Adam F

Trev, Try looking new. Pop into your local shop - Ringwood Tackle and see Rich, mention Rupe and Al sent you in and see what he has. Manufacturers have seen the light in recent years - my handbuilt carp rods that cost me a fortune 6/7 years ago are now equaled in quality by the likes of 'Fox' for not alot of cash. The problem with alot of 2nd hand carp rods of yesteryear is that they tend to have heavy, bulky blanks and sloppy actions. If you get a newun' you'll get a lovel slim lightweight blank and matched rings with a 'proper' action - used perfectly to 'The Method' Egg Sucking lesson over! (Sorry!) I use an 11' 1.75lb Harrison Carp rod with a medium fast action - great for bass and not overpowering! Adam

Simon, Give me a call (number on the members list) and I will give you some info and tips, plus a few marks. If you want some company on a trip out I am more than happy to crew for you? 12 miles needent be your limit of the boat, unless that is where you feel comfortable. Ring me and we can discuss - in a rush this morning and too much to type! Adam

The use of crimps completely ruins the whole principle of the rig IMO. The beads also add little purpose - they dont have to buffer anything, so just add more cost, bulk and time to the rig. Great diagram though bob. To me the rig should be quick, cheap and simple to tie.

It was early even for me, but the text message I got at 3am from Gordon suggested he hadnt bothered sleeping from the previous night's session - ' Call me when you wake up'.... He arrived at 4am and by 4.30 we were heading out of the run at full bore - the last 2 trips for me have been slow so the plan was to be first on the mark and really give it a good bash. Anyway, it was too dark at 4.30 to feather up any bait (still pitch black) so off to the mark, but then a distant humm and the sight of green lights suggested we had been beaten to it - up at an ungodly hour and STILL beaten to the mark.... ...Aquafresh had arrived and proceeded to bag plenty of mackerel and then dissapeared before we had barely enough!.. On arriving at the mark, the bent rods on Aquafresh suggested plenty of bass were present...but our first 10 drifts suggested otherwise...I was on the verge of chucking in the towel: Up in the middle of the night, a tank full of tiny joeys and perfect conditions and the boat not 100 yards away was hauling, whilst we had not a single take!! Anyway we caught bass eventually but it was hard work. 7 bass were the total with two lost - best fish went 6lb the majority being 4-5lb and just a couple under this. We steamed back home at 11am for some well earned kip!! Adam

NICE ONE!!! Good 1st try - about time Tin Tin and his blanket had a go!! What a result first attempt!

Nice one Tom, At least a bit of action this time....my freezer is now full to the brim so I'm ready to give it a go! Interesting you had more action at anchor that drifting.. As James says - hours on the bank - its only a matter of time, and boy, o boy! wont it be worth it. I fished a Ringwood gravel pit for 12 months before I had a bite - 38lb 4oz mirror carp though...worth the wait!! Keep in there!

Dom, The ledge is best - you dont need numbers just motor over the ledge and find 30-40' of water on the back ledge (south side). Youll need to fish after dark, but it is seething with eels - need strong gear though...these beasts dont have the depth to dive, so they RUN!! Good luck!

Pretty sure Gordon will have these - I know he needs some. Ill ring him.

Quality!!! ....did they win the trip?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Nauticus-Smart-Tabs-...1QQcmdZViewItem Email this guy - he is the one who supplied a few of us - he doesnt have any of the 12x9 listed at the moment, but Im sure he should have some.

Bargin? http://www.boatsandoutboards.com/view/F111098/

As Paul said -

Sky + it - will watch tommorow. Been watching 'Trawlermen' the last few nights - pretty good series, similar to Deadlist Catch that Sky ran a few months ago - sheds a slightly new light on things, but also alot we sadly know - no fish, too many boats, etc...

Just checked my set-up; Maximum angle, minimum actuator pressure. Fully loaded 165 with moderate power (60hp 4 stroke). Have fun!

