Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 537 i Sea Angler

AUTUMN HAS BEGUN WITH ITS usual mix of warmth, combined with wind, rain and early-morning fog. As the chill begins to set in, most shore and boat anglers will turn their thoughts to cod, the nation’s favourite fish. The good news is that a fresh flush of cod is already showing in parts of the country. Indeed, late September produced shore-caught cod at Chesil Beach in Dorset, along with plenty of non-resident fish in the Filey to Whitby area, and, of course, in Scotland. If the season is anything like last year, we should see them from all parts of our coastline. That fish at Chesil was caught by Paul Munday (right) on his first cast, and proved to be a personal best weighing 9lb 4oz 8dr. It was taken…

IT’S INTERESTING TO SEE THAT IRELAND is regaining its popularity with UK anglers and seeing a major increase in angling bookings compared to a few years ago. The attractions are numerous with plenty of coastline, particularly on the west coast, seemingly neglected for shore fishing. One such area is Letterfrack, a small village in Connemara, County Galway. In Gaelic, Letterfrack means Speckled Hill, the village giving its name to the scenically stunning sheltered bay that then leads through a narrow sound into Ballynakill Bay and out to the offshore islands of Inishshark and Inishbofin. It’s a part of Ireland that gets little sea angling attention, yet has some of the best the country has to offer. It was Kevin Crowley, a fisheries inspector with Inland Fisheries Ireland, who tipped me…

WHILE SPENDING THE BEST part of a fortnight fishing different parts of Kent’s River Medway for bass, I decided to move further upriver towards Cuxton and the well-known motorway bridge. The target, as before on other parts of the river, would be eels and bass. I mentioned eels first because they seem to show on the start of the flood, and then from about half tide the bass show. However, during those two weeks of fishing anything from small tides to big tides, the start of the flood has been best. Over the years when fishing along this stretch, it has been mainly in the summer using boom rigs and ragworms for bait to catch soles. With the recent summer being so warm, it was almost impossible to fish along…

“It is amazing that in those early days small baited artificials outfished float or bottom-fished baits” YEARS AGO, I PUT IN A LOT OF effort learning how to catch mullet on baited spinners, and in the course of all the trial and error I caught a variety of other species. It seemed that almost anything, including bass of course, would take a baited lure if it was presented in the right way. I’m well aware that there’s rarely anything new in angling, and in many ways I knew that I was just reinventing the wheel. Recently, while I was reading the proofs of a forthcoming book on mullet fishing, I had to check some facts from an old publication, ‘Sea Angling with the Baited Spoon’, written by the late John…

SAVE THE BIGGER FISH Have the authorities got it all wrong when deciding the bass size limit? As it’s the larger fish which are the mature, stock-producing ones, it’s these that we need to protect. Why on earth do those in charge set a size limit that states that only the large fish can be taken? Surely, it would be better to set the limit so that all the larger fish must be set free. As a result, the species would increase because all the breeding stock would be swimming free. I think the size of fish allowed to be taken should be a maximum of 48cm, and all netting of bass should be banned as well. Then stocks would certainly improve. While on the subject of fish stocks in…

HAVING KNOWN ESSEX CHARTER skipper Terry Batt for more than two decades, we’d talked about the possibility of finding some plaice and turbot grounds in the outer reaches of the Thames Estuary. A few years ago Terry and his wife Nicola upped the game on the UK charter boat scene by having their latest boat commissioned, and Vanishing Point 2 was born. Now seemed the ideal time to try a 24-hour exploratory trip out of their base at Bradwell to test our theory. It was an idea based on my recollection that, many years ago, when Stuart Smalley used to run his own boat out of Aldeburgh, in Suffolk, he often caught good numbers of plaice and a few brill, so the possibility of finding some flatties closer to home…

