dale

we use it up here with some good results on spurdogs and skate.

you can rarely go wrong with an orkney. they tend to be low maintenance and if you don't like it you'll probably get out for the same money. think where you want to fish, tidal conditions, how you are going to launch it( slip, beach etc) what you have for towing. finally get in touch with someone local who is willing to go along with you so you don't get ripped of. could be your life your playing with!

got a few pennies to spend on a new reel but can't decide what to spend them on. want a meduim sized boat multiplier. shimano 2000ld had that and it was junk. abu 7000ldc4 was even worse, all 3 of them. abu 6600ld nice reel but too small. shimano tld 15 got one but its too big. abu bg7000ld got that but i have my doubts as to wether it will last. diawa ld. good reel but suffered from corrosion far too quickly. get the idea. tackle tart now i'm in the market again. does anyone have opinions on the following. penn international 975csld shimano trinidad tn14,16 range or maybe something else?

im scottish it doesn't affect me? well that's what i thought until i read it. how many others thought that? for me Bass are seen as an elusive species most sea anglers catch accidently. therefore most normal everyday angler will probably feel its not down to them as they may feel more humble species are more of a concern. i think 2000 is quite a good return considering how little advertisement and explanation there was.

easiest job in the world........... when your catching the worst when your not..........

they could just get a bus from billingsgate now though :¬(

now also posted to total fishing site by Mr bored at work :¬) also NESA & the irish site.

posted on the SFSA site and e mailed to all Ayr sac members.

some boats will fly around like headless chickens hoping to get a return and some do eventually. i tend to find that certain areas only work at a certain time in the tide and when that's past its time to move on. only experiance of the area will provide that knowledge. different types of angling require different mind sets. uptiding marks tend to be a case of waiting for the fish to pass you. drifting means your looking for them so moving can be an advantage.

penn servicing 01386 552949 33 farleigh rd pershore worcs wr10 1lf

Namibia.... the return Hi Just thought I would post this report on my 2nd holiday in 18 months to Namibia. This is a precautionary tale rather than one of awe inspiring catches. 3 of us headed down there late 04 to catch a few fish but suffered some unseasonable cold weather which we were told had held the fishing back considerably. Well we all know these things happen. Disappointed but undefeated. Recently there has been some TV footage of large sharks being hauled in by smiling anglers. This report is of my last trip in Jan 06. We booked for 7 days shore angling using reputably the top guide in the country. To be honest after this I still think he is. We eventually got there after 27 hours on the road, plane and road again. Tired and excited. After a nice meal and a few drinks of to our comfortable beds. Next day the guide picked us up but instead of the brimming excitement you would have expected despair hung in the air. The news had sunk in. there were very few fish to be caught. It had been that way for weeks. What followed was 7 very very long hard days where we were on the beach for up to 14 hours a day. Seemingly they had a north wind and that had killed the fishing stone dead. Sometimes this happens in this area but this time it had lasted far longer than ever before. Through sheer determination we did eventually catch a few fish but boy did we have to wait. Over the 7 days between 3 of us we caught 4 gulley sharks (20, 25, 30 35lbs) 5 smoothhounds (42, 32, 27, 17 & 8lbs) 1 sand shark 6lbs and 5 bronze whaler sharks (100,130,135,145 & 180). That’s a paltry 5 fish each for 7 days. I was lucky enough to catch 6 so 1 of the guys had less. The last day was reasonably good in comparison with 8 fish in the day. You can do the math for the rest. My mate Colin did get a 42lb smooth hound which put up a tremendous scrap and I only wished they were that big in the UK.I was the luckier one of the group as I bagged 2 bronze sharks of 135 & 180lbs. The last gave me the runaround literally as I had to chase it a mile along the beach and it took over an hour to beat. Something I’m very glad I have finally experienced but was it all worth it. A word of caution re these trips is that when we booked our expectations were high due to the mental pictures drawn by the operator of how good things would be and the referees he asked us to contact. Now I have been twice I would say yes these super catches do take place but there are plenty of weeks out there when it’s like this. If you decide to go remember it can be CRAP to. Anyone wishing some information re this area I’ll be more than happy to advise.

