Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2023 i Sea Angler

How does fishing affect the behaviour of fish? This might not be a question you’ve spent much time considering. To be perfectly honest, nor had I until an enlightening presentation at last month’s World Recreational Fishing Conference in Melbourne got me thinking. Amongst over 200 presentations over the course of the three-day conference were the results into a study of the impact of size selective fishing – such as angling – on the shoaling behaviour of fish. Using laboratory results and computer modelling the researchers were able to demonstrate that harvesting the larger individuals from a stock (something that anglers targeting trophy fish typically do) has an impact on the shoaling behaviour of the remaining fish causing them to be more cautious and more vigilant to threats and predators. Why?…

What exactly, you might ask, is the difference between the two? Surely it’s the same word?” On paper you’d be absolutely correct; the answer to the question being virtually nothing aside from one seemingly insignificant capital letter. In reality, the true answer is: everything. Humour me for a moment, if you will. Let’s say for argument’s sake that we live in a perfect world, or at least that our day-to-day lives are perfect; all those issues associated with real life – work, family commitments, financial burdens, car trouble (the list seems almost endless, doesn’t it?) – are not actually issues at all, and everything is hunky dory. These are the times when ‘fishing’, with a lower-case ‘f’ comes to the fore or, rather, doesn’t. Confused? Let me explain. At such…

Every spring and autumn great shoals of bass swim by my house; well, near enough that my fishing year has been regulated by these annual migrations for more years than I choose to remember! They are the migrating shoals of bass which are following the edge of the 10-11 degree warm water thermocline as it moves its way east up the Channel and then back down again at the back end of the season. For a few tides in the spring, and then again in the autumn, the Eddystone Reef becomes a staging post for these migratory shoals of fish as they stop over to feed up on the huge shoals of spring greater launce, and then joey mackerel, scad and occasionally herring, providing protein for the rest of the…

How to improve your casting skills IN ASSOCIATION WITH A little bit of casting practice delivers huge benefits for the beach if it’s done sensibly and with a realistic goal in mind. Distance is not the Holy Grail. Random thrashing for a few more yards often makes matters worse. Straight, consistent and effortless bait delivery is the priority. Power and range are by-products of good technique, and they happen automatically. We’re not talking perfection, talent and endless hours of hard work. That’s for tournament casters. Near enough is good enough for beach work. Dig out the necessary how-to guidance in magazines and online, or better yet invest in a couple of lessons. No matter which style of casting you would prefer to master in the long term, a simple off-ground…

ANCHORING ACCESSORIES Anchor more accurately for better and safer fishing with these new hard-wearing and environmentally friendly chain markers from AnchoRight New to the boating market for 2023 is this innovative design in chain marking allowing boat anglers to easily know how much anchor chain is in the water – essential information for anchoring safely, accurately and consistently when positioning your boat over or up tide of a reef, wreck or other fish holding mark. AnchoRight chain markers have been designed to not pop out from between the links, when they are passed through a windlass or dragged on the sea floor. In addition, both the markers and guide plate are formed from a durable, UV-resistant material, suitable for the rigours of the marine environment. Available in 10 clear colours,…

Nobody can argue against the fact that fishing tackle has got better and better during our lifetimes. The first spinning reels were invented back in the 1930s, but for a long time anglers were stuck with these flimsy, fragile, reels which could only handle somewhat moderate to heavy work. As a boy in the 1980s, I can remember my eyes delighted in seeing my father’s Abu 6500 multipliers. Masterful pieces of engineering in their own right; they were almost too beautiful and shiny to use. The fixed spools that dad had for spinning were nascent compared to the accomplished performance of the 6500s, both in the cast and construction. People dubbed fixed spools egg-whisks back then: if you saw a surf caster using them it would be a source of…

APRIL ● 2: Denes Tackle Clacton Open, in aid of Clacton on Sea Lions Club, fishing 11-4pm, booking in at Denes Tackle Clacton 7.30-10am, £5 entry, all in aid of charity and £10 pools (100 per cent pay-out), weight to measure. Buffet and presentation at the Lifeboat Pub. Pre book with Denes Tackle 01255 425992 or Rob Tuck 07855 848967. ● 2: Flat Fish only Hythe beaches, fishing 9-2pm book in at the Fountain Seabrook from 6 to 7.30am. £30 all in including biggest flat fish. Catch and release to conversion chart all over 18cm. Pre-Book and pay on the day. Any baits, Mark Rogers 07770 973062. ● 2: West Coast Angling Centre and Watchet Angling Club open, competition, 3.30-7.30pm, limits; Minehead Town beach to Blue Anchor Slipway, book in…