Hook choice Use one or two hooks. Sie 6/0 to 8/0 is ideal. Connection point Add a bead after the boom and tie on a strong swivel. Strong line The hooklength should be 3-5ft of 80lb line. Lead carrier Use a tube boom on the mainline to create the running leger. Beat the tide Use enough weight to ensure the bait fishes on the seabed. ASIDE FROM COMMON SKATE AND stingrays, the blonde, Raja brachyura, is the largest ray in British waters, with an average size over 10lb, and commonly caught weighing over 20lb. They’re a strong and hard-fighting species, so it’s not surprising that they are very popular with many boat anglers. SPECIES Typically, blonde rays are found over a sandy or mixed ground seabed. They have been recorded…

SEVERAL YEARS AGO I STARTED to compete in the Rosslare Small Boats Festival with my friend Terry Hill, and each year something keeps pulling us back to fish this prestigious competition in Ireland, now in its 31st year. Our team, Sea Mistress, skippered by Terry with a crew consisting of Chris Ellis and myself was boosted this year with the addition of Irish angling legend, Norman Dunlop. We would be pitted against 42 other boats, all full of top anglers and veteran campaigners. The weather dictated the terms of fishing over the course of the event from September 10-17, with the Sunday start postponed until Tuesday. The prospect of worsening weather towards the end of the week prompted the committee to add an extra hour to the fishing, giving us…

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…

WITH WINTER ON THE WAY, some kayak anglers pack away their gear, while other more hardy souls see the cold weather as an opportunity rather than a hindrance. Cold-water fishing means preparation. Throughout the winter months it is especially true that the best and most sensible thing a kayak angler can do is to keep warm. The main thing to bear in mind is if you stay dry you will go a long way towards staying warm. Lots of layers under your drysuit are a better job that a couple of thick ones, and what you put into your body will contribute towards your level of warmth. With this in mind, here are my top five ideas for keeping warm when fishing from a kayak during the colder months. 1…

For the fourth time in its history, the Torbay Sea Angling Festival’s top fish was a black bream. The nine-day event, in its 48th year, produced a 6lb 1oz bream (below)for Malcolm Wright, of Tollesbury, Essex, who collected £750 and a selection of tackle for his winning fish. He caught it at a wreck in Lyme Bay while fishing from the Paignton charter boat Our Joe L, skippered by Simon Pedley. The famed Skerries Banks off the South Devon coast produced many big blonde rays during the festival. Stacey Underwood weighed in five fish of more than the minimum size of 22lb, with her best a heavyweight of 27lb 11oz (left). All the fish were caught from Predator, owned and skippered by her father Steve, who is the holder of…

• Hartlepool angler Dave Brannigan (below right) took a charter trip out of his home town and caught a 27lb ling. He fished on Dave Lumley’s Ali-cat. Other twenties fell to Dave Hudson (below left), from Newton Aycliffe, who caught a 20lb ling during a charter trip aboard Allan Skinner’s JFK Two, out of the Tyne, while another was caught by Alan Shore, of Doncaster, during a small-boat session out of Amble. • A 20-mile wrecking trip out of Sunderland produced plenty of cod and ling for one of skipper Peter Stubbs’ regular charter parties. The group caught 42 ling, with 32 weighing between 12-16lb, along with 10 cod to 14lb. Pictured here is Gordon Leu with a 14lb cod. • Andy Walker caught a personal best cod, weighing 19lb…

Plans are underway to stage a World Shore Angling Championship for veteran anglers during 2017. Applications for the England team are being sought by the Angling Trust. To qualify for consideration, you must be an individual member of the Angling Trust who will be over 55 at the time of competing. Your application must be submitted no later than December 12, 2016. Application forms for all the Marine World Championships and Home Internationals are available from the Angling Trust website or by emailing: sandra.johnson@anglingtrust.net…

