Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 601 i Sea Angler

WE CANNOT HELP BUT be drawn to lures which have a lot of obvious action either in or on top of the water. We tell ourselves the more a lure does, the easier a fish can find it. While I accept that this might sometimes be the case in rougher conditions especially, I am going to try and open your eyes here to some different but effective lure options which don’t roll, wiggle, flash and shimmer a whole lot. Your head might say no but the bass will often say yes. Look at lures in the water and you’re drawn to the one doing the most because if you were a fish that is what you’d want to see. But we are not fish. As much as I try to…

ORFORD NESS SHINGLE SPIT IS Suffolk’s answer to Chesil Beach. Extending from Aldeburgh to North Weir Point, it is a steep beach where a short cast allows you to fish into deep water and a good tidal run. This is an internationally important nature conservation site, which was once administered by the Ministry of Defence for secret military tests. Some of the distinctive buildings, such as the pagodas, still remain. The river trip boat (on Regardless) takes you from Orford Quay to the first drop-off point known as the Crouch. From here head straight across on the designated footpath to the beach. The beach fishes well the whole way along from the pagodas all the way up to the Narrows on the right. Head one way or the other because…

MORECAMBEBAYHAS UNDERGONE something of a fishing renaissance in recent years due to the appearance of smoothhounds and thornback rays in ever increasing numbers. However, it is not all about the summer fishing because the West End Beach at the Lancashire town offers good fishing all year for a variety of species, particularly plaice. Located in front of Gerry’s tackle shop and stretching from an old pipeline on the left to the popular stone jetty, it is a shallow beach exposed as Morecambe Bay empties. Fishing is over low water and involves a good walk so it is not a venue for less physically able. Low tides of 2.1 metres and over are best because they leave lots of water in the channel. Small lows (bigger tides) render the flood unfishable…

THE UP-MARET RESORT OF Salcombe, famed for its sea views and balmy climate, comprises outer and inner estuaries and that of the extensive Kingsbridge at its northern end is seven miles from the open sea. It is what is termed a ria, a drowned tidal river valley fed by run-off water from the land on its flanks and several small rivers. SEASONAL SPECIES The whole area has over many decades provided a remarkable level of species and has no rival for the gilthead bream. A breakdown of the UK records reveals five in the shore category since 1976 to today’s ultimate specimen of 12lb 2oz. The heaviest of seven taken boat fishing weighed 10lb 2oz. This iconic species has made its appearance as early as May and remains a target…

BASS SHORE ■ Ross Boakes, Lowestoft, 10-0, Lowestoft, August 4 ■ Jake Bodie, St Helier, 8-5*, Jersey, August 7 ■ Tim Head, Dublin, 8-0, An Daingean, August 16 ■ Dan Jameson, Eastbourne, 9-9*, Eastbourne pier, August 7 BREAM BOAT ■ Brian Gourley, Newport, 5-9-8 gilthead, Solent, August 1 ■ Mike Trowbridge, Weymouth, 3-0, Weymouth, August 4 ■ Shay Upham, Brixham, 4-10 Couches*, Penzance, August 21 BREAM SHORE ■ Lloyd Carty, Plymouth, 5-2 gilthead, Cornish creek, August 16 ■ James Pritchett, Gosport, 2-0 black, Millennium Pier, Gosport, August 26 ■ Ryan Wyatt, Bristol, 2-8 black*, Budleigh Salterton, August 20 BULL HUSS BOAT ■ Neil Redman, Westbury on Trym, 14-0*, Minehead, August 23 BULL HUSS SHORE ■ Mark Botterill, Hedon, 10-0*, Wylfa Head, August 1 ■ Ian Copping, North Cornelly, 13-12*, North…

AUTUMN MAY MAKE US THINK of impending winter, yet the reality is that the sea temperature peaks in mid-September and then falls slowly through to December in average years not reaching its lowest until around late February or early March. In the past decade or more, baitfish like mackerel and sandeels have arrived later than normal but have extended their time inshore by four weeks or more due to higher temperatures throughout the year. This also applies to bigger bass that seem to stay on the inshore grounds right through to Christmas. Those baitfish provide a major food supply to sustain the bass through the winter and this creates late-season opportunities for anglers wanting to target bass over the inshore reefs and wrecks, and inside small harbours. Lure fishing can…

