Salar

Because they are the best tasting fish in the world and some countries are lucky enough to have thousands of lakes teeming with perch. Unfortunately, none are very near the UK!

Call me flash if you like, but I bought a bag of the clean stuff from the same shop that sold me the smoker. You use so little each smoking that a £3 bag lasts for ages. I hot smoke about a dozen mackeral at a time, and use about three tablespoons of oak dust. Any more and the oaky smoke is overpowering and taints the fish rather than enhancing the flavour. (Mine's an Abu smoker - tin box type)

Elton, that is a pity. If you really don't have the time there's nothing you can do. But if its really the confidence thing, you can get it by having a go. I had only done fairly small GRP repair jobs until this weekend, when I built a fairly complex under-seat battery box formed into the hull. Once I was started, I was committed and from then on it got easier and easier, and I'm dead chuffed with the result. The only shame is, it is under the seat and nobody will see it! I can't wait for the next excuse to use all the materials I bought from Glasplies. You might see all sorts of structures sprouting from old Salar!

Another thought - drag is more likely due to length of rope and weight of chain. The more horizontal the pull the better, i.e. a decent chunk of chain and plenty of rope out (3 to 5 times depth). The only area around the IoW I have problems with is New Grounds - absolutely flat rock. The only method is to keep paying out rope and let the anchor drag until it finds a ledge to snag on. Luckily New Grounds is a general area and seems to fish reasonably well on the good days wherever you anchor.

I think most netters around here know exactly where the bass are. There will be a lot around for the next few months, the good thing is the size of the fish in the Autumn shoals get bigger every year so they are getting fun to catch on light tackle.

I guess we all have our own experiences. Fisherman anchors are cheap, which could influence the choice by commercial operators. Fisherman anchors are notorious for fouling when the tide turns as the chain wraps around the exposed fluke, then the anchor will drag. Also if the peg falls out the shank will fold shut and the anchor will drag. They are more likely to bang and scratch the boat as there are four bits sticking out in all directions. Having used all types except Bruce in the last 30 years I would go for plough/Bruce first choice, Danforth second, although you can't trip it, fisherman third and grapnel fourth except when on craggy rock marks. Whatever you use, I am sure most of the time it wll be fine, and all types will have their off days in certain conditions. Best of luck with it anyway.

Most yacht chandlers stock them in small sizes for use in RIBs/tenders. They are so cheap I bought a few for crab pots.

Toerag - good point about the Danforth, I'll add that note! However, you can trip it with a sliding chain loop on a second rope, which you can't do with a fisherman anchor. In fact I can't think of anything good about a fisherman anchor. You must have acess to very good cable ties, I have tried them for mousing a shackle and even for marking anchor line depth and they last about two drops before they are broken. I bought an excellent Alderney ring in the USA which has two small rings welded either side of a small gap in a large ring. You can slip the large ring over the anchor rope, and attach the buoy with a snap link to both the small rings. I've not seen then here but they would be easy to make.

Anchor rope should be nylon or polyester. (Polypropelene is a very poor anchor rope because it floats and has a tendency to come undone). I fish around the Solent/Isle of Wight, so I know the type of ground you will be fishing in. The Fisherman anchor is not the best sort - too easy to tangle, and heavy for its holding power. Try a Bruce, or a bruce copy, failing that go for a plough type or danforth. Here's a section from my e-book (Work in Progress!) that may help: There are several different types of anchor available, all with their own advantages, so the choice is yours. I would recommend carrying a spare, in case the first does not hold in an emergency, and also in case you lose one while fishing. Carrying a spare means you can carry on fishing. Different types of anchor are as follows: a. Fisherman. This is the “traditional” anchor, used for centuries and still in widespread use. They usually have a folding “stock” which has to be pegged in place to ensure the flukes dig in the seabed. This makes them more cumbersome to use, and the protruding fluke and stoke are prone to tangling with the anchor rope. You need a slightly heavier fisherman anchor to give the same holding power as other styles, which is a consideration when hauling up from a great depth. b. Danforth. These are good general purpose designs, and fold flat when not in use. Some people think they do not hold as well in some types of sea bed, in my experience they work as well as any other style. c. CQR or Plough anchor. As the name suggests, these have a plough shaped head which may be fixed or hinged. They hold well in most sea beds, and also nestle conveniently on an anchor roller if you chose to stow you anchor permanently on a bow roller. If you do not, they are less convenient to store in the boat as they do not fold flat. d. Bruce. This is a modern design, with exceptional holding power for their weight. Like the plough anchor, unless they are stowed on a bow roller, they are not very convenient to store as they do not fold flat. e. Grapnel. These are available in smaller sizes at very low cost, but are not as effective as the other styles except for rocky areas. Shop-bought ones have folding flukes, which make them easy to store but have a habit of folding when in use as well. Home made grapnel anchors made of rebar (steel bar used to reinforce construction concrete) are probably the best option in very rocky and snaggy areas, as the prongs will bend to allow a snagged anchor to be retrieved, and if that doesn’t work then the cost of a replacement will be far lower than an anchor from a yacht chandlers. All anchors need some additional weight to ensure the pull from the boat is as horizontal as possible, which is what makes them dig in. You need to fix a length of chain, of a thickness proportional to the size of anchor and rope, between the anchor and the main rope. This also prevents the rough seabed chaffing the anchor rope. Rope, chain and anchor need to be joined together with good shackles, greased, screwed tight and secured (or “moused”) with cord or preferably stainless wire to prevent them working undone. Anchor rope needs to be of sufficient thickness to hold the boat in rough weather, and of sufficient length so that you have an anchor rope let out at least three times and preferably five times the depth of water you are in. Don’t be tempted to go for thin rope if you have the choice, if you are hauling by hand a thicker rope is easier to manage. Anchor rope needs to be stretchy to absorb shocks, and non-floating so it helps set the anchor and stay out of the way of propellers at slack tide. Nylon is the best anchor rope, although it is not the cheapest type of rope available. [ 04. September 2005, 10:00 PM: Message edited by: Salar ]