OCTOBER • 22: New Milton SFC autumn open (rearranged from Oct 1), Boscombe (fishing between piers), 7pm-11pm, sign on from 5.30pm at Boscombe pier, pegged, two zones, measure & release, up to £350 1st prize, £15 entry plus pools, 50 pegs, booking advisable, Mark 07710 670779. • 22: Cod open, Humber south bank rover (bridge to Wonderland), 9.30am-2.30pm, meet 7.30am-8.30am at Haven pub, £15 all-in, size limits apply, book only, Mark 07500 112515. • 22: Maryport DSAC spring open, 10.30am-2.30pm, David Underwood 01900 605765 or Jeff McAllister 01900 870624. • 22: Tralee Bay SAC open, Ventry, 5pm-9pm, overall length, check in 4pm-4.20pm at Paudi O’Shea’s pub, David 00353 (0)89 2076044. • 22-23: Hastings two-day Beach Festival, day 1 – 1pm-6pm, day 2 – 1.30pm-6.30pm, £500 1st, Hastings Angling Centre, 01424…

THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD from August to October always seems to creep up virtually unnoticed. In a flash, the long, warm days and hazy sunsets of summer are long gone Instead, mornings are invariably damp, while late afternoon dusk sets in much earlier as a noticeable chill fills the air. A misty glow hovers around street lamps, and soon the first frosts will arrive. As a shore cod angler, I really look forward to this time of year. The fact it’s getting dark quicker and the temperature is dropping is a sure sign that the cod won’t be too far away. Additionally, if there’s a crunching sea bouncing on to the beach during an onshore gale, I’m definitely sparked up for a session. The rumour mill generally kicks off a new…

SPECIES • Rays appear here from April to Christmas. It’s all thornbacks in this slightly estuarine environment and fish to more than 14lb have been caught. Huss to 16lb are virtually year-round residents. Tope show inside the bay, and the Buccaneers are still documenting their catches and locating new marks, so it’s early days, but they’ve had fish to well over 40lb. There are cod in winter, wrasse, dogfish, good conger eels, whiting, and, if you find cleaner areas, then I wouldn’t be surprised to see plaice here from May to September. Flounders are available in good numbers with the biggest fish taken in the autumn and early winter. Given a choice, you should fish the bigger spring tides. Smaller tides can fish well but the rays are less inclined…

AS SOUTH DEVON’S FLOUNDER season begins in mid-October and continues until the middle of February – longer if very cold conditions persist – enthusiasts from all over the South West and beyond enjoy great success. There are loads of prolific marks that have, over the years, proved their worth for fish of quality, many of specimen size. THE MARKS Flounders enter the estuary through the narrow neck formed by The Point at the southern end of Teignmouth beach, and The Ness on the opposite bank at Shaldon, and as the tide swiftly makes it covers a huge expanse of mud and sand called The Salty. Deep channels are created on either side of it, and it is through these that the flounders make their way upstream above the bridge. An…

AUTUMN CAN BE AN EXCITING month for LRF sport. The fish really start to put on weight as they prepare for winter, and the sea temperature is at its warmest so the fish are aggressively taking lures. With the prospect of high winds in autumn, I have been taking every opportunity to get out on to the rock marks of south-east Scotland. Most of these involve a lot of rock hopping, scrambling and clambering over rocks and small cliffs to get there. Due to its compact size, you can take all the LRF gear you need for a day on the rocks, but in a very small package. Travelling light means it is easier to work your way around rocky marks. My targets from these rock marks and kelp forests…

CHEAP IS NOT ALWAYS CHEERFUL! Like most people I don’t have an unlimited budget to spend on new tackle. In fact, it’s the lower end of a limited budget these days. However, is buying cheap equipment the answer? I have found this not to be the case. Those shiny £10 to £25 reels may look the business to the untrained eye at least, but, believe me, it’s not worth it. I’ve had a handle break, a gear tooth break and line-lay was awful too. Unfortunately, it does not end there. I recently purchased an own brand 14ft beachcasting rod for £25. The reel seat cracked on its first outing. Spotting small bites is very hard on this generic type of beach rod because there is just not enough give in…

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 normally fish rough ground venues in the River Clyde, but my casting isn’t brilliant and I struggle to get past 60 or 70 yards. What…

