Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 548 i Sea Angler

IT APPEARS THAT NORTH SEA COD STOCKS have attained sustainable status a decade after they came close to collapse. A dramatic turnaround indeed. It was after an 18-month detailed assessment by the Marine Stewardship Council that North Sea cod have been declared sustainable. Levels have reached their highest in 35 years, according to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. While, it seems, cod have been nursed back to health, there are continuing fears about bass, another popular species sought by anglers. A new drive has been launched by the Bass Anglers’ Sportfishing Society to galvanise support for its fight for more and bigger bass. Find out more on page 35. There seems to be so much going on in the world of sea angling at the moment,…

MY IMAGINATION WAS running wild with news on the grapevine of an unprecedented number of big bold ballan wrasse – one of my favourite species – appearing along Devon’s south-east coast. After a phone call to Andrew Franklin (known as Froggy to his mates), who has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to this stretch of coastline, I needed little further encouragement to pack my box and head west from my home in Hampshire. A few days later the adrenaline was flowing when I collected Steve Lawrence from Poole as I headed west to the pretty coastal town of Beer, nestling close to Devon’s eastern border with Dorset – although the Friday afternoon traffic was enough to test the patience of a saint. We were meeting Froggy and a…

THIN-LIPPED MULLET PRESENT THE angler with a set of very special problems. In many ways, these are the most fastidious feeders of the British mullet species and, since they spend a good deal of time in freshwater rivers, and are consequently very conspicuous, they are the greatest cause of frustration. Seen from a bridge, the chunky grey shapes of thin-lips may look rather like chub, but there is no doubt that they can be a great deal more difficult to tempt than most ‘proper’ freshwater fish you might care to mention. Certainly, this is the case if only conventional coarse fishing tactics are used. Why bother fishing for them then if they are so difficult to catch? Well, firstly they can be abundant, they fight like tigers and are capable…

The Yuki tools are incredibly easy to use and are great for fish and crab baits. First, spike your desired bait on the two metal prongs. I rest my hook against the bait, and nick it through the bait just so the hook stays in place. The alternative is to fully thread your bait on the hook before you place it on the spikes. Holding the hook line taut against the baiting tool in one hand, use the other hand to whip the bait with elastic. Once you have sufficient elastic on the bait, simply slide it off the tool.…

Q: I currently have three rods that are joined by spigots, and there are times when I risk damaging them when trying to get them apart after fishing. What is the best method of ensuring that the spigots don’t seize together? ALAN ROE, BY EMAIL PF says: Often, it’s moisture getting into the spigot that sees the sections becoming stuck and difficult to part. Over time, the carbon spigot wears slightly with constant assembling and parting. A small, regular coating of candlewax should prevent any moisture entering the spigot, and breaking down the rod will become much easier. Q: Each time I reel in, my bait is always well above the hook. How do I stop it flying up the snood? JAMES NICHOLLS, TAUNTON, SOMERSET PF says: The simple solution…

Q: Why do most anglers incorporate a small bead between a sliding boom and the swivel? ANTHONY BECKETT, SALISBURY, WILTS DL says: The general idea is that the bead helps reduce the likelihood of abrasion and consequent damage to the knot, caused by constant contact with the end of the boom. In all honesty, this is unlikely, unless using very light line. The bead also helps prevent the knot from becoming jammed in the end of the boom, which is possible if using heavier lines. Q: Can you recommend a suitable stainless steel boarding ladder for a small boat that doesn’t use too many screws or bolts in the transom? GRAHAM BRUNT, FAREHAM, HANTS DL says: A wide range of different types of boarding ladder are available, and, in my…

THE BLUE SHARK IS ONE OF several species of requiem shark found in deep water in the world’s temperate and tropical oceans. Preferring cooler waters than most sharks, blues migrate long distances. The current British record is listed as 218lb, with a fish caught off Looe, Cornwall, in 1959. However, larger fish have been caught and released (see page 1112). The IGFA All Tackle record is a 528lb fish caught off Montauk Point, New York in 2001. BLUE SHARK The blue shark (Prionace glauca), is found from the surface down to about 350 metres, from as far north as Norway to as far south as Chile. The species is found off the coasts of every continent except Antarctica. They prefer waters with a temperature range of 7°C to 16°C, but…

