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Post by pilgrim17 on Nov 11, 2015 18:07:35 GMT 1
A varied & interesting day.
Richie & I went down to the marina to pick up the empty jerry-cans, & made a stealthy approach to Nigel's place, just in case he wasn't there & we were challenged, we were disguised in burkha's, chemags, & veils so we blended in with the Crofty locals , but luckily he was there before us so we had back up on this trip. Great we set up to start the great oil transfer & the bloody pump wouldn't work, we tried priming it, bleeding it, kicking it, but to no avail, I reckoned that the oil was too thin to be lifted, so Richie disconnected the drain plug, & we took 80 litres out through that , I don't know where I am going to put it, but at the moment its good ballast On the way back we went via the minibus & removed the problem seat belt, & we went to Pic up Spares to see if we could get a replacement, Richie destroyed the interior of identical minibus to remove the replacement seat belt, & all we have to do now is fit it onto the minibus (not as simple as it sounds because you have to virtually dismantle the 3 seats in the row to remove the belt, & the position you have to get in to get the spanners on, calls for a 6' 3" & 11 stone person with very long arms (& that aint me!), anyway we got then old belt off the minibus, & found & removed a replacement & one day this week we will go up & fit it ready for the MOT. We dropped the fuel off on Belle, & I picked up a 38g re-arm kit for the life jacket which was accidentally set off, so its ready for our next trip whenever that will be. Maybe when "Abigaile" passes we will have a bit of settled weather so we can get out again.
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Post by pilgrim17 on Nov 13, 2015 17:39:59 GMT 1
No respite from this weather!
The forecast until the 21st November is strong winds & heavy rain, the only change is that on 21st the wind direction changes to NW which is a little bit of an improvement, but not much! I doubt we will be able to put our nose outside the piers after 2 weeks of strong SW winds, we will need at least a day for the swell to drop before we can even consider going to Mumbles! I wouldn't mind if it was cold & windy as long as it was dry, I would like to give the seat tops & gunwhales another coat of white gloss, because the 2 part paint (that I was only given 1 part of) didn't cover very well (I wonder why?) & another coat should see it last the winter out! Carl sent me a text apologising for not finishing the idler roller for the winch rope, I told him there was no panic, & with the forecast for the next 7 days it wont be needed for a while! The problem will be that when the wind drops sufficiently to get out, there is going to be so much fresh water in the bay, that you will have to go well out to get away from it, & the residual swells outside the head will be more than I want to be involved with So the prospects for the short term are not very good, & just as I was starting to get a bit of a run, & starting to make inroads into the deficit the weather gods turn against me, but I wont let them win, I shall prevail I have been asked if I am going to the Irish Tourist night on Saturday & the answer is NO! Ireland has become so expensive that I resent paying 6 euro for a pint of Guinness, & their weather is usually crappier than ours! The last 3 trips I made across to the Rosslare Small Boat Festival 75%+ of the days we were blown off & restricted the other 25% of the time, plus the fact the evening will be a hard sell, they don't come over here for nothing. I have also been asked why I am not going to Weymouth, my wife answered that perfectly by saying "If you went to Weymouth, you would have to sleep in the minibus!" Because not only do I roar (not snore) because of my sinusitis, but I also suffer badly from sleep apnoea during which I shout & fight & make a general nuisance of myself, which would disturb every other person on the same floor let alone in the next room, so although I would love to go, it would totally ruin everybody else's trip NOTICE Boxing Day is my birthday, & for years I had a "Lilygreen's Challenge" with my 3 sons, we have either had a fishing competition, played golf, clay pigeon shooting, etc In recent years however, as they have greater obligations to their own families, the custom has been dropped, & I have been coerced into a "Birthday celebration lunch" which I have been very lukewarm about, because I don't do "lunch" very well. So this year my wife is going to Malta for Xmas to visit her son & his family, but I am not going, & that means I have my Boxing Day back If the weather is suitable & the locks are operating, it is my intention to take Mumbles Belle out for a "Lilygreen Challenge" (Rules to follow) So if anybody is interested let me know so I can make arrangements for the day. Turkey Burgers etc. VERY SAD NEWS! Many of you will remember John Blackmore (Nipper) who used to do the rod repairs/rod building/eye replacement/fly tying for Capstan House in Beach Street, I have had news that he died today, after failing to regain consciousness after a heart attack last weekend. I still have a Conoflex blank that he custom made for me, & an ABU 484 that he re-ringed & rewhipped for me 30yrs ago, I still use both today & they are as good as the day he built them. Do I stop using them now in his memory? Or do I carry on using them in tribute to him? I think he would want me to use them as that is what he made them for. Have a good journey Nipper & may the fish be biting when you get there.
