Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 538 i Sea Angler

AS THE COD SEASON GETS INTO gear, we’re bringing you a 13-page special covering tackle, rigs and tactics. Check out the advice because now’s the time to get out there to catch some fish. Don’t miss out because we’re getting reports of some superb fish. There was an 18lb 13oz cod caught on October 22, and an 11-pounder on October 30, both at Chesil Beach, Dorset. Elsewhere, they are showing in South Wales, Yorkshire and the North East. For instance, Callan Stevens caught a 10lb 4oz fish at Craster during a match, while a stunning 33lb cod was caught on October 31 by Malcolm Bayldon (pictured below), of Weston-super-Mare, aboard AlyKat, skippered by our contributor Dave Roberts, out of Minehead, Somerset. Not only do you get our cod special, but…

IT’S A GOOD IDEA TO ARRIVE AT A VENUE with a rig wallet full of ready-tied terminal rigs to suit any conditions. You will not only have options to suit the species and bait, the required casting range and the weather, but also an instant replacement should you lose one. The beach is the place where you fish – it’s not where you practise tying rigs. The cod may be present for only five minutes over a six-hour fishing trip, so make the most of it. Choose a hook pattern that best suits your fishing, which varies from region to region. For worm and squid baits fished over sandy seabeds, the Kamasan B940 from size 1 to 4/0 takes some beating for sharpness and strength, especially the small sizes (1…

“Check a map and look for ports or inlets that face out of the prevailing wind” WITH THE AUTUMN SEASON in full swing, the easterly winds can produce big swells and the crashing waves tear through any kelp, destroying the shelter offered to smaller baitfish and forcing them to find calmer water. While big swells are great for cod that take advantage of the prey that gets displaced, they are no place for a tiny jig head and soft plastic lure. Just like the kelp-dwelling species, anglers are forced to find sheltered water to continue their LRF adventures. This time of year can offer productive fishing for codling, coalfish, pollack and flounders, which will grab most lures. The trick is beating the conditions. After a bout of rough weather, rock…

IT’S EASY FOR SURF ANGLERS TO FALL INTO a rut by continually fishing the same way. Two rods, a tripod, tackle and a bait box tend to suggest you’ll be making camp and fishing from the same place for much of the tide, and usually for the full duration of your trip. This static approach is effective, especially when fishing over several hours, or on proven marks that produce for a given time period. It fails when you only have an hour or two to fish, cannot choose the prime time, or when the fishing is hard, such as during daylight. This requires a more mobile approach that covers a wider variety of ground and helps you seek out fish. Over the years, I’ve used a walkabout approach that slots…

ACKNOWLEDGED AS BEING one of the largest natural harbours in the world, Poole Harbour offers countless opportunities for providing some superb flounder fishing throughout the winter, with a record-breaker well within the realms of possibility. During the summer, specimen plaice and gilthead bream filter through some of the deeper channels, while bass and mullet figure from many of the small inlets; it really is a venue for all seasons. Along the western and northern fringes of the harbour there are also vast shallow mudflats, which are virtually unexplored, that really grabbed my attention. So, in September, I swapped my usual beach gear to a light lure rod and headed afloat with Dave Johnson, from Wareham, in a boat made for two. Born and bred in the area, Dave is a…

BREAKAWAY Facebook page has grown into a regular bi-weekly, live Q&A chat, with some excellent advice from well-known and respected sea anglers. A recent session had the likes of Richard Holgate from Metcalfe’s Tackle, Dave Brown from Breakaway Tackle, Sea Angler casting contributor John Holden, as well as the magazine’s Paul Fenech and Dave Barham answering questions, live on Facebook. Here’s a selection of the best Q&As from that evening. Q: For my livebait rigs, it’s basically a reverse Pennell rig, with a larger moving hook. I’ve been using shrink tube to hold it in place, however it’s not easy to slide over the large hook eyes of, say, a 6/0. Is there anything any of you can suggest that is easier? TOM WHITE ANSWERS... • Paul Fenech: Try using…

Each month we’ll select a winning question from each of the shore/ LRF, boat/kayak and lure questions. Three lucky readers will get great gear prizes from sponsors Tronixpro. • BEACH: Tronixpro Centurion Rod, worth £149.99. • LURE: HTO Rockfish Revolution ML 7-28g, HTO Lure Game 3000 reel and HTO Lure Game 20lb Braid, worth a total of £121.97. • BOAT: Tronixpro Envoy Wave reel, Tronixpro seat box, Tronixpo Boatpro rig selection, worth a total of £109.88. HOW TO ASK A QUESTION • Q&A, Sea Angler, Media House, Lynchwood Business Park, Peterborough PE2 6EA • cliff.brown@bauermedia.co.uk • www.facebook.com/ seaanglermag…

