Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 536 i Sea Angler

SHARK FISHING IN ITS MANY forms has undergone a major boost in popularity in recent years, mostly due to the exploits of anglers fishing the likes of the Celtic Deeps off the west coast of Wales. It seems bigger sharks of many species are being caught almost every month during the peak of the season, making news in not only the angling press, but the daily newspapers. You would think there wasn’t anything different that you could hear about shark fishing, but not so. Now, two experienced kayak anglers have pushed the boundaries of their sport by hitching a ride on a charter boat for 30 miles into the famous Celtic Deeps to do battle with blue sharks. It’s a great story, which is captured by our contributing editor Dave…

ROB YORKE KNOWS THE SOUTH Devon coast like the back of his hand, and his recent capture of a 29lb blonde ray from the shore was just the icing on the cake of a very full sea-angling portfolio. Therefore, when he tells you the rays are feeding, you listen. It is often said that the best-laid plans rarely go the way you would like, and this was the case for me. Despite a perfect tide and good numbers of fish showing from the preferred mark, unfortunately, the weather had other ideas. I left the head scratching to Rob (whose latest big ray catch is detailed on page 106). After all, this coast is his domain and he’s got that all-important local knowledge. The forecast westerly wind meant that, although there…

MY PAL AND I HAD ALREADY been fishing for a couple of hours. Standing thigh deep in the surf, we cast our plugs once more and immediately we were both into good fish. A few minutes later we unhooked and released the bass before wading ashore. The fishing had been fantastic, and between us we’d caught and released more than 50 bass, most of them around 5lb or 6lb in weight – it was wonderful. This session was in the 1980s, and things went fownhill rapidly after that until, in the early 1990s, it was so bad that one of my fellow anglers (a really keen one until then) gave up bass fishing for good. I’m not wearing my rose-coloured glasses; recent scientific research bears out what I say. Bass…

“It didn’t take long to catch eels on our crab baits” MENTION EELS TO MOST ANGLERS and they moan about the rig-ruining tangles. As a result, it deters people from targeting such slippery customers, but, inevitably, those fishing in estuaries often catch them. With the Thames and Medway close to Gravesend being near my home, I cut my teeth on fishing the muddy creeks out to the deep drop-off known as the Black Post. Commercial fishing for eels, an old East End delicacy, was once big business in these parts, but the species declined and the industry waned too. Luckily, the good old eel became a protected species, and catch rates seem to be improving, but there is still a requirement for freshwater eels (not conger eels) to be released…

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…

THE spool knot is used to attach the mainline to the reel spool. When attaching braided line. it's advisable to make several extra wraps around the line. Tip: For extra line grip, wrap a piece of insulation tape around the spool. 1. Wrap the line around the reel’s spool, take the end under the line where it enters the spool and make three to six turns around the end section. 2. Take the tag end through the loop you made at the start of the turns. 3. Pull the tag end through and, at the same time, pull the other piece of line. 4. Trim off the tag end with a pair of sharp scissors. SEA FISHING KNOTS - FROM THE REEL TO THE HOOK by Andy Steer Contains clear,…

Each month we’ll select a winning question from each of our shore, boat/kayak and lure/LRF 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: Tronixpro Centurion Rod, worth £149.99. • LURE: HTO Rockfish ML, HTO Rockfish 2000 reel, YKG G-Soul 4 ½ lb braid, HTO lure scissors & three Go! boxes, worth £118.93. • 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…

A COMMON SAYING IS THAT ‘you should never go back’. This is based on the likelihood that, over time, things will have changed, and what you experienced before will never be achievable again to the same degree. Maybe I’ve been lucky, but I’ve rarely found that to be the case. Take, for example, the offshore fishing out from Union Hall in the west of County Cork, Ireland. My first visit to this area in 1989 involved a week’s fishing from a self-drive hire boat catching sharks and a host of other species. I loved the place. Since then, I’ve fished from all the major ports in Ireland but, until recently, had never gone back to Union Hall. That changed in 2014 when I fished with skipper Tom Collins and caught…

