Adam F

I take it that the speed limit is now dropped in the harbour?

Well done mate - congratulations! Another year well fished - you cant argue with results like that.....now go win the Warrior! Adam

Paul, Yes we spend a few days at Burgau - great beach and lovely beach side bar. I was tempted to have a go at the mullet, but didnt take any gear and didnt fancy wasting money on cheap tackle over there. The charter was 400 euros for the day - 67 each, so about the same as the UK, but when you consider he has to pay the same for diesel as the road users do, it makes it cheap in comparison. His english was OK and he moved three times to put us on fish - so I couldnt complain - we took our own lunch, but he did provide it for 8 euros each. Finally - youre right, flying from Hurn is the way to go - and cheap also if you book ahead - we have already put down for next year! Bob - yep, fabulous courses. I didnt take my sticks as no one else in the group played, but you were spoily for choice. We stayed about 2 miles from the Beuna Vista Golf Resort and Pennina was only 1/2 hour alway. Quite dear for a round though, between 50-90 euros. The snorkelling experiances this year in both Spain and the Algarve has also prompted me to take my PADI over the winter to enable us to scuba dive when on holiday. One of the guys we went with did, and it was very reasonable for a days diving - 30/40 euros.

Best fish of the day - Red Snapper 4lb

Just returned from a week in the Algarve, Lagos to be precise. Never been before, and was very impressed....not a single 'brit-abroad'...lovely! We hired a superb brand new villa for the week, and basically the 8 of us just ate and drank to our hearts content, and had a great laugh in the process. Didnt manage a fishing rod in the case, but did take the snorkelling gear which got used most days - colder than the Med, as in the Atlantic, but just as good vis and lots to sea. Biggest result was that I mananged to find at least half a dozen scallops each trip - all of wich were eagerly consumed that night - the last night saw us gather a few fresh mussels, a dozen fat scallops and we bought a kilo of fresh jumbo tiger prawns - for our own Fruit de Mer!! I also hunted down the local charter boat and promptly booked a trip for Weds, and as the others all wanted to try we charted the whole boat - a 38' Aquastar originally from Liverpool - called The Pescamar - Jacko was our skipper. The plan was to go blue water game fishing as he had taken two white marlin and a few dorado the day before - but as the other 5 were all fishing virgins we opted to just do a bit of inshore bottom fishing. We fished 3 hook patternosters with pieces of prawn for bait - tackle was a little dissapointing - 20lb class solid class rods with cheap fixed spools - but after a while it just added to the experiance - they hadnt even heard of braid when I mentioned it to them! Bites came to everyone, every cast for the whole day - and as others have experinaced, the Portugese keep everything the local law deems sizable - unfortunalty this isnt very big - a black bream has to be just 12cms. We protested and put most of the fish back, but still ended up with 3 builders buckets full of fish - we took a few for the BBQ, the rest went to the skipper and crew. Red Snapper, Permit, four types of bream, gurnard, bass, scorpian fish, mackerel, scad, herring and about six types of wrasse kept us busy - plus 3 or 4 fish Ive never seen or heard of! The snapper and permit brushed with olive oil and pepper and salt was some of the best tasting fish I have ever had! To finish it off the five non fishers were all 'hooked' and wanted to try back at home! Finally - we had 7 days of clear blue skies and 29-31 degs everyday - from the looks of things I didnt miss much - good to be back though - and just in time for the cod! Adam

....and you started the thread! Some people!

Speak for yourself Martin....

Over that way - somehwere inbetween St Catherines Point and Portland Bill = Club Waters!.... Ring me and Ill tell ya!