CHARTER SKIPPERS ARE SEEING the benefit of offering anglers a mixture of fishing during a day at sea, with those choices timed for the best period of tide to suit certain ground features and species. While this tactic is designed to give anglers the best return of fish, rather than the hit-or-miss method of targeting one species all day, many skippers report how some anglers are ill-prepared and unable to make the most of the day’s changing opportunities. A popular option for skippers is to spend an hour or two drifting or anchoring over inshore mixed rough, or rough ground, to increase the species count. More often than not, this is where anglers let themselves down; it’s a fine line between success and failure. TACKLE The most versatile rod for…

ONCE A THRIVING VICTORIAN holiday destination, the seaside town of Rhyl has recently undergone a series of regeneration projects to bring it back to resort status. It’s not as popular as it used to be with holidaying families, but the fishing here can be superb throughout the summer and autumn, so it’s the perfect place for anglers to flock to. There is some fantastic sport to be had out of Rhyl during the summer, with the likes of black bream, tope, bass, bull huss, smoothhounds and rays all on the cards. Most of these species can be caught from the same marks, so there is a lot of potential for some really good days of mixed fishing. WRECK FISHING There is also some great wreck fishing for pollack and conger…

MY ASSOCIATION WITH Orkney boats goes back a long way. It began in the 1980s and continued throughout much of the ’90s, the time during which I was the proud owner of two Orkney Strikeliner 16+ boats. I used to trail those vessels far and wide in search of great sea angling, launching from concrete slipways and open beaches throughout Wales and Ireland. Those are days I often look back on fondly as being some of the very best and most enjoyable sea angling I have experienced anywhere. Not surprisingly, I am always keen to check out any new boat from the company, based in Arundel, Sussex, and this summer I eagerly accepted an invitation to drive to North Wales to cast a critical eye over a couple of Orkney’s…

THERE’S A LOT TO BE SAID FOR being handy at Do It Yourself projects. It saves a fortune, gives you confidence to tinker with things in a bid to improve them, creates an excuse to get out of the house and down to the shed for a couple of hours, and encourages innovation to creep into your life and leisure activities . Granted, not everybody is comfortable using power tools, but I would thoroughly recommend any kayak fishermen who are unfamiliar with power tools to make yourselves so, particularly two different kinds – a cordless drill and a heat gun. They are available relatively cheaply and are invaluable for kayak anglers. For those living close to urban centres with easy access to kayak shops and tradesmen, the following advice can…

VASS-TEX 305-5L BREATHABLE CHEST WADER RRP: £262.45 – £276.07 These have become incredibly popular for a reason – they’re brilliant. Tough and durable and designed to withstand the rigours of everyday shore fishing. Stuffed with features that include ultra-wide triple non-stitch seal, heavy-duty breathable material, new cordura-reinforced knees, incredibly tough boot, inside zipped fold-out pocket and braces and buckles that will certainly last a very long time. Available in both studded and non-studded soles and sizes 6-13. VASS R BOOT RRP: £43.98 - £53.98 Available with either studded or non-studded soles, they are fur-lined for warmth and extremely tough. A three-quarter-length boot for comfort, they are double-reinforced and have a wide calf and foot for a perfect fit. Other features include chunky sole, deep heel kick for removal and fixed…

 It’s almost the end of another great summer of fishing and that can only mean one thing to the avid angler-the Glasgow Angling Centre Autumn Open Weekend is just around the corner! SUPER SAVINGS AND BARGAINS GALORE ALL WEEKEND This year Scotland’s largest FREE angling event will be held from September 29th until the 1st of October 2017, and this one is set to be their best yet! The team at GAC will be making a number of improvements to the format this year, but all your favourite bits of the show will still be there. Every major tackle brand in the industry will be in attendance with their latest products on show and experts will be on hand to talk you through the latest developments in every aspect of…

