TSF - May 2016

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p004_TSF_05_Kiddy.indd 1 18/03/2016 14:24
MAY 2016
EDITOR’S WELCOME
Do you have an opinion you want to share with the sea fishing community? E-mail paul.dennis@dhpub.co.uk
A
t last – a boat trip that WASN’T blown off! The fishing had been very good in the run-up to the
After a nasty bout of cabin fever due to more match, but easterly then northerly winds made holding WHAT’S HOT
than three months without going to sea, I
managed to get onto an early wrecking trip
a bait down very difficult. They also made access to
some usually popular areas a bit tricky, and I’m glad to
IN THIS ISSUE…
with top skipper Dave Elliott. say that the anglers showed good sense in where they SMOOTHHOUNDS
It was a very interesting day, not least because we could and couldn’t gain access. These crab-loving speed
started off catching plenty of bass. Now, I’m quite happy Big congratulations to Matt Garbutt in recording the machines are on many anglers’
hit lists, and rightly so; as
catching bass and returning them, but the odds are that biggest win of his match fishing career to date, but most
members of the shark family
at some point you will get one that turns over and dies, of all thanks to the many competitors who supported
smoothhounds offer excitement
and as we all know you can’t keep bass just now, so we this wonderful event yet again.
to boat and shore anglers alike. While boat anglers
would have been faced with a ‘burial at sea’.
have the advantage in being able to fish very light
Total lunacy I know, but that’s the law at the moment, Cover Story for hounds, shore anglers have the adrenaline rush
so we did the sensible thing and moved to where we What a cod Will Irving landed – the 70lb 5oz giant excitement of rod-wrenching bites – the ‘3ft twitch’
hoped there would be no bass. featured on our cover. Will, from Cardigan, Wales, that can see rods flying off the tripod. May heralds
As a table fish I think that bass are overrated, so I bagged the beast on a trip off the island of Soroya, the start of the smoothhound season so we’ve gone
have no problem returning them, but the enormity of Norway, which has long been THE venue for outsize cod, large on them.
the ‘no retention’ rule really hit home to me. It genuinely prompting Will to name it ‘the cod capital of the world.’
cast a bit of a cloud over the day. Will was lure fishing in about 100 feet of water on JOHN LEWIS
The bass issue raised its head again in the Paul a trip with Sportquest Holidays, guided by top skipper Bridgend’s John Lewis is one
Roggeman European Open Beach Championship. For Kevin McKie. of the most respected anglers
the first time bass could not be weighed in. I know that out there. A proud Welshman
some were caught, one of which could have provided Tight lines. and family man too, he’s an
the captor with a lucrative visit to the prize table. angler with the common touch
Anger is definitely rising in respect of the burden who tells it how it is.
that recreational anglers are carrying, and I can see it John loves his smoothhound fishing, and he’s
coming to the boil during the ‘EU in or out’ referendum. introduced many of his angling mates to the species,
Will a Brexit offer recreational anglers a better deal? putting them right on the money to hit their first
It could do in theory, but we would have to trust our Paul Dennis, Editor hound.
own government to look out for us, and so far they have
been sorely lacking. In or out, I don’t see recreational FIND US ON… ALAN BROWN
anglers’ interests at the top of any political agenda South coast all-rounder Alan
anytime soon – unless we shout a damned sight louder. WIN EVEN MORE Brown has an enviable list of
I’m not going to tell anyone to vote ‘in’ or ‘out’ of the GOODIES specimen fish to his name. He
has a knack of being in the
EU, but I will say this: don’t be fooled by people telling 20,160 likes
right place at the right time
you we can only control bass stocks by leaving the EU. Join the ‘Total Sea Fishing’ Facebook page. Each month and is Mr Consistent when
As an EU member, Ireland is managing its own bass we will give away prizes, you can post your catch reports it comes to catching. His knowledge of south coast
resources quite nicely thank you, without input or
for all to see, and you can also make friends and chat marks is second to none and he applies his wealth
interference from Brussels. The question is, how can
away with 20,160 other fans worldwide. of experience to great effect. Known for his cod
they do it and successive governments over here can’t? fishing prowess, Alan also has the highest regard
Away from the politics, the European Open Beach PLUS we’re on Twitter too! for smoothhounds, and his top tips on this mercurial
@TotalSea
Championship was fished in very testing conditions. species are required reading.
Catches were down, but as we all know there’s nothing
you can do about the weather.
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p005_TSF_05_Editorial.indd 1 23/03/2016 11:25

MAY 2016
14
CONTENTSDo you have an opinion you want to share with the sea fishing community?
E-mail paul.dennis@dhpub.co.uk
08 WRASSE ESSENTIALS 50 SQUIDS IN

Steve Neely looks at the lure tackle you need to tame
these pugnacious battlers.
14 EUROPEAN OPEN BEACH

WITH SHORE HOUNDS
John Lewis knows a place where smoothhounds
are as keen on squid as they are crabs. 45
CHAMPIONSHIP 55 GEAR GOSSIP
Results and pictures from the biggest and best beach We bring you some of the best and newest items
championship on the coast! on show!
20 SEEK OUT 60 TOTAL TACKLE

SMOOTHHOUNDS TSF takes a close look at 10 super spinning
The hounds are coming and we tell you how to target them! reels.
26 PROSPECTING FOR POLLACK 64 WIN!

As the weather relents, Paul Dennis is delighted to get A Quantum Iron spin package worth £310!
on his first wrecking trip of the year.
66 ON TEST
32 GEAR UP FOR Roger Mortimer powers up the 15ft 4in Sonik
EARLY HOUNDS Gravity Surf rod.
Alan Brown shares his top tips on a productive
smoothhound session. 68 ON TEST
Paul Dennis gets blinged up with the Avet SXJ 5.3
45 FOAM & FURY MC multiplier. “I was so impressed that I decided
Hard-hitting Cornish bass action on lures. to dig deep and buy one.”
35 THE ACADEMY
Increase your knowledge with the TSF Academy – packed with tips, tricks, skills and advice for ALL levels of
sea anglers.
35 Species Safari… Catch us if you can – we look at four difficult-to-crack species: red bream,
Ray’s bream, wolf-fish and John Dory.
38 TSF Rigs… A timely reminder of a classic TSF rig – the two-boom boat bream rig.
40 Get Into Boat Fishing… Drift fishing for flatties explained.
06 www.totalseamagazine.com
COVER
p006-007_TSF_05_Contents.indd 1 STORY 23/03/2016 11:26
www.totalseamagazine.com
EDITORIAL
Total Sea Fishing ISSN 1461 - 622X
Did you struggle Website www.totalseamagazine.com
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71 HITTING THE HORIZON Helen Bettles
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76 WAHOO! Lines open 9am-5pm Monday-Friday
Charlie Coppolo has a record-breaking encounter with
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82 MAKO MAN! Distribution Seymour Distribution Ltd
Shark expert David Turner reveals his plans to skipper 2 East Poultry Avenue, London, EC1A 9PT
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The advertisements and editorial content
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published in this magazine are the sole property
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90 FIRST RAYS OF SPRING reproduced without the prior permission of the
Matt Crowe pays an early visit to an Essex hotspot. publisher.
95 ANGLING TRUST NEWS

England development squad and parliamentary
‘Species Champions’ revealed.
96 CATCH SCENE
The month’s best catches landed by YOU.
98 SKIPPER’S SPOTLIGHT
Daiwa-sponsored Discovery skipper Gary Flint, from
Liverpool.
p006-007_TSF_05_Contents.indd 2 23/03/2016 11:26

SHORE FISHING #wrasseonlures
Wrasse
Essentials
Steve Neely looks at the gear you need for wrasse fishing with lures.
N
ow that spring has sprung,
the wrasse season is upon
us and with previous articles
dealing with tactics and
techniques, I thought it was time we
took a more in-depth look at the kit I
use and why. This style of lure fishing
really floats my boat – getting out on the
coast and roving around each headland,
in search of the next gulley holding a
slab of a wrasse that will slam the rod in
half and lift your toes from the rocks.
It isn’t a big, long, drag-screaming
fight but it is pure, smash-and-grab
power that gets the adrenaline surging
through your body – few things get
better than a good day’s wrasse fishing
on the open coast.
So treat this like a bit of a ‘tick list’ for
the essential fishing kit to have before
you head out chasing pigs this season.
Wrassing Sticks
When it comes to rods for tackling
‘rock pigs’, I tend to keep mine short,
fast-actioned with lots of power on tap
when needed to halt their retreat to the
sanctuary of the nearest ledge.
I like rods around the 7ft to 7ft 6in
mark, with a cast rating of up to maybe
25g or 28g – you don’t require any more
than that because the end rig has no
need to be heavy. It is also important
to note that high cast ratings do not
directly relate or equate to more power!
I like stagger-tip rods – this is a style
of rod that instead of coming in two
equal sections, comprises the bottom
section (butt, reel seat and handle)
and then the rest of the rod slots into
the spigot, which is located where the
handle stops. The classic examples
would be the Illex S 210 M or the
Tenryu Injection 732 – both of which
are sublime wrassing rods!
These stagger-tipped rods often offer
a quicker power transfer, allowing me Soft-plastic lures are
great wrasse catchers.
to quickly exert a lot of pressure on
p008-012_TSF_05_Wrasse Essentials.indd 1 23/03/2016 13:33

