phooey

Looks like you had a fantastic day ! The venue looks beautiful.

If anyone needs a few traces making up drop me a PM and I'll knock some out. FOC of course.

Is it just me - or are the tope getting smaller ?

Well, like I said I'm no expert and there's bound to be ppl WAY ahead of me -but I'm happy to give a splurge to anyone that cares to listen Thing is where kit is concerned ( traces / hooks ) you need 'em before you get to the Lodge !

Like the view - where and when was the piccy taken ?

Just a thought - but someone should maybe give the pike virgins a few tips on avoiding injury - to the fish Had to do a 'teach in' before I was allowed to fish my society waters and I learned some valuable stuff. Pike are VERY delicate fish and will die easily if handled badly Traces - make your own 25lb BS and 24" long if dead / livebaiting for them. Barbless / crushed trebles are safer and make unhooking a hell of a lot easier. Always field test rigs on the line before casting. A lost trace with trebles stuck in a bait is a DEATH SENTANCE for a pike. Unhooking - either do it in the water next to the boat or do it on a BIG unhooking mat. ( You don't want flying trebles making holes in you / your kit if they start thrashing around on your lap ! Would you be comfortable hoisting a twenty ( dream on ) full of sharp teeth aboard and removing a trace ? You will need 12" forceps for this. Pike will swallow a bait pretty quick and its NO FUN removing trebles from deep hooked fish - for you or them - so strike at the first indication of a pickup or run. 15lb mono is the minimum we are allowed to fish with. I'm no expert but I've done all of the above ( except the 'twenty' bit ). If you haven't handled pike before and you are'nt sure what to do let someone who has help you. Pike have suffered very badly from 'poor angling practice' over the years.

Put me down for a spot

Mine's kitted out with air cushions and a backrest for comfort ! Its hard work staying awake all night - or all day when its nice and sunny Just remember the hat and shades or you will wake up medium/rare

Mine was £118.00. Trawled the 'net and had it posted. Not sure which shop but there were a few that had them ( 4 months back ). Someone said Daiwa were discontinuing them ? Pleased with mine btw.

Not a bad yak caught tope.

I just went to the latest post - I'm a busy man...there is fish that need catching !

Yep Speciman, you're right on the button ! The parking is opposite the slip just alongside the dive shops - its prolly 'hit and miss' but there were a few spaces when we turned up. And thanks for the wreck marks - dod'nt notice any Buoys though ? Phoo.

I sent mine online - the link was on the seafishing forum I think...

LOL... although Richi was doing a fair impression of 'Sleeping Beauty' this morning.

Richi and me drove down last night intending to fish Ringstead bay - but its a bit of a trek from the car park to the beach - very like a mini Kimmeridge for those that know it - and the westerly wind made the pitch unplayable Looking to our right we saw portland and decided to stick that twixt the elements and us We happened on a perfect launch site - FREE parking, Slipway and about as sheltered a launch as you could hope for as its all within the harbour walls. Paddling out the depth went down to 40 feet almost straight away and stayed there until we paddled out of the SOUTH entrance. Tall peeps beware on high tides as there is a power cable strung across it ! Paddling up the East side of Portland the depth just 60 meters out varies from 20 - 40 feet and 200 meters out I saw over 70 on the FF. Its quite rocky on the bottom and I lost 3 rigs ( to Richi's 2 ). Not the place to drop an anchor but fear not our friendly potters have left us plenty of Yak parking beacons Right - the fishing report... We were fishing just 80 meters apart I was in 35' of water and Richi 40'. We started fishing just as the light faded and had nothing for what seemed hours ( and prolly was ) then I hear Richi shout " CONGER ! " Great at least they're here, or over where Richi is to be exact. I fish on...and on...and ...decide to change my spot. It worked ! 60 yards or so past 'golden ****s' and off goes rod number 2 - its a typical 'conger' smash and grab bite and that familiar 'jiggling' on the end of the line and I knew I had opened the score sheet. 1-1 Richi meantime has stuck another in the net while I wasn't looking - all I can say is wait for the pictures !! He said it took a squid bait and as I had 2 macky out and a 3rd rod sat doing nothing I stuck a lead on it and a couple of squid and chucked them over the side. I eventually dozed off and was woken by the feel of the rod jumping around in my hands - I struck into the fish and felt the satisfying bend - a decent fish ! And it was, a Bass - measured at 70cm on the nose Richi had some more stuff throughout the rest of the night including a Ling if my fishing ID is up to scratch. Other common names include: American Burbot, Cusk, Dogfish, Eelpout, Freshwater Cod, Freshwater Codfish, Freshwater Crusk, Gudgeon, Lawyer, Ling, Lingcod, Loche, Lush (Alaska), Maria, Methy, Mother Eel, Mud Blower, Spineless Catfish, Lake (Swe) I was hammered by doggies until we had both had enough at around 4.30am and we upped sticks and paddled for home. Thats about 12 hrs on the water and it was GREAT ! Well sheltered, good to launch, lots of species to go for - if Christchurch is'nt fishable Portland might be a good 2nd choice and its just 30 miles down the coast. Now, where's that Richi bloke ? I left him sleeping it off in a layby on the A31

I am using 4 - 6 oz leads. Fishing Christchurch ledge ( for conger so 1/2 or full mackerel bait ) anything smaller and the tide just drags the end tackle downtide ( clutch off ).

Richi, Darnsarf, Starvin', Paintfly, Speciman, me...prolly others as well

Wot ^ says is right. Bass were hammering a shoal of baitfish from underneath and the terns were 'dive bombing' the poor buggers from above. The water wasn't 'boiling' but fish were popping out all over the place. We did kinda paddle into the middle of it - well we were catching sod all anchored up haha - as usual... ...so...yeah

Fished the dysinni which is FULL of flippin' mullet ( on the fly - and not very well ) floating them through the shoals and they just laugh at me. Wrong flies maybe ? Nifty persevered and I think he's had a couple. You can deffo get amongst them there in a yak - catching them is a skill I appear to lack so far.

I am right chuffed for you Mr Spanner Is that or is that not the 2nd best feeling known to man ? Is that not the reason we all fish ?

I read somewhere that WE have more tornado's in the UK than they get in the STATES !! edit - per sq. mile

Yeah, I gotta do something with this freezer full of unemployed bait

SOMEBODY spill the beanz - I gotta go out soon - suspense is killing me !!

Thanks Kev - cheered me up no end ! BTW that macky bait you gave me last time out had 4 large 'ball' lead weights in with it - I'll pass them on next time I see you.

Well, if it gets much worse I'll have to consider giving it a miss....