WHEN REFERRING TO THOSE magical mid-autumnal months when bass and many other species indulge in a gluttonous feeding spree prior to the lean months of winter, legendary County Kerry bait digger, Patrick Walsh, used to call it ‘The Bulking’. He lived in a diminutive two-room cottage perched inches away from the Cloghane Road at the back of Fermoyle Strand, at the far western end of the bass paradise that is Brandon Bay. I have fond memories of sitting in that cottage, the room thick with the pungent tang of burning peat, listening to Patrick’s stories while drinking a never-ending succession of unhealthily strong cups of overbrewed tea. On one memorable occasion I was squeezed in alongside Clive Gammon and Kevin Linnane, the three of us still wearing our chest waders,…

HOOK CHOICE Make a Pennell rig using size 4/0 to 6/0 hooks. EASY CHANGE Use a link clip to make quick trace changes. RUNNING BOOM The boom runs freely on the mainline or leader. VERSATILE RIG The running leger can be used with a plain or wired grip lead. COD are, arguably, the most popular and, consequently, the most targeted species of fish throughout the UK, among both recreational and commercial fishermen. This is hardly surprising because, aside from being widespread and typically growing to a large size, cod are one of the finest-eating fish in the sea. Yes, it’s true that numbers of fish swimming in our waters are far from what they once were, and that stocks of fish in both Norway and Iceland are proof of what…

WE’RE LOOKING FOR THE nation’s favourite charter skippers. Each issue we will throw the spotlight on a top boatman nominated by a Sea Angler reader. Use the form right (photocopies acceptable) to tell us the skipper’s name, boat, port and typical charges, along with the reasons you would recommend their services (use a separate piece of paper if you require more space). It’s your chance to tell Sea Angler’s readers why the skipper is so good and what a great service is provided. We’ll select the best entry for each issue and will award the winning operator with a special Sea Angler plaque that the skipper can display with pride on their vessel. Alternatively, enter by email, with the subject line Top Skipper, with the details listed on the coupon…

Yak Adventure Equipment High Back 60N Buoyancy Aid Yak Adventure Equipment has just launched the long-awaited Yak High Back 60N buoyancy aid. Following feedback from its retailers and distributors, the Yak design team has put together an exciting and technologically-advanced touring and recreational adventure buoyancy aid. The High Back 60N not only offers an innovative High Back, raised back solution, to ensure maximum comfort when out on the water, but also a breathable air mesh, helping to ensure you remain cool and comfortable when out on the water on warmer days. Suitable for a multitude of adventure activities including kayakers and anglers, key features include raised high back profile, breathable air mesh solution, multiple attachment points, extra-large front pockets and twin waist adjustment to ensure optimum fit. Fully approved to…

OKUMA ALC MAG ALC-20CS MULTIPLIER SSP: £149.99 This incredible, speedy multiplier has injected carbon into both sideplates to reduce the weight, and is perfect for shore or light inshore boat fishing. Main features include carbon drag washers, corrosion-resistant stainless steel bearings, adjustable magnetic control system and a machined aluminium, anodised spool. It has a drop-down gearbox for maximum gear sizing, and there’s even a unique self-lubricating gear system for heat dissipation. • For your nearest Okuma stockist, contact: Svendsen Sport UK, tel: 01827 59659. KOIKE ACER TRAVEL ROD RRP: £79 This is a cracking beach or pier rod that is ideal for travelling anglers. It breaks down into seven pieces, incorporates a casting rating of 4-8oz and, when fully assembled, measures 12ft 9in. Other features include adjustable screw-winch fitting, internal…

“The main buttons are exactly where you need them” LOWRANCE ELITE TI SRP: FROM £509 THE majority 0f small-boat anglers will have, at some point in their careers, heard about or used one of the Lowrance Elite range of fish-finder/chartplotters. These units have been the staple of the dinghy angling scene for many years. The Elite Ti is the latest addition to the range, and is available as either a 5in or 7in model. The unit packs a big punch at what is an affordable price in this electronic sector. The screen, like others in the Lowrance range, is a gem. When testing the unit in the sunshine of Florida, the display is easily readable in the brightest of conditions thanks to the backlit LED screen. This backlighting also makes…

