Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 528 i Sea Angler

It’s the call of the cod! Foaming seas and stormy weather are part and parcel of sea angling, but often provide superb fishing for the likes of cod. Of course, always ensure you’re properly clothed, and don’t take risks. Our picture shows Sea Angler’s Paul Fenech fishing at Great Yarmouth, in Norfolk. AMAZING! THERE’S REALLY NO OTHER description for this winter’s cod fishing. It seems like anglers all over the country have been reaping a shore and boat-fishing bonanza. You’ve been sending in loads of great photographs of your catch successes, including boat-caught cod weighing more than 40lb, and shore fish to nearly 30lb. They’ve not been one-off fish either, as we’ve seen plenty of big doubles and loads of fish in the 5-10lb range. Of course, this great sport…

ONLY A FEW HOURS AFTER BIG BEN had struck midnight on New Year’s Eve, with the revellers still struggling homeward bound, I was up and about scraping the ice from my car’s windscreen. Yes, it was one of those rare frosty mornings, although just a few hours later another low was predicted to smash into the South Coast. We had a very short window of opportunity for a bagging session. Along with David Graham and Malcolm Stote, I was heading to the shores of Poole Harbour to meet local flounder guru Steve Lawrence for a short session along the northern shoreline. With the predicted Force 5/6 south-easterly, which would be increasing as the day wore on, blowing directly along the beach, it would certainly shift the cobwebs from the night…

TRALEE BAY, WITH ITS SOFT, SANDY beaches, rugged cliff faces and rocky outcrops is an angler’s paradise. Located on the west coast of County Kerry, Ireland, it is situated between Kerry Head on the north side and Brandon Head on the west and extends eastwards as far as the town of Tralee. You will find several villages dotted all around the bay, some of which include Ballyheigue, Ardfert, Spa, Blennerville, Camp and Castlegregory. When it comes to fishing in Tralee Bay, the possible locations are endless. Two species of rays, stingrays and undulates, migrate into the shallow bay every year to breed and give birth to their young. As a result, anglers travel here each year in search of these stunning and unique fish; but the rays are just the…

I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT WHEN IT COMES to fishing I’m a great one for playing the percentages. I’m not, by any stretch of the imagination, a ‘fair weather fisherman’, but when the rain is pouring down and the icy blasts are blowing from the north, catching bass is not the thing uppermost in my mind. Some of my pals who spend more than half of the year (the part when the days are longer), as I do, hopping about the rocks with lure and fly-fishing gear, switch in winter to the more productive pursuit of beach casting to tempt cod, whiting, congers and dogfish from the pounding surf. Others, including myself, opt for the less-strenuous, but equally exciting, business of catching pike, dace or grayling from local rivers. It’s…

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’ve been looking into using a Pennell rig. Should I leave the top hook free and wrap the snood line around it, or secure it in…

BASS REGULATIONS • The decisions from the EU on bass stocks were confusing, farcical and outrageous for the pleasure angler, and potentially very serious for all charter boats. The EU has ignored scientific evidence. How can anyone supposedly with concerns about bass stocks allow gill netters carte blanche, while penalising the leisure angler? We must exit the EU, stand up and be counted and not rely on dithering, disingenuous politicians. We have a very powerful weapon – the vote. When the referendum on EU membership eventually comes around, sea anglers should then vote accordingly. Gerry Stone, St Albans, Herts • How on earth is the ban on anglers retaining bass from January to June going to be enforced? In my ideal world there would be a complete commercial ban within…

• Alliance, Shaun Elwick, tel: 07721 670810. • Charisma, Jim Metcalfe, tel: 07811 782471. • Chieftain, George Metcalfe, tel: 07530 883805. • Jean K, Kevin Marsden, tel: 01709 371071. • Libby, Ken Graham, tel: 07979 306155. • Linzie H, Bill Reading, tel: 07943 891355. • Mistress, Rich Cope, tel: 07977 436903. • Saxon Lady, Colin Freeman, tel: 07919 244743. • Sea Otter 2, Paul Kilpatrick, tel: 07748 705695. • Sea Spray, Malc Pitman, tel: 07801 473605. • Sea Urchin II, Pete Rose, tel: 07855 439380. • Shy-Torque III, Rich Ward, tel: 07733 233352. • Tina Dawn, Mick Nordon, tel: 07881 784655. • Trot-On, Paul Eddon, tel: 07766 995847. • Two Dogs, John Wilford, tel: 07799 756474. TACKLE SHOPS There is a well-known tackle shop within easy walking distance of the…

