Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 540 i Sea Angler

MANY OF YOU WILL HAVE HEARD that the catch limit for bass imposed in 2016 will continue unchanged for 2017. Anglers will see this as a slap in the face after being led to believe a monthly bag limit could be introduced. What it means is that, once again, recreational anglers will be prohibited from retaining bass caught between January 1 and June 30, while being allowed to keep one fish a day from July 1 to December 31. While anglers will feel deflated after their efforts to get a fairer deal from the EU, it cannot be denied that restricting commercial fishing to rod-and-line only is a step in the right direction. Yes, it cannot be ignored that the commercial netters have been afforded some wriggle room, thanks to…

THE PICTURESQUE AND UNSPOILT beach of Sand Bay is just south of its more famous neighbour, Sand Point, and on the northern fringe of the popular seaside town of Weston-super-Mare. It receives few visitors in comparison to the longer, livelier beach of the town proper, but can be a useful venue for the sea angler. On first inspection, you may be fortunate to see some water as, although the tide floods the bay twice daily, only the biggest of tides offer enough depth of water and make for any kind of angling opportunity. Over the years, the beach has changed dramatically. The gradient of the venue below the sand dunes was once a lot steeper, and a very pronounced gutter was evident at its base, offering a prime fish-holding feature…

OF COURSE, WE ALL KNOW WHAT bass eat – or do we? They will, in truth, consume almost anything, including waste thrown in the water and any creature small enough to devour. I’ve seen them gulp down dog biscuits and bread intended for mullet, and I’ve found chicken bones, and even a mole, in the stomach of captured bass. However, the usual contents of bass stomachs are hard crabs and various small fish. The exact nature of the food varies from place to place, so crabs will generally be shore crabs or several species of swimmers, and the fish can be anything from pipefish to pollack, and mackerel to megrim. Hard crabs take much longer to digest than fish, so they are over-represented in bass guts and, in fact, live…

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: If I set my drag to slip when I pull the line directly from the reel, will it take the same amount of exertion if pulling…

IT’S BEEN NEARLY TWO AND A HALF YEARS since the retirement of Sea Angler magazine’s Mel Russ, who presided over these pages for some 30 years, and, no doubt, some readers might wonder what a former editor gets up to when he’s finally put out to grass. Living on different sides of the country, we rarely get the opportunity to meet up, but did manage a get-together last year for a couple of days at the seaside town of Tenby. If you are thinking of a seaside holiday somewhere in the UK that offers decent fishing, both boat and shore, then the Pembrokeshire town would be an excellent choice. The evening before our day afloat we met in one my favourite pubs, The Hope and Anchor, which you’ll find within…

TO HAVE ANY CHANCE IN A competition, you need to get yourself organised well in advance. It’s no use throwing everything in your tackle box at the last minute, arriving half-an-hour before the event starts and tying rigs on the way out to the first mark. If you are towing your own boat to the venue, there will be extra work, including checking out the launch site and making sure there’s somewhere to park the trailer. A little forethought and preparation work at home can really pay dividends when it comes to match day. Most competitions these days, apart from ‘big-fish’ events, are run on a catch and release basis. The popular trend of species events makes this a minefield for competitors who are new to the match scene. Different…

Mora Companion knife Mora is a family-run Swedish company with more than 125 years of expertise in making fine blades, and this Companion knife, costing £15, is its latest offering. Being perfect for all types of outdoor adventurers, the Companion Stainless Steel will undoubtedly become a tackle box essential for both boat and shore anglers. The powerful blade is made from high-quality Swedish stainless steel for outstanding durability and longevity. The 2.5mm thick blade is complemented by a soft-friction grip handle. To ensure the blade can be stored safely, the Companion comes with a protective polymer sheath, which features a belt clip. Available in various bright colours, the Companion is a versatile knife perfect for many types of outdoor pursuits. • For more info: www.morakniv.se Yamaha F25 outboard Yamaha’s new…

BASS DISAPPOINTMENT I am disappointed about the outcome of December’s bass negotiations in Brussels. It is pleasing to see that there should be an overall reduction in the total catch of bass, especially from the larger trawling vessels, however the bycatch allowance has meant that inshore gill-netting around Cornwall will be business as usual. I commended the stance of Angling Trust in respect of a flexible approach to recreational bag limits. This was supported by the tackle trade, charter skippers and most recreational anglers. Many anglers felt that this approach would be more likely to result in anglers complying with the regulations. Sadly the Ministers saw fit to ignore this and once again have made the ordinary citizen the whipping boy for their own incompetence. George Eustice briefed fishing industry…

