Innehållsförteckning för Issue 614 från Sea Angler

ISSUE 614 OCTOBER 2022 SEWAGE SHAME The news over recent weeks has focused the UK water companies’ seeming willingness to pump as much sewage into the sea around the coast as they can get away with in the pursuit of higher profits for their shareholders. Faeces, sanitary products and condoms are all too common a sight on UK beaches after our water providers have discharged untreated sewage from many of the combined sewage outflows dotted around the coast. Social media has been awash with torrents of filth rushing onto beaches along the South Coast just at the same time we go through our hottest ever summer when families, anglers and millions of others are heading to the same beaches. It has always surprised me how little sea anglers have had…

Your fishing rod is your tool to get the lead and your line where you want it. These days you cannot really buy bad rods anymore. However, there is certainly a difference between good and less good rods. Upon purchasing an often-made mistake is to buy a rod that you’ve seen someone else using. Of course, this is a good indication which rods are currently popular; and there are obviously good reasons why this type of rod is a popular seller, but to just flat-out buy a rod because everybody is using it is asking for trouble. A rod has to fit you like a glove. It is almost comparable to a garment; if it is too large or too small or just does not fit comfortably it will end…

Hutchwns Point is a short headland of jagged rock, located to the west of Porthcawl on the edge of Swansea Bay offering good fishing, combined with easy access and a range of comfortable ledges from which to fish. Throughout the year most of the usual shore species encountered in South Wales can be caught fishing from Hutchwns Point. For example the various species of ray can be caught year round, but are most prolific from March through until the autumn. In late spring the smoothounds arrive inshore and stay until the end of summer, and are often caught in large numbers. Bass can be caught on both bait and lures. During the winter months whiting and codling can be caught. Other species to expect include the inevitable dogfish, rockling, conger…

TALES FROM THE TIDELINE Well, it’s official: I’m now absolutely and unequivocally a middle-aged man. The signs are there – I spotted yet more grey hairs in my beard this morning and I’ve started to produce sudden and involuntary strange noises when bending down to pick things up, so I suppose it’s just one of those things I’ll have to come to accept, like the oft-quoted death and taxes, just another thing to add to life’s list of considerations. It’s true, though, that long before taxes and grey hairs, life seemed so very simple. All the important stuff was nothing to do with me, it was all part of that strange and foreign organised landscape that formed the world of the grown-ups. Jobs, bills, responsibilities; all were a million miles…

Overseas fishing trips are not cheap therefore it’s hardly surprising that rather than book through one of the travel companies that specialise in destination angling, there is a huge temptation to book your own trip in the hope of keeping costs to a minimum. Yes, in certain instances you can save some money, that is if you don’t factor in the time and possible hassle involved in researching, booking and paying for a trip. You do, however, need to be aware that if you are not very careful you can end up paying considerably more for your trip than had you booked through a travel agent, or worse still, losing a lot of money. Travel companies have an efficient working relationship with the various guides, charter boats and lodges at…

The Sabiki rig consists of 6 to 8 small spade end hooks covered in iridescent foil, clipped with scissors to the shape of a tiny fish. The size of the hooks depends on the species sought. Sabikis are very effective for catching bait fish such as mackerel, scad, herring and for launce when using sandeels as either live or dead baits. However, predatory fish such as bass will also take sabikis when feeding on sprats and other small bait fish. Dropper lines are tied using the surgeon’s knot and the weight can be replaced with a heavy jig or lure increasing the chances of a bite from predatory fish chasing bait fish. SEA FISHING KNOTS - FROM THE REEL TO HOOK Contains clear, concise, easy to follow step-by-step knot-tying illustrations…

