Adam F

Gordon's Ray, Thornback 11lb 12oz

First winter cod aboard BW:

Gordon and I took the opportunity today to have a day off and make the most of this cold snap - high pressure = flat seas! It was bloody cold at 7AM this morning in Verwood, -4c! Loading the boat seemed hard work and it hadn't got much warmer by the time she was launched at Wick. On the way out the wind chill froze the water on the screen again and the blinding sun in the east made navigation uncomfortable.... Anyway, at 8.30AM we were at at our chosen mark with multiple squid baits in position - my comment to Gordon was 'if we get one it will be in the next hour, with the end of the flood'. The tide was predicted to slack at 11 AM ish and then ebb until 4PM. Shortly after 10.30AM a huge Armada or boats rounded the headland and headed to toward us! More boats appeared through the light mist from the West, and within an hour we had over 30 charter boats around us!! Of course...it was the 2nd day of the IOW cod comp! Apparently 13 fish were caught on day one, the best going 20lb 9oz. Anyway, as I was talking to James about 10.30AM my rod whacks over!....the the 'doggie' that was nibbling the end for the last 10 minutes has grown - I dropped the phone and latched into the beast....after 10 minutes of praying 'please be a cod' a golden bronzed flank breaks the surface! The FIRST winter fish of the year!! It looked HUGE when it went in the net, but after getting on deck it was a little out of proportion - a massive head and belly that tapered away to nothing - still she went 14lb 12oz on the flat calm sea! Well chuffed! Just as we came onto slack it was Gordon's turn! Another cod - what a day!! As she broke the surface it became apparent why the fight was a little lack lustre, it was a ray! a nice one at that, just a shade under 12lb....11lb 12oz Thornback. I followed this up an hour later with a 2lb Spotted Ray...and apart from a few doggies that was it. Conditions were superb, sun was out, bacon and fresh egg rolls with a hot kettle all day and a few decent fish - certainly beats work!! Photos to follow later just to really rub it in!! James is out tomorrow so watch out! Adam

Hi Harry, I too am a 165 owner...and launch mainly from Wick in Christchurch harbour. Use the search function on the top toolbar for 'slipways' etc and you will find plenty of past info on this subject. If you want more indepth info, send me a PM, and Ill call you to discuss. Adam

The Adjusta-mould, 2x 12oz bopedoes and the big bell mould are mine.... I need them back ASAP (this week?) as I am out of leads and the cod season is closing in. Who has them / will jhave them and when can I get them? AF

Trev, As Mike said - Ferraris on the Ferndown Ind. Est. are spot on - cheap as chips and will do any size you want - drilling the holes it another matter! Adam

Tom, 1.) Fish the Portland rig as a start - superb when fishing snagging ground on a fast drift - plus doesnt tangle even with a live bait. 2.) As Rich says keep the trace short when using Shads, as they are weighted the fall quickly. 3.) A decent braid helps bit detection and also to 'feel' the bottom - yes it doesn take lots of practise, but after a while you learn to just bump the reef and come away leaving it just long enough for mr bass! 3.) Make your own leads - its lots cheaper! - I reckon I have donated at least 30lb of lead to the needles reef this year! 4.) A long rof with a soft tip and plenty of backbone is a good help for the reasons above. Finally - if you fancy a trip before xmas (on BW or yours) let me know - work is a little hectic at the mo, but I can always find the odd day! AF

I havent heard of many cod so far this season, and looking back to last year we were in full swing by now....mind you the water temp on Sunday on the slates was 14c degs!! I feel we may have a late run this year lasting until after xmas...Ill be out Sunday - the weather is looking good! AF

As the forecast was all over the place, decided to try our luck that the wind might not get up and may be fishable. 8am at Baiter and all looked well with just a gentle NE breeze...heading out the harbour flat out ( ) Maverick came zooming past...met met up later out on the Spoils. Sea was OK, running across going out, so decent cruise speed. On the mark the anchor went in, and the sea became apparant - whilst fishable it was a little lumpy. 1st cast and Gordon is into an eel - nice fish about 20-25lb. Mine turn only moments later but the leader gives way. 10 mins later and Im away again, strangley the same fish as I just lost - a nice eels just over 30lb. After an hour or so I was struggling to keep the frying pan on the stove so we decided to head in as it was calling for over 2lb of lead to hold bottom. Closer in wasnt too much better, so opted for an hour in the harbour as the wind had got up a bit - no flounder action, so tried the castle, again wind with tide made the drift too fast so we packed up at 1pm and shot over for a late afternoon tour or Trev's trout farm and his new boat - cheers trev! Not a bad day all in, could have been better but nice to be out! Adam

?? The Metoffice is giving the same forecast for tomorrow as today? And the wind is in the North.....4-5?? Oh well, Safety officer's call I guess. BW will still be going out for a few hours, give me a call if you are out. Gordon went today and said it was like a mirror all day. AF

Ta for the comments...all along the same lines I was thinking. New car arrived last Friday, 320NM of tourque, but even so I wouldnt fancy towing the brut - she would go on a mooring at Xchurch.....incidently, after only 1000 miles in the new motor, someone stacked into the back of me today! 120,000 miles in the old astra and not a mark, 1000 miles in this and BANG!!! BUT; PX BW directly for the Souter, )10k) add decent engine for offshore work (17K) add a bit of stainless and other cosmetics (18K) add full electronics package and you end up at (20K) 23k buys you a 2004 Aquafish fully loaded: http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/F51005/ Pulling the braces tight, selling the pair of 100's, picking up one of the end of line 2 stoke Opimax's and some clever sourcing of materials could make it 18k..... To be honest its a bit of a snap thought as I had resigned myself to another couple of year till' a new boat, but I still may find myself 'working' near Anglesea next week!! Adam

Right, just to change tack slightly and revert to the original subject matter if this thread - I have found this (picture attached) It is a mid 90's Souter 21. Currently with twin 100 Merc's (same age) on a 2 yr old trailer. It is

Agree with Duncan.....good that we are targettting these people and bringing them to justice (?) but the fine IMHO isnt a big deal in the long term? Yes it may cripple a smaller fisherman, but it sounds as if these guys were more than that. If it sends out the right message it is better than doing nothing.

