Table of contents for Issue 589 in Sea Angler

WHILE COVID-19 IS DISRUPTING OUR LIVES IN MANY WAYS and causing confusion, it seems the initial national lockdown has also been used, in conjunction with health and safety concerns, to ban angling from a popular venue in Scotland. It all centres on the fishing port of Peterhead, where oil services firm Asco has a lease of 999 years on the town’s north and south breakwaters and has decided to ban public access. In what is a long-running dispute, Peterhead Angling Club is fighting the ban by Asco, which rents the breakwaters from Peterhead Port Authority. The club members say the facilities were donated to the community by the Admiralty in 1959 and that five generations of local families have fished the two piers, which are regarded as public assets. Having…

WHEN IT COMES TO offering bags of potential, Becton Bunny, a little-known venue nestling between Barton and Taddiford along Hampshire’s western fringe, is worth checking out, although at times the fishing can be frustrating as I was to find during an autumn visit. Without question the autumn is favoured when some quality nocturnal soles nudging 4lb have been apprehended, along with rays, bass, pout, and even late smoothhounds. Earlier in the year, small-eyed-rays are the main target from April onwards mainly at night, while during the summer months a wide variety of smaller species can be expected although holidaymakers can make for difficult fishing at times during daylight. Despite the venue’s potential it took me two trips in quick succession during September to unlock its secrets. Joining me for the…

Sole fishing may mean fishing at range sometimes and also into deeper estuary channels, so a standard 4-6oz beachcaster around 12ft to 13ft is ideal. Reels such as the Penn 515 Mag3, Abu 6500 series or Akios multipliers loaded with 15-18lb mono and a 60lb shockleader are perfect. The other option is a longer 14ft Continental rod matched to a 7500 fixed spool with a long-cast spool and loaded with 30lb braid and an 80lb braid shockleader or tapered mono leader. This gives you the option for maximum casting range when needed. On venues where soles are known to be close and in the surf, some anglers choose bass rods and smaller reels with 12lb mono line and a 20lb fluorocarbon shockleader. These flatties are very muscular fish that can…

His session fishing for bass and sole was plagued by whiting but Richard Smith, of Ashford, Kent, did manage to catch one of each of his target species during the session at Dymchurch. “I fished from 6.30pm until midnight chasing the tide out in search of bass and Dover sole “ I managed to catch one sole and one bass, which fell to lugworm baits on three-hook flapper rigs.” “Unfortunately, the whiting were there in numbers and no sooner had the bait hit the water and they were there making it quite difficult to target the bass and the soles.”…

OBSESSIVE BEHAVIOUR, SUCH AS constantly checking tide tides, weather apps and other anglers’ social media, grips me for several days when planning my next fishing session. This time, with a little luck, the low pressure would move in over the South Coast and bring cloud and rain to provide a break in the sunshine and some different conditions to target rays. I settled on visiting Highcliffe beach in Hampshire, which I had not fished before. Venturing into unfamiliar grounds always adds that bit of extra excitement, along with an almost deluded expectation of something new and better fishing. At home in Surrey the night before the trip, I checked everything over and over again, including my bait (mackerel, bluey, launce and cuttlefish) in the freezer. Next day, I set off…

BASS SHORE Saul Johnston, Gosport, 8-6, Gosport pier Simon Kay, Shoreham, 14-5*, Shoreham harbour Anne Lock, Burnham-on-Sea, 9-8, Stolford Shane Tandy, Weston-super-Mare, 10-0, Stolford BASS BOAT Danny Baker, Crawley, 7-0, Shoreham Matthew Elder, Andover, 10-2*, Poole Phil Waller, Selsey, 10-9, Selsey David Wright, Southwold, 13-0, Southwold BREAM SHORE Steve Lawrence, Poole, 2-4 Couch’s*, Purbecks BREAM BOAT  Danny Baker, Crawley, 8-5 gilthead, Kingsbridge Estuary David Metcalf, Bridport, 4-0*, Weymouth Adrian Piotrowski, Plymouth, 6-0 Couch’s, Plymouth Luke Sams, Balham, 3-2, Weymouth Peter Thwaites, Ormskirk, 3-4, Weymouth COD SHORE Trevor Straker, Choppington, 10-2, Cresswell Carrs FLATFISH SHORE Stuart Milton, Bridgwater, 2-4 Dover sole, Hinckley Point Cameron Moore, Birchgrove, 3-2 plaice, Bournemouth Colin Steele, Brighton, 2-3 Dover sole, Hove LING BOAT Neil Beaumont, Bedale, 19-0, Whitby MULLET SHORE Gary Miskell, Tuam, 4-0, Eyeries POLLACK…