NAVIGATION BUOYS ARE PUT IN place to assist a boat’s helmsman make safe passage to and from a port, harbour and estuary, or along a particular stretch of coastline. They indicate both safe water, namely the deeper channels, and the location of hazards, which might include sandbanks, reefs, isolated pinnacles of rock, and even, on occasion, wrecks – all good fish-holding marks. With few exceptions, buoys are positioned to assist commercial shipping. Invariably, they are used in the vicinity of a hazard, so on many occasions those craft making passage will, to some degree, be restricted in their ability to manoeuvre. Anglers, and other boaters, must pay due consideration when anchoring or operating within close proximity to any designated shipping route, and not in any way impede the passage of…

WITH KAYAK ANGLING SITTING somewhere between beach and boat fishing, it would be remiss of me not to write about the most suitable tackle. I’m fortunate to be supported by a tackle company that can supply me with gear, but rather than be specific on brand and models, I will be generic on type. I fish in different ways at different times of the year, and this includes charter boat trips, Light Rock Fishing and freshwater; all contribute to my overall kayak angling experience and knowledge. First of all, there is my baitfishing, mostly at anchor, but sometimes drifting, followed by lure fishing, mostly trolling with some casting, then feathering and jigging, often incorporating both. Finally, my competition fishing, which can combine elements of all three, as these are usually…

TRUTH SM MAG REEL RRP: £349.99 Built in the USA, this reel is packed with quality engineering and immense power. Long-distance casters will love the fact it is magnetically controlled by a mono-mag and comes with ceramic bearings. Brilliant for fishing over mixed-to-rough ground, particularly when targeting larger species like cod, huss and rays. Shore anglers who need to reach further distances will definitely like it. Other features include a free-floating spool, counter-balanced handle, mechanical spool tensioner and a whopping 6:1 crank. It also comes with a lifetime warranty. Watch out for an exclusive review on this reel in the next issue. • Available from Gerry’s Fishing, tel: 01524 422146. Web: www.gerrysfishing.com TECH SPEC • WEIGHT: 16.8oz • GEAR RATIO: 6:1 • BEARINGS: ABEC-7 • CAPACITY: 275yd/20lb mono; 450yd/50lb braid…

A record-breaking spurdog (below) has been caught and released in the Thames Estuary, while a claim is being submitted for a potential best undulate ray off Weymouth (below right). The 23lb 5oz spurdog was taken on January 6 about 12 miles offshore by Ken Pipe, from London, while fishing from Lee Bolingbroke’s Sophie Lea out of Brightlingsea, Essex. Ken, a regular on the charter boat, was using a lug/squid cocktail on a Pennell rig. “I doubt we can claim a record as the fish was released alive as it was full of pups, and we feel that to kill a fish like this just to get a record is archaic in the 21st century,” said Lee. The big undulate, weighing 22lb 13oz 7dr, was caught by Steve Juggins, of Southampton,…

SEVERAL months sidelined from match fishing would have ruined the chances of winning the Penn Sea League for most anglers, but not England international George Smith. The 52-year-old, from Grimsby, still managed to score in eight matches to finish with 120 points to grab top spot for the second time in Britain’s most prestigious match fishing contest. In this free-to-register annual event, where anglers can gain points in designated open shore matches, the fish filleter, who has competed for England since 1992, returned from a broken shoulder to bag 48 points after securing third in his first Penn event of 2015, the big European open on the Holderness Coast. With Penn points on offer based on entry numbers at each match and mainly for top three and section wins, George…

SCRAMBLING ACROSS WEED-COVERED , sea defence boulders when landing fish may not be everyone’s idea of fun, but such discomforts are trivial when it comes to catching cod. It’s a fact of life alongside the low-lying farmland inside the Spurn Headland, where the countless thousands of boulders have been positioned to prevent the vast Humber Estuary swamping the sparsely populated area. While nearby Paull may be easier to reach, anglers with a sense of adventure and a willingness to put in the legwork gravitate to a boulder finger called Old Hall, found on the riverbank south of Ottringham in Yorkshire’s East Riding. It’s a noted hotspot, having plenty of room for anglers, where cod can be caught until late May every year. One of the regulars at this mile-long stretch…