AUTUMN IS A TIME OF TRANSITION in the Bristol Channel. The long, balmy days (when we get them) take on a noticeably cooler demeanour and it is the time when charter fishing in this part of the world can produce some spectacular results. Having had some top sport on the inshore grounds with rays, huss and the ever-popular packs of smoothhounds, boat anglers should pack away their uptide gear and give the crab population time to recover for another season. The mission now is to head out west to the fertile grounds of the Western Approaches and Lundy Island, where the target species will vary depending on tidal conditions and, of course, the weather. 1 TOPE When conditions are set fair, one of the favourite species on any charter boat…

THE TECHNIQUE OF UPTIDE fishing was developed by Bob Cox and John Rawle many years ago. It was a direct result of their inability to consistently catch fish in the shallow waters of the Thames Estuary. They knew the fish were there, but the noise and presence of the boat created a scare area that was effectively pushing these fish away from downtide fishing range. Casting and anchoring baits along the new route these fish were taking makes complete sense, and is still the most important element of targeting fish in shallow water. However, they should become progressively willing to swim closer to the boat as water depth increases. I’ve fished the uptide method in more than 100ft of water, but, as a rule, it is practised in depths between…

RBS Ready-Rigged Kayaks Best known as the UK dealer for Rodman boats, RBS Marine is used to fitting fishing gear and electronics to 25-45ft powerboats. It fits anything from outriggers, to CHIRP transducers and fighting chairs to custom-made rod holders and electric downriggers, and now offers fully rigged Ocean Kayak fishing kayaks as a package, ready to go. Packages are available at different levels, depending on the equipment required, with bronze level being the more basic, and then further equipment is added at silver and gold. Launching with the Old Town Predator 13, prices start from £1,700, and different models from Ocean Kayak are due to be added to the range very soon. • For more info: Visit: www.rbsmarine.com New Suzuki Outboards Suzuki has released two new high-end performance four-stroke…

Boat name: Lucky Dip 2 Port: Portpatrick, Dumfries & Galloway Nikki Thompson, of Ardrishaig, Argyll, who nominated our top skipper, said: “I was impressed with Steve the first time I met him, and even more impressed when he put me on to what would have been a new Scottish record starry smoothhound weighing 20lb 4oz. The fish was returned.” Steve, who is also a helmsman with the Stranraer RNLI, runs Loch Ryan Leisure, and his boat, Lucky Dip 2, is a 9.6m BJR Westral licensed for 12 passengers and 20 miles COP. “He offers wreck and reef fishing for at least 32 species, including skate, tope, huss, rays, conger eels, pollack, and blue and porbeagle sharks,” added Nikki. “Steve is enthusiastic about his work as a charter skipper and goes…

These lights were designed for carp fishermen, but sea anglers will love them. Three constant and two flashing light options, plus a low low battery warning. This fitment, along with a rubber band, allows endless attachment options. At two to a pack, and rechargeable, these lights offer amazing value for money. SNEEKA LITE RRP: £34.99 These brilliant devices may be small and compact but they punch out a huge amount of light. Carp anglers are using them to illuminate their bivvies, but sea anglers can use them in brollies or beach shelters on a night session too. They can even be attached to a tripod, to light up rod tips, or be fitted to a cap or hat. Coming two in a pack, there are three different constant light settings…

THE SAYING GOES: “THERE’S NO such thing as bad weather, just wrong clothing.” But, when winter decides to unleash its fury upon you, the beach or boat you’re fishing from can quickly become a bleak and hostile place, especially if you’re not correctly kitted out for it. Dropping temperatures, lashing rain and an icy wind can soon deplete your spirits. Standing out in the elements while wearing flimsy garments certainly isn’t fun, and the thought of sitting by the fire, feet up with a hot cuppa soon becomes an infinitely more inviting option. I’ve witnessed many shore anglers trudging slowly along the beach heading for home when the weather turns lousy. Head down, shivering cold and wet, they’ve missed out on beaching a fat winter cod simply because of wearing…