• While fishing from a private vessel out of Dover, Kent, Sam Smee connected with this 9lb 5oz cod. The 12-year-old, from Canterbury, Kent, used cuttlefish baits on a three-hook flowing trace and was fifth in the Dymchurch cod competition. • Laila Dillon, from Sandown on the Isle of Wight, shows off a cracking 10lb undulate ray that she caught from her local pier. The 11-year-old used a spinning rod and reel with a two-hook flapper rig loaded with squid. • Ragworms tipped with squid accounted for this 3lb 2oz trigger fish when Flora Munden, from Brockenhurst, Hants, fished aboard charter boat Mistress Lindale, skippered by Phillip Higgins operating out of Poole in Dorset. It was the 11-year-old’s first charter trip when she joined other members of Lymington SAC juniors.…

DO YOU BELIEVE IN UNKNOWN powers causing strange events? Well, see what you make of this story from a time I was over in Washington State on the Pacific north-west coast of the United States of America. The trip to Seattle was to film some of the amazing saltwater fishing in those parts, but, while there, we received an invitation to a Native American dinner on an island in Puget Sound. The Native Americans of Puget Sound are known as the Salish or Lushootseed peoples. Of course, as such events are one of the major tourist attractions, we jumped at the chance and made a reservation (no pun intended). Our producer thought this colourful event would make a handy insert into the programme, so we boarded the boat with the…

IT’S A GOOD BET THAT YOU PLANNED AT least one cod session around your Christmas celebrations and, quite possibly, enjoyed some success too. December always brings with it high expectations of productive sport, and if the conditions are good, the chance of beaching a hefty specimen is always on the cards. For me, though, it’s always been January and February that I prefer to set my sights on targeting a big fish, especially on many of my favourite North East marks. It’s about now that the larger hen fish are preparing to spawn, and a few will certainly venture inshore to feed. These fish are rapidly piling on weight and, consequently, if you choose your location well and plan accordingly, there’s real hope of connecting with one. Generally, it may…

WELL, 2016 IS HISTORY, AND what a year it has been – fish, fun and more fish. Although it is very early in the New Year, my LRF season is still going strong, and now is when those cold-water techniques come to the fore. More on them later, but for now it is time to look back over the year and list my top-performing tackle, tactics venues and fish. ROD Hands down, the winner of best rod for 2016, for me, was the 7ft 5in HTO Rock ‘N’ Force 1-10g. Okay, so this rod is a top-of-the-range model, with a price tag to match at around £300, but it simply is a stunning rod, and in this case you really do get what you pay for. The rod is part…

THE spider hitch knot is a another strong connection for creating a loop in any type of line. It’s easy to create, with the six simple steps shown here. A Double over the end of your line, take it back to form a large loop and trap it between thumb and forefinger. B Take the end five times around your thumb, lastly behind the trapped loop. C Take the hanging loop through the trapped loop. D Moisten the line and then begin to pull it tight. E Moisten the line again and pull both ends of the line to tighten. F Once the knot is snugged up tight, trim the tag end with sharp scissors. SEA FISHING KNOTS – FROM THE REEL TO THE HOOK by Andy Steer • You…

Each month we’ll select a winning question from each of our shore/LRF, boat/kayak and lure questions. Three lucky readers will get great gear prizes from sponsors Tronixpro. The sponsors reserve the right to send an alternative prize to an equal value. • BEACH: Guerilla Beach rod and Envoy Tournament Mag reel, worth £140. • LURE: HTO Lure Game rod, Lure Game 4000 reel and Lure Game 16lb braid, worth £123. • BOAT: Guerilla 20lb-class rod, Envoy Wave reel, 20lb Axia line, beaded spreaders, triple spreader, lumo hokkai and multiplier wrap, worth £123. 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…