#wrasseonlures SHORE FISHING
the fish. I also find the blanks more As much as I would love to have a fish
responsive than conventional, equal- in these waters that screams the drag
sectioned rods. for hundreds of metres, we simply don’t
have that type of sport. Locking up
Reels the drag does one of two things.
I make no bones about it, Firstly, it ups the ante for
for wrasse fishing the the sport, making it
reel is really just a WRASSING STICKS a pure battle of fish
means of holding For those not wanting to splash versus angler.
line – the drag the cash on the higher-end rods Secondly, wrasse
is pretty much (like Illex and Tenryu), I would are notorious for
irrelevant suggest looking at the following, heading for the
because I lock ranging from around £60 to £150: nearest snag and
it up and try smashing you
not to give Major Craft Crostage CRS 762 off... you need
M/S, 7-28g Good quality
them an inch. to stop them in
Major Craft Crostage CRS 732 reels are a must.
ML/S, 5-18g
their tracks!
Shimano Stradic 7ft, 10-25g I look for have a solid reputation and will more
Sakura Sportism Neo 7ft, 5-20g something small than do the job for mobile wrasse
Sakura Ryokan 702M, 5-20g enough to balance fishing. I haven’t had much experience
Okuma Hexana 7ft, 5-20g the rod while being with other brands such as Okuma, Hart,
saltwaterproof and Sakura and so on, but this is not to
able to withstand a bit of say they won’t be fit for purpose. Just
abuse from the rocks and salt. remember, line capacity isn’t a huge
I have always been a fan of issue for wrasse fishing – the key is to
small, fixed-spool Daiwa reels (2500 make sure it balances the rod and isn’t
sized). Over the past few seasons I too clumsy.
have gathered quite a collection and,
from experience, I would confidently Lines
recommend either the Theory or Let’s keep it simple… I am not one for
Ballistic EX. ultra-light tackle. I believe in the need
Recently, I got the new Daiwa Freams for sensitivity but also using sensibly
2508A to try this season and while it rated tackle that will get the job done
is early days, it seems a lovely bit of without risking the fish’s health. I would
kit. It balances out my 7ft Illex, 5-21g say that over 90 per cent of my lure
perfectly and holds enough 20lb line to fishing for wrasse, bass and pollack is
do the job. Keep your eyes out in the done with 20lb braid.
not too distant future for my further For wrasse, it is almost always a
thoughts in the magazine. four-strand braid due to their higher
For those in the Shimano camp, then abrasion resistance when compared
it may be worth looking at 3000-sized with more complex eight-stranded
Rarenium, Aernos or Technium – all braids. Brandwise, I use a mixture of
YGK Nitlon is a good, Typical wrasse

reliable leader line. country.
May 2016 09

YGK and Sunline, but more recently during the fight, it is critical that Wrasse Candy
I have started giving the new Daiwa the hooks are strong enough not to As with all soft-plastic-lure fishing, it
J-Braid a go. Similar to the Freams, it is deform in the heat of battle. really is a bottomless pit of profiles and
too early to tell what it will be like on a I wouldn’t skimp when buying shapes but let’s narrow it down to some
long-term test but so far it seems to be hooks; perhaps you can when it broad categories and phrasing.
getting the job done. comes to weights and suchlike but In general, the lures I use will range
Colour really isn’t important because fundamentally it is the hook that is from three to around four-and-a-half
wrasse don’t respond well to low light, keeping the fish on the end of your inches long. Anything smaller and it
therefore all my fishing is done in the line. only attracts minute, micro species,
middle of the day, removing the need Brands such as OMTD, Decoy, which may be up some people’s street
for hi-viz lines. Consequently, if you are Mustad and Nogales would be my first but that’s not my target. Any larger and
a tackle tart like me, then colour choice port of call. I also like fairly heavy- getting a positive hook-set can be tricky.
is based on what matches the reel or the gauged hooks, simply because they are I have talked colours before but the
rod! often stronger than finesse or fine-wire rule of thumb is to carry dark greens,
A 150m spool will be ample and ones. browns and blacks with a variety of
after some wear and tear it can be It really all depends on the hook green, blue or red flakes in them.
stripped off and reversed to increase the company and the size or depth of the
longevity. I tend to reverse my braids lure; nothing is ever set in stone but
halfway through a season, giving me an that’s a rough idea.
average lifespan of one spool per season Weights are pretty simple, and
– assuming no horrible snap-offs or depending on the rig will either
IN TERMS OF ALL-ROUND ACCESSIBLE SPORT, I

THINK THAT WRASSE COME TOP OF THE LIST.
wind knots occur! comprise cone or small bomb-style
The question I get asked a lot is: leads, ranging from 5g to 15g. Shop
“Do you use a leader?” The answer is around and think about buying in
yes! A fluorocarbon leader is essential bulk, because you will go through
for all types of lure fishing and for my plenty throughout the course of a
wrassing I use a 20lb leader, around season.
four feet long, attached using an Currently I use HTO Non
improved Albright knot. Toxic cone leads, but
I find them a bit
Hooks And Weights too shiny so they SIZE MATTERS
In previous articles I have spoken about usually get a Here is a rough guide to
various rigs that involve weedless, wide- touch of dark matching your lure size
gape hooks, so it comes as no surprise brown or with an appropriate hook:
that this is the style of hook I carry, dark green
usually ranging from 1/0 to 4/0 to cover spray paint to 3in – size 1, 1/0
a range of lure sizes and profiles. camouflage 4in – size 2/0, 3/0
Due to the huge amount of pressure them a bit. 4½in – 3/0 maybe a
4/0 (depending on the
thickness)
Terminal tackle for wrasse This wrasse hit a

needs to be simple but strong. Molix Sligozzo pattern.

#wrasseonlures SHORE FISHING
Paddle Tails these with a painfully slow, yet steady I love fishing big craw or creatures
These are probably the most common retrieve. Often, the wrasse’s curious for wrasse using reasonably heavy
profile of soft plastic on the market nature will get the better of them and cone leads, say around 12 to 14g. I
today. For wrasse fishing you will want they will follow the lure over great like twitching them back over the
paddle tails that aren’t necessarily fish distances before eventually deciding structure, allowing for big, long pauses
patterns, more just a generic body and enough is enough and hammer it! and waiting for the savage smash when
tail so that it can imitate or replicate a wrasse decides to disarm the craw
a number of food types, not just Crawfish/Creatures before engulfing it!
your standard conventional Pretty self-explanatory this I had one of the best day’s wrasse
baitfish. Twitched, one; these replicate small fishing last September using craws,
with fish coming literally every cast.
they can mimic a PADDLE TAIL PATTERNS shrimps, crabs and
crustacean, or slowly Molix RA Shad crustaceans that wrasse It was on a remote headland on the
crawled back, they Fiiish Black Minnow love to forage for, west coast of Ireland. I was fishing two
can replicate small Fox Spikey Shad especially on flooding or three specific gulleys bang on low
gobies or blennies. Keitech Easy Shiner tides over boulder water and for the first 30 minutes of
I like to fish Daiwa D Fin fields. the flood nothing was happening, then
Illex Ammonite Shad
Reins Rockvibe
Z Man Paddler Z
May 2016 11

Islands. For the best results, work

with the odd twitch to animate
but allow for very long pauses.
There’s a lot going on with Have faith, it will attract fish! I
the Molix Freaky Flip lure.
certainly wouldn’t venture out on
it was like a switch was flicked the rocks without a few black or
and they went into overdrive. In the dark green ones in the arsenal!
space of an hour or so we had 40-plus
fish up to just over 4lb – a cracking Wrasse better than bass?
day’s sport by anyone’s standards! I have come across this debate Simple lures require
some confidence to use
a few times on social media but wrasse love them. ,
Stickbaits and Senkos and often brush it to one side.
The much underrated stickbait and However, sometimes you take
Senko concept cause a lot of discussion a step back and think: “Are
on internet forums and social media they?”
but, when fished with confidence, Granted, it is a bit like trying
there is no doubting the method’s fish- to compare an apple with
catching abilities but it relies on faith an orange, but in terms of
from the angler. all-round accessible sport for
Stickbaits, like the classic Megabass X anglers, I think that wrasse
Layer, are a little easier for anglers do come top of the list.
to get on with, due to the Generally speaking,
fact that they have a more they are found
‘obvious’ action when Creature Patterns well distributed
twitched or hopped Molix Caleo Craw around our
Senko-
back. Also, some Molix Sligozzo coastlines style lures.
stickbaits, like the Molix Freaky Flip compared
ones mentioned above, Wave Fishing Crawdude to bass
have rattles, adding Wave Fishing Swimbug and the potential
noise and vibrations, Illex Chunk Craw number to catch in a placed around my neck, but I know that
which certainly helps. Z Man Punch Craw Z session is higher. a lot of the time I am tagged as being
The Senko approach In terms of their fighting a bass man. However, I actually spend
boils down to two things – abilities wrasse tend to be all insane amounts of my time climbing
patience and doing virtually bluster out of the blocks and then down cliffs, jumping over gulleys and
nothing. The Texas rig is without they are easily tamed, whereas a bass scrambling over rocks chasing the
doubt the most effective way to present fight can end up a more tactical affair. archetypal rock fish – the wrasse!
this humble lure and has accounted As long as you are fishing with well- I love the challenge, and how they
for some serious sized hogs among the balanced tackle then you should be able look, and there are fewer better ways
die-hard wrassing to get all the rod-bending sport you to spend a summer’s day than with a
community, need, regardless of which species you lure rod in hand and throwing a clatter
especially in target in the UK or Ireland. of soft plastics at these toothy reef
Stick Patterns the Channel I don’t like having any species label monsters.
Yum Senko
Gary Yamamoto Senko
Wave Fishing Tiki Sticks
Hawg Wild
Megabass X Layer
Lunker City Sluggo
Molix Sligone
Built for power rather than

speed, wrasse are impressive fish.

