Norm B

TBH I've never heard of him. His CV shows 1 sea fish, a wrasse, all others are coarse and game. I've been a sea angler for 60 years, stewarded the World Championships, beach and boat, managed 5 International shore teams, he's a complete newcomer to me and a lot of other sea anglers. Obviously the AT are continuing in the style to which we have become accustomed, puddle dippers and fluff chuckers reign supreme. ?

This is a very old post, is there a newer one as my mate has given up coarse/carp fishing and wants to sell all of his gear but I fear that he is wasting his time here as the posts are very old and probably nobody reads them.

I have serviced the rear drags on my ABU Cardinals 54 & 55 for years and they are not difficult but I did have the diagrams at first. Your reel diagram should be available online somewhere, try Google or Jim's reels. You may wish to upgrade the drag washers for Carbontex as they are smoother.

Magpies have had the blackbird's nest. Loads of smooth and palmate newts but only seen 3 or 4 female GCN's and 1 male so far, I hope a few more turn up or he'll be busy, lucky git. Anybody in my area, Havant/Waterlooville/ Portsmouth got any spare Canadian pond weed as I've so many newts what I've got this year can't cope, I've had to put blades of grass in for them, any stray tadpoles welcome as I had a phone call the other day that there were some "distressed tadpoles in a ditch" went there next day and all dead as this dry hot weather had evaporated the water. I know it's illegal but better transferred than dead in my book. Got a pair of hogs and another big one, they were fighting the other night, hope fully they breed this year, some bred close by last year as I had 1 small one given me and found a small one in the garden so took it in and fed it for a couple of months and released it when it was heavy enough, it may be one of the pair as it's smaller than the big 2.

Some marinas are offering reduced fees while virus restrictions are being enforced, so don't sign too quickly. ?

DITTO.

I won't buy farmed salmon after watching programmes on how badly they are treated but pay extra to buy wild Alaskan salmon from Waitrose, it even looks and tastes better.

To be selected, you have to apply, so I didn't and wasn't.

Now sold. ?

Well a baited trap in the open could catch birds too but I was assured that the target was rats.

Checked with police, perfectly legal as long as shot doesn't leave my premises and I've tested the gun and cartridges, Eley sub-sonic magnum and the pellets hitting a target make more noise than the gun.

Same result.

I did think that but better not as it would create an atmosphere with my neighbours. I just can't believe that anybody would put a baited rat trap in the open, it could catch birds as well and is probably illegal.

Now up to 3 or 4 hogs but lost one to next doors rat trap, took it to vets but didn't make it. I can't believe anyone would put rat traps in the open. When I was doing conservation/pest control I either put poison underground or traps in boxes with small entrance holes, not baited in the open.

When Mrs B finds the hand book and receipt I will be advertising an electric start, 4 stroke petrol engine, self propelled lawn mower. Only been used half a dozen times or so as my back got worse soon after buying it. Probably about £200/£250, depending on what I paid so start saving your pennies. Found the paperwork. I bought it 4 years ago and it cost me £315. It's only been used once this year. It's a BMC Racer with a 20 inch cut so how about £160. Used by my BIL last month so starts and works well. Pictures available online.

Silstar Traverse X. Specialist. 11.5ft. 2-4oz. 9/10 condition. C/W bag. Sought after bass, carp and pike rod. £75 + post.

I nearly got caught out last week when I had to renew mine for the crime of being over 70. Probably same site as had DVLA in the address and was top of the page. They asked all the right questions but when I came to the end there was a £9 charge. I deleted it but I'm still wondering if they have retained my personal info for selling on so I've reported it to the Cyber Crime unit, just in case.

No problem with nature doing what nature does in the wild but in my garden I decide what happens.

I needed their larvae to feed the newt tadpoles as the nearest place I can get daphnia is 10 miles away now and it's over a £1 a bag. We don't have malaria or Zika virus here so apart from itchy bites the parents are harmless. As I am no longer stocking ponds, apart from a separate pond for GCN's the main pond will have to fend for itself. Times are hard for us pensioners.

Saw 1 frog last week, gone now, probably got by a cat. Won't bother getting any more as far too many cats now so they don't stand a chance. There was 1 cat when we moved here 25 years ago, now the are over a dozen, including 3 Bengals and they aren't afraid of water.

Thanks. Not been out much due to medical reasons but hope to get out more this year and make the most of what there is going. Plenty of good boats from Portsmouth/H.I. but I still have my favourites.

Try Glen on Valkyrie from Northney Marina on Hayling Island or Ross on Dawn Venture from Langstone Harbour Portsmouth. If they don't have available dates I'm sure they can recommend someone reliable.

Newts are OK but I've given up breeding to repopulate ponds as the ponds keep getting filled in and the price of daphnia has gone through the roof so I encourage mosquitos to lay their eggs in bowls of stagnant water, seems to be working. Got 2 hogs at moment, lost one last week, probably the fox.

Now got a fully moderated .410 and a box of subsonic magnum cartridges. Checked with local police, completely legal as long as no shot leaves my garden, they even said they'd phone me first before they send out the ARV if a shot is reported at night in my area. It pays to talk to them first.

Sold it at Christmas for £20.