Returned alive;

Best of the year for me: 10lb 14oz

With things so busy both with work and social calander I had consigned myself to the fact that my next trip would be mid october for the whiting etc... Then I took a call from a client who cancelled a meeting in London this morning - so what did I do? Go to the office for paperwork, or take a few hours off and squeeze in a last gasp bass trip - in hope of the ellusive double that have evaded me all year.... Needed to get back early as had afternoon appointments, so with Gordon in tow we launched BW in the dark at 5.00am into a rapidly emptying Christchurch harbour. We knew it would be tight to get out as it is still big springs this week, but wernt prepared for the mere 12" that greeted up in the pitch black at the bar.....we were doing 6 knots in neutral, so when we hit the gravel we hopped out expecting to be able to just pull BW over the gravel - we didint expect the tide to still push the boat though - so with both of us hanging ontot he boat we were swept along for 20 yards before it deepened off - sounds more dramatic than it was, but the hull took a few scrapes again! Out at sea the mackerel were proving hard as others had said, then Gordon hooked a full string that was taking line! Up pops a nice 4lb bass! We then moved out to the mark, were thankfully the tide had begun to flood and the mackerel were on the feed, a mixture of joeys and jumbos. It all looked perfect - the tide was big, the drift speed over 2 knots (3.2 max actually) and the wind just a gentle F1 S in the morning air - surely the bass would be crawling up the line?....Nope! After about a dozen drifts without a take and a dozen lost leads and tackle later I contacted a fish....no the bottom....no - a fish!! This felt like a real beast and fought deep and hard from the outset - several times I got the leader to the tip only for it to drive back to the bottom - we drifted 1/4 mile whilst I played her - finally the lead appeared alongside the boat - the fish underneath, and we both peared under to catch the first glimpse of the fish - then out she popped and into the net 1st time - a real beast of a silver bar! I wanted to return her so we took a few snaps then weighed her taking the bottom weight - before slipping her back, where she swam off powerfully. She went 10lb 14oz! Unfortunatly that was it for the morning and that mark - we finished off on another new mark and I took a 2lber on a Wildeye Eel - a 1st for me, then back on the slip for 10am, and back at work by 12! A great morning, well worth missing a meeting for! Adam

I would have to agree with you Duncan - although I did have a similar initial thought to Dan when I first saw the picture. In general I am not a fan of a group of anglers holding masses of fish - far better, a decent framed, good quality picture of an angler holding a fresh, clean fish straight from the sea - bloody, faded fish esp. in numbers do not give the sport a good impression to non anglers. It seems some skippers, sites, anglers, mags etc have caught onto this, and I think decent pictures promoting the sport are more commonplace. Adam

Seems a fair price for a cracking boat - a little out of my league until next year...but Im sure someone will snap it up at that price. AF

Seen them Steve - I like you like tinkering and was trying to think of a way to make my own - the frame looks easy enough it was just the ramps / entry holes I was considering. I have read that the season has pretty much ended on the South coast though and potters dont bother during the winter as the weather is too unpredictable and a ground swell can easily loose your pots... Adam

Went to the Boat Show yesterday with Gordon for a look around. Pretty much same as every other year to be honest, but we had free tickets so it was worth a few hours. Good things: Cheetah Catamarans, had a good 30 mins chat to the guys and were really helpful. A little out of my next price range and slightly more expensive length of length than the usual angling boats, but what a piece of kit. They had the 6.2m std wheelhouse at the show, and the deck was HUGE! With relitively small engines (2x 40hp Suzuki's) he said it still pushed 28 knots! They were also very flexible to build whatever the client wanted. I then spent another half hour on the Pirate stand looking at the Pirate 21 - a cracking boat, again the same willingness to build for the client, and loads of nice touches. Again a little out of my budget, especially as he wouldnt do a part build for home completion - but we will see how things lie next year.... Bad things: Warrior again didnt have the promised wheelhouse boat - it looks as though this will not be coming?.... Osprey Boats (redfinn) as last year were very unhelpful - the two chaps just sat in the wheelhouses of the two boats one reading the paper the other on the phone - great customer attention - not. Adam

Just been browsing the net and found this: http://www.qsl.net/m0pmb/potting/shellfishing.html Been meaning to try it for a few years now - may just get a pot over the winter ready for the spring? Adam

