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Post by pilgrim17 on Jan 2, 2015 13:01:34 GMT 1
WAS I THE ONLY ONE?
Who made his way down to Mumbles Rugby Club last night, in the p**s pouring rain, only to find it in total darkness, & closed tighter than a nuns habit? I suppose I should have known that being New Years Night it would be shut (it was the only boozer in Mumbles that was shut?). I was hoping to find an extra angler to fill the Belle, because I had one person drop out, but I already had a reserve so panic over. However I wanted to pay my debts to John Elvins for my Xmas beer, pay Janet for Monday's trip, & pay my 2015 subs, but in the end I did nothing! But I did get wet! Sunday's cod comp looms large, but with Wayne Morgan & another angler landing cod if 18lb & 14lb respectively last weekend in a "Fur & Feather" things don't look very positive for Mumbles Belle, but we will put the best bait, in the best place we can find, & hope the cod find us, we will be doing a "belt & braces" for whiting anyway, so even if we don't get in the prize list, we will fill the frying pan. Good luck to all taking part, & as long as we do better than "Oysterdog" that will suit us down to the ground!
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Post by pilgrim17 on Jan 3, 2015 17:00:29 GMT 1
Ready for the off!
All ready for the SYSAC Cod Comp tomorrow, put a couple of gallons of diesel in Belle (should last a month lol) decks cleared of clutter, & decks & seats have been treated with salt to prevent any boarding accidents. Tomorrow will be bacon sandwiches for a change, & it is a most "ungentlemanly" time to lock out 7.00! (I thought there was only one seven o'clock in the day, & that was in the evening?) Manouevering Mumbles Belle in full locks should be fun, it will be a matter of ahead slow dead & get the crew to grab anything they can with a boat hook as we come alongside something I know where I would like to anchor up, but it depends if anybody is there before us (we ain't the fastest horse in the race lol) but I have a couple of options if "Plan A" fails, but if we don't get in the prizes I certainly hope we will have a nice bag of whiting each to come home with, so tight lines tomorrow all the members of MMBFC who are taking part!
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Post by pilgrim17 on Jan 5, 2015 20:30:24 GMT 1
SYASAC Cod Comp
Well Mumbles Belle "did" the comp but unfortunately we didn't win any prizes, although some of the fish we caught would have won the biggest fish prize if that had been on offer. Ken Davison had a big spurdog as did Stan John, & Ken also had an 11.5lb thornback ray. Apart from that we had plenty of keeper whiting, a few very good dabs, & the inevitable growlers! Unfortunately the wind was from the SE & when the tide was ebbing it was fishable, but as the tide started to flood, the wind pushed us beam on to the waves, so we decided that seeing as fishing is meant to be a pleasurable pastime, & with two anglers already suffering from sea sickness it was time to up anchor, head for Singleton Hospital to keep the seas on our stern, then turn starboard bow into it when were inside the fairway buoys, that way we had a fairly smooth journey back to the river. We locked back in at 2.30 & although some of us could have sat it out until 4.30 no problem, I think we made the right decision to come in early, I see no point in making anglers sit out in bad weather, there is always tomorrow. Once this spell of bad weather finishes I will be looking to hit the jumbo whiting & dabs again in that spot (& I have caught a lot of cod there too) so look out for trips when this weather improves, we have a lot of fish to catch before the whiting move off, the locks close, & Mumbles Belle comes out of the water for a wash & brush up.
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Post by pilgrim17 on Jan 6, 2015 21:47:19 GMT 1
Posted a speculative trip
For Tuesday 13th Jan xc weather had forecast single figure W winds for that day, but looking at the most recent forecast they have upped it to 12-16mph & with high winds right up until then, the sea state might be unsuitable for us. If it is "doable" we can run across to Mumbles & fish off the inshore lifeboat station in a little mark I know, that produces codling, whiting, dabs, but first of all we have to cross the bay to get there! I will have a better idea on the weekend but it looks like if we go at all we will be fishing off the moorings, where it will be comfortable if not that exciting.
