Indholdsfortegnelse for July 2024 i Sea Angler

When I asked Dave Lewis to begin a new series of features, in what has become Dave’s Diaries, I knew he’d have some tales to tell – with over four decades of fishing all over the world under his belt, there’s no shortage of material for him to draw on! This month he recounts a very fresh-faced, young Dave taking his own boat, Alison, to fish in Ireland for the first time in the 1980s. Amongst many specimen fish caught during the trip were what we call monkfish but which are more accurately called angelsharks (Squatina squatina). Once a common catch for many anglers around the UK and Ireland the angelshark is now all but extinct apart from in a few isolated pockets where they have survived, one of which…

In association with HOW TO ENTER Email only to sa.ed@kelsey.co.uk Please supply these details: angler’s name, age, address, telephone number, email, type of FISH, weight of FISH, where caught, DATE caught, BAIT/rig, whether caught from shore or boat, if from charter boat, give name of boat, port and skipper. Please state if the FISH was retained or returned. Send us your entries and win some great prizes ■ SHORE LURE OPTION: Solaris 4000 or 5000 reel, RRP: £60, Epixor 15-50g rod RRP: £80 ■ SHORE LURE OPTION: Solaris 4000 or 5000 reel, RRP: £60, Epixor 15-50g rod RRP: £80 ■ BOAT: Classic CLX, RRP: £60 Cortez Boat Rod, RRP: £90 ■ SHORE BAIT OPTION: DSA reel RRP: £60, Wave Power surf rod, RRP: £80 YOUR TARGETS... Catch a FISH on…

It was the late Ian Gillespie who coined the term ‘uptiding’ when he likened it to up-stream chub fishing. Ian (co-inventor of the original Breakaway lead and designer of the Spearpoint hook) was an early convert to uptiding after experiencing amazing results using the, then, new method. After a few years of comments like, “If you want to fish there why not move the boat there?”, the results started to speak for themselves. Well known anglers of the time, like Geoffrey Bucknell and Clive Gammon, came to Bradwell on Sea in Essex to sample what boat casting had to offer. The basics of uptiding are fairly simple: a grip weight is cast up and across the tide. Line is then let from the reel until the weight is felt to…

ASK THE EXPERTS When sending your question, please remember to include your name and address CHRIS KENNEDY Chris is a specimen hunting specialist based on Sark and answers shore fishing questions. DAVID MITCHELL David is Sea Angler’s editor and is an expert on sea angling policy and conservation . BEN BASSETT The Plymouth angler and blogger 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, blogger and photojournalist Henry, based in Cornwall, is our lure expert. BRIAN PASK Brian is a qualified sea angling coach and casting tutor who works with young people and experienced anglers to improve their fishing skills. SHORE ANGLING Q With many popular…

It is a belief commonly held amongst the British sea angling community that the Mediterranean is all but devoid of fish. So many anglers I speak to are convinced of this, an opinion probably based on what they have seen – or more likely not seen – during holidays to the various Costas. Some have actually fished aboard various ‘tourist boats’ booked from harbour side kiosks advertising sea angling. Rarely will these produce much in the way of sport, with most sailing with far too many anglers to offer anything like a reasonable chance that you will be the one who actually gets to play an occasional fish, should one be hooked. Then, of course, there is the strongly held opinion that the Spanish kill everything they catch, no doubt…

REVIEW I have had the pleasure of testing some of the Akios range of rods. The Fury 420 and Fury 450 were put through their paces on the beach using a fixed spool reel and 5oz lead. I used the Overhead Thump, Brighton cast and Off the Ground cast on each rod in order to get an idea of their capabilities. I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed casting with all three and would have liked to try the power tip that is available for the Fury range. This stronger tip can be purchased in addition to the rod and it will easily put out larger baits or give you, when needed, bigger distances. All three rods are available in three pieces and felt very light in the hand.…

REVIEW The word “ika” is Japanese for squid and the word “egi” is a Japanese word for a specialist squid lure; so yes, the HTO Nebula IKA Hunter 2.65m, 2.5-4.5 “egi” rod is technically designed for squid lure fishing. However, it is also a rather lovely lure rod which works incredibly well as an 8ft 7in bass rod rated to around 30g. I cannot believe that a lure rod this good and effortless to fish with costs only around £100. There’s no doubt there’s a lot of lure fishing gear on the market these days. As anglers, we have never had it so good with so much quality kit around for pretty amazing prices. PERFECT FOR PLASTICS HTO have a very good reputation for sensibly priced lure fishing rods, primarily…

JULY ● 5: Fishon Tackle: round 7 Hayling 8-12pm; signing in 6pm-7pm from Millers, Eastoke Corner; pegged measure and release; anything over 18cm; no bait restrictions; £10 member £12.50 nonmembers; back up venue for all matches is Eastney. Contact Ashley Dowdeswell: 02394 007684 or 07807 639872 ● 6: Reel Fun Fishing: Aust and Littleton Open. Meet & Draw 4.45pm at Aust. Fishing 6.45pm - 10.45pm (two hours either side of high water); 100 pegs available; £25 entry (100 per cent pay-out); all pegged & zoned (4 zones 25 anglers); 1 rod 3 hooks; 18cm size limit on all species; catch, measure witness, return and convert to weight (heaviest bag); no bait restrictions. Pre-book and pre-pay only. call Reel Fun Fishing: 01275 848652 ● 6: Smoothhound Open, Chapel St Leonard’s, 14.00-19.00,…

