Blenheim : Final agenda

[S-Kippy]

Ahoy Shipmates !

The day is almost upon us so here is the Agenda.

1.Meet at Blenheim Palace Main Gates at 0615. Try to work out who is who.

2. Process majestically up drive to car park avoiding peacocks if poss.

3. Unload gear,greet rest of crews,exchange ritual abuse

4. Harangue me for forgetting gate codes [6220]

5. Proceed to dock

6. Applaud properly dressed pirates. Boo all who haven't bothered

7. Embark & set sail

8.Return to dock for bait

9. Set sail again.

10. Blank

11. Return to dock,disembark.

12.Proceed to Diamond Farm Park marvelling at Spiders new record tench.

13. Erect shelters.

14. Beer,food & presentation

15. More beer.

For those with Sat Navs Blenheim is OX20 1PP....for those without its still OX20 1PP. Follow the signs for Woodstock,Blenheim Palace & then kep an eye out for a **** dressed in pirate gear. That will be me !

Diamond Farm lies alongside the B4027 road to Bletchingdon,
1 mile from the A34, 7 miles north of Oxford
and 3 miles south of Junction 9 of the M40.
The Park is well signposted from the A34 road.

Postcode OX5 3DR

Latest weather forecast is not brilliant. Cloudy,breezy,14 degrees but for the most part dry. Not great tench weather...I'm going perching.

Any questions get them in quick as I'm away early tomorrow and not back until teatime earliest. Ray knows the whole Blenheim gig better than me and Spiders plus a couple of other brave souls are fishing Friday...and good luck to them too because the weather looks a bit ugly.

See you Saturday...and I hope everyone has a good day.

Skippy

We'll decide what time we're fishing till on the day. The nights are drawing in now and those staying over will probably want to find the park & get their whatevers erected before dark. That mean's being back at the dock by 6-ish latest I reckon but that's just my view...Clarkey will probably want to fish until midnight !

 

[Morespiders]

brave souls fishing friday, unc, cakey, jk, and myself

 

[S-Kippy]

I hope you've told the Coastguard when you're due in !

 

[Morespiders]

no problem for real seadogs like ourselves

 

[S-Kippy]

First...the good news

The weather forecast now says we are in for a lovely sunny day on Saturday albeit with a crisp northerly breeze.Probably no good for the fishing but very good for not getting soaked.Dry but cold overnight and dry Sunday morning too.Huzzah !

And the bad news

It is 6-15 am as I type this and outside its still as black as your bloody hat !

Before you howl at me for such an early start do remember that Mr Clarke was originally suggesting we meet at 0530 !

I hope somebody has thought about tea making facilities. I am likely to be seriously distressed Sunday morning without a cup of chai !

 

[peter crabtree]

Skip, a few questions .
Do you take landing or keep nets?
Is 13" rod too long for boat fishing, ie. untangling a rod tip tangle?
What is the average depth of the lake?
Would a seat box like the one you sat on at Walton be ok?

 

[Fred Bonney]

Peter my dear boy
You can use a 13foot rod with comfort, we can share a landing net but there is room, I never use a keepnet but can't see why you couldn't.
Seatbox is Ok but 11hours sitting? If you want I'll bring a lightweight chair for you.
Can't remembner how deep, not very I think

 

[peter crabtree]

Thanks Fred, I have a small folding chair somewhere, and a slightly larger one. Maybe I will bring all three and choose which is most practical tomorrow .

 

[S-Kippy]

Skip, a few questions .
Do you take landing or keep nets?
Is 13" rod too long for boat fishing, ie. untangling a rod tip tangle?
What is the average depth of the lake?
Would a seat box like the one you sat on at Walton be ok?

Simon

Keep nets are banned.
One landing net per boat is enough.
13ft rod is fine.
Personally I think a chair is better than a seatbox simply because it has a back and 10 hours on a seatbox is a long time. I take a small picnic chair
Depth varies a lot but nowhere is it bottomless...the usual gig is to tuck yourself into the reeds/lilies & fish out. There are mudweight anchors but also poles to stake the boat which go through loops.They can be ac pain to get in and an even bigger pain to get out but they do keep things pretty steady. If you fish the main basin there is a deeper channel through the middle and the old stream bed.Its not a shallow lake...but neither will you need a slider.