For those wanting to target the Poole Harbour flounders as they get ready for the annual spawning migration, there are half-a-dozen marks offering easy access with good parking and well worth checking out. For a real biggie, the Holes Bay section would be my first choice. For what the fish lack in numbers, they more than make up for in size, with fish topping 3lb regularly taken, while a four-pounder is a real possibility. A cold, frosty evening session is often a bonus. Moving down the harbour, both Baiter Point and the Whitecliff are reliable for producing fish to 2lb during night and daylight sessions in fair numbers. It is always popular and has plenty of parking. As you get near the harbour entrance, the Evening Hill section on the…

THERE WAS MUCH SPECULATION about how the Bristol Channel cod season of 2015-16 would pan out. With healthy numbers of codling landed from a lot of shore marks during the previous year, it was logical to expect a fair proportion would return having piled on the pounds. I can’t recall, though, a single angler predicting exactly how it would go with any accuracy. Last year’s fish were predominantly small, around 2lb, but it was a real struggle to find any better examples. Even the spring run, which happens here during March when the fish move in to feed on crabs as the water temperature starts to creep up, failed to produce the fatter fish that we would have expected following a winter of dining on high-protein sprats and other baitfish.…

EAST SCOTLAND Some flounders likely on sandy beaches around Inverness and the Moray Firth, with a chance of small turbot. Boddam or Peterhead pier have cod, coalfish, pollack and dabs. For cod, try big baits over low water at the rock skeers around East Haven, Auchmithie, Usan, Johnshaven or Gourdon. Cod also at Muchalls, Portlethen, Findon and Cove. Dundee's Riverside Drive has flounders, codling and coalfish on lug, rag and fish. Elliot beach, Arbroath, gives flounders, turbot, possible plaice and small codling. Expect some flounders and turbot from Kirkcaldy and Leven beaches, with cod from Buckhaven, Elie and St Monans in coloured water. Rock marks around Eyemouth and North Berwick produce a few cod in a south-easterly wind and coloured water. Try Torness power station in rough conditions. Thorntonloch and…

THE WEATHER HAS BEEN PLAYING havoc with my fishing. Good conditions in Scotland have been limited, with strong wind and coloured water making it difficult to see my lure and hampering line management. There are also risks of wind knots, tip wraps and poor weather disrupting my LRF rigs, so here is how I solve the common problems encountered in rough weather. WIND KNOTS Braid gives great sensitivity, as well as excellent strength-to-diameter, but, no matter how advanced, it can still succumb to the dreaded wind knot where a tiny loop in the line can create a knot of mythical proportions. Luckily, there are a few things we can do to reduce the problem. Most modern fixed-spool reels have good line-lay, but it is important to ensure that the roller…

• 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…

BY CHRISTMAS I HAD ALL BUT GIVEN up hope of getting afloat for a mid-winter cod session in the Bristol Channel. For many weeks a near continuous succession of Atlantic low pressure systems had tracked across the ocean and headed directly towards the British Isles, each one delivering strong to gale-force winds and torrential rain. Every time I had tried to go fishing the trip had been aborted, and I had long passed the point where I would try to plan another attempt by picking out a suitable tide and ordering fresh bait. What I needed was a break in the weather; I needed a brief slot of fine and settled conditions long enough to get out and soak a few baits. Then, in the week between Christmas and New…

MY DICTIONARY DEFINES THE WORD ‘character’ thus: ‘quality of being individual, typically in an interesting or unusual way’ or ‘strength and originality in a person’s nature’. Zyg Gregorek is a character in the truest sense of these definitions. ‘Ziggy’ meets all of the above criteria perfectly, and then some. Within a very short time of meeting him you realise this jovial man truly is one of the great characters in the world of sport fishing. Born in Karachi, Pakistan, to Polish parents, Ziggy’s early childhood was spent in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, which was then called Tanganyika. He can trace his complex bloodline back to some of the royal houses of Europe and, not surprisingly, by a young age he was fluent in numerous languages, something that, in more recent…

