend of mine also claims that "bite detection is difficult when the seas too rough" well Bloody Hell !! this has always been the least of my problems !! imagine holding onto your guts with one hand whilst steering, too ill to pump the floor dry using the bilge, the slosh of an inch of green 'sick and seawater' everytime the boat rolls, followed by the expensive crashing sound of your gear that was on the seats and wasnt tied down ending up on the floor, soaking wet. Then there's the added hazard of everything being wet and slippery filleting knives and fingers, and strings of maccky feathers flying about. The books helpful hint of ''better to push the hook right through your hand then cut the barb off before trying to pull out a deeply embedded hook" has always amused me. I think the only bit they missed off was finishing off the job properly by heating up your knive afterwards using the gas stove until glowing red, and then plunging it into the palm of your hand to seal the wound, just like youve seen Clint Eastwood do on the telly. A what stage you're supposed to pass out with the pain I dont know. I joke of course. Anyway, I hear a 4 N or NNW off the ledge is OK for the inshore marks as its sheltered by the head, any other direction and its very tide dependent as you know. Not that I would want to put anyone off fishing in a gale, there's always the beach!

Just got back from a hard days graft on the patch. But .... its still much better than working !! Despite being gagging for it, fishing was v. slow going allday. We fished most of the ebb until low water, on the outer patch, only managing 2 bream a pout, a doggie and yes another two of those funny looking wrasse thingys with the spot infront of the tail fin ?? wierd - havent seen one of these before. Water was 10.5 deg - same as two weeks ago - summers not here yet ! We fished most of the flood until early evening, moving about from pot to pot to avoid the rough ground. Usually I fish light, 12lb main and dropper, but was getting snapped off - you know how you go out with every size of lead but the one you need, and not enough of them ! Went up to 25lb and at least managed to keep some leads and pull most snag ups free. Eventually found a good spot and got the bream tally up to double figures, so ended the day with a result ! Most fish were having the mackeral strips, and ignoring our squid. Also spent an hour or so on Poole/ Durley rocks - looked interesting on the fishfinder and quite clean ground either side - anyone tried this one ?? might be good inshore mark when it is lumpy further out. All in all, a good day out ! Paul

Nice try Alun If the master cannot catch, what hope for the apprentice? Faired a little better than you on saturday, had the warm sun on my back as I turned the corner into the garage.... it was minus 15 in the freezer, but still returned tired but happy, with a few bream to show for my efforts. Had to chip them off the ice, Not big fish, but to my astonishment they were already filleted, bagged and labelled......last of the autumn... mmmm ! Sinbad. Just goes to show that a man can last without most things for a month or two, but not fish or boats.