Herbs73

well done herbs  nice report

nice one!

Well done Herbs. Sounds like you had a decent session there. Top dangling 👍

@Herbs73 Nice to see you get out after such a long absence. 
thanks for sharing and well done on the catches! 

Morning gents,
havnt posted in a while.  I went out yesterday in my mates new Orkney 20  for the first time since surgery in early September. 
   Left Brightlingsea at 7.15  and fished to 2. Lost count of the whiting, 2 decent codling which was nice, half a Dozen dogfish and 1 small bass. The wind was bitter on the flood but it dropped off after high tide.   After 7 months of no fishing it was just lovely to be out on the water despite my fingers going numb. 

Morning gents,
havnt posted in a while.  I went out yesterday in my mates new Orkney 20  for the first time since surgery in early September. 
   Left Brightlingsea at 7.15  and fished to 2. Lost count of the whiting, 2 decent codling which was nice, half a Dozen dogfish and 1 small bass. The wind was bitter on the flood but it dropped off after high tide.   After 7 months of no fishing it was just lovely to be out on the water despite my fingers going numb. 

That’s all the convincing I need 

That’s all the convincing I need 

So went out today from Brightlingsea, about 6 this morning. wasn’t too sure what the conditions would be like as it was blowing a bit yesterday. as it turned out there was a bit of swell but not too bad.
 Fished the middle deeps off clacton, see was very clear and tried for some mackerel with no luck. Anchored up and was straight into doggies, must have had 30 between the 2 of us.
Also had 6 smoothounds (biggest is in the pic, didn’t weigh it so guessing 8lb ish) 1 bass about 3lb and 1 small tope.
 Now sitting in may back garden with a cider.  Very enjoyable day 

Out in the wilds, well away from people, most of them know Herman. 

So went out today from Brightlingsea, about 6 this morning. wasn’t too sure what the conditions would be like as it was blowing a bit yesterday. as it turned out there was a bit of swell but not too bad.
 Fished the middle deeps off clacton, see was very clear and tried for some mackerel with no luck. Anchored up and was straight into doggies, must have had 30 between the 2 of us.
Also had 6 smoothounds (biggest is in the pic, didn’t weigh it so guessing 8lb ish) 1 bass about 3lb and 1 small tope.
 Now sitting in may back garden with a cider.  Very enjoyable day 

So went out today from Brightlingsea, about 6 this morning. wasn’t too sure what the conditions would be like as it was blowing a bit yesterday. as it turned out there was a bit of swell but not too bad.
 Fished the middle deeps off clacton, see was very clear and tried for some mackerel with no luck. Anchored up and was straight into doggies, must have had 30 between the 2 of us.
Also had 6 smoothounds (biggest is in the pic, didn’t weigh it so guessing 8lb ish) 1 bass about 3lb and 1 small tope.
 Now sitting in may back garden with a cider.  Very enjoyable day 

So went out today from Brightlingsea, about 6 this morning. wasn’t too sure what the conditions would be like as it was blowing a bit yesterday. as it turned out there was a bit of swell but not too bad.
 Fished the middle deeps off clacton, see was very clear and tried for some mackerel with no luck. Anchored up and was straight into doggies, must have had 30 between the 2 of us.
Also had 6 smoothounds (biggest is in the pic, didn’t weigh it so guessing 8lb ish) 1 bass about 3lb and 1 small tope.
 Now sitting in may back garden with a cider.  Very enjoyable day 

So went out today from Brightlingsea, about 6 this morning. wasn’t too sure what the conditions would be like as it was blowing a bit yesterday. as it turned out there was a bit of swell but not too bad.
 Fished the middle deeps off clacton, see was very clear and tried for some mackerel with no luck. Anchored up and was straight into doggies, must have had 30 between the 2 of us.
Also had 6 smoothounds (biggest is in the pic, didn’t weigh it so guessing 8lb ish) 1 bass about 3lb and 1 small tope.
 Now sitting in may back garden with a cider.  Very enjoyable day 

Hi Andy, she has a 115 Suzuki, I just keep her on the trailer for winter.

Just joined up and thought I would post up some pics of my boat. She's a 2008 Beneteau 650 which I bought in 2015. Due back in the water next weekend.
Had a lot of fun with the family fishing and just messing about on the water. 

I agree… but I had 2 plotters and my GPS puck failed so I had my back up GPS from my AIS transponder on the network take over. 
 