as a scottish kid the only bass we ever saw were in the magazines. for us it was cod and more cod. what's the fuss. during holidays in the past i would chase round famous bass beaches across the country watching other anglers catch them but could never connect myself. worst case was when fishing some welsh estuary many many years ago, 3 anglers all got a bite at the same time. me and 2 mates. result, they both had bass around the pound mark and i got a 3lb+ flounder. i was inconsoleable. then while drowning some worms after a boat session on my local beach instead of the small flounder expected. bang! my first bass 4-01. i dragged the thing onto the beach in a panic and never really got to enjoy it. still i couldn't see what all the fuss was about. in recent years i started catching them regularily from the boat to 7lbs and enjoy it. better still i have caught a considerable number from the shore and i'm now totally hooked. there's just something about them that gets you, can't put my finger on it yet though. gets to the point where they dominate your whole angling year. if your not actually fishing for them your thinking of new areas to try with new tactics. you hoover up any info on them and doesn't matter how useless it seems. i have also found that its a club that's not got a membership but once you start catching them your invited in. the number of guys out there who fish for them but dont do any other forms is amazing. even up here in the frozen north. i now get it!

pictures can be very deceptive. i'm 6 foot 4 and most fish look small in comparison to say someone of 5 foot holding the same fish. hold the fish at the right angle with the photographer placed correctly can also work in your favour.

yup really good till they break and you lose a rod and reel. they don't like pressure at the neck. watch out!

i have had 2 ld's. 1st one broke after 6 months. 2nd one sent to replace it didn't last much longer. now got a BG which has also been repaired after 3 months. Shimano are no better. bearings rot quickly. go for a penn/diawa.

i bought one recently. fantastic. approx £400 Orved.

might be that your buying what you think is a good line and its not

the answer to that question is that only YOU can answer it. i would say zzipplex but having purchased 2 zzippys this year i would. others will argue they are overpriced rubbish. thing about fishing rods is they are personal to the owner. try get a feel for the maunfactor and if you like their other products then its a good indicator to their range . best to actually get them in your hand if your not to far from a decent shop. otherwise expect a long list of comments rubbishing or praising both.

i couldn't se it Norm just the ones they approved.

wouldn't it be more interesting to see those who failed? or is there somewhere this can be viewed?

i'm from a NO cod area that used to be the BEST cod area in the country. My area used to be the Norway of the UK but now its national headlines if some one catches a sized fish. i agree that anglers are entitled to take one or two for the pot and if you look at my previous posts i never said different all i asked wouldn't it have been more prudent to have returned the bigger ones and taken a couple of smaller ones. before someone says maybe that was all the guy caught my mate and i have a deal that if the other guys catches a couple of table sized one and i've returned my bigger fish then he can keep them for me. end result i have my table fish and the biggie goes back to spawn. will the commercial get it after i return it....probably eventually but at least i made the effort to delay the demise. be warned guys its not much fun having one of the best fisheries minutes from your house to then have to start travelling 3 hours there and 3 back.

simply. we must start conservation somewhere. ITS NO EXCUSE JUST BECAUSE THE COMMERCIALS DONT. my mum would say 'would you jump of that bridge just because yer mate did'

in regards to returning big fish. 1st never caught that many here but the ones we did catch in Norway went back ok. that was after we discovered that reviving them on the surface wasn't enough as they would just pop up minutes later. they had to be pushed downwards as well. these didn't seem to re appear. i think they didn't have the energy to break the surface pressures. whether they survive only tagging would reveal. for me it's got no chance lying in a fish box. 2nd point i would never slag an angler who decides he wants to kill fish for eating as i eat fish. personally i don't think the bigger ones are that good tasting and they are the breeding stock. however if he uses it then he is perfectly entitled to kill it, just bugs me how many anglers catch a decent fish take it home picture it then BIN it. i will point out i'm no saint on the killing front and have killed a fair few in the years past but todays climate has changed and so have i. we just have to try and educate the rest of the guys by gentle persuasion. the commercials wont help so we have to.

its a good fish. pity he couldn't have returned it as its in there to spawn. rather have seen him take a couple of smaller fish. suppose that his choice.

shore fishing should be reasonable in the port patrick area. cheese rock or yellow island should be ok. me! of to fish for sharks in Namibia :¬)