Tel: 0141 212 8880
Glasgow Angling
Centre
Unit 1, The Point
e-mail: sales@fishingmegastore.com Retail Park
www.fishingmegastore.com
29 Saracen Street
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SHORE FISHING #europeanopenbeachchampionship
Matt’s
MEGA PAYDAY
Paul Dennis reports from the eagerly awaited Paul Roggeman
European Open Beach Championship along the Holderness coast.
Spurn Point was the place

to head for on Saturday, but
didn’t fish as well on Sunday.
WINNER’S DOSSIER
Matt Garbutt
Rod: Ian Golds Extractor
Fixed Spool
Reel: Penn Affinity Lc 8000
Line: Daiwa J-Braid 29Lb
Leader: Asso Rig Body 40Lb
Snoods: Sunset Amnesia 40Lb
Hooks: Sakuma Manta 4/0
Sakuma 440 Circle 3/0
Lead: Gemini Splashdown
Rig: Pennel Pulley Dropper
p014-018_TSF_05_Bridlington.indd 1 23/03/2016 11:27

#europeanopenbeachchampionship SHORE FISHING
T
he joy of the Paul Roggeman was there an hour earlier. A good
European Open Beach plan, because by 5am there were an
Championship is that anyone estimated 80 cars parked along the
can win it. Fishing for one or roadside!
two sizeable fish is a great equaliser. But it was Saturday’s result that
However, although luck can play a part, sealed the win, as Matt landed cod
it’s no surprise that the winners of the of 3kg 240g and 1kg 495g for a very
coveted title are almost always handy total. The individual
more than decent anglers. match is ‘biggest single
This year’s champion, fish wins’, but it can
Matt Garbutt, 30, from go to countback in
Skelton-in-Cleveland,
North Yorkshire,
WHAT’S IN THE the event of a tie,
and for the pairs
definitely falls into the
WALLET? competition, which
‘more than decent’ Individual Day 1: £2,000 is run alongside
category, and having Pairs Day 1: £850 the individual Matt Garbutt picks up his cheque for
Senior Champion: £4,000 £2,000 for his first-day win from Tez
taken the lead on the match, every fish is Roggeman, widow of long-time European
first day with a cod of Best Flattie Day 2: £50 important. Open organiser Paul Roggeman.
3kg 240g (7lb 1oz in old As well as the
money) he wasn’t about £2,000 individual prize, dropper rigs did the trick for Matt, who
to let it slip from his grasp, Matt had a share of the works as a crane driver.
taking the title plus £6,500 in £850 pairs prize with Andrew “It’s the fourth time that I’ve fished
accumulated winnings. Cass, who added a cod just shy of the Open but the first time I’ve done
Saturday’s match had seen Matt 1lb 8oz to give the duo a 5kg any good. I’ve had a few disasters in
making the long and arduous pre-dawn 405g total. previous years but I’ve always fancied
march to secure his place right on the Good-sized cocktails my chances on here because I’m
tip of Spurn Point by 4am. comprising crab, reasonably local,” revealed Matt.
On Sunday, with the previous day’s squid heads and “I knew Spurn would be even more
catching areas now being known, he blow lug on Pennel popular on the second day because
a few fish had come from there, so I
made an even earlier start to make
sure that I got a decent spot,” he
added.
But a slight change in wind
direction for the second day meant that
Matt’s plans began to unravel as the
match progressed. The wind,
which had been more in
the easterly quarter on
Saturday,
shifted
slightly
more
towards
north
during the
night, which
had a bearing
on the results
from the very
end of Spurn
Point.
“The weed
on Sunday was
horrendous where I
started off, which was near
to Spurn Lighthouse. I gave
it a really good go, expecting
things to improve as the tide
slackened, but if anything it
Matt Garbutt with the cod that won the got worse and eventually I
lot! This fish of 3kg 240g was the biggest had to move to get away
caught in the 2016 Paul Roggeman
European Open Beach Championship. from it. I shifted position
to a spot near the lifeboat
May 2016 15

station and that wasn’t any better, so Matt, who didn’t have much to spare
with time running out I moved again, over individual runner-up and Sunday
more towards the river. winner Nick Welburn, who landed a
“This time I had a bite first cast with a cod of 3kg 225g from the Spurn Road
black lug and squid cocktail, area. With just over half an ounce the
and landed a flounder. I difference on those individual fish,
only had time for two Matt’s day two flounder extended his
more casts before I had advantage to 14oz.
to make my way back “Obviously it’s the biggest match I’ve
but catching that fish ever won, and the most prize money,
justified the move – it although I do well in club matches,”
would have been very said Matt, who plans to invest some of
easy to just pack up his winnings in new tackle.
at that point instead “My current rod is very good but it’s
of moving! The getting on for seven years old now and
flounder was only 380g it’s due for a change. I’ve been taking
but it won me the £50 a look at the Anyfish Anywhere fixed-
prize for best flattie spool rods, which look very impressive,
on the Sunday, and it so I might have to splash the cash.”
could have been very Filey Brigg’s Andy Cammish also put
important in the event that in a consistent performance, troubling
my first day’s biggest fish the scorers on both days. Andy followed
was tied by another angler. up a brace of fish, including a cod of
I was just desperate to catch 2kg 755g, on Saturday, with a 285g
a fish on the second day and was flattie for 3kg 40g, worth a combined
well pleased with the flounder, £1,500 for his two days’ work.
Andy Cammish took second spot on although I’d have much preferred Whitby’s Scott ‘Pippen’ Moore was
day one with his best fish of 2kg 755g. another decent cod,” explained one of the first anglers back to the

#europeanopenbeachchampionship SHORE FISHING
The wind, weather

and sea conditions
changed overnight.
Craig Buy made the long

trek from Essex wor thwhile
with this 1kg 400g cod from
Withernsea Beach.
year, just one day after the match. I

know that he would have been delighted
to see how the attention to detail that
he instilled was still in place, and the
organisation ran like clockwork.
If there’s one thing that you can
predict about the weather for the
European Open Beach Championship,
it’s that it will be unpredictable. Even
Paul, when he was with us, couldn’t
manage to tame it, although I suspect
weighing tent on the first day, taking towards Bridlington that caused the that he thought he’d have cracked it
no chances of missing his opportunity only ‘too late to weigh’ casualty of the with just a bit more time.
of putting a decent cod of 2kg 575g tournament; heavy traffic delaying an That unpredictability was the case yet
onto the scales. Unluckily, he finished unlucky angler who arrived at match again, in the 23rd fishing of the event
just out of the money on day one and HQ eight minutes too late to have his (having missed one year due to the foot
in the event overall, but he did pick up catch weighed. and mouth outbreak). Sleet, snow, rain,
two superb rods, a Cono-Flex Lithium, and of course plenty of wind (I think
which is now a real collector’s item and Win Was Taylor Made they make it in East Yorkshire and
one of the final rods made by the highly Junior anglers have a good record of export it worldwide) made for tricky
rated manufacturers, plus an Anyfish catching in the Open, but conditions angling conditions and prompted
Anywhere Tournament Match Grand this year saw just one youngster take a
Prix, again a very highly regarded rod. fish to the weigh tent – Taylor Fisk with
Value of the pair? Probably in the a flounder of 350g landed on the second
region of £600 to £700 over the shop day, after prizes were drawn for on the
counter. first day because no juniors caught.
Scott had fished Spurn Point on the Withernsea lad Taylor found out that
first day and had to take into account his flattie was worth its weight in gold,
the long walk back plus the car journey. as it scooped him all of the junior prizes
However, it was the early start to get on Sunday, kitting him out with loads of
to his chosen mark in the worst of the tackle, including a rod, reel, haversack
weather that stuck in his mind. With and fishing box that should last him a
deep mud in parts, and driving rain year or two, plus a sparkling trophy.
making it even less pleasant, carrying a
load of gear for a couple of miles was a The Editor’s Eye
real test of endurance. This year ‘the Open’, as it is commonly
“Brutal” was Scott’s pithy description. referred to, was named in honour of
With the long-walk Spurn area much loved match organiser Paul Nick Welburn won the second day and
came second overall to pocket £3,500.
most popular, it was the northern end Roggeman, who sadly passed away last
May 2016 17