• Blake James enjoyed a productive shore session at Newport, in South Wales, recently. Presenting worm baits close in, the three-year-old caught a tririo of Dover soles to 1lb 7oz, along with a strap conger eel. • Jacob Stanford, 15, from Pontypridd in the Rhondda, used a set of feathers to bag this 7lb cod. He was fishing from a private boat out of Dale, near Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire. Laila Dillon shows off a cracking spotted ray weighing 3lb 8oz that she caught while fishing from Sandown pier on the Isle of Wight. The 12-year-old used squid baits on a two-hook flapper rig and released it after a brief photocall. • Scottish junior shore international Aimee Clark, from Girvan, in South Ayrshire, recently joined the squad’s gathering at Port Logan…

AUGUST • 26: West Coast Shore League rnd 5 (Mullaghmore SAC), Rossnowlagh, Co Donegal, Brian Reidy 00353 (0)85 7339040. • 26: Samalite League & open, Abbotsbury, 7pm-midnight, draw ends 6pm, booking essential, Dave 07977 132951. • 27: Whitby summer open, 4pm-8pm, weigh in by 8.30pm at The Fleece pub car park, James 07773 702111. • 27: Holyhead & District AC open, breakwater, noon-4pm, pegged, catch & release, optional teams of four, Mike 07785 357910. • 27: SSWASAC summer open, Llangennith, 7.30am-12.30pm, meet 6am at Hillend campsite, longest fish, longest overall length, catch & release, 20cm minimum size, pegged, three hooks, Peter 07599 540822. SEPTEMBER • 2: Southern League and open, Hill Head, 7pm-midnight, £15 entry, Darren 07919 073232, Nick 07870 922216, Mike 07983 579596, Ian 07736 004714 or Ant 07775…

LITTLE DID I REALISE AS A YOUNG angler embarking on a lifetime of fishing on the Bristol Channel, just how much I would see things change over the ensuing years. Species of fish that were once a considerable drive away are now a common catch along my local stretch of the estuary. One that stands out above all else is the smoothhound. Once the prize of the angler prepared to travel west of Hinkley Point, these marauding, hyperactive brutes are now regular visitors to my local beat and can be caught with relative consistency in summer from a number of marks on the eastern bank of the mouth of the Severn. In fact, over the last five years or more, the stretch between Brean Down and Portishead has remained most…

HAVING JOINED THE RODBENDERS Sea Angling Club, based in Plymouth, at the start of the year, I was keen to be involved in an outing to Dorset’s enormous Chesil Beach. It was decided that we would target plaice over a weekend. The plan was to meet at one of the shingle stretches to target the red spots, before fishing in the evening for a ray. The club’s members are a friendly bunch and include some of the best anglers in Devon, if not the whole of the South West, which meant I was bound to pick up some great advice. One of the many joys of fishing the Chesil coastline is you never know what you are going to catch. Along with the promise of fishing in such great company,…

“The more night lure fishing I do for bass, the more it is proving successful” HAVING WORKED OUT THAT confidence is, in some respects, the most important factor if we deliberately target bass at night with lures, it’s time to get into the nitty gritty of what we should think about before we head out, and what we need to do when fishing. I have only seriously got into chasing bass in the dead of night with lures over the last few years, but I can assure you that once you start to catch fish, it’s a game-changer. I will be honest with you from the start; if I felt that I could catch more bass in daylight where I live in Cornwall, then I would not be out night…

• CLAMS: A good bait for dabs, flounders and whiting. Usually found washed up on sandy shores among razorfish and slipper limpets, the small Venus-type clams, sometimes known as butterfish, leave a small lump in the sand, making them easy to see. This delicate shellfish should be secured on the hook with bait elastic. • COCKLES: Ideal for codling and dabs, the queen cockle is large with a serrated shell and bright-red tongue. Usually found after a storm, and well down the tide line. • MUSSELS: Used alone or in a cocktail for cod, particularly in winter by anglers in the north. Found on mixed ground, rocky coasts and on groynes. Live mussels can be purchased from supermarkets. • PIDDOCK CLAMS: A bait for bass, dabs and whiting, it is…

