Gnasher

im looking to start planning some smoothhound fishing in the solent. Ive a mark or two outside the solent, and i know the rough areas to go for them in the solent, but has anyone got any numbers they can giv me, in return for some christchurch marks. Ideally, i want to be within about 4 miles from Lymington enterance. PM me if you can help. Dan

1. Danforth anchor is a doddle to trip. Ive used mine on loads of times in the ledge rocks and not lost one yet. Mine is fixed with the chain on the opposit side to the grip. 2. normally 2 cable ties, but ive changed to one, makes breaking out much easier. One will also be strong enough to hold you in a decent tide. Only downside to using one, is that it may trip every time you motor out, but whats the cost of a cable tie? About 10p me thinks Coddy- I drilled a hole, it takes a while, but you will get through in the end!

nice report Charlie! If you have no front hatch, feed the anchor warp through the front roller, but have the rest of the rope inside the boat so you can control how much is out/ and or cut it quickly in an emergancy and then take the anchor and chain back on your self and store in a large bucket inside the boat (reading this, this dosn't actually make sense, but i know what i mean ). Its safe, and practical, and it works for me! Just think if you at the front in and it was roughing it up and you find your self in the drink, someone else would then have to get to the front of the boat and release the rope, taking up vital time. Having the warp stored inside if you have no front hatch will let you cut free and be getting the casualty inside the boat in seconds! Just to recap, i run the rope through the front roller, take the anchor inside, then drop anchor. I then feed the warp from a bucket, which then runs through the front roller, until enough is out, then i tie off on a cleat that is reachable. Its fine to tie it off here, as the warp is still comming from the front of the boat! When i bouy the anchor, i just coil the warp inside the bucket and lift the anchor in it after. Just like when you are at anchor, motor out with the rope attached from the front of the boat, and never tie it off at the back. I think all that all makes even less sense now

nice1 charlie , shame about the pole growing out of your head!

i picked up 200m of blue nylon 10mm rope for under 20 squid and it was crap!!! It wouldn't coil and was perminatley knotted, BUT for whatever reason, after i used it a few times, and gave it plenty of stretch whilst trying to break out the anchor trip whilst stuck in those ledge rocks, it just seemed to go limp, and now it coils great! Very odd! But i'm not complaining! Still wouldn't reccomend it though

if your comming down, why not just go from xchurch? a quick blast once your out of the run and your on some of the best breaming marks in the country (xchurch ledge). Will also catch good wrass, and will have a chance of a big bully, bass and pollock! Ive given Dave a few numbers a while back! I've no idea about fishing out of Ringstead or Kimmeridge so i can't be aby help there! Hopefully some other members will leave some feedback for you, as to how and where you fish this area! Danny

a load of cr@p me thinks

I didn't know this Not sure what my car and boat weigh! I just cut and pasted it from a web site i was looking at. Car licences obtained before 1 January 1997 All drivers who passed a car test before 1 January 1997 retain their existing entitlement to tow trailers until their licence expires. This means they are generally entitled to drive a vehicle and trailer combination up to 8.25 tonnes maximum authorised mass (MAM). They also have entitlement to drive a minibus with a trailer over 750 kgs MAM. Car licences obtained on or after 1 January 1997 Drivers who passed a car test on or after 1 January 1997 are limited to vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes maximum authorised mass towing a trailer up to 750 kgs, or a vehicle and trailer combination up to 3.5 tonnes MAM providing the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen mass of the towing vehicle. You will need to pass an additional driving test in B+E if you wish to tow a caravan or trailer combination which exceeds these weight limits. The car and trailer practical driving test The car and trailer test (B+E) is based on the lorry driving test and lasts for approximately one hour. Please note that B+E tests are conducted at vocational (bus and lorry) driving test centres. The towing test (B+E) includes vehicle safety questions, an off-road reverse manoeuvre, a controlled stop, uncoupling and coupling of the trailer and driving on the road. You will not be expected to carry out the following exercises: emergency stop on the public road reversing round a corner reverse parking turning in the road

i think weve been going round in circles with this link. I think when everyone moaned last time about the mag (including me to some degree) didn't he say he would be happy to join a club boat and do a feature? Maybe we should of taken it up! If he asked me to take him out for a feature. I have moaned about it before, but i still think overall its an infectious read and i will continue buying.