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Post by pilgrim17 on Jan 7, 2015 17:28:41 GMT 1
Not looking good!
Since I posted a speculative trip on Tuesday 13th, the forecasts have taken a nosedive, & although Tuesday itself looks not bad, we have hooligan force winds leading up to it, that will make the sea state pretty snotty. So its a matter of suck it & see, & look at the sea state on the weekend to see how it looks, with the winds being from the W/SW there is shelter over Mumbles side, its just a matter of getting over there. So all I can say is watch this space later on in the week & over the weekend & if its ok to go we will go, I need some dabs for the freezer
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Post by pilgrim17 on Jan 9, 2015 17:09:47 GMT 1
Great idea from John Elvins!
Speaking at the Club Night last night John Elvins came up with a great suggestion, having been aboard the Oystercat the other day doing some maintenance, when the weather with acceptable he had the idea that short, local trips, of about 2hrs either side of HW ("the "golden hours" for both whiting & cod) would be popular. I know of several anglers who would support the idea (including me lol), & bait would be simple a couple of wraps of black lug, & a pack of mackerel or bluey would cover both cod & whiting. The donations for these short trips would have to be sorted out, but a sensible donation from say 8 anglers would be more profitable than a boat tied up to its moorings, certainly worth discussion at next weeks committee meeting I think John
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Post by pilgrim17 on Jan 10, 2015 21:53:34 GMT 1
Sorry John!
I just checked the forecast for the next week, & there is no window for either boat to get out! Even the Irish Ferry Fastcat will be struggling. Hopefully this proposal of trips a couple of hours either side of high water will prove popular, at least we will be fishing over the very best period of the tide & we should maximise our catches, I am particularly excited at the prospect, short journeys, short duration, high expectations, but unfortunately not next week!
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Post by pilgrim17 on Jan 11, 2015 15:03:10 GMT 1
Just got back from the marina
Had a lot to do this morning & I was mindful that the rain was due before 1pm, first job was to collect the crockery that wasn't washed after the Cod Comp & which had a nice layer of grease on it from the "Lumberjack Bacon Sarnies", & the cups needed washing etc, brilliant idea take them home & wash them in the sink, bad idea! cups in motorbike top boxes don't like it! 2 broken & 1 chipped out of 4! Decided to alter the anchor rope stowage back to the original set up, after I changed it to a tub on the deck to use the Alderney Ring method, I found that the tub was getting in the way now we have installed a winch. Also when I made the anchor locker "redundant" I had the bright idea of filling it with sandbags to increase ballast, it was sort of a good idea, because I managed to get 5 x 50lb sandbags in there, unfortunately there are no drain holes in the locker & unbeknown to me sandbags rot in time, so when I went to remove them I ended up with 5 rotten sandbags & 250lb of wet sand still in the locker! After about an hour with a plastic dustpan & a cut down milk container I managed to transfer 250lb of wet sand into the marina! Now I have to drill some drain holes in the bottom of the locker, otherwise I will end up with a rotten anchor rope, & I also have to find another place in the bow to stack 5 waterproof sandbags to replace the ballast! While I was down there I went down to the observatory to check the sea state, & although it must have been 2.5hrs into the ebb & it was blowing quite hard from the west the sea state was quite good, in fact I would say it looked quite fishable if you stayed in close, in Mumbles I should imagine it would be very sheltered?