“There are two basic components to this trace” FEW THINGS ARE ACTUALLY NEW IN SEA angling so, more than likely, what I’m about to chat about here will have been aired elsewhere – but not by me, however. Regular Sea Angler readers might recall me writing about a short Pennell bolt rig specifically for fishing the fast waters of the Mersey for winter cod. It was put together by Jensen skipper Tony Parry a couple of seasons ago and was made available to clients aboard his boat. I was given an updated version of the rig last time out on a day that produced 43 cod in the heart of Liverpool city centre. What I was also given was a three-hook scratching rig for the dabs and whiting, which come…

IT’S COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT BASS FIND the coastal fringes of the UK an attractive environment. With food in abundance and exciting places both to hunt and linger, our coastal zone makes prime habitat for bass. That’s good news for anglers because this fact puts these fish in reach of our baits. In fact, the shallower the water, the better. It seems there is nothing better for bass than hunting the sea’s margins in turbulent, fizzing water surrounded by noise, disturbance and food. While it is easy to fish close in from the shore, it requires a change of attitude for boat anglers. It is easy to jump aboard a boat and steam out of the harbour and into the wilderness, but heading out deep is the wrong thing to do…

MANY KAYAK ANGLERS START out AS shore anglers and, on purchasing their first kayak and getting afloat, they soon realise they have tidal flows to contend with in the seas around the British Isles. In areas where there is very little difference between high and low water, like the Mediterranean, tides are of little concern, but in our own waters the fluctuating levels can pose more challenges. Many kayak anglers are not familiar with boat fishing, and some of their first trips are made with little or no knowledge of tides and how they work. Tidal flows are governed by the rule of twelfths, a topic that I have covered previously in Sea Angler issue 518. To summarise: in a six-hour tidal cycle from low to high (or high to…

GARMIN STRIKER 5DV FISH-FINDER Marine electronics giant, Garmin, launched its new range of Striker fish-finders at January’s show, and I particularly liked the 5in version. These new fish-finders are GPS enabled, which allows you to mark and return to your hotspots, slipways and docks. You can also share your favourite waypoints and routes with other Striker and echoMAP combos. The 5in version, the Striker 5dv, package includes a Garmin CHIRP (77/200 kHz) transducer, which provides a visibly higher level of clarity and detail for fish and structure than traditional 77/200 kHz transducers. Instead of sending just one single frequency, CHIRP sends a continuous sweep of frequencies, then interprets them individually upon their return. Since the frequencies provide a wider range of information, CHIRP sonar technology can create crisper fish arches…

DO YOU RECALL YOUR VERY FIRST boat-fishing trip? I have always enjoyed sport from small vessels because there is something about being able to fish in deeper water and move from one mark to another so easily. I remember seeing several anglers fishing from small inflatables, but dismissed the idea as completely unsuitable. All those hooks, knives, spikey bass and rubber tubes filled with air hardly seemed to be a good mix. I thought little more of it until I came across two fellow BASS members parked on the shore of an estuary with two inflatable boats strapped to the roof of their estate car. After a chat with them my interest in this method of angling was rekindled. I wanted something that I could carry in or on my…

• Joe Stanton shows off a cracking bass that tipped the scales to exactly 7lb. Fifteen-year-old Joe, who comes from Folkestone, Kent, presented squid on a Pennell rig at a local mark known as The Warren and returned the fish after weighing it. • This superb 7lb 2oz cod fell to the rod of Alannah Inglis, of Whitby, North Yorkshire. The eight-year-old used a combination of black lug and peeler crab on a Pennell rig during a night session on her local pier. • Six-year-old Tom Harker, from New Milton, Hampshire, used a combination of squid, lugworms and ragworms to tempt this flounder weighing 1lb 10oz when he fished Poole Harbour from the beach at Hamworthy, Dorset. • A shore session at Hastings, East Sussex, yielded this flounder weighing 1lb…