GREAT SEA ANGLING VENUES Your insight into the best shore and boat fishing that the UK and Ireland have to offer Font-y-Gary is a small village on the Vale of Glamorgan coastline, a few miles to the west of Barry. It’s a rough, boulder-covered beach and if you fish here you must expect to loose a lot of terminal tackle, especially leads. The last time I fished there I don’t think I made a single cast where I retrieved the lead. However, if you can live with such heavy tackle losses Font-y-Gary can be a hugely productive mark for several popular species. The optimum time to fish from the beach at Font-y-Gary is around two-and-a-half hours either side of low water, ideally on a mid-range up to spring tide. If…

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. MONTHLY WINNERS: SHORE: Matthew Newman, ChepstowBOAT: Rob Griffiths, Truro HOW TO ENTER Entry by 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,…

Etiquette: ‘The customary code of polite behaviour in society or among members of a certain profession or group.’ Etiquette could be described as being good manners or acceptable behaviour, or put another way, acting appropriately. Etiquette transcends much of everyday life and is especially prevalent within many sports. Golf, for example, or more accurately the way ‘one behaves and acts’ on the golf course and in the clubhouse, is richly steeped in etiquette. There are plenty of examples of etiquette in fishing too, especially game fishing, where there are many examples of ‘the correct way of doing something’. But what about sea fishing, or more specifically charter fishing? Is there, or should there be, a certain etiquette in the way anglers behave and conduct themselves aboard charter boats? Over the…

Taking a son or daughter boat fishing for the first time is a dream for many sea anglers, it certainly was for me. I remember I almost burst with pride when on his seventh birthday Luke, my son, caught his first two blue sharks aboard a charter boat fishing off the Kerry coast. And my daughter Amy was not much older when she beached her first striped bass fishing the surf at Cape Cod. Safety should be a massive consideration whenever you fish aboard a boat, but whenever you take children afloat your attention to safety should take on an entirely different level. I don’t always wear a lifejacket every time I fish afloat, I should, but I don’t, and that is my decision. When children are aboard adults really…

Sea Angler is offering readers the chance to snap up the latest edition of the best-selling Expert 2-piece Floatation suit (RRP £139.99). The expert MKII has all the functions and quality that you are used too, but with a modern touch and extra safety features. Bib and Brace trousers that are certified as a 50 Newton buoyancy aid having been specially designed to elevate the top half of your body when in water. The suit features a reflective tape for night safety, a stitched-in belt with ITW Nexus buckle and a CE 394 whistle. Made from a light, wind and water-resistant fabric, they provide comfort for any inclement trips, day or night, as well as safety in the water. Available in sizes from S-XXL. The lightweight PVC wellingtons from Stillwater…

SHORE: GILTHEAD BREAM May will see a rapid increase in the numbers of gilthead bream inside the smaller estuaries and off the relevant beaches. It coincides with the greater numbers of crabs peeling as well as warming water. TIDE TALK It varies, but generally, targeting gilthead inside smaller estuaries sees the best numbers available during the middle-sized rising tides, not necessarily the biggest springs. For estuaries, the best overall tides fall from the 10th to the 17th, and again from the 23rd May to the 2nd June. The tides on the 14th to 17th look spot on, also from the 25th to the 2nd June for peak catches and bigger fish. If you’re fishing surf beaches, choose the bigger tides between the 3rd and the 10th, then the 16th to…

GREAT SEA ANGLING VENUES Your insight into the best shore and boat fishing that the UK and Ireland have to offer DYMCHURCH This venue is well known to local anglers for a good variety of summer and winter species. It is a shallow venue with a flat sand bottom and the tide retreats a long way. The venue fishes over low water for rays and bass. Generally, the bass are small but good sport. Winter sees thornback rays, whiting, the occasional codling, pouting and dogfish replace them. Mullet can also be caught in summer and can be seen cruising on the surface. High water will see a depth of around 10m at casting range but only for around two hours as the water recedes very quickly. Long casts are an…