• You can get the printed book at www.amazon.co.uk • For a Kindle version, search www.amazon.co.uk • This book is also available for download at the iBooks store • To view this book, you must have an iPad with iBooks 2 or later and iOS 5 or later, or an iPhone with iOS 8.4 or later, or a Mac with OS X 10.9 or later. The e-book is readable on almost all smartphones and tablets using the free Kindle reader app • Facebook: anglingknots2014 • Website: www.anglingknots.com • A waterproof guide to knots is available via: www.fishingmegastore.com/ www.fishingmegastore.com/angling-knots-waterproof-pocketguide-to-fishing-knots~37397.html angling-knots-waterproof-pocketguide-to-fishing-knots~37397.html…

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: I want to start using braided fishing lines. Do I need to add backing before loading them on to the spool? CHRIS CLEEVES, BY EMAIL PF…

Q: For beachfishing, I have a swivel on my leader and a clip on the main rig for a quick changeover. Can I change LRF rigs quickly without having to tie the rig from scratch? JOHN MOORE, BY EMAIL AK & DS say: The problem with what you’re suggesting is that with lure fishing, especially with ultra-light gear, you don’t want any components between the hook and your rod-tip. Otherwise you end up feeling the action of the component rather than the lure. Additionally, any metalwork above the lure can cause havoc with the presentation of the lure. The only solution is a loop-to-loop knot connection between leader and rig. It wouldn’t have any weight and would allow you to attach rigs easily, but it would be extremely hard to…

Q: I notice a lot of guys in the USA are using milk crates for storing gear. Are they any good? STEVE SANDERSON, BY EMAIL GR says: Milk crates are customisable to any size or specifications you like. They have their advantages and disadvantages. They are easily accessible and will allow any water caught inside to drain out fast. However, they are also open topped and not exactly the most secure way to keep things in your rear tankwell – all the loose gear sitting in a crate is gone if you capsize on a dodgy surf landing. My experiences with milk crates tells me that I prefer not to use them. Some angers like them and that is their choice. If you can avoid loose gear in a crate…

1 SCRABSTER: This Highland port is famous for porgies. 2 LUCE BAY: One of the country’s best areas for tope fishing. 3 ISLE OF MAN: Noted hotspot for catching tope from the shore. 4 NORTH WALES: Plenty of huss and tope along this coast. 5 CARDIGAN BAY: An area noted for its catches of large tope. 6 MILFORD HAVEN: Star of the revival in blue shark fishing. 7 BRISTOL CHANNEL: Produces catches of hounds and huss. 8 WEST CORNWALL: Plenty of ports offering shark sport. 9 ENGLISH CHANNEL: Centre of shark sport, with Looe the HQ. 10 PURBECKS: Rough ground is noted for hard-fighting huss. 11 HANTS/SUSSEX: Usually good for smoothhounds. 12 ISLE OF WIGHT: An area noted for tope and other sharks. 13 THAMES ESTUARY: Famous for catches of…

TWO-HOOK ADJUSTABLE RIG Typically, I make the rig from about 36in of 40lb fluorocarbon, though you can opt for mono. Tie on a lead clip at one end. Cut a short 6mm section of black neoprene tubing and slide it on to the line. Its tag end is brought over the top of the tubing and pushed back through the tubing the same way it initially went in, and the line then pulled tight. This semi-locks the tubing in place on the line, but without line damage. Slide on a size 6 rolling swivel and another length of tubing. Leave a small gap between the stops for the swivel to turn freely. Repeat this again further up to form another locked swivel and tubing arrangement. At the tag end, tie…

BASS ANGLING WITH LURES BOILS down to how you impart action on the lure, because every lure you own is useless unless given some enticing movement. So the million-dollar question is...what action will most likely attract the interest of a bass sufficiently to hit the lure? Bass are fairly predictable predators. Do the right thing at the correct time and they will have it, but it is almost impossible to know for sure when the best time will be. Doing the right thing with lure action is all about consistency – creating that action expertly, brilliantly, time and time again. With hard plastic lures, I coach only three lure retrieves that effectively stimulate a lure into action. A lure retrieve is how you use your brain and limbs in combination…