IF YOU WANT LOTS OF BITES FROM RAVENOUS fish , then look no further than the whiting. There are times when there are so many whiting about that they become a nuisance. However, it also makes them a popular species with match anglers from boat and shore. The whiting is a member of the Gadidae family, which includes cod, and is generally found over a seabed consisting of sand, mud and gravel, at depths down to about 100 metres (328 feet). They feed on small fish, marine worms and small crustaceans. Whiting flesh was allegedly used as a filler in flour in times of shortages in the 18th Century, when millers and bakers were commonly accused of using ground whiting to add to flour as the costs of the fish…

THROUGHOUT THE YEAR THERE ARE plenty of species to target out of the Essex port of Bradwell, but perhaps the most dominant to be found here are thornback rays, bass, tope and smoothhounds during the summer, and the cod and whiting in winter. The River Thames is littered with sandbanks, gullies and other fish-holding marks, so there is no shortage of areas to choose from. There are also numerous wrecks to be found, and these can be a haven for the bass, plus a few cod, pollack and even gurnards. More recently, one of the boats from Bradwell has been exploring a little further offshore and has opened up a plaice fishery, with exploratory trips producing plaice to over 3lb. The marina at Bradwell is geared up for visiting anglers…

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…

IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR WHEN DAYLIGHT hours are reduced, and with tide times not always complying with free time, many anglers are forced into fishing during the hours of darkness. Any evening stroll along the beach will see a line of lamps casting their glow on to rod tips, as anglers sit and wait for the nodding of a cod. It can be a productive time to throw some worms into the water, and there’s no reason why a kayak angler shouldn’t choose to launch in the hunt for feeding fish. Some shake their heads at the idea of kayaks bobbing around at night targeting cod, but, when needs must. It requires familiarity, confidence and a common-sense approach. When I worked a Monday-to-Friday, nine-to-five job, and my children were…

IS IT TIME FOR A ROD LICENCE? How do you enforce a bass limit? One way to fund it would be to introduce a sea rod licence. Bass are so important now that the authorities are getting worried about the best commercial fish in the sea, albeit too late. There are still people catching for undersize plate-size bass around the coast, and nothing is done about them. If they had a licence they would know the rules about minimum sizes and bag limits, so there would no excuses. Anglers caught without a licence could be fined. Bass are likely to end up in a restaurant so they should get the maximum fine, which commercial fishermen get for undersize bass. If sea anglers are really concerned about bass, then they will…

FENIX CL30R RRP £99.99 THERE WAS A TIME, AT LEAST 10 years ago and perhaps for a long time before that, when any serious angler wouldn’t be seen on a winter cod beach without a base lantern. Whether paraffin or petrol was your fuel of choice, the presence of a cheery light (Tilley, Coleman, Anchor or Hippo) hung from a tripod on a frosty night was synonymous with winter cod fishing. Time has moved on, and with the technological advances in super-bright LEDs, courtesy of our friends in the Far East, so has the light source favoured by the autumnal beach dweller. With headlamps offering practically the same amount of light as that kicked out by a fuel-powered pressure lantern, the need for the base lamp was no longer there.…

• A Suffolk angler’s trip to Chesil Beach, Dorset, resulted in a personal best cod of 18lb, caught on a lug and squid wrap on a Pennell pulley rig. Tom Welham (above), travelled from Ipswich with his younger brother Jake. • Keith Ryder (right), of Newcastle, used a cart and squid cocktail on a size 7/0 Pennell rig to catch this 10lb 12oz cod at Cambois, Northumberland. • Sam Holberry, of Truro, Cornwall, fished a pulley rig with a size 3/0 hook carrying a whole sandeel tipped with squid to catch this bull huss estimated at 10lb. He was fishing at high tide in the Fowey area.…

ONCE AGAIN, MINEHEAD CHARTER boats were chosen for the European Federation of Sea Anglers’ English Cod Championships, but a lack of fish before the big event meant the contest would be a hard-fought battle. The vessels selected for this prestigious competition were my own boat, Alykat, Teddy Boy, skippered by Mike Webber, and Osprey (Steve Webber) and Fulmar (Steve Pilbrow). In great anticipation, 25 ardent anglers duly arrived promptly at 6am on the quay at the Somerset harbour on a cold November morning. All contestants were supplied with bait packs to give everyone an equal chance over the two-day event and, with the draw settled, the anglers boarded their allocated boats to venture out to sea. As I pushed Alykat around the quay head, we were met with a brisk,…