• While fishing with a plaice rig baited with ragworms, Brian Cooper caught his first triggerfish. The angler, from South Wonston, near Winchester, Hants, was fishing aboard Steve Porter’s True Blue, out of Poole, Dorset. • On her first bass fishing trip, Stephenie de Whalley used lure gear to catch a 10lb 8oz fish. The actress, from London, was boat fishing near Beachy Head, Sussex. • Mark Quilliam caught this 13lb 2oz bass from his own boat, an Orkney 592, at a mark in the Solent. The angler, from Dibden Purlieu, Hants, used a blue butterfly jig with muppet on 12lb-class rod and 15lb braid. His son Sam used a Savage Gear shad to catch a 7lb fish on the same drift.…

A bass fishing trip in North Wales turned into an incredible session for tope. Fishing at a beach near Barmouth, Gwynedd, on September 16, Lee Hunton, of Crewe, Cheshire, caught a tope estimate at 40lb (it was 5ft 6in long). The big fish was caught on a Greys BZE Bass 1-3oz rod and a Penn fixed-spool reel loaded with 15lb mono, with a running leger rig with size 3/0 hook and a Ammo frozen sandeel as bait. The fish took 15-20 minutes before Lee’s dad Tim could tail it. “The fight was spectacular, with numerous screaming runs and the fish jumping clean out of the breakers," said Lee. In the same incredible session Lee caught two small-eyed rays between 2-3lb, and his dad lost a large ray and caught a…

A three-year quest to catch a bluefin tuna in UK waters finally ended for big-fish enthusiast Andy Griffith when he boated a 300lb specimen. The angler, from Kent, hooked the big fish during a session aboard Andrew Alsop’s charter boat, White Water 2, out of Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire. It took nearly an hour for Andy to land the fish, which he caught on a homemade deep-diving lure. The fish, which was released, means Andy now holds four Welsh records following his grand slam of three different species of shark in a single day back in 2013, when he boated a 167lb blue shark, 235lb porbeagle and a 194lb shortfin mako. “I have been after a bluefin since 2013 when a big specimen stripped my reel while shark fishing, so it’s…

AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR I TRY TO make the journey from my home in Kirriemuir, Angus, to the remote and rugged Isle of Skye. With around 400 miles of coastline, the fishing from this famous island can be fantastic. Pollack sport is especially good, with double-figure fish possible, and one of my favourite kayaking marks offers a great chance of catching these torpedoes of the kelp. It is located on the north-west of the island and can be reached by launching from Milovaig on the shores of Loch Pooltiel and paddling to the headlands on the edge of the loch. These headlands are exposed, so if I’m planning a trip here I keep a close watch on the wind forecast and plan trips around the smaller tides. The paddle…

More than 100 retired and serving police officers attended this annual event, fished out of Hartlepool marina, hoping to take the coveted Kent Shield into their custody. With regional forces from Dorset, Norfolk, Cornwall, Wales, Lincolnshire, Hampshire, Suffolk, Essex, London and Scotland, along with the local Durham and Northumbria constabularies, entering teams, it promised to be a competitive event. Some forces entered multiple teams of four, with the anglers dispersed across 11 boats to compete in this species contest. Starting at 10am meant that each vessel had plenty of time to allow the competitors to catch a good supply of fresh mackerel for bait. These would accompany the huge array of lugworms, ragworms, squid, prawns and shrimps that they’d brought with them. Anglers allocated on local charter boats felt they…

ANGLING HAS BEEN GOOD TO ME, having taken me to many countries. One of my favourites is Ireland, with its lovely people, beautiful scenery and great fishing. There was a time when I went across to Westport, County Mayo, with a journalist from Angling Times. With us were a couple of lads from the North East who had won the trip through a competition I had run on Radio Newcastle. The plan was that we would stay a couple of nights at the Helm Hotel on the quayside at Westport (the owner Vinny Keogh has his own charter boat), and then to go out to Clare Island for two or three nights. Clare Island is about 17 miles off the coast, and the next stop is America. On the first…

Some anglers reckon easy access marks in the Bristol Channel are not exactly two-a-penny, and only those difficult-to-reach locations are worth fishing. This is simply not true, and Kewstoke Rocks at Weston-super-Mare is an excellent example. A high water mark located just a short drive from Weston, the fishing ledges run alongside what was once a toll road that linked the Somerset town with Kewstoke and Sand Bay. There is no longer a charge to use this scenic route out of town, which is of all the more benefit to visiting anglers. This venue could be classed as an intermediate mark. It is not difficult to fish, but some care should be taken at the cliff edge and some ledges are a little uneven in places. If you are looking…