• Robert Flicos caught this 14lb 6oz thornback ray on a mackerel strip fished on a running leger rig from his own boat at a shingle mark off Milford-on-Sea, Hampshire. • Sue Rule is claiming a new Cornish shore-caught record with this 1lb 9oz 8dr cuckoo wrasse. The fish is 3oz under the British shore record of 1lb 12oz 9dr. Sue, from Redruth, a member of Camborne AA, was fishing on the county’s south coast, and baited up with a small strip of fresh mackerel. • Paul Gale, of Bridport, Dorset, caught this 5lb 6oz black bream during one of his regular charter fishing sessions on Jeff Clarke’s Duchess II, out of Weymouth.…

Big-fish angler Mike Sherwood has rounded off a great year by catching five different species weighing more than 100lb in UK and Irish waters, three of them in excess of 200lb, and topped off by a massive six-gilled shark of 1,100lb. The 35-year-old angler, from Comber, Co Down, Northern Ireland, clocked up more than 20,000 miles driving around Ireland and Wales to complete his 2016 challenge to catch 40 different species and five weighing over 100lb. First up was a skate. Fishing with Declan Kilgannon on Kiwi Girl, out of Mullaghmore, in early June, the crew boated 10 fish to 190lb, with Mike getting three, his biggest weighing 155lb. Next trip was early July, and two busy days with Andrew Alsop of Whitewater Charters, from Milford Haven, Pembs, fishing more…

An Anglesey specimen angler says glow-in-the-dark bait elastic is helping him catch big, double-figure bull huss. Bruce Hough, who fishes the rock marks of Anglesey, especially in darkness during mid-range neap tides, has caught plenty of double-figure huss, with the best being 13lb 5oz. The ambassador for Fish-Dynamix uses a Pennell pulley rig with minimum 80lb hook snood and size 6/0 hook carrying a big fish bait, such as squid, mackerel or sandeel. “I’ve been using Bioglow bait elastic, which I only use around the bottom hook. When charged with a UV light, it provokes extra interest in the bait,” he said. As well as landing five huss during a night session, he caught a conger eel on the drop. He also uses the company’s Bioedge attractants to marinade his…

This superb 14lb 14oz 1dr bass fell to a lure fished by Joe Todd (above), from Lerryn, Cornwall, from rocks near Wadebridge. Joe, who works for the adventure company, Cornish Rock Tors Ltd, based in Port Isaac, used a Garbolino 9ft spinning rod, Abu Soron STX 4000 reel loaded with 20lb braid with a fluorocarbon leader to catch the 87cm long fish. • After a long wait of 14 years to catch a double-figure bass from the shore, Daniel Bowron, of Lytchett Minster, fished Poole Harbour, Dorset, and landed a 13lb bass on a squid and lug bait fished on a Sakuma twin-hook flatfish rig. • Paul Smith bagged a 12lb 5oz bass while fishing aboard Roger Lennon’s Skerry Belle, out of Ramsgate, Kent. The labourer, from the Medway area,…

FANCY winning tackle from Shimano by catching a fish? Your target is to catch one over the weight given on our nominated species list. If you do, you automatically win a Mission Accomplished badge, as well as being in with the chance of winning a great monthly tackle prize. Each month we award a Shimano Nexave Surf 400 five-piece rod and a Speedcast XS-B fixed-spool reel, worth a total of £300, to the captor of the best shore fish, chosen on merit. The top boat angler each month, chosen on merit, gets a Beastmaster AX Boat Slim rod and a Tyrnos 20 multiplier reel, worth a total of £320. Monthly winners Shore: Dave Hatcher, 18lb 13oz 5dr cod Boat: Ross Gunton, 23lb 8oz blonde ray Clive Magee, Portchester, Hants. Fish:…

WITHOUT QUESTION, THIS HAS become the biggest domestic pegged shore event on the British match calendar, with more than £13,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs. Sponsored by Anyfish Anywhere in conjunction with Conwy County Council, the event is now in its third year. Because of its growing popularity, extra venues were required. As well as the beach at Llandudno, Colwyn Bay and Penmaenmawr beach were added to accommodate the nation’s best competition anglers, as well as those who had travelled from Belgium and Holland. Adding to that, the match is now a bait-supplied event, with each competitor given five packs of frozen sandeels to use each day. Fished to a weight-to-length conversion chart, all fish would be returned after being measured and recorded on the match card. DOGFISH…

BARRY FESTIVAL & GARRY EVANS SEAMASTER FINAL Cold Knap and Porthkerry, Vale of Glamorgan, 118 anglers Two conger eels, one weighing 6.39kg, and a dogfish for 8.55kg secured victory for Cardiff angler Andrew Hutchings in this rover. He fished at Rhoose Point. Second went to Rory Jenkins, of Tonyrefail, with three conger eels and a dogfish for 7.20kg at Cold Knap Point. Wayne Taylor, of Barry, was third with four congers and a pouting for 6.53kg. • Result: 1 Andrew Hutchings, Cardiff, 8.55kg (11pts); 2 Rory Jenkins, Tonyrefail, 7.20kg (10); 3 Wayne Taylor, Barry, 6.53kg (9). GARRY EVANS SEAMASTER PENARTH SAC OPEN Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, 122 anglers A conger eel weighing 9lb 8oz was enough to give victory to Penarth angler Drew Chappell in this well-attended event. • Result:…