A razor-sharp knife is an essential piece of equipment for all sea anglers. Regardless of whether you fish from the shore or afloat a knife is one tool that will be used for a multitude of tasks on each and every trip, ranging from bait preparation and general cutting to, hopefully, filleting your catch. New from Sakuma is a professional grade filleting knife that features a flexible razor sharp 6-inch stainless steel blade, mounted within an ergonomically designed non-slip handle, which provides both comfort and safety. A simple plastic clip engages with the handle to securely lock the blade safely within the rigid plastic sheath when not in use. Maintaining the sharpness of your knife is essential for its efficiency, but all too often anglers wait until their knife is…

Stornoway Sea Angling Club again hosted one of the oldest and best supported boat angling competitions in Scotland this summer after a three-year hiatus for Covid. Being located in the Outer Hebrides, and fishing around the area of Carloway, the competition has access to a great quality of angling resources where usually the only problem is choosing which species to target. This year proved to be no different with an abundance of fish on show for all the anglers. HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS The first day of the three-day event is a stand-alone event called the Highlands & Islands Open with the only eligible fish being rays, skate and flatfish. Uniquely, compared to traditional ray fishing in the UK, the competition is run purely on the drift and poses a great…

The waterway is roughly three miles in length from Wembury Bay to the tidal limit at Puslinch. The outer estuary has a sand bar that becomes visible on a low water spring tide. The dominant mark as you approach the entrance is Season Point where in 1994 during a night session and a flooding tide Kevin Smith took a fabulous ling of 21lb 10oz, setting a UK and European record. Such a fish in the shore category is unbelievably rare and this record may remain on the list for all time. Season Point also provides very good ray fishing, notably for small-eyeds, and occasionally blondes of good size show up too. OLD CELLARS BEACH Directly opposite on the eastern flank of the estuary is Old Cellars Beach, which includes Misery…

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. Wayne Sage, Somerset Fish: 4lb 4oz Couch’s bream Venue: Chesil Beach Date: 03/08/22 Mike Spiller, Honiton Fish: 9lb 3oz Couch’s bream Bait: Squid Venue: Onboard Lo Kie off Penzance Date: 21/08/22 Jay Hemming, Poole Fish: 5lb 2oz…

Things tend to go awry when it’s specific species you’re after. We’ve all been out to target smoothound, tope, rays, bass, or whatever it might be, and found they just don’t want to play. So, what do you do? Do you sit there and hope they turn up, or switch tactics and try for something that is willing to feed? It’s the latter for me, every time! I aim to make the most of every day and there are things we can do as well as tackle we can carry that gives us that opportunity. UNDERSTANDING THE SITUATION If the more desirable species are not feeding and the skipper has already tried two or three marks with no improvement in catches, then it’s obvious the big fish are just not…

This beautiful, yet little known, species of gamefish is located almost exclusively within the Mediterranean but is occasionally also found in the Atlantic beyond the Straights of Gibraltar. The current IGFA all-tackle record weighed 90lb 13oz, a fish caught off Madeira in 1980. However, identification of this fish was based on a black and white photograph on which key identification features were not clear. No other confirmed specimens of Mediterranean spearfish have been recorded from Madeira during the last 40 years, and it has been argued that this fish could well have been another species. IDENTIFICATION The body of a Mediterranean spearfish is slender, with a dark blue back and silvery white sides. The fins and body do not have spots and the bill is short, barely longer than the…

Though billed as a narrow-spooled jigging reel, we chose a day on mixed ground fishing to put this new design from PENN through its paces. As with all previous Squalls, I was immediately impressed. Straight from the box, it looked stylish with its graphite frame and sideplates. Though looks are not critical in performance, this was a virtue in my book. Loaded with 30lb mono, the Squall was tasked to battle a range of fish, from lowly dogfish to some fairly hefty huss and conger eels. The reel handled everything that was thrown at it with ease and confidence, aided by its stainless-steel pinion gear. I was particularly impressed with its light weight and smooth operation through its Versa-Drag system and HT-100 washers. NEW FEATURES Its cranking handle is large…

