BristolLes

It looks a little dated though !

"There seems to be a lack of dealers in the south/south west" Cheltenham Canoes have them for sale @ £600 ( www.cheltenham-canoes.co.uk)

"when searching to try hyperdry in description not just titles as sometimes peoples titles are not very good so they dont get the bids as people dont see them when browsing" Just tried that Adam - found one (new ?) currently at £26 ! (4 more days though) But unfortunately its a small

so ebayed it and got double my money and won an un-used hyperdry with internal jumpsuit for winter for 108 including postage Well done Adam - that was a clever bit of trading (you don't deal in shares / bonds or commodities by any chance ?!) Ive started watching ebay for drysuits but unfortunately none in my size yet

Did anybody see the report of a 400kg thresher in todays Daily Mirror ? Details below copied from their website (www.mirror co.uk) ..................... Record-breaker shark caught off Cornwall ..But it only eats mackerel Just when you thought it was safe go back in the water a monster shark turns up. But there's no need to worry...the record-breaking 400kg thresher - rare in UK waters - prefers the taste of mackerel, anchovies and pilchards to people. Cornish lobster fishermen Alan Fairless landed the beast after it got tangled in his pots off Mevagissey. The father-of-three, from nearby Charlestown, needed a larger trawler's winching gear to pluck it from the sea and a forklift truck to transport it around the harbour. The 15ft shark weighed in 52kg heavier than the old world record. Alan said: "It's the biggest thing I've ever caught. I knew I wouldn't get it on my boat when I saw the size of it." KILLER FACTS There is no official record of anyone being killed by a thresher...but one unconfirmed story tells of a fishermen beheaded by the tail ...... ( keep your head down richi !) There are four recorded instances of threshers attacking boats .......... The picture in the paper was impressive too ! .......

Have a look at www.pacgb.co.uk i.e. pike anglers club of Great Britain plenty of useful info especially the handling/ unhooking advice If you carp fish you should already have the tackle to handle most pike, just a few wire traces & rigs + appropriate unhooking gear forcepts, wire cutters etc required. I enjoy fishing rivers, normally float fishing a small deadbait (smelt) very close in. I move swim on regular basis ( 30mins) and often use a second rod to catch chub or roach which helps pass the time waiting for run, but also helps attract the attention of the pike. goodluck

sapphire ugly spin 8' rod which looked perfect It'll look "perfect" bent double with a thirty pounder attached !

Thanks Hake/YakDiver for the replies and for clarifying this issue. I think its time to go shopping !

Thanks for info YakDiver - I'm thinking of pairing a touring cag with semi- dry trousers (Palm Cobra or similar ) Is the leaky neckseal a fault or just the something inherent with most touring cags ? (Which one do you use ? & do you recommend it ?! ) Thanks

another great report Mark (and richi) great weather, great company and plenty of fish - that how all weekends should be ! how's the crab bisque going ?

As its getting a bit nippy for my shortie wet suit I'm looking to get some more appropriate gear I realise that the drysuit is the favoured option but due to I'll not be fishing during coldest sea times (also the price ) I'm looking at cags My question is - how dry is a semi-dry cag compared to a touring cag , or a semi-dry to a dry ? i.e. for survival purposes is the dry best or is there no real difference ? I'm a little confused so any help appreciated !

Here we go again !

For venues /access / fish species on north Somerset coast try - www.veals.co.uk - the fishing guide is good. Brean Down and Sand point are popular areas. I have only occasionally fished there but would expect mainly whiting + odd small codling Good Luck

richi - was that you who featured in Simons piece, in this months Boat Fishing Monthly titled " doing the Kayak Conger" ? (a double page photo - but no name)

Gruesome ! As Martin states - I would'nt recommend the photos be used for Oceans marketing on this side of the pond ( I want the yellow and BLOOD red one yeh !) perhaps PETA (people for ethical treatment of animals) would find a use for them though If the creatures are not going to be eaten ( just a few bits chopped off as trophies ) it seems such a waste

Now he seems like a friendly fella The young girl was surprising calm about it - my daughters go beserk when a bee (or for that matter a cleaning cloth or tea-towel) comes within a couple of feet of them !

Have you got a scanner ? !

Turbo I fished at Keynsham (edge of Bristol) - Easy Access / Easy Parking and next to a decent pub ! If you are interested, let me know with a couple of dates ( prefer Satuday or during week as less matchmen to antagonise !) I'll try and PM with more detail - (although not sure if I'm authorised to do that yet ? )

Nice one Mark - glad to see you are getting amongst old Esox again I had my first pike trip last week - had three to 6 lb and one lost in less than two hours - all on a rather ancient Big S - what a lure - still doing the business after all these years ! . I never had much confidence in lure fishing from the bank - but from the yak - lures continuously working / right on the tree line - can't fail to catch ! I'm shore bound at the moment - rivers running a little fast. Are the Broads affected much by heavy rain ?

Will post list if it arrives. Apparently you get a licence sticker for your yak to prove authority... When I phoned BCU, they informed me that new members would recieve contact from a local "access officer" who would provide the lowdown on available waters / best access points etc again could be useful

whats the recommended (safest) way of attaching a rescue knife to a PFD IE on a lanyard / direct to a ring or kept in a pocket ? (visions of trying to free myself from huge ball of spaghetti !)

One local lake here, ( Bosworth Water Park ) insist on £2,000,000 3rd party liability insurance before you are allowed to lauch. Certificate must be produced. Izzetafox - If you join British Canoe Union (£30.80) it provides 3rd cover of £5 million. Also, provides license to kayak on most navigable rivers and British waterways canals. Could be handy if you like to coarse fish different venues - i'll get myself - one day ! Regarding insuring my yak itself (old frenzy) i think the premiums would cost more than the old tubs worth !

Are Trigger fish dangerous ?! I've never seen a trigger in the flesh, but did read in a sea fishing monthly that you should watch out for those "gnashing teeth" ! Apparently, they are only too happy to give you a quick nip ! Is this true ?

Well done Mark very informative - great photos - covering all angles Your efforts are appreciated Hm - less than 15 weeks to Xmas ! time to start my list

What a terrible tragedy I hope they manage to trace the culprit who (appears to have) run him down No matter how cautious / safety conscious YOU are - your fate can still lay in the hands of OTHERS (poor ships watch keeping or power crusers charging around at 30+ knots - or in my case a water skier who almost ended on my lap a few weeks ago) - it makes you think - for a while