“There are numerous variations and imitations/copies of popular lures out there” ONE QUESTION THAT SEEMS TO confuse a lot of anglers who are looking to get into lure fishing is ‘what lures do I need for bass fishing?’ If it’s any help, I cling to the memory of cutting out the lure details from the packaging that a new lure is sold in, and then putting them into my lure box. I do this because I need to remind myself of the name of the lure, how much it weighs, and at what depth it is likely to swim. Believe me, I know how confusing lure fishing can be which, in turn, is why I am so keen to make it approachable, easy to understand and easy to get into.…

Creating this rig is much the same as rigging standard Texas or Carolina, but requires the addition of a pop-up bead in front of the lure. I like to have the cone weight held in place on two sliding float stops. Trapping the weight between two sliding float stops means you can change the length that the lure is from the weight, or alter the amount of line that is released by sliding the front float stop up the line.…

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…

POP-UPS are brilliant attractors for all manner of species. Not only do they lift your baits off the bottom, giving them the edge over static ones on the seabed, but also they are deadly in the summer and winter. I don’t think there is a summer species that will turn its nose up at a popped-up bait. Don’t disregard them for the winter either because they can be very effective for whiting and pouting, as well as for flounders. So why are they so effective? As the name suggests, pop-ups are floating beads that are placed next to your baits and, as you’ll probably guess, lift them off of the bottom. This allows your bait to bob around and flutter in the tide. This makes them ideal attractors for species…

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

WITH MINIMAL EXPERIENCE you can accurately identify the species of fish you have hooked in the deep, clear waters off the coast of Norway. It’s not just the way it feels on the rod –the sound your reel makes as line is ripped out through the rod rings gives ample clues. For example, a steady intermittent buzz is most likely to be a cod taking several yards of line at a time in short, steady, head-nodding lunges. An unbroken and invariably prolonged mid-octave howl is a fair indication that a powerful coalfish has grabbed your lure and is diving down to the bottom. But when your rod suddenly bends dangerously close to its limit and the reel screams out in protest, well, that will be a halibut. Situated on the…

SWANSEA HAS PLENTY TO OFFER throughout the year, but perhaps the most desirable are the nation’s two favourite fish – bass and cod. The Bristol Channel is littered with sandbanks, gullies and other marks, so there is no shortage of fish-holding areas. If you venture further offshore, it is possible to reach the amazing porbeagle and blue shark fishing grounds, but you really need the weather and a hefty wallet to cover the fuel costs. During the summer you can target species such as black bream, smoothhounds, bass, pollack, bull huss and rays with general uptiding gear. As we approach the winter, then it’s cod, conger eels and whiting that take centre stage. One word of warning, though; Mumbles (next to Swansea) has the second highest tidal range in the…

WITHIN MINUTES OF stepping aboard the new 810 Arvor, I could see that the build quality and finish were superior to previous versions I have trialed. This all-new 810 Arvor, by Quicksilver, is a boat that is going to find wide appeal with experienced sea anglers, especially those looking for a well designed and built, heavy-duty and highly practical fishing boat that is capable of working well offshore. She would make a great small charter boat too. I have tested a considerable number of Arvor angling boats and have spent numerous days fishing aboard others, and have always come away impressed with their practical layout and sea-keeping qualities. The latest range of Arvor boats is equipped with Mercury inboard diesel engines, and the 810 features a maximum rated 220hp, four-cylinder,…

CONFESSION TIME! I HAVE BEEN really slack with my bass fishing this year. I still love taking out the kayak for some fishing, but the sport in my area of Norfolk and Suffolk has been terrible or banned. My bass fishing normally starts at the end of May with some initial, usually very successful, trolling sessions along the rock breakwaters at Sea Palling. But what was the point of making the two-hour round trip if I wasn’t allowed to keep any of the fish that didn’t get caught in the gill nets that are usually in place there? It would be 15 quid in fuel, and a lost lure or two if I fished properly. As most readers will be aware, anglers were banned from retaining any bass between January…