I CANNOT OVER-EMPHASISE HOW invaluable it is for any boat angler to attend a basic training course for the RYA Level II Powerboat Certificate. While not a legal requirement, more and more insurance companies, harbour authorities and owners of public launch sites are demanding such certification. If you want to use a self-drive boat at many locations, including Iceland and Norway, often there is a requirement for at least one of the crew to hold an RYA Level II certificate. Achieving this certificate requires attendance at a two-day basic course that covers all aspects of running your own boat, with the emphasis very much on safety. While open to the raw novice, you will get a lot more out of the course if you have some practical boating experience and…

When sending your question, please remember to include your name and address JAMES MADSEN Bristol Channel angler James Madsen is here to solve all your shore angling problems. MARK CRAME Suffolk-based Mark gets a thrill from fishing afloat on a kayak. Send him your kayaking queries. DAN SISSONS The Portsmouth angler will provide answers on the sport of light rock fishing (LRF), the go-anywhere tactic. DAVE LEWIS Based in Newport, South Wales, our contributing editor Dave answers boat fishing questions. HENRY GILBEY Angler and photo-journalist Henry, based in Cornwall, will answer questions on lure angling. HOW TO ASK A US QUESTION ■ Email: sa.ed@kelsey. co.uk or online: www. facebook.com/ seaanglermag…

One of the main advantages of using pop-ups is that after casting you are free to get on with the filleting rather than finishing up with a pile of fish to do at the end of the session. You require a solid cutting board and a very sharp filleting knife because you get far greater control over the bait (1). The process is fairly easy. Place the fillets on to some dry newspaper with the flesh side facing upwards, sprinkle a light covering of salt over the flesh and then leave them out in the air for around 15 minutes (2). Make sure you keep your salt dry so it is free flowing to get an even spread over the bait. Once done just shake off any loose salt before…

Looking for a top quality fishing reel at a bargain price? Then check out this great deal on the Okuma Distance Surf Arena fixed-spool reel. The offer is for a DSA-60, a stylish reel with a corrosion resistance graphite body that weighs 570g. With four bearings, a 4.5:1 retrieve ratio and 16kg drag, it’s certainly got the stamina for light beach fishing. Every turn of the handle retrieves 103cm of line. Okuma has been making lightweight and precise rods and reels, using advanced materials and dynamic design, since 1986 with a mission to deliver the ultimate fishing experience to anglers through excellent quality products. Other features of the DSA-60 reel are a worm shaft oscillation system, one-way roller bearing, cold-forged aluminium distance spool, line clip, bale locking system, aluminium die-cast…

HOOK ME UP IS THE BRAINCHILD OF WELL-KNOWN lure angler, Charlie Coppolo. Best-known for his freshwater fishing exploits, he’s an extremely accomplished bass angler too. The idea behind the subscription service is that each month you receive a ‘mystery box’ of hand-picked lures direct to your door. There are various tiers to choose from, such as Bronze, Silver and Gold boxes costing £15, £30 and £50 respectively, plus one-off bespoke packages such as the Bass Box, LRF Box, Pike Box and various Signature Series boxes from some big-name anglers such as Andy Mytton. Each box contains lures and tackle over the stated price, in most cases offering at least a 10 per cent saving compared to buying the items separately. I ordered the ‘Bass Box’, here’s what I got inside……

SOME PEOPLE DREAD GROWING OLDER. There are days when I wish my knees and back were less creaky but retirement means I can fish whenever I want. My favourite time for an outing is a couple of hours before first light. That’s when nobody with any sense is out and about, my spots are quiet. Early mornings in October and November are the best, the holiday surfers attracted to my home turf in Mount’s Bay, Cornwall, have gone home and the better bass have taken their place. What follows is an insight into one of my fishing weeks as a full-time angling bum. SUNDAY The forecast had nine degrees, a light southerly breeze to 15 mph, and high water was to be right around the time of first light. The…

YEARS AGO, WHITING WERE undervalued and people would refer to them as “fish for the cat”. They were nothing more than a by-catch for the cod anglers, but times have changed. These days whiting are more likely to be dominate a catch and if you are very lucky you might land a cod. Like the UK and Ireland, officially The Netherlands is a country of four seasons but sea fishing really only has two, summer and winter, both with a very distinct character, their own fish species and a very different group of anglers. You have the fervent summer-fishers, who are on the hunt for mainly soles, bass and small sharks, like smoothhounds, and those who prefer to target winter fish, being mainly dabs, cod and whiting. The whiting is…