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Post by pilgrim17 on Nov 14, 2015 21:15:40 GMT 1
Nowt nautical today
Instead Richie & I fitted the replacement seat belt in the minibus (or should I say we wrestled it into place) I have never seen such an arkward place to put seat belt anchorages, we had to remove the seat cover unpick sewing, drill out pop rivets, & lay on the floor under the seats to undo nuts & bolts, & as usual he says "I haven't got my glasses with me" have you ever tried to hold a spanner on a concealed nut when the person tightening the bolt is wearing your glasses? Anyway we eventually managed to fit it, & after 3 falls, 2 submissions, & a technical knockout, we managed to get the "throw cover" back on to protect the seat covers, there must be 20 ways of fitting them & we tried all of them! We decided against looking at the indicator bulbs because of the almost horizontal rain blowing straight up from the estuary, we quickly decided to leave that for another day. I then went home to fit a new belt on the tumble dryer, I managed to almost totally dismantle it to get the new belt around the drum, then when it was on I found it was too short to go around the motor, so I had to order another one, & with it raining all the time & no way to dry clothes, it is of course my fault? So every radiator in the house now has shirts, pants, jumpers, jeans, tops, etc strung across them, every window in the house is steamed up because of damp clothes, & when I go to turn the heating off because its like being in a sauna, I get told "leave the heating on to dry the washing" when I suggested that she take them down the launderette & put them in the dryer, I was met by that icy stare, that would have meant her having to put her money into the dryer, as opposed to me having to pay for either the electric for the tumble dryer, or the gas bill for the central heating! Roll on some dry days so I can retreat to the boat & find something meaningful to do, if its only sit & chat to Steve & drink coffee, but if it does dry up I will repaint those seat tops, they are getting on my tits!
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Post by pilgrim17 on Nov 15, 2015 20:19:09 GMT 1
Is there no end in sight?
Every morning I open the curtains to see conifers bending in the wind, & dustbins blowing down the street, & rain lashing against the windows, not the weather to be sat astride a Honda 90 being blown across the road into oncoming traffic, or blown into the marina near the tower! But I do want to go down & check out that all is well with the boat, & give the engine a run to charge the batteries, as the automatic bilge pumps must be working often with all the rain we are having. I think there might be a break in the morning, if so I will give it a try. I suppose I could go down on the bus if push comes to shove, its only a 5 minute walk from the Quadrant to the marina, & I could do with going to the shops as well, so I think that might be a plan. I have posted the SBSAC Cod Comp trip on Jan 10th 2016 & I have entered the names of the regulars who said they wanted to go on Belle so unless somebody drops out we have a full boat already. I have also posted a trip for Boxing Day, the Vic Lilygreen Challenge, a friendly "Best Specimen" trip (excluding growlers) there will be Xmas Fare & prizes & fun if the weather is good & the locks are open, I refuse to "Do Lunch" another year!
