spanner

bu@@er.... my wife just booked our summer hols for 2 weeks starting this week .... she knew the dates for this trip but apparently the cheaper flights were more important than my week at the Mull Sorry guys, I can't make it this year .... have fun without me :thumbs Snatcher, congrats on the tope by the way .... you whet my appetite and then my wife took the plate away

Davy, Yes they were Black Throats. They were up on Loch Arienas getting ready for breeding. The Black Throats are usually only on salt water in winter, summer they nest and feed on the same freshwater loch. We didn't get to see the White Tails, we never got around Ardtornish and the weather was so bad I'm sure they didn't venture far either. Yep, I want to try again, and unless a fleet of yakkers come up, or at least one other, I'll make it a weekend SpeciMan, That picture of me out in the sound makes it look way calmer than it was, but then you took it during one of the brief sunny spells rather than in the middle of a squall when you probably wouldn't have been able to see me from the shore. The odd wave across the side you say ... what about the frequent swamping I've got a few pics from Sunart and you anchored in the Sound on Thursday, I'll try and mind to bring my camera in and get them posted.

Bloody good write up, certainly an 'entertaining' time Good luck on the next trip :thumbs Update for the end of the skate week.... Thursday afternoon was out in the loch again as it was the only shelter.... more dogs. In the evening it was still calm so I went back out after pollack over on the Ardtornish side of the channel, and true to form the weather changed once I was a mile out for the slip ... a massive thunder storm came howling across from Mull. I headed back in but it beat me so I pulled up on the shore and laid down the carbon rods and carbon paddle and sat on the beach as lightning fizzed all around.... can't beat the smell of ozone Friday dawned clear and sunny, not a breath of wind and flat calm ...... I was sooooo tempted to anchor up and drop a big bait down but handling a skate on my own despite the perfect weather would not be very safe.... after all who would take the photo? I chose to head for the rocks and drift for ling and pollack in the shallows instead, thats 80-100ft shallow .... caught several pollack to 3lb, including one double header that made me think I had a biggie, and a loveley cuckoo wrasse about 1lb. Then midday the wind blew up, the white horses started running and I headed back in. So over the whole week I only managed to get a skate bait in the water on 2 days for a total of 8hrs .... and that wasn't enough to get lucky. But I'll be back in the summer, probably on a weekend and buddy up with one of the boats... unless any of you lot are daft enough to come on another yak meet Biggest thing I learnt was that my alderny ring method doesn't work .... I don't think the anchor+chain is heavy enough to pull the buoy down enough to get enough drag..... it lifts the anchor fine but then the buoy just skips across the surface. And I'll be bu@@ered if I'm going to a heavier anchor as the 1.4kg takes enough lifting in 400ft as it is. Great to meet you Simon and Simon, I haven't fished with any other yakkers up here before, haven't even seen any others for that matter, so that was good and worth the trip for me. Sorry about the weather though..... I fully expect you guys to show up my lack of orgainising skills on the weather front by providing excelent weather on any trips I make down your way

I think 250lb will be more than strong enough.... I use 200m of 65Kg Dacron for deep water anchoring and that is fine. Its onlt 1.3mm and thinner line means less drag. By the way, 3 times the depth is not always necessary. In shallow water yes, but if I am in 100ft or more I only use the depth plus whatever extra has gone out with the drift while the anchor is descending. I used about 500ft of line in 425ft of water.

Already done that last summer... when I fitted my fishfinder I went down one evening after work for a quick paddle to check it was working OK.... and I forgot the paddle Luckily there was a boat moored in the harbour so I pulled myself out on the mooring rope and checked out the fishifnder "anchored" in 20ft of water 20yds offshore

jeez .... I'm gonna be out pimped..... new Tidecutter 30-50 but with a scruffy old TLD10.... but at least I can say one thing about my TLD10.... ... at least its not a skate virgin

Glad to hear you are back out on the water. I haven't been out since the New Year due to wetaher, work and broken ribs.... and I'm ithcing to get back out so I can only guess at how you feel. Next week should sort me out though.....5 days of yakking and of the course the weather WILL be excellent

This is the mooring buoy I plan to use, attached to a 10mm screw-gate. I can use this as an Alderny ring as the anchor chain will pass through it but not the anchor...... and the chain is heavier than the anchor. The anchor cord and its winder have a float attached as well ..... So if I need to drop the anchor I just lift the loop off the post and chuck the winder and its float over the side. I also have a strap I will fit around the winder to stop it unwinding... but I forgot to picture that.

To keep the trolley in place I used plastic pipe clips cut in half to make runners and just replaced the deck line fitments...... I have used 3 of them.