GETTING THERE From the M25, take the A12 past Colchester to Copdock roundabout. Turn right on to the A14 over the Orwell Bridge and rejoin the A12 eastbound at Seven Hills. Go past Martlesham and turn right at the roundabout on to the A1152 (Woods Lane). Go straight ahead at the Melton traffic lights and left at the roundabout to the B1084 (Orford Road). Follow this road to Orford. There is a pay and display car park behind Orford Quay. Before setting off on your journey, make sure you have booked your crossing with Oliver Page, of Regardless River Trips, tel: 07900 230579. TACKLE SHOP ■ Breakaway Tackle, 376 Bramford Road, Ipswich, IP1 5AY, tel: 01473 741393. ■ Saxmundham Angling Centre, Back of Market place, Saxmundham, IP17 1AH, tel: 01728…

LOCATED BETWEEN THE MOUTH OF the River Usk and Goldcliff Point, near Newport in south-east Wales, the fishing at Farm Fields involves a bit of trek through mud-covered peat. Backed by a high concrete seawall, this vast expanse of intertidal mud has ankle-breaking channels that crisscross the sea grass in front of the wall. The peat ledges, which for a certain time on some sizes of tide in one or two areas, provide a comfortable platform from which to fish. You’re still going to get plastered in mud, but at least the mud covering the ledges is a thin layer, rather than the knee deep stuff you trudged through. Unless the weather is really warm, as is often the case on the best days when targeting soles, wearing old-style PVC…

WHERE TO FISH WITH A GULLY CURRENTLY running all the way from Waxholme to the start of the groynes at North Withernsea, this part of the Holderness Coast is popular all year. From the car park opposite the Northfield bar and restaurant, situated on Withernsea Sands Holiday Park, it is only a short walk down the side of the field on your left to the cliff tops. There is a fairly easy ‘get down’ here with steps dug out of the clay cliff to access the beach below. To the north of the access point you’ll find Waxholme and to the south is The Dump, named after an old landfill site in the cliff top. At the moment the gully runs from Waxholme to North Withernsea, but things do change.…

LOCATED ON HAMPSHIRE’S WESTERN fringe, Barton-on-Sea beach is easy to locate and provides some great action with nocturnal soles and small-eyed rays. Some hefty smoothhounds also move within casting range. Midway along the clifftop there is a cafe, from where a long sloping path leads down to the shingle beaches. There are a number of rocky groynes offering rough fishing platforms, but the shingle beach is more comfortable. It is a relatively shallow venue with mainly a shingle/ sandy seabed, although there are some clay patches that often hold a better stamp of fish. Calm night tides are favoured for most species with the exception of bass. If there is a big swell running, this venue is best avoided. SEASONAL SPECIES Small-eyed rays normally appear from April onwards with most…

BASS ■ Shore: 19lb 13oz 8dr John Locker ■ Boat: 19lb 4oz Wayne Milton BLACK BREAM ■ Shore: 5lb 5oz 1dr C Le Monnier ■ Boat: 6lb 6oz Tony Heart COUCH’S BREAM ■ Shore: 2lb 15oz 1dr Lynton Carre ■ Boat: 7lb Becky Lee Hodges GILTHEAD BREAM ■ Shore: 9lb 8oz Scott Smy ■ Boat: 10lb 2oz Roger Simcox PANDORA’S BREAM ■ Shore: 1lb 2oz Baz Wheater RAY’S BREAM ■ Shore: 6lb 1oz Jordan Colwell RED BREAM ■ Boat: 6lb 4oz Patrick Meegan BRILL ■ Shore: 6lb 12oz Mark Griggs ■ Boat: 13lb 10oz Tony Hayward BULL HUSS ■ Shore: 21lb 9oz M Urquhart ■ Boat: 23lb D Nicholson BALLAN WRASSE ■ Shore: 9lb 4oz Darren Swift ■ Boat: 9lb Glen Carter CUCKOO WRASSE ■ Shore: 1lb 13oz Joe Edward…

I STARTED SEA ANGLING IN THE TIDAL reaches of the River Usk around Newport in South Wales. Those of us who fished (most of us did) would save our pocket money and wages from paper rounds for essential items of tackle but other items, such as weights, we would make ourselves. I left school at 16 and joined the Merchant Navy, and for the next four years I was rarely at home. In 1981, when I finished my navigation cadetship, I decided I did not want a career away at sea and got a job as a deckhand on a Bristol Channel pilot boat. With my interest in sea angling and boat angling in particular growing, I started to dream about owning a boat. Shortly afterwards I began a long…

