great white

Nice report and well done for getting your share of the fish. I have just recieved a report from Peter Peck that he had 7 the best went 5lb 5oz but was very thin. All 7 returned Charlie

Dave If you fancy an evening trip once the summer arrives give me a call we can no doubt discuss the fishing tactics areas etc while drowning a worm or two after bream and testing the groundbait. Charlie

Thanks Bob

Pete will not be getting one now that they can track you. He would not want us all on his marks. Charlie

Hi Yes they are a nice little boat, but be sure to check the weather conditions and wind direction carfully before venturing out to far. an ebbing tide puts up a few waves inside the chain ferry that would give a few moments of worry. Kimmeridge is a very fishy spot, but can rapidly lose its charm when the tide and wind are opposed. My advice would be to start slowly and gain confidence as you go, be aware of the weather, tide and other boat traffic. while bigger boats can ignore the wash from large ferrys and powerboats you would not be advised to do so. Be safe and tight lines for 2005 Charlie

Nice one Bob I bet it was great to be out yesterday. Charlie

Rich Does he do all makes of reels? I need a couple of bits for my ABU 7000's And do you have a contact No. Charlie

Nice one Dave Your first ever plaice will be in the book. Do you want the pout added? Lovely weather for an early Easter, but a bit early for fishing inshore. Charlie

Paul I will look at it next Sunday and give you some advice on it. If you are happy to wait until after the Burnham trip. Charlie

Hi Matt Perhaps you ought to be giving us all lessons in how to get the other half anti fouling while you look after the kettle. If you are ever short of crew, Sam and I would love to come out and see how she performs. Charlie

Hi Adam Easy to get mixed up with all the plastics around. we need to try and source polythene tubing if we [You] can. We used to get it flat in rolls for exhausts of vent fans. Thinking about it the Polyuerthene tube of the right size could be an option, cut into lengths, insert a plastic bag and then stuff with Groundbait and pop in the freezer. once frozen it should slide out easily plastic to plastic. I may try this theory using a few short lengths of downpipe when the mackeral arrive. Charllie

Are you now having your own competition guys The boat Jumble is only two weeks away so you may get 1 or 2 anchors there, and of course rope Charlie

Hi Matt She's a lovely boat As we discussed at the Dinner and Dance I have the specs here, but I would love to come down and have a closer look at her. perhaps we could come to cobbs and have a look some time. Or if you are out and about and have time, call me at the Yacht Club and bring her in to the Haven so I can have a look. Charlie

Hi Sorry to hear that another Anchor got away, those rusty bits get damn sharp. I had exactly the same problem last summer, the anchor slipped into the wreck while I was "discussing " the parentage of a dive boat skipper who insisted on diving the wreck I was anchored on. After a bit of Humble Pie one of his divers freed my anchor for me. The scope for anchoring is between 3 and 5 times the depth, I am afraid with the scope you were using holding bottom was very unlikly. I agree with the others that you really do need to carry a full coil [220m] I would still have thought that the alderney ring method of retrieval would have worked, steeming the anchor out into the tide, as you would have a bit of space to start moving before the lift started. was the anchor rigged to trip out? Bet it was a lovely day to be afloat, as Sam said we were busy rubbing down the old anti-fouling and Cleaning the topsides, but would rather have been fishing. Tighter lines next time Charlie

All seem to be variations on one theme. In NZ they use berley bombs that are unwrapped then droped while frozen into a transom tube, which are closed at the base but the base has lots of holes to let the Sea water in and berley out. This flows away and sinks, attracting the small fish, which in tern attract the larger fish. A fairly large bomb was lasting about 3 to 4 hours, which seems to be about how long they fish for out there at Dawn or Dusk. That is why I asked Adam if he can source a supply of polythene tubing to be stuffed with groundbait and frozen, that would fit in its frozen state into a transom tube. Please be aware that in NZ they fish deep areas using this method but they do not have the tides we have , a big wieght to them is 2 oz. If we can set this up I am more than willing to try it. If the Transom tube does not work, or the groundbait just gets washed out to quickly there are other options. Charlie Charlie