ASSO TWO-DAY OPEN Hythe parade, Kent, 131 anglers PENN PLUS MATCH - points for top 10 A strong entry of top match anglers took part in the first Penn Plus event held over two days at Hythe, Kent. Winner was local angler Tom Wells, of Deal, who finished with three zone points and 9.570kg. On the first day he was on peg 38 in zone 3 and caught 4.310kg, while the next day he won zone 1 with 5.260kg from peg 2. Ipswich angler Craig Bradshaw was second overall with six zone points and 8.300kg. He was third in his zone on both days. Third went to Simon Roberts, of Sizewell, who also had six zone points (a fifth and first) and 7.670kg. With the match attracting Penn Plus status,…

BASS ROCK SAC  Seacliff, 11 anglers, 6/5/15 Result: 1 Keith Bathgate, 103cm (5pts); 2 Steve Burns, 86cm (4); 3 Sean Gardener, 86cm (3); 4 Barry McEwan, 54cm (2); 5 Stuart Fairbairn, 33cm (1). North Berwick, 11 anglers, 28/10/15 Result: 1 Barry Mcewan, 6-7-0 (5pts); 2 Steven Vincent, 2-12-0 (4); 3 James Ogilvie, 1-8-0 (3); 4 Steve Burns, 1-3-0 (2). Seton sands, 10 anglers, 11/11/15 Result: 1 Craig Ogilvie, 256cm (0pts); 2 Barry McEwan, 157cm (4); 3 Frank Farmer, 110cm (3); 4 Matty Lamb, 69cm (2); 5 Peter Mackie, 54cm (1). North Berwick, 14 anglers, 25/11/15 Result: 1 Stuart Fairbairn, 2-12-0 (5pts); 2 Peter Mackie, 2-5-0 (4); 3 Craig Ogilvie, 1-14-0 (0); 4 Barry McEwan, 0-10-0 (2). North Berwick, 7 anglers, 16/12/15, void for points (minimum 10 anglers). BLACKDOWN SAC 11…

GETTING THERE Take the M62 into Hull and keep on the road until you get to Hedon. Now follow the A1033 to Ottringham. Once in Ottringham, turn right to Sunk Island (located 3.5 miles south of Ottringham and a mile north of the estuary) and stay on this road until you can’t go any further. You will see a group of three or four houses on your left. Park before the houses on a grass verge (do not obstruct the driveways) and walk the dyke side of field for about 20-30 minutes until you reach the flood bank and sluice. Fish anywhere from the sluice to just past the mile marker post on the flood bank. Studded chest waders are useful when visiting this mark. TACKLE SHOPS • Angler’s Corner,…

MOST PLAICE FISHING HOTSPOTS found in the south of the England or Cumbria are open beaches where you fish at medium to long range. It’s a different story in the north and north-west of Wales, with the bulk of these orange-spotted fish being caught from a true estuary environment. Often anglers are not aware that these fish are even resident and they tend to go undetected. General fishing techniques for bass and flounders, the common catch inside these estuaries, do not necessarily suit catching plaice, so any caught are often lucky, one-off fish. To specifically target these fish you must adopt a different type of tactic and take a little time to learn some basic watercraft to identify the hotspots. WHERE TO FISH Plaice are caught from the estuaries of…

• Ensure you have a good supply of fresh or frozen crabs. The fish will have their sights set on this bait above all others. Without it you may struggle to put a single fish on the beach. • Choose your mark carefully. Rock marks that are a natural habitat for crabs should be your first port of call. • Don’t overcast. The rough ground that you are fishing into more than likely starts at your feet, so why cast a bait well over 100 yards? • Fish with stealth. Try a single light bass rod, a fixed-spool reel loaded with braid and cast that crab bait just 20 yards out. You will be surprised at the results. • Don’t assume you need to be fishing the deep-water marks for…

DO YOU EVER LOOK AT THE WATER and wonder what is actually below the surface? It seems the more you know about various features, such as reefs, gullies, holes and sandbanks, the better your chances of connecting with some bass. Yet I see anglers blasting out lures and baits with little thought about what is in front of them. So, I will do my best to help you work out what is going on under the surface. Firstly, stand back a bit. Don’t just rush down and fish straight away. Take some time to have a look around and use the signals to tell you where the potential fish-holding and, of course, fish-moving features might be. Good old-fashioned legwork will teach you loads about fishing spots as well, especially when…