A new puck was ££££ so I got a 2nd hand Simrad unit to add to my network for less money than a new NEMA2K puck… that had an inbuilt GPS…. I fixed the old puck but only after I had fitted my 2nd hand MFD…. So now it looks like star ship enterprise 🤣🤣 but I’ve got 3 MFDs, 3 GPS inputs hence my comments about relying on electronics. 
 
However, even with Radar and an AIS transponder and a full radar reflector I don’t head out in fog… If fog comes done I can get home.
Obvioouaky electronics can fail, just as my spaniel can eat a paper chart… so it’s all about risk management..

Interesting POV's, there is no way that I could have a chart etc on my kayak but I do have a minimum of three independent devices so unless there is a catastrophe I should be OK. I have a plotter which is the main navigation aid but I also have a HH radio with compass and a smartphone but I haven't tried using the latter two at sea so that's something I need to address. It might seem to be overkill but I am under my own power and although I tend to fish 1-1/2 miles out they come into their own if a fret comes in or I'm fishing into the dark. 
Re fog. I have gone out in fog, once with 3 others in close proximity and  once alone knowing that the fog was going to lift, both were in an area I knew well and had just pot boats working in the area. During a general conversation in the former the "know-it-all" said that you don't need the navigation aids on a kayak as you can hear the noise from traffic and the beach was "that way". I said OK let's have a short paddle "that way" and I will show you on the plotter. Off we went 100m, and then stopped. Next stop would have been Norway! However I am not immune, on the second time it was going to be a hot sunny day and the beach would be packed so we were there early as my wife enjoys sunbathing and wanted a good spot. Off I went from a rapidly filling beach and just off the beach was a pot boat setting a line, so I avoided him by going a little to stbd and heading off into the fog. The voices were echoing about as was the engine noise and after a 1/4 mile I saw a blurry few figures in the fog and I thought it was 3 paddle boarders. Nope, I hadn't been looking at the plotter just thinking I would check after the l cleared the inshore reefs and had done a 180' curve back to the beach and the figures were paddling in the shallows 🥴

Me too, never used or even had a paper chart. I could however find my way back in the dark from the areas I fish. Anywhere outside of that area I'd struggle like mad and would have to either drop anchor and wait for daylight or call for help. 
It's shameful I know, but having the spare time (and spare brain cells) to learn is just something I don't have. 

My thoughts exactly, I like to be as self reliant as possible and the thought of having to call the coast guard just for lack of some basic seamanship doesn’t sit well with me.
 

Yes, guilty as charged. I'll fess up and say I've never used a paper chart. In the Solent and east Wight where I fish there are enough landmarks to enable navigation by eye should the need arise, but I know this doesn't help at night or in fog. I should probably get a paper chart and work out how to use it - can't hurt and could be a saviour in a sticky situation.

Sometime ago I loaded the navionics app on to my tablet and phone so I can plot courses etc at Home and then sync with my plotter when I’m on board, and also to have a back up incase  the plotter went down.
however I find myself using the iPad in conjunction with the plotter, I have each one on different views and magnification. This has made me wonder how much reliance we place on mobile devices and electronics In general.
 I was recently taking the piss out a youngster at work because he couldn’t use an A to Z to find his way around, but then I realised I couldn’t remember how to use dead reckoning, so I have just refreshed myself  (didn’t take long) 
So with  “use it or lose it”  or mind I’m going to try and once or twice a year navigate to a mark and back without using electronics, as it will be Sod’s law that when the plotter goes down The tablet will as well. 
Does anybody else try and keep their basic skills up to scratch. ?  I think there’s an awful lot of people who go to see and have never even looked at a paper chart. 
 

Had a go today, weather was good, nice and flat on the flood. Wind picked up a little bit after tide turned,
 Had a busy day but nothing of any size. Lost count of dogfish, 6 small hounds, 2 bass, and a few whiting.
just good to get out. Highlight of the day was coming back in and some knob had taken his truck down to low water mark to retrieve his jet ski and it had sunk in the mud. 

Had a go today, weather was good, nice and flat on the flood. Wind picked up a little bit after tide turned,
 Had a busy day but nothing of any size. Lost count of dogfish, 6 small hounds, 2 bass, and a few whiting.
just good to get out. Highlight of the day was coming back in and some knob had taken his truck down to low water mark to retrieve his jet ski and it had sunk in the mud.