Gps

[Greenheart]

Having recently been in the market for a new mobile phone & having spent some time looking at the specifications of various models. I could'nt help but notice that a lot of mobiles now come with a built in Global positioning system (GPS) I guess this means the end of charter boat skippers having their little black books of secret wreck sites & productive marks. All any Tom, Dick or Mary needs to do now is to switch on their phone & log any productive spots when out on a charter boat.... Unless boat skippers ban mobiles

[JustMark]

It's always been a simple job to transpose the positions of wrecks from the charts onto a GPS device. I don't think there will be any substitute for a skipper's knowledge. Especially which wrecks are going to be the best in any given tide/wind season etc

[simon1968]

Greenheart they already have banned GPS being used on some of the boats round here, to the extent that if someone switches one on or activates the one on the mobile they return to port, end of trip no refund.

People are advised of this b4 they set out so their own fault for ignoring the rules

[seanclarke]

I don't think GPS makes much of a difference as there were always ways of getting the details - are there really any "secret" marks? I guess an undescovered wreck, but with the ocean being mapped and sites like wrecksite.eu reporting even anomolies or suspect wrecks??

Any boat travelling along can see another boat anchored in a position, make a note, then return later and hunt to the feature they were hugging.

Never heard of a skipper returning to port if someone has a GPS phone, stupid idea anyway - all you need to do is leave the tracker on, don't get the phone out and the next day look at the tracks and extrapolate the co-ordinates.

To me, the real knowledge that the skippers have is not only where to fish but when - tide states, heights, wind direction etc. all play a role. When I was in Alderney with Paul Whittal on Offshore Rebel he had the timeings to a 'T' - this spot for these 4 hours before HW and we'll get tope, move here at midday for bream, finish off here at 15:00 to drift for turbot - and do you know what? he was spot on.

I could have sat at any of those marks on my boat, but he knew when to be where, thats the skill and thats the value add.

No?

[captain chaos]

A lot of knowledge goes a long way....not knowlege, i mean experience!

I was on a knew found spot which i took cod off and went back there believing this ground would produce again, it didnt we bearly caught a fish, getting back home and looking at when i was there last it was a completely different tide, thats just the start of it....conditions, ie sun all have a part to play, getting it right on the day as a recreation fisherman is in gods hands, mostly and these guys that do it day in day out will out fish anyone.

[willybendit]

I was on holiday up scotland staying at new england bay me and the wife walked up to port logan for a few brown bottles one late after noon there were two lads from essex sitting at a table outside and we got chatting i was told by them that a well known charter skipper had returned to port and asked the two to leave his boat because one of them had a h/held garmin g p s unit and was recording coordernates of the places thay cought fish this guy seems to own the waters round this Area the next day i took the two lads out on my boat and we had a great days fishing catching pollack haddock makkie & tope i now meet up with dave And Les who bring there own boat up to to the Mull every june ive had the same chap tell me not to launch at the same time as him i might get in his way i told him to stick his head where the sun dont shine i did here a roomer that he s after the pub so you stay in HIS pub fish off HIS boats and drink HIS F/beer i for one will not use that pub again if that happens tightlines Alain

[captain chaos]

well that seems quite reasonable, fair play.....to the bit where the sun don't shine that is!