Proper weedless rigging with a dropshot rig is all the more important after stormy weather when there is lots of floating weed. The simplest way is to invest in some small offset hooks, which are becoming more common in the UK. I use size 4 down to a size 12. Alternatively, try a standard-shaped dropshot hook (wide gape, medium or short shank), such as the Sab Polo Wormer from Tronixpro. When tied with a Palomar knot on a dropshot rig, it is possible to fit the worm so that the hook point is buried in the lure. When a fish bites down on the hook, its wide gape means that the lure can be pressed down and will slide around the hook bend. This exposes the hook point and allows…

WHAT NEXT FOR UK SEA ANGLERS? Specifically, those who enjoy both the angling experience and retaining a few fish for the table. The recently announced regulations limit us to a single fish over 42cm in any 24-hour period from July 1, and none at all in the preceding months. In practical terms, this could actually mean virtually no fish retained by many anglers, because so many fish captured are below the minimum landing size. By comparison, the commercial fishery has been subjected to minimal changes to their fishing opportunities. As our Fisheries Minister George Eustace has stated: “It will make almost no difference to our inshore commercial bass fishermen”. If then, there is no apparent need to restrict commercial exploitation, why should recreational anglers be heavily penalised? The bass stock…

Rob Rennie (pictured) berths Lady Jue 4 at Penarth throughout the autumn and winter, then relocates to Milford Haven in the late spring for the start of the shark season. Lady Jue is one of an ever-growing fleet of shark fishing boats working this prolific fishery, and Rob’s crews have caught huge numbers of both blue and porbeagle sharks. Last summer an angler fishing aboard Lady Jue 4 boated the first really big thresher shark caught in Wales, which weighed over 250lb. In response to the demand for good-quality shark tackle, Rob has developed his own range of traces under his Custom Traces brand. I have seen some of the first samples and they are very good. Look out for a full review and field test on these and a…

FOR MANY YEARS WHITBY HAS BEEN regarded as providing the best UK cod fishing, and it is from here that the current British record cod was caught. That fish was taken over an offshore wreck in 1992 by Noel Cook, and it weighed a massive 58lb 6oz. Nowadays, however, it is rare for any of the boats to travel more than six miles off when searching out the cod, such is the quality of the inshore sport. In the ‘good old days’, the standard tackle used to be 50lb-class rods, Dacron line and ‘killer’ rigs (two or three muppets fished above a pirk). Things have changed dramatically since those days, and most of the cod and ling sport is now had with 12lb or 20lb-class boat rods, braided mainline and…

DURING A TRIP TO PORTUGAL TO VISIT a Facebook friend, I stumbled upon a rather sexy little bass boat, the Levant 560 Open. Measuring in at just a tad over 18ft long, the Levant 560 is just about perfect for UK waters, in terms of average size of towing vessels found here. What caught my eye was the fact that it’s a completely open design, with a full walk-around deck area. There’s a sensibly-sized centre console, with enough dash space for fitting flush-mounted electronics and gauges, and on our boat we had a fold-down radio antenna – a great addition. This vessel has the traditional seating arrangement of two behind the console and a pair in front. The helm seat is a ‘sport bench’ design, allowing both seated and semi-seated…

“Generates a massive amount of energy when whacking a baited rig out” IMAX FR MATCH BEACH ROD RRP: £149.99 I’VE USED A FEW IMAX BEACH RODS OVER the years, and one thing that’s always impressed me about them is the quality of the blank and build. The power and action has always certainly been noticeable (often regarded as a little overpowered by some), while the price was always going to make them a winner. For whatever reason, though, I never seem to see many of them sitting in beach anglers’ tripods around the UK. I have a strong feeling, however, that the new addition to the Imax stable may change all that. The Imax FR Match range comes in both multiplier and fixed-spool versions. All are two-piece, equal-section outfits at…

WITH THE START OF THE FISHING season fast approaching, it will soon be time for Glasgow Angling Centre’s huge, three-day Spring Open Weekend on March 4, 5 and 6 . It is set to be the biggest and best fishing show that the country has ever seen! During the three days, the megastore puts on a fishing extravaganza at its huge 30,000sqft store. Dedicated anglers travel from all over the UK and abroad to pick up some of the thousands of extra-special bargains, get free advice from people in the know, or simply to rub shoulders with angling heroes like Mike Thrussell, Paul Young, Hywel Morgan, and many more. Every major brand in the tackle industry will be there too, showing off their latest products, and representatives will be on…

