Fishing: Ramps are no laughing matter so throw in a spare bung

Over my many years of boating I have seen a lot of drama and humour at launching ramps.

It is strange how we all get a good laugh watching someone launch their boat without the bung in and yet if we were honest we have all done it ourselves, at least once.

When I did it once (er ... well, your honour, three times actually) I was on my own, just before dawn in the dark on a cold winter morning. There I was trying to bail out a billion litres of water and funnily enough I don't remember laughing - in fact I'm sure I turned the air blue with language as salty as the water.

I solved my problem of forgetting to put the bung in by tying a spare bung onto the S-hook on the winch wire.

This meant that I had to take the spare bung in my hand before I could release the boat to launch it.

In addition to the spare bung I also attached two spare shackles as I was always losing them off the safety chain and never had a spare in the car or the boat.

Boat ramps can be a bit tricky for first-time boaties who just assume it is a simple exercise launching and retrieving, which it is most of the time.

But I have seen incidents on more than one occasion when a car was fully underwater, and numerous others up to the boot in salt water as a result of slippery ramps.

At low tide and particularly on steep ramps the angle and slime can make it lethal.

When you back down to launch or retrieve the boat, make sure that once the trailer is in the water the car is at a 10-15 degree angle to the trailer.

Now when you take off you are pulling slightly across the ramp and getting traction rather than slipping and spinning as you would on a direct pull. This trick also works just as effectively on soft sand beach ramps.

The last thing you want in life is to go fishing or return home in a grumpy mood.

This is easily avoidable by remembering to attach your tow flag to the end of the outboard skeg.

Mr Plod just loves giving you a wee piece of paper with your name, rank and serial number on for the sum of $250 for forgetting to do so.

When launching, check the bung is in and then you take the tow flag off.

Leave it on the dashboard of the car so there is absolutely no way that you can forget to put it back on for the trip home.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY