Innehållsförteckning för February 2025 från Sea Angler

MISSION WINNERS A 30lb cod and a 180lb halibut: 2024’s Mission Accomplished overall shore and boat category winners. Two incredible fish and worthy winners. Chris Douce’s cod from Somerset would have been an incredible specimen even in the heyday of the Bristol Channel’s cod fishing. Mel Davies’ halibut was 900 per cent of the qualifying weight for the specie! Special mention should go to a few other anglers and their fish too though: Dale Thomas’ 8lb 10oz Couch’s bream caught from Plymouth in July was nothing short of epic! Mark Godbeer’s unofficial new British record blue skate could well have won the shore category had there been a qualifying weight for the specie. Well done and thanks to all of you who have entered your catches over the last 12…

Frosty mornings and flounder fishing seem to come hand in hand, mainly due to my love of targeting flounder from the rivers and beaches around north Kent. Some of my favourite flounder spots are found on the river Medway from Rochester down river to Chatham and beyond. The river has so much history attached to it: from the Short brothers manufacturing sea planes to the historic Naval Dock Yard in Chatham. It also has some class about it and that’s the same when it comes to the flounder fishing; yes, there has been a decline, but you can catch flounder if you put the effort in. ROMAN WAY, STROOD This area has changed over the last few years due to extensive building works which have been ongoing. The building works…

Following our win at the Sea Angling Classic last June team Bluefin were eager to use their new Extreme 646 Game King to compete in the summer programme of angling events in south west Scotland. The first of these was a new 5 fish event run by the Clashwannon Small Boat Club at Drummore in July. Fishing was over two days with launching at Port Logan on the Saturday and Drummore on the Sunday. We also took the opportunity to fish on the Friday and launch the boat on an open slipway for the first time in an effort to catch a decent number of mackerel for bait during the event. ALUMINIUM HULL Launching with a Land Rover on the slipway in Loch Ryan proved to be trouble free and…

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 I have seen…

In March 1993 I was appointed as contributing editor on Sea Angler magazine. Throughout the 30-plus years I have held this position I have visited and fished at a lot of great angling destinations all around the world. However, one of the most memorable of these was not some far flung blue water paradise located within the tropics on the other side of the world; rather, it was a popular tourist destination just a couple of hours flight from Cardiff Airport: Faro, in southern Portugal. Along with my good friend Bradley Riseborough, I had entered a 24-hour species hunt organised by Cardiff Seastreaks SAC. The competition started at 7:30pm from the car park of the Culverhouse Cross pub on the outskirts of Cardiff and the rules were very simple: you…

For the past six months we’ve been putting the Shimano Aspire AX Slim boat rod through its paces in some of the toughest conditions, and for some of the hardest-fighting fish in our waters. From battling tope and conger eels to wrestling with rays and other big fish, this rod has consistently impressed us. Its ability to handle both heavyweight catches and the most delicate of bites makes it a standout choice for anglers seeking a high-performance tool. The Aspire was designed specifically for braided mainlines and deep-water angling. The 7ft 6in two-piece rod delivers a combination of sensitivity, strength and durability that few other rods can match. In our testing, we paired the 20-30lb model with a Shimano Talica 12 reel, and the set-up felt like they were made…

During a recent beach competition, I fished an area known as White Horses Tower with my clubmate Ross. I have got to admit that I didn’t check the tides as we had fished the night before in the same spot and thought we knew when high tide was due. When we arrived on the beach we could clearly see where the high tide line was and set our shelters up a few yards further up the beach with a steep bank of shingle behind us and settled down to fish. The water was some way down the beach when we started but soon got to the high tide line. As we waited for the tide to turn and recede, it didn’t! Steadily, the sea came up around our base camps…

In the UK, winter sea temperatures have a peak low around late February, with a peak high around late September. Temperatures rise and fall within a general region gradually month by month. However, major changes can occur locally and even on specific beaches that will have an influence on fish being resident or not. WINTER Shallow surf beaches are dramatically affected by heavy frosts when a spring tide low water falls during the hours of darkness on clear, cold nights. The frost, during the period middle ebb to middle flood, penetrates the sand and rapidly cools it after the tide leaves the sand dry. At dead low tide you’re casting into water that will have a more consistent temperature. Once the tide starts to flood and reaches the frost covered…