Boat name: Mirage Port: Plymouth, Devon Paul Collingwood, of Dover, Kent, who nominated the skipper, has fished with Dave for more than 10 years. He said: “While fishing aboard Mirage, you have an experienced skipper who puts your safety first. “We mix the fishing from white fish to congers, to sharking or fishing the River Tamar if the weather is not in our favour. I have gained some Sea Angler Shimano Mission badges due to Dave’s initiative. “My daughter, 14, and son, 10, joined me this year on a trip, which was a dream in every sense. My son and daughter both hooked blue sharks estimated at 100lb, with others to 90lb among the 33 we caught over the weekend. “The wellbeing of the fish is paramount, with none of…

I RECENTLY HAD THE CHANCE TO BRIEFLY review the plush Jeanneau Merry Fisher 695, a substantial and beautifully built boat that will be of interest to many sea anglers. This is the perfect boat for extended offshore fishing trips, and especially those ventures where you plan on spending a night or two either at a secure anchorage or in port. An increasing number of boat owners who live away from the sea use their boat as their accommodation base for weekends, and this vessel would be perfect for that. The quality of workmanship that goes into all Jeanneau boats has to be seen to be fully appreciated, especially the rich lustre of the gel coat and the attention to detail that goes into the installation of all fixtures and fittings,…

THERE IS AN EVER-INCREASING tendency to bring everything except the kitchen sink along when we head out on the kayaks. Sometimes the kitchen sink is even thrown in, just in case! There is absolutely nothing wrong with being prepared for every eventuality, and any former Boy Scouts will undoubtedly remember the motto of Be Prepared. However, when does the level of packing just become silly? I think you have reached that point when loading and unloading the car and packing and unpacking the gear takes longer than the time spent on the water. Sound ridiculous? It is, but happens regularly, especially for those who cannot get afloat with any regularity, which I would say is at least once every 10 days. For many, spare time can be difficult to secure,…

To celebrate Gemini Tackle’s 25th anniversary, Sea Angler magazine has teamed up with the innovative company to give away more than £1,000 worth of terminal tackle. Ten readers, picked at random, will each win a Gemini prize package worth more than £100. EACH PRIZE PACK CONTAINS... • Genie Rig Clips • Genie Link Clips • Genie Swivel ‘n’ Link Clips • Genie Mini Swivel ‘n’ Link Clips • Genie Snood Clips • Genie Bent Rig Clips • Genie 80lb Mainline Swivels • Genie 45lb Snood Swivels • Genie Mini Crimps • Genie 3mm Power Beads • Genie 1.5mm Silicone tubing • Genie Neoprene Tubing • Genie 1mm Silicone Tubing • Genie 8mm Floating Beads HOW TO ENTER Simply go to our website at www.seaangler.co.uk  and click on the…

Three 15lb bass and several 14-pounders have been the highlights of some stunning shore sport. Lure angler Grant Scott caught and released a superb 15lb bass while fishing a low-tide session on August 13 at Jaywick in Essex. He had already caught two 10-pounders there this year. Using a Shakespeare Big S plug, the chef from Jaywick started the session to remember with a two-pounder. As the tide started to turn, he decided to have one more cast. “I hit into a nice fish and knew it was big,” said Grant, who released the specimen. A day earlier, Lee Jell, of Hawkinge, Kent, caught a 14lb bass at Hythe Ranges. He fished a lug and mackerel bait on a pulley rig. A few days later on August 14, Jake Walledge,…

• A trip aboard Saxon Lady, skippered by Colin Freeman out of Whitby, North Yorkshire, saw eight-year-old Colby Hodson catch an 11lb 8oz ling. Colin, from Huthwaite, Notts, used a mackerel flapper attached to a flowing trace. • Oron Scott, 13, from Havant, Hampshire, used ragworms on a running leger rig to catch this plaice weighing 1lb 13oz. He was fishing from a private vessel out of Chichester, West Sussex. • Joseph Wright, who hails from Sandown, Isle of Wight, joined his dad on their private boat to go wreck fishing. Fishing 20 miles off with a Redgill lure, the 14-year-old boated his first pollack, weighing 14lb 8oz. • Billy Egglestone, from Reigate, Surrey, beached this 8lb 8oz smoothhound when he fished a shore mark at Selsey, West Sussex. The…