a rejig of the match length. Scott Moore was back

My journey up to the match HQ at early on day one to record
this cod of 2kg 575g.
Sand Le Mere had been interesting.
The regular BBC weather bulletins kept
mentioning snow and road closures ‘oop
north’. Luckily, by the time I reached
Hull most of the snow had gone, but
out on the Holderness coast it had
been replaced by even more heavy rain
just before I arrived. Ditches that are
normally bone dry were bank high and
running hard with brown water – things
didn’t look great.
Due to that torrential rain, and earlier
heavy outbursts in the run-up to the
Open, there were several areas of the
match length that were simply too
dangerous to approach, never mind
fish, so for the first time the river was
included.
A couple of months previously this
would have had a major effect on the
result. The Humber was full of cod and
local knowledge would have played queuing outside the weigh tent mainly odd whiting or flatties, although
an even greater part in the outcome. after both day’s fishing to get their I did see one cod landed from the
However, the cod had moved out in the catches recorded, but the general feeling Withernsea town beaches, with Craig
meantime and it was anyone’s guess was that this year was going to be a lot Buy from Essex landing a fish of 1kg
where would fish best over the two days. harder – and so it proved. 400g (3lb). That fish saw him making
It was the winds that were causing Given the testing conditions, it would a well-earned visit to the prize table,
most concern. Last year’s Open was have been reasonable to expect that coming away with an Abu multiplier.
fished in strong winds, but they were weed would be a major problem along “I’m well pleased. If I’d been given my
off the backs of the anglers, making sea much of the match length, but for the pick of the reels on offer it’s the one I
conditions easier. most part this wasn’t the case, although would have chosen,” beamed Craig.
This year the winds were forecast to it could have had a bearing in the There wasn’t a prize for the most
be from the north and east, almost face- results in the final analysis. laid-back angler in the match, which
on and, crucially, downtide, meaning Another factor to consider was that was unfortunate for Chesterfield’s Rob
that keeping a lead in position for any thanks to current regulations bass Turner.
length of time would be a big ask. couldn’t be weighed in. I heard of at No squatting down on a tackle box for
Being on camera duties throughout, least two that were caught, one of which Rob – he had the home
the only good thing about the weather could have been a contender for the top comforts of an
blowing in from the sea was that prize had the angler been allowed to armchair!
you could see what was coming in a weigh it. Crazy. “Well, it is
reasonable amount of time, which Spurn Point turned out to be the a Sunday
allowed you to try to find the best of any hotspot on the first day, and it seemed afternoon, so
shelter that was available – and there that the closer to the point itself that why not have a
wasn’t much! you could get, the better your chances bit of comfort?”
Last year’s Open had seen anglers were. By contrast, other areas produced quipped Rob.
Taylor Fisk took the junior
title with this flattie.
Matt Garbutt is this year’s Paul Roggeman

European Open Beach Champion.

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SHORE FISHING #hounds
Smoothhounds
Late April and early May see the first of
the smoothhounds arrive inshore. Eagerly
Seek Out
awaited by anglers, these fast-moving

members of the shark family provide some
of the most exciting fishing in the UK. Here’s
how to catch them…
W
hen shore anglers Crabs form a major part of the
discover that the smoothhound’s diet, and although
crab peel is starting, peeler crab is a fantastic bait for them,
they know that the hounds are designed to be able to tackle
smoothhounds will be on their way. hardback crabs too. They don’t have
There is a theory that the extra the sharp teeth of many of the shark
scent that enters the seawater due species; instead they have powerful
to crabs starting to peel draws in grinding plates to deal with their prey.
the smoothhounds, which have a As well as crab, hounds will also take
fantastic sense of smell and also good squid and sometimes worm baits (few
eyesight. sea fish pass up an easy meal) but it’s
Smaller fish tend to arrive first, crab that the serious smoothhound
but later in May the bigger fish move hunter baits up with.
in, with double-figure specimens The best areas to target
possible. smoothhounds are the southeast and
p020-023_TSF_05_Smoothhounds.indd 1 22/03/2016 13:46

#hounds SHORE FISHING
Hermit crab can be a

top smoothhound bai
t.
Keep your bait neat and

your hook point showin
g.
west, as it’s here that they are most

numerous. However, good conservation
by anglers has seen the species spread
and it’s now possible to catch them
further north and into Scotland.
Smoothhounds favour shallow,
sandy beaches, and can arrive in
large numbers (packs), feeding hard,
then abruptly leaving when feeding
opportunities become limited. Action
can be fast and furious when they
arrive, and if there are numbers of
anglers in an area it’s often possible to
gauge the progress of the pack by the
sequence of bending rods as the fish
quarter the tide tables.
As with all shore angling techniques,
it’s an advantage to be able to cast well.
However, smoothhounds will often
come very close to the shore, especially
after dark, and even modest casts will
reach them.
Calm sea conditions are best as a big
surf keeps smoothhounds out of range
of shore anglers, and although hounds
are often targeted at night as they come
closer inshore, they are a species that
will also feed well during the daylight
hours. They will move into water as
shallow as three feet deep to feed.
It’s not only shore anglers who benefit
from the smoothhound bonanza; boat
anglers can enjoy great sport too,
May 2016 21

SHORE FISHING #hounds
although the best of the boat fishing

tends to be a little later, in the full
summer period.
Smoothhounds fight hard, and they
can give spectacular rod-wrenching
bites, hitting the bait at speed and
running away with it before any rival
members of the pack can take it. They
are more than capable of hauling a
beach rod off the tripod and dragging
it out to sea before the angler can react
– even if the angler is standing right
beside the rod!
The safest option is to fish with the
reel in free spool, but with the ratchet
set so that line is taken rather than
the rod. For this reason, carp anglers’
‘big pit’ Baitrunner-style fixed-spool
reels are becoming popular with some
smoothhound specialists, as the easily
adjustable Baitrunner facility and a
good slipping clutch can be a decided
advantage.
Hooks depend on bait size, but
usually something in the 3/0 to 4/0
range will be needed, and it must be
strong and sharp. Uptide patterns
and crab or ray specialist patterns are
favoured.
Circle hooks are also gaining in
popularity, with some anglers finding
that they lose fewer fish on these
patterns, while being able to unhook the
fish easier due to the hook’s tendency to
catch in the corner of the mouth.
Tactics
Clipped-down pulley rigs with single
hooks are the usual choice of shore
anglers. These have good casting
potential and allow the fish to be
unhooked more easily. The pulley rig can fish yet still present a bait within presented as half or quarter crab baits.
also helps keep the lead clear of any takable range. As already touched upon, boat
snags that may be encountered during Old habits can die hard with some anglers are using increasingly light
the sometimes lengthy scrap with a shore anglers, and there’s a great tackle for smoothhounds, with tipster-
smoothhound. temptation to fish with two rods – one style rods and very light reels and
Hook snoods and rig line should be at range and one closer – to see what line becoming very popular, and with
in the 60 to 80lb range. Although the range the fish are at. However, this can weights as light as 2 to 3oz usable in
teeth of hounds aren’t sharp, they are be problematic if the hounds arrive in some situations. A huge advantage
very abrasive and their mouths have numbers, with multiple hook-ups likely. with this type of rod is that they can
great crushing power. Their skin is also When the fish are hard on the feed detect quite delicate bites.
abrasive, so that rig lines can easily many anglers will ‘retire’ one of the rods In contrast to the smash-and-
become abraded if they are in contact to just concentrate their attentions on grab-style takes that shore anglers
with it. a single one and make the most of their experience, boat anglers can
Although smoothhounds fight hard, chances. sometimes be bedevilled by hounds
there’s no need for drastically heavy The distance that needs to be cast will that take the bait very gently,
gear in respect of rods and reels, and for come with experience of the mark being seemingly playing with their food
shore anglers normal beachcasters will fished, and the tidal variances that bring rather than eating it. Using tipster-
do the job. the fish in. On some marks, depending type rods gives the angler a chance of
At close quarters some opt for carp on the tide, the fish will come a lot actually hitting these tentative bites.
rods, as these really allow the fish to closer than others. More standard boat tactics can
show their sporting capabilities, and Peeler crab is rated as the top bait involve uptiding, but even on the
these rods are also popular with some for hounds but, as has been mentioned, comparatively heavier ‘normal’ boat
boat anglers. Basically, smoothhound their main diet is hard crabs and they rods smoothhounds will give you a
fishing tends to be about how light you will willingly take these, especially when run, or several, for your money.

