Nobby1

Does anyone know if the Mackerel are still about in any numbers in the South East corner of our world ? Need to know whether to start on my frozen stock, or if there is still fresh stuff about.

Took my father out on a boat uptiding, and as one of the others was casting, he looked round just as the cast went out, and the wire from the grip lead caught him between the eyes and ripped open upwards into his hair line, I thought he had lost an eye from the amount of blood, but once we had dried out the sockets, it was just a really nasty cut, but as we were about 20 miles out, the skipper called for the coastguard to come and pick him up, with me being the nearest relative we both went up in the Sea King, with my Dad looking like Gunga Din with all these tea towels wrapped around his head, it didnt finish there either, apparently the coastguard were giving a display to the mayor of Southend at the time and when they got the shout, all the local reporters rushed down to Southend General to see what was going on, when the chopper landed they put my Dad onto one of those trolleys with wheels, but one of the wheels got stock in a hole or something and the whole thing collapsed and my Dad rolled into a flower bed, fair to say he swore a bit as he couldnt see what was happening, it was all in the local paper, the headline was some like "rescuers dump man in roses" or something like that anyway.

If you want to see what the coast is like, check out www.a1surf.com, scroll down, to the map of the uk on the left, click on what area you intend to fish, and if there is a web-cam there, it will show you what the sea is like. Might be useful.

Just check out the fish landed by 2 fishermen in Thailand, wonder it didnt sink them ! http://uk.news.yahoo.com/050629/80/fmbgp.html

Elt, Went to Cuba May last year, went out in a party of 4 for a day, it cost 78USD each, and just 1 Barra onboard, make sure the crew check the bait regularly, they have a habit of chucking on a fillet and leaving it out there for ages, and when you tell them to check it, they get all upset and eventually pull it in to reveal just a tail or nothing at all. I reckon the biggest sharks were on the boat not in the water ! If you are going to stay ashore anywhere, take a spinning rod, as there are lots of "Canals" coming in off the sea, into the Mangroves and you see a lot of activity around the roots and they are easily accessable.

Thats a lot of end tackle, a small percentage is mine I think

Found out last week, if anyone is interested that the local authorities chartered a dredger which cleared up all the garbage that has accumulated around the pier over the last decade or so, and now is a snag free zone, apparently they had around 4 ton of lead recovered, and it seems that the fishing has improved as well by all accounts.

I cant choose between a 2 day trip with Colin Penny on Flammer down in Weymouth, just for the sheer crack of being with 7 other mates staying in a pub for 2 nights, or a day on Dover Breakwater and getting 4 Bass over 4lb's in a manic 30 minutes, I still think of those days while doing my Sardine impression on the Northern Line every morning.

Hooked into one this summer on Walton Pier, only a small one, but without a drop net it caused me all sorts of problems, it was like a scene from Its a Knockout, ducking under this and passing my rod round lamposts etc before I could get it to a set of ladders so I could climb down and pull it up.

That'll be it, wondered why my local tackle dealer looked at me funny when I mentioned getting a birdsnest after being caught in the groin.

Fished Kingsdown a few weeks ago, found that if you casted beyond the groins the tide would whip your tackle round into the next section, and then all sorts of shenanigans getting it back, plus, if you just just short of the groin, you can hold bottom a whole lot better and seem to get better fish as well.

I visit boot sales regularly, (not the 5.30AM Anorak types though) and they usually have a tackle stall or two, what I have noticed is that they stallholders will sell anything to anyone. I was looking at getting some bits and pieces on Sunday, the normal stuff, links and swivels etc, and there was these 2 lads that wanted to go fishing off the local pier but needed some advice on what to buy, they had £5 each, the stall holders was trying to palm off 5/0 hooks, 8oz breakaways with 35lb line!! soon as he cleared off I managed to sort the lads out with some lighter stuff, but it really annoyed me that this bloke would have took their money and left them with tackle totally unsuitable. Have people no idea that these are the future anglers that will be spending hundreds of pounds if they catch the bug? short term gain, long term loss springs to mind. Just needed to get it off my chest, feel better now, until next time anyway, does anyone else find some tackle dealers are only interested in money and would take cash off of the unwise? or is the state of the world now?

Why is it that you can fish one day on a mark and it fishes superbly, you can go back 2 days later, same spot, use the same bait, fish the same mark, and completely blank? how many times does it happen, you say to a mate, its going to be a blinder and you end up looking like a complete wally when you both blank.

