Gnasher

me with one of the lardy boys snacks...... take it away fella's

what, for your grayling fishing

yes plenty of bait, and as im generous, i'll even share my crabs with you

with the wind kicking up on saturday day/night, my plan were ruined as the sea was to big to take my boat out and thats where a vessel like alfresco gives you an edge, but theres still enough water to find some shelter and easily enough species to still compete as charlie says, with a small boat, u tow her to a different slip. so he right about a small boat versitility cancelling out a large boats range. Keep conger and huss, but i would say that 40lb as 100% for an eel is a fairly easy target is you are specifically target them, so i would like back the idea of 100% being something like 50lb and i would espect a decent boat, anchored on a decent wreck with plenty of eels on it would get a 100% 40lb specimen fish fairly easily. I would say the same for one of my favourite species the thick lipped greay mullet(i targeted them in the comp as i thought its a banker for a 100% fish, in tha same way that the alfresco lads banked on a conger or two of 100%+), . a mullet of 4.4lb is a pretty easy target and 100% should be moved to 5lb. If you can target them, the ratio of a 4lb fish is about 3-1 anyway, so thats another that may need looking at. Well, thinking about it, considering that most mullet fishing is actually sight fishing, i pick out the larger ones anyway, and its probably about 1 in 4 fish that i get is under that weight! But if the format stays the same, just be shrewed about your targets, and do your your homework before hand as it was not by luck that my little boat had two 100% fish. Anyway, congratulations to Dan again, sticking to his target and getting the reward. Good to see a nipper win it! Danny

probably right there mike, because if you believe u have no chance, you most probably wont as i doubt you will be fishing any where near 100% thinking like that. A bit of preperation and focuss and theres plenty of inshore species that can be targeted. You have far more chance of a 100% inshore species than a 100% rips cod at the moment. Be confident in your ability mate as you have a pretty good track record of catching decent fish and im sure you would have done well. BTW.... I finished 3rd and 4th.....didnt know that was possible

Disaster comp really. Plenty of wind and i watched as the sea blew up infront of me! We headed for the solent, stingers was the plan and after some great info from Ed and also hearing how old mate matt had 3 the previous night, i felt lucky! No chance really! Got out there, got smashed all over the place to the waves and hated every second of it. headed in, changed plan, anchored up in the shallows in keyhaven and had mullet going in seconds! A nice fish of 4.9 (new club record, although i must have broken the origional record about 20 times on the boat over the last couple of years and not relised the record was so low). was landed by me after a couple of minutes before we go back out, tucked out of the way, but huge weedballs blew our chances, combined with being chucked about, we head in degected at about midnight. Day 2, and its looking better. Im out with my son and dad. Get some bait and have a couple of quick bass drifts. Nothing! Motor out to xray, staright into dogs and bream, before the rod pulls over and holds! A nice scrap and a pb smalleyed ray of 12.4 is in net before we call it a day! Anyway, i suppose at least the string was pulled and with two 100% specimens landed i shouldn't complain, but it was a very frustrating couple of days and i was hoping for more. Roll on next time!

well done Dan....cracking fish.

im glad the lads enjoyed it mate. Hopefully they will have just as much fun on the lakes. I know a few carp bagging pools that will suit them down to the ground, so if you need any fisheries in the future, buzz me mate. I may also be able to pop down and give some advice, and could possible lend them some gear to. Danny

Whats the format anyway? we will be out about midday sat, fishing til 2pm sun. how do we check in, register catches, fishing times? etc

wasnt there a pic of a yellow fin tuna on here a couple years ago caught off, or washed up off barton? It was prob a wind up at the time though, but id like to see pic again if any1 can find it in the archives.

I am just reading the solent forum, and a few of those lads seem to think they have seen tuna chasing maccy shoals on way back from alderney. anyone else seen them? I would suspect bass crashing in to them, but some of them seem to think differently. They also mentioned that an amberjack was landed at the back of the island a couple of years ago. Theres also a suprise out there somewhere.

happy birthday dude!