Judging by the BFM Clue and an Earlier Post South Africa sounds favorite. BFM states that it is now Illegal to fish for Great Whites out there However swimming with them without a cage is allowed!!!!!!!! And they say shark have small brains Have a great holiday Charlie

Hi Adam I would be interested in a roll, of a size that when full of frozen groundbait would drop easily into either 3" downpipe or probably better in 4" soil pipe. If you can get a roll at about 3 1/2" dia please get me one and let me know what I owe you I will use it to freeze blood guts and bone and left over bait etc into groundbait and of course fish magnet. I could then make up a transom pipe, like those in use in NZ to try in UK. Happy to trail it and report on results Charlie

Alex Black Bream love to be among the rough stuff and are much better fighters than river bream. using very thin braid could be a problem if pulled into the snags as a very slight cut and its goodbye fish. Most areas that we fish are shallow by normal standards so a spinning rod and 1oz weight with a tough nylon line will usually suffice, the bites are not shy so not really a need for braid for bite detection IMHO. Bring them on Thats if Sam can stp nagging about Tope fishing instead Charlie

wedger as said in an earlier post, the commercial groundbait in NZ is frozen in net tubing inside plastic which makes it better to handle. I am sure that if yours was packed like that it would be appealing to the market. especially if the bombs then fitted inside 4" drain pipe that could be made into droppers or transom tubes. in the RN we used plastic tubing of about that size as discharge hoses for vent fans to get fumes and smoke out of the ships. so there must be a source somewhere, any ideas Adam?? Look forward to trying your mix ASAP the bream arrive Charlie

There was a recent report in one of the mags, That seems to agree with Sam The new owner of the boat found the engine took a lot of space and he needed to add some cushion to the back of the cabin after banging his head on it. All boats are a bit of a compromise, but that one has not got enough plus points for my liking either. Charlie

As Usual there are so many to choose from. You probably realise by now that I am a fan of ABU and Shimano reels, but am more flexible with the choice of rods. A Shimano TLD 15 or 20 lever drag is great as long as you do not want to cast. for casting I prefer the ABU 7000. Neither have a problem with braid. and unless you are wrecking in very deep water the need for a cranking reel is not top priority, take your time and enjoy catching the fish is my advice, rather than just cranking them up. One of the main things on a ROD for braid is to avoid any rod with cheap rollers, the fine braid will at times get between the roller and its mounting and get cut. Some rods are fitted with special rollers, but quality lined rings are fine. That said I have used my Carbon Kevlar 30lb Northwestern with an afco tip roller for years using braid without any problem, but thats probably due to the expesive and well made roller eye. Once again its down to what you like and how much you want to spend. why not call a couple of Charter skippers that are sponsored [by Differant manufacturers of course] and ask them. Happy hunting Charlie

What a well equiped boat. I bet you can not wait for a bit more warm weather. Have fun Charlie

For those looking for relacement nets for the stainless landing net rings that Pete made these should also be the ones for that as well. Charlie

Glad you all had a good day, and the fog was not so bad that it stoped you going out. It was starange to get up early to see Sam off and not join in the fishing. Good to see a few fish in the Book for March, Gordon if you have any for the book please send me a report. Paul, Thanks for taking Sam I know he really enjoyed it , sorry that you lost your glasses to Davy Jones locker Have a safe trip to drop Elaine off in the morning. Charlie

Hi Paul The Hard two pack paint is international 907 in a variety of colours. it also uses a two pack 907 undercoat. You will need to get all traces of any old 1 pack paint off or they will react. and do not try to apply to thick a coat as it runs easily. I would shop around for prices, although you should get a discount from Pete Trew at Quay West chandlers if you contact him via his link. Its not cheap wherever you get it Charlie