GowerRay

The Welsh consultation still has 5 days to go. Time enough if anyone's interested. Reply details: Closing date 14 February 2006 to:- Mrs Hannah Hess Welsh Assembly Government ECM Fisheries Government Buildings CP2 Cathays Park Cardiff CF10 3NQ email:Fisheries@Wales.GSI.GOV.UK

[quote For fishing on the Gower there's a good local book by a guy called Malcolm Halpenny 'Fishing the Gower' I Or even Malcolm HALFPENNY

Hello Lee, Fraid the wind is in the wrong direction for Swansea Bay at the moment. Anything with an East in it seems to keep the fish out. I've read a report or two about catches over the past few days at Knab Rock (By Verde's Cafe) but I know I won't be bothering until this wind swings round. Seeing is believing. For fishing on the Gower there's a good local book by a guy called Malcolm Halpenny 'Fishing the Gower' I think it's called funnily enough. It's about 5 or 6 quid and you can get it from most of the tackle shops in Swansea. Covers the coast from Swansea Eastside right round the peninsular to Bynea (Loughor Estuary). Full of the details you need. What, where, when and how to get there etc. Hope it helps, Ray

One I use a lot is Accuweather. Select local forecast and/or type in your postcode. Main site: http://ukie.accuweather.com/adcbin/ukie/index.asp A more accurate 'now' weather with all the relevant seagoing info is on the 'National Data Buoy Centre'. Air/water temp. Swell period and height. Wind direction etc, etc. Pick your buoy. Lists the last 24 hours as well. It is here for the UK buoys: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/Maps/United_Kingdom.shtml Hope it helps, Ray

I thought it was John Prescott! Wonder if Livingstone'll hit him with the congestion charge?

Another thing with Google Earth is the age of the pics. The latest upgrade shows a large tree in my neighbours garden that was chopped down 2 years ago. The previous version held pics more than 3 years old. As was mentioned earlier, Multimap is another good source of photo info but unlike Google isn't easy to get 'Exact' co-ordinates for the GPS in real time onscreen. For that I use GPSU (another freebie) and transfer the data onto saved Multimap info. But that's another story.

I've been using it for a year or so now and as you say, some areas are sketchy to put it mildly. I don't think a pay-for upgrade will increase the quality of the pictures. What's there is there. No enhancement of pics for payment. What you do get for the extra dosh is GPS uploading and downloading facilities, route marking etc. That's the way I understood it anyway. I'll go check again. This coming from someone who emptied the ashtray in the washing machine and stuck my washing in the bin this morning. Yep I can get confused. But I'm happy.

Nice one Elton. We are always learning and because of our human weakness to easily forget things this is an invaluable reference library. Great work. Happy New Year to all

In the 'Unit of measure' on the NDBC buoy of your choice, click on the drop down arrow and change it from English to Metric. Equation: Degrees C to F - 1.8 X Temp+32 = ? Other way round - Minus 32 and divide the remainder by 1.8. Way too heavy for this time of day

As least you had a reply. I'm still waiting on BB and TSF

And another piece of nice reading is the view of Carwyn Jones, Minister for Countryside etc on the BMP. It appears we have the support of the main man for the principles of it. All we need now is for people to take a few minutes of their time to reply. Hope that isn't ask too much Carwyn's speech here: http://www.countryside.wales.gov.uk/fe_new....asp?newsid=513

Forgot about that one. Cheers Leon you've just frightened the life out of me. Apart from Radon, new landfill sites and planned manufacturing sites, I've got the lot, subsidence, no flood defences planned for my high risk area, subsidence, plague, famine and flocks of locusts. That is if all my worldly goods are not stolen. Yep, high risk with that one and all.

Another major consideration is house insurance. The insurance companies are using the Environment Agencies flooding info to set premiums. There are a hell of a lot of people at the moment who are either paying silly figures or who cannot get insurance at all. The EA appears to give worse case scenarios on their website which will load your premiums unless there are flood defence measures planned for the future. Have a look on the website: http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/ Tap in your postcode on the left hand window. According to my postcode, areas that have never known flooding are now high risk! Including three nearby pubs!!!! I'll just get my feet wet though. All for consideration.

And on that happy note,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Where's the corkscrew?

Stan, a link would be a good start. I'm pretty sure there are people who visit this Forum who do not blow on their own trumpets but work with groups who would benefit from 'Hooked on Fishing' and a little help would not go amiss if offered. Gets my (albeit limited) support anyway. It took my eye because of the fact that it has taken pupils from my Kids old school. I was a Governor there at one time and know of the problems some of the children had to bear, both physical and mental. My hat goes off to anyone as dedicated as these people. Ray

There are many unsung heroes out there working to make lives better and I applaud them all. This is just one such group. 'Angling Projects'. Their aim is to get kids hooked on fishing and not drugs and crime. A lot of good work by a few good people. The main site is: http://www.apex-web.co.uk/angling%5Fprojects/ Great idea and well respected.