SHIMANO SPEEDCAST XS-B 14000 FIXED-SPOOL RRP: £124.99 This is an outstanding example of a fixed-spool reel. It features X-Ship for efficient winding performance and a powerful 4.3:1 gear ratio that pulls in 103cm of line with every turn of the handle. The cold-forged aluminium AR-C spool offers superior casting control and, together with a slow oscillation, line-lay is incredibly good. Other features include an instant drag and it comes supplied with a line reducer . • For more info or to locate your nearest Shimano stockist, tel: 0330 333 4888.www.fish.shimano-eu.com SPINLOCK DECKVEST LITE LIFEJACKET RRP: £129.95 The new Deckvest Lite is shorter and slightly more angular, while sitting a little higher on the chest. Designed to create a perfect fit, it actually falls into the shape of the upper body…

SEIGLER SMALL GAME NARROW MULTIPLIER RRP: £299.99 AN ALMOST UNIVERSAL acceptance of the use of ultra-thin, modern braided lines offshore has resulted in many tackle companies effectively downsizing the dimensions of their reels. A lot of these modern reels might be comparatively small, but when spooled with braid they still boast a voluminous line capacity. Furthermore, many of the better-quality ones are superbly engineered, and incorporate an exceptional amount of drag. The Seigler Small Game Narrow Multiplier is exactly the sort of reel that I am talking about, and a recent trip I took to Panama provided the perfect opportunity to put it through its paces. Prior to the trip I loaded the reel with a top shot of 275 metres of 20kg (44lb), 0.28mm Power Pro, which required much…

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 issue we award a Shimano Beastmaster CX bass spinning rod or a Socorro saltwater 500 reel to the captor of the best shore fish, chosen on merit. The top boat angler each issue, chosen on merit, gets a Speedmaster AX Boat Slim 20/30 rod or TLD20 multiplier reel. There is no choice of prize, which is awarded at our discretion. Robert Flicos, Lymington, Hants. Fish: 13lb 2oz undulate ray. Bait: Mackerel strip on a leger rig. Venue: Private boat, Lymington,…

A DROP IN THE OCEAN I really don’t want to be another voice of doom with regard to fish stocks. However, where land is cared for with future intentions and always has a proactive management technique, the sea, in general, is managed by need, greed and, most widely take, take, take. We can blame the Government for poor management, but everyone should take some responsibility in caring for the environment. Recreational anglers blame commercial fishing for decline in fish stocks. However, as there are a claimed million people fishing recreationally around our UK coastline, we must take some responsibility in setting a good example and working with researchers and the Government to improve fish stocks. Research undertaken for ‘Sea Angling 2012’ revealed so many positive financial and wellbeing benefits. Figures…

NORTH EAST SHORE ANGLERS ARE certainly blessed with a huge variety of marks to aim for, with a healthy selection of species to target. Some prefer to lob a bait into the rough ground of Northumberland, where deep water and kelp-strewn gullies regularly give up heavyweight cod. Others look forward to trudging along a County Durham beach, where long casting and steamlined rigs are the order to locate a bite. Then there are the numerous piers, breakwaters, rivers and harbours that are visited by anglers looking for some superb fishing action. One mark that never fails to attract shore rods is the mighty Tyne estuary, in particular an inshore mark near North Shields and Tynemouth known locally as The Middens. It is protected from winter storms by Tynemouth pier to…

THE BEAUTY OF LIGHT ROCK FISHING is that you can comfortably take a rod and a small bag of tackle on a family holiday and it will be enough to fish every eventuality. The key to maximising this fishing in an unknown area is to have tackle and techniques to cover all the types of ground you are likely to encounter. I recently took a family trip to North Wales and, as always, managed to squeeze in my LRF gear among the usual luggage of a family holiday. On the majority of fishing trips I make at home or abroad I like to get as much information on the area as I can before I go. Hours scouring Google Maps and looking online for hints and tips about the area…

SUMMERTIME , AND THE LIVIN ’ is easy , fish are jumpin’ and… the EU Commission has opened its annual public consultation on next year’ s Fishing Opportunities. Time to head over to saveourseabass.org and get your voice heard by replying to the consultation. Last August, hundreds of sea anglers from the UK, France, the Netherlands and elsewhere emailed the EU Commission, telling them to get the nets out of the bass fishery. The Commission listened, and now it is illegal to target bass with nets. This was an unprecedented victory and, says David Curtis, of the Save Our Bass (SOS) group, demonstrated the power sea anglers have when we work together to put pressure on the fishery managers. FIXED NETTING However, the Fishery Ministers cynically fudged it in December…

