jonnyboy

green is unlucky on the water, i was really surprised when i saw that there was a green kayak available. i was most surprised. Dont get yellow, everyone has a yellow one. Nice mango flame or sunrise flame, nice and visible from the air too

Ok we all know the Prowler aint no surf kayak, but that didnt stop me taking it out this lunch time in Portland Harbour with a lumpy SE blowing. Its nice and shallow where i launch and if your gonna fall out, that this is the place to do it!. I have to admit it was a real blast and a top lesson in handleing a yak in really nasty conditions. I wish i'd taken a photo but i was too busy trying not to tip over. Its particularly fun when you get side on to the surf I wholly reccomend that everyone who is new to the sport like me gets out somewhere nice and shallow and just throw yourself about. In an hour, i learnt more about my Yak that i did in the whole of last autumns fishing. I really thought that i would get thrown out in these conditions but the ol' prowler did me proud. As i paddled out through the breakers, i was thinking Man this is FUN, then as i went from staring at the sky to being able to see nothing but sea as i went down the back of the wave, i started to panic becasue i wasnt sure what would happen when i tried to turn her about, but, no problems!, did the same thing about 20 times to make sure it wasnt a fluke. Top Stuff I say, does anyone else use their boat to just muck about in like this?

So last year i got a prowler and i love it, but i have to be honest, its a bit on the small side and i'm wondering if i should have tried a few other boats before i made my purchase. I'm 6'4" and a bit and 16.5 stone so i fill the cockpit in an ample fashio, but where i really struggle is legroom. I have my feet right up against the front of the foot holes as you can see below When fishing static i end up with my feet up near the bow hatch. So any model suggestions and dont say a drifter cause i need it to be a good long distance boat (oh and price is a factor too!!!) Jon

Nice boat mate, but tell me thats not REAL champagne you wasted!!!

mad, it could mean we get great early sport if it stays like this, but if i remember rightly it was like this last year then we got bit on the arse in March when it got real cold!

i dont think the squid are still around mate, but the sea is still sooooooooooooo warm. i was sweating my t*ts off spuddling around there today. oh how i wish for some flat calm days!

Know it well mate! Yup there are signs up on all the moorings saying no fishing from boats, nothing to say you cant padle up and then go ashore and fish?!!!

Got out to Portland Harbour today. Intended to launch at Portland castle and the poke about near the mulberry harbour and breakwaters with rag and mackerel. There was not a breath of wind at my house (inland about 4 miles), but when i came down into Weymouth i could see things werent good, the wind was going s-SE and the bay was full of breakers, got to portland castle and it wasnt much better the photo doesnt do it justice, but out where i was planning on going there were plenty of whitecaps, i went round to castle cove, and that was crap too, i thought i'd forgo the fishing and have a paddle in the fleet. This is the big bit of water behind the chesil bank and is a bass nursery area so you cant fish from a boat - pity, its stacked with mullet in the summer. launched here Looks nice doesnt it, but i was about to get a serious lesson in tides and sandbars! as i was taking this photo of one of the dozen or so little egrets down near the ferrybridge, i could suddenly hear this roar of water and as i looked at the pilings of the bridge i could see huge vortecies forming behind them and i was heading out under the bridge and into a really big tide rip, and i wasnt rigged to capsize, you can see the flow increasing in the botton of the picture. I have never witnessed anything like it. it all changed in a few seconds. I think that is was only the fact that i have been going to the gym a lot over the winter that enabled me to paddle out of it and get to smoother water. I have to say i was sh*tting myself for a bit. Anyway, i ditched my gear back at the car and went for a poke about in this oyster farm that had been exposed by the low tide Interesting. Then i called it a day because it was like someone had pulled the plug on the sea and the water was draining out of the fleet so fast i was worried i would have to walk back to the car. anyway i made it back and resorte to taking posy photos of my yak in the sun, sorry no fish, but it cant always happen, i'm just a bit narked that on the first trip out in ages, everything was against me, cant win em all Jon

Love to get out to kim tommorrow mate, but i am (get this) decorating the nursery (oh joy) So its unday am or nowt for me probably lauch at portland castle about 8am if im lucky, wont go too far as i dont really have all the gear yet, still saving for a drysuit!!

Anyone doing anything this weekend the weather looks ok for sunday, i may pootle about in portland harbour and drown some ragworm or defrost some squid that is unless i can invite myself to someone elses party, probably can only do till lunchtime so POrtland has to be fave for me. Anyone got any good tips or marks for the inner harbour?