Dont be a tight wad!! You can pick one of these up for 9.99 in any tackle shop in the land - with a reel, and line!

....I sent Trev a PM telling him to contact you, as I cant find his number! It was an old email, but I have deleted it now. Who else would have it?

Trev - you have a PM. A chap who used to be in the club did mine at a bargin price, but I wont post his details for all to see. AF

Was gagging to get out this weekend, so made a last minute decision to grab a few hours this morning. (Sorry Rich, didn't think it was fair to drag you down from Soton for just 3 hours) Forecast was abysmal, but we reckoned on fishing the harbour for a bit just to run the boat up and get a fix. It was blowing a good F6 when we arrived at Baiter, we snuck round to the Castle taking green water every wave, but it looked too windy, so battled round to Wareham channel. It was very bad here also, we stuck the hook in and proceeded to swing 180 degs constantly! Then the rain came, huge sheets made vis. about 30 yards! Wind picked up and we sat there confiriming our madness. We then moved down to the Ski area and found shelter. Gordon manged two nice plump flounders about 1lb and I managed two bass. As the wind had dropped we shot back to the Castle only for the wind and rain to return even heavier than before! The fish didnt seem to mind though and the 50 rag we had left soon dissapeared as we took either a pollock or wrasse most drifts. We made it back to the slip for 12pm. As soon as we pulled out of the CP the rain stopped, the wind dropped and the sun came out!! Still good to get out again, and as Charlie said - someone turn the bl^%dy wind down!! Adam

He still isnt back! The Condor couldnt cross the channel as the swell was over 4m! He now has to wait until 10.30pm tonight and catch the slow ferry across, only problem is it docks in Portsmouth - the cars are in Weymouth. They have booked a taxi which is costing

BW will be out in the harbour tomorrow morning for a few hours just to run the engines up and get a bit of fresh air. Give me a call if you are about. Adam

Just been on the phone to Guernsey.....he boys are back on dry land. They fished in atrocious conditions today - F5-6 gusting F7, James said they were taking waves over the 39' Interceptor whilst on the drift!! He didnt give too many details as they we about to go into the official presentation,but...... They started drfiting a wreck, James took an early lead and held it until 11.30 when the changed boat positions. It was then a close run contest between Jim Whippy, James and a guy called Mick. James lost two 2lb plus bream at the side waiting for the net. Main species caught were Pout, Pollock, Bream, Scad and Garfish. Coming into the final few minutes it was still too close to call, Jim and Mick landed a few more bream and James had another....... Although the final results have yet to be announced, Jim Whippy (BFM editor) looks to have clinched the win, James thinks he has 3rd place. He comes back into Poole at 1.30pm tommorow so Ill know the final results then!

Just listened. Well done Paul - a true ambassador to the club. Adam

'Sea' obviously meant 'Tea' T and S arent even near on the keyboard!! The survival course the club ran last year was superb. Read here for the details: http://www.pbsbac.co.uk/forum/index.php?sh...350&hl=survival It is well worth attending, and we learnt more in the day that you could ever write about in the forum. Basically whatever you wear on a small boat during cold weather matters little when you hit the water. We spend about 2 hours in a heated swimming pool (32c) and I was cold when we got out - I had a full floation suit on and a lifejacket. When they made waves it was struggle keeping my face dry and getting into the liferaft was near on impossible. Try that in a F8 with 5c seas!!

Well said Trev. As always with these discussions personal perferance and opinion always comes into it - and why should'nt it? after all thats what the forum is for, and how else would we learn. Adam

Food: As all of the regular crew on BW know, its bacon and egg sarnies with plenty of hot sea and the occasional soup. A new one for the all day cod trips this year is canned Chilli con Carne, or spag bol!!!

My thoughts based on the fact I get very cold, very easily. Always go 2 piece. You get a double layer around the mid section and the flexabilty is a bonus. Often during autumn / spring Ill wear the salopettes and a fleece. I have the Imax suit also, and tend to use it when it is very cold as it is a very warm suit. Sure, you can sweat a little as it is not breathable, but when its 5c or below it is pretty good. Also they are relitivly cheap so I dont mind getting it covered in cuttle ink etc...if it lasts 2 or 3 seasons then it has been worth it. Secondly I have a set of Musto waterproofs that are worn for offshore yachting. They fit much, much better than the floatation suits are 100% waterproof and are breathable. I can wear these all day without getting the slightest bit sweaty. I wear a life jacket over the top if I deem nessasary and it is still not as bulky as the floatation suit. Downsides. They are about 3 times the price of a floatation suit. They get dirty easily and due to the nature of Goretex (or smiliar - HPX in Musto) it gets ground it and even a washinf machine struggles to get it out - they therefore end up looking rather shabby of not taken care off. They also require a decent level of undergarmets if it is very cold. Basically I chop and change depending on the conditions. The breathable gear comes on the boat all year round as it is so small and light, the Imax gets used cold winter codding. Lastly - my feet are the worst for feeling the cold. Skee Tex - no matter what anyone says, I have tried them all and nothing beats these. If Rannaulf Feinnes thought they were good enough to go to the pole, them they are good enough for me. Superb cold weather boots. Adam