THERE ARE WAYS TO MAKE YOUR lures more bass friendly. The basics revolve around removing unnecessary trebles and looking at crushing the barbs to aid unhooking or avoid causing undue damage to the fish and angler. Most of the time, the bass I catch are unhooked easily. However, things didn’t look so simple when I landed a 7lb bar of silver on my last trip to the south coast of Ireland. Not a monster, but a solid, heavy-set, open coast slab, and taken in fizzed-up conditions – it doesn’t get much better. Indeed, if Carlsberg created bass fishing conditions, then this would be it. The onshore wind had picked up and was blowing around 20mph. The water had begun to turn slightly milky, but still had a good 6ft of…

THIS MONTH: SAM HARRIS MBE Veteran angler and presenter of a popular fishing show on radio “Headlights from both directions and horns blasting from all around” MARTIN FOUNDS, OWNER OF Anglers World Holidays, asked an England international boat angler and myself to go across to Norway and check out the accommodation and fishing for him at one of his holiday destinations. Accompanying us on the trip was Martin’s son, Jonathan. On arriving at a small airport in the north of the country, we collected the car, with me as driver and, as we left the airport I turned right instead of left. Only a few hundred yards further on, we drove into a tunnel that was cut through a mountain. We must have been in the tunnel for over a…

STAR LETTER MAKE A BAIT STAND Due to osteoarthritis in my knees and back I have designed a handy, removable and portable bait stand, which fits on a tripod. All you need is a webbing belt and a large chopping board or sheet of plywood. The webbing belt supports the stand around the legs of the tripod. It’s important to cut the triangular shape large enough so there is some overhang on the edges to sit snugly on the webbing belt. In windy conditions, the bait station can be weighted using a lead weight in the normal way. I’m sure match anglers, as well as those with aches and pains, will enjoy fishing more and bending less. The size of your chopping board/bait station is only limited by two things…

I HAVE REALLY BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO this time of year, when my usual fishing haunts include the Essex coast at Clactonon-Sea, and the new beaches up and around nearby Holland-on-Sea. A year is a long time for fishing venues because they can change overnight, with different size tides and wind directions playing a big part. Last year, the long spells of north-west winds brought the codling in close to the shore and produced big catches from mid-September until late October, when the herring shoals arrived, killing the fishing stone dead. Most anglers thought the spring run would see them return, but the herring stayed and the cod were in mid-water, stuffing themselves with easy feeds. It was the hottest summer for many years, with the sea temperature higher than…

THE double grinner/uni-uni knot is a good choice for joining mono to mono or mono to braid. Make five turns when using mono, or five to 10 turns with braid. 1 With the two lines side by side, create a loop in one piece and then take the tag end around the two lines five times. 2 Moisten the area of the knot with saliva and pull gently on both ends of line to tighthen. 3 The finished first grinner should look like this. 4 Now repeat step one with the other piece of line, again making five turns around the line and inside the loop. 5 Moisten the line again and pull. 6 Pull both ends of the line to tighten. 7 Trim off the two tags end and…

Treat yourself to the best sea angling book on the market – our 148-page Rigs, Marks and Species masterpiece. Costing just £9.99, including post and packing, it will wow you with fabulous angling images and pages of information to help you catch more fish SEA ANGLING is what makes us buzz, so it seemed sensible to put all our expertise and knowledge into this sea angling book that not only inspires you to fish, but also shows you how to do it at the same time. With 30 chapters to read, there is a lot of expertise, excitement and knowledge ahead. The 148-page information-packed book is divided into three clear areas – catching seasonal shore species, expert advice on how to fish from classic shore marks and, finally, top tips…

THE GERM OF THE IDEA WAS planted the year before when returning on my boat Silver Spray to her home port at Poole after a black bream trip with a bunch of, mostly, coarse anglers. Mark Everard usually charters a boat around late May, filling it with a bunch of mates. These guys are serious maggot drowners, more familiar with 2lb hooklinks and size 18-12 hooks than up to 2lb of lead weight and big 8/0 hooks. My boat was loaded with spinning or carp rods and finer lines, and we had bounced small lead weights across the seabed, felt for delicate nibbles from the bream, and played our fish gently to the net. As the lads were enjoying the light-line fishing for bream, I suggested they might like to…