BLACKDOWN SAC OPEN Blackdown, Somerset, 80 anglers Three codling for 2.23kg ensured victory for Weymouth angler Danny Woodcock. Paul Cox and Matt Kyte both caught two codling for 1.434kg and 1.238kg respectively. • Result: 1 Danny Woodcock, Weymouth, 3 fish, 2.23kg (8pts); 2 Paul Cox, 2, 1.434kg (7); 3 Matt Kyte, 2, 1.238kg (6). CLOUGHTON OPEN Skinningrove to Spurn pilot jetty, North Yorkshire, 104 anglers A heaviest cod of 7lb 12oz was enough to seal top spot for Steve Dixon in this popular roving match. The fish was part of the Seaham angler’s 12-3-0 total bag weight. Seond went to junior angler Charlie Crowe, of Scarborough, with a cod of 6lb 1oz, with Ian Simpson, of St Bees, finishing third with a fish of 5lb 14oz. Heaviest bag was Filey…

ROD-BENDING SMOOTHHOUNDS or winter cod often fuel the enthusiasm of seasoned anglers. For many others, though, it is flounders that are eagerly awaited, and they are often the first real taste of sea angling for many junior rods. In Dorset, it is January when the season really kicks off for specimen-size flatties, especially in the massive Poole Harbour. These fish move down from the mainly shallow higher reaches of the harbour into the more accessible deeper areas before heading out to sea for spawning. Following an offer to fish one of the more remote, private stretches of foreshore along the western fringe of the harbour’s upper reaches, I was bubbling with excitement. This would be a great opportunity to assess the health of the harbour’s flounder population before they moved…

“I remember bass being revered by the grown-ups” I’VE WORKED WITH AND AROUND FISHING guides all around the world, and the whole subject fascinates me.Without a doubt, the expectations from the clients about what constitutes a successful day’s fishing is somewhat different to what you might think. Sure, if you fish a lot yourself and don’t have any need of professional assistance, then you will most likely think that a day’s guided fishing is all about a heap of fish. In reality, though, this is not true. Hiring a guide is about the whole fishing experience, in my opinion, and it was a joy to spend some time with Marc Cowling, of the South Devon Bass Guide company, and ask a few questions… HG: Marc, tell me a bit about…

THERE’S been a lot of debate on cart over the years, especially about best methods of preparation. The shore lads from Whitby pioneered it and left the rest of us wondering why they were having such incredible results. Their secret of success is out, though, and if you can get your hands on some edible crabs, you’re in luck. Basically, cart is the inner meat and all-important coral from an edible hen crab, and by removing, preparing and storing it properly, your next shore cod session could well be one to remember. Coral is the eggs carried by the crab and stored in the wings before they come into what’s known as ‘berry’. The coral can also be stored in the crown of the crab too. It’s easily and immediately…

JUST when you thought your rig box was looking pretty healthy, full to the brim with every type of rig imaginable, I am about to tell you that it isn’t. It’s missing one basic, yet brilliant, fish-catching rig. Recently, you may have seen or heard a fair bit of talk about Portuguese, three-below, or urfe rigs. These rigs have been kept under wraps by those in the know for quite some time…and for a very good reason. Built upon an idea most people wouldn’t dare to entertain, the three-below rig defies all rig-making rules. The basic idea is having one long hooklength that flows below the weight, with two shorter hooklengths attached at chosen distances down the same hooklength. You then attach this rig to what is known as an…

FIVE YEARS HAD PASSED SINCE I’D last fished the River Mersey. The trip had been with my old friend, Tony Parry, on his boat Jensen, so it was only right that for my return to this wonderful venue I called him to organise a day afloat. Having heard reports of good numbers of codling in the 2-5lb range being caught both from shore and afloat, with double-figure fish being thrown into the mix, how could I miss out on such a great opportunity? After calling Tony, I phoned a few friends to join me and my trusty cameraman Jim Midgely. As luck would have it, Mike Thrussell, another Sea Angler writer, was free too, and so was his son Mike junior. The River Mersey is an amazing place to fish…