#hounds SHORE FISHING
TOP TIP
TOP SHORE TIPS Peter Foster
Brian Price
01 If you can only fish night

tides over a weekend, try and
01 Smoothhounds are certainly
becoming well spread around the
coast these days, as anglers north of the
pick a rising tide on the tide table border in Scotland have discovered.
circle, about halfway between the Wigtown Bay in Dumfries & Galloway
smallest tide and the top of the has good runs of fish from around mid-
biggest spring tides. May – and as a massive bonus it has
The middle tides are the easiest great runs of pack tope at the same time!
to fish as the tide will not be Pick your shark species and go for it!
hammering through, making it
difficult to hold your baited tackle
in place waiting for the hounds to
turn up. TOP TIPS
02 Please take the time to hold
and support the ’hound
in the water until it has fully
Charlie Coppolo
01 A good tip is to take different varieties of crabs with you if possible – shore
crabs, velvets, swimmers and hermits – as many as you can manage.
recovered from the battle, as they Smoothhounds can sometimes be picky and will show a definite preference for
give everything they have. If you one species of crab over another – and to make it even trickier, their tastes will
just release them straightaway change during the same session and from one mark to the next!
there is a good possibility they will
beach themselves as they will be
disorientated.
02 I like to fish single hooks for hounds and I prefer the 6/0 Owner SSW Circle
hook as it maximises hook-ups and tends to lodge in the scissors, where it
can be easily removed.
TOP TIP
Alan Brown
TOP TIP I change my hook link and hook
Gareth Davies very frequently via a quick-change
Bait presentation is
hook-link system. I inspect them
very important – if it is
after every fish and change after
a squidgy mess going
about three or four fish on average.
down, the chances are
Smoothhounds can blunt your
it will mask the hook
hooks and fray hook links very
point and not produce
easily, so always check your
the goods. Leave
terminal tackle, and if in doubt,
plenty of hook point
change it.
showing at all times.
May 2016 23

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BOAT FISHING #pollackprospects
Prospecting for
POLLACK
Paul Dennis notches up his first wrecking
session of the year, but it’s not without its
frustrations.
I
like a bit of wreck fishing. There’s and Colin Shury – it’s the third time
plenty to keep you occupied and I’ve shared a boat with them now and
plenty to think about during the it’s always a pleasure. Jason Guest was
day. How fast to wind up? How assisting skipper Dave, and we were
far? How light a lead can I get away assured of plenty of banter throughout
with? And that’s without the question the day, no matter whether the fish
that plays on most boat angler’s minds – played ball or not.
what colour lure? It was a fair old steam to the first
After many an aborted session, thanks mark, but Dave assured us that he’d had
to numerous storms so far this year, fish there the previous day, catching a
I was able to get out at last when a good mix of bass and pollack. Obviously
slot became available on Dave Elliott’s with the current bass protection rules in
Ocean Warrior III. place, all of the bass were returned, but
It wasn’t an early start out of the crew had enjoyed good sport with
Newhaven, but ut I was raring to go and bass estimated to 8lb,
was there in good time. You can never plus pollack into
predict the smooth
mooth running of the M23, double figures.
plus, get it a bit late and you start to get There was
caught in with h all the workers heading the usual
to Gatwick airport,
rport, which must have a speculation
population likeke a small town. on the way
I wasn’t alonene in arriving early, out over
Tabish Aiman n had beaten me to the what colour
punch. Like me, he had a fancy for a bit and type
of breakfast before setting off, or at the of lure to
very least a warm
arm cuppa – it was a bit start with.
parky at 6.30amam (we were more than an As you
hour early) withith minus 6.5ºC showing might
on my car thermometer
ermometer read-out.
Having a natter
atter over that welcome,
warming brew, w, Tabish and I discovered
that we had booked onto trips with
many of the sameame skippers. It seems
to be a pretty small world, as I was to
confirm later.
It wasn’t long
ng before Dave arrived,
and the keen as mustard crew went on
board. As welll as Tabish, there
was his mate Albert Coutinho,
plus Brian Christenson,
hristenson, Will
Gardner, Nick k Gardner, Alice
Pickering and d Stan
Critchley.
Also on Alice Pickering with the
the trip were best pollack of the trip –
Kevin Renton n just a shade under 13lb.
p026-030_TSF_05_Prospecting Pollack.indd 1 22/03/2016 13:47

#watchetsreeldeal BOAT FISHING
expect, rhubarb and custard

Sidewinders were a popular
choice, with shads perhaps
surprisingly getting a lot of
votes. I started to think that bass
avoidance might be on people’s
minds!
I kicked off with a small
paddle tail baby mullet pattern.
It’s one that I’ve done well with
for pollack in the past, and I
The pollack couldn’t
wasn’t too bothered about bass get enough of the
interference. rhubarb and custard.
Setting up for the first drift I
decided on a 6oz lead, using my
lure rigged Whitby style with a 12ft I’ve ever seen. Carrying lots of weight
trace. On the first drop it was obvious around the shoulders it looked more pit
that the lead wasn’t quite heavy enough, bull than silver bullet, and I genuinely
so I wound back up and swapped to a wouldn’t like to guess at its weight.
10oz lead. Before I could have another After a couple of pics the bass was
drop I was on camera duty as Alice returned, and with a flick of its big tail
I WOUND THREE TURNS OF THE REEL HANDLE

VERY QUICKLY AND THE ROD TIP BUCKLED OVER.
Pickering smartly landed a nice school it shot back down to the bottom.
bass. After a quick pic the bass went On the next drift I felt the telltale
back none the worse. bump of another line on
Thoughts of getting among the mine. Upon retrieving
fish evaporated for me as Tabish, it was obvious that I’d
Kevin and Will hit into bass. When been dragged into a
I did manage to get in I heard Dave’s real cat’s cradle, even
warning call of: “Coming up on the though there was a
wreck!” pout flapping on
I was slowing the lead on its the end. When
descent and thought I felt a the tangle
couple of hits just before it was
touched bottom – similar to
the way mackerel ambush
a lure or bait. I wound
three turns of the reel
handle very quickly
to get up and out of
any wreckage, and
the rod tip buckled
over. Was I too
late in avoiding
the snags?
No, there was
obvious living
resistance as
the fish fought
the bend of the
rod. It gave me
quite a tussle,
with some powerful
dives towards the
bottom, and I began
to think I’d hooked
the first pollack of
Kevin Renton (left) and
Paul Dennis notched up a the day.
quick double header – but What surfaced,
while Paul faltered Kevin though, was one of
just kept on going. Colin Shury with the
the chunkiest bass first pollack of the day.
May 2016 27

one gassed up and died and had to

FRANKEN-LURE be discarded. Lunacy really – Hugh
Fearnley-Whittingstall has got it right.
As Tabish said: “Dave, I bet you never
expected to hear the words ‘Take us
away from these bass so we can catch
some pollack’!”
After another hour’s steaming we
reached another wreck to try our luck
on, but this proved unproductive so
Dave burned diesel again in search of
the now elusive pollack. On the next
01 The lure started life as a

paddle tail mini shad in
baby mullet coloration – it’s a
wreck Colin Shury lifted everyone’s
spirits by landing a pollack, and Dave
decided to try a few more drifts.
pattern that pollack and bass I decided to give a Sidewinder
Skerries Eel a try. It’s a nice imitative
seem to like.
pattern and was a bit different to the
rhubarb and custard that was looking
to be the flavour of the day.
On the next drift I drew a take only
10 turns up, and had a real to and fro
battle with a decent pollack. Kevin
Renton was also into a fish, and we
managed to make a nice brace shot
of it, Kevin landing a pollack on the
popular colour choice.
02 Heads up! The working

part of the lure was
severed by a tangle with some
Now, in spite of the colour combo’s
popularity, I’ve never done very well
on the old rhubarb and custard. I’ve
braid. What to do next? caught well on every other
combination that you can
think of, but I struggle to
make the R&C work.
With a few viable
wrecks in the area,
Dave decided to
prospect some
of
the
03 As a tight Northerner the

answer was easy, a bit of
‘make do and mend’. Attaching
a Red Gill tail section produced
an unusual but still effective
lure.
eventually sorted I only had

half a lure left! The back part
had been severed by another
angler’s braid.
Rather than tie another
lure on I had a quick
rummage in my lure box and
came up with a bright orange
Red Gill lure body. It looked a very
odd marriage, but on its first drop the
‘Franken-lure’ picked up a school bass
that was quickly released.
With no pollack showing Dave
decided to up sticks to get away from
the bass. It wasn’t that we minded Paul looking a bit
catching them, but inevitably it would windswept with a
have been Russian roulette until very chunky bass.