BURNHAM LEAGUE RND 4 & OPEN Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, 30 anglers In what was the best match of the series so far, the event produced the most fish and biggest specimens. There were 10 rays, 70 soles, four congers, three bass and a silver eel caught. With 20 minutes to go, Francis Jones cast out a mackerel head and guts in a last-ditch bid for glory and landed a match-winning 10lb 5oz conger eel. In his first Burnham League event, Ryan Potter caught and released an 8lb 5oz bass, which earned him joint second place with Jeremy Clark. Heaviest flatfish was a 1lb 15oz Dover sole for Paul Rogers. • Result: 1 Francis Jones, Abertillery, 2 fish, 10-10-0 (3pts); jt 2 Jeremy Clark, Keynsham, 2 fish & Ryan Potter, Taunton, 1…

BASS ARE AN ICONIC FISH, instantly recognisable and one that many anglers become obsessed with. What is it that makes bass such an appealing saltwater predator for so many anglers? Arguably, they are a great sporting fish, but if sheer pull on the end of your line is what you’re after, then many other fish can satisfy that desire. I think the broad appeal is down to the variety of ways that our bass can be sought. Firstly, there’s the proven method of a fresh crab flicked out with a stealthy approach as one tentatively waits for a bass to intercept the rich, somewhat aniseed-scented pheromones leaching out...irresistible! It makes for exhilarating surf fishing, as the waves swish and fizz, occasionally giving you a thorough soaking, as you eagerly anticipate…

WHILE ON A TRIP TO COUNTY Mayo in Ireland, it was planned that we would spend a day afloat in search of blue sharks. While Francis, the charter vessel’s skipper, went off to collect some lobsters to cook for our lunch (we do like eating properly while we are away) the rest of us boarded the boat, which was moored in the harbour. It was decided that we would make up rubbydubby bags with some two-day old mackerel which, by this time, was smelling to high heaven. We put the mackerel into a big plastic box and were trying to mash it up with a broom shank. As you can imagine, this was pretty useless. As I was the only one wearing wellingtons, I decided to jump into the box…

“Callum was quick out the blocks with a ballan” FINDING A RARELY FISHED ROCKY location around our increasingly crowded coastline is like unearthing a golden nugget. With perseverance, though, it is still a possibility, as I discovered while rambling around the eastern flank of Portland, Dorset. Rounding a corner, there, glaring at me, was an old disused jetty, which I later found was called Durdle pier. It had all the trappings of a little gem, and I could hardly contain my enthusiasm to fish the venue. With the adrenalin flowing, it was only a few days later when I was back on the road, along with David Graham and his son Callum, to see what the mark would offer on relatively light tackle on a summer’s day. Yes, we had…

FOR MANY ANGLERS, A FAMILY HOLIDAY can be just as frustrating as it is rewarding. Being able to balance commitments around your fishing can lead to a painful clash of priorities, not to mention some tricky discussions. I remember those days well as I addressed my urges to see what fish could be caught in the azure waters. This often meant a quick, tactical strike while other family members relaxed by the pool. The problem with this style of fishing is that it’s difficult to plan. If you’re reliant on bait, it can mean scrabbling around the local mini-mart, or even the hotel breakfast buffet. That’s hardly optimal angling. Then I discovered modern day lure fishing, including LRF, and my situation improved rapidly, along with my catches. Fast forward to…

“By the end of the first hour everyone had boated a fish and our two kayak anglers were starting to get restless” TO SAY THAT THE RIDE OUT TO the fishing grounds more than 30 miles offshore was uncomfortable would be a gross understatement. Lady Jue 5 is a fine, well built and extremely seaworthy craft, but the remnants of the previous evening’s weather front had yet to pass, and the result was an extremely sloppy sea. From the moment we reached St Anne’s Head at the mouth of Milford Haven, we had found, to our dismay, that a strong tide had combined with breaking waves and a hefty ground swell to create a horribly confused sea, and that we had no choice but to head directly into it. Thankfully,…

AFTER LAST YEAR’S SORTIE INTO the Wash, only a mile from my house, I was keen to get back out this year and get a better picture of how the area fishes. It was a chance message on Facebook, when Bill Buffham got it touch, that gave me such an opportunity. As it turns out, Bill works for the Coastguard but at weekends runs his charter boat Red Snapper, an Arvor 250 powered by a Cummins Mercruiser 230hp inboard engine, out of Fosdyke marina in Lincolnshire. A date was set, and we were blessed with a reasonable weather forecast for the day of our trip – something of a miracle in ‘The Windy Fens’. We’re very exposed here. Even when the wind is off the land, there’s nothing to stop…

