dingle

No problem mate i will have a better idea tomorrow though, high tides are around midday give or take an hour. so depending on the weather..........fingers crossed!!!! will let you know. cheers dingle

sounds good. should be out over the weekend if the weather holds out. by the way a good site to look at for the weather at st bees is xc weather it gives you the wind speeds which is dead useful. cheers dingle

Hi Marko, SDD, Martin. Yep its been a while!!!!!! Marko, Im in st bees and have fished the heads a good many times, good fishing and the views spectacular from the sea! not done so much on the lakes though with any success. If you fancy a trip out and want the company give us a shout. Its time to get the old girl wet again!!!! SDD, nice to see your still at it and with a bit of success too!!! Cheers Dingle

Hi martin This is the first i have heard about this. I will have an ask around with the lads with boats to see. Surely one hell of a waste!!!!! A slight aside though...a mate was walking on the beach here and found a dead porpoise washed up with two great big bite marks on it...hes an experianced angler and thought from the size could be shark...is it global warming gone nuts?? I know we get basking sharks around here, but I didn't even think we had tope until now!!!! Thats me not hangin me legs over the side!! dingle

Hi mark, Just to throw add another one into the pot.... I have a OK sidekick as I have a 7year old and a three year old. As its described as a one and a half seater so the eldest goes upfront and the little one between my legs. Certainly worth considering from the family side. I have also now rigged it for fishing (theres some photos on here somewhere) and find that its a cracking boat very stable and easy to paddle out at sea and su[erb for going through the surf. As for storage there is no hatches so to speak of but a decent tank well and if your on your tod you have all the space where the front seat goes. Let us know what you end up with!! Dingle

Stay at home lads........its a coming to cumbria!!!!! If your back from your hols SDD do you fancy it....The morning down your way...evening up here??? Perhaps we could show these sotherners a thing or two.......... .............or maybe not!! Dingle.....

Hey Coasters, If your anywhere near st bees and fancy a trip out give us a shout the more the merrier...you never know there might be more of us up here than down south soon!!

Simon I was told to use the small neon hokkai type lures (also catch launce) using a pirk as the weight. It did the trick on sunday..... mind you i could have been just lucky!!! Dingle

Well this thread certainly gets the imagination fired up.. I have been having a look for a while at kayaks with sails and like the look of the sails that can be used to tack up wind. Can the delta type sails be used like this or are they just for downwind sailing Simon? Might be another first for the Sidekick....I think I would have the room hmmm............wheres that old tent!!! Anyway found these sites that may be of interest. http://www.sit-on-topkayaking.com/Articles...teSailing2.html http://community.webshots.com/album/547970044CNoMsF http://www.foldingkayaks.org/sail.shtml Cheers Dingle

If your just flying down wind what about a golf umbrella??? Seen it on another site........ seem like a good idea.

Well For all you lads that are shore bound at the mo due to wether, not sure what your bothering for though as its just a typical cumbrian summer, i thought i would let you know how we got on yesterday:P Met up with SDD at St Bees in the afternoon where the weather was... well they have a saying round here "if you can see the Isle of Man its gonna rain and if you can't it is raining" and yep we couldn't see it for all the tea in china. Anyway launching was easy only a little bit of surf to contend with so decided to head toward the south head again and do a few drifts over the rocks and kelp thats there. Had a bash at throwing some hokkais in the water before deciding to anchor up. Straight into doggies!! at least its something god bless em. Dave continued to drift whilst spinning and seemed to be more than a little impressed with the fishfinder. Mind you the bottom does take some beating. Got fed up with the doggies so had a go at trolling a sand eel (no joy)and also with the hokkais and result a nice pollack. At least we know they are here now. All in all this was a carcking few hours. Great to meet up with someone else and talk yaks n fishing and have a butchers at another fishing yak (Cheers Dave and thanks for the charts). Already planning the next trip and tactics. Selkar rocks or the heads with a float or even the north heads under the light house.. Any takers? I know two of us that'l be there. Dingle PS whilst setting up at the car park a gauy came over and asked if I really fish out of the sidekick and how does that work then? After the quick guided tour he even asked to photo it as his mate wouldn't believe him....imagine not hearing about kayak fishing!!

The beach where I go involves a wander across grass and pavement slabs down a bloody steep slipway that hs som large gaps where the concrete meets then over a few cobbles and then over sand pretty much everything!! Ill get the measurement to you shortly dingle

Hi Speciman. Its dead easy to get the yak on the cart. All I do is lift the back of the yak up and push the trolley underneath as eay as that. Having looked at the hatch on the scupper the cart should fit It does seem petty big!. The cart dissassembles quickly. The support bars are held on with a cliped pin and the wheels with a clevis type, so just pull these and there you have it 7 parts in total. If it helps any i could always measure it up for you. On the sidekick there is no hatch like the scupper so it just gets strapped down on the back as is behing the cool box. Hope that helps Dingle

Hi Speciman, Used the trolly for the first time today..One word....Superb!!!!!!!! The twin pneumatic tyes handle lumps and bumps with utmost ease.. I would imagine that if your in the market for a trolley you wouldn't do much better just ask SDD as I think its on his shopping list now!!! Cheers Dingle

hi there Speciman, I have managed to lay my hands on a paddlecart dually. They look the dogs dodahs. Well made and even fit the sidekick which has rather a pronounced keel. Didn't fancy the electras for this reason. Will be trying it out on sunday so will let you know then. My mk3 version is now tough enough (made from upvc window sill capping) but does tend to dig in the sand due probably to the small wheels and gets a bit hard work at low tide. (So it been donated to the wifes sit in yak.) The paddlecart is a fairly bid cart mind but should easily manage beach and shingle effortlessly!! Can't wait!! Dingle