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Post by pilgrim17 on Nov 16, 2015 15:00:58 GMT 1
Managed to get down this morning
I wanted to go to the market, so I caught the bus to town, did my shopping, & walked down to the boat, munching a Greggs cheese & onion slice on the way. I checked the oil & water levels & greased the propshaft before I started her up, I run her at about 1200rpm while I took the CO2 cartridges out of the 6 lifejackets, I need to blow them up manually & test them over 24hrs, but putting 6 armed lifejacket into a backpack would be asking for trouble , so I disarmed them first . No doubt my missus will play hell because the inflated jackets will be on the dining room table after inflation. I also changed the 12v 4w anchor light bulb, for a 12v 50 LED bulb which is dazzling so we will be seen at anchor . I feel happier now I have been down & checked, although all was well, it is nice to find that everything is working as it should, & its nice to know that we are ready to go at a moments notice. Saying that I will have to unload the 4 full jerry cans of diesel from the bow before we leave, as that is 180lb of ballast that would upset my equations. I have posted a trip for Sunday 22nd Nov because the wind is down to 16mph from a NW direction, which should allow us to fish comfortably (albeit only just off Mumbles) but there should be whiting & dabs there like the last trip, so let me know if you fancy the trip. We will be going out on low water & by the time we get over there the run should be starting, & hopefully we will get some fish for the pan. Trevor is on holiday so I don't know if the booking list is working, just in case it isn't, you can text or call me on 07814528082 if you want to go.
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Post by pilgrim17 on Nov 17, 2015 19:16:29 GMT 1
It isn't looking very good is it?
Sitting here listening to a 65mph gale trying to blow my panel fence down, makes me wonder if Sundays proposed trip is a bit far-fetched, although it is only Tuesday & LOTS can happen in Swansea Bay in 5hrs let alone 5 days, so I am the eternal optimist (Ken Davison purveyor of doom & gloom ) & this wind is forecast to drop after 6pm & continue dropping until it is forecast to be "light to moderate" by the morning. If that is the case, I will bring "Hercules" out of his stable, & ride down to the marina & check that all is still well. I will also take the lifejackets back down, they have been blown up & tested (much to my wife's annoyance) as being "All over the house" when in fact they have only been on the dining table, then moved onto the bed in the front bedroom, when she whinged that she couldn't serve the meals! I have repacked 2 but 4 are still under test, I will do then either this evening or in the morning, & that will be another job ticked off the list it has been on my mind for several weeks to check them over & now its done I feel much easier.
I see they have found the body of the guy who fell in a week or so ago, a pity he hadn't been wearing one, it may well have saved his life, that was in fact the prod I needed to check them over, & although we now have posh handrails on the Belle to stop numpty's falling overboard, there is always the possibility of the skipper going overboard, messing about with that bloody anchor, my arse is too close to the water bringing it in, now I feel better about falling in! Saying that, with their past record, the crew members would probably try to get me back aboard using, the brush, the mop, or the gaff, or the landing net rather than the lifebelts & the boathooks! I see nobody has as yet signed up for next Sunday 22nd (O ye of little faith) nor has anybody put their name down for the "Lilygreen Challenge" on Boxing day where I intend to hold a "Best Specimen" competition, with a lavish first prize, & a booby prize for the "Numpty of the Day", also I have posted the SYSAC Cod Comp trip on 10th Jan 2016, all places are taken by regulars who have asked to be included on the day, if any of them drop out then their places will be taken on a "First come first served" method.
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Post by pilgrim17 on Nov 18, 2015 12:41:09 GMT 1
I think they either guess or throw darts!
When they prepare the weather forecast! Today the wind was forecast to be "Light to moderate, with occasional showers, or longer periods of rail", well they got the longer periods of rain right, so I suppose 1 out of 3 isn't bad! However I wish they could get it a bit closer to the truth! I planned to take the lifejackets back down the boat, grease the threads on the CO2 cartridges & re-arm the them, but I am not going out in this weather, I take comfort in the fact that I run the engine to recharge the batteries on Monday, & with the solar charger keeping them topped up, the automatic bilge pumps will keep her safe until I next venture down there. The wind is my biggest enemy, with Hercules being so light it gets caught by the wind & I have to ride with my feet out either side to stop it being blown over, my wife suggested that I fit stabilisers on it (typical female "joke"). The forecast for tomorrow is for much lighter winds by mid morning, & for "occasional showers" I wonder what we will really get? I need to get these lifejackets armed & back aboard before we get some better weather.