A few tips.

Rod rests are superfluous unless you are going to use a gizmo chair so dont take them. Take a towel or something soft to drape over the gunwhales and lay your rod on that with the butt on your chair/bag/box or whatever. I will take a seat box to carry my gear but also to act as a table and rod rest.

Depending on what side of the lake you fish you will be in shade or have the sun in your face so take sunglasses and an extra fleece. Both can come off if you don't need them.

Its quite a steep path down to the dock.OK going but knackering coming back. I would recommend a trolley of some sort which you can leave at the boathouse.

Skippy

 

[Ray Daywalker Clarke]

Keepnets are banned at Blenhiem so please don't bring one along.

Landing Nets, we always take one each, if you get into the fish, you may both have fish on at the same time, and I have had this happen many times.

Chair is best, unless you have a seat box with a back rest, then that is fine. Some also take an unhooking mat's for the bottom of the boat to put the fish on.

Travel light as the walk back up the hill after a long day is a killer.

6_15 am is fine, by the time we get to the boathouse it will be just right.

One last thing, for those going for the first time, if your into taken photos have your camera in the car with you.

The view as we drive in is something to behold.

Second last thing, you cannot go under the white bridge with the boats and fish the Queens Pool, it's no fishing and for Queens only, as Cakey won't be there, no one will be fishing it that day....

Third last thing, stay out the main house, i have some more friends coming for an evening meal, and i don't want them to see you lot, they will think i have a Dark side

 

[Fred Bonney]

Forecast looking better but drafty, just wondering if I should bring my Kelly Kettle

 

[Muffin]

Looking forward to it! Thanks to all those who have done all the planning, much apprecited.

See you all tomorrow

Simon

 

[r1paul]

We shall be leaving soon for Blenheim ,( I know its not until tomorrow ), so we will see you all in the morning .

 

[wendi spiller]

Steve just spoke to spiders, he said the wind was really cold today, he cut a hole in a bin bag for his head and 2 for his arms and wore it to try to keep the wind off, he was freezing, so wrap up warm. ( i think he was playing pirates myself lol, see you all tom

 

[preston96]

Steve just spoke to spiders, he said the wind was really cold today, he cut a hole in a bin bag for his head and 2 for his arms and wore it to try to keep the wind off, he was freezing, so wrap up warm. ( i think he was playing pirates myself lol, see you all tom

Hello Gorgeous.....are you sure he didnt say he cut two holes for his heads? :wh

 

[wendi spiller]

Steve said one, dont know what you are on about Paul !!!!
anyhow, see you all tom

 

[S-Kippy]

So much for Long John Spiders ! A proper pirate would have slapped a bit of whale fat on.

Nighty night all....them that be a-going I will see in the mornin' at 6 bells.

 

[Rog Hill]

Cheers Skippy for organising a good day afloat, even if the fish were somewhat hard to find. Sorry we didn't see you boys this morning. As expected the bed was flat again by the time I got into the tent and I spent the second night in the car. Needless to say we were awake bloody early and hearing the snoring coming out of your tents couldn't face hanging around. Next time it will be a guest house or shack up in Steve's centrally heated palace.

Great to meet some of the FM names, and thanks to Slime for a vrey pleasant Friday evening. All the best, and see you all next time.

Rog & Jimmy

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

Thanks a million for organising that, Skippy. I enjoyed it despite the lack of fish. Had my fishfinder on for about 80% of the day and apart from some minnows early on, it didn't detect a single fish the rest of the day!

Still can't have everything. Loved the parrot and Johnny Depp outfit!


PS: I think the make-up needs some work on it.

 

[slime monster]

Well the fishing was iffy but the company as ever was great , special thanks to Skippy for the super Pirate prize, Great meeting Rog and Jimmy ......drinkers by the way
and a thankou to my mate Spiders for his brilliant netting skills transforming a fair Perch into a 16 hook .