blowin

Today was my (and my son's) long-awaited introduction to crayfishing, courtesy of Pigeonwatch hero and all round nice guy Terry Bakerboy. First things first, a spot where one can fish legally... Then in go the nets and a few seconds later we have our first crayfish... This one was, coincidentally, the biggest of the day... We hit the 100 mark after 45 minutes although things started to slow down. By the time we left/Billy turned up the count had hit 347... The day's catch was divided up. Here's my 11.5 kilos... Total weight for the day 22kg. Amazing. Thanks to Terry, as always, for a great day out. Will post pictures of the big cook-up tomorrow...

Subject to dates, count me in.

Top stuff. Will break the news to an excited four year old...

Crayfishing on Saturday sounds good as long as I can get away at lunchtime. I might bring the boy if that's OK?

Happy Birthday. And thanks for all the grooming.

I have the Balmoral neoprene and they are extremely warm, extremely comfortable and are holding up well after a lot of use.

Hi. Whereabouts are you? I have a friend looking for a pup in Herts.

Tell them you're busy and ask them for their home number so you can call them back later. Always good for a laugh. Alternatively, register for TPS and anyone who still calls make threatening noises about complaining to the Data Protection Registrar. I know from professional experience that this is what call centres (even foreign ones working for dodgy UK companies) really don't want to hear.

Great day and great food marred only by a truly awful score that will never be spoken of again...

I'll be there (shameless bump).

Thank you everyone. After a **** week, that was just what I needed. Smutty jokes and a personal best score. Didn't even rain.

I'm off to Cumbria next week for a holiday. We're staying over on the coast near Millom and I'd like to try and get a morning out clay shooting. Does anyone know anywhere nearby I might be able to turn up and shoot? I've looked on Google and apart from a couple of 'corporate day' pound-a-shot type places the only option seems to be Crabtree Clay shoot – which looks nice but is miles away back over the other side of the M6! Any help gratefully received. Cheers.

Embarrassingly, those aren't my son's first pigeons – they're mine. There are 8 in there – all shot on a field of Rape just up the A1 courtesy of my friend Warren. So after six months of clay bashing (and one blank day in the hide with Bakerboy Terry) I can finally hold my head up on Pigeon Watch. I have to confess I only shot two of them. But who cares? Because four of them are bubbling away right now in a nice looking pie... Can't wait to get out there again.

Now I have badge envy.

Sounds good – can't wait to see the pics. There are owls in a tree in our field and I'm sure there are deer around too – not to mention the ******* moles and rabbits. Could be a nice project with the kids (or the start of a lamping obsession).

Shooting Times this week revealed (well, to me at least) that it was Teal. So hats off to him!

There's a guy on ebay (well I assume he's a guy) who sells 'selection packs' that include 10 each of a range of popular brands so you can see how they group in your gun and then make a decision based on that and on their relative weights. Might be worth a try.

Probably not – I am grooming a victim of my own taking a non-shooting mate to East Barnet for a play. But if he blows me out then I'll be there.

Given that it's a north/south event, maybe Action for Children would be a good choice. They have 400+ projects across the country working with neglected and disabled kids and they have a site that allows you to choose where your money goes – so we could split the funds between kids projects north & south (perhaps high gun on each side of the border gets to choose). Plus, I'm 99% sure I could get an Action for Children team there on the day. Having said that, I could also get a British Heart Foundation team to turn out. And I know a few people at the Prostate Cancer Charity too...

I'm in.

I know it's only a few days since the massed forces of PW descended on Almshoe, but if anyone fancies shooting at Codicote this Sunday then please give me a shout. I've not been before but have heard good things. More detail here. Cheers

PM sent!

Thanks one and all for another great morning – despite blanking two stands. Wish I could have made it to the pub. Codicote on Sunday, anyone? James

I did a bit of research a while back and ended up with one of these. I use it all the time and a few friends have bought them since as a result. They get plenty of rave reviews and are surprisingly cheap.

What better way to spend my last day of seasonal freedom. See you there.