Boat name: Marlin Port: Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Gary Tidd, of Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who nominated the winning skipper, has been fishing with Ray for more than 25 years, from a little two-seater to his present charter boat. “His enthusiasm has never waned. Ray has fished all over the world and has untold knowledge of so many species and how to catch them, but he’s a master of fishing in the Thames Estuary, especially targeting smoothhounds, skate and bass. “I have never known his boat to have a catch-free day on any of his trips. He helps novices and experienced anglers alike, including sorting out tangles, birdsnests and breaks without hesitation. “He does not charge for any hire rods or end gear; he does it for the love of the sport not profit.…

WITH A FEW UNEXPECTED species falling to my hooks and those of friends, combined with my decision to travel around Norfolk a bit more than usual this year, I’ve tried a few different methods in the hunt for the less common offerings of our water. In particular, I spent more time drifting with feathers, hokkais and sabiki lures than previously, and in more areas. The north-east of Norfolk, in particular, proved to be a good hunting ground with this method. It resulted in my using speed jigs and pirks, working these over wrecks for cod and along sandbanks for bass with some success. Of course, with snags and tangles and normal wear and tear, I got through a lot of rigs, as you do when you try to find features…

HTO SHORE GAME S962MLM 9FT 6IN 7-35G LURE ROD RRP: FROM £309.99 THERE is no getting away from the fact that just north of £300 is a lot of money for a fishing rod, and some would argue that spending this amount on a piece of lure fishing kit is just plain daft. Well, I can’t argue for or against what anglers want to spend on their fishing tackle, but I can tell you that when compared to many of the lure rods that I have been lucky enough to fish with, this HTO Shore Game S962MLM 9ft 6in 7-35g version from TronixPro offers good value for money. What, are you mad? No! This is one seriously special lure fishing weapon that I think is worth every single penny. Let’s…

• This 14lb 8oz turbot was a new pb for Roger Morgan, of Weymouth, Dorset. It took a fresh mackerel fillet on a long flowing trace during a drift over the Shambles Bank aboard Meerkat, skippered by Ryan Casey, out of Weymouth. • This 19lb undulate fell to John Gallagher, from London, during a charter trip on Jeff Clarke’s Duchess II out of Weymouth, Dorset. • Shore-caught bass record holder John Stephenson Locker displays two of three double-figure rays landed in a short session . At 11lb 3oz and 11lb 6oz, they were caught on fish baits on size 5/0 hooks aboard Andy Howells’ boat Obsession, which fishes around the Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall. John is on a year-long species hunt and close to 50 species so far.…

Kayak angler James ‘Robo’ Roberts got his autumn campaign off to a great start with cod to 10lb and a double-figure smoothhound. An early-morning start out of Gosport, Hants, saw the angler, from Portsmouth, anchor up about a 1.5km offshore at a favourite mark for winter cod. Here, the seabed drops from 30ft down to 80ft. Fishing size 8/0 two-hook running leger rigs with lug and squid combos, he caught an undulate ray of just under 9lb, followed by cod of 6lb and 10lb. On another trip, he caught a 6lb cod. Earlier in October he launched into the Solent from the Elmore slipway, and his first drop with a squid soaked in cuttlefish juice produced a 6-7lb smoothhound, normally a June/July species in the Solent. Shortly afterwards he caught…

A tub gurnard of 7lb 2oz fell to Chris Mathews (pictured far right) during a charter trip aboard Richard Seager’s Out the Blue, from Guernsey. The fish was taken on a sandeel and garfish strip cocktail on a flowing trace rig and 12lb-class gear while Chris, of St Peter Port, Guernsey, was fishing over a sandbank. Fishing from his local port Gary Nichols (right), of Plymouth, Devon, caught a 6lb 6oz tub gurnard on a 6in rhubarb and custard lure while aboard Tamesis 2, skippered by Roy Strevens.…

The big question on the lips of many anglers as 2017 approaches is what’s going to happen with bass next year? Recent scientific advice calls for zero catches – both commercially and recreationally – if we want the stock to get above a point below which its ability to regenerate is in danger. The science on the bass stock tells us that things have gone from bad to worse. The reality is that this advice probably won’t be followed. This means limited catches will be allowed in 2017, and the deadline to get back above critically low levels will slip back another year. What might this mean for angling? My guess is that some form of bag limit will be maintained and tighter restrictions will be put on commercial fisheries.…