£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…

When one veteran angler talks to another it is odds on that during the conversation one will make the statement “we certainly had the best of it” and follow on with the question “Do you remember…”. I had called Nick Carter to wish him a happy 93rd birthday, with me lagging behind at a mere 90. Of course, we talked fishing. Between the 1970s and late 1980s Nick had great successes at home and during the five years he lived in the Azores, where among his captures was a blue marlin of 1,067lb. On this occasion the “do you remember” was completed with “all those big coalfish we had with JJ”. He was referring to John Jacob McVicar, widely known as JJ, who in the early 1970s skippered the Plymouth…

ASK THE EXPERTS When sending your question, please remember to include your name and address IAN BOWELL Ian is the vice chairman of the Sea Anglers Match Federation and our shore fishing expert. DAVE LEWIS Based in Newport, South Wales, our contributing editor Dave answers boat fishing questions. JOHN HOLDEN A Sea Angler contrbutor for over four decades specialising in casting and rod building. HENRY GILBEY Angler, blogger and photojournalist Henry, based in Cornwall, is our lure expert. BEN BASSETT The Plymouth angler and blogger will provide answers on the sport of light rock fishing (LRF), the go-anywhere tactic. HOW TO ASK US A QUESTION Email: sa.ed@kelsey.co.uk or online: facebook.com/seaanglermag By asking a question you are giving us permission to use your name and where you…

YO-ZURI SUPERBRAID WHITE Yo-Zuri SuperBraid is now available in white in 150yd and 300yd spools. Made in line factories in Japan, this is an extremely high quality line at an aggressive price. Featuring Yo-Zuri’s heat integration process that bonds the individual strands, makes it smoother and more abrasion resistant. An exceptional option for finesse fishing with spinning tackle when seeing a slight bite is key. Available in sizes 10lb-80lb. ■ www.yo-zuri.com COSTA JOSE PRO SUNGLASSES Named in honour of legendary Cuban American TV angler, adventurer and explorer, Jose Wejebe, the Costa Jose sunglasses celebrate the life of the man who lived for the thrill of the bite. These polarised sunglasses are the trusted sidekick to any explorer and are ideal for boating and fishing in deep water and in open…

Tope Hunter is not a new design – it was originally built by Stormcat in Scotland and has been around for 14 years. However, the brand and design is now owned by Eastbourne-based boat builder Steve Paice and his Tope Hunter Boats company. Sutton Workboats produce the moulds and Steve then turns them into what we see now. BASIC DESIGN, LOOK AND FEEL The reinforced hull has a bonded chassis below the floor, creating multiple buoyancy chambers giving a total reserve buoyancy of 66kg. The design is a sleek open boat which is strong, stable and uses top quality materials in construction. It has the feel of a fast inshore bass boat with wide deck space and the console set at the front. The transom has a shallow well which…

MATCH FISHING FEBRUARY 8: AMBLE SEA ANGLING CLUB OPEN 441 anglers ■ Result: 1st Dave Delaney Walker, 18lb 05.8, (20); 2nd Lee Corry, 14lb (not registered); 3rd Gav Owen Consett, 13lb, 9.4, (18); 4th L Smith, 12lb, 13.2; 5th G Bell, 12lb, 04.4; 6th M McIntyre, 11lb, 02.2; 7th S Potts, 10lb, 09.6; 8th J Shaw, 9lb, 15.2; 9th A Johnson, 9lb, 04.2; 10th S Robson, 8lb, 08.8 (points not able to be awarded as not able to reconcile the name on the list due to no Christian name or location of the angler). 11: MIKE AND CHRIS’S WINTER HEAVIEST COD LEAGUE CARNOUSTIE TO FERRYDEN LIGHTHOUSE, 31 anglers ■ Result: 1st Chris Horn, Kirkcaldy, 8lb 7oz; 2nd Keith Bathgate, Edinburgh, 6lb 5oz; 3rd Mike Horn, Kirkcaldy, 4lb 6oz. Heaviest fish…