Seamouse

PETA might be making some mileage from the ban, but it almost certainly came about through attempts to regulate the transfer of live fish between waters. Steve

Hi Mike, You fishing with the Drakes? They're based at Walvis Bay. If not, let me know and I can put you in touch for some local advice. Steve

I could be in the market for that but I won't know for another three weeks or so. Soon as I know for sure I'll mail and see if you've still got it? I can't ask you to hang on to it for me as things are just too much up in the air. Steve

A simple fix in shallow stuff would be a mud weight off the stern. Just a pipe full of concrete with a ring set in it. It won't stop you swinging about but it'll slow it right down and there's no issues when the tide turns as you just haul it up a foot or two off the deck and let the boat swing. Steve

Along with the congers. Seems to be happening this year with triggers, there's been a whole rash of reports of trigger fish washing up after the cold (er) snap across Christmas. Steve

I'd agree with this. Fired off a hand flare and two smokes on New Year's Eve that were 6 months expired and ended up with a bruise that turned my whole thumb black from hitting the trigger a bit too enthusiastically. More soberingly, you wouldn't want a hand on the wrong end of a flare when it ignites, nor would you want to have it pointing at you. These are potent toys, learning to handle one in controlled conditions could save you from getting it horribly wrong in an emergency. Steve

I think from what he said yesterday that Paul at least will be there but not with a company stand. I'd guess they've got PR material and staff onto someone else's stand. Maybe Suzuki??? Steve

Hi Bob, Yup, nice cod fillets. Gravel was indeed a nightmare and looking at the height of the slip relative to the beach now, I'd say it isn't going to get any better. The end of the slip is now a good 6ft below the beach level so even if they clear it, it'll fill back in. I hear rumours that Chichester is also seeing some unusual remodelling of the harbour and bar. For the other e-tec owners....... despite having temperatures above freezing AND the Extreme version of the oil, I still got the dreaded low oil shut-down as we set off. Plus enough blue-white smoke for me to momentarily think the outboard had caught fire. It was pouring out. Happily, I noticed that the other boat's e-tec was also smoking heavily and put it down to atmospheric conditions/cold engines. Certainly it cleared up. Also, I've shifted from the useless new design 17" prop to a Solas 15". Result, max revs up from 4200 to 5000 and top speed from 26 to 28.5kts. That'll do. Lateral trim troubles continue though, I'll remove the trim tabs and if that don't cure it then I'm forced to conclude that the extra weight of the windows above the centre of gravity has made the Pro Angler a lot more sensitive to load than the 165. Steve

Hi folks, Got out yesterday into what seems to have been the only fog-free patch of sea on the South Coast. With weekend reports of slim pickings, I wasn't hopeful. An established whiting mark gave us dogs, pout and a strap conger and small pollack to the other boat. A move inshore onto chalk reefs following a pet theory saw me pick up a strap conger followed by a very jammy 9lb 4oz cod on last drop of the day. No whiting at all and the water was very murky even well offshore. We also had the recovery from hell. The gravel on the Langstone slips is bad again and after all but bogging down two 4WD cars roped in tandem, we had to give up and wait three hours into darkness to get SeaMouse out safely. If anyone is contemplating a Nab visit, my best advice would be "don't". Steve

I'm away from the computer now. Any last minute volunteers can call me on 07979003347. Steve

Which highlighted an interesting point on my e-tec when I went off to check the serial number. Supplied in May of this year, has a 2006 sticker on the leg and the PDI print-out from Warrior gives the issue date as September 2003!!!!! Naughty, naughty, Mr Bombardier. Flogging three year old engines carrying this year's graphics? Tsk Steve

Hi folks, I'm out with a WSF member tomorrow from Eastney and at the moment we've one crewman between two boats. We'll be on the slip at 08.00-08.30 if anyone fancies a trip after the elusive cod. First come first served. Steve p.s boats are both Warriors, I've got sufficient tackle aboard if needed.

I ran into this with my bank. They rang to query some 'unusual traffic' on the account and of course the guy asks if I'm really me. "yup". Can I give him my password to prove it? "Nope, not until you prove that you are really from my bank". Silence. Then he rather plaintively says, "but I AM from the bank and it's important". So I ask him for my password and of course, he's not allowed to give me it until I prove my identity by giving HIM it. He doesn't want to write me a letter (the lazy sod) and thinks it is urgent whereas I've got a damn good idea what it's all about, I'm 99% certain he's legitimate, I'm being very assertive about him telling me what's wrong with my account and I'm thoroughly enjoying listening to him trying to think his way out of the problem. In the end I got bored and proved my identity by telling him he was no doubt checking because I'd recently made (eye-watering) payments of

I think Tom knows

Terry, It isn't clear whether you've drained the underfloor (the bung inside the bilge in front of the tank) or just the bilge (the bung on the back of the boat). Adam is referring to the underfloor bung but even when my hull on Lookfar split and I had a monstrous volume of water in there, we could still plane easily enough three up. SeaMouse, by contrast, planes so readily it is hard to spot the transition but no amount of trimming out will put the bows right up in the air. That may be the altered trim of the Pro Angler but I suspect it is mainly the trim tabs. If your problem came on after a hard turn and some cavitation, maybe your prop wash has shifted the setting on one of them?? Steve

Kam, if your Missus ever gets on line you'll be in sooooo much trouble Steve (who, should anyone ever check, officially managed to marry both. Really)

I got banned from the kitchen, have to do mine outside these days Steve

I wouldn't want to be doing that when the Environmental Health Officer dropped by!!! Steve

There were a lot of boats out on Sunday south of Nab but catches were variable with some folk stuck with just a few dogs, others like Westray getting among the conger and the first cod. Nice to see the cod showing well though, hope it lasts until I can get SeaMouse out there Steve

Hi folks, A couple of us launched from Eastney last friday to have a look south of Nab for an early cod. None appeared, but the jumbo pout were showing and the predators had come in after them as well. We saw one or two fish on the surface around slack water and both boats had bass on the bottom baits, mine impaling itself on the same pennel rig as a pout I'd just hooked. The pout had a bloody eye where Mr Bass had punched him one. I'm still amazed that a 5lb bass will go for a 1lb+ pout. Congers were around too, we dropped one of 20lb+ and Lady Christine had several on live pout, including a good one they estimated at 35lb. Nice to be into the winter season at last but the slip was a nightmare, a 3ft bank of gravel clean across it. Took two 4x4 roped in tandem to get the boats back out Steve

Hi Richard, Plenty of old friends on this site Steve

Hi Adam, Not aware of rubber coating but I find hammerite over a metal primer base stays on leads reasonably well for static work. Drifting'd be a different matter. Steve

(If it makes it round with the weather... poss during Saturday) Steve

Impressive beast, but I'd have dug deep into the wallet and gone for the cuddy version Steve

In conversation with the guys at Warrior, they mentioned that Mariners use very few key variations and implied they'd pretty well all of them in stock. Could try giving them a ring if you know your key number? By contrast, there are allegedly many Evinrude variants and there's something about the design of the remote that seems to encourage leaning on the key. I've already had to bend mine straight twice and it is nasty cheap metal. I sense an 'at-sea' disaster looming. Steve