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Post by pilgrim17 on Jan 13, 2015 21:49:13 GMT 1
Found out That even with all the anchor rope, chain, & anchor in the locker, there is still room to have 2 x sandbags in the bottom so all I have to do now is find room for the other 3 somewhere in the bow, maybe if I empty the junk out of the hatch near the bow I will find room, I honestly don't know EXACTLY what is in there, but I bet I can lose some of it. I don't want too much stuff cluttering up the bow anyway, because the BRAND NEW ELECTRIC CAPSTAN will be fitted where the existing winch is sat, & the motor/gearbox will be hanging down under the forepeak. "Where is the money coming from" I hear you ask, well not from the Club, & not from me, but from one of my regular anglers who watched Ray Bennet & I winching the anchor up last week, he said he thought he was watching "Riverdance" as we tried to avoid stepping on rod tips which were under out feet. He reflected that often we are a party of medically "challenged" persons, & if anything happens & I cant lift the anchor, we would have to call the lifeboat to lift the anchor for us, so he decided that he would buy a capstan then if anything went wrong with me, at least anybody on board could lift the anchor, & they could prop me up in the wheelhouse to get us back! The Capstan comes with circuit breaker, solenoid, control switch, mounting bolts, gasket, mounting template etc, all that it requires is somebody to wire it up! Now I could do it but I lack finesse with running cables, so I am looking for a volunteer to do it properly, I will mount the capstan, & fit the circuit breaker, solenoid, switch etc wherever they should go, but I prefer a proper electrician to do the cabling. Who donated the capstan? Well I am not prepared to say who it was until I have cleared it with him, but it was a very generous donation to the club (£450) generous actually, & it will make life a lot more enjoyable for me & hopefully everybody else who uses Belle as well, picking up the anchor & moving is not a problem in any weather, when you have a capstan to do the work for you, which means that we should do even better in future than we have in the past. Look out for the next proposed trip on Monday 19th Jan!
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Post by pilgrim17 on Jan 16, 2015 17:32:51 GMT 1
Pushing the envelope!
With the forecast being good for Wednesday 21st Jan, & not knowing how long it will hold, I am posting a trip for Mumbles Belle for a 9am lock out. We are out on Monday, Oystercat is out on Tuesday, but I have said I will go when the weather is suitable & on Wednesday It is, so if you cant go Monday or Tuesday, or you want to put some fish in your freezer, then Wednesday is up for grabs.
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Post by pilgrim17 on Jan 19, 2015 17:57:02 GMT 1
Wednesday still empty
Forecast for Wednesday is still NW & between 11mph & 16mph depending on who you believe, NW is a good wind if it blows up, we can fish in Mumbles for whiting, codling, dabs & have the wind behind us on the way home. Richie & I are keen to go but really we need AT LEAST one more angler to go with us. So get in touch with me or Richie or enter your name onto the booking sheet, it will be too late when the locks are closed for maintenance, & you will regret not going when the chance was there!
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Post by pilgrim17 on Jan 20, 2015 15:07:15 GMT 1
Wednesdays Trip
May be postponed until Thursday, the weather for Wednesday varies from forecaster to forecaster, but Thursday seems to be the favoured day, I am in touch with those who want to go, but there is a place available, so if you are free on both Wednesday & Thursday & you want to go then contact me on either my mobile or on the booking page.
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Post by pilgrim17 on Jan 23, 2015 11:53:06 GMT 1
Well we went!
