Dave Godwin

BLOODY HELL! me right!!!!! Could you have a word with my wife, she reckons that would be a first.

Hi Bob, i have not seen a bass on my boat all summer, but there are plenty in the marina. I have not fished the beaches at all yet, but again i have not heard of any. These guys on the forum should come and fish here to try to help me spread the word abput catch & release in Portugal.

I have found that being a charter skipper is usually a fine balance between, earning a living, keeping your customers happy and being an angler yourself. That said sometimes you just have to find "FISH" for your anglers, from what you guys have said about this article most of the fish were put back, so i don't see the problem in catch & release. But surely from an angling and sporting point of view these fish would hopefully have provided all day sport on a single feather, spinner or lure, with the anglers still taking one or two fish each.

Firstly Bob, i have to say that i have not yet read the whole mag as i still have not received one here in the depths of southern Portugal. My own opinion is that strings of feathers have no place in angling for sport or pleasure other than as a means to collect bait IE mackerel.

Oh oh, the abuse has started!!!

Yes thats me Jeff

Thanks Sam, it did'nt come out to bad other than we are not in the Med and it was the wrong time of year for the better sharks. The blues had just spawned and all the baby shark were not old enough to have grown any teeth. What links are you guys on about, or was that the "abuse"!!!

Hi Jeff, i know from one of my contacts in the UK that there are plenty of whiting at the moment, but i'm not sure about the codling situation which is probably what you want to know about. I should have another update on the situation soon.

You do not want to do that we will probably just get a load of stick and abuse. But i am used to that being a charter skipper!!!

I have always found that the best non slip deck finish is always the worst to try and keep clean. Try two coats of deck paint, with a sprinkling of silica on the first coat just as it is getting tacky then appaly the second coat the next day. PS nothing lasts to long anyway!!!

I cannot tell a lie Norm, its me

There's a great article about a guy in Portugal who runs charters

Sorry guy's but i also managed to get in!

Errr i do believe your right Chevin!!!87

Nice one Mike, we have been catching them like whiting this summer but only small ones up to 3kgs.

Captain they are Dorado, also known as Dolphin fish and Maui maui in different parts of the world. Great sport on light tackle, having said that they go up to about 150lbs.

Vince passed through just south of us here in Albufeira heading towards the west coat of Spain, after i had spent ages securing my boat with about three miles of rope, but at least i got it all off again a lot quicker.

Toerag, i agree with you but the same applies to your car but you would not be allowed to use it as a mini cab at weekends without the proper licensing. I believe that nobody is bothered about boat owners taking out a few friends and sharing the costs, but advertising takes it into a different category. Where i used to work in the Thames estuary this quite frequently became a second income until the MCA became involved, you also have to think of the tax and vat man. Stick with friends and you wont go far wrong as long as you are not fishing five days a week with lots of different "friends"

The Thames estuary, Southend on sea where the pier used to be!!!!!

Maybe,Scotty but probably best not to advertise. Please remember that i am only trying to help, i do not operate in the UK any more although i am still licensed there. I just do not wany any members getting a heavy fine because nobody put them right.

I am not about reporting anyone, just trying to make people who may not know, aware of the laws concerning this sort of activity. There are plenty of unlicensed "Skippers" all around the coast who normally operate at low cost due to the fact that they do not have to weigh out for all the qualifications etc. The MCA therefore keep a close eye on this sort of thing, and advertising the fact on here could land an unwary boat owner in "Hot water" LOL

No you are right Scotty in princible, but advertising on forums for "anyone" to go fishing is asking for trouble.

Roy, the amount is irrelavent, it is the same as as using your car as an illegal mini cab. Once you accept any money your new friends become customers

Maritime coastguard agency, the people who will prosecute you if they find out you are chartering (charging passengers) without the appropriate licenses, safety equipment etc.

I hope the MCA do not read these pages Roy !!