IT’S A LITTLEAFTER SIX IN THE morning on Monday September 7th, and it’s still dark when Lady Jen leaves her berth at Milford Haven Marina. With her Yamaha outboards purring away sweetly on the transom, she swiftly makes her way down to St Anne’s Head, then carries on out into the open sea. On board the 10-metre Cougar cat are owner/skipper Rob Rennie and the day’s crew. All keen anglers, most of them own their own boats. At this time of the year the daily agenda off the coast of south-west Wales is travel out to the Celtic Deeps and fish on the drift for sharks. The sea is flat calm although the forecast is for conditions to gradually deteriorate, with the arrival of a weather front. Northwesterly winds of…

Being a shoal fish, bream are not fussy feeders, while competition from other fish dictates an easygoing approach to diet. Mackerel strip and squid and sandeel strips cut into one to one-and-a-half inch strips about half an inch wide are perfect and can be taken in one go which is how the bream like to feed. Cutting from the belly of a mackerel is ideal as this strip section does seem to catch more fish. Squid is also a terrific bait. I’ve mentioned in previous articles about using a sharp craft knife to cut these strips neatly. It’s far better than using a nearly blunt communal bait knife. Two other baits stand out. One large cockle or two small ones on the hook really get the bream going. Supermarket prawns…

AN EASY solution to perfect presentation when baiting with worms, a baiting needle is pointed at one end and has a drilled hole at the other to hold the hook point. It is easy to use. Just slide the worm on to the needle, place the hook point in the hole and slide the worm on to the hook. Perfect presentation every time. No fuss. The 60-page printed edition of ‘Light Rock Fishing – Hard Rock Fishing Knots & Rigs’ is now available at https://www.amazon. co.uk/dp/9071747271/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_ dp_9QrnFbTR3955N With the FREE Kindle reader app, you can read this book on your computer, tablet, or smartphone. Free Kindle Reader app: www. amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display. html?nodeId=200783640…

PROTAC 90X USB The latest addition to the ProTac series of tactical lights is a rechargeable system that includes a protected Li-Ion USB rechargeable battery pack with an integrated micro-USB port and a charging cord. This multi-fuel capability enables users to charge the light on the go or insert cell batteries when a charging source is unavailable. A ProTac 90X with two CR123A batteries also is available. The combination of its 90° head and powerful light output make the 90X USB Streamlight’s brightest and most versatile everyday carry light available. Its multi-fuel battery technology gives the ability to power and recharge through convenient USB recharging or with disposable batteries. The versatile light can be used either as a handheld light or attached to MOLLE (modular lightweight load-carrying equipment), belts, harnesses…

NOVEMBER 2010 After losing a tope at a West Sussex shore venue, Dave Wadey visited another local mark and caught a 51-pounder. He used a pulley rig and a 250lb mono hooklength. Paul Cuff, from the Isle of Wight, broke the 30-year-old Bembridge AC record for a boat-caught turbot when he caught one weighing 19lb 8dr. The previous best was 16lb 8oz. He was fishing a Pennell rig with size 4/0 hooks baited with a mackerel strip from a private boat at a bank off the Nab Tower. A superb ling weighing 33lb fell to James Hurle, from Wakefield, while fishing on Dave Lumley’s charter boat Famous, out of Hartlepool. Eighteen-year-old Ian Flood, from Bray, County Wicklow, caught a 51lb tope, when he fished a local boat mark. The successful…

EXPOSED AND ALWAYS TAKING the main brunt of brutal sea conditions, breakwaters offer shore anglers the perfect opportunity to experience unbeatable sport. These long, man-made structures poking out to sea provide instant access to deep water and fast tides, which normally can’t be reached from the beach. Fundamentally, the ground can be harsh, especially close to the structure where the foundations and rubble that was dumped during its construction is waiting to eat up any baited rig that falls into its traps. However, hone your tactics perfectly and the rewards will be memorable. Although breakwaters are superb fishing venues, winter shore anglers have a constant nemesis in the weather. These hardy structures are designed with a purpose, and that is to prevent heavy seas pounding an estuary or harbour. An…