The bass lure season is rocketing on towards what I sense will be a big bang of a peak in early October. Mid-season over, it’s time to get out there and hunt the big warm-water bass that patrol the September and October coastal margins. I say ‘warm’ water because the sea is just that this year. At perhaps 19°C, the bass will be thriving in it. The warmer the water, the more active the fish, and the more hook-ups you get. Bait fish flourish too, which equals more food in the sea and, therefore, more feeding to be done. More bass feeding activity means there are more to be caught. To top it all off, the warmer the water, the more bass need to feed, as their metabolic rate increases.…

THE WEST SUSSEX PORT OF Littlehampton is a very popular area for boat anglers. Apart from the tremendous wrecking sport for pollack and cod, there is some phenomenal offshore bank action for turbot, brill and tope, plus a wealth of inshore action with species such as plaice, bass and bream. There are literally hundreds of offshore wrecks within easy reach of the Littlehampton charter fleet. During the summer these produce superb hauls of pollack and cod, but as we move into autumn the focus for wreck fishing turns to bass. There are numerous wrecks known to hold numbers of big bass, and there’s nothing more exciting than drifting with a live mackerel or lure for the chance of that magical double-figure fish. Come the winter, these wrecks continue to fish…

TRONIXPRO ENVOY TOURNAMENT MONO MAG MULTIPLIER RRP: £89.99 New to the Tronixpro stable of multiplier reels is the Tournament Mono Mag model. Equipped with magnetic casting control, it can be easily adjusted during the cast by using the extended mono mag knob. Other features include an open top CT cage, a spool capable of storing 250m of 0.35mm mainline, and a huge, super-smooth power handle. Available in either left or right-hand wind, with a gear ratio of 5.3:1, it’s the perfect reel for achieving long distances from the beach. • Available from all Tronixpro dealers, to locate your nearest stockist visit: www.tronixfishing.com BREAKAWAY OTG IMPACT SHIELDS RRP: £3.12 This ingenious creation utilises the innovative Breakaway Impact Shield to accommodate a baited hook. The difference being, it locks the hook in…

TRONIXPRO NAGA MX RRP: £329.99 TRONIXPRO HAS RECENTLY LAUNCHED a new equal-section beach rod, and very impressive it is too. Falling into line with other rods produced by the British tackle company (which prefers labelling them with names of various serpents), this one carries the title of Naga. The Naga MX, to give it its full name, is a two-piece, 14ft beachcaster rated to cast loads of 5-8oz. It packs a real punch, too, and, in my opinion, is set to claim a place among other high-spec rods on the market. The Cherry-red outfit is equipped with Fuji KWAG guides throughout, and a set of coasters to strap your reel in your favoured position, along with diamond shrink-wrap covering the bottom half of the butt section. There’s also a reducer…

WITH ONLY MINUTES TO spare, I reached the check-in at Heysham and drove through to take my place at the back of the line of vehicles waiting patiently to board the ferry to the Isle of Man. My night sailing meant I would get an extra day’s fishing in my short stay, but what I hadn’t factored in was the activities of the Highways Agency and the resulting road closures and diversions. The drive from County Durham to Lancashire had been frantic, to say the least. The stress of the drive was soon forgotten as the ferry sailed out into the Irish Sea. I was on my way. I had first visited the Isle of Man in 2015 after having my imagination fired up with stories of large shore-caught tope.…

“Few have spent as many hours here as Martin and Sandra Thompson” OPENED IN 1970, AND WINDING its way some 186 miles from Amroth to the east of Saundersfoot to Poppit Sands near Cardigan, the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path could have been designed primarily with the needs of the rambling shore angler in mind. This wonderful and most scenic of walkways offers numerous convenient access points, all of which provide superb access to many tremendous fishing marks, especially around the most south-westerly tip of the Principality near St Davids. Throughout the year, a great many anglers take advantage of the Pembrokeshire Path to access their fishing, but few have spent anything like as many hours fishing here as Martin and Sandra Thompson. During the week, Martin and Sandra jointly run their…