ANY BEACHCASTER RATED TO CAST from 5oz upwards can be used to catch virtually any UK sea species, including cod. However, many winter cod anglers, who are seasoned to the worst conditions, opt for more powerful rods rated between 6oz and 8oz, or even up to 10oz. Autumn and winter cod fishing is often about fishing in a weed-filled, surging surf or swell, and strong tides with large bait loads; it is not for the soft, summer mackerel rod or overhead cast. Rocks and weed demand a stiffer, more powerful blank to bully fish or to break out tackle from the seabed, while clean-ground fishing in a big sea still demands a rod that can blast a bait through any weather, and many choose the longer lengths up to 16ft.…

THE STRETCH OF WELSH coastline running for a few miles to the east of the holiday town of Porthcawl must rank as being one of the most productive for catching a wide range of fish species, including many to specimen size, anywhere in the UK. Here you will find marks that will test your ability as a caster, alongside others where an overhead lob will likely put you among the fish. Access is, for the most part, good, and you will be fishing an area of immense scenic beauty. WITCHES POINT This is a prominent headland located immediately to the east of Southerndown beach, and Witches Point is one of the most popular and productive shore venues along the entire coast of South Wales. You can fish both the ebb…

Sunline, the largest Japanese producer of fishing lines, strives to develop the thinnest and strongest lines. Our winner gets a selection from the range: • Sunline Super PE 150m (4 strand): Hi-vis green, dark green and light blue. Low stretch for sensitivity and extra-tight braiding for durability. Special finish reduces guide friction. Superior control and response when using lures. Very tough when fishing rough ground. Knots are easy to tie. • Sunline Super PE8 150m (8 strand): Hi-vis orange. Resistant to abrasive structures. Sensitive, low-stretch design to capture delicate bites. Slick, smooth line surface for low guide friction and excellent castability. Knots effortlessly. • Sunline Momentum 4x4 150m (8 strand): High-grade polyethylene and high specific gravity ester mono with amazing specific gravity of 1.05. Less susceptible to the effect of…

IF YOU HAD LOOKED IN MY lure boxes only a few years ago you’d have seen mainly hard lures. Now take a peek and I can assure you that it’s a different picture. I wouldn’t go lure fishing for bass these days without at least an even mixture of hard and soft plastics in my armoury. Soft lures, soft plastics, call them what you will, but if there is something within lure fishing for bass that has created such an impact over the last few years, I’m not aware of it. Soft plastics are changing how we target these magnificent fish, and while we have multiple hard lures that do a lot for us, it’s soft plastics that then help us to take the next step. Imagine you’re fishing a…

ADAM KIRBY & DAN SISSONS The Portsmouth-based duo fish ultra-light from shore and boat. They’ll provide answers on light rock fishing (LRF), the go-anywhere tactic where size of fish is secondary to the fun of catching them. PAUL FENECH Sea Angler’s features and tackle editor Paul Fenech is here to solve your shore angling problems. DAVE LEWIS Based in Newport, South Wales, our contributing editor Dave answers boat fishing questions. GARY ROBINSON Galway-based Gary gets a thrill from fishing afloat on a kayak. Send him your kayaking problems. HENRY GILBEY Angler and photojournalist Henry, based in Cornwall, will answer questions on lure angling. Q: No matter what bait I use when I go cod fishing, it doesn’t last very long. Can you tell me how I can make it last…

JUNIOR ANGLERS WANTING TO IMPROVE their skills, and even get to fish for England, should join the Talent Pathway development programme. This scheme, organised by the Angling Trust, produces quality, competent and professional young anglers, year after year. A group of potential anglers enter the system and leave it having been taught the skills needed to fish at international level by the country’s top coaches. There is no other opportunity like this. The Talent Pathway is run purely by volunteers, meaning anglers give up their time to help the future generation of our sport and, at the moment, they are only on the South Coast. The Angling Trust is keen for qualified coaches from the north, east and west to take up the Talent Pathway scheme in their local area.…

IT REALLY DOESN’T GET MUCH EASIER OR relaxing than downtide fishing. Just drop your baited rig over the side and send it down to the seabed. Once it’s there, lift the rod and let your lead weight hit the bottom once more, and then slacken off the reel’s drag so a big fish can take line if required, put your rod in a holder and sit back. Every now and then it’s worth checking that your lead weight and rig are still holding fast on the seabed by lifting the rod tip and lowering it back down, feeling for the thud as the sinker hits bottom. If the weight isn’t holding, then simply let off a little more line until it does. If you’re still having problems, then you may…

