Indholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2023 i Sea Angler

It’s been over 20 years since I was last there but this month I’m lucky enough to be travelling to Australia for the World Recreational Fishing Conference from February 20th-22nd. The conference, held every two years, brings together anglers, scientists, researchers, fishery managers and other interested parties to present and discuss the latest research, findings and policy on recreational fishing from right across the world. This year representatives from 20 different countries will be converging in Melbourne. I am officially there representing the European Anglers Alliance – a lobbying organisation that represents anglers across Europe and whom I’ve been involved with for 13 years now. It’s the European Anglers Alliance you’ve got to thank for the 2024 bass bag limit being extended from nine months to 10. With any luck…

GREAT SEA ANGLING VENUES Your insight into the best shore and boat fishing that the UK and Ireland have to offer THE FAL ESTUARY The Carrick Roads is an expanse of water immediately north of Falmouth which has been used as an anchorage for shipping for hundreds of years (‘roads’ means anchorage). It is fed by water from several rivers, including the Fal, and was created at the end of the last ice age when the river valley became flooded. The main channel, the route of the old river, is up to 34m deep, but the edges are characterised by many areas of shallow, crystal-clear water. To the south, the Penryn and Percuil rivers join with the Carrick Roads to meet the sea east of Falmouth. The rocky shore and…

GREAT SEA ANGLING VENUES Your insight into the best shore and boat fishing that the UK and Ireland have to offer The Bolberry Down shoreline is set below steep cliffs and is difficult to access. However, it’s also a contender for the British blonde ray record and is therefore attractive to hotshot shore anglers who don’t mind the height. They have overcome the problems of the descent by having driven crow bars into the cliff to which ropes are attached.The choice of going down is that of the individual; I personally do not recommend it. There are easier spots, but they don’t fish as well. The shoreline is a mix of sand, gravel and stone and there are patches of reef interspaced by the sand and gravel that extends far…

FANCY WINNING A NEW ROD AND REEL COMBO from Okuma 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 prize. Each issue we award a superb Okuma package to the captor of the best shore fish and best boat-caught fish, both chosen on merit. Prizes are awarded at our discretion and Okuma reserves the right to send alternative prizes. Damion Fryer, St Austell FISH: 4lb 1oz ballan BAIT: soft plastic rigged weedless VENUE: St Austell rock DATE: 20/01/2023 Roy Repton, Teignmouth FISH: 7lb 2oz ballan wrasse BAIT: crab VENUE: Dorset DATE: 27/1/2023 Tony Wright, Eastbourne FISH:…

Rodman is one of the boat brands which is generally regarded by boat anglers as one for big cruising boats used for big game fishing. I know quite a few charter skippers and wealthier boat owners who own a Rodman, and they are very comfortable, good looking and well equipped boats – I’ve always rather wanted one. However, in terms of day angling for recreational boat owners they’re either too large or too expensive. So, it’s good news that Rodman has launched a new range of models: their Ventura line of boats. There are three: 690, 790 and 890 (7m, 8m and 9m models). In the UK these boats are distributed by RBS Marine – based in Chichester – and we were fortunate enough to be invited down to “road”…

GREAT SEA ANGLING VENUES Your insight into the best shore and boat fishing that the UK and Ireland have to offer LOCATION Marine beach is located in front of the swimming baths on the promenade in the Lancashire town of Fleetwood. It stretches from the channel up to Dronsfield Road but to the locals Marine Beach is from the Marine Hall to were the beach meets the channel. It is a shallow beach with extensive lugworm beds. The beach faces north so it is a good back up venue when it’s too rough to fish at Cleveleys or Rossall. You can only fish it for a maximum of two-and-a-half hours either side of high water but can be fished on any high tide throughout the cycle. At…

£25 TACKLE VOUCHER WINNERS Fishingmegastore.com awards a £25 voucher prize to each of two winners - the youngster with the best shore fish and another with the top boat catch. The winners can use the voucher to select tackle from Fishingmegastore.com which is based in Glasgow and Edinburgh. ■ Send your Young Rods entries by email to sa.ed@kelsey.co.uk…

JAMES GARDINER was born in Ilminster, Somerset, in April 1864 and when 15-years-old took an apprenticeship with the Merchant Navy. At 21 he decided to travel and arrived in Pasadena in the United States where he drove a six-horse stagecoach. Within a year he had settled in Catalina where he set up a very successful boat and fishing business. Jim, as he was known, established contracts with well-healed anglers and became the personal boatman of the esteemed naturalist Charles Frederick Holder, and was the first “gaffer”, as the skippers of the angling boats were called, to secure a 183lb bluefin tuna. Caught by Holder on rod and line the fish made headlines worldwide. It was mounted and can be seen in the island’s museum. In 1915, with the war raging…