#pollackprospects BOAT FISHING
different ones to keep the catch rate up. while the tangle was resolved, but once
It was typical early season wrecking for it was sorted the rod kept on nodding
pollack – the fish weren’t yet there in as the pollack had taken plenty of
huge numbers, but there were enough line while Alice had slackened off to
to keep us interested and guessing. allow the tangle to be sorted. After a
Getting the tackle balance right lot of winching, the fish eventually
appeared to be quite important, with came to the boat, where it was landed,
the right lead size having an effect. photographed and much admired.
Obviously going too light with the lead Brian Christenson was finally
can cause all sorts of problems, but too rewarded for his efforts with a fine
heavy a lead seemed to be deterring pollack into double figures, while
takes on the day – maybe it was the Tabish also got among the fish with a
effect it had on how the lure worked. handy brace.
About 10oz seemed to be the most Quietly knocking a few fish out was
AFTER THE AWFUL WEATHER WE’VE HAD SINCE

EARLY NOVEMBER IT WAS JUST NICE TO BE OUT.
consistent weight in terms of producing Kevin Renton, who wisely stuck to
takes – it also produced a few more the rhubarb and custard through the
tangles but you had to be in it to win it. day in tune with the preference of the
I persevered with 12oz for quite some fish. It’s always tempting to wonder if
time for zero takes, though it did keep it’s the colour that is key, or the fact
my end gear away from the other crew that so many of the crew are using it
members. that makes one colour stand out, but
Along the way there were some very on the day the consistency of the R&C
nice fish taken. Alice had a smashing couldn’t be denied. While other colours
pollack of just under 13lb, and it was picked up an odd fish or two, it was the
quite a dramatic capture. There had rhubarb and custard Sidewinder that
been a bit of a tangle on her side of the struck most frequently.
boat, with Stan Critchley hooking a I must admit that I missed the boat a
fish but unfortunately losing it in the bit, trying to make something happen
mayhem. with other colours, rather than bowing
Alice’s rod had been nodding away to the inevitable. However, it’s a tactic
Brian Christenson’s patience Ladies first! The first fish of

was rewarded with this cracker. the day fell to Alice Pickering.
May 2016 29

that can work. It sometimes brings a

bigger fish. My natural pattern Skerries
Eel had done just that early on, drawing
a take from a very decent fish that was
the best landed at the time. It has to
be said, though, that the pattern did
get overtaken by events – as did my
fish! By ignoring the popular combo I
suppose you could say that I got my just
desserts!
As is always the case, the day
absolutely flew by and Dave called out
the last drift. Inevitably it proved a bit
of an anti-climax with no fish taken –
even the rhubarb and custard couldn’t
work its magic.
Totting up the scores on the way back
it was clear who was ‘Boss Of The Boat’
– the honour went to Kevin Renton with
half a dozen fish, a good effort on a day
when hard work was needed.
Alice Pickering had the biggest fish
landed, but Brian Christenson pushed
her close, and Kevin had sneaked out a
very decent fish among his bag as well.
After the awful weather we’ve had
since early November it was just nice to
be out. A good skipper, good company,
and a few fish – you really can’t ask for Tabish with a
much more. very nice pollack.
BOSS OF THE BOAT
It didn’t take long to get Kevin Renton was

among the pollack either. top scorer on the day.
Kevin was soon into Sticking with rhubarb

the early bass, which and custard throughout
were all returned safely. was a good call.

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SHORE FISHING #getthemhounds
GEAR UP
For Early
HOUNDS
Alan Brown shares his tips and tactics for
the early smoothhounds on his local patch.
If you want quality smoothhounds,

like this one caught by Alan Brown,
Selsey is well worth a visit!
p032-034_TSF_05_Gear Up For hounds.indd 1 22/03/2016 13:48

#getthemhounds SHORE FISHING
C
ome late June, we normally friends who also got in on the early fish show over low water in numbers
start to see the first of the hounds, with fish to 17lb and plenty in and smaller fish over high, but with a
big hounds along the Selsey the 15lb bracket showing. few good fish mixed in. The beaches
beaches, but last year they When the hounds arrive here they along West Selsey are shallow with
started to show late April, with a few normally stick around until early ledges everywhere, and it’s these that
low doubles showing here and there, August, then they vanish for a few hold the fish. However, as the tide
and with each passing week more were weeks before returning for another floods, the ledges become harder to
showing. munch before they head off for winter. reach, which could explain why the
Early fish have the sweetness of stolen It would appear that the last few fish are smaller over high because the
fruit – there’s something magical about years we have a different strain of fish bigger fish hold further out. Over low
being the first to get among them. It’s visiting locally. water you can often see the ledges and
like learning of a great secret. The The originals were long, lean fish, the fish!
first smoothhound of the new ‘season’ silver in colour, but now we have a Chesties and big casts over low are
is always a big aid to catching
very special,
sometimes the
WE SEE FISH WELL IN THE 20LB-PLUS AREA these fish, but this is
not so important over
more so if it
happens to be a
CAUGHT ALONG THE SELSEY BEACHES. high water.
Tactics could not be
lone fish. It hints of future promise of shorter, dumpier fish that has a sandy any easier to catch these hard-fighting
great days to come. colour – I’m not sure what is going on hounds. They eat crab most of the time
Even apart from that pathfinding there – anyone have any ideas? But the but do get caught on worm and squid
buzz, I have a real passion for these fact remains that every year we see fish baits. However, I feel these catch the
fish because they reward you with a well in the 20lb-plus area caught along fish because the crabs move straight
great fight and a bite that can get the the Selsey beaches. on to them. So think of it as if you
heart pumping faster than your dream When they are here in numbers and were hungry and you saw one sausage
car’s top speed. When they arrive in they start to compete for the crabs that or five – you would take the five. It’s
numbers, action can be fast and furious. are out there, you can often catch day the same with the hounds, hence you
I had two very good hits on these and night, with low and high water catch on worm and squid baits which
powerful fish on consecutive trips to producing the fish. they grab in the same mouthful as the
the west side of Selsey, along with a few I have found that the better-sized crabs.
Selsey has a shallow bea

which means that long casch,
are sometimes needed. ts
Peeler crab
ready to go.
May 2016 33

SHORE FISHING #getthemhounds
SEVEN SUPER TIPS You can pick up good-

sized hounds in the day
01 Have a crack for these

fish early – you could be
pleasantly surprised!
too – this is one of those
sandy-coloured fish.
02 Fish a heavy hook link

and strong hooks.
03 Set your ratchet because

these fish can scream off
and take all your tackle with
them.
04 Crab bait is king, fresh

or frozen. Frozen often
outfishes fresh because it
releases scent quicker.
05 These are strong fish and

thrash about out of the
water so take care and treat
them with respect.
06 Weigh them in a sling not

via their mouth.
07 Distance can pay, so

when fishing low-water
marks wear chest waders,
but don’t wade out if you
are not aware of the ground
you are wading on. Safety is
paramount!
when playing fish – some people leave

It’s a big advantage
to have a pair of the ratchet set, so the fish is then in
chest waders. control of you, not the other way
around. When playing a hound I like
to play it by walking up and down
the beach. When they run I walk with
them, so I’m in direct contact with the
fish all the time and I stay in control. I
land more this way.
Once I’ve landed the hound, if it’s
worth weighing I do it in a weigh
sling so as not to damage the fish.
I take pictures and return them as
For the end rig, a good, strong 3/0 they can go on powerful quickly as possible and get sorted for
hook on a 60lb hook link is what you runs. the next one as fast as I can.
need. I like the Sukuma Manta Extra Unless you’re going to Every year there are fish over 20lb
pattern because they are strong and stand on top of your rod landed around here, and if you do
stay sharper longer, but that’s me – you you must set the ratchet. things right and have a touch of
may have your own favourites. Every year along here luck you too could land a fish of a
I change my hook link and hook people lose their lifetime, but whatever you catch
every three or four fish via a quick- rods and reels you can’t fail to enjoy your
change hook-link system because they due to leaving hound fishing!
can blunt the hooks and fray the hook them with
link due to their rough skin. I only the ratchet
ever use a single hook because I’ve not set. The
found that a Pennel can often damage same applies
the hound’s mouth and be harder to
unhook. A
strong rod and
a powerful reel
with a ratchet is a There’s nothing like an
must to deal with early hound for putting
these fish because a smile on your face.