Tis quite a frightening thought for our children. Details of the last cold snap, named the 'Younger Dryas' can be found here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A760240 These things do come in 'natural' cycles but we may have speeded up the next one a hell of a lot and are possibly too late to do anything about it. The last paragraph from the link above reads as follows: "Another Ice Age in the Future? Although humans had very little to do with the onset of the Younger Dryas, our activities today could, ironically, cause another cooling period similar to this. The current period of rapid global warming is accelerating the rate of polar melting and increasing rainfall levels in temperate regions. If all this fresh water disturbs salinity levels in the Atlantic Ocean, we could shut off the North Atlantic Drift again, and Europe could be ice-bound in as little as 10 years. If that happens, good folks of the cities and towns of Europe, you'd better get your snow shovels out." As little as ten years? Now that is scary

I had an idea after reading Mike Ladle's 'Hooked on Bass after a piece about flattening leads to hold bottom. Simply put, I cut a 2" section of 1/2" square tube diagonally top to bottom and reversed one of the bits so that a toblerone type mould was made. The 2" came out about 4 oz. With the eye at the pointy end I've had no problems holding against the tide on a muddy/sandy bottom even with my baby 1/2 oz ones. Great for Bass fishing when you don't need a humungous lump of lead on the end.

According to the programme 'Coast', the Gower peninsular was something like 27 miles away from the sea a mere 20,000 years ago. The last ice age, after melt down 10,000 years ago, gave us the coastline we have today around here. Just think of the money I'm saving on petrol to go fishing! Another interesting one was that Wales and the South West of England is sinking whilst Scotland is rising. Get your Scrabster trips in now before it becomes a mound in the centre of a vast prairie. I, on the other hand, will be converting the house to a floating home. Has B&Q got any offers on damproofing at the moment?

Another good site for info is Neil Mackellow's here: http://neilmackellow.sea-angler.org/ Section on tuning and although he doesn't specifically deal with the Abu you have, the principle's the same. Have a look at the 'message' section and if you need to, ask the questions there. All the info you'll ever need on reels is there if you ask. My knowledge would just about cover a postage stamp,,,,,,,,,,in large letters. Go easy on the WD though, outside only.

This is the link to the main Abu site: http://www.abu-garcia.com/home.cfm I don't think there is such a thing as a Manual or service instructions but there is a fair bit of info on their stuff on the site. Another site which will have the schematic for your reel and quite a few (hundred?) more is Marsh Tackle. Click on 'Reel Schematics' on the side bar: http://www.marsh-tackle.co.uk/ If that's not enough info you can be sure there are many on here only too willing to help with any problems you may have or to provide you with further information on looking after your reel. Hope it helps.

Questions this morning to Ben Bradshaw: John Randall (Uxbridge, Con) Link to this | Hansard source If she will make a statement on fish stocks in the North sea. Ben Bradshaw (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Local Environment, Marine and Animal Welfare), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) Link to this | Hansard source Recent advice paints a rather bleak picture of the state of most key commercial stocks in the North sea, particularly cod, but some stocks, notably monkfish and prawns, are doing well. John Randall (Uxbridge, Con) Link to this | Hansard source I thank the Minister for his reply. Given the current state of the sand eel fishery, which has led the European Commission to close it for the rest of this year, will the Government support advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea to maintain its closure next year? Ben Bradshaw (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Local Environment, Marine and Animal Welfare), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) Link to this | Hansard source Yes, we certainly will. Owen Paterson (North Shropshire, Con) Link to this | Hansard source In the past couple of years, I have visited the successful, sustainable fisheries of Norway, the Faroes and New England. Indeed, America has seen 20 species come off the over-fished list, because its fish management system works with nature. In Exeter, I gave the Minister our green paper, published in January, that contains a list of suggested measures that have been taken from sustainable fisheries, including a ban on industrial fishing. Our clearly stated policy is to return to national control of our marine environment. The Minister disagrees, but he has jurisdiction up to six miles from the coast. Will he not bring those measures into force up to that six miles? Ben Bradshaw (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Local Environment, Marine and Animal Welfare), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) Link to this | Hansard source No, and I am glad that the hon. Gentleman has been off on his travels again. Another question: John MacDougall (Glenrothes, Lab) Hansard source To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to protect fish stocks in UK waters; and if she will make a statement. Ben Bradshaw (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Local Environment, Marine and Animal Welfare), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) Hansard source We are working to ensure depleted stocks are not over-exploited, while maximising catching opportunities for our fishing industry where this is justified.

This reply from ICES regarding the reports that they had said Cod were on the up a thousandfold. "ICES has not made the statement quoted and I am not aware of what is the basis for the statement. The most recent survey information (September 2005) does not show the suggested increase rather it shows that low recruitment seen in recent years continues. Regards Hans Lassen" Somebody has it very wrong or maybe the true statement got lost in translation on its way to 'Whitby Today' and 'TSF'

TSF say they have their information from I.C.E.S. The link to the press release is here: http://www.ices.dk/aboutus/pressrelease/Pr...0oct%202005.pdf I know I'm a bit of a slow starter in the mornings but on this news report is the following regarding Cod: 'Meanwhile Cod stocks in the North Sea, Irish Sea and West of Scotland remain well below recommended levels and the advice for these stocks and Iberian Peninsular Hake, which is also in poor condition, is zero catch'. Now I'm confused.

Quote: I guess we can expect a load more bull about the sea teaming with fish from the propaganda agency. I wondered where the commercials here got thier odd ideas from. Don't need to look to the commercials to see where they get their ideas from. Have a look at this month's 'Total Sea Fishing'. "Thousand times more Cod in the North Sea this year and an abundance of double figure Bass being caught. Best year ever". And that's from our side?