GETTING THERE Head for Barton-on-Sea, situated along Hampshire’s western edge. Once of the sea front, drive east and park near the golf club entrance. It is then a walk for about 15 minutes. If wet, walk along the foreshore from Barton (tricky if a sea is running). TACKLE SHOPS Bournemouth Fishing Lodge, 904 Wimborne Rd, Moordown, Bournemouth, BH9 2DW, tel: 01202 514345. Christchurch Angling Centre, 7-8 Castle Parade, Iford, Bournemouth, tel: 01202 480520. Loni’s, 119 Old Milton Rd, New Milton, tel: 01425 616323.…

RECENTLY I HAD A LONG weekend away from work thanks to having a Friday off, so I took advantage and got out fishing three times in an attempt to catch one of my favourite species, the Dover sole, and particularly one weighing more than 1lb. I have developed a soft spot for soles over the last few months. The first session on the Friday night was a trip to Branksome Chine, which is not far from my home in Poole. Having switched to only sea fishing just over a year and a half ago, I’ve introduced a group of friends to the sport. The first two were Lee Beadman and Jordan Lockyer. None of us had any idea what we were doing at the time, but that’s what made it…

MOST OF MY AUTUMN fishing will be dominated by the weather. In a season that brings wind and rain, it is these conditions that decide where I will fish and for what species. Fishing can be really productive at this time of year, as long as you can find a sheltered place to fish. Everything is still feeding heavily, cashing in on the baitfish while they are still inshore. The clock is ticking though. I have to take every opportunity to stay on the wrasse , especially on the east coast of Scotland. The North Sea wrasse disappear after October. After that it is unlikely I will encounter them from the shore until June next year. If the wrasse aren’t playing ball, I try flattie bashing and it really helps…

SLOW PITCH JIGGING IS REALLY taking off in the UK. I was first introduced to it about four years ago when I went out on a field-testing recce for Tronix Fishing with Pete Cook. Ever since that memorable day I’ve always carried some slow jigs in my tackle box and have seized any given opportunity to send one down. You can imagine my excitement when I received a private message on Facebook from David Mordecai down in Paignton, asking if I fancied a day slow jigging for bass from his boat Barracuda. I rarely turn down the opportunity of a bass trip, especially when lures are involved. Soon we picked the day and it was game on. It turns out that David only moved down to Paignton at the start…

UP UNTIL AROUND THE TURN of the millennium a 20lb cod would have been regarded by most as being a fine specimen of the species. A 30-pounder would likely have been the fish of most sea anglers’ dreams, with talk of actually targeting a 40-pounder being regarded as the realms of fantasy. Fishing in Norway has changed the opinion of most anglers about what exactly constitutes a big cod. While I would argue that a 20-30lb fish caught anywhere is still a very good one, most anglers travelling to certain in-vogue destinations are hoping or even expecting to catch a cod in excess of 40 or 50lb. There are two common species of cod the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus). The former is the species we…

PAUL FENECH Sea Angler’s features and tackle editor Paul is here to solve 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…

Q: When drifting for flatfish, are rigs that incorporate a spoon any more effective than those that do not? JAKE ROGERS, TROWBRIDGE, WILTS DL says: Each day when fishing afloat is different, and, in some areas around the coast, certain techniques are far more effective and popular than others. I like using spoons when the boat is drifting slowly over clean ground. Slow drifts are perfect for allowing the spoon to occasionally flutter and flick. In doing so, it kicks up a trail of mud or sand that inquisitive species of fish, especially flatfish, are likely to investigate. On faster drifts or when fishing over more broken ground, I prefer a more simplistic, tangle and snag-free approach. When using a spoon, I discard the various swivels and generally small split…

EVERY CASTING style has a characteristic shape. In the classic wide-swing pendulum style, rod tip and sinker accelerate on a long and deeply rounded path that starts with the rod tip high. A relatively shorter path, where the power starts building when the rod tip is low, characterises ground casts and also the flatter pendulum styles. The aim is the same: to make rod and caster work efficiently and smoothly. Although some rod designs are fairly versatile, it always pays to match the rod to the style of casting as well as to the caster’s skill and power. When the sinker peaks on its inswing in the big-swing pendulum method, it hovers for a moment high in the air. The power flow begins fairly slowly but forcefully enough to bring…

SINCE ITS LAUNCH, THE PENN Fathom 15 II CS – Casting Special – has been a massive hit among UK shore anglers. The ability to provide superior casting control is certainly its top selling point, along with other great features such as a floating spool, high performance bearings huge power . has to be the magnetic braking system, which will easily help you to power a baited rig a long way into a head wind. Offering a speedy crank of 6.1:1, you can expect to get fish safely to the beach quickly. With its Versa-Drag system equipped with HT-100 drag washers, even larger specimens are dealt with without any hiccups. Even the spool is large and capable of storing a massive amount of mainline, where you can expect to easily…