They say that unless you can afford to stand in a shower ripping up ten-pound notes while maintaining a smile on your face, then you should not even consider owning your own boat. A bit harsh an analogy, I admit, but there’s no hiding the fact that running a boat is rarely anything like cheap; and that’s after the initial expense of actually purchasing a boat. It’s the initial purchase that is so often the biggest hurdle of buying a boat that most anglers struggle with. Recently I can across SALT, a finance company that specialises in helping people purchase the boat of their dreams. Here’s what the company has to say about itself on its website: “SALT offers fast, hassle-free access to boat finance with instant quotes and real-time…

Our experts solve your fishing problems Things starting to slow down ready for the Christmas break at the time of writing this, but I have managed to get in a few coaching sessions – and fishing sessions too! YOUTH CLUB A few sessions on the beach resulted in the usual pouting and whiting but also a couple of lovely flounders for Hollie who is our longest serving youth club member having been with us from nearly the beginning. With one meeting left our club championship looked like being won by Brendan, who only started with us this year. It also looked like he would beat his big brother! Second and third places were still very much up for grabs with several people in the frame, or so I thought. Jack…

Why are you fishing from the shore when you can fish from a boat?” seems to be a common question I get – both from colleagues and other anglers. Well, that question is hard to answer with a couple of sentences. More than once have I been tempted to give a cocky answer like “everyone can catch big fish from the boat”, but that doesn’t cover it at all. My truest answer to the question is, “it is the pioneer in me calling for attention”. As the years have passed by and I have moved further into my shore angling world, the biggest satisfaction I have had is from finding my own marks. Why should I reap the benefits from someone else’s hard work and fish at “their” mark? One…

Carefully…5…I turned each of the dials…4…just as my father had shown me…6… each rolling smoothly into place and aligning…2… before…snick…the two halves of the lock slid gently apart and its gleaming coils lay there, open in my hands. My new bike combination lock was a thing of true beauty, its shiny, chromed mechanism attached to what felt the most solid, immoveable chain in the world. Even the utilitarian, blue plastic coating seemed to glint and catch the light when my father placed it into my hands that morning. I watched him demonstrate it to me, decoding its secrets and slipping the lock open, then I copied him, sliding everything back together and muddling the numbers up before repeating the whole process time and time again, committing the lock’s number to…

Congratulations to Chris Douce and Mel Davies for winning the best Mission Accomplished fish of the year entries from 2024. Chris’ 30lb 7oz cod from the Bristol Channel in February was the fish of a lifetime and 428 per cent above the qualifying weight for shore cod. Mel Davies’ 180lb boat-caught halibut was another fish of a lifetime and is the winner of the 2024 boat-caught 2024 entries. The fish was 900 per cent of the qualifying weight for the species and a stunning catch. Congratulations to all the monthly winners and our thanks to everyone who entered in 2024. Sea Angler: March 2024 Sea Angler: Spring 2024 Sea Angler: April 2024 Sea Angler: May 2024 Sea Angler: June 2024 Sea Angler: July 2024 Sea Angler: August 2024 Sea Angler:…

Many sea anglers dream of perhaps becoming a charter boat skipper and enjoying a life upon the sea. I have been enjoying forays on charter boats for over 50 years and have often been asked why haven’t you got your own boat? Perhaps it’s because I’m lazy and see just how much work boats are, not to mention the financial implications. Having said that, there is a part of me that envies the life of a skipper, embracing the open sea and all that it has to offer. Those glorious sunrises and sunsets that open and close, the daily chapter of adventures with natural wonders and the joy shared with anglers as they catch the fish of their dreams. My good friend Daniel Welch, who lives in Ilfracombe, north Devon,…

UK & IRELAND SPECIALIST SPECIES HUNTING Herring has been a staple food source since at least 3000 BC. These tastiest of fish are served in numerous ways and are even eaten raw. Depending on location they are popular either fermented, pickled or cured by other techniques, such as being smoked as kippers. Herring played an important role in the history of marine fisheries in Europe, and early in the 20th century their study was fundamental to the development of fisheries science. Herrings belong to the family of Clupidae, and are found in large schools around offshore banks, and near the coast in the North Atlantic, including the Baltic Sea. In total three species of Clupea are recognised and comprise about 90 per cent of all herrings captured in fisheries. The…