A STRONG AND HARD-FIGHTING species, the green jobfish is often caught at most of the Indian Ocean destinations where I have tried jigs and poppers. Most trips we catch several, though rarely more than a fish or two a day, which almost always we keep as they are excellent eating. The average size of most of green jobfish I have seen is 5lb to 15lb, with the current IGFA record being 44lb 8oz, which was caught in 2003 in Japan. Also known as the gray jobfish or slender snapper, this is a species of snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae that is found in the Indo-Pacific region. TOP TACTICS A voracious predator with a serious set of teeth, the green jobfish can be caught on almost any method, but the…

Each month we’ll award a prize to the best shore, boat and lure/LRF question. ■ The shore winner receives two spools of Sufix Tritanium Neon Orange 0.35mm mainline, two spools of 80lb Sufix Zippy Shockleader and two spools of Sufix Shock Max 0.18mm-0.50mm tapered shockleader worth £52. ■ The boat winner receives a 300m spool of Sufix 50lb X8 Stealth Green braid and a 250m spool of Sufix 50lb Matrix Pro braid worth £53. ■ The lure/LRF winner receives five of the new Rapala MaxRap lures worth £65 To view the full range of Sufix and Rapala products, visit: www.sufixfishing.fishing and www.rapala.co.uk T&Cs: * One prize per winning question will be chosen by the editor. Prizes cannot be exchanged and no correspondence will be looked into. We reserve the right to…

The wishbone rig can be made in several ways. It holds two hooks on a sliding hooklength but can be made with a Pennell and single hook for carrying both a larger and smaller bait. Sometimes called the sliding or see-saw wishbone, its hooks are clipped on a Gemini rig clip, as shown here, to streamline the bait for distance casting, but you may prefer a Breakaway Impact Lead, Impact Shield, Imp clip or similar device. This version is tensioned with an SRT fitted below the main swivel on the rig body and held in place by a bead and mini crimp. Step-by-step 1 For the rig body, tie a Genie rig clip to end of a piece of 70lb line. Thread on a mini crimp, 3mm bead, SRT, bead,…

SHIMANO EX FLUORO OCEA LEADER RRP: £7.77 - £32.99 PER SPOOL Shimano’s EX Fluoro Ocea Leader is thinner than equivalent breaking strain nylon, highly abrasion resistant, doesn’t absorb water so it sinks faster, is clear in colour and, with its refractive index being pretty close to that of water, is therefore less visible to fish. Ocea Leader’s structure is quite different too, in that it has a soft fluoro core for knot strength, a hard outer shell for abrasion resistance, and a fluorine coating to provide a smooth surface. Available in 50-metre spools in 15 breaking strains from 4lb to 130lb. The 25lb line (pictured below) has a diameter of 0.406mm and retails for £9.99 per spool. ■ Available from all Shimano tackle stockists. CATCH LIVIES & STINGAZ JIG HEADS…

MOST ANGLERS CAN SPEND A FORTUNE on fancy rods and reels but seem to pay less attention to the line and hooks they use. Having fished for more than 50 years, I’ve certainly realised their importance. My hook journey has taken a path that became linked by two brand names. I started with the hooks produced by Partridge of Redditch and when I was young my parents were often badgered to search the tackle shops on their travels for the Z10 pattern, one of my favourites. PARTRIDGE The Partridge name is still going strong and the brand is very popular in America. Back in the 1980s it had 17 patterns of sea hooks made from Sheffield steel wire, four of them bearing the name of Sea Angler contributor John Holden.…

OBESSION IS OFTEN A TRAIT associated with anglers, and as I crouched down on all fours behind a large barnacle-encrusted boulder I remembered this and certainly began to feel a little self-conscious. Making my way to the water’s edge, using the cliff as a background, I kept the rod tip low and shuffled forward on all fours. Nearing the water, the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks seemed loud and the frothing water felt at odds to my Ninja-style approach. So why was I being stealthy when there was a noisy, foaming mass of water only two meters away from me? The answer lay in my experience of this mark. I knew the fish would be here (and close in) because I knew how many bass I’d spooked…

OCTOBER 2011 ■ Simon Hughes described catching a 106lb conger eel as his best moment in 30 years of sea angling. The angler from Mountain Ash, Rhondda, was fishing on Kevin Tait’s Annie Clare, out of Torquay, Devon. His pal Mark Nelson boated a 103-pounder only minutes earlier. ■ Four regional groups from the Marine Conservation Zone Project put forward 127 areas to be considered for protection. The advice would go to the Government in 2012 for decisions on which ones would become Marine Conservation Zones. ■ John Austin, from St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan, caught a 16lb-plus smoothhound, a personal best, and another of 9lb while fishing at Aberthaw. ■ Four anglers from Ludlow SAC caught 50 blue sharks to 167lb in six hours while aboard Andrew Alsop’s White…