“Skippers from Hartlepool have changed the way they fish” IT’S NO WONDER THAT THIS PORT CAN support at least eight full-time charter boats, the fishing off Hartlepool is excellent. The port has often sat in the shadow of its neighbour Whitby, but, being 25 miles apart, they fish the same types of ground and wrecks. Cod and ling are the main species sought, but there are always a few surprises each year, including coalfish, pollack and the occasional haddock. Summer fishing for ballan wrasse can also be very rewarding, with fish to 4lb-plus often caught. Much of the fishing is done either inshore over reefs and rocky ground, or offshore on the wrecks, which can be found 20 to 30 miles off. However, there are some cleaner areas inshore where…

A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF BOAT anglers who aspire to fish from their own boats initially look to buy a seaworthy, spacious and, ideally, speedy boat that can be easily trailed and launched at various locations, such as the FRP 580 Piscator in this review. Built in China and imported into the UK by Sea Swift Boats, the Piscator also ticks what, for many, is the ultimate box of affordability, with an introductory price of £10,999 including VAT. With an overall length of 5.8 metres and a 2.4m beam, the 580 Piscator displaces 700kg, 1543lb, and is rated at CE Category C for carrying up to 1,100kg, 2,425lb, or eight persons. Clearly, this is not, in any way, shape or form, an eight-person angling boat. Fishing two would be ideal, three…

SOMETIMES FISHING AT ANCHOR or slowly drifting is the key to successful kayak fishing, but other times you need to move a bit more speedily. Lures and baits that move at speed over reefs can be deadly for all manner of predatory fish, such as pollack, coalies and bass. The concept is not a new one, and I remember having fantastic success in my childhood trolling Eddystone eels behind a boat and hitting fantastic pollack, so there is nothing new in the method, it just needs tweaking somewhat for kayaks. First thing to consider is your lure or bait. The lighter it is, the more difficult it is to keep down in the water when moving. Years back, we had to use plastic-coated steel line to cut through the tide.…

I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT BITING INTO a freezing-cold, dreary sandwich during a winter beach trip, certainly doesn’t do anything to lift my spirits. Then I discovered this fantastic gadget. If I plan a lengthy marathon winter cod trip, I’ll generally pack a couple of pots and pans, along with my camping stove. This gives me the opportunity to prepare bacon and egg butties on the shingle, and that really is something to put a smile on my face. Only trouble is, pots and pans take up a fair bit of room and extra weight to carry, so I tend not to pack them on every trip, especially if it’s a bit of a yomp to my mark. The sandwich toaster, from RidgeMonkey, offers a huge choice for preparing…

FOR SALE • Professionally built heavy shore rod, Daiwa 5lb test curve blank, handles sharks and Ebro catfish, complete with Daiwa 30SHV reel, as new, £250; Conoflex Metcalfe 11ft 6in three-piece rod, very strong, with Abu 7000 reel, £200; Sierra 9ft 6in, three-piece, 12wt fly-rod, with Reddington reel and WF12 line and box of flies, £200; Silver Creek steelhead/ saltwater special, 8/9wt, 9ft 6in, four-piece, with reel and 9wt line, saltwater proof, £150; health issues force sale, Harry, tel: 07523 156028 (Lockerbie). • Century Carbon CC 13ft rod, unused, £175; Cono-flex Enigma South, excellent condition, £130; Cono-flex Highlander, Julian Shambrook build, excellent condition, buyer collects, £155, J Ashton, tel: 07977 068156 (Devon). • Greys Platinum Bass rod, good condition, £30; Savage Gear Bushwacker 8ft 6in, new, unused, £30; Mitchell LC800…

A conger specialist has boated an 80lb eel while wreck fishing off Weymouth, Dorset. British Conger Club secretary Nigel McLoughlin, from Reading, Berks, boated the big fish on October 25 while fishing from Ryan Casey’s charter boat Meerkat. Nigel fished a cuttlefish bait on a size 10/0 hook attached to a 400lb mono trace, with 200lb rubbing leader. “The tide was running hard, so I was having to use 3lb of lead,” said Nigel. “The eel put up a terrific fight, and at one point I had to use close on 30lb of drag to get it up off the bottom.” As with all his best eels, this one was brought into the boat, weighed in a purpose-made sling, and released successfully after photographing.…

• Coarse specimen angler Terry Theobald and fishing pals Dave Pritchard and Stephen Scammell were left exhausted when they did battle with 31 huge skake. The biggest two weighed 211lb and 202lb, along with 14 other fish topping 100lb. Total weight of the skate landed was 2,998lb. The trio, from South Wales, were aboard Ronnie Campbell’s Laura Dawn II, out of Oban, Argyll, where they caught the huge fish. All the fish took big squid or mackerel hookbaits attached to 200lb hooklinks and 60lb mono mainline coupled with 200lb shockleaders. • After a good season with Kit Dunne’s Wicklow Boat Charters, Dublin angler Alan Ball continued with a fine Irish specimen spurdog. Alan and his group had to settle for a spurdog trip rather than the planned shark session due…