thats some great advice charlie, im suprised it wasn't picked up earlier in the thread though! As time goes on, you will pick up these things quickly. I've only been launching my own boat for about 2 years and its suprising how quickly you learn- especially with the knowledge that some of these lads have

easy peasy when you know how!! Me not travelling as fast as i thought then!!! It feels so much faster on water than it does on land !

(not really in response to Duncs question, as he has a diferent point, but some info incase others may think that feeding rice is dodgy and potentially dangerous to the fish- as i had a chap tried to tell me it was at mudeford last week) boiled rice will be fine for sea fish such as bream to digest as it can't swell in the fishes stomach! It will pass it no problems! Think about the baits that the course anglers use- Bread, sweetcorn, boilies, pellets, luncheon meat, dog biscuits, vitalin dog food, peanuts, maze, the list goes on - all not exactly natural to them- but the fish live a healthy life and go on to grow big eating them As long as baits like rice are prepared properly then there will be no long or short term problems(unless the fish get pre-occupied on it and turn their noses up at traditional baits and prove hard to catch) and help to make a very cheap groundbait. Dan

how do i convert knots to mph? If my boat does 22.5 knots, whats the formula to work out how many mph i am travelling at? Dan

decent reward though in the end though Trev from a long tough day!

great fish Jack, shame about the clarity of the pic though, but it looks far bigger than the pics of all the other 4lb fish that have been posted of late but i guess everyone holds fish differently.

what boat is it? i fished the back of the needles codding on a little 14footer with no probs, and Alun used to take his 440 anywhere and everywhere!! You could of fished the ledge today from a lilo it was that calm!!! Obviousley know your boat and its limitations, but most 16footers would be fine on the ledge if the conditions are ok. (defo ok the last couple of days!)

hmm! that sounds organised compared to my trips!

posh? tesco value pilchard at 31p a tin, tesco value tins of tuna at 29p each, tesco value bread at 23p and old squid and maccy that had been stored in the freezer! I dont see that as posh A nice slick as soon as the dropper touches the water!

not sure, threw it straight back! Not one of the real biggies that have been caught lately anyway!

headed out at first light for a very short session. Clipped up to a bouy, soon to be told to shift it as the potting lads started to haul it up! Dropped the pick close by and used the dropper to put down a carpet of groundbait i had knocked up! To cut a long story short, small strips of squid on the hook soon had the dogs going before the groundbait kicked in and brought the bream on the feed! No monstors, but some good sport, and only in a very short period of time! Soon headed back to the run at 23 knots. A best for the boat so far! The groundbait mix consisted of 2 liquidised loafs of bread, 6 tins of tuna, a tin of pilchard, lots of chopped squid and a couple of minced maccy! They loved it One of the bream

ive just seen the bar at mudeford!!! blimey that looks different, it moves so much i can't keep up with it ! What depths is everyone getting underneath? It looks a bit deeper

well done matey, a few nice fish too. Maybe try small squid strips next time and go for the bream, there lots about by the sound of it. PM me if you need any marks/ numbers for christchurch. Dan

breaming early monday on ledge. HW 7.30am so 6am launch, back on trailor by 11.30. Launch Mudeford or Wick. Anyone else about or will everyone be fished out from the comp? Dan

by targeting a big ledge cuckoo wrass

even though the day had its problems, you will look back in years to come, and these are the sort of memories that are great to look back on! I had the same thing happen at the back of the needles fishing in rough conditions during a Jan cod trip a while back. Steering failed and motored to mudeford using a tiller arm. I then flooded the engine and got towed in by a jet ski! Very scarey, but i look back and smile. An enjoyable read charlie