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John Mason

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    http://www.geologywales.co.uk
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    Sea fishing and severe weather photography

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  1. The logical thing for him to do is to specially train the seals to feed on the small bass he has a problem with Cheers - John
  2. Hey guys - try a bit of pirking over the reef just off Tywyn prom - over high water. You might get a nice codling if you're lucky Cheers - John
  3. You might not have to wait too long! See: http://www.worldseafishing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36909 Cheers - John
  4. Good posts by Leon & Andy there - sums up the situation we all face very well. Cheers - John
  5. For my local marks I'm fairly lucky - 25 mile round trip will cover 'em and the GV does 50MPG if you keep the revs down! Mackerel's the top bait here from now on and I'll take a pack of frozen black but refreeze most of it again as often as not, so it all works out at less than a tenner, or about half as much as the same amount of time in the pub would! Cheers - John
  6. Great thread! Haven't been for a look in here for ages and have spent all morning reading! I cannot comment on the North Sea from experience as I live on the opposite side of the UK. Here in Cardigan Bay we have seen various stocks come and go over the last 20 years. Bass are commoner than they were (coincident with nursery protection areas) but are mostly undersized fish, with 3-5lb fish a lot harder to find from the shore these days. Thornback ray, the mainstay of the charter fleet in the 70s and 80s, were tangle-netted into oblivion in the 90s and are comparatively rare these days. Cod have never been a big feature of the bay as long as I have known it. The large packs of spurs were wiped out by longliners way back, as Davy mentioned. The recreational fishing sector now largely focusses on tope and black bream with catch-and-release strongly encouraged. There is little doubt in my mind that there is far, far more economic potential in this than in wiping them out over a season as happened with the thornbacks. On a good Summer weekend, you'll have maybe 6 or more charter parties staying in the area, spending good money locally in shops, pubs, tackle dealers etc and keeping 6 skippers/crews in their jobs. And that's just Aberystwyth. Now onto Greenpeace. I know people who've worked on their boats and caught fish on rod & line for fresh food. I don't believe the organisation has a problem with fishing - so long as it's done sustainably and with the lowest possible impact on other aspects of the marine ecosystem. They are not tree-huggers (never met one myself!) but they do see the bigger picture, which is what is needed. The sandeel fishery case was a good example of needing to do that - read John Brennan's article if you haven't already - and I agree with the earlier post about ensuring the ban (admittedly brought in about 5 years too late) continues well beyond the current 5 years. You start bashing huge dents into the middle of the food chain and you're looking at a disaster. Seabirds, cod, bass and whiting among others need sandeels, not Danish porkers. Never caught one of them on a Redgill anyway! I am all for a complete cessation of winter pair trawling in the SW for spawning bass - not only because of the marine mammals that are destroyed in the process but also because, as has been pointed out elsewhere, the proverbial goose is being killed before its golden egg is laid! Here on the Cardigan Bay coast, dolphins and porpoises are hugely important for tourism - worth their weight in gold in fact! Seen the estimated amount of visitor revenue they bring to the area somewhere - can't remember the exact figure but it is BIG. Another case of needing to see the bigger picture. Greenpeace, commercial and recreational sea-users (apart from dolphin-chasing jetskiers of course) ought to be working together to secure a better future for all. Our interests have more in common than not. Stock collapses help none of us. The tale of the striped bass fishery across the pond is evidence enough for that, and proof that such plans can work if properly thought through, implemented and policed. Any sea angler or responsible commercial fisherman should have little difficulty in seeing this. The irresponsible ones within BOTH camps shouldn't be involved with the sea, either recreationally or commercially. Cheers - John
  7. Good on ya all! Sounds like a fun time was had - would have liked to have met you but had visiting relatives as it panned out... out with my mate Nick Hughes from Aber tomorrow so hoping for some fishy goings-on! Cheers - John
  8. Yes do be careful on Friday with the weather. Any thunderstorms that do break out along the front have the potential to be severe with squally winds on top of the torrential rain and frequent lightning. Severe weather is something else I do in my spare time (I'm a director of TORRO - the Tornado & Storm Research Organisation!)... Got folks over this weekend but might try to get down to see you launch - sounds like you're launching up at the mouth of the Dysinni. What time to you plan to launch & come back in?? Cheers - John
  9. Thanks for all of the info! This is a brilliant site! I'll come and meet you guys if possible when you set off for your next expedition. It'll be a while before I decide what to go for as I want to consider all possibilities, so seeing what you use will help me to arrive at the best way forward. I'm pretty much set on a 13ft Prowler mind! Cheers - John
  10. I'm thinking about pretty much following the shore-fishing season which is April-late December. Outside of this time although I do fish it's unspectacular. Sea temps hereabouts are pretty good through the Autumn months, with April often being colder than November, this especially being the case this year. As a busy amateur weatherman I can see the odd good opportunity for fishing late into Autumn if a slow-moving large anticyclone sits over the E UK giving this area gentle and mild S winds. The drysuit option does seem to be a versatile option, especially as you say it doesn't cook you during the Summer months. The main thing is it does the job if you are fishing in colder conditions, where avoiding hypothermia is the big issue. Thanks for the info! John
  11. Thanks! I too doubt I'll be kitted up by then but it would be good to meet you guys at launch and get a look at the sort of kit/layout you find best. I liked to look of the 13ft Prowler myself. I am tempted by the 15ft for the extra space but not sure where I'd keep it! I know a lot of good inshore marks easily reached by a launching at Tywyn, and if the weather was settled into the Autumn some of these would be well worth a try for codling. One thing I am unsure about is how late in the year the season can be pushed to. Although I guess a drysuit with lots of warm clothing underneath would offset sea temps in the event of a ducking. On that topic, what do people recommend - wetsuit or drysuit? Cheers - John
  12. Hi all, Found this forum the other day while researching kayak fishing on the www. I'm seriously thinking about taking it up myself! No previous experience although did a bit of river canoeing years ago. I've been shore and boat fishing between Aberystwyth and Tywyn (especially at Borth)for years and years, and what really appeals to me is the idea of relaxing evenings on calm seas chasing the mackerel shoals about. When the surf's running I'll be stood casting into it for rays, turbot and bass, but flat calms are pretty poor for shore fishing round here. What better than to launch and drift down the coast half a mile out! I'm hoping to get kitted out fairly soon and shall be watching this forum with avid interest. Once I do get sorted, I wonder if I could tag along with any people who fish this coast? There's obviously stuff to learn with safety which tells me not to go alone at first. Cheers - John
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