The only complicated part to this particular way of lure fishing is tracking down the lures themselves. That’s because senkos are essentially a US freshwater bass lure, and while they can be lethal for our own saltwater bass, for some reason I don’t think they have really caught on that much in the British Isles. However, you can usually find fairly cheap packets of senkos if you go hunting around. My favourite white senkos are the chunky-looking 5in Wave Fishing Bamboo Sticks; keep an eye on the excellent AGM Products website ( www.agmdiscountfishing.co.uk ) and you will find loads on there. I like the Wave Fishing Bamboo Sticks because they are fairly heavy, at nearly 14g, and they cast well. I can’t find a better hook for this…

MY HOME TOWN OF EDINBURGH boasts some fantastic attractions, such as the castle and International Fringe Festival but, for me, during festival time, my favourite place is by the sea. For those of us who live in towns and cities on the coast, urban fishing can provide our best access to the sea. It’s easy to overlook such areas, but street sport offers convenience and, more often than not, great LRF opportunities. I met up with Herakles pro-staff member Mark Stone to sample some Edinburgh city fishing. Although we spend a lot of time fishing in the lochs of Scotland, this was the first time I had persuaded him to come out on an LRF-only session. To add a bit of spice to the proceedings, we decided to set ourselves…

Yes, it’s fluff-chucker time again, with the same old moans every year. While walking along the beach at Hayling Island with my five-year-old grandson, we saw, about 200 yards ahead of us, a group of anglers. In order not to get in their way, we walked up the bank and behind them, but heard a crack and something flew past us only inches away before it hit a wooden breakwater. We had been very lucky; who knows what could have happened? All we could hear was the guys laughing and shouting at each other. I picked up the trace (pictured below). I know you’ve mentioned this numerous times before, but it must be stressed once more that people should use suitable line and shockleaders. Phil Godwin, Havant, Hants…

YOUR right arm action must suit your casting style, rod and sinker weight. When you use body rotation to drive a cast, the rod bends quite early. With an off-ground cast, the tip is under load before the sinker comes off the sand. Whatever the style, a rod should be under moderately heavy pressure before your arms get in on the act. If nothing else, this helps prevent backlashes on a multiplier reel. As pressure and resistance increase, your right arm’s natural reaction is to bend at the elbow. This is good because you can handle the pressure more easily, and a nicely bent elbow automatically leads you into the right position for the final punch. HAMMER TEST A great way to demonstrate how your right arm works naturally is…

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 Kerry-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 heard it’s good to use mono backing on the spool before loading it with braid. What knot should I use to join the braid to…

THERE’S AN AGE-OLD SAYING THAT ‘you can’t beat fresh bait’ and, for the most part, I agree. There’s something about the natural juices given off by a fresh bait that seems to drive fish wild, and on most days you’d be hard pushed to catch more fish on the frozen stuff when fresh is available. Below is a small selection of my favourites (although I confess one example is frozen or freshly gutted), which are perhaps the most common types used by boat anglers. There are others, but we’ll concentrate on only six. PEELER CRAB Without doubt, one of the most widely used and sought-after summer baits has to be the peeler crab. Peelers are simply common shore crabs that are in the process of shedding their shells in order…

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…

Right now I’m re-arming 3 Fishes with all she will need to find and then catch warm-water bass. Each lure has a ‘service’. Despite my best efforts at washing and drying lures in fresh water after every outing, they still deteriorate, and there is a point where a change is needed. Flecks of rust on hooks are okay, but rusty is not. So, where necessary, I change some hooks, and sharpen the remainder with a fine rat-tail file. All my reels, loaded with Shimano Powerpro 9kg braid in moss green, have had near-constant use for the last three or four months, and braid weakens under that kind of pressure. Three key weak spots are around the first metre from the lure (easy fix, just cut a metre off), around 20-40m…

GARMIN GPSMAP 7410XSV COMBO UNIT RRP £2,329.99 Designed for power boat users, sailors and anglers who demand high performance, ease of operation and feature integration, the GPSMAP 7410xsv chartplotter unit is packed full of features. This chartplotter, with 10in multi-touch widescreen display, has a 10Hz internal GPS that updates position and heading 10 times per second, making your movement on screen more fluid. It is fully network capable and offers the convenience of built-in Wi-Fi® connectivity. Dropping up to 5,000 accurate waypoints, and finding your way back to them becomes quick and easy. You can also control the unit via your smartphone or tablet while out on deck. When using an iPhone® or iPad®, you can even record a movie of your chartplotter screen to share with friends and family.…