PENN PLUS THE ALL ENGLAND CODLING CHAMPIONSHIPS Whitby to Bridlington, Yorks, 120 anglers Mark Thomas caught seven codling from his local ground at Jackson’s Bay and Scarborough pier to finish with a winning 11-0-0 in this popular roving event during the final weekend of the annual Scarborough Angling Festival. Second, in what was a codling only match, was Geordie visitor Steve Williams, of Jarrow, with 8-6-0, followed by Andy Clyde with 7-11-0. Of the 120 entrants, 49 weighed in. The heaviest codling was 5-11-6, caught by Chris Sciafe, of Filey, who was fourth with 7-2-14. Result: 1 Mark Thomas, Scarborough, 11-0-0 (12pts); 2 Steve Williams, Jarrow, 8-6-0 (top visitor) (11); 3 Andy Clyde 7-11-10 (10); 4 Chris Scaife, Filey, 7-2-14, including heaviest codling, 5-11-6 (9); 5 Scott Thornton, 6-12-2 (8);…

OCTOBER • 17: Southern League & open, Chesil, 6pm-11pm, pegged, measure & return, undersize fish count as 1oz, £15 match entry, £5 pools, £10 pair, team of five free, 2020 League entry £20, booking ends one hour before start, Darren 07919 073 232, Nick 07870 922 216, Mike 07983 579 596, Ian 07736 004 714 or Ant 07775 691 916. • 17: Maryport DSAC autumn open, 10am-2pm, heaviest fish rover, David Underwood 01900 605765 or Jeff McAllister 01900 870624. • 17: Yorkshire FSA open, Ulrome, noon-6pm, meet 11am at lane end, c&r, weight conversion, heaviest bag, £10 all-in, £2 juniors (must be accompanied by adult), Keith Mumby 07340 758013 or via Yorkshire Federation of Sea Anglers facebook page. 17: Hastings & St Leonards AA Midnight Shield boat comp, 6pm-11pm, 01424…

THE MERE MENTION OF THE chance of catching big conger eels from the shore meant it didn’t take long to convince my friend Richard Steel that we were long overdue a return trip to Ireland. My urge to go back had begun scouring forums and reading about the exploits of Andy Boyce in targeting conger eels in daylight from Ballycotton breakwater. It was just the incentive I needed to get my planning underway, particularly with the possibility of bagging a 40lb-plus fish. Congers of that size were eluding us on our home ground in North Wales, but the trip would also be a chance to have another crack at the submarine-sized mullet which, while present in Cobh, were downright frustrating in Ballycotton. Those pioneers of Irish sea angling Des Brennan…

“The recognised sole season runs from June to November, but, with recent milder winters, catches have crept forward and it is now not uncommon to catch soles as late as December and as early as May in the more southern regions.” ONE OF OUR COMMONEST shore-based flatfish, it is commonly called Dover sole but is also referred to as black sole or common sole, these being more localised commercial fishing names. Reaching weights in excess of 6lb, though much larger fish have been commercially caught offshore, they are usually between 1lb and 2lb. These flatfish are not always a common rod-and-line catch unless you specifically target them, due to their small mouth and sometimes localised distribution. WHERE & WHEN Found throughout the UK and Ireland, they are commonest in the…

On his first cast at Millbrook, Cornwall, local angler Jon Boyle caught this 10lb 5oz bass. He fished a running leger rig and ragworms. This 13lb 10oz bass is a personal best for Ryan Hobbs. The angler from Plymouth was fishing a live scad bait over a wreck. He was on Aaron Lidstone’s Happy Days, out of Plymouth. Having had no luck bait fishing with squid over low tide at Peacehaven, East Sussex, local angler Brandon Lee tried his lure rod and his only surface lure, a Rapala Skitter Pop, and caught this bass on his fifth cast. The fish was released. Paul Cohen caught this 4lb 8oz ballan wrasse on a jellyworm lure while fishing on his own boat out of Liscanor, County Clare, Ireland.…