Hi Dawnplugger, Just to make matters more confusing for you. I have fixed my transducer down with a good blob of dow corling sealent and it works a treat. A sort of semi permanent fixing as it will peel off if yanked hard enough. The fishish finder I use is a garmin but it should work with an eagle. I quite like the look of the dive reel...but i think i will have to stick with the poly pipe for now!! Dingle

Great Stuff Lads.... Cracking read and excellent pics... It would take a while for the smile to disappear from my face too. I can even remember and relish getting a 36lb Tope and that was donkies ago!!! I think we maight have to change the holiday plans for next year... probably take that long to get approvall...i guess you lot will know what I mean!! Dingle

Hi SDD, Keeping an eye on the weather for the weekend, BBC gives 11 south westerly, and XC weather give it a little less (cracking site a kite surfing mate told me about even has st bees on it) so fingers crossed eh! I take it your still up for it on saturday or if the weather looks better could you make it sunday? Do you fancy fishing a couple of hours either side of high tide I take it that will be an evening fish then? And the next one is where? Whats it like down your neck of the woods with that kind of wind? Had a chat to me mate with a boat and he mentioned selkar rocks being good for pollack and codling near the pots .............sounds bloody good to me mate. Should be a good chance to try out your rubby dubby pipes... you never know?? Just got a drouge chute/sea anchour today and looking forward to trying it out might need it if its a bit breazy. Looking forward to this.. Cheers Mate Dingle

Spot on!!!! Once this weekend is out of the way I think it will be a case of fingers, toes and whatever crossed for the weather for Saturday the 20th Not sure what the tides will be then either but probably Know more monday. Looking forward to it already!!! Dingle

Hi SDD How you fixed for next weekend (20th May) then? Saturday or sunday either way. Propbably have to toss a coin for venue...nice to have the choice!! Should also be able to dig a few lug if you fancy. Hopefully the mackerel should be showing and possibl;y a few bass or theres always the heads for a chance of Pollack need to be tight in to the rocks though. Ther are marks on the north heads I think there is a mark at fleswick (Good stop for a brew and stretch the legs anyway) and under the lighthouse. Anyway have a think check your diary and let me know. Cheers for the tip with the anchor, but Im still tempted with a drift chute/drouge you can pick em up for less than £20 on good old ebay. Should be dead handy for drifting the rocks. Cheers Dingle.

Hi Martin, Usually June when the mackies come in so anytime now!! One of the tastiest fish in my opinion!! Looks like we will be seeing you soom then!! Dingle

Hi SDD, Yes its dead easy to launch from the lifeboat station as there is a slipway to the beach even though you have to pay to use the car park. Beats going over the shingle/rock. The gannets were diving all around while i was out probably after the sandeels. I have had a look at the fold up pots too, wonder how much weight you need to hold the bottom? Could be worth a go perhaps. Just been having a look at drift chutes. Think I know whats next on the shopping list! Dingle

Out again this afternnon, the sea was spot on flat calm to start and crystal clear. I could now see what I have been fishing over. Even managed to put the lures down between the boulders it was that clear (20ft down). Trouble is though the wind don't half speed the drift up as I found out later (drift chute anyone?). Anyhow tried my luck around the heads once more and for my trouble 1 launce - kept for bait when the bass/pollack start to show. trouble is one won't go far!! Missed a beltin bite as well, why? you may ask - cause I was on the phone to the missus saying how good it was out there on the yak!! On the way round saw a guy trying to retrieve his lobster pots. He had left it a bit late and couldn't get to them as the tide was on its way out. So with the promise of a lobster!! I gave him a hand and managed to get to the makers and get them to him.....Now for the sting..he didn't mention that I could have one of the lobsters from the pots I helped him with and that these pots were empty!! because they were too close in to start with!! Oh well you live and learn!! One things for sure I did fancy putting out a pot using the yak but there is no way I could shift one of those they weighed a ton. Think I'll leave that to the professionals or not so!! Dingle

Hi SDD, Looks like we should sort something out for the weekend after this one then. Venue could be dependant on the weather unless you've got a preference not sue if theres many sheltered places along this coast though? let us know where you fancy.. dingle

Hi martin, Thats pretty much where I was on Sunday judging by the guys fishing of the rocks . Hoever I was just a bit further out than they could cast!! Nice to note there were 6 of then and managed a couple of fish between them I mangaged that the short time I was there. Just goes to show you that yak fishing IS the way forward!!! I wonder when the beachcasters will be traded in for 12 foot odd of ocean kayaks finest? (or perception, feelfree etc....) Hopefully I will be out tomorrow (got me bait!!) and fancy a crack of the heads first again then try down seamill over the broken ground. Give us a shout when your coming up and we will sort a trip out!! Im sure SDD would be up for that too. And any others would be more than welcome. SDD, Sorry you can't make wednesday!! and I can't do this weekend. Prior arrangement thing! But the week after perhaps? Have you given any thought to the half way thing?I have herd that there are a few reasonable bass marks down the coast? (and no I didn't get the PM either!) Dingle