Innholdsfortegnelse for August - September 2023 i Saltwater Boat Angling

Send in your fish pictures and we’ll publish them in this section and on our Facebook page. email: editor@saltwaterboatangling.co.uk…

KENT, SUSSEX AND HAMPSHIRE The weather has not been kind over the last couple of months – a persistent northeasterly and easterly airflow has prevented a lot of boats getting out on a regular basis – despite the fact that the general weather has been OK. So, when boats have been able to go out they’ve generally enjoyed considerable success. Deep Blue, based in Eastbourne and skippered by Simon Logan (07557 411973/deepbluechartersuk@gmail.com) reports that after a few days off the water with the strong winds and choppy conditions, the first trip out was a bit of prospecting. He was certain to find some black bream, but the question was what else they would find in the coloured waters. They headed out to the 6-mile rocks on the Sovereign Shoals and…

So having described how I fulfilled the first part of the mission to catch a kingfish I just couldn’t get the idea of the ‘slam’ out of my head. And I just might have a way to do it! The upshot of the conversations I’d had, via YouTube and email, with a talented angler and videographer named Johan was that whilst he himself was tied up over the Christmas period, a good mate of his was very happy to take me out on his boat for the day. Johan put me in touch with his fishing buddy Will, and after a few text messages, I’d arranged to meet him at the boat ramp at Takapuna, Auckland, at 6am on Boxing Day. Will was a fellow convert to the thrill of…

Collecting good data about fish and fish movements, particularly ones regularly targeted by anglers, is vital to increase our understanding of marine habitats around our shores. Over the years anglers have been wary of data collected about their activities; there have been examples of information being misinterpreted to the detriment of angling practices. Angling has come a long way in the last 10 or so years, particularly in terms of welfare and retention. Many sea anglers now practice catch and release as a matter of course but by the same token there are many who still want to fish for the table. So, information about the effects of angling on fish stocks should be welcomed. The recent Catchwise project, funded by money available from government through the FISP programme, and…

The Southampton International Boat Show is back for its 54th event and it promises to be another spectacular. This sprawling event held at Mayflower Park in Southampton is traditionally one of the major go-to events for anyone interested in boats in the UK. There is now some major competition for this event, but it still manages to deliver a great day out. For anglers there is talk of the introduction of an angling zone, although as we go to press we have no details of what this will mean. For anglers there are four categories of stand which will prove interesting: marine electronics and charts, boats and kayaks, accessories and safety equipment and then, of course, engines. All the major companies will be in attendance but, as always, we’ll provide…

AUGUST ■ Mull of Galloway Sea Angling Festival Species Hunt 11th -13th SEPTEMBER ■ Wyvern Small Boats Championships 9th - 10th ■ Torbay Sea Angling Festival 1st - 10th NOVEMBER ■ Southsea Marina Cod Open Boat Comp TBA ■ Cardiff Bay Cod Festival 19th Let us know about your competitions and festivals and we’ll publish them here. email editor@saltwaterboatangling.co.uk IN THE NEXT ISSUE In the autumn issue we’ll be looking forward to the potential for winter cod fishing and concentrating on lure fishing from boats, along with a report on the on-going bluefin tuna season. We also focus on dinghy fishing in Cornwall and Devon and review some of the new products on show at the Southampton International Boat Show. There’ll be reports on fishing in Shetland as well as…

Consultation on recreational angling for Atlantic bluefin tuna DEFRA has launched a consultation about a future bluefin tuna recreational fishery in the UK. The consultation centres around “permitting regimes for the recreational targeting of bluefin tuna in UK waters” and is a statutory requirement because amendments to the 2020 Fisheries Act are needed to allow licensing of recreational anglers to target bluefin. Licensing is also a requirement of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). It should be noted this is not a precursor to introducing more widespread licensing of sea anglers. Representatives from various recreational sea angling bodies, including the Angling Trust and the UK Bluefin Tuna Association (UKBFTA), worked with DEFRA throughout April and May to discuss the detail of the consultation, but it is…