WHERE I LIVE IN MY little quiet corner of South Devon, I couldn’t ask for much more as regards the coastline. There is so much diversity, which offers so many fishing possibilities, and as a lure angler it’s so exciting just walking the coastal paths in search of that perfect looking gulley or awesome shallow reef ground. Bass are my real passion and it’s the reason I begun this lure fishing adventure. The thought of catching the awesome bass on super light gear and shiny lures is just heart stopping. Despite the amount of diversity there is no more exciting way for me to target bass than fishing really shallow reef ground, in particular the small tidal reefs. It’s awesome going to a spot at a low tide and looking…

HAVING SEEN MULLET when fishing estuaries and rivers, I got interested in catching one but a lot of anglers said they were tricky to catch. I decided it called for some research so I asked for some advice from a friend of mine, top specimen angler Martin Larkin, who offered to accompany me on a trip to catch my first mullet. That first session was one evening in Plymouth, but we didn’t catch at the first venue and moved to another spot. On our arrival, we saw mullet feeding on the surface and cast out our baits, getting bites but not hooking any at first. Eventually my reel screamed, I picked up my rod and I had a mullet on. It was only very small one but made me realise…

WITH EASY ACCESS TO THE beach and sea wall, Blue Anchor Bay is suitable for anglers of all ages and abilities. As a high water venue, it is best to fish between two to three hours either side of high tide. Blue Anchor is a north-facing beach, so it can offer some shelter from strong southerly winds. SEASONAL SPECIES The best fishing is often during the autumn, with September and October giving a mix of both winter and summer species. The beach and seawall regularly produce big congers, with fish over 20lb fairly common. In recent years there has been some exceptional fishing for small-eyed rays, particularly from the seawall. Double-figure bass and cod are caught most years. Smoothhound fishing in the summer can be very exciting. Other species include…

GETTING THERE To get to Farm Fields, exit the M4 at Coldra (Junction 24) and follow the Southern Distributor Road (A48), towards Newport town centre and the docks. Turn left towards Nash and the RSPB Newport Wetlands. Follow the road towards Goldcliff turning right into Saltmarsh Lane, where there is limited parking at the end of the road. From here, follow the coastal footpath in a westerly direction to the seawall. TACKLE SHOP ■ Dave Richards Angling Supplies, 73 Church Rd, Newport, NP19 7EH, tel: 01633 254910. ■ Garry Evans, 29 Redland St, Newport, NP20 5LZ, tel: 01633 855086. ■ Steve’s Baits, 2a Grafton Road, Newport, NP19 0AS, tel: 07865 049806.…

GETTING THERE Leave Withernsea heading north on the B1242 Waxholme Road. Look for the Northfield Bar and Restaurant at Withernsea Sands Holiday Park, HU19 2BT. Parking is in the free car park on the opposite side of the road to The Northfield. From the car park it’s a short walk down the side of the field on your left to the cliff tops. Here there is a fairly easy get down with steps dug out of the clay cliff to access the beach. TACKLE SHOP ■ Holderness Tackle, 118 Queen Street, Withernsea, HU19 2HB, tel: 01964 612340.…

FANCY WINNING SOME QUALITY mono, braid and fluorocarbon from Sufix by catching a great fish? In our catch competition, your target is to catch one over the weight given on our nominated species list. If you do, enter our contest and you automatically stand a chance of winning either our shore or boat bundle. Each issue we award a superb Sufix package to the captor of the best shore fish and best boat-caught fish, both chosen on merit. There is no choice of prize which is awarded at our discretion. Neil Davies, Swansea. FISH: 5lb 14oz thin-lipped mullet. BAIT: Legered bread. VENUE: River Tawe. DATE: July 29 Duane Lockwood, Hemsby, Norfolk. FISH: 72lb tope. BAIT: Mackerel. VENUE: Whitby Lass (Ben Richie), Wells. DATE: August 11 Stephen Doherty, Derry, Northern Ireland.…

FISHING HAS ALWAYS BEEN A huge part of my life. I grew up in South London and went coarse fishing as a child. Anywhere I could fish, you could guarantee a fishing rod was in my hand. Holidays to the seaside and abroad resulted in me pestering my dad to take me sea fishing. He’s also a keen angler so it hardly required too much persuasion. Sea fishing was the chance to catch something new and learn about a different style of fishing. When I was a kid I often stayed at my grandmother’s house in Eastbourne and would go sea fishing the minute I arrived. At 22, after an easy transfer came in at work, I decided to move there from London. It was an relocation opportunity too good…