“No other line even came close to competing with the blue Sylcast mono” DURING MY EARLY YEARS IN THE 1970s as a shore angler, there was no other line that even came close to competing with the blue Sylcast mono that I used to fill my reels. It was incredibly strong and very easy to cast, and it certainly helped me to combat many of the marks I used to fish. In those days (long before I discovered 6500-size models), my two reels of choice were original Abu Ambassadeur 7000c and 9000c multipliers attached to a Cono-flex DC8 beachcaster. Whether I was chucking a huge mussel bait into the swells at Ryhope beach in Tyne and Wear or lobbing a cocktail into a snaggy gully at Cullercoats harbour in Northumberland,…

• Hooked GB member Craig Ambridge, of Bishops Stortford, Herts, caught a 30lb tope, a personal best, while fishing aboard Silver Spray II, skippered by Sam Cummings, out of Poole. The fish took a mackerel bait on a running leger rig. He also boated a 10lb bull huss. • Daniel Brewin, of Mansfield, in Nottinghamshire, bagged this huge 55lb ling while fishing for halibut out of Lauklines, Norway. The big ling took at whole coalfish in 70 metres of water. • Phil Lacey, of Bebington, Merseyside, boated a 38lb tope on a whole mackerel bait while fishing off the coast of North Wales, during a charter trip on Gary Flint’s Discovery Charters, out of Liverpool Marina. • A new Scottish boat record for a coalfish is being claimed after the…

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. John Fisher, Workington, Cumbria. Fish: 13lb 5oz bull huss. Bait: Mackerel flapper. Venue: Allonby, Cumbria. Date: August 17. Andy Copeland, Sunderland,…

IT’S THE BIG ONE THAT EVERYBODY WAITS for. Seven months of planning by South Wales Kayak Anglers goes into the Oxwich European Kayak Fishing Championship. Primarily sponsored by Palm Equipment and based at the stunning private beach at Oxwich Bay, courtesy of the Penrice Estate, it’s more than a tournament. It’s a holiday that includes hog roasts and partying at the Gower Farm Campsite, with entrants travelling from far and wide to fish for the myriad species in the bay. The main event had a new twist this time to increase the prize table and appeal to those who might be disheartened seeing the same people on the leaderboard. It was split into a Pro category for sponsored or supported kayak anglers, and an Amateur category for others. There would…

SEPTEMBER • 24: The Scarborough Open Angling Champs, Whitby to Flamborough, 2pm- 6pm, weigh in by 7pm at Anglers’ Social Club, £7 entry, £3 juniors, £3 optional pool, Pete 07711 104090 or 07711 124032. • 24: Mersey Anglers open, Otterspool promenade (LA17 5AR), 1pm-6pm, book on from 11.15am-12.15pm at Jericho Lane car park, 20cm measure and release, £15 all-in, John 0151 639 7974 or Ian 07739 166380. 24-25: National Small Boat Angling Champs, Salcombe, £12 entry per day, £20 for two days, entries from 8am Sept 24 and 7.30am Sept 25 at HQ in boat park, David 01626 833058 or Mike 01404 43397. 25: Bexhill kayak species event, 12.30am-4.30pm, www.bexhillseafestival.co.uk/ 25: Weston-super-Mare junior open, town beach, 12.30pm-3pm, Mike 01278 788637. • 25: Tycoch SAC Flounder Open. Loughor estuary, Ian Russ 07817…

FOR SALE • Anyfish Anywhere Tournament Bass rod, 12ft 6in, used once, as new condition, £100, buyer collects, Jim, tel: 01305 767257 (Dorset). • Abu Ambassadeur International 30 lever-drag reel, very good condition, £250, or swap for air rifle, tel: 01422 247995 (Halifax). • No more crack-offs or ring wraps when using the Daiwa Interline AWT 13 rod, also Zziplex, sell for £175, B Simpson, tel: 0191 534 5551 (Sunderland). • Two Daiwa XS PM beachcasters, 13ft, used twice, £325, tel: 07740 597920 (Norfolk). • Century Carbon Metal Black Bird 15ft, unwanted gift, as new, £220 or nearest offer, buyer collects, Mark, tel: 07508 477782 (Torquay). • Entire outfit, excellent condition – beachcaster, uptide boat rod, Ugly-Stik, Abu 7000, Penn Squidder, Jig Master, Senator, tackle box, pirks, artificial eels and…