Spasor, I class myself as Mr Normal, earning an average wage, but I do own a small boat on the Norfolk Broads, which gives the wife and me a few enjoyable weekends away during the summer, I cant understand your If I've got to pay, then so should everyone else attitude, and I also am bemused as to the "if the bloke next door cant afford something why should I feel guilty about owning one" ie, the Sudanese reference. I suppose, because it doesnt affect you, then why should everyone else benefit or enjoy something. To give an example, my wife spends a lot of time and effort working for a charity dedicated in opening up old bridleways and footpaths that have been conveniently covered over, or ploughed up etc by landowners, but because a lot of people dont ride horses or walk in the countryside very often, she if often riduculed by these people, for being a busybody, but these very same people would be the first to complain if they were denied access to somewhere knowing full well that they were entitled to do so. So going back to the original post, I feel agrieved that Red Diesel will be taxed because it will add costs to one of my pleasures in life, and get annoyed by people who are not affected saying "too bad, just get on with it"

Oh, And dont forget to let us know how you got on, by posting a report !

HF, Never heard of Easterly winds being good for Mackeral, dont forget to ring the boat before you leave 01304 206809 or you could be wasting your time, you can ring after 05:40 for an answer. I caught Mackerel on a tinsel rig last year, just stuck a 2oz round lead on 10lb line, to an uptider, and wacked it out and pulled it in, resulting in about 1 fish per 5 casts,

HF, Yes you just turn up, and pay on the day, the permit lasts a year. Mackerel are starting to show now but wait a bit longer before taking the kids, If you need to know the name and number of a good skipper that goes out from Canvey let me know, he only takes a max of 6 and charges £150 for the boat + bait, he is a mad fisherman himself, so he only takes you where there is a good chance of catching. Another thing about Dover is, when you are out there you are there until the boat comes back out to take you off around 3.30-4.00 so if the kids get bored etc its tough luck, the only other way off is by helicopter!

Dover breakwater, can fish its nuts off, but you can only get out to it on a Wednesday, Sat/Sun, and before you set off call the boat skipper on 01304 206809 after 05:40 and he will tell you if he is going out to the breakwater or not, (Could save a wasted trip) its £8 to join the Dover Angling club who lease the breakwater, (yearly) £4 for the boat and £4 to fish, the tide rips through so heavy leads are needed, and if you fish the inside, be prepared to lose tackle as there is a load of snags, old chains, ropes anchors etc in there. Compulsory membership of the club entitiles you to fish the Admiralty pier by the way. You could try Southend Pier, but get the tide right otherwise you will be 1 mile out and casting onto mud, up the stem is good, and you dont lose any tackle (between 2nd and 3rd shelter is my favourite) Canvey is OK, try the area where the round cafe is, you used to be able to get under it in bad weather but its sealed off now, but anywhere along that stretch is always going to produce, nothing big normally but enough to keep you interested. Tilbury Fort, ok for flatties, eels, small pout and whiting, odd schoolie. Deal pier, good fishing if you are prepared to lose a bit of tackle, best side is the left hand site and casting diagonal, should miss most of the snags that side. Clacton pier, opposite of Deal, fish the right hand side of the T shaped pier, to avoid snags, be prepared to be bothered by passers by though. Hope this helps.

Good idea Andy, but I was thinking of being able to present "pretty" baits for species like Sole or place for examble, fish that would be unable to get to grips with a stocking full of mussels.

Caught a bit of Wilson on the TV the other night, he has using some sort of net bag, which disolved in water (He loaded it with boillies) to launch out 30-40 yards, got me thinking, maybe you could put delicate baits like head hooked rag, crab etc and secure it in the netting, hang it on a grip wire or bait hook and "hoof" it out, if should in theory all stay together, at least until it hits the bottom before the netting disolves, and hopefully presenting a neat bait, but at distance.

Thanks Paul, Any suggestions on lures you mention, names, make, etc.

Does this have to be in clear(ish) water, I fish the Thames Estuary a lot, which holds a good head of Bass normally, but it is extremely muddy water, would I be wasting my time trying to spin? what sort of area would I have to look for? rocky bottom, close to walls etc, sounds gripping stuff, but would like to know if I am in with even half a chance.

Kieron, Gotcha, just thought there might be a way,

Is there a way that I can launch from a beach, baits that are trailing, ie, 1 Rag up the line, 1 head hooked and a strip of squid, it seems that everytime I try to hoof it out, it disintegrates into bits and then you are never sure how much is left on the hook, I've tried hanging the hook over one of the grips on the lead, and I will never get the knack of bait clips.

Does anyone know that saying, "wind from the East, fish bite least" or something like that ?