Q After weeks of brilliant fishing on the shallow beaches of the Solway, the fishing has just stopped. Could this be down to the heatwave we’ve had or is it something else? MICHAEL STOKER, NEW ABBEY, DUMFRIES JM says: Prolonged periods of hot or cold weather can have a detrimental effect on our fishing, especially when it comes to shallow beaches and estuaries. More often than not, the main reason fishing is good from certain locations, at different times, is down to the food source. Fish need to eat and certain weather conditions can most definitely affect what they are eating. I fish shallow areas of mud and sand in winter. These areas will fish well until we experience prolonged periods of heavy frost and then the venues switch off.…

Q Can you explain the procedure to adopt if my kayak capsizes? DEAN SINCLAIR, CRAMLINGTON, NORTHUMBERLAND MC says: This happens to everyone at some point and it’s advisable to spend a lot of time practising in a range of sea and wind conditions to get the tactics right so you are ready for when it happens accidentally. There you are, upside down with kit floating about. If you are at anchor you need to release yourself from this first and get it out of the way. Either unclip it or cut the lines. Likewise you may also need to cut away any fishing lines that are in the water as you really don’t want to get tangled up. Make sure that you have at least one knife or rope cutter…

IT’S BEEN MORE THAN A YEAR SINCE I reviewed Century’s Fireblade and the Daiwa Sandstorm 1422, and I’m pleased to say that both rods continue to perform beautifully. Apart from a few stone scratches, both remain presentable with rings and fittings all intact. The Sandstorm’s shiny lacquered blank has marked a little more than the Fireblade’s matt uncoated finish, but that is to be expected. The pair are aimed squarely at all-round beach work with 150-175g lead weights, 0.35mm mono or braid equivalents and a bias towards multiplier reels. They are happy with off-ground and pendulum methods. Like most mid-range beach casters both the Sandstorm and Fireblade do well enough with fixed-spool reels but they are not as good as dedicated rods. For most of my fishing it makes no…

PENN FATHOM 400 LP RRP: £270 I’D NEVER CONSIDERED USING A BAITCASTING reel for sea fishing, that was until a friend of mine loaned me one for a boat trip targeting black bream in East Devon. I spent the day lowering flapping rigs off the side of the boat, it was easy fishing and I didn’t exactly put the reel through its paces. This was a smaller low-profile baitcasting reel, it was really nice to fish with and handled everything that particular day threw at me. Upon returning the reel to my friend, he asked me what I thought and we went on to discuss the full potential of low-profile reels, with regards to sea fishing. The general points of discussion were their actual strength, ease of use and the…

PENN PLUS LLANTWIT MAJOR CHARITY OPEN Llantwit Major, Vale of Glamorgan, 116 anglers The weather turned up trumps for this much anticipated match held over a three miles of beaches. With a light westerly breeze putting a perfect chop on the water, this resulted in plenty of fish. It resulted in some superb action consisting of 11 species of fish with smoothhounds the dominant species. A massive 892kg of fish were caught by 76 anglers. Winner with a superb catch of 40.15kg was Andrew Withey (pictured above with organiser Mark Cowell). This is the second time the Bridgend angler has won the event in recent years. He caught 14 smoothhounds and a conger eel. Second place went to Dan Crump from Barry with 11 hounds for 34.50kg. Third was…

SEPTEMBER • 18: Tralee Bay SAC open, Ventry Strand, 6pm-10pm, meet at Páidí Ó Sé’s entrance, Chris O’Sullivan 00353 (0)85 1532770. 18-26: Scarborough Angling Festival, shore and boat events, Pete Atkinson 07711 124032. • 18: The Scarborough Open Angling Championship, Whitby West Pier to Bridlington South Pier, 2pm-6pm, weigh in by 7pm at Anglers’ Social Club (any alternative will be advised on Facebook), Pete Atkinson 07711 124032. • 19: Dyfed Match Anglers open, Llanrhystud, times on Facebook page, pegged, measure and release 15cm, longest bag, Ben 07854 272739. • 19: Hythe open, Hythe beaches, 9am-2pm, book in from 7am-8am at Fountain pub, £30 all-in, C&R to size limits, any baits, booking essential, Mark Rogers 07770 973062. • 19: Scarborough Festival Hospital Challenge Bowl, Whitby West Pier to Bridlington South Pier,…