coddy

Can any of you guys help me identify a rod that I've acquired please? It's a 4-piece set up in split cane. It can either be a two-piece boat rod or a three-piece pier/beach rod. The label has been damaged and all I can make out is: T. F A picture of a lure Made Here's a piccie Any assistance in determining who owned the lgo would be greatly appreciated. Cheers

I rarely use more than two knots: Grinner: 3 or 4 turn depending on line thickness or 6 turn for mono to leader knot Improved albright: for joining mono/leader to braid Just take your time tying them (it ain't a race), use plenty of lubrication (an aerosol cap full of washing up liquid solution or spit, if tying away from home) and use good quality line. I stick with Ultima trace body and Amnesia snoods for most of my shore & boat rigs and either Ultima flouro hooklengths or Berkley Vanish for lighter snoods.

There's two tackle shops in West Bay, if you go into West Bay Watersports, don't be afraid to tell them of your previous experience, Martin & Les aren't daft, they'll put you right. The more information you can give them, the better chance you'll have of getting a good skipper. Remember though, if you're chartering the full boat, he's there to serve you.

I just read his question and responded to the port he was looking for, most of my boat fishing is from Weymouth, usually with Paul Davies (Katie Ann) or Pat Carlin (Meridian Express & Channel Chieftain), both of whom I'd have no hesitation in recommending.

Both Emma & I use Sundridge EntTec one-piece suits, they're a heck of a lot lighter than anything else on the market yet retain all the warmth & water resistance you would need. Sundridge tend to size on the larger size (I got the Large and I'm a 15 stone FB). Before buying any floaty off t'interweb, get yerself down to a tackle shop and try a few on, see what's comfortable for you, walk around in it, try a few practice casts etc: there's no point in having a suit that makes you fishing uncomfortable. Once you've found the one you like, buy it from the tackle shop and help keep them in business

Best way I've found to hook live sandeel is to pass the hook through the mouth, then gently out of the gills, then nick it in the belly about 1/3 of the way down. Drifting the Shambles for bass, sandeel hooked this way will last at least two drifts, if there are no takes. Using my Shimano Inner Guide rod and 14lb braid, I can feel the sandeel wriggling and can tell when a take is imminent because it will go absolutely mental.Just remember not to hit the first take, a bass will hit a sandeel first to stun it, before coming back to swallow it. Too many people strike on the first take and pull the bait away from the fish

There's a few charter skippers operating out of West Bay & Lyme, it all depends what you're looking for. If you ask Les or Martin in West Bay Watersports or the people in Potters Tackle, they'll put you onto a skipper. During the school holidays, most of the skippers are only interested in 3 hour macky trips, the grockles lap it up. Harry May at Lyme (Marie F) is an OK skipper, the problem with most fishing in Lyme Bay is that it tends to become a pout & dogfish fest, unless you can get over the bream beds.

I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that this forum is funded as some sort of "Care in the Community" project, with a few of the posters on here viewing it as some sort of anger-management exercise. Why the hell can't people respond to posts without resorting to insults?

One of the reasons that I decided to join the NFSA last week was that, I may not always agree with their principles but at least, as a member I have a voice. Holding p1ssing competitions on web forums will get us nowhere

One of the reasons I rarely post on this forum is the inability of certain posters to engage in debate without resorting to personal attacks on someone whose views do not concur with their own. I don't wish to sound elitist but if any poster has a problem comprehending the english language and lacks the ability to propose their views without personal insult, then they should keep the hell away from places like this.

As I said in an earlier post, until we are viewed as bona fide stakeholders in sea fishing, we will never be heard, especially when anyone can see what happens as soon as C&R or bag limits are mentioned. After thinking about this over the last 24 hours, I signed up and joined the NFSA. They may not be everyone's cup of tea but they at least have a presence on the various committees that WILL have an influence in framing how our sport develops. At least by becoming a member of NFSA, I now have an opportunity to let them know my feelings and hopefully gain some acceptance. I've always held the opinion: "It is far better to be inside the tent, p1ssing out than outside, p1ssing in"

