DoubleShotDamo

Awful things, level winds. They work by the spool driving a cog. Therefore, distance is greatly reduced. I'd say by a good third. Good point raised about the lack of grip due to the cross bar. Also if you lose the end of your line through the level wind after packing your gear away, it inevatable the line (when threaded back through for the next use) will not come off the spool in line with the level wind! Big probs then! I would advise to get a reel without one and just learn to lay the line with your thumb.

Bass again, conservation again, bait digging conservation again, how important anglers are again, blue fin tuna off Ireland AGAIN! That's why I stopped buying it. By the way, I see you slipped your "commercial" bit into this thread again Sam. Yawn, ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Sorry if I sound ignorant, but when you say two were tagged, do you mean they were already tagged, or you tagged them?

Interesting. Who am I to argue, I chuck all mine back anyway!

Main fault with the 525 mag are the people operating them! Fill the spool to 5mm below the lip and stick some red RF in the bearings. I have found that to be best set up for the beach. As for dismantling and re-assembling, they are as easy, if not easier, as any other reel.

Hmmm...no comments yet about posing with a brace of dead cod!

Penn 525 mag. Good for distance casting, good for rough ground, very quick retrieve, built like a tank. What more do you need?

Yeah, same with me. You've got to admit it though, women are good drivers...how they slap the old make-up on and not crash must make them good!

Superb!!

Not at all! Honest!

Big bass don't taste as good as little bass? That was probably made up by a bass "Sports Angler" so that everyone will chuck them back! So, we should keep the small ones to eat? That's a bit Irish to me....lets take the little ones, the ones that have not yet reached maturity. That'll do alot for the apparently depleted stocks. Back to the point of this thread, and that is the Sea Angler Magazine printing pictures of large, double figure bass, caught by "Sports Anglers" or "Commercials", but being sold nonetheless; You don't have to buy the mag!! By purchasing the mag, you are supporting it. DOH!!

I think you are correct. Many people believe sea temperature to be THE determining factor in fish migratory times. I believe it is daylight hours that is more the key.

Night Nurse.....In liquid or woman form.

Unbelievable!!

Ha Ha Ha Ha!! LOL!!! You must be having a laugh?! Those, and all the other volunteers don't give a monkeys about helping in developing a drug to benefit others! They want to earn a few grand in a few hours! Take the young guy who's head inflated to three times it's size...he was doing the trial to get cash together to take his MUM on holiday!!! He is 19 years old! He's not interested in the end product. Years ago I used to take part in police ID parades. At a tenner an hour, it was good money for a 17 year old. Did I care whether the guy got picked out and charged? Did I hell.

Firstly, Sam, you say the bass are there for "sex"? Agreed, but lots of species migrate close to the shore for their anual "sex". For example, certain shore marks on the south coast throw up some superb bream in April, all full of roe. Lots are kept, pictured, and shown off in the mags, but nothing said about that. Secondly, are bass really that rare? There's loads off the south coast, more than cod, and an increasing number are being caught further north. Thirdly, I bet 90% of anglers on here would keep a decent bass if they landed one, but won't admit it!

TSF was better when Jim used to be editor. Boat Angler is his mag now, isn't it?

Looks like you may have to start growing some tomatos!

Ziggy, not making your own lead weights are ya?!

Following on from the "Good Skipper" thread, anyone got any horror stories of bad skippers or bad trips (fishing trips that is!).

I suppose they can't keep everyone happy! Conservation IS important, but we would all get fed up reading about it all the time. One thing I found interesting was the casting section SA used to publish. Even that disappeared years ago.

Now don't take this the wrong way, but isn't that what the guys around Guernsey catching bass are doing? Setting sail on a different course. Maybe in years to come they will have simillar views to Sam. The thing is, we have all taken the odd fish that we maybe shouldn't have, but we live and learn, just like Sam and his "25 stone of good breeding stock mullet". I don't think we will ever totally educate everyone fully about the importance of conservation, especially those who want to make a few quid at catching fish.

Waiting for the hounds to arrive!

Any other date for me.

Beware the bubble floats from a certain local angling shop in town.....they sink!!!