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Post by pilgrim17 on Nov 20, 2015 18:42:56 GMT 1
Going out on Sunday (we hope)
The forecast for Sunday is good & so as long as the lock closure doesn't hold us up for too long, we will trundle over to Mumbles & see if we can catch us a feed of dabs & whiting. I eventually managed to take "Hercules" down to the marina, with a backpack of lifejackets on my back, which had been tested for holding air for 24hrs, so I re-armed then with CO2 cartridges, ready for the winter. Personally I think if you fell in during the winter, you would freeze to death long before you drowned, so unless you are wearing a dry suit you are "brown bread" long before you drown, I think lifejackets were invented by a committee, they are typical of a good idea, that doesn't really work. Why insurance companies insist you carry then I don't know, I am the only one who wears one on Belle, & that is only so that if I fall in, the others have a chance of getting me out otherwise they wont be able to navigate their way through the locks on the way home! I dug my "long johns" out of the wardrobe today, I fancy I might need them on Sunday, they are giving it as dry with a N wind & the temp 1C-2C which is chilly, but as long as its calm I don't mind the cold, with the cooker on in the wheelhouse at least I will be warm, bugger the rest of you I have tied up some 2up 1 down traces with muppets up & yellow/black beads down, when I told Nigel this last night at club night, he looked at me as if I had just arrived from Uranus, I suppose I will have to show him & let him spend all day Sunday trying to copy it, while the rest of us catch fish Not sure yet what we will have for lunch, but I will pick up some sausage rolls form Cwmbwrla Bakery tomorrow, & maybe some pasties if they are freshly cooked, they warm up nicely on the griddle (& they are less trouble than farting around with sausages or bacon sandwiches). I went to order mudworm today, but there is a convention of "Flounder Assassins" being held at Loughor on Sunday, which means that mudworm will be as hard to get hold of as rocking horse shit over the weekend, so I might have to revert to good old lugworm on the bottom & small bits of mackerel on the muppets. I see the "Flying Pallet" is also out on Sunday, but they certainly wont stoop so low as to come near us no doubt they will be out near the SWIGG, & I reckon that will be too lively for our taste, we will have to settle for a more sedate area Lets hope we have something worthwhile to report on Sunday when we come back.
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Post by pilgrim17 on Nov 21, 2015 16:07:27 GMT 1
Priorities taken care of
Got sausage rolls & pasties from Cwmbwrla Bakery, Phil Cryer said not to buy fish bait because he has more than he will need, so all I need to do in the morning is get worm of some sort, & pray the lock isn't closed, if it is, its breakfast in the basin until they let us out From todays temperature, its Long Johns & quilted shirt weather, which will help on the trip down on Hercules, last time I went down early morning it was a bit "brass monkeys" so if I stay warm on the bike I will be warm on the boat. Not sure about John Jones, he dresses for winter in the height of summer so he might feel it tomorrow. Nigel always looks as if he needs a stiff brandy, & he doesn't look happy when it rains, so how he will cope with 2C I don't know? I hope tomorrow proves to be the start of the proper winter fishing, we may struggle for big whiting but what we had 2 weeks ago were well in size, with one or two around the 32cm mark. No doubt the cat will hit the bigger ones on the Whiting Bank but I fancy there will be too much swell for us, & I see no point in looking, when we know where we can catch, time to go looking when there are big ones to be caught. It will be a good omen if the Swans stuff Bournemouth this afternoon, if they don't maybe Monk can get a job as crew on Mumbles Belle that will show him what its really like to be on the losing side every game! I am confident we will have a decent day once we get out, & if we have wait to get out there is no problems about coming back in late we have a chartplotter to show us our way home, a depth sounder to show us where the water is, & I have night vision glasses to avoid the whelk buoys, & a built in searchlight to show us where the locks are, plus I don't believe in the "Bogey Man" & I'm not frightened of the dark, but I cant say the same for the anglers, especially Nigel lol
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Post by pilgrim17 on Nov 22, 2015 20:31:07 GMT 1
"Too many fish" what more can I say?
