typical bloody badger.........as if you need help!
I think Martin has it spot on - a balance of comps through the year (which is pretty much what we do have already).
I think some of the poor weather early on caused problems, then the really good weekends...............
Realistically the species basis is much the best for true competition and reflects the club better in qualifiers etc. Possibly the bream and ray next in the list.
Another thing that may influence Club Comps and Catches, is to consider a distance from Poole radius. If we have easterly and westerly boundaries, why not have a southerly boundary too? Tis will put the cat amongst the pigeons!!!! 
This way, the small boats who can't fish more southerly lattitudes have equal chance. Answers on a postcard please.
Rich
Is there a precedent that the bigger boats generally win these competitions?
I think I like Martins idea so everyone gets something, sometime.
Terry B.
Hi Guys
keep the input coming.
Terry it is in fact the smaller boats and their crews that tend to fare better in the series of species chase competitions. Their speed to move about and ability to get in shallows chasing mullet etc give them an edge
and maybe the bigger boats are tempted out to distant marks and therefore commit to a less versitile approach to bait and tactics.
Some of the bigger boats fare better in the best specimen type competitions, as my old boat did.
I Think by the fact that weather does not have such an effect on plans.
Last years Open several of the bigger boats stuck with plans to go a few miles when a lot of others stayed inshore due to the weather forcast. That said i think Adam and James went further than we did by a lot of miles. 
If we changed the Club area's it would affect more than just the competions, what about records, fish of the month, annual species trophies etc
Do other people think changes would make a differance to how many Members fish our competitions?
If so what changes.
Charlie
I know of other clubs who have a southerly boundary, which greatly influences club records for certain species, like Turbot and Brill, also for our cod comp etc, it would give all boats an equal stab at getting to specific Cod grounds...........not that I catch any of those chaps anyway!!!!!!
Rich
Personally I fish for the fun of it and if I am able, may fish a competition as it co-incides with a day I am out anyway.
For me, species comps don't do it. I prefer to target specimens and aim for a bigger average rather than lots of little ones.
Also, when we are in club waters fair enough, but a lot of my fishing takes place outside them, however I always let you know if I am West of the Bill.
Tom
Another thing that may influence Club Comps and Catches, is to consider a distance from Poole radius. If we have easterly and westerly boundaries, why not have a southerly boundary too? Tis will put the cat amongst the pigeons!!!!
Rich
I did actually mention this before and got slightly jumped on
Another thing that may influence Club Comps and Catches, is to consider a distance from Poole radius. If we have easterly and westerly boundaries, why not have a southerly boundary too? Tis will put the cat amongst the pigeons!!!!
Rich
I did actually mention this before and got slightly jumped on
Luck you, you gotta jumped on....... 
Southerly limit and clarification of the rules would be good!
We are hoping to be travelling from Cherbourg to Guernsey the day of the next species comp, and may well get a chance to catch mullet at Cherbourg, target pollack off Cap de la Hague, spin for bass in the Alderney Race (where we saw an Ocean Sunfish last year), and maybe have a quick drift over a certain bank for turbot and brill.
As I read the rules, there is no requirement to either depart from or return to a UK mainland port when in a comp, and we will be in club waters, as currently defined. We can't do day trips blasting offshore like some faster boats, and this is our once a year chance to fish more distant club waters.
If we're permitted, we might like to fish this one, and try to find some way of registering catches whilst out.
Guidance and clarity would be welcome, cos on the following species comp, we might be leaving either Alderney or Cherbourg to return to Poole, and again have a (slim) chance to compete.
Is it also safe to say that if people can fish for a few days in Alderney, will we be eligible to catch club record fish, say in St Malo, or on the inhospitable (and virtually unfished) Isles Chaucey ?
Thanks,
Mike
Mike,
Club waters are St Catherines point to Portland Bill, and any water due south of these, so restrition on distance - its a good fair ruling I think and includes a lifetime of superb fishing water.
Good luck on the other side. PS - must be a drag drifting a wreck, having to tack back around at the end of each drift!! (tounge firmly in cheek!)
Adam
Guidance and clarity would be welcome, cos on the following species comp, we might be leaving either Alderney or Cherbourg to return to Poole, and again have a (slim) chance to compete.
Mike, i don't think anything will be changed until the next AGM anyway- so go for it
PJ
As Adam and Paul have said - good luck!
Quite franlkly the specimin limits in the CIs are actually lower than the Wessex ones in nearly every case; mullet in Poole Harbour are as big as anywhere, the general runof bass are relatively huge, turbot on the shambles are biiger than the CIs all the time etc etc etc
We have a clearly defined southerly limit; and well written rules - I find it amazing that it's even a matter for discussion but what the hell
So what about the northerly limit stop you fishing up the rivers ?? as us big boats cant get up there .If you change the boundries all the club records would have to be scrubbed and started afresh then 
Some of the bigger boats fare better in the best specimen type competitions, as my old boat did.
But there again there was no need for a bigger boat to win the 48 hour competition 
Initially, I used to think it was not fair having such a distant southerly limit, however, as I managed to prove , you don't need to head off to distant shores to catch a specimen, so I think it is quite fair now 