This w/ends LA meet

[David.W]

I'm sorry, I put up that I had caught fish, including 2, yes that was TWO new speices for me... demon but if it makes anyone feel better, I didn't get the wrasse I wanted to get... next time if I get invited back

[blindog]

Hiya all that were there this weekend sorry am a bit late posting but had a wisdom tooth pulled this afternoon, pain killers are now kicking in .(yes it came as a surprise that i had a wisdom tooth as well ).

Must say a hello first to the two babes Paula and Linda

Davy cheers for the trip out on Sunday,had a great time even if the weather was cr@p.

David.W As the old song goes two out oh three aint bad.

jabee your animal impersonations were second to none.

Nick had to stop at Fortwilliam to get bread !!!(tosser)

As for the rest oh you it was great to meet up with you all and hope to again some time.

 

Bonus was i even caught a few fish a nice red cod or two a couple oh Thornies and a few lsd's plus a see threw Dab and a few mackies.

A BIG THANKS TO YOU ALL.

Lenny

[jabee]

Well, just home after a cracking weekend.

Great to meet up with so many people, some for the first time – there were enough of us there for the weekend to qualify as an official AN fish-in.

 

Paul and I left my house in Weston super Mare, a little after 7.00am on Friday morning and had a good, uneventful run up to Norries, getting there around 1.00pm. After a cup of tea and loading Norrie’s car we set off to LA. Stopped at the petrol station up the road as Norrie realised he had no air in his rear offside tire. Good job too as his wife came running up the road with his bag – silly bugger had left it behind – personally I would have left him to suffer in the same set of clothes for the whole weekend!

 

As soon as we left the M9 at Stirling, Norrie ‘Schumacher’ slipped in to familiar mode, overtaking anything he could if there was a half inch to spare. No problem until his rear offside tyre failed (the one that he had just inflated), causing him to rapidly pull over so that all the vehicles he had passed over the last five miles could pass us, offering various encouraging hand gestures!

 

Found the jack, but no wheel brace! Typical :mad: .

Mine didn’t fit (German crap) so we had to limp into Crianlarich where he borrowed one from the local bobby. Norrie passed the time chatting to the policeman about boats while Mick changed the wheel for him !

 

Back on the road, shifting rapidly through the gears, took us to the Corran ferry for the crossing to Ardgour, where we dropped in to see Nick and family, including latest arrival, Callum. After a cuppa, someone (obviously not Norrie) hitched Norrie’s boat up to the car and we set off for the 30 mile drive to Lochaline. Paul and I decided not to wait around and left Norrie and Mick behind as the bar at the Lochaline Hotel was calling us. A little over half an hour later we arrived and ordered the first drinks of the evening. Norrie and Mick arrived nearly an hour later, having had to stop and fix something else that broke (Norrie’s weekend was by now, not going terribly well). Norrie decided to wait untill morning to put his boat in the water (another good choice) and we all settled down for an evening in the bar.

 

Later in the evening, myself, Paul, Norrie, Mick, Peter, Davy and Linda were chatting over a drink, when Davy had a text message from Shaun, who was fishing with a couple of his mates from the west pier. “I’ve got a skate on” it said. We all left our drinks (having confirmed with Charles that he would keep the bar open) and headed for the pier to find Shaun grimly hanging on to a large fish. The stalemate was continuing when we left him over an hour later and headed for our beds.

 

Saturday morning, overcast and breezy. Norrie put his boat in the water. Two hours later, still unable to start the engine, we set out for the sound with Davy in Catchalot – aboard along with Davy and Linda, was myself, Paul, Tuggs, Sandtiger and Sandpup. After twenty minutes of catching suicide Mackerel (they all but jumped in the boat) for bait, we set off to the west pier to pick up Shaun to sort out his fish. He had given up at 4.00am and tied the line off. Shaun came aboard and we attached the line to a boat rod, hoping to retrieve the fish. Sadly the fish had come free – from looking at the trace, it seems likely that the fish was in fact a large conger, rather than a skate – maybe next time Shaun.