They whinged that they were catching too many fish, & not getting any peace to drink their tea/coffee or eat their sausage rolls & pasties! (The fact that they were all using 2 rods might have something to do with it!) I used 1 rod & managed to catch a lot of fish, & make tea/coffee & warm up sausage rolls & pasties! They wound me up from the start, I extended the one boat hook & placed it across the stern, guessing that we would have to shimmy around the open lock gates because of the amount going out & it was so, I put the bow into the lock wall at as shallow an angle as I could, expecting the extended boathook to catch the rope at the stern & pull us in! However that didn't happen because somebody had collapsed the boat hook & stood it up in the rod rack, & as Mumbles Belle went side on across the lock "Muggins" here looked a total knob to the watching boats & lockmaster, so seeing as the bow was secure at the bow I put her in forward & put the wheel hard over & lo & behold the arse came in like a lamb (not that it stopped me roaring at them for collapsing the long boat hook!). As I said we caught fish from the word go, whiting, dabs, dogs, pouting, even tiny bass, & by high water they had had a gutsfull, & wanted to go in, so in we went, in amongst a flock of "Hooray Henry's" who had been out "Muffin their Luffin" or whatever it is they do, anyway they were all over the dredged channel like mad dog's crap, I don't know if they expected me to give them the right of the road, but they were mistaken, they had the entire bay to play in & the dredged channel isn't part of their playground. Anyway we got into the lock before they did, & we were rather abruptly told by the lockmaster, to go as far forward as we could because he had other people to lock in, which was fine, but a Gin Palace came in behind us, & tied up a good boats length behind us without so much as a "by your leave" from the lockmaster! Now I am about to kick off at the lockmaster about only "working class boats" being asked to shove up, when I was reminded that we have to use the lock every trip, so I shut my gob for a change. Anyway at the berth they all took what fish they wanted, & left "Muggins" here to dispose of the rest, luckily I know some old people who love fresh fish so I got rid no problem, but I am considering a "Mumbles Belle, one rod, & a minimum 32cm MLS for whiting" & see how they like that I must point out that Nigel caught the biggest whiting today, but also that for somebody that small, he takes up more room than any 2 other people on the boat! He had his spare clothing hanging up on the cabin door, his tackle box on top of the engine compartment, his bait on top of the battery box, his fat arse in the middle of the stern (so you couldn't get past him, nor over the engine/battery box because of his bait & tackle. Plus he has an annoying habit of winding too much line in, so that he has to push his rod back to get at the trace/fish/bait, which means that the rod butt is taking up what little room his other gear isn't occupying! Plus can we introduce a bye law that bans mobile phones on the boat? He complained about too many bites, & not having time to bait up between bites, & all the time he is like Buzzby on his bloody phone, I was hoping it would slide off the battery box & go under the duckboards & into the deck water but it never I think it might do next time he is out
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Post by pilgrim17 on Nov 23, 2015 16:51:03 GMT 1
Ready for next time now
Cleaning down on the way back in isn't easy on Belle because you are pushed for space, you can wash the worm stains off the gunwhales etc, but there is nowhere to go to get out of the way, so I find it easier to tell people not to bother to try, & I go down the following day & do it at my own convenience. This is what I did today, give it a scrubbing with a dipped brush then hose it down, job done, also wash the plates & cups after yesterdays banquet, ready for the next foray. I posted a trip for Thursday but I see the "Flying Pallet" has gazumped me, but I am sure I can find people who would prefer not to fish at Llys Nini for dogs . Carl Israel has produced a jaw dropping idler roller for the winch, in fact it looks too good to go on Belle , all I have to do now is fit it in the right position & it should make bringing the anchor in a lot safer operation than hanging my arse over the bow to get the right angle on the rope! If it doesn't rain I will do that tomorrow, just in case I get a more discerning class of angler who wants to go real fishing on Thursday if I don't I can always use the fine day to do some painting, & cover up the "1 stage 2 stage" paint I was so generously given! By the way "Pallet" stay away from my mark, because I notice you have Judas (30 fillets of whiting) crewing I hope you are going to reserve the whole of the stern for him to spread himself out, like he did on Belle, & make sure he brings some bait with him, this was instilled into him before last Sunday, but I had to confiscate his king prawns, there was absolutely no way he was going to feed them to the whiting!
