12-15 October Eastern Meet report

[BristolLes]

another great report Mark (and richi)

 

great weather, great company and plenty of fish - that how all weekends should be !

 

how's the crab bisque going ?

[Mark Crame]

hehe, no. We didn't even go after mullet in the end, a pity really but we'll keep that for a summer meet.

 

Day 2

 

I dragged my tired and wrecked arse out of a nice warm bed after the fourth time the alarm went off and wandered down to the beach after a couple of coffee’s, hoping to meet the others. Once I’d got set up I decided to launch anyway

 

 

I had a little bimble around to loosen up and waited for them to arrive (with the bait) – to no avail, so I headed out anyway, figuring I’d meet them at the buoy. Anchoring up, I hooked on some knackered old fake bait and sat around for a while just enjoying the morning and the swell.

 

 

Nothing doing, I headed out further and phoned up again, people were up and about but still at the caravan so I figured I’d have to wait a bit more so I headed out further.

 

 

Bored again, and with no bites (no surprise) I headed out to the buoy and once more dropped the anchor. The current was running pretty well by now but my new anchor system was working fine and holding me in position and the new electronic gizmo’s were telling me that I was quite deep, off the coast of Lowestoft and not moving.

 

 

I should have fitted a DVD player as well really as I got bored again and as time was getting away I figured it was time to up-anchor and head in as Bucketboy would be around by now. After beaching and heading home to drop off the yak and pick up the car I bumped into Richi, Lozz and Tratty who explained that the delay was caused by an epidemic sweeping the camp that had laid low Starvin and Darnsarf. Crumbs! That was a major slice of the weekend gone. Leaving them to it I headed off, launched onto the broad and went in search of Bucketboy and Guinea who had also come up for a bash.

 

 

I decided that as there were plenty of spare yaks to play with I’d try the Drifter and after carrying it down to the water I paddled out. I found it a pleasant little boat and were I going to use a yak purely for light tackle meandering on the broad and for short trips upriver with a bit of beach play I’d be more than satisfied with it – the hull looked like it would be lovely to play in the surf with and it manoeuvred well with a lighter paddle than I expected. Mind you I’m biased towards it as I paddled for two minutes when

 

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

 

Feisty little bugger it was

 

 

another one notched up to the Super Shad Rap Gold Shiner

 

 

and after one last dash for freedom

 

 

it came in.

 

 

I released it back to its home and headed up to the source of some noise in the distance – some bloody hooligan was tearing up the place in a noisy powerboat looking for all the world like a pirate and I decided to repel him

 

 

but then spotted a far more considerate (and might I say handsome) paddler in the form of Guinea, sitting in his green P13

 

 

Anyway, we nattered and I tried out the electric go-buggy which was as good as it looks and would be great for keeping out of the bank when fighting a fish and then headed off to try and find another fish from another yak – my first paddle in the venerable Prowler 13

 

I don’t like the P13. I blanked on it. Handled very nicely and was a comfortable yak – I would score it equal to the Drifter on the broad but I reckon it would be streets ahead on the sea. However, in green they obviously work because I came around the corner and saw:

 

 

the smile said it all really

 

 

First freshwater yak fish, second fish, biggest yak fish etc etc

 

Edited October 17, 2007 by Mark Crame

[Mark Crame]

yep, I came around the corner at just the right time. Even the bloody cormorants were pleased

 

 

I paddled some more with no runs then got a call from Mb to say he was popping across so I went over to the marina to get an Elite out and have a natter

 

 

Sadly I didn’t get to paddle the Elite as after ten minutes I got a call from the tackle shop to go and get the bait which I duly did, meeting up with the lads who’d just come in from the sea and who met us in town. Another day’s fishing done and I had to head out that night to a wedding reception so didn’t even get any cake to eat.

[darnsarf]

Just to add to the chorus of well dones for Mark. It was great a meet. The highlight as always is meeting up with the guys from the forum, the fishing is just the excuse.

 

Arrived early Friday and met SM for a quick chat then out on the water. To the delight of SM I blanked while those around got into the Pike.

 

Unfortunately, I was suffering on the Saturday ala Starvin and took the Saturday off. Great excuse to watch the sport ;D

 

However, on Sunday I was determined to break the Pike duck and fished the Oulton Broad again while the others tackled the Codling. After much effort this 6lb er snagged the hook. Well he was just after the Roach freebie really and despite his best efforts to make his own way back to the water I managed to take a quick snap for the scrap book. Not the biggest I've had but probably the most rewarding given the effort.

 

 

 

 

 

Rumour has it that SM heard about this monster (comparatively) and went home early ;D Never to be seen again.

 

Me, well I just soaked up the location and great weather.

 

Monday finished off with a trip to Ocean Kayak. Many thanks to Andrew for entertaining us despite his busy schedule. The highlight was getting to see the newly arrived Scrambler 11. For those thinking about an inshore, estuary or freshwater yak add this to your list of possibles.

 

Overall a great weekend and I look forward to the next meet. Thanks again Mark

[Martin Hurst]

Looks like a quality trip , nice basket of coddling there Richi Did the demo day go ahead??

[boomphat]

To anyone who paddled the Sprinter, I'm 6'3 and almost 16 stone, would I fit in the seat? I'm used to the Scupper Pro, which is a snug fit.

[Mark Crame]

You'd fit in the seat, but you wouldn't get back out... seriously though I can't say, I think Tratty or Lozz went in it and it was a tight squeeze and they're both bigger than me.

 

It's not a fishing yak - not designed for it - it's pretty tippy if you aren't moving. Fun, and a good yak for zipping around quickly though.

[boomphat]

Looks like I'll have to wait to see one for real!

[richi]

To anyone who paddled the Sprinter, I'm 6'3 and almost 16 stone, would I fit in the seat? I'm used to the Scupper Pro, which is a snug fit.

 

 

Darnsarf is your man,you should PM him.

 

He is also a Scupper driver and he's paddled the sprinter

 

If you enjoy paddling the Scupper you will love the Sprinter(if your bum's not too big )

[darnsarf]

If you can get in the Scupper you can probably get in the Sprinter although it is tighter. Its not often that you see a SOT that makes the Scupper look like a barge but here is the exception. One witness described the Sprinter as "an outrigger".

 

However, on the water the Sprinter flies (not literally). It will feel tippy to those not used to a narrow boat but actually it is more stable that you think and the quicker you go the more stable it becomes. It would make a great trainer and light tourer. A great boat for the serious distance paddler. The hatches give it good internal storage but deck storage is almost non-existant. This limits it's fishing application but for the light fly or lure fisherman who wanted to cover distance it may be an option. It would certainly be a challanging and rewarding platform to try to adapt to fishing.

 

I wouldn't want to run an anchor on such a narrow hull but a drift chute could be a practical option that ties in with the fly and lure themes. I loved it as a paddle. the only caveat I would put in is that i only used it on flat water.

 

In summary, not for lard a...s or novices but will suit those looking to develop their technique and distance ability. Great for those that enjoy paddling and it has some potential to the light tackle guy that wants to put himself about a bit. It would also make a great yak for the experienced wife (Kayaking) :-)