TRONIXPRO VIRTUOSO FIXED-SPOOL REELS RRP £59.99 & £79.99 IT APPEARS THAT THE ONCE FROWNED upon fixed-spool reel is fast becoming in vogue with many shore anglers. If you didn’t already know it, these reels are easy to manage and make casting from the beach so much easier. Not only that, they’re incredibly good for lifting rigs high and clear in the water, away from irritating snags. Two new 8000-sized models have recently entered the market from tackle company Tronixpro. Labelled Virtuoso ST and Virtuoso XT, they are just the job for anyone looking to add a fixed-spool reel to their tackle armoury. The Virtuoso ST costs just £59.99 and is a stealth-coloured black option that’s equipped with 10 stainless steel, saltwater-resistant bearings. It’s fitted with a medium aluminium spool capable…

A family fishing adventure produced 20 blue sharks, the best estimated at 145lb. The big one was caught by Stuart Lane, who was fishing with his brothers Steve and Jon, plus dad Geoff. The quartet, from Bournemouth, Dorset, caught 20 blues, their first of the species, while aboard Rob ‘Chippy’ Chapman’s Bite Adventures, out of Penzance, Cornwall, with Geoff also catching one of more than 100lb. Using heavy spinning rods and fixed-spool reels, they baited mackerel flappers on circle hooks.…

When Richard Timothy had his first charter trip aboard Flamer IV out of Weymouth, Dorset, he completed a grand slam of a plaice, brill and turbot. The 69-year-old angler’s first fish of the day, caught on the first drift, was a 5Ib 13oz plaice, which was the biggest caught on Flamer IV this year. The angler, from Ampthill, Beds, used 10Ib-class tackle with a flowing trace carrying coloured beads and a size 1/0 Sakuma Stinger hook baited with rag and squid strip. His brill weighed 3lb 3oz and the turbot turned the scales around to 4lb.…

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. Kevin Fowler, Grantownon-Spey, Moray. Fish: 3lb 6oz ballan wrasse. Bait: Gulp Sandworm. Venue: Portknockie, Moray. Date: Sept 11. Duncan Paul, March,…

FILEY BRIGG FISHING FESTIVAL OPEN Whitby west pier to Sewerby Steps, Flamborough, Yorks, 70 anglers Winner of this heaviest bag of any fish match was Mal Skelton, of Bridlington, with 13-7-1, with runner-up Martin Dixon, of Filey, close behind on 13-0-9. • Result: 1 Mal Skelton, Bridlington, 13-7-1 (7pts); 2 Martin Dixon, Filey, 13-0-9 (6); 3 Tom Marshall, Flamborough, 12-3-3 (5). Heaviest fish – Mick Ellis, Scarborough, 8-8-5 (2). FILEY BRIGG FISHING FESTIVAL OPEN Whitby to Flamborough, Yorks, 63 anglers Winner of this heaviest fish match, was Jason Riley with a codling weighing 5lb 6oz 9dr. He also had the top bag weight with 11-10-5. • Result: 1 Jason Riley, 5-6-9 (6pts); 2 Jon Richardson, Flamborough, 3-15-3 (5); 3 Mark Colling, 3-9-6 (4). FILEY BRIGG FISHING FESTIVAL OPEN Whitby west…

MANY SUCCESSFUL BASS ANGLERS are secretive about the marks they fish, which might suggest little information is shared about how they go about catching their quarry. However, that is not always the case. When I was younger I didn’t understand the concept that I needed to gain the trust of other anglers before they would share key information with me. There were anglers in the club who openly shared knowledge that helped me to catch more fish. As a teenager, I was at the beginning of the learning curve and treated all information as being of great value, even if, in hindsight, those nuggets were very basic. Quite accidentally, I stumbled upon the way to gain the trust of fellow anglers without even realising that I had. I was constantly…