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Post by pilgrim17 on Nov 24, 2015 16:59:55 GMT 1
Well we are out on Thursday
Somebody has "jumped ship" from Oystercat to Mumbles Belle, to take advantage of the space, it is ludicrous that with 300+ members we cant find enough anglers to half fill 2 boats! If they were both full it would only be about 6% of the membership, so what's wrong with the other 94%? Where are they? Ok lets say that 60% of them are working or are in school that still leaves 34% of them who don't cast a shadow? Thursdays forecast is perfect, & there are plenty of whiting & dabs to be caught, so you would think that people would be clamouring to get out to put some fish in their freezers? After the last 3 successful trips, which I have reported on here & on WSF, I expected a better response than one member (who is taking advantage of some extra room) if you cant attract members when you are catching fish, when can you expect them? We skippers put a lot of our time & effort into these boats, & all we ask really is that people use them, & when they don't use them when they are successful, when are they going to use them? Now is a golden opportunity to make an impact on the boat overheads, plenty of fish about, short distances to travel to find them, short duration, everything you could want including the weather, & Oystercat is going out half full, & Belle is going out almost empty, it makes no sense at all to me, I would expect to be taking £40-£50 per trip this time of year, & on Thursday I will be lucky to pay in £20? It would cost you £35 to go & watch the Swans lose again, even if you buy your bait, you will still only pay half as much (& get far better entertainment & value for money)! Anyway to move on, I intended to fit the idler roller Carl made, but the forecast for today was rain after lunch but it was raining by 10.30am so that can wait until tomorrow (if it is fine) I don't feel obliged to put myself out for members who cant be bothered anyway, we can manage with the "arse over the bow" method until we get a dry day
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Post by pilgrim17 on Nov 25, 2015 14:05:22 GMT 1
Managed to fit the idler roller
But forgot to take a photo of it (I will do that tomorrow) it seems to be in the right place & looks to be pulling at the right angle, but the only way to be sure is next time we bring the anchor in. If it works as I expect it to, then it should be possible to bring the anchor in single handed if required, but mainly it will be much more convenient, & safer, than being on the gunwhale to get the angle, I feel very positive about it, & Carl has done a fantastic job making it. Speaking to Brian (of the William James) he went across to the Mumbles moorings area yesterday (where we fished on Sunday) & he said it didn't fish that well, he had to work hard & struggle for fish, which is totally different to what we found on Sunday? There are lots of variables, such as exact position, time of the tide, height of the tide, type of trace etc, etc, etc which can affect the fishing, but I will go there tomorrow & try it anyway, & if it doesn't work we can try the Blin Hole or similar. I have also fitted a handle on the whale pump in the bow, it is annoying that the anchor locker, & the compartment in front of it, fill up with water when it rains, & the hand pump is there to remove it, but the davit bracket is in the way, & if you get hold of the handle as normal, you crack your knuckles on the davit bracket which is solid steel, & it hurts, now you can pump both compartments out without self inflicted wounds The amount of water that holds in those 2 compartments is substantial, & I noticed the other day, that with a full fuel tank, & the water in both those compartments, that the tip of the prop tube in the stern was just about visible, so I will allow the fuel level to drop (it holds 50 gallons which equates to 500lb) & if there was 5galls of water in each compartment that is 600lbs of extra weight in the bow to upset my ballast operation! (all the fat anglers in the stern please ) Hopefully I will have another positive fishing report tomorrow evening, the news that it never fished well yesterday is worrying but we will give it our best shot we cant do any more. PS there was confusion as to which boat Nigel was going out on tomorrow, so when I rang him to confirm which it was his reply was "The only water I am going to have any close contact with in the next few days, is in the bottom of the toilet bowl" So I reckon that's a "No" don't you? His place has been taken by Carl Rosser who is going to be inducted into the Mumbles Belle Hall of Fame tomorrow, & if he doesn't shape up, he will be mentioned on here tomorrow in the Hall of Shame. This means I have to call into CKs in the morning & get some more sausage rolls, I wont hit him with the spicy hot dogs on his first trip
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Post by pilgrim17 on Nov 26, 2015 19:10:38 GMT 1
A cod with anorexia nervosa! Just my luck, I catch a cod that has the dimensions to be 10lb+ & it would be very lucky if it weighed 6lb! Not that it made much difference, if it had been 10lb it would have gone back anyway, it has been my policy for several years now to return all cod over about 5lb (except in competitions) because they are egg machines. This one today I thought was at best 2 dogfish on the same trace, I was surprised when it broke the surface, but I was shocked at its condition, big head, long very thin body, big spade of a tail, obviously a sick fish, hopefully it will recover!
