Jim Gibbinson

Day sessions? I use a 45-inch standard brolly from Argos; about £15. Proofed with Nyloproof, I think it's called. It won't suit those to whom "looking the part" is important, but for those who merely require a sunshade/wind-break/rain-shelter, and don't care about their bankside "cred", it's ideal. Can be dismantled in seconds, too, so doesn't inhibit me from moving swims. And because it's cheap, I don't worry about forcing it in small gaps where it gets raked by thorns, etc.

Certainly more mullet in the Medway than there were last year. Recently, Adam Lawrence and I had a good evening from the shore: I had two five-pluses and Adam had one. On previous trips Adam has had fish of 7-plus and 6-plus. The mullet now seem to have left that particular location and we've not yet found where they've relocated.

Julian, I'm not sure that the appeal of brazils lies in their white colour; I've tried cubes of coconut flesh, and found it/them to be completely ineffective.

The broad jugular interspace looks like that of a thin-lipped mullet. The lack of obvious papillae on the top lip also suggests that it's a thin-lipped - unless the lack of papillae is due to lack of photo definition rather than actual absence. The fact that it took bread is more characteristic of a thick-lipped, but bread-eating thin-lipped are not unknown, I understand. Given the evidence of the photo, I would opt for it being a thin-lipped.

There's no need to have 10ft carp rods specially made; 10ft spinning rods will serve every bit as well. I have a couple of 10ft ABU Enticer spinning rods that I bought for carp fishing where a tree canopy makes 12ft carp rods untenable. They're inexpensive, too - about £30 each, if I remember correctly

".... there may not be a mullet by your hookbait for miles....." Welcome to the world of Medway mullet anglers!

It's proving to be a good year for lawns - I've only had to cut mine three times thus far. It's turning nicely brown at present; one more cut might see it through to the autumn. A downside of hot weather being combined with school holidays is the wholesale emergence of "yoofs" who elect to swim where they're not allowed, and leave heaps of rubbish when they eventually depart. Anyone who has the temerity to remonstrate with them is rewarded with a mouthful of abuse and an accompany risk of reprisal vandalism on their parked car. I'd rather suffer cormorants....

Elton Good luck to Julian and yourself with this project. To tell the truth, I'm somewhat sceptical about the potential of an E-book on carp fishing (leastways, in the UK) at present, but I hope you prove me wrong. More potential overseas, I would have thought.

Sam, there have been carp in the tidal water at Beeleigh for at least 20 years - in fact, I heard reports (unconfirmed) more than 30 years ago. I've caught roach at Strood on the tidal Medway (while mullet fishing) where, to all intents and purposes, it is salt water (bladderwrack, crabs, cod in winter - the full "nine yards") - admittedly it was on an ebb tide after heavy rain so there was doubtless some freshwater influence, but even so.... Brackish tidal waters are often a sort of "no mans land" - ignored by saltwater and freshwater anglers alike. Access can be difficult, though, with marshland and/or mud. Tremendous potential for anyone prepared to invest time from a boat, though.

I endorse Elton's comments; Ian Welch has been a terrific asset to Ceemex's fisheries department.

Matt: "I've got access to Basin 1." If the facility extends to guests, you'll find you've acquired a whole batch of new best friends!

Matt, you ask where the Medway mullet are.... a proportion of them, at least, are in the Number One basin at Chatham (no fishing allowed, of course). A friend who is an experienced freshwater angler said that the largest of those he saw would have been equivalent size to chub or grass-carp of about 8lb. Certainly very few signs of mullet at my usual locations: just a few lip-marks, and you have to look hard to find them. Like Andrew, I'm cutting my losses and restricting my mullet fishing this year to occasional keep-in-touch trips while primarily targeting tench. Trouble is, Medway mullet can't be in the river AND the dock basin(s) - it's one or t'other. Last year they were in the basins until late autumn; looks like it's shaping up the same this year. Curses!

Mussels.

Well put, Julian.

Three Medway trips so far this season (all from the shore); no bites. I've seen a few swirls, but I think they were thins. Trying the shore again this afternoon; plus a pier trip this weekend. Trying to fit my mullet fishing in with tench and carp this year, rather than focusing specifically on mullet. Remains to be seen if the policy is a sound one.