... I take the loop a couple of turns round pad eye and then drop it over the paddle keeper post. This is a replacement for the standard paddle keeper 'button', I find it much easier to use with cold hands, it came from my roof rack mounting kit. I was going to fit a cleat with wellnuts, thanks richi, but the bolts are about 1mm too short so I came up with a really simple solution... just take 1 turn around the paddle keeper cord and it locks the trolley just fine. I just used the existing pad eye at the bow.....

Here is how I attach my ancor trolley at the stern, juts use teh ruddermounting to fit a 'D' ring, from an old boot! I have an section of shock cord in-line with the trolley cord, you can see it attached to the left of the screw-gate. I do it this way rather than putting the shock-cord between the pulley and its mount as it means I can run the gate right to the stern. Note that I have a loop of anchor line coming through the screw-gate.....

oooo.... a 2speed Tynos is on my wish list, I'll have to have a close look at it next week, and hopefully see it in action

nice one GB ... you've seen the light and now you are one of the blessed

nice report musket.... I'm just hoping we get calm weather like that next week

aahhh... you were using a diamond flat plate... I was trying to use one of bolt mount ones....wrong bolt size though... turns out the M5 is the diameter of the s/s forming the loop, not the bolt size... as a replacement he is sending me an oblong flat plate so I'll try that. I'll take some close ups of mine tonight and post them tomorrow....so SpeciMan can see my 'quick release' method as well.

Glad to hear your maiden voyage went well ... here's hoping we can give it a real christening

missed this.... been away dying of the flu... Yep, the fishing is from Mon 1st to Fri 5th. We'll spend a couple of those days at Inninmore camping and fishing for other species, but for certain Monday we'll be anchored off the west pier, and maybe Tuesday. Dave, If you think you can make it that would be great, a stand-by boat to help with handling the fish will make a big difference...... and provide the best platform for photographs

Pains Wessex I should say..... details here: http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/News/pains_wessex_recall.html

Yep, 1st May is a bank holiday.... Corran ferry still runs though. Simon is heading up on the Sunday evening and I'll be heading across first thing Monday morning....

I'm taking 2 rods for the skate but Simon will be using one of them as he only has toy tackle I reckon one skate rod each will be best as we cannot afford to have two hookup at once.... and it happens a lot on the boats. The two skate outfits I'm taking are a 30-50lb rod with a Shimano TLD10 and 50lb braid and 20-30lb rod with an Abu7000c with 40lb braid. Conger up to 30lb regularly take the skate baits....... And very importantly we'll be anchoring in 410ft so you'll need to be prepared for that........ and mind its a long way to hand haul I'll be taking two light outfits for general duty, a 12-20lb with 6500CS and 20lb braid and a 20lb with Shimano TSM2FS with 20lb braid. I'll fish a second rod when the skate baits are out, but one of the lighter outfits to target the rays and spurdogs while we wait for the big girls. .... Plus they'll be a variety of other marks from rocks and reefs to shallow bays to keep us entertained, and some viscous tide rips..... though its a week of neaps to be safe For any body coming I'll PM you with all the tackle and bait details, marks, camping location, alternative plans for bad weather etc. Specimen, Come on.... you know you want to.....what part of Glasgow? Depending on where its only about 3-1/2hrs to LA......

paintfly, Yep, I replaced the cardboard core with a bit of plastic pipe.... can't remeber what size or where I got it though..... but it doesnt quite fit properly and it slips.....the winder is fine, just a little lightwight, so I use it for ground-baiting rather than with an achor.

I've used both of those exact same lines ...... The thinner line is wound on a cardboard core.... it wont last long before it collapses.... but the line itself is fine. I used it on the plastic winder that the thicker line was on and used it in 300ft of water, 0.75kg anchor and 1m chain, no problem...... and I agree with the gloves. Now I'm using kite line for my anchor, 65kg dacron, I use the B&Q thin line for ground baiting. The thicker line is good stuff, just a little too short for me I use it in shallower water, as a throwline, and for tie-ing to mooring buoys etc.

whoops ... May it is

OK, time to fess up.... although some of you may have guessed what I've been planning anyway 'cos I've made enough comments The first week of May, 1st to 5th, Simon is coming up and we are going to have a serious shot at catching a common skate from a kayak The location will be Lochaline and we'll be fishing about 400yds offshore in the Sound of Mull, 1/2 mile from launch point in about 400ft of water. Just to add some variety we are planning a bit of camping in a remote bay in the second half of the week. Its a 5mile paddle and we'll have to carry eveything in the yaks. Obviously this will all be very dependant on the weather.... we can but hope. Is anybody interested ... and more importantly willing and able..... to join us? The more baits in the water the better the chance of success.... and dare I say it the more more yaks on hand.... well its just plain safer There is a chance we might be able to get a support boat to come along, but as its midweek maybe not. Drop me a PM if you are seriously interested and want more details

M5 fit as well, sort of richi, you have PM