gilbo

Excellent report Greywulff and a great set of photos. Looks a fantastic day and that kayak of yours is looking good. You must remember to close your zipper!

These prawn traps are excellent fun and I am pleased to see you have had a good result with them. Great photos Those velvet swimmers are well worth eating! Full of meat and very tasty.

Went out from a beach yesterday near Gorran Haven, cracking conditions and very bright. In morning managed a couple of mackerel and a daughter had a small pollock on baited Silver Shrimp rigs. Noticed a load of gulls on the water and something happening a bit further down. Had dinner and paddled out again with kids also onboard. Paddled a couple of mles down the coast towards the birds. They were after a large shoal of pilchard being hunted and driven up to the top. Fantastic sight as the water was boiling and splashes everywhere. Set up a light spinning rod with a jointed thunderstick and drifted around the fish. Could see the fish swimming under the kayak. First pilchards and then bass. The fish looked very white and stood out very well. First few cast resulted in a frustrating time with 4 or 5 bass following the lure each time and then darting away at the kayak. Then a solid take and schoolie bass just undersize. Next couple of casts another bass this time over size. Was a bit of cat and mouse for a while watching for the fish showing on the surface and sneaking up on them to aim the lure in there direction. Best experience yet in the Kayak. Really in there with the fish and something a small boat and engine could not do! Home today but very sunburnt face and "panda" eyes from my sunglasses! Out tonight for a shore session and hopefully a smooth hound or two.

I dont know about printing it off you should copyright it. Awesome photo Chris and captures what its all about. Can you put up a bigger picture of the same that isnt reduced?

somethings are best left not said.

I posted these on another site about a year ago in the kayak ideas section so that might be were you saw it. Yes they are well getting and are excellent for storage or working on the kayak. Your right too - you can also use them for DIY as intended! And before anyone asks! - My wife would allow me to keep the kayaks in the dining room!

Dont know anything about prison service expense forms so I am struggling to think ofa question! Its a great thread you started and there are alternatives to the expensive build suggested on some sites and threads. It does seem to me that you can build a trolley system without all the hassle that some would go to.

Sorry I havent posted on this thread yet - I should be slapped! Excellent sets of photos and a awesome reports. I got to get up there and have a go.

Enjoyed reading the post very much. Looks like you had a cracking time here and photos are excellent. Nice one!

Its not that simple and its the Amp hours and drain - I think. The one I have is a agmdeepcycle energy squadron ADC7.5 12v 7.5Ah I found a charger called a "battery tender" which is waterproof and compact. You can leave your battery on constant charge with it. Called a Deltran Battery Tender 12v 800ma. Hope this helps.

Get a Typhoon Breathable drysuit with built in socks and you wont go wrong. Some come with a free underfleece. Use this Autumn, Winter (with fleece and extra layers), Spring Also look out for a pair of semi dry trousers and cag for the summer hot days. Nothing fancy and can be bought for £25 each. Use this over a pair of shorts and a tee shirt in summer. I find wet suits to cold and dont like sitting in water allday. They are itchy and restrictive and out at sea you can feel cold even on the hottest days.

I reckon that some of the "must haves" for an anchor trolley are over the top. Huge clips and cam cleats, who needs them. Why is it not possible just to clip the anchor rope onto the trolley line. All you really need is two clips, two small pulleys, 2ft bungee and a loop of rope tied each end to a stainless triangle or ring. Make sure there is a single 75p plastic cleat to stop the trolley loop riding over the footwell. I see poeple buying expensive pulleys which look like they cost a £10 each. Stainless clips that are big enough to clip to a battle ship. Is all this really needed? I have a very simplified trolley which works a treat. Nothing fancy but allows me to pull the set anchor to the front or back of the kayak.

I reckon that the plug / lure benefits from having a snap swivel to attach it which is quick and easy to change. Buy the quality stainless ones and not to large. I have in past tied a lure on direct and find there is a level of line twist. The snap swivel prevents this.

Just get a sealed battery from any car/motorbike/electric buggy/ golf cart (battery) supplier. In most industrail sites there are battery suppliers. Buy a charger for it and your sorted. If you take your fishfinder with you they will sort out a battery to suit. Stick it in a lock lid with seal sandwich type box and resin or silicone this into the rear of the front hatch. Lasts for hours and hours and may be able to power a light or someting aswell.

Dont they have a different texture of finish - the NZ being less smooth? I always prefered the NZ compared to the others. I bought a frenzy for my daughter in the NZ because it appeared far superior. I think the other thing is some are fitted with bungees over the storage while a lot of the NZ's have webbings and buckles.?

Dont want to take the wind out of ChrisW's sail. I will leave the full report and catches to him and I know he has some spectacular, awesome photos of an early morning and the meet in general. Would like to thanks Chris for organising the meet and I enjoyed meeting some of the South West members. Top bunch of blokes! Heres some that I took myself Yesterday: The launch site in the distance - Gorran Haven. 4lb bass for me on Silver/blue Jointed Thunderstick - gave a cracking fight on a spinning rod and 8lb line and I nearly messed my dry suit! Another surprise Huss of around 6 to 8lb in one of my prawn traps! My daughter is in the Frenzy and had fun with a Lidl handline and a set of mini feathers catching mackerel. Very pleasant day which was topped off with me doing a "comedy" splash trying to get launched from the small beach we paddled into for dinner. Got my foot wrapped up in the paddle leash getting in, could get my leg over - then a swell and over I went! Luckily only my daughter saw this. Just hope the boys are alright today with the weather - think they are heading to a sheltered creek for ray and bream action.