FIXED-SPOOL reels filled with thin line excel for the lighter end of beach fishing, but they are not without their problems. Uncontrolled webs of line flying through the rod rings, sudden snap-offs and coils of line digging under each other often spoil the show. Light monofilament is bad enough, but ultra-thin braid is a nightmare. The old advice about filling up to, or even beyond, the spool rim is disastrous for line diameters below about 0.3mm. With modern shallow coned spools, and certainly with braid, deliberate under-filling makes for smoother flow with no discernible drop in casting range. The neat line-lay pattern found on most of today’s beach reels helps prevent coils of line digging into each other. Older reels with a cruder pattern are not so tolerant. The trick…

NO MATTER how good your tackle is, if your bait presentation is poor, you will never catch fish. It is that simple! Thankfully, there are tools available for making the baiting up process easier, quicker, and to guarantee perfect bait presentation. NEEDLE There isn’t a fish in the sea that would turn down a juicy worm, but some anglers find them difficult to put on a hook. Thankfully, somebody invented baiting needles. There is no shame in using these long needles that are hollow at one end. First, pass the pointed end into the worm’s mouth, feed the needle to the end of the worm, and place your hook into the hollow end of the needle. Keeping the line under tension, feed the worm off the needle and around the…

Each month we’ll select a winning question from each of our shore/LRF, boat/kayak and lure questions. Three lucky readers will get great gear prizes from sponsors Tronixpro. The sponsors reserve the right to send an alternative prize to an equal value. • BEACH: Guerilla Beach rod and Envoy Tournament Mag reel, worth £150. • LURE: HTO Lure Game rod, Lure Game 4000 reel, Lure Game 16lb braid & large reel wrap, worth £152. • BOAT: Guerilla 20lb-class rod, Envoy Wave reel, Tronixpro large seatbox, and multiplier wrap, worth £153. 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…

Q: Do you really think that lure colour can make a difference to catches at night? DAMIAN THORNHILL, COLCHESTER, ESSEX HG says: I know it makes no sense that lure colour can make any difference at night, but I reckon it does, or rather, I do think that you can sometimes catch more fish on a certain colour lure. I know that black is traditionally the colour for night fishing, but I prefer white, and know some anglers who use green. There are no hard and fast rules, so make sure you experiment. Q: I’ve heard of walk the dog and popper surface lures, when do I use one or the other? ADRIAN EVANS, PAIGNTON, DEVON HG says: A popper pops or spits water from its front as you jerk…

IT’S NOT OFTEN YOU GET TO EXPERIENCE a red-letter day at sea, especially while filming for a television series, but this trip proved to be quite exceptional, with more sharks swimming around the boat than I have ever seen – anywhere in the world. I was booked for a day’s filming with the guys from www.fishingtv.com for part of my ‘Boat Fishing with Barham’ series. We had arranged to go after the blue sharks on board Craig Deans’ boat Phat Cat, out of Milford Haven, and as we arrived in the car park I got the sixth sense that it was going to be an epic day afloat. FIRST THINGS FIRST As always, I had to do my intro piece to camera, and in true ‘one-take-wonder’ fashion I rattled my…

Bang Tidy was drifting a perfect line parallel to the rocky coastline, a decent cast would easily have seen the lure landing on dry land. I cast close to the shoreline and twitched the lure back and, once again, right at the last possible moment, a bass appeared and followed the lure, but failed to seal the deal; the forth, or possibly the fifth fish to have done so within the last 30-minutes. The water was beautifully clear, perfect for fishing lures, and, due to my height advantage stood at the bow, I could see we were drifting over a rich mix of rock and kelp, ideal ground for foraging bass. This was confirmed just a few casts later when yet another fish refused the lure just yards away from…