I souse mackerel and keep them in kilner jars. Just fillet the macky, pack the fillets in kilner jars and then cover with boiling, spiced cider vinegar. Stand the jars in boiling water for about 10 minutes then seal them. They're good for eating after about 4 weeks. In the good old days, before monkfish became popular on posh restaurant menus, my family (all deep sea trawlermen), would bring home loads of monk because there was no real commercial market for them. My old fella & I started experimenting and discovered that the best way was as described above. I well remember the days before we got our first fridge and all we had was a marble slab in the pantry, even then, I can't remember a day when we didn't have fresh fish in the house. But one of my all time favourites doesn't involve preserving or even cooking. Catch a mackerel, dispatch it, fillet it and wash it in the sea. Slice across the fillet and eat it with wasabi and soy sauce. Best sashimi you'll ever taste. Oh and if you've ever seen the process of salting cod, you'll be grateful that most of it is exported to sunnier climes.

From all of 87mm to a whopping 90mm?

Mind if I join in guys? I re-started sea fishing two years ago after a break of nearly 30 years. Since I came back to it, I have seen quite a few changes in both equipment used, fishing methods and species caught (although the latter may have more to do with location). I regularly fish the Dorset & Devon coast, mainly from the shore but occasionally from charter vessels. Watching trawlers raping Lyme Bay often leves me wondering just why I bother lobbing a hook in the water. I fish for a number of reasons: I enjoy cooking and eating fish but I also enjoy the experience of just being closer to the sea and consequently I am rarely disappointed if (more likely when) I blank. I will openly admit to macky bashing at times but I have never wasted any fish. I have half a freezer full for winter bait, I also have three kilner jars packed with soused mackerel and occasionally I will pass some to friends because they appreciate the difference in fresh-caught fish. One mate in particular is a keen, prize-winning gardener and last month he rewarded me for my Summer's generosity by bringing me a box full of wonderful onions, leeks and beans from his allotment. Does accepting his vegetables make me a "commercial"? After all, I am accepting benefit in kind. In the past, I lived on the Yorkshire coast and was a member of an angling club. We'd fish shore matches during the winter and take to the boats in summer. Distance seemed no object, we all just enjoyed being out there but rarely did any of us blank. I also remember taking fish in the past that I would definitely return now. Any bass over about 6 lbs in weight will be crap eating, to be honest I'd sooner chew the table. I also once wona "fur & feather" with a 3 oz dab, from the Humber, I'm sure that the warts and other growths on that fish weighed more than the fish itself. All of my elder male relatives were on deep-sea trawlers and after one "pleasuring"(sic) trip, I vowed that I wouldn't be taking up that as a career. When the Cod Wars kicked off, I naturally sided with my family. How dare Iceland stop us from taking "their" fish? After all, the oceans and anything in them, belonged to everybody but especially to British trawler owners. Now as a grey haired old fart, I can appreciate what Iceland were trying to do and the evidence is there that they still have a thriving local fishing industry. Whereas our lads were forced to steam further away in search of enough fish to turn the owners a profit, until the industry became unviable. Having depleted the North Sea, North Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, EU boats are now targetting West African fisheries, in return for a bung to a corrupt government. These boats are now taking fish directly from people who need that fish to eat, the money will not filter down to the impoverished, that's for sure. We can all point to other countries' markets and accuse them of taking and selling immature fish. But we have a collective responsibility here, like it or not, we are part of the EU and as citizens of such a federation, we all have a responsibility, not only for our own actions but also to educate others too. There has been much debate over the licensing of recreational sea angling, I was initially anti but am now firmly in the pro-licensing camp. Until we become stakeholders in sea fishing, we will have no voice whatsoever. The commercials pay for their rights to fish and consequently, they are listened to far more readily than we are. They are better organised and can get their message across at all levels of government and the civil service (the people who really run the country). The supermarkets have massive political clout that transcends natural land borders, they too have a voice that can be and is listened to. Of course there will always be those who view a sea-fishing license as just another "stealth tax", they're probably the same people who view speed cameras in the same light but until we are seen to be making a contribution, we will continue to have no say. I realise that this is a bit of a ramble but I felt I had to get my twopennorth in. Before I sign off, I'll leave you with a Cree Indian saying: Only when the last fish is caught Only when the last buffalo is killed Only when the last river is polluted And the last tree felled Only then will mankind realise That he cannot eat money The fish in the sea belong to no one person or nation. They are on this earth for the benefit of us all. Let's make sure we leave some for those following on from us to enjoy.

Kevin Nash sells semi-barbless trebles. One hook is barbed, the remaining two are not