MAYBE I'M A SENSETIVE SOUL, but what I've noticed on many a wreck trip is that anglers come ill-prepared and with the wrong gear, and, as a consequence, suffer a poor day’s sport, bemoaning wrecking as a waste of time and cash. Even if you only do one wreck trip a year, you need to do it right. SELECT THE CORRECT REELS Balanced tackle is the key to successful wrecking. You’ll be holding a fishing rod all day, so don’t choose huge and heavy 4/0 reels, which I still see used even though they are unnecessary. Modern compact, lightweight multipliers, such as the Penn Fathom lever-drag 15, or similar sized alternatives from the Shimano, Snowbee, Okuma and Daiwa stables, are tough and better suited to the job. If you can’t…

THIS ANNUAL EVENT HAS TO BE THE biggest boat fishing competition in the UK in terms of attendance. This year’s contest saw a staggering 529 anglers fishing from 145 pleasure and charter boats, in what turned out to be a day of two halves. During the days leading up to the competition the weather forecast kept changing, and it was unclear whether or not the event would take place. However, the organisers decided to call it at 6am on the morning of the competition, and at that time it was a goer. The Bristol Channel has long been associated with big cod and regular catches, but in recent years the sport hasn’t been at its best. With boats fishing from both the English and Welsh sides of the Channel, from…

THE QUICKSILVER CAPTUR 755 Pilothouse is beautifully finished to a very high standard, and could comfortably fish four or possibly more anglers. My sea trial had been arranged by Network Yacht Brokers, based at Swansea Marina, and as soon as we exited the Tawe Lock and cleared the lee provided by the concrete breakwater, we found that a strong south-westerly wind was ruffling the surface of Swansea Bay into a lively chop. Certainly, we had reasonable enough conditions to assess a fishing boat. Presented with these conditions, the Quicksilver Captur 755 Pilothouse provided a smooth, slam-free ride at sensible speeds up to around 18-22 knots, the vee-hull slicing smoothly through the breaking waves, with no spray at all getting thrown aboard. Pushed hard into all of the usual manoeuvres with…

AS ONE YEAR PASSES INTO THE next it can be an excellent time for the kayak angler to take stock, reflect on the year passed and plan for the year ahead. Taking my own experiences into account allows me to identify shortcomings in my own kit and approach, and to amend them for the coming year. ANCHORS I learned that a ‘folding grapnel’ style anchor is not sufficient to hold bottom in a muddy estuary in a 25 knot wind. Armed with this information that was gleaned from a particularly bumpy and difficult day, I have ordered a Bruce or claw-style anchor. This type of anchor is far more adept at finding purchase in a combination of heavy flow and soft substrate. The folding grapnel is fine for easier applications,…

• 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 wind and waves, and better able to blend with tide. Trouble-free handling on guides. Excellent abrasion resistance. • Sunline Cast Away 150m (8 strand):…

“It’s sublime, and it is a lure rod that does exactly what I ask of it” MAJOR CRAFT SKYROAD SKR-962M RRP: £179.99 AS MUCH AS I LOVE THE MORE regular 10-30g lure fishing rods, there comes a time when they simply don’t cut the mustard. You might be fishing rough conditions and you need to bang bigger lures out to really get them to ‘grip’, or you could be fishing deeper water for pollack and need that bit more lifting power to drag fish from their snaggy lairs. What about very fast currents where you need bigger soft plastics to bump the bottom, or you quite simply like lure fishing with a more powerful rod? Enter the Major Craft Skyroad 9ft 6in 15-42g; if there is a better collection of…

Highlight of the boat cod fishing scene so far has been Eddy Pond’s 30lb 2oz cod caught on December 11. The angler, who comes from Fareham, in Hampshire, was fishing on the Buccaneer, skippered by Mick Gill, out of Gosport. The personal best fish took a squid and cuttlefish cocktail. There was also a 30-pounder from the shore, which is pictured on page 102. Back on the boats, Mark Langley, of Pontypool, Torfean, caught a 23lb cod, a personal best, while fishing in the Bristol Channel on a private boat, skippered by his angling pal Merlin Woodward, out of Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan. A superb 24lb 6oz cod fell to Mike Fox, a member of Poole Bay Small Boat Angling Club. He was fishing a club competition, run in conjunction…