A new survey launched in October is wants UK anglers for the Sea Angling 2017 catch and spend diary project, data which is anticipated to reveal more about the state and value of sea angling to the UK. Up to 1,000 sea anglers will be selected to complete an online catch diary next year and provide information about what they spend. The Sea Angling 2017 project seeks to account for what is caught, kept and released and what sea angling is worth, across the whole of the UK. All those who take part in the initial survey will be entered into a draw for two £50 tackle vouchers from Fishing Megastore, and those taking part in the diary study will be able to enter a draw for Fishing Megastore vouchers…

• Cameron Roderick, of Yeovil, Somerset, caught an 11lb 8oz cod on October 18 while fishing at the western end of Chesil Beach, Dorset. It fell to a squid and lug cocktail on a pulley rig. The fish was returned. • A cocktail of ragworms and black lug produced this 17lb 6oz cod for Merlyn Woodward, of Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, while fishing from his own boat out of Cardiff. • Southampton angler Paul Knights caught an 18lb turbot on a cod fishing trip near the Isle of Wight. Fishing on October 21 aboard Ray Pitt’s Sunrise, out of Keyhaven, Hants, he used three size 6/0 hooks on the bottom of a rig with a size 3/0 Rainbow Wing Sabiki Flasher as a flyer. After half-an-hour, he had a good…

WHEN ASKED IF I FANCIED A trip to the Shetlands to target cod, I couldn’t refuse, and so began a year preparing for a week’s angling adventure to the far north. The plan was to fish for seven days, with my mate, Adam Cain, from Hampshire, he on his kayak, and me in my 2.7m RIB with its 4hp two-stroke motor. With very little information available about where or how to fish the area, we concentrated on places we could access and that had favourable depths for catching cod. Preparation included practising together out in the RIB and kayak in some serious weather off the coast of North Yorkshire, where I live, as well as getting suitable tackle. We took 20/30lb-class, 7ft 6in boat rods; I had the Sonik S4…

• A holiday trip to Iceland saw Anastasia Bellamy reel up this chunky cod. The young angler, from Heanor, Derbyshire, used a set of Gummi Mac lures while fishing from a charter boat out of Reykjavic. • Tyler Ford, from Swansea, is a multiple world kickboxing champ, who loves shore fishing in his spare time. Using lug and rag baits on a flapper rig, he landed 26 bass, flounders and eels from the nearby Loughor estuary. • Amber Goodman, from Barnstaple, Devon, joined her dad for a shore session on Chesil Beach, Dorset. Using a sandeel and squid cocktail mounted to a pulley-dropper rig, the two-year-old helped beach this thornback ray weighing 10lb 11oz. • Glen Drummond, from Monifieth, Angus, couldn’t wait to try out his new fishing rod, so…

TORBAY SEA ANGLING FESTIVAL 2016 THIS LONG-ESTABLISHED TORBAY Sea Angling Festival attracts more than 3,250 anglers, drawn from all over the UK to some of the finest fishing in the country. While the sheltered waters of Torbay are the focus of the festival, the actual fishing limits extend many miles in each direction to allow anglers to fish their favourite marks. The eastward limit is Pinhay Bay, at Beer, and the western limit is Bolt Head, at the mouth of the Salcombe Estuary. This means that you can fish the tidal estuaries of the rivers Exe, Teign, Dart and Kingsbridge – a wealth of water from which to target a specimen fish. Boats within this area can also fish the festival, with ports such as Brixham, Dartmouth and Paignton proving…

NOVEMBER 18: Veals Winter League rnd 5, Littleton, 8.15pm-12.15am, draw 7.15pm, pegged, one rod, three hooks, no white rag or maddies, £50 league, best six matches from seven, book only to fish as open, £11 all-in, Steve 0117 926 0790. • 18-26: Weymouth Angling Society heaviest fish week, Dorset coast, weigh in fish during week at tackle shops or at club (7pm-11pm), Dave 07977 132951. • 19: Samalite League & open, West Bexington, 7pm-midnight, Dave 07977 132951. • 19: Ollies Winter League & open, Tynemouth pier to Snook Point, Newton, 11am-3pm, register 10am at General Havelock, East Sleekburn, NE22 7AT, 07928 749649. • 20: Workington Union Jack SAC heaviest fish open, Whitehaven north pier to Grasslot pier, 9am-1pm, £5 seniors, £5 juniors, £10 pools, book in on day from 7am-8.45am…