2022 PENN AUGUST 28: PLEASURE ANGLERS AND KAYAKERS ASSOCIATION OPEN Swansea Breakwater, 14 anglers 1st Paul Morgan Swansea 2 fish 1.68m (1), 2nd Martyn Richards Swansea 1.07m, 3rd Carl Campion Swansea 1.04m 28: CLUB: HOLYHEAD & DISTRICT AC OPEN Holyhead Breakwater, 68 anglers 1st Ben Price Holyhead 893cm (6), 2nd Jimmy Price Abergele 382cm (5), 3rd John Daniel 363cm (not registered). Longest fish Ian Williams conger 90cm (not registered). Based on continental system. Ladies: 1st Heather Lindfield, 2nd Caroline Aylett, 3rd Danielle Griffiths. Juniors: 1st Morgan Owen, 2nd Josh Jones 3rd Annie Phillips 27: THREE HERRINGS OPEN Pwllheli, 40 anglers 1st Jimmy Price Abergele 18 Garfish 871cm (4), 2nd Dewi Parry Gwalchmai 12 Garfish 581cm (not registered), 3rd Danny Jones Pwllheli 11 Garfish 523cm (2), longest fish; 60cm Garfish Steve…

Among sea anglers, one of the most commonly discussed topics is which bait you choose for a specific species or which choice is most effective to spread your bets. My advice is always to do your research and try to understand what your target species are feeding on in a specific area, at the time of year you are targeting them. For example, you may find mackerel is the most effective bait in early summer for conger or huss on Dorset’s south coast, but by October, when the sea is thick with squid, the latter will be by far the most effective bait. In my opinion, this is simply because when the fish are feeding, they get a taste for something and hone their skills on finding that particular prey,…

During the long warm summer and autumn days there is nothing better than sitting on an isolated rock mark with a light float rod; childhood memories come flooding back. Anvil Point, situated along the Purbeck coastline, is always one of my favoured options as it gives access right down to the water’s edge, which is really important when float fishing, but it also offers a whole lot more. Situated a couple of miles to the west of Swanage, Anvil Point is fairly easy to locate with parking at Durlston Country Park costing £6 per day during the summer. From the car park follow the road down to the Anvil Point Lighthouse around the old coastguard houses and then down to the rocky ledge a couple of hundred yards to the…

The development of electronics in all of our lives has been spectacular over the last decade. Huge TVs at bargain prices, smartphones that talk to us and yes, fabulous kit for our boats. The Decca mark 21 was the piece of kit that transformed wrecking in the 1970s but all it could do was take you to a waypoint and the errors of position were significant. Moving on, the industry gave us affordable GPS units that even with selective availability switched on gave us accuracies to an astonishing 100m. During the second decade of the 2000s, the marine electronics manufacturers were giving us GPS plotters with large colour screens with lots of features and amazing accuracies. Fast forward to today and the latest plotters have processors with powers to make…

Featuring many of Shimano’s leading ‘long cast’ technologies in a sleek monochromatic body, the Shimano Ultegra XSE will not only enable you to cast further, but will also play fish better, last longer, and as an added bonus, look great on whatever rod you pair it with. Inside the lightweight, rigid Ci4+ body of the Ultegra you’ll find a selection of Shimano’s most advanced technology including game-changing features such as Hagane Gear and X-SHIP, which combine with Infinity Drive and Silent Drive to deliver amazing smoothness and lightweight rotation. The end result being that when you put the Ultegra under pressure it will produce all of the power you need, and more. PERFORMANCE While the internal engineering is a work of art, it’s the casting performance that will be the…

GETTING STARTED As shore anglers we’ve probably all had those moments where bass are smashing into bait causing explosions on the surface in what we can only describe as a feeding frenzy with bass gorging themselves on the ball of available food. For the shore angler we can be lucky as that mass of bait is pushed into the shallows and within casting range, but for the majority of the times I’ve witnessed, it's offshore and I’ve found myself watching in awe as gannet after gannet hits the water joining the bass picking off the bait fish. If only we had a boat. As a boat owner myself for many years I have learned the hard way with many aspects, but with so much information and knowledge now available online…