The Sea Angling Classic is fast becoming a marquee event for small boat anglers. After the trial event in 2021 and the first full on event in 2022 the buzz around the 2023 SAC started almost immediately after the Smart Fish team were declared the winners last June. The organisers, Angling Spirit, run by angling entrepreneur Ross Honey, announced they would be running a series of qualifiers in various ports around the country – the winners of each event then qualifed for the main event in June. We reported on this extensively in our last issue, and in our sister magazine Sea Angler, but suffice to say that despite the weather intervening on a couple of occasions the regional events were well attended and popular amongst anglers in the areas…

The Species League is a long running monthly competition run by Ray Evans. In 2020 he added a UK wide Charter Boat Species Hunt. Every month species competitions are held, each one in a different port and involving various charter boats from those ports. Some of the top match fishermen in the country take part and a league is run throughout the year with each competition adding to the angler’s overall score. It’s a great opportunity for boat anglers to meet and fish together. It’s a catch and release competition (although competitors can keep edible specimens for the table). All species count with no minimum size limits (except for table fish). The group’s Facebook page has nearly 3000 members from across the country. This Newquay event is a standalone competition…

CONSERVATION SMALL SHARKS SPECIES Just over eight months ago I dialled into an Angling Trust webinar about spurdog. Prior to this I must admit to having the view that spurdog were often a nuisance fish as once they are on the feed it can be difficult to avoid them. By the end of the webinar, however, my opinion had moved to one of respect as this species has an extremely challenging reproductive cycle. Knowing this, and also with their commercial value being so low, I was surprised when I heard that Defra had decided to re-open the UK spurdog fishery earlier this year. What was an even greater surprise was when we learned that Defra are now considering a proposal from the commercial sector to increase the “slot…

Trolling motors are becoming more popular and there are a few excellent brands on the market. They are excellent for manoeuvring in shallow water, helping to keeping quiet when stalking bass, mullet and even gilthead bream in estuaries and inshore marks. Having used them sea trout fishing in Scandanavia the editor can attest to their effectiveness. Garmin says Kraken is the most powerful on the market, and it is designed with a longer shaft length and pivot mount for easier installation on boats where bow space is limited and it’s particularly ideal for centre consoles. The Kraken’s brushless motor uses a high-efficiency propeller to produce 100 pounds of thrust on a 36-volt system, or 80 pounds on a 24-volt system. It can move anglers from one spot to the next…

PROJECT POLLACK: UNDERSTANDING A RECREATIONALLY IMPORTANT FISH As recreational sea anglers and charter skippers, we have the privilege of enjoying the bountiful marine resources that surround our coasts. One such species that holds immense recreational and socio-economic importance is pollack. However, recent stock assessments and observations by anglers have suggested a concerning decline in pollack stocks and a reduction in large fish, urging local skippers and anglers to take action by instigating collaboration with scientists via a Fisheries Industry Science Partnership (FISP) to ensure its sustainable use. As a result the Angling Trust are collaborating with the Professional Boatman’s Association, the University of Plymouth and the University of York with support from CEFAS to leverage the importance of recreational knowledge and to safeguard the future of this important fish. The…

The start of the summer holidays can only mean one thing, a change in the weather, and this year proved to be no exception. Against the backdrop of an ever-worsening forecast SWKA (South Wales Kayak Anglers) prepared to hold the 14th Annual European Kayak Fishing Championship held at Oxwich Bay, Wales. Flagship event Oxwich has become the flagship event on the kayak fishing calendar. Adding to the scale and prestige that comes with this competition the ultimate winner on the day walks away with the hotly contested European Kayak Fishing Champion title. If you are a kayak fisherman this truly is the pinnacle for the sport here in the UK. Organised by SWKA, who host several events through-out the year both saltwater and freshwater, the event has grown to be…

BOAT REVIEW I got a call from the editor asking me to go down to Trafalgar Wharf at Portchester, the site of the big drystack, to have a look at a new boat on the market. We like to cover all bases when it comes to boats – from 25ft £100k super boats down to the smaller, more affordable boats available to anglers. This time the boat in question is in the latter category. The Mini Fisher 430 is certainly a lovely little boat, compact and easily trailerable. At 4.3m it’s certainly one of the smaller boats I’ve tested but despite its size it packs a decent punch. It is manufactured, to order, in Poland and distributed in the UK by the Mini Fisher team. It is a new venture…