SHORE BALLAN WRASSE Ballan wrasse, especially fish over 3lb, are caught mainly from rock ledges and breakwaters. They feed on crabs, limpets and small fish like sandeels and gobies. TIDE TALK Wrasse are caught on most tides, but off the rocks and breakwaters the middle sized to bigger spring tides fish best. On the rocks, at low water, the bigger tides give access to marks less frequently fished, this being key to the better catches and bigger fish. Tides from the 4th to the 12th of July should be noted with those on the 5th to 10th looking the best. Later in the month opt for those falling between the 20th and the 28th, the prime tides being the 20th to 22nd and rising tides before the peak spring. Wrasse…

In association with £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…

How to improve your fishing skills This month I have undertaken several casting sessions including one for a young angler who has been fishing for just three months. He has been watching casting videos and used the Brighton cast. Interestingly, his friends think he can’t cast and that what he does is strange. I am happy to report that they are wrong – this fella can cast and with a few tweaks he was reaching around 80-90 metres in a fairly strong head-on breeze. During the session we spent time discussing rigs, baits and watercraft. I am sure you all know that there is more to successful beach fishing than turning up at a beach and casting out. Ask yourself: why am I casting out here and what is under…

STORM BISCAY DEEP SHADS The bait's design gives an enticing rocking action as it drops while the weedless hook makes snagging a thing of the past. The life-like action is complemented by the extremely detailed design, with each body perfectly colour matched to its jig head. Optimal for deep jigging, the Biscay Deep Shad takes you right where the predators of the deep lurk. Sizes and weights: ■ 15cm/6” 91g ■ 17cm/6.5” 111g ■ 17cm/6.5” Heavy 131g ■ 19cm/7.5” X Heavy 163g ■ RRP: £13.99 - £17.99 ■ www.rokmax.com WESTIN W6 WADING BACKPACK The Westin W6 Wading Backpack is a perfectly sized lightweight backpack. Great for day trips, it keeps all your gear safe and dry. Perfect for wading or when hopping from rock to rock. The backpack is equipped…

REVIEW We take sea fishing tripods for granted, but they are a necessity unless you are fishing from a boat, pier or breakwater. They haven’t really changed much in decades in terms of their evolution and design. They do a simple job, but not all are equal. I am now just about into my fifth decade of shore angling in the UK, and I want to explain which tripod I have used most and why. Tripods are not cheap anymore, and here at Sea Angler we don’t want you to waste your money. WHAT MAKES A GOOD TRIPOD? I expect there will be some variation in the answers to this question if I were to run a poll. I would say stability has to be at the forefront because if…

INTERVIEW TM: What got you hooked on fishing all those years ago? JR: The first time I went fishing was with dad on Southend Pier when I was about four or five. I caught a flounder and showed just about everybody who walked past. I started going fishing regularly on my own or with pals, both sea fishing on the shore or the piers and freshwater fishing on local ponds, from about nine or 10. The world was a much safer place then and you didn’t he didn’t give a second thought to going off on your own on your bike or bus to go fishing. TM: You were one of the pioneers of uptiding back in the 1970s. How did this new technique come about? JR: Boat casting, or…

HOW IT WORKS ■ With £10,000 in tackle prizes the points, based on entries, are awarded to the top three plus section winners and captors of the largest fish caught in each designated Penn match. Penn also awards a prize of a Spinfisher fixed-spool reel to the angler scoring the most points in matches shown in each issue. If there is a tie, the winner will be the angler whose total is from the greatest number of results and is then chosen on merit by the Angling Trust. An angler can win only one reel during the year. To win a prize you must be registered with the Penn Sea League – supply your name, address, phone and email. Send fixtures, results and league registration by email to Ian Bowell:…

The starting point for many anglers is the good old overhead thump. This is probably the simplest cast and will give the least compression in the rod. It will result in the shortest distance out of all the styles we will look at in this series, but it will get a bait out where fish can be caught. TOP TIPS FOR THE OVERHEAD THUMP: ■ Relax into your casting.■ Use power but slow the cast down.■ Remember, power over speed and focus on technique and timing over distance – this will come. GENERAL TIPS FOR ALL CASTING TYPES: If you are looking to improve your casting distance, here are some tips that might help. ■ The right rod is the one that suits you. It doesn’t have to be the…

Within a few years of owning my first boat I started to develop itchy feet. I wanted to explore the fishing further afield than off the Welsh coast of the Bristol Channel and having already fished in Ireland on numerous occasions it was the mouthwatering prospect of fishing there from my own boat that held the greatest attraction. One day I read an article written by Phill Williams. It profiled the small boat fishing in Tralee Bay on the north-east coast of the Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry, and it was here that I started to focus my attention. I managed to obtain Phill’s phone number and he could not have been more helpful, freely providing me with all of the information I needed: where to stay, the best places to…

GARMIN INREACH MINI 2 This compact satellite communicator helps you keep home with you when you’re off the grid - adding peace of mind to every adventure, without adding weight to your pack. inReach is a subscription service that is purchased directly though Garmin. Global satellite coverage keeps you connected when mobile phones can’t. In an emergency, send an interactive SOS message to the coordination centre which will connect you even without mobile phone coverage. ■ RRP: £229.95-£299.95 ■ www.garmin.com LIGHT UP YOUR ADVENTURES WITH RAILBLAZA Visibility is your first line of defence on the water. RAILBLAZA’s range of navigational and visibility lights are not just accessories, they are lifelines. These robust, waterproof lights ensure you are seen, no matter the weather conditions. Mount a 360-degree light atop your vessel…