great white

Hi James Happy Birthday mate I hope that you get all that you wished for. Trust all is well with you and the family, if you need a trip in the fresh air at some time give me a bell Charlie

Nice report Rob Sometimes those trips out on your own are bliss. Something I miss occasionally with the new boat being a bit too big for one man. You must of had some good mackeral "a few mackerel heads were retreived!) (both about 5 - 6 lbs)" if the heads were that heavy they must have been blackfin tuna CU afloat Charlie

Hi Guys Dan and I were very happy to help you out on Sat, it was nice of you to arrange a sunny day The willingness and flexibility of the driver/Hiab operator helped with everything but Bobs nerves. [jokes about old strops and test dates for the chain block did not help] But apart from the nervous rechecking of a few things as we went along [and just afterthe crane left ] it all went very well Please thank Rach again for lunch. Are all the auxilleries now on? and when do you fire her up for her first run? Regards Charlie

Have a full crew on Alfresco Paul D, Paul R, Alun J, Dan and I we will help to swell the numbers CU afloat Charlie

Hi Steve and welcome to the Forum, a fine place to start gathering advise and snippets. However the best way without any doubt is to join the Club over the winter and start to join in with the fishing. I may be speaking out of turn but I am sure offering Martin a test drive/ fish on your boat would be a big help. Our ex Chairman could talk you through the various fishing in all of our Club waters. While we can not match your 50 knots I am more than happy to offer to buddy up when you start exploring the wrecks Charlie

I was sorry that I forgot that this program was on But even though I have very thick skin and have done plenty of fishing and shooting It does not sound as if I would have enjoyed watching this program. It seems hard to complain about something you have not seen, but it does not sound as if this sort of footage is doing anything to help the image of us RSA's. It also shows how far the Yank hunters in some states are behind the times, During poor weather we do watch a fair bit of fishing on cable and other shows make a great effort to show how well fish are treated and really push catch and release,[Paul Young, Henry Gilbee, I Fish, Rex Hunt John Wilson to name a few] it sounds like these shows deserve the time on mainstream TV, rather than this trash. Charlie

So sorry to miss you out Dan With so many Members its hard to keep up I hope that you too had an awsome Birthday and got lots of shiney fishing kit Charlie and Boys

Happy birthday buddy I hope you had a great holiday and a awsome Birthday Charlie and Boys

Happy 65th Birthday Mike I hope the pension and the bus pass come in handy Charlie

say hello after the next meeting and I will happily pass on a few pointers. better still take up an offer of crewing or getting crew to join you and you will learn loads. Charlie

Stu The next couple of months see the last of the mackeral, garfish tope and bream etc but they will get replaced by sole, triggers, whiting and maybe some inshore cod together with the odd straglers from the summer Fishing for october cod and the first of the whiting usually also brings a few good congers , various rays and very large bass. If we can get a few of those calm crisp days, you will certainly not be alone out there. Tight lines Charlie

I have the electric ones on the cabin roof and they certainly seem loud enough, nice to be able to operate from the helm position, but most of the volume goes forward. You can get exceptionaly loud ones like we use at work for racing sound signals, but they are dearer. I also carry a gas horn in my grab bag. For years just carried one of those on Great White. They are certainly loud and can be aimed at people who you are trying to get the attention of. [usually WAFI sailing at you without crew on deck] or at the shore if sending SOS. Our RIB boxes at work also carry the trumpet type you blow through, I would not carry this alone but they make a reasonable back up in a grab bag. Charlie

Traditionaly the season picks up from now with sumer and some winter species around together. Make the most of the last of the mackeral this month and if you have room freeze some for winter baits. Then in the real winter it fishes on until Jan with a bleak spell inshore in Feb and March However the trends and weathers seem to have changed so much that some species we used to consider summer only now going right through especially wreck congering. As for cod, the mid channel marks were so good this summer for small fish, I hope that we get a few survivors in the winter. Tight lines Charlie

Thanks Adam Better luck with the weather next weekend Charlie

Hi Simon have a look at some of the "chew on this" ones from the states a bit extreme but entertaining, 500lb Goliath grouper 1000lb Hammerhead etc Personally I would like to see a bass show presented by this young lady, who would even notice if she could fish and would anyone care what content the show had Charlie

Not like in the movies is it? where they fly through the buildings knocking walls down with the wing tips Charlie

Done or it will be tonight when I get to my confirmation email at home Charlie

I hope you are right Alun Sam is home at the weekend and we hope to get out with the lures, I will have a space if anyone needs a ride Charlie

Nice one Andy Its great when the day pans out that way always a bit of a worry when heading out to a new one, will it will come up on the sounder?, then getting the pick in correctly is another tricky moment. But the satisfaction when the rods start to respond and the fish come on the feed make it all worth while Well done Charlie

Hi Fred Nice to know the Navy rate your Cat safer than their landing craft. But to be honest mate if it was sh#t and bullets time I would rather be on the one with the Kevlar armour plating up the sides. That fighter was certainly loud on its brief appearance on Sat Charlie

Looking great boys We also look forward to seeing the end product Charlie

I think I need to get out and practise this bassing game We had a plan to get out at a comfortable 0800 get some bait and start at anchor then move on to the drift Our trouble was the lack of bait, by the time we found enough the tide was ripping we stayed at anchor too long before going on the drift and blanked at both. we were also intent on going further west for the easing flood but the rising wind over tide changed my mind. a last hour on a tiny wreck bought one eel boated one lost and no bass I blame the skipper for not having a better plan, and not sticking to the original one. A boat had one right next to us of about 8lb as he drifted past an anchored Alfresco so we were in a good area. Well done all that competed and Neal for a winning fish from a new mark Charlie

Hi Barney welcome to the forum A nice boat well liked by plenty of Members and Christchurch is a good fishing area so I am sure you will soon get into the fish tight lines Charlie

Hi Adam I am the same as Simon, if I work at weekends its usually Sat. But this weekend the Clubs busiest dinghy sailing week starts on Sunday and I will be at work all day So this time the best day is Sat and we will be trying to get a bass or two. Unfortunatly Gary can not join us, so its me and the boys, the french bass bit was a joke but as we have not been out for a while we may be tempted to deeper water and possibly a rusty bit. Tight lines all Charlie

Hi Tom I did get the point and although rushed at work was trying to agree. I was also pleased to read that pete was letting others know what he found inside these reels. I have only been lucky enough to try proper big game fishing a couple of times with little success. I don't think any of my tackle would stand up to that style of fishing on more than the odd occasion. While 60lb congers and 45lb tope can be landed on uptiders and light boat gear I would not recomend them as the best kit to catch them on regularly, especially to newer anglers. That said I personally would rather catch them on that gear than my 50lb all roller rod and 6/0 reels. Kit that is now kept for very serious deep water angling and the odd try at Sharking. Charlie,