AFTER HAVING HOLIDAYS cancelled due to Covid-19, it gave me an opportunity to fulfil a dream of fishing the Continental Shelf off the south-west of Ireland. With my boat in Liverpool, the nearest port to the shelf was 300 miles away in Baltimore, County Cork, where I could refuel and travel out into the Atlantic Ocean. This was not a charter but a fishing holiday with three friends, Tony McQuillan, Sam Tittensor and Mike Sherwood. We only embarked on this trip because the weather was exceptionally good and because my boat Size Matters is 45 feet long with a 16ft beam, weighs 15 tonnes and handles very bad weather. She has a satellite phone onboard for emergencies. Initially we caught albacore tuna to 30lb on spinning tackle, which was great…

BASS Shore: 19lb 13oz 8dr John S 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 TURBOT Shore: 20lb 2oz Eddy Barham Boat: 32lb 1oz Steve Scally BULL HUSS Shore: 21lb 9oz M Urquhart Boat: 23lb D Nicholson COD Shore: 32lb Adrian Lloyd Boat: 43lb 9oz Chris Proctor CONGER EEL Shore: 66lb 8oz Andy Eke Boat: 109lb 8oz Roger Beer DAB Shore:…

WIDELY CONSIDERED to be summer fish, black bream are changing their habits. While happy on the reefs and rough ground throughout the hazy lazy days, once Miss September graces the calendar, they quickly move to deeper water where the sea temperature is usually still constant. This move can be out to deep water reefs, but, in both the English Channel and southern Irish Sea, it can be on to wrecks in water of 150 feet or more in depth. Here they congregate in huge numbers before heading away to the Algarve for some winter sun. This massing of numbers reaches its peak in October and bream can still be caught as late as mid-November. Bigger fish also, are on the cards. Wrecking for bream is common in the English Channel.…

BLONDE RAYS ARE FIRMLLY established as a regular and much-anticipated fixture with anglers who fish the Bristol Channel. While a few of these extremely strong fish are caught year-round, the onset of autumn invariably heralds  the start of the very best fishing. The most productive area for blonde rays is located at the eastern end of the Bristol Channel, off the Welsh coastline between Aberthaw and Cardiff. Marks in and around Barry and Sully Bay, along with various offshore banks, produce plenty of fish. Wherever you fish in this area you will always have a better than even chance of hooking a blonde. The Bristol Channel has long been a tremendous fishery for rays, especially for thornbacks and small-eyeds which are found in abundance, along with good numbers of small…

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 send alternative prizes.…

BAIT ADDITIVES ARE WIDELY used in many aspects of coarse angling, yet aside from mixing chum for shark fishing and occasionally groundbait for mullet or black bream, they are rarely tried by sea anglers. Just why this is I don’t know, but soaking baits in an additive such as a high-quality fish oil can only enhance its effectiveness, especially in the case of baits such as mackerel or squid when targeting sharks, conger eels, skate, tope, rays, bull huss or even bass and cod. There was definitely a gap in the market, thought keen boat angler Darren Waggott, who, with his partner, started trading as Holy Mackerel Fish Oil in July from his base in Northern Ireland. That was a brave decision during the Covid-19 pandemic, but word soon spread…

Fenix headlamps, pronounced phoenix, were first imported into the UK by Rob Balzan, who, at the time, was working out of a flat in Cardiff. Rob’s new venture went well, very well and demand for these new groundbreaking lights quickly became so high, that eventually he had to rent a storage unit. Within six months even this was not big enough to contain the huge amount of stock he was importing. By then, Rob had been appointed the UK’s official Fenix distributor, resulting in another move for MyFenix, this time to the company’s current location at Southpoint Industrial Estate, which is adjacent to Cardiff Docks. “Fenix lighting products are built with the focus being on quality, not simply a profit margin. Our speciality is battery-powered outdoor illumination products, which are…

With £10,000 in tackle prizes spread over the two divisions, points, based on entries, are awarded to the top three, 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 editor. 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: SeaAngler@bauermedia.co.uk MONTHLY WINNER 586:…

This superb 12lb 1oz bass was caught and released from the coast of North Wales by Lee Allen, from Tregarth, Bangor. Lee, who mainly fishes Dinas Dinlle and the Menai Strait, caught it on a 9ft spinning rod and a Savage Gear lure. A sandeel fished at 30 yards range during the flood tide at Dymchurch, Kent, produced this 11lb bass for Rob Amat. The angler from Iwade, Sittingbourne, Kent, used a pulley rig with size 2/0 hook baited with a sandeel. It was his only fish of the session. Fifteen-year-old Ciaran Peterson, from the Isle of Harris, did well to land his first common skate, this male weighing 141lb. It took a whole mackerel on a size 14/0 hook. He was fishing a local skate mark, where it took…