 

We now anchored up out in the sound and set the Skate rods up with double Mackerel baits and settled down to wait. Paul, as usual, grabbed his favourite twenty pound class rod and set about the local doggie population.

 

As time passed, I had a kip (always a good idea) . I woke a little before 3.00pm, just in time for the first Skate bite. After offering the rod to Paula (who declined) I donned the butt pad and kidney harness and wound into the fish. It was having nothing to do with me for the first twenty minutes, sitting on the bottom, 360 ft below while I kept the pressure on. After twenty minutes, I began to gain some line and shouted to Davy that it was off the bottom. The fish obviously heard me and headed back there, taking back the hundred feet or so of line that I had retrieved! “It’s back on the bottom” I called. Davy brought out a landing net asking if it would be big enough – my reply should not be repeated, such was the profanity of my utterances. After a little while the fish was moving again and I steadily recovered line. The fish felt a good one – certainly better than my 120lb PB. Eventually, I called “leader” as the leader appeared, Davy put on his gloves and stood ready to gaff the fish. The Skate was just a few feet below the surface, when it gave a contemptuous flap of one of it’s huge wings, flipped over, got it’s nose down and headed back down again . Please take note, Sam. I could do nothing to stop it as it took line from me again. I kept the pressure on and eventually turned the fish towards the surface and soon had it back in range of the gaff. Davy, with Davy B’s help brought the huge fish aboard to be measured, tagged, photographed and returned.

The female fish measured out at 183lb, easily smashing my personal best – handshakes and huggs all round! . But it was sweeter than that – It was caught on Norrie’s rod; But it was yet sweeter than that – it was the rod I built for him; But it was even sweeter than that – Having had the rod since June, he hadn’t yet caught a Skate on it; But it was so much sweeter than that – I beat Norrie’s PB of 176lb !!!! So we phoned him to tell him all about it. “Congratulations” he said between gritted teeth.

 

Linda has the photos – hopefully she’ll post them up for everyone to see.

 

Back at Lochaline, there were by now loads of ANers gathered, fishing from the pier. A few cases of beer appeared, lots of photos taken and a good night was had by all there, and later in the bar at the hotel. Once again, great to meet some old faces again and some new ones – roll on next time!

 

One of you other p*ss taking sods can write about Sunday

[SandTiger]

Great write-up jabee

 

I'll just add a few pix if I may to go wiv it?

 

 

Arty farty shot just for Spurdog

 

 

jabee over a moving snag...

 

 

A new PB on Norries rod to jabee

 

 

And the best catch of the day at 7lb 2oz to SandPup

 

[ 30. August 2005, 01:57 AM: Message edited by: SandTiger ]

[spasor]

Davey.

Little Sid, looks like a choirboy. Is very polite and does what he`s told?

After seeing him ask, if he could `just touch`, Johns skate before it was released. I was a little peturbed, when the little demon worked out. That if he put a small mackeral on the stern of the boat. Then when a gull came to feed on it. He could give the gull a good thwack with the lump of wood, he held in his little mitt! `Damien II`, or what?

At least it`s more inventive than pulling the legs off flies.

That lad will go far. Foreign secretary or higher.

A very good weekend. Just need another massage.

[Ken Davison South Wales]

Looked a great weekend, loved the FAMILY group photo, nice to be able to put names to faces.

 

Good fish Jaybee, makes my weekend schoolies look even smaller

[David.W]

OK, not as good at the skate but here are a couple of my firsts, guess everyone else has had them but to me

 

 

[jabee]

A few more pics

 

Norrie watching Mick and Davy trying to get his outboard going

 

Skate on:

 

Landed after 45 minutes - 183lb

 

Returned safely after being measured and tagged

 

Phoning Norrie to tell him I had passed his PB

 

And done it with his rod

[jabee]

Vagabond:

Great stuff John that 183 - I bet Spasor reminded you that it was only 20lb smaller than his best

Having measured and recorded the wingspan, Davy was measuring the length and Paul muttered "don't let it be 84 inches" - he was worried there for a second - spent the rest of the weekend stressing that his PB began with a "2"

[chappers]

nice one boys congratulations John