Wish i'd thought of that Hey GB would you recommend that as an effective solution. those scottys look like they could get in the way, and i dont have enough room for a jony bar Jon

They dont make 150N vest that would be of any use on a yak, i was talking about the Gas inflation type which will turn an injured person over> I argued that you weren't likely to get injured ON a yak, and the instructor said that (as he is also a lifeboatman) the pull in more surfers/windsurfers/yakkers with sunstroke than anything else in the summer. The Miniflares may have some use at night, as your fireworks display showed, but are next to useless in the day which is why after launching one distress flare, most vessels in distress fire the orange smoke which is an internationally known distress signal. One Last thing, please dont fire flares unless you are genuinely in distress, or have warned the coastguard that you will be doing so. BIG fines otherwise

I work for an agency of DEFRA called Cefas, its the Centre for Environment Aquaculture and Fisheries Science, in Weymouth, my job is to travel al over the UK inspecting fish and shellfish farms, so i get to go to sea a little bit, hence the course!! Its a top job becasue i get to talk about fish all day long and get offered fishing in places that you just dont ever get offered fishing, Cant accept any of it though as it could be ssen as a bribe, bugger

There is no finer way to catch a fish from the yak IMO!! and if you can get in amongst some good size pollack (2lb+) you'll have a blast. In Southern Ireland i have had pollack up to 6lb on the fly rod and believe me, they make bass look like a lazy old bream. If you want to target pollock specifically then a nice black clouser works well ay dusk or dawn, they dont like the daylight certainly in shallo water. Get yourself some clousers as they get down a bit deeper, but dont be tempted with some of the big sizes they try to sell ou in the shops, a 9 wt will struggle with a 2/0 clouser, and if it hits you in the back of the head, Go for sizes 1/0 and below. my favourite sizes in any S/W pattern are 2's and mostly 4's, You'll pick up Bass and a whole host of other species on these, but not till the warmer weather comes (may is when i normally get the fly rod out!) As to what rod to get, well that is a very personal thing, it doesnt sit in a rod rest or holder all day so it has to feel right in your hand> there are a load of very nice but very expensive rods around that you will see a lot of SWFF tarting about with, but would you want to take something that cost £600+ near the sea? It is worth spending abit more on a reel though (£100 should get you something with a sealed drag), I use a scierra XDA and as long as it gets a good rinse in warm water afterwards, its been going for 2 years now. You can go 2 ways with a rod, get something good, but at a discounted price (Airflo often sell off last years top of the range stuff for £20-30 in the Fistec or Tight lines sales. These rods normally go for £150-200 and have a lifetime guarantee to boot!!!!! )or you can just get something cheap and hope for the best. Ther eis no need to go any higher than a 9wt and i find an 8/9 is perfect. Try to get a fly line that is made specifically for cold saltwater, it makes a world of difference as they dont go stiff and float much better There is a plethora of rods in the £60-100 bracket, all of which are pretty similar, its just up to you to get into the shop and have a waggle, dont by something without playing with it unless its very very cheap and you dont mind if you hate it (theres always ebay!!!!) Hope this helps Jon

Guys Did a survival at sea course yesterday for my job (work paid for it ) It was a brilliant insight to what can go wrong at sea, and whilst it didnt directly deal with Kayaks, i got to task the instructor about flares etc. He said that mini flares are pretty useless in an emergency situation and what we should all be carrying are "day and night" flares. These are a two ended effort with an orange smoke flare on one end and night flare on the other. they are about 20 quid i think. He also didnt think much of the 50N PFD's either, saying that you have to be a strong swimmer to survive in one and if you are injured, and cant swim, you'll probably drown. 150N minimum was his recommendation, which obviously takes you into th erealms of the crewsaver type (work also gave me one of these ) They are auto inflate (not much good on the yak) or manual inflate. I can see problems with both of these. That said, dont yak do an 80N PFD? anyway just a bit of food for thought

Ah yes the Herne bay boat festival, shouldnt that be re-named the thr Herne bay murder-fest, where all Bass caught are killed, for the point of a stupid competition

Yes yes yes, thats the bugger, coz then i can put two flush mounts up front on th eoutside of the hull, then that gimbal thingy and the the scotty powerlock Only problem is that its a a frightenly expensive and arse about face way of doing things!!!!!!

Gimbal mounts??!"!!!! i didnt see those, is that those ball joint looking things, they look much more what i was after but couldnt really fathom what they were!!

Cheers pal I'll have a more indepth poke about their website over lunch and not when im supposed to be writing reports!!!!

need to be mounted up front, i'm 6'4" and the footwell is a bit of a squeeze as it is!!! is there anything else i should consider while i'm ordering from there, any cool gadgets thatyou cant live without!!

Ok, so i am about to bang in an order to hook 1 for some scotty rod holders (the strength of the pound makes it sensless to buy them in this country - sorry bournemouth canoes!) I want the power lock model (i think) but need to know which "hardware" kit to get with it. Do i want the taper screw kit or the the other one with washers and locking nuts etc. Cheers for helping guys, pretty soon i'll have plucked up the courage to drill that first hole in my beloved yak!!!

http://www.marinezone.co.uk/index.php?main...ath=486_488_546 found these on the web today, any thoughts? with a thinsulate all in one on underneath and dive boots, could be a cheaper alternative to a drysuit when the its a bit milder anyone used one

Amen to that brother!

Be careful when collecting Crayfish from your river there mate, you need a licence to do that from the Environment Agency if you are in what they deem to be a "go" area (i.e one with more signals than natives). If you are in a no go area, you are only aloud to remove them for scientific purposes But they are damn tasty!

gotta get a smoothound and a fly caught bass, and some mullet, pretty much anything will do to be honest