mike farrants

me too - I didnt say it worked..... 🤪... I have yet to catch one - lucky enough to fish with a mate who doesn't eat fish and took his home instead! he caught one on a simple ledger! boat fishing is very simple - all you need to do is put the bait on the bottom.

i wouldn't use a 2 down hook length as in your pic as its likely to tangle on the way down - and certainly will in the tide - the hook lengths would need to be separated somehow - i know people use a wishbone rig for plaice drifting separated by a 1ft bar - but thats too much faff for me! if i want 2 hooks on the bottom i use 2 rods!

90% of the time i use a simple running ledger with the weight suited to the tide and a pretty standard hook size (2" - dont ask me actual size)- i fish in 40-80 ft water, sometimes 100ft - sometimes big tides - its usually only the weight i change during the day. my go to rig is a running ledger with around 5ft 100lb hook trace to a large hook - i find most fish aren't bothered by heavy line, but conger tope and rays can bite through smaller line so i go 50-100lb - the 40lb tope in my pic was caught on this method. - this sounds spot on for what your after - rays, dogs, etc. drifting for turbot its a sliding tube boom, watch lead, then the same set up - but longer flowingtrace for bream its a much lighter rig - a 2 hook flapper with beads. havent done much plaice fishing but it would be a running ledger, but smaller hooks and loads of beads and sequins. the trick with boat fishing is to nail your bait near the bottom - if your weight rises up in the tide your bait will be above the fish. regarding weights i mostly use pears & bobpedos 8-12oz sometimes bigger, sometimes 10oz cannon balls for finding gulleys and for drifting 8oz watch leads - but havent noticed much difference in shape really.

i bet there is a connection then somewhere - i went to C of E middle, not far from carisbrooke high!

Born on the IOW in 1977, moved off to uni in 1996 - went to medina high school, and competed in the IOW angling club quite a bit. Remember Scotties tackle shop? - pyle street i think... rest of my family are still there!

I grew up on "the island" - spent my youth fishing Sandown pier, Yarmouth pier and pulling flounder out the medina at the cement mills, rowing club, or seaclose. did a fair bit off East cowes sea front, fort vic, and alum bay too - yes loads of options to escape the wind on an island!

depends on the direction and location - some fish chesil in 20+ mph - i wont, but i might try the piers! depends also on your tolerence and patience!

i've used onlinebaits twice now - great selection, superb quality, excellent delivery - doesn't mean i catch any more fish though!

14knts........ jeez - slow down - "mind your wash...." the only time i get 14 knots is when i forget to turn off my Navionics and drive home form the marina........ 🙂 1.4knots much more like it! 🤣

not going to say it, as i don't want to jinx it, im just going to say i really hope Windy doesnt change for this weekend....... 🤞

im right handed and wind with my right on all reels - multis, fixed spools, beach and boat. i learned as a nipper with a RHW multi so thats what i do with my fixed spools too. they always arrive LHW and i switch them over i don't know why multis its common to wind with the right, FS its more common to wind with the left? Makes no sense. Unless you are talking spinning - i find it annoying that i have to change hands after each cast to retreive (move my left hand above the reel after casting)- thats the only time a left hand wind would be useful to me.

lovely T5 that!

i've got a T4 - no pop top though - would love one at some point - the T4 is a lovely van but its old and getting a bit rusty - bought for £5k 3 yrs ago - ive now spent almost the same again 😞 £2.2k for a new engine and £1k worth of welding for MOT - and the arches need doing........ Would love a T6.1 as my only vehicle.

Being an IOWer and red funnel regular i certainly will miss the old cigarette - a landmark or even Beacon of home from my childhood 😞 sad times. I bet many a sailor, mariner, merchant, Navy, etc all regarded it as a welcoming sight coming home to.

welcome! from Sharkey Crabcakes!

Father in law was down staying for a few days this week, and Tuesday looked like the only day any fishing might be possible with 20+mph winds all week - I had a couple of days off so thought we'd try Tuesday. The forecast kept changing but was 10-15mph westerly building to 21mph through the day - meant we could get out early and retire early if needed - being westerly we would have the shelter of Portland harbour from any swell. 9am we headed out first on the hunt for mackerel - first drift produced red and grey gurnard, plus a few pin whiting (most foul hooked) and one mackie for phil, second drift we must have started bang on a shoal as both me and phil hit into doubles on the drop - so with 5 decent mackerel - and plenty of frozen we thought we'd anchor up sooner rather than later. we headed out to a spot between the entrances hoping for some shelter from the wall - but didn't find much - not much swell but a lot of chop and a lot of swinging about. We managed 1 dog and a few decent conger - i bagged the biggest around 10lb - taken on a 2nd hand mackerel head, I'd already caught one to 8lb on the same head! Phil had a couple - biggest 5lb ish - we spotted the resident dolphins playing in the boy wave of a large sea cadets boat - lovely sight! after a few hours of being thrown about and spilling our coffee with the wind building, we upped anchor and moved in shore not far off the entrance to weymouth harbour about half mile off weymouth beach - no particular mark, but into a random spot in 30+ft of water. not long before the conger showed up again - i had another to 8lb and we had a few straps and dogs between us. considering we may not have got out at all it was a very good day - we got back to the marina for 4.30ish - in the Boot by 5pm for a cold pint!!

i was planning tomorrow too - out of weymouth - 20Mph now! (not spj'ing though)

Great trip out of poole on sunday.......... 🤪🤫🤣

goes to show that a 'busy' keeper can earn points - depsite letting in 7 - he had 7 saves, and that stopped him going into negative points - if he'd stopped that penalty he would have been on 7 points - despite letting in 7 goals! yeah Salah had an amazing game!

i have soft spot for Norwich, i had Pukki for a while i thought he'd relish being back in the prem but i swapped him for Toney - i'm going to keep Krul - simply because after chelsea he has a good run of easy(er) games. that gives me 2x transfers to firm up my defence the following week (Matty Targett aint doing it for me and navarro left watford weeks ago!)

For fishing gear i want the cheapest - (unless its functional jackets/smocks) - i'm only going to be wiping squid guts on it! not so bothered about it lasting - its going to get abused, washed on a hot wash many times etc obviously dont want it threadbare or see through (for the benefit of the crew) - im also happy with screen printed over embroidered if it keeps the costs down for me - as long as its good value - it doesnt have to be "the best"

or we do 2 orders per year (spring /Autumn) and get everyone to order at the same time for the season ahead to make up the numbers? t- shirts & longsleeves in the summer hoodies if enough interest hoodies and hats in the winter just an idea?

pretty sure it was rebel i saw - deffo looked like him! hugged in close to the west side of portland?

werner and lukaku out, havertz yet to find his form, Champions league game mid week, im keeping Krul..... he is a great keeper and will have shots fired at him - thats where he cracks up the points. that's a risk worth taking for me! i cant see norwich winning - but i dont think chelsea will run riot either! (dont blame me if it goes wrong though)