IN ASSOCIATION WITH Rod advice or where to buy, email: seafishing@century.uk Website: www.century.uk Most of us prefer small CT multipliers because they’re easy to use, cast effortlessly far and have sufficient speed and strength for most open beach fishing. Heavy, dirty work is another matter because stepping up to a big reel brings a crop of handling issues that can prove impossible to deal with. It helps to understand the background forces that make smooth control and decent distances more demanding. It’s a whole new world for anyone brought up on 6500 reels. Even modestly big reels such as the Daiwa SL30SH, which holds 300yds of 20lb mono, produce a slightly odd feeling when you let fly with a cast. Whereas a 6500’s response is instant when your thumb lifts,…

Those of you who follow my exploits on social media will know that when I’m not out chasing cod during the winter months, I like to dabble on the river with a few deadbaits in search of pike. In recent years I’ve always worm my black military-grade winter boots, but about a year ago they began leaking after a solid 12 years of service, so the time was right to invest in some new footwear. I did contemplate buying the same boots again, but then I also thought about my other passion in life, hunting with air rifles, so I made the decision to look into a decent pair of wellies. A chance conversation with Chris at Vass Rainwear soon had a pair of their Winter ‘E’ Boots winging their…

JANUARY 1: ASHBRIDGE MEMORIAL NYD OPEN, SEWERBY STEPS TO PAULL LIGHTHOUSE, 110 anglers ■ Result: 1st Mike Coates, Hull, cod 3.625kg (11); 2nd Wayne Davidson, cod, 3.10kg (10); 3rd Wayne Davidson, Thornton, cod 2.825kg. Ladies’ winner: S Moore, cod, 1.13kg. Junior winner: N Smith, cod 1.55kg. 1: HOLT SAC NEW YEAR OPEN, KELLING, 20 anglers ■ Result: 1st Mark Gooch, Lowestoft, 43 fish, 481 points (2); 2nd Charlie Fairy, 42 fish, 453 points (not registered); 3rd Keith Morley, Lowestoft 40 fish, 405 points 7: COLWYN BAY VICTORIA SEA ANGLERS WINTER SERIES 1ST LEG, PENSARN, 36 anglers ■ Result: 1st Terry Wallworth, Colwyn Bay, A zone, 7.00m (not registered); 2nd Gary Wood Holyhead, A zone, 6.16m (2); 3rd Carl Edwards, Bootle, C zone, 5.97m (2). Longest fish: 61cm thornback ray caught…

GREAT SEA ANGLING VENUES Your insight into the best shore and boat fishing that the UK and Ireland have to offer Nash Sands extends for almost eight miles, running in a generally westerly direction from Nash Point a little to the east of Monksnash Beach, to the West Nash Buoy. If you were to draw a triangle connecting Nash Point with the West Nash Buoy and Sker Point to the west of Porthcawl, the relatively small area enclosed within contains one of the most productive fishing grounds for ray you’ll find anywhere in the British Isles; and Monksnash Beach sits right in the centre of it! TIDES The optimum time to fish over the main sandy section of the beach at Monksnash is for two to three…

All around the world many small species of tuna are generically referred to as ‘bonito’. However, in reality, very few of these are actually what are scientifically known as bonito. The true bonitos are classified under the genus Sarda and are a schooling species that appear, at least to me, as being the missing link between the tuna and mackerel family, Scombridae. Another way of looking at it is that bonito are like small dogtooth tuna. The IGFA currently lists four species of Sarda: Sarda sarda which are found in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, Sarda orientalis in the Indo-Pacific, Sarda chilensis of the eastern Pacific, and Sarda australis which are found in Australia and New Zealand Bonitos are fast, highly predatory fish and can be identified by their striped backs…

SHORE THORNBACK RAY Thornbacks are back inshore in good numbers by April in most areas, but the tides you fish are always critical for consistent success. TIDE TALK During smaller neap tides, thornbacks tend to have a more sedentary lifestyle favouring hunkering up in hollows and depressions over sand and mud, only moving short distances during the peak flow of tide. This limits their likely access onto shallower sand or mixed rough ground shore venues. It’s the bigger tides that see them move out of their hidey holes and using the faster flowing water to carry them further afield. Look to the tides falling between the 4th and the 11th, then from the 17th to the 24th April for peak catches. Thornbacks generally feed best from the second to the…

MARCH ● 3- 5: Paul Roggeman European Open Beach Championships, for more details visit www.eobc.co.uk ● 4: Channel Anglers SAC Porlock and Bossington Bait supplied three match series, fishing 2-6pm draw and bait 12pm. Max 45 anglers, 3 zones, 100 per cent payout, £30 league entry, £20 pools per match, £11 for bait supplied, pre-book and pre-pay only, peg draw and bait allocation to take place at Porlock Weir, catch, measure, witness, return and convert to weight, James Madsen on 07900651071. ● 5: BRAAS Open, 0830 to 1330, catch and release, Pagham beach, booking in from 0730 at Pagham yacht club 1 West Front Road Pagham PO21 4SY. Entry cost £ 8 senior £4 junior, optional pools flat £1 round £1, prizes subject to entry John Small 07799 762377 after…