Take your point Tom, but I am trying to look at it from a more 'global' perspective. Sunday is traditionally the day to go fishing, all coarse fishing comps are on Sunday's for example - that doesnt mean it is in stone, just the tradition. Sure it is still the old hard core, but the point I am making is that the same 5-10 people seem to fish each month, these were members when the club had only 60 members, now we have double that it hasnt changed. It was the same this year with the 48hr comp - the lowest turnout for years - we even had flexible fishing times oevr 3 days, prizes and a specimen, not species format. I feel the clubs direction has moved due to the forums / website influence - not that this is a bad thing, but we now have members with a different motive - all of the evidence above also backs this up. Members used to join with the main motive to get out with other, fish the comps, and get together once a month - not saying that they dont anymore, but now the main driver in many cases is to join the club to meet others, use the forum in more depth and gain experiance and knowledge - neither is wrong, just a change in attitudes. Not meant to sound like a soap box job, its not, its just my optinion. Adam

Even that is tricky Mike, even for a young flexible whipper snapper like myself!! We went out for a morning around Brownsea and found a sectipon of shallow beach where we could jump out with chest waders on. As I have noted before, take a pan and paper and log the results against the settings - planing time, planing speed and top speed - but overall you will just get a 'feel' for what is best after about an hour. Most 165 owners have found that maximum angle on the tabs coupled with medium actuator pressure works best, but as you say engine and boat combinations can effect this. Adam

All good points chaps and you can alter the comp format all you like - fact is that you will never please everyone. If we adopted Tom's suggestion, the anglers who like the 'competition' side of the current format, going out all together and a bit of mettle in the day would be dissapointed. The format has worked for several years now, it is just this year that it seems to have slowed up. I know not everyone can fish Sunday's, but overall it must be the easist day for average joe to fish - work all week, sat with the family /choes etc and Sunday for fishing. As Charlie said, the club is now the biggest its ever been and the attendance is at the lowest - and to be honest if we look at the attendees they are pretty much the same (bar one or two) as the previous years, so is the problem getting new members to fish the comps? Adam

************Hot of the press****************** James has broken his ankle today, doctors have given him a minimum of 8 weeks sat on his arse with his feet up - no fishing! Right in the middle of the bass season as wel!!! Something tells me that he'll find a way though!!

12" x 9" from memory (12" being the width) with 60lb actuators - hence the product code: ST1290-60

I would imagine the bigger ones as the Shetland must be similar to the 165... The tabs need to go as far out towards the transom as possible, whilst still staying on the flat plane of the hull, somehting like this:

Mono is fine - and as you use a pretty long leader it makes sense to go all the way with mono to save the fuss - BUT, you can feel far more with the braid which is helpful when fishing this method. As for a braid to swivel / hook knot etc - normal knots work OK, just loop the braid twice through the eye and try to use knots that dont strangle - Grinner / Palomar are good.

Rich, Keep an eye out here: http://www.boatsandoutboards.com/category/Other/Trailers Something like this I woulkd have thought: http://www.boatsandoutboards.com/view/F105436/ Although dont count out a new one, they arent that bad, maybe worth having a chat with Indespenion in Poole. For a Quicksilver 540, I wouldnt have thought you would need a massive beast, a single axel would be fine. --------------------------------------------- As for the conversation on braked vs unbraked - if your boat is over 750kg legal limit and you have an unbraked (or braked but not working) trailer you need to seriously consider this - as others above have said, 1.) It is illegal and I have known plenty of people who have been pulled over and done on this and 2.) It is downright dangerous with most vehicles, trying to emergancy stop with over a ton of boat behind you is NOT funny.... ...you will be surprised, even the smaller of boats when loaded with kit and the trailer can approach 750kgs - anything Warrior 165 sized is definatly over the limit. Adam

...he already has!!

Well done chaps - its becoming a habit!! You must have the 'knack' as my last 2 trips over to the mark have produced just 1 fish - despite fishing all methods and both tides..... A cracking days fishing - I stayed in thinking the wind was too much, should have known better! Adam

Thanks for posting your comments on the site Steve, and well said on your website. Adam