Zim

Blatant plug - charity auction of some red hot patterns dressed by hardcore SWFFers from the UK. ALL money to RNLI and UKBASS Bass Restoration Fund. Detailed shots here: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=320134994706 Please support it and spread the word, big thanks, Kev(Zim)

Blatant plug - charity auction of some red hot patterns dressed by hardcore SWFFers from the UK. ALL money to RNLI and UKBASS Bass Restoration Fund. Detailed shots here: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=320134994706 Please support it and spread the word, big thanks, Kev(Zim)

Hardly a proper use of the forum I know, but if you could humour me I'd be grateful! This weekend I'm off away on a stag weekend, part of the entertainment scheduled was a days Charter out of Torquay, apparently after Pollock. The best man has messed up the organisation and numbers for the Sunday have fallen. The budget of £45 per individual for ten guys on a charter has reduced and made it a bit of a non-starter... So now I have been asked to help to sort some sort of piscatorial shenanigans for six chaps, half of whom are not particularly au fait with fishing, on a budget of about £300. Needs to be available this sunday, 23rd April, and ideal location is South Devon - but anywhere within an hour or so of Newton Abbot would be good. A boat trip would be nice as I've just scored a bulk pack of seasickness pills!!! Does anyone have any ideas that could save the day? Many thanks in advance, Cheers, Zim

Well said Barra! Sent mine. So has my admin assistant at work, a couple of chaps down the tackle shop, a couple more from the angling association... C'mon people - all you've got to do is cut and paste, then mix it up a bit, and hit Ctrl + P !!!

Many thanks for the advice gents. I'll take that on board. 6/0 eh? Blimey. That's bigger than I currently use for Pike flies! Best hit the tackle shop and get some larger hooks. I was being very careful with handling and a quick return, and only saw the one go belly up... but one in ten is not good enough - one in fifty is heading on for acceptable. Thanks again, much appreciated, Zim.

Festive greetings to you all! I'm a newbie to much of sea angling and wondered whether you could help me out here... I recently read a magazine article in which its says that , on returning whiting, "it is a well known fact that if simply thrown back in the water around 98% of undersized whiting will die. They should be carried down to the waters edge and gently placed in the water to improve their chances of survival." Now - forearmed with this information last night I actually supported the undersized fish and moved them back and forth to get some water over their gills... and still one washed up on shore five minutes later. Given that the tide run changed shortly after I cannot be certain that the same thing didn't happen to other fish as well. Does anyone know of a better method of returning them, or if the claimed mortality statistics are true ??? Even a gerten 2/0 worm hook was picking up undersized lil' pin whiting, so I'm not sure how best to avoid the small ones either... any advice gratefully received! Cheers, and tightlines all, Kev.

Would have thought a smear of Orabase would do more good than harm if you land a fish with this again... Looks like a pretty mank ulcer to me - but the infection seems to be beginning to heal around the edges, unless the pink is spreading necrosis (which is a very bad thing).

;D Nice one guys. I don't think global warning will jeopardise our survival as much as , say, viruses will over the next generation or two. Given the levels of our rivers and reservoirs at present, I am more concerned about water shortages in the near future... seems as if no one in the UK realises that fresh water is a finite resource!

Well Done Norm. I only managed a wee schoolie on my last outing. Particularly worthy of respect is your ratio of release to retention... if more anglers fished as you do we'd all have less blanks!