Would a seal attack someone?

Around the Med. I believe - bass grow much faster where the water is warmer for longer. [ 30. August 2005, 12:47 PM: Message edited by: Salar ]

Wrasse and bream go mad for baby hot-dogs in Croatia. (The only bait I could nick from the breakfast buffet).

Good luck with your first trip, don't be afraid of asking for help, usually lots of very valuable advice to be had from local folk. In case you didn't know already you will need a VHF licence for the boat and a VHF operators certificate if you are planning to buy and use a VHF set. Well worth the investment though.

I have used cast nets in the UK and I can assure you they do catch bait (smelt and pouting in my case), but not sandeels. Smallest mesh size is 1/4 " which is too large to trap a sandeel. A smaller mesh would sink too slowly. You can buy from Memphis Net and Twine but they come loaded with the perimiter weights so they are heavy. Some UK suppliers stock them but do not have anywhere near the choice of mesh size and diameter of the US suppliers - and are expensive by comparison.

Be sympathetic to our US freinds. The worst thing that can happen to a lady here when squatting in the bushes is a stinging nettle on the bum. Over there they have poison ivy, snakes, toothy critters and big hairy one like bears. I think a plastic thingy would be a sensible option

"A total of 13 women and 11 men, ranging in age from 19 to 49, took part in the experiments at Dr Holstege's laboratory." Does that mean that lucky Dr Holstege had four women all to himself? And I bet they were the 19 year-olds....

I don't think sandeels are trying to eat a big lure. I think they are trying to fight it demon or do something ruder to it, which is why they get snagged rather than hooked.

From reading recent posts your best bet is to stay in Hampshire! Good bass fishing from boats targetting them, and go offshore to mid channel wrecks for cod. Best holiday trip from Langstone or Lymington would be to go on a 3 or 5 day Alderney trip - fish out, fish around then fish back, and B&B over there.

Chances of recovery are slim

It all depends on the quality. That could be very expensive if its cheap Chinese stuff. Or it could be good makes someone is trying to de-stock.

Or try a push net - like a shrimping net but made of small mesh, and push through the sand in shallow water where sandeels may be.

The eternal dilemma! After 20 minutes the scent trail will have diminished anyway, I would always rebait 3 times an hour. If you are reeling in empty hooks after 20 minutes try reeling in after 15 or 10. If your bait is robbed after 5 try fishing somewhere else, or get the bait off the bottom with a pop-up rig or float fishing.

It can work but won't create the vibrations that an artificial will. Needs clear water. Also they fall to bits after a few casts

I'd have a plotter if I could afford one! I just try and convince myself they are a luxury in the meantime. Truth is, my GPS has a good zoom and track function so I can mark a good spot and drift over it no problem.

Do you mean real or rubber? I'd recommend rubber, use whatever your spinning rod can handle but have as long a trace as you can manage and hope it doesn't wrap round your reel line on the cast. Fish varying depths as fish can be anywhere. Vary the speed to see what works, as long as you keep the eel wiggling. You may get lucky with fish baits, depends how active the crabs are. I've caught small conger on fresh fish baits from rocks in that general area in the past.