TARPON ARE A SPECIES SURE TO figure highly on any travelling angler’s bucket list, and Nicaragua is one of the most productive places on the planet to experience the thrilling fight of an airborne ‘Silver King.’ Throw in a truly magical backdrop of pristine primary rainforest and I am sure you will understand why this expansive Central American country has been a favourite angling destination of mine for many years. Sandwiched between Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south, Nicaragua features a short Pacific coast and a much longer Caribbean shoreline; here we are going to look at the latter. After a brutal civil war in the 1980s, today Nicaragua is rated as being Central America’s safest tourist destination. Furthermore, in a recent list of the top…

WE’RE looking for the nation’s favourite charter skippers. Each issue we throw the spotlight on a top boatman nominated by a Sea Angler reader. Use the form right (photocopies are acceptable) to tell us the skipper’s name, boat, port and typical charges, along with the reasons you 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 select the best entry for each issue and reward the winning operator with a special Sea Angler plaque that the skipper can display with pride on their vessel. THIS MONTH’S WINNER: TREVOR SPRINGFORD Boat name: ANDARA 2 Port: DUNBAR, EAST LOTHIAN The skipper in the spotlight this…

AS TIME PASSED, THE HEAD shaking stopped, the concerns dissipated, the scorn evaporated and the more enlightened of the charter skippers realised kayak anglers weren’t on a death wish…though still stupid, of course! Take, for instance, Colin de Block, the skipper of Lead Us, out of Lowestoft, Suffolk. It was months before that he had told me he quite fancied trying the kayak fishing for bass at Sea Palling, in Norfolk. It was a totally different method of fishing than he was used to – light rods, lures, clear water, moving and following structure. Sea Palling is a strange place, though, not the Shangri La it’s always made out to be. When it’s right, it’s fantastic. A slight wind change and it becomes treacherous, and the fishing, while good, is…

TRONIXPRO PIONEER GT RRP: £899.99 I THINK IT’S FAIR TO SAY THAT TACKLE GIANT Tronixpro has certainly made some huge footprints in sea angling. Not only does it produce an immense amount of quality rods, reels and terminal tackle, the massive worldwide support it provides throughout the sport must be applauded by us all. Also, a leading figure in sea match fishing, it sponsors and backs plenty of major domestic matches, as well as the prestigious FIPS World Championships and SALC Home International events. With a team of top individual anglers behind the brand, offering input to many of the products we see on the beach, it is apparent that the company is determined to forge ahead. The latest rod to enter the Tronixpro stable is the Pioneer GT. A…

HOW do you fancy owning one of the best multiplier reels on the market? If so, this offer is definitely for you, and the great news is you can order one today – for half price! First up is the Penn 515 Mag2. With a narrower spool and cage, it weighs just 408g and features a new index magnetic braking system that offers full control from zero to maximum. Carrying an RRP of £139.99, you can have it for just £70. Next is the 525 Mag2, which is an updated and improved model of the original Penn 525 Mag, that maintains its much-acclaimed pedigree. Used by thousands of shore and boat anglers up and down the UK and across the world, it has certainly proved its performance and popularity. With…

RARE CATCH OF BIG MAKO • A mako shark caught off Ireland is believed to be only the third of the species caught on rod and line since the 1970s. The shark, which measured 67in long with a 31½in girth, giving a weight of 83lb, was taken by Irish angler Henry Kelly while fishing out of Kinsale, County Cork, on Mick Dennehy’s Kinsale Deep Sea Angling Charters’ vessel, Harpy. Describing the fish making a spectacular leap out of the water, the skipper said: “It really was an awesome sight to see it go airborne.” Henry, who is from Dublin, caught the fish on a mackerel bait, fished on a size 8/0 hook and 250lb wire trace. He was using a 50lb-class Captain Harry custom rod, with a Daiwa Saltiga Expedition…

Years ago, I owned a tackle shop in Wallsend, Tyne & Wear. It was on a corner and had long side windows, as well as the front door and windows. One day, two men, who looked as if they had just walked out of an Alfred Hitchcock thriller, or a James Bond film, came into the shop. They both wore belted coats, almost down to their ankles, black hats pulled over their faces and carried black leather document cases under their arms. One of them walked to the side window and looked up and down the street, while the other looked out of the front window as if they were making sure that no-one was watching them. Eventaully one of the pair stood by the shop door, while the other…