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10 PAGES OF UNMIS 35 SPECIES SAFARI
, Ray's bream, wolf-
How to catch red bream
fish and John Dory.
38 TOTAL RIGS
two-boom boat bream
TSF revisits the classic
rig.
FISHING
40 STARTING BOAT
thoughts on drift
Paul Dennis shares his
fishing for flatfish.
Catch us if you c
a
shores that prov n! This month we look at some re
ide some of the b
iggest angling ch gular visitors to our
allenges.
Red Bream (Pagellus bogaraveo)
G
o back 40 or 50 years and vulnerable to overexploitation as only a though, and you are more likely to
red bream were more relatively low proportion of the stocks encounter them near deep-water
common around UK coasts are breeding-capable females. wrecks of the type that are targeted on
than black bream. Red bream favour deeper conger and bream boat trips.
Like black bream they are water than black bream and
summer visitors, and are very rarely caught Tactics
occasional ones do Baits by shore anglers. The same rigs being used for black
get caught – usually Lug, rag, squid, fish strips, crabs, Their feeding habits bream will also have a chance of
among black bream cockles, scallops, mussels, razorfish are similar to black picking up red bream.
on offshore trips. – the same selection that you would bream, taking small Keeping tight to any structure can
There’s no use for black bream, as red bream fish, crustaceans and be important, even when the tide
doubt as to the are potentially going to be a by- squid. lessens.
cause of the catch on a black bream trip. Locationwise your Black bream have a tendency to
catastrophic decline best chances of finding come up in the water as the tide
in numbers of red one or two are the slackens, but red bream will hang a
bream – overfishing is southern areas out to the bit lower, so keeping the bait nearer to
to blame. They were still western channel. the bottom might just bring you one
rated as common around Tackle of these.
the Channel Isles until the Whatever you Features
early 1980s, but then they are using for black Red bream tend to favour Specimen Spot
vanished. bream. deeper water than black Any fish will be a fine specimen.
A feature of red bream is bream – or rather, they aren’t Red bream grow larger than black
sequential hermaphroditism, too fond of shallower water. bream, with the bigger fish being
which makes them particularly They do like a bit of structure, predominantly females.
May 2016 35
p035-037_TSF_05_Species Safari+nautequipe.indd 1 22/03/2016 14:44

A
lso known as pomfret
and Atlantic Features
pomfret, you are Sandy beaches with Ray’s Bream (Brama brama)
more likely to good feeding opportunities
see this species on the seem to produce this
fishmonger’s slab than the species, although they
end of your line. are generally classed as a
A deepwater species, Ray’s deep-water fish.
bream do show to shore
anglers from time to time,
especially if they have Tackle
chased shoals of sprats or Standard shore
sandeels inshore. tackle picks up most
While they can be of the fish that are
classed as common landed.
summer visitors to UK
waters, their arrivals appear
to be cyclical, with regular arrivals Tactics
for several years, then a similar period British Isles are at the farthest end predators. Leger rigs from
of time when none arrive. of their range. As you might expect, Fish baits shore or boat seem
Most anglers who have encountered they occur in their largest numbers tend to pick to produce best,
this species have seen specimens on the warmer south coast, although them out, with with fish caught on
washed up on shore, as this is by no fish have been encountered as far sandeel, bluey or near the bottom.
means an uncommon event. The reason north as the Orkneys, while the UK or mackerel worth
for these strandings is unclear, although shore-caught record was landed from a try.
it’s thought that sudden changes in Crimdon Beach in the northeast, and
water temperature may play a part as the boat record off Scotland! Specimen Spot
many of these occur during the colder The warmer months are best for
months. Baits targeting this species. Bigger baits
Ray’s bream are a warm-water- Ray’s bream are categorized as like a whole sandeel can pick up
loving species and it may be that the scavengers, but they can also be active decent specimens.
Wolf-Fish (Anarhichas lupus)
W
olf-fish are a cold-water northeastern UK waters.
species with a preference Tactics Wolf-fish mainly feed
for deep water, the UK A bit of movement on crustaceans, and their
being at about the limit of of the bait can fearsome teeth are used to
its range. During the 1970s when there tempt wolf-fish from dislodge and grasp prey,
was a bit of a recreational cod fishing their lairs. while crushing molars
boom from northeast ports like Whitby complete the job.
and Scarborough, wolf-fish were fairly
regular captures. Features Baits
However, with the decline in size Heavily featured rock Mussels used to produce
and numbers of cod being caught, marks with shelves and wolf-fish for the Whitby
the number of trips out declined and undercuts in water of a and Scarborough
wolf-fish sightings also dropped. It’s reasonable depth are boats, but baited pirks
also worth noting that they are a slow- the ones to target. also caught their share
growing species that is also late to of fish. Although they
spawn, so any unusual angling pressure mainly take crabs, molluscs
can see a sharp decline in numbers. and crustaceans, like many fish
They are still a regular capture species wolf-fish rarely pass up the
and viable target for anglers Tackle opportunity of an easy meal and fish
visiting the Scandinavian Most wolf-fish are baits will be readily taken.
coastal areas, and there are caught on ground fishing
signs that the species is showing expeditions for cod, with Specimen Spot
something of a revival in typical cod tackle more A bigger baited lure is worth a try.
than adequate.

John Dory (Zeus faber)
Tackle
J
ohn Dory are regular summer
visitors to UK waters and John Dory usually fall
small numbers are landed Features as by-catch when
every year by anglers targeting Anything that attracts other species are
other species. and holds prey fish in being targeted. Not
A warm-water species, they are numbers is likely to the most mobile of
common in warmer parts of the attract John Dory. species, they tend
world, where they can even be to fight with all
targeted from the shore; however, the enthusiasm
they also favour deep water and are and power of
rarely encountered by British shore Specimen Spot a packet of
anglers. A bigger bait definitely crisps. Even a
Although they are a weak gives you a chance of a similar sized
swimming species John Dory are bigger fish. pout would
active predators, catching their put up a more
prey by the use of their extendable spirited show.
mouths.
The southern areas of the Sandeel pattern lures are good, with Tactics
UK and some parts of the Irish the smaller sizes working well. Baited Wreck lure tactics or feathering have
coastline offer the best chances of feathers can also pick up John Dory, a good success record, but John Dory
encountering this species. which perhaps see the feathers as a can also be taken on the drift on
shoal of baitfish. occasion, when targeting brill and
Baits Blue and/or white seems to be a good turbot.
Most John Dory are caught on combination. Mackerel strip is also Slowly worked baits and lures
artificial lures or mackerel feathers. worth trying. stand a better chance of success.
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CLASSiC RiG
Two-Boom Boat
Bream Rig
We look back at some
classic rigs that still
work well today!
T
his rig was a simple huge numbers of bream, as well as the bream lift up off the sea bed a little.
development from both the general species over varied ground. The lower boom, trapped between
original two-boom shore rig movable neoprene stops, can be slid
used for general species, but How To Use up and down on the rig body line and
also adapted from the single boom The rig is built with the permanently is easily adjusted to suit the rise and
rig used by boat anglers to target crimped top boom fishing the hook fall of the fish as they respond to the
black bream over the shallow reefs trace up in the water about five feet off changing tide flow.
of Cardigan Bay in Wales during the the bottom. The reason for this is that At slack water, with little tide
1970s. bream swim in dense shoals shoulder to movement, when the fish rise in the
Originally built with heavy brass shoulder, with several fish manoeuvring water away from the sea bed, slide this
and then stainless-steel booms, the above the ones on the sea bed. boom up the rig body to fish about
introduction of lightweight plastic This top hook presents a bait at a 20 inches above the Gemini link that
booms, which are much more level where the higher fish are likely to takes the lead weight. When the tide is
sensitive to the fast, aggressive bites be feeding when the tide flow is slack flowing fast, slide the boom down to
of black bream, saw this rig produce either side of low and high water when fish just above the lead link and keep
01 Begin with at least 60 inches

of 30lb clear mono or ideally
fluorocarbon.
02 To one end tie on a Gemini

Lead Clip.
03 Slide on a 5mm length of

neoprene tubing: pass the line
through the tubing, back over on itself
and back through the tubing the same
way. Now pull the line tight to lock on
the tubing. This forms a sliding stop.
04 Slide on a 3mm rig bead, a

SALT Boom or similar brand of
boom, and another rig bead.
05 Slide on another 5mm section

of neoprene tubing as above,
then tighten the line to form a second
sliding stop.
06 Slide on a rig crimp, 3mm

bead, another SALT boom,
another rig bead and a crimp.
07 To the free end of 30lb mono

tie on a size 6 rolling swivel.
08 Crimp the top boom in place

three inches below the rig
connector swivel.
09 The lower boom requires a

hook trace 30 inches long, the
top hook trace only 20 inches long,
both in 12lb fluorocarbon or 15lb
mono.
10 Finish the hooklength by tying