Who is fishing it? It is my 1st comp in a while and i plan to be out Sat am until early hours of sunday morning, back in for a couple of hours kip and then back out early doors sunday. Looking forward to it already!

Simon, many thanks for the info. I will take another look at it tomorrow and if i am still stuck, i'l give you a buzz mate.

i am a bit of a numnut when it comes to installing electronics. I am putting in my Navman 7100 radio, but am unsure as it has a lead for an external speaker and the manual suggests that an external speaker has to be used. I would have thought that it would have a built in one already, but it says that that it cant be switched on with out the external jack plug for the speaker connected. The manual isn't clear, but can any1 confirm that i do or don't need to install seperate speaker? Danny

single or treble hook through nostrills of live bait. Rich, did you have flourocarbon snood?

i am very suprised that there was no 100% fish landed. Well done pete. Dan

beat me 2 it pj... Rich, fish ragworm on float anywhere along the last half of the groyne on eitherside and the kids will bag up on wrass, small pollack and school bass. Fishing with an 1oz bomb ledgering with a light rod, again with a single rag and fished only a rod length out will get a bite a chuck, again mainly wrass, up to and over 2lb. I would say fly fishing would also be pretty easy from here mate, get a chum slick going and there will be garfish all over it. May be lucky with a bass also as theres plenty there. Id also ditch the fly and twitch back a long, silver and white single maccy feather, but rigged with a smaller hook. Gars should be pretty easy. Ive fished there loads over the years and it alsways produces fish.

Problem sorted. I have been up since silly o clock checking it over. It wasn't actually engine failier (although as it didnt start, indirectly it was), but it was connection problems with the kill switch. A tiny split in the wire that was impossible to spot at that time. All re-wired now and ready to go. I would be interested to know how a sea check could have got me home (although i know an aux engine is advisable on any craft, and i have been looking to have one for sometime, but most of the lads i know who have had sea checks still operate from one engine!), and the rnli actually commented on how professional we were in how we delt with the situation, but i will be looking to have a check at some point this year anyway as i have never denied that it isn't worthwhile.

at night yes, the thinlips often go mad and very occasionally during day to. They were not being chased though. I think Paul D also had one jump in his boat in christchurc last year.

hound

first session out in a couple of weeks and with my mate Tad on board, we thought we would spend the last hour drifting for a bass or two around hurst. Hurst was fairly calm for once, but it took me a bit of time trying 2 work out what drift to take as the bottom as i found depths down to 236 feet only 200m from tha shore! Anyway, we only get time for one drift anyway, and it was a poor one at that with weed everywhere, but i still managed a bass, only a smallish one and it fell to a shad (thanks pauld and rob for the tips), but nice bbq size and also the first of the year for me:rolleyes: A quick motor to the slack area to anchor into darkness, but there is still a strong tide and i cant hold bottom in the shingle. I decide to change and move much closer in, this time an area with little tide and in 18ft with the target species being hounds. Plenty of bites on small bits of squid, mainly pout, before i hook into a big hound that i just couldn't stop. 50 yards gone in the shallow water and the hook pulls! Gutted as i am sure it was a really decent fish! a few more pout, and plenty of missed bites then i'm in again. Long fast runs in the shallow water, but no where near as powerful as the lost fish. 5 mins later though a nice hound is netted! We decide to call it a day, but problems!!!! Complete engine breakdown!!!! With out a back up, im forced to call the rnli and they were out in no time to tow me back into the harbour. They actually broke down to, but the 2nd of their twin engins kicked in, then we run aground! lol..... they were a top bunch though, and they even had a mullet jump in their boat! Instead of the rescue, they then decided to use my landing net and spent 10mins trying to catch jumping mullet from their rib witch was a bit of fun. I was very greatful to them for helping me! They done a great job, but were also top, top blokes aswel. I will be looking at the engine tomorrow, and will hopefully find the problem. Danny

crew sorted.....and now hopefully dinner 2moz aswel

xray is a large area of mud, pretty flat and in about 65ft. quite a large area and it has lots of thornies, smalleyes and spotties on it, along with a few undulates. Its quite a big area that a few of the members use. il pm u later anyway.