We did quite well on in-size whiting too probably kept 15-20 30cm+ & about 8 nice big dabs, in all a good day but not as prolific as last Sunday for bigger fish, lots of small ones & not so many bigger ones. also had a gurnard & a blin. Again enough action on the rods to keep the anglers happy which is the main thing, to make sure they come again. It looks as though I am confined to the marina for the next week due to the weather, but I have a few chores to do so the time will be productively spent. The idler roller that Carl fabricated works a treat & it is possible to lift the anchor single handed now, I did it this afternoon, by feeding the anchor rope around the idler & bringing it back across the boat, you can work the button with your foot, which is brilliant. All I need to do now is paint it with silver Hammerite to stop it rusting, & the job is done, I will also give the seats a coat of white if it stays dry. I will be watching the forecast closely as I am hell-bent in getting Mumbles Belle to pay her way this financial year, & barring catastrophe it should happen. It is also making me look hard for fishing marks within the Bay, in the past with my own boat, as with Oystercat I could get to distant marks quite quickly & now I cant, I have to relearn what Swansea Bay has to offer, & the harder I look & ask, the more I am finding out just how much is on our doorstep There are a lot of people in the marina, who have a lot of knowledge about the bay, its just a matter of weedling it out of them!
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Post by pilgrim17 on Nov 27, 2015 13:18:21 GMT 1
I had good intentions for today
But after getting p*****d wet through going to the chemist for my prescription & having a flu jab, I decided that Mumbles Belle can do without my attention today! I will go down & do my chores when the weather is better, but looking at the BBC & XC there is not much of an improvement until next Thursday 3rd Dec If I get a short dry slot I will go down & put a coat of paint on Carl's idler roller, the rustier it gets the better (in moderation) because when you wire brush it off it gives a better key to the surface (like sand blasting) better than shiny metal. I have looked at the forecast for the next week & there is nothing suitable for Belle until next Thursday 3rd Dec, with HW at 11.15am & a small tide, it will be similar conditions to last Sunday when we did well, but who can predict anything? I will try the same spot if we get out, but there is no saying if it will produce, or if somebody else is sat on there before us! If they are then "I have a cunning plan" as Baldrick would say, this time of the year the "Blin Hole" fishes quite well (as Phil Cryer keeps on reminding me) & it must be worth a shot soon, but you must be in EXACTLY the right spot, or you are wasting your time, positioning where you drop your anchor is vital, its the sort of spot that you need the anchor free & ready to drop INSTANTLY, or you can drift out of the trench & you are fishing in the desert! I need a No1 crewman on the anchor whilst I position us, & from the crews recent showings in the locks (reaching for ropes with brushes & mops & gaffs, collapsing the telescopic boathook laid across the stern & putting it into a rod-holder) etc does not fill me with confidence to tackle the Blin Hole just yet If you are interested in the trip posted for next Thursday 3rd Dec ring me on 07814528082 so I can enter you on the booking sheet. Trevor is away & he has given me access to the Belle Booking Form so if you want to put your name down then ring/text me directly & I will put your name down.
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