on a size 6 Kamasan B940
Aberdeen hook or Sakuma equivalent.
the bait hard on the bottom.
In a strong tide the long 36in hook
trace on the lower boom flows out and
swivel
presents a bait naturally rising and
falling up off the sea bed as it would
when rolling along. At slack water,
when bites fall away, try shortening
the hook trace to just 15 inches or
so. This shorter length of hook trace
maximises bite detection and can help
you continue catching when the fish are
difficult to tempt and feel.
The beads separating the boom from
the neoprene are important as these
ensure the boom can spin freely on the
rig body line. This natural movement Crimp
of the boom minimises any chance Bead
of tangles during slack-water periods
and ensures the boom turns freely Boom
when fighting possibly two highly Bead
manoeuvrable fish. Bream are not Crimp
usually spooked by a red or any other
coloured boom, but when fishing in
very clear, relatively shallow water tight
to the sea bed over reef ground, using
a permanent marker pen to colour the
boom black can help induce a few more
bites.
Another good tip when bites are
difficult is to reduce the breaking strain
of the hook trace line down to 12lb and
lengthen the lower hook trace to up to
40 inches, providing there is enough
tide run to flow the trace fully out to
eliminate tangles. This increase in
movement of the bait gives a natural
presentation, but also the extra length
NeopreNe
of hook trace gets the bait well away Bead sTop
from the rig and rig components,
minimising visual association.
Boom
The use of fluorocarbon hook-trace Bead
material is recommended as bream
have sharp teeth and can easily cut
NeopreNe
sTop
through soft mono if the fish takes
the whole hook inside the mouth. Hook
Fluorocarbon is much tougher and far
harder for them to chew through.
Also, with this in mind, long-shank
Aberdeen hooks are the best option for
all baits as the extra length of shank
gives added protection from sharp
teeth. Bream have small mouths so
stick to smaller size 6 and 4 hooks to
maximise the number of fish caught.
One last tip to help improve catches
on this rig is to choose a lead weight
just light enough to stay in contact with
the sea bed, but when the rod tip is
lifted, release a couple of feet of line off
the reel and let the tidal current swing
the lead and baits downtide a few feet
further. This lifting and repositioning
of the baits covers more ground to find Hook
where the fish are, but also triggers the
bream to bite as the bait flutters, lifts
and drops in the tide.
May 2016 39
Paul Dennis shares his thoughts on a
technique that appears to be quite simple
but offers a steep learning curve.
D
rift fishing for flatfish is skipper on the best baits to use, and
understandably popular. how much you will need for a full day
The species that are out.
targeted (plaice, turbot and While the fishing techniques are
brill) have fine eating qualities and pretty similar, bait preferences can be
can also give you quite a scrap on the very important, and this will affect the
right tackle. balance of how much you take of what
It’s an active method too, and bait.
there are plenty of adjustments that Dealing with plaice first, the
you can make to rigs and baits to bait requirements for a trip out of
keep things interesting. One of the Weymouth will be different from those
important things that I’ve found out of Brighton, for example. Not so
is that it’s very important to keep much in the variety of bait, but more
thinking about what you are doing. in the quantity. Put simply, the amount
Just dropping into autopilot after of bait that you would expect to use on
a few fruitless drifts can see you a plaice trip out of Brighton wouldn’t
struggling to catch. It’s usually the last the day out of Weymouth. In fact, it
hardest working anglers who do best, wouldn’t come anywhere near.
A MIND-SET OF ALWAYS KEEPING YOUR BAIT

FRESH AND ATTRACTIVE IS WELL WORTH HAVING.
and one thing that can help in this One reason for this is the relative size
respect is a good skipper who isn’t of fish being targeted. Weymouth plaice
shy of driving you to stay on top of are bigger on average than those out
your game. of Brighton and baits have to be bigger
Two skippers that I’ve been to grab their attention. Fish of 5lb and
out with who provide very active over are regularly boated off Weymouth
encouragement in this way are Colin (and returned – the smaller fish make
Penny and Lyle Stantiford. Both run better eating) and it really is a case of
out of Weymouth, Dorset – Colin on big bait equals big fish.
Flamer IV and Lyle on Supanova – Where you could bait up with a
and they really know their stuff. Both couple of rag, maybe a bit of lug and a
offer help and advice throughout sliver of squid and expect to catch well
a day’s fishing, and they are worth aboard a Brighton boat, the Weymouth
listening to. way will see you threading five or six
They are both well versed in what big rag onto the hook (often more) plus
you could call ‘the Weymouth style’ any extras like lug or prawn, finally
and this is a point worth noting. tipped with the inevitable squid.
Different areas of the country have Not only that, but you will be
subtle differences in how drift fishing encouraged to rebait very frequently to
for flatties is best performed and it’s keep a strong scent trail in the water – Big turbot like this 28lb
well worth making enquiries of the rebaiting being exactly that, stripping fish are rare captures.
p040-044_TSF_05_Starting Boat Fishing.indd 1 22/03/2016 13:50

Hefty brill are targeted on
the same rigs as turbot.
On a good day both
species will be caught.
all the old bait off and refilling it all

afresh. Simply threading another rag
on as a ‘freshener’ isn’t the way to do
it. During a long drift you will rebait
several times, so it’s very easy to get
through a lot of bait.
A mind-set of always keeping your
bait fresh and attractive is well worth
having. It catches you more and
bigger fish and is a habit worth getting
into, whatever port you are fishing out
of.
It’s no surprise that the first couple
of minutes of a bait hitting the bottom
tend to be the most productive. If
bites haven’t subsequently developed
from that initial interest, or the bait
has been savaged by pin whiting and
the like, the best option is to wind up,
rebait and start again.
Always bear in mind that you will
be fishing among quite a few baits
presented by your fellow crewmen, so
it pays to have a bait that stands out
for all the right reasons.
Alongside bait needs, your skipper
will be able to give information on
terminal tackle, such as what size and
type of leads to bring with you.
The right leads will not only
help prevent tangles with other
crew members, they will also help
you present your bait in the most
attractive way.
It’s a good idea to have a selection
of styles in the right weight banding
because this gives you more flexibility
in presentation.
For example, flat watch-style leads
May 2016 41

will produce more drag, slowing your
bait down more than, say, a bopedo
or plain torpedo lead. Which type
works best can vary both on the day
and at particular states of the tide. It’s
another thing to play around with if
takes are hard to come by.
Now we come to what is usually
the biggest talking point on the way
out to the plaice grounds. As wreck
anglers love to speculate over which
colour lure is going to be best on the The addition of an Abu Rauto spoon (botto
day, so plaice anglers will discuss on the trace is a proven turbot attrac tor. m)
what coloured beads to have on their
traces, how many to have (if any), and
also whether the addition of spinning species. Gurnards – red, grey and tub,
blades is worth considering. are quite common captures, as, less
Regulars on this sort of trip will sympathetically, are greater weevers.
have plenty of combinations ready These have venomous spines and
rigged, to be clipped on and off in should be approached with care. Most
response to what the fish appear to skippers have their own ways of dealing
favour. with these.
Popular combinations are quite Rays are another possibility, and
regimented, usually green and black while these are usually targeted at
or red and yellow, in both cases anchor they will occasionally fall to a
alternating the colours. Yellow and slow-moving bait fished on the
blue can also work. drift.
The red and yellow combination While ragworms
is favoured over sandy bottoms, form the basis of most
while black and green is an oft plaice drift fishing
chosen combination over pea baits, sandeel,
mussel beds. However, both launce fillets
combinations will work over or mackerel
both types of bottom, as you will strip (the
notice on many boat trips! white belly
There are also anglers who swear portion) will
that a ‘naked’ trace with no beads or also pick
blades whatsoever is best. Often it’s a
case of finding out what works best
on the day by trial and error.
In a similar vein, whether to
use multi-hook rigs or just
a single-hook trace is
another question to be
answered. Obviously
multi-hook rigs can
be more prone to
tangles, but they do
have the advantage
of providing a bigger
scent trail. Also, the
arrival of one plaice
attacking the rig will
tend to draw in more
of these inquisitive
and quite competitive
predators. Spreader rigs,
which have beads threaded
onto a rigid wire boom with
hook traces attached at each
end, can reduce tangles,
especially if the hook traces
Plaice are a popular
are kept relatively short. species and offer a Mackerel strip
Drift fishing for plaice good introduction to produced this decent
can also produce other drift fishing for flatfish. brill on a plaice trip.

Another plaice comes to the
net – a big attractor spoon
can be seen on the trace.
However, I do
usually
u start off ‘doing
things by the book’
and letting off line
when I feel a bite,
just in case it’s one of
The addition of a spinning those days when the
blade on the trace can attract ce. fish want it that way.
the attention of predator y plai
Having looked
extensively at drift
dri fishing for plaice,
up fish. As well as the aforementioned it’s time to look at brill and turbot.
‘by-catch’ species, turbot and brill are These are much bigger species than
possibilities, as well as bass. plaice, with turbot potentially topping
When fishing on the drift for flatfish 20lb and brill reaching double figures.
you need to keep your reel in free- Like plaice they are predatory, but
spool mode, controlling the spool with perhaps more inclined to be ambush
your thumb. This allows you to let line predators, rather than being willing to
off slowly to keep in contact with the give chase to moving baits.
undulating bottom. These are definitely species where
It also allows you to release line when the ‘educated thumb’ method of
you feel a fish hitting the bait, waiting allowing free line when a take is felt
until it has fully taken it, then applying is worth a try, although I have seen
your thumb again to stop the spool and plenty of fish taken by anglers who
WHILE DRIFT FISHING IT’S AS WELL TO TRAVEL

WITH OPTIMISM RATHER THAN EXPECTATION.
drag the hook home as the boat drifts, failed to do this – sometimes by
before engaging the spool fully and reason of the fact that they had fallen
winding your catch to the surface. asleep!
That is the theory, but, as in all things Single-hook rigs on long traces are
angling, nothing is quite that simple. usually used for turbot and brill and
Watch any underwater footage (and there doesn’t tend to be so much angst
there is plenty on the internet) where in respect of attractor beads and the
flatfish are involved and they seem to like. Occasionally anglers hoping for
love chasing