• A late winner secured the annual black bream prize aboard the Weymouth charter boat Amarisa, skippered by Keith Brown. It was won by Marius Ciocan (below), from London, who, just when everyone thought the black bream season was over, caught a 4lb 11oz fish while fishing from the Dorset-based charter boat. Marius wins £100 for his efforts. • Mick James (above), of Cardigan, Ceredigion, caught a 13lb bull huss while boat fishing off Milford Haven. He fished a pulley rig baited with ragworms while aboard Dave Hancock’s charter boat Excel 2. • Bristol shore angler Steve Ace (below) caught this 9lb 6oz bull huss on November 28, just as the sun was setting on a clear day at a North Devon rock mark. He fished a pulley rig with…

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. Darren Waggott, Newtownards, Northern Ireland. Fish: 158lb common skate. Bait: Whole coalfish. Venue: Private boat, Bangor, Northern Ireland. Date: Dec 1.…

NOW ORGANISED BY WEST COAST SAC, Guernsey’s Open Specimen Fish Hunt has been a longstanding competition for more than 30 years, and this year produced a record total of 184 qualifying fish and 21 different species. Winner is decided by the total amount of different qualifying species. Held on three weekends in September, October and November, its success and consistent run of specimen fish and variety of species is a result of the island’s landscape and geography. ROUND 1 Round 1 in September attracted 96 anglers and produced 68 qualifying fish and 15 species, with Billy Foreman and Greg Whitehead taking an early lead with four qualifying species each. Billy was ahead on percentage thanks to a 5lb 4dr gilthead bream, 1lb 10oz garfish, 5lb 13oz 10dr thin-lipped mullet and…

JANUARY • 13-14: Asso two-day open, Hythe, 10am-3pm, headquarters at Hotel Burstin, Richard 07866 714497. • 14: SWWASAC winter open, The George, Mumbles, Swansea, 5.30pm-9.30pm, heaviest single fish, £250 1st, meet 4pm opposite The George, pegged, three hooks, overhead casting only, bucket required to keep catch alive, SWWASAC size limits, Peter 07599 540822. • 15: Yorkshire Federation open, Hornsea, noon-6pm, meet 11am at North Beach, Harry 01977 734890 or 07768 187823. • 15: The 15th Air Ambulance open, Amroth, noon-4pm, £200 1st heaviest bag of flounders, £5 entry, £1 heaviest fish pool, John 01834 891510. • 15: West Coast Tackle League rnd 1 open, Gynn Wall, 10.45am-2.45pm, book on at 8am at WCT, two hooks, £20 all-in, Dave Hutchinson 07472 249294. • 15: Easington SWC SAC Dean Foster Memorial Trophy…

1 Only matches fished at weekends or bank holidays can qualify for Penn points, but no other weekdays. 2 Multi-day events (maximum five days) will be accepted (subject to at least one day complying with rule 1), but with points awarded for the overall result and only up to a maximum of 20pts for the winner. Zone points will be based only on the daily entry, not the overall entry. 3 Multi-day species festivals will only attract points for total entry, not multiplied by the number of days. 4 League events and other major national competitions will be awarded Penn points at the editor’s discretion. 5 All events must be open. League, pairs and team competitions are allowed only if they have a separate individual event. 6 Matches only to…

SMOOTHHOUNDS ARE ABUNDANT off the South Wales coast, but until perhaps 10 years ago they were never caught east of Barry. Nowadays, though, they are caught regularly off Sully Island, and even Penarth beach, and have been caught as far up channel as the Severn Bridges. The same goes for the southern section of the North Sea, where the species is now caught in large numbers much further north than used to be normal. Numbers are certainly on the increase, which is great news for sea anglers. Back in 2009, the editor of the Dutch saltwater magazine Zeehengelsport, Peter Dohmen, asked if I had some images of smoothhounds he could use to illustrate a news story. At the time, the species was an extremely rare capture off the Dutch coast,…

SAMPLING OF BASS IN NURSERY areas is providing valuable information about the stocks of this popular sport fish, but it also gives an insight into other species too. The information not only tells scientists about the viability of bass, but also gives a better understanding of their movements, food sources, if they move between various rivers, and provides a record of the state of many other fish. Hopefully, volunteers will continue to come forward, so if you want to get involved in your area, a good starting point is your local IFCA. You may know that bass spawn 20 miles or more offshore, starting in February, continuing for a few months. The hatchlings mingle with the plankton, but, when about 3cm long, move inshore to enter estuaries, such as the…