Too busy at the moment to get BW out so she's having a well earned rest, but had a corporate day out on Thurs... With our regular beat of the Test now belonging to the National Trust we have had to look at other venues, so this time it was nice and close to home for me - Rockbourne Trout Fishery. A good start in the immaculate barn Jeff has created with bot tea and bacon rolls! The complex has 6 lakes and about 1/4 mile of chalk stream with wild browns. The who complex is lovely and secluded and very picturesque. To sum up it rained most of the day, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and more importantly so did my clients. Total catch for me was 4 lovely 3lb plus rainbows all taken on a 8' 4 weight rod, 3lb tippet and damsels nympths. One was eaten that night pan fried with Garlic and bacon - a classic recipie. Two were given away to friends and family and the other is sitting in the fridge for a week as Gravad Lax! Mmmmmmm!!!! Adam

Well done guys! It was Rachaels and James birthday this weekend so no fishing for me - sat in the garden doing family stuff today watching my 'wind tree' not moving at all whilst the sun beat down! Martin - welcome to the fun of retreaving at LW at Wick! Its a great slip at HW but anything lower than 1hr plus it is a real sod - thats with BW, I imagine you had real fun with Maverick! AF

Trev, I know a good home from them if you ever have a glut on your hands! in a white wine and cream sauce tossed in pasta, or cooked with garlic and chilli! Almost as good as lobster or big fat prawns! Mmmmm!

Happy Birthday mate - have a good-un', shame we arent out fishing!

I dont bother heating the moulds - I just cast away - the first one may come out a little misformed but generally once one has been done it will be warm enough. I use a thick pair of quality welding gloves to handle the moulds - this means I can empty the mould whilst still hot ready for another shot. The coleman stove is ace, and much cheaper and more pwerful than gas - it takes 20p of unleaded to fill the small tank and will run for way over an hour - once hot and depending on the sixe of the melting pit only takes abou 2 mins to melt 6oz of lead. It is a Coleman Sportster Stove. I have a teaspoon bolted to a length of alu. tube and bent at 90 degs to remove the dross from the pan.

Drop nose pin should do it - most chandlers do them. http://www.mailspeedmarine.com/ProductDeta...ategoryID/54/v/ Thread here: http://www.pbsbac.co.uk/forum/index.php?sh...=15entry12579 AF

I have a Charter Special 1000 and love it to pieces - a little 'rougher' than the silky Abus but tough as they come. I have a TLD15 which I think is my best all round reel - drifting live eels for bass or fishing several squid on 2lb of lead it is equally happy - no level wind though, but as D says you learnt to live without. Finally I have the TLD20 which is the latest aquisition. Yes it is a big reel, but solid, doesnt get used much - only deep water rays tope and conger - but when you need a tool for this job it is the nuts. In comparison I have the Titus TG30(50?) which is a lovelly looking reel and works well, but the alloy frame doesnt like salt water dispite washing and WD40 every trip - 6 months after having it I had to DRILL the retaining screws out to service it - not nice on a

A topic which I guess we all had to consider when we fished for rays last weekend - and hopefully one that will spur a decent and interesting thread. My take on it is thus (mainly based upon watercraft gained freshwater fishing) and is not meant to be a right or wrong way, but just a base to begin from. Take a big bank like the dozens of offshore banks we have around Poole/Christchurch and Weymouth. It comes from 110' up to 80' and then back down to 100' within 500-1000 yards. Where are the fish/rays likely to be? Will they be at the front of the bank (many fish like a bit of tide - bass for example) will they bit at the top of the bank catching food as it reaches the highest point of the bank, or will they sit in the slacker deeper water at the back intercepting food as it is washed over and sitting in the slacker water expending less energy? Over the years I have taken fish from all parts of banks / reefs and therefore havent really come to a conclusion - what do others think? Discuss....

Duncan, Suits me - it is just too big for BW. Let me know what you have and when you want to change them. AF