PENN FATHOM ELECTRIC REEL This new cordless electric reel is the first of its kind. Built on the platform of the Fathom II Lever Drag reels it features a fully integrated and replaceable Lithium ion battery pack: no more being tied down with cords and plugs. Features include a digital line counter based on line diameter inputs. Years of field testing have gone into the development and it has a powerful brushless motor providing 30-40lb of winding power. ■ RRP: £600 - £650 ■ www.penn.com PALMARIUS SERIES II JIGGING ROD These rods are designed to be user-friendly, allowing anglers to experience the thrill of catching quality fish on metal jigs. The L Series II blanks are resistant to “twisting” and “shaking”. Handle and tip design keeps the rod diameter thin,…

You may have noticed the YETI brand everywhere at the moment. The company has clearly been doing a big push in the UK angling market and we’ve featured a number of YETI products in Sea Angler over the last 12 months. None of the products are cheap; however, on the basis that you get what you pay for, the design and build quality means you do still get good value for your money. Take the LoadOut GoBox gear case. The smallest model will cost you £125 while the largest will set you back £300. On the face of it that’s a lot of coin for a plastic box. It’s not until you start to use it, though, that you realise the cost may have been one of your wisest investments.…

EXPLOMAR WAVE 70HP OUTBOARD MOTOR With the proliferation of electric outboards continuing apace here’s a Chinese model which has recently entered the market in Europe. The ExploMar Wave 70+ is a high-performance electric outboard motor designed for 4–6m boats. With a power output of 80kW (approx 108hp) and a continuous power rating of 40kW, this motor offers smooth and efficient propulsion and is paired with the HEDB 40 battery system, with a capacity of 40kWh, the motor weighs in at a lightweight 80kg. The Wave 70+ employs features such as a closed liquid cooling system for thermal management and a high-performance gearbox. Its X-pin flat-wire motor design reduces weight while maintaining durability. The system also includes a remote or tiller control option, integrated with a 5” touchscreen. The battery pack…

Fishing from Dover Breakwater in 2013, sea angler Martin White surprised everyone by landing a striped bass of 2lb 7oz. Amazingly, this fish had somehow managed to cross the Atlantic from the east coast of the USA to the UK, only to end up on a hook. Incredible as this catch was, this species once looked destined to become an established predator, not only around the UK, but the warmer parts of the European coast. Way back in 1907 a discussion took place at the British Sea Anglers’ Society on the introduction of striped bass from America as an experiment. After an informal promise of help from the US Bureau of Fisheries in Washington it was hoped that the waters of Chesapeake Bay, where striped bass were known to spawn,…

On January 1, 2025, Anyfish Anywhere and Asso will begin the next era of the competition as the headline sponsors, helping the Angling Trust to shape the Sea League for future years. PENN’s sponsorship is widely regarded as the longest-running partnership in UK shore fishing, lasting an incredible 25 years, and will end on December 31 following a decision made by their parent company, Pure Fishing. The partnership was originally conceived between the US brand and Sea Angler Magazine in 1999 and has seen hundreds of thousands of anglers take part in the competition since its inception. In late 2023, the Angling Trust Competitions team took on the ownership of the Sea League as the first event in a growing portfolio of shore competitions and management of England teams. “I’d…

Only those who have scored 6 or more are featured HOW IT WORKS Points are awarded based on the number of anglers fishing an open match registered for the Angling Trust Sea League and go to the top 10 per cent of anglers (limited to 20 anglers), zone winners, and heaviest fish. League scoring runs from January to December and the top 45 highest point scorers each year are invited to the Sea League Grand Final hosted the following season. New for 2025 - the best Lady and Junior, alongside the season’s most improved angler, will also earn an invite to the final. Along the way are some fabulous Asso and Anyfish Anywhere monthly prizes awarded to the best points scorers/catches, with over £10,000 worth of tackle to be won…