Winds Friday 5mph and north and westerly Slightly freshening Friday PM to 10mph North and Westerlys Saturday average 10mph North and North Westerly. Result so far - Looking very good, 1ft surf and flat seas and Sunday will be veiwable tomorrow!

Thanks for that and I will drop the idea of a relector.

This is the sort of radar reflector I was talking about http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RADAR-REFLECTOR-TUBE...VQQcmdZViewItem A useful item and will in ideal conditions make a kayak show up on a big dot. Wind up or not there is no place or need for a Radar itself on a kayak.

I would still also look at some Cag or semi dry top even in the summer. Its surprising how a breeze can chill you and when anchored at sea on a summers evening you can still get cold. You are not very active when fishing and when the paddling is over and cool down quickly. Although I bought wetsuits I soon sorted a pair of semi dry trousers and a cheap cag. Prefer to wear this light gear in the summer and stay dry and warm. Also too much sun these days is best avoided.

I think in a kayak it would be more important to have a radar reflector and not actually a radar. It would be better to be seen and located rather than knowing what big ship is heading your way. I have looked at radar reflectors and would love to have one. The pole type ones look good and I may fit one as a rear flag holder. Anyone else got ideas.

Chris has asked me to post some advice for the meet on what fish to expect etc. Main species and most common will be Pollock, wrasse and Mackerel. On the whole the coastline there is made up of lots of granite rock and kelp. In many places there are deep gullies where large wrasse can be caught. These will be taken on Worm or crab baits either float fished or ledgered. I have had many fish along this section to around 4lb. The pollock can be tken on float fished baits / live eel or lures. There will be pollock in most of the gullies and along the coast. In deeper water it is worth trying jellies or live eel fished on a long trace. The best prospects may be for anyone who wants a paddle out to the Pinnacle rocks or the deeper water off the Dobmin Point. The whole section of coast from Dobmin to Chapel Point is a top bass mark. Again float fished live eel or Prawn will tempt a fish. A deadly technique developed by some of the smaller boats is to fish a whole live joey mackerel under a "milk bottle" - called canning. This will drift along and let the mackerel work and seeks out the larger fish. Techinques similar to this from a kayak could be adopted. The bass are also taken on trolled redgills and lures. I think a surface lure like a Thunderstick will see a bass or two. Best at early light and later in the day. One of the better sections for this will be from Menease Point to the right of Gorran Haven looking to sea and through to Vault beach (heading towards the Dobmin Point. Mackerel and Gars will be about and fun on light flaot tackle. Maybe worth a go with a fly rod! Also there should be Mackerel and Pilchards shoals in the deeper water say 400m of shore and 40 to 50 ft. Small sets of feathers can catch pilchards and baited feathers for mackerel. I have had Huss along here too and recently seen them in my hobby prawn traps. Anyone wanting a big huss may be rewarded if you are prepared to fish a large fish bait and be patient. Hey may even see a conger. Gurnards, dogfish are the other catches to expect on bottom fished baits. I would not aim at flatfish here - lots of trawling and scallop dredging goes on and they can be few and far between but cannot rule out plaice, flounder and some turbos. Sometimes Black bream appear in the deeper waters - have been seeing them off the Mevagissey Harbour wall so the could be about. Any mullet seekers may even mash some bread and fish and see if any can be put on the feed. They are generally common along the coast. IF the weather is rough and no launch can happen then look at the River and head to Fowey or Gollant. There are areas to launch from and this estuary is very deep and reasonably sheltered. Most species can be caught here. It is a bass nursery area though so no live eels or taking bass from boats or kayaks! Think a contingency is needed should the weather become rough and this is one possibility. Mevagissey bay is sometimes sheltered and flatter than the piece of coast off Gorran. If weather is a problem then a launch could happen from Port Mellon and head out towards but stay inside the Chapel point. This is all generally flat except when there is an easterly wind. The section of coast by Chapel Point is as above with deep gullies and features. Hope this helps.

I have booked the following bait: 2lb Ragworm (two pound weight) 1lb Lugworm (one pound weight) 2 doz Peeler Crab (live) I have booked this in with Exeter Angling Centre and will collect on the Friday 25th. This will be refrigerated overnight and brought to Gorran Haven on the Saturday morning. They usually do some quality worm and crab. Thinks there is 6 people looking for bait that have spoken to Chris including myself. So no problems with bait for the weekend. Now its just a case of weather wathcing so I dont get caught with it all!

Sorry for very late reply. It was an hour or so after high water when the smooth hound was caught. Have had them just before low and over high as well so dont personally think it matters. Prefer fishing Branscombe on the flood tide and up over high. You can get hold of quality live peeler crab from Exeter Angling Centre.

Im up for that!!!!!!!!