Conditions were not too bad, it was cold but you expect that in January, & the thermals took care of that. The wind was Easterly & a little stronger than forecast but not bad enough to stop us heading for my favourite spot on the Green Grounds. On arrival I dropped the much vaunted "Damforth" anchor I had attached, (as it is supposedly the bees knees on a muddy bottom) only to see it plough a beautiful furrow across the muddy/shingly bottom, & we were still going as we rapidly approached the Kidney Bank, so into gear, & winch up the anchor as we made our way back to where I wanted to be, swapping the useless piece of Damforth "ballast" for my much loved "Fisherman" on the way! Part 2 saw us arrive again at my chosen spot & down goes the anchor for the second time, & there was a bone shaking shudder as the fisherman hit the bottom, & despite the "Not as good on a soft bottom as the plough or damforth" (from the wizened old sea salts in the club) the anchor rope went as tight as a guitar string as the anchor stopped us dead! With the 42.6ft tide howling past us (we arrived at peak flow) we fished with big leads trying to find the bottom but our leads were about as effective as the Danmforth anchor, & I think we were fishing the Kidney Bank from where we were anchored Eventually the flow started to decrease & we were at least fishing as opposed to trying to hold bottom, but the fishing was still poor. We had a couple of dogs each & a few small whiting as we waited for the tide to slow down for those "golden hours" either side of slack water. Trevor hit the first big whiting & Richie followed suit, then I had one but they were few & far between. Other boats could be seen moving around at low water (never a good sign) but we stuck it out waiting for the fishing to improve. The water was a stinking brown colour & was obviously carrying a lot of fresh flood water (from the amount of logs & rubbish in the water) plus we flew through the lock on the way out with Belle reaching "ramming speed" as we shot through in the current flowing through the lock gates, to cut a long story short, the fishing was crap! We ended up with about 6/7 big whiting, a few dabs, quite a few dogs & that was that, really a waste of bait. So although there is a weather "window" for Saturday 24th, I am not going to take Belle out again until theses big tides drop & the floodwater has chance to disperse. When we locked in we were in the lock with a trawler, who commented that we had probably caught more than he had, it appears that he had been across to Morfa up towards Sker then back across towards the White Oyster then back into the Bay & his total catch for the day was 2 codling & a sole! Now I am no lover of inshore trawlers or netsmen, but I felt really sorry for that guy, his return for all those hours & all that diesel, was a measly 2 codling & a sole, not much return for a days wages I cant see much of a weather window next week, but keep watching the trips booking board & as soon as ever it looks like things are improving I will post more trips.
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Post by pilgrim17 on Jan 27, 2015 13:31:56 GMT 1
No window for Belle
Until about Tues/Wed next week by the look of it, so a good opportunity to try to sort out some of the niggling problems that are affecting the boats efficiency. Firstly was to remove the anchor rope drum I had installed on deck to accommodate the "Alderney Ring" recovery system (which didn't work in a strong tide run because of lack of power) so back into the anchor locker went the anchor rope & chain. The Danforth anchor which was our "spare" proved to be about as effective as Bafetimbe Gomis & has been relegated to the ballast locker (Gary Monk take note lol). The "spare, spare" I had was too small so I have bought a second-hand 20lb CQR which are considered to be pretty good, plus they store nicely in the bow roller which gives more room on board. I have made & fitted a rod rack which will allow rods to be stored upright when not in use, this will avoid them being underfoot when we are doing the anchor. I have concerns that the automatic float switch on the bilge pump isn't working, because it now only works when you switch the ignition on, whereas it should work 24/7 seeing as it is wired directly to the batteries, & bypasses the main power switch. There is a lot of mould & damp patches in the cabin especially around the windows where the silicone sealer has perished, & the fibreglass has delaminated on areas of the wheelhouse roof allowing water to leak in. The skylight is leaking, the seals around the top of the battery box & the forward hold have deteriorated & water is getting into both. Also the watertight door that was used from the original boat is causing head injuries to the unwary when entering or exiting the wheelhouse, we have taken to putting pipe insulation on the door frame to avoid banging our heads! So the bottom of the door frame is going to get the chop when we are out of the water, & a "drop-down pull-up" section will be fitted to give us head clearance going in & out! (the watertight door is a waste of time anyway, now that we have deck drainage holes all over the boat into the bilge) So my "To Do" list for when we are out of the water gets longer & longger lets hope it stays fine over the period so I can get it all done, ready for the 2015 assault on the fish!
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Post by pilgrim17 on Jan 28, 2015 17:32:48 GMT 1
Good Forecast 05/02/15 Next Thursday is a good Belle forecast 7.10hw so a 9am lock out & be on the whiting grounds at 9.45 plenty of time for the "golden hours" either side of low water, This time there is no "switching to the cat" this is a Mumbled Belle trip so fill it up before the fish leg it!
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