• A debut trip of the year for the Eastbourne charter boat Deep Blue produced a 40lb 13oz cod. The fish was caught on January 19 by John Povoas, of Minnis Bay, Kent, on a Tiger twintail lure with a size 6/0 hook. The 51-year-old market trader fished with a Snowbee Scad rod and Deep Blue 10 reel loaded with 30lb braid. Skipper Steve Bradshaw also reported 15 more cod weighing more than 20lb during the trip. • Poole Bay Small Boat AC member Colin Francis caught this 33lb 5oz cod while fishing from his own vessel, Boblin 2. The fish took a mackerel bait on a size 2/0 hook on January 17. • A 3lb 12oz flounder caught from Poole Harbour has set a new record for Test Valley…

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 win a Mission Accomplished badge and the chance of a great monthly tackle prize. Each month we award a Shimano Nexave Surf 400 five-piece rod and a Ultegra Surf 5500SC fixed-spool reel, worth a total of £320, 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. PAULA GRACIO, BOURNEMOUTH, DORSET. Fish: 55lb conger eel. Bait: Squid. Venue: Sally Ann Jo (Colin Baker), Weymouth, Dorset. Date: Jan 17. Monthly winners SHORE: George…

• Asso/Basstastic mini open, Oxwich, Swansea, 35 anglers: 1 (length) Shaun Tucker, Milford Haven, 429cm (3pts); 2 (longest fish) Peter Evans, Swansea, 62cm dogfish (2); 3 (length) Colin Butler, Swansea, 382cm (1). • Braystones heaviest fish rover, Braystones to St Bees slipway, Cumbria, 24 anglers: 1 Neil Shaw, Millom, 8lb 8oz cod (2pts); 2 Brian Carter, Barrow in Furness, 4lb 8oz cod (1); jt 3 Lee Walker, Millom and Ben Shepard, Maryport, both 4lb 6oz cod (0). • Breakaway Teams of Five & open, Sizewell, Suffolk, 61 anglers: 1 Nathan Elliott, Dover, 4-11-8 (6pts); 2 Colin Provins, Ipswich, 4-2-8 (5); 3 Graham Adams, Shotley, 2-0-8 (4). Zones – Brett Calver, Ipswich, 2-6-0; Mark Pinder, Ipswich, 1-15-0 and Lee Caley, Woodbridge, 1-12-0 (all 2). • Chesil League, West Bexington, Dorset, 33…

FEBRUARY • 14: North Norfolk NSL rnd 5 & open, Kelling, Mike 07858 758669 or Tony 07880 793141 or thomasamt@btinternet.com • 14: Scottish FSA Winter opens sweep, Carnoustie to Ferryden light, 10am-3pm, registration 8.15am-9am at Commercial Inn, Arbroath, Alan Combe 01592 560442 or Mike Horn 07912 842665. • 14 Amble open, sponsored by Penn, Seahouses south pier (excluding pier, Rivers Coquet and Aln, only disabled anglers notified to committee on Amble pier) to Lynemouth pipe, 9.30am-2.30pm, £12 entry, £8,000 in prizes, tackle raffle, register from 7.30am at Radcliffe Club, NE65 0RA or Amble Angling Centre, NE65 0AQ, or book at local tackle shops, Jim French 01665 711007 or Les Weller 07900 695538. • 14: West Coast Tackle League rnd 2 of 10 & open, new promenade, 1.30pm-5.30pm, £15 entry, book…

IT SEEMS THAT EVERY ANGLE RHASA TALETO tell about losing a big fish and, as a result, we’ve all enjoyed stories ranging from fact to fantasy. I love a good fishing yarn, and will nod along knowingly, smiling to myself, as an enthusiastic angler recounts a tale of daring do and downright bad luck. Of course, among the ‘fantasy island’ fishing stories, there are many that are true, and there are witnesses willing to back up the facts about a lost monster. On a recent trip, I was the witness. It happened at the Black Post on the River Thames, near Gravesend, Kent. The mark, featured in my Down Your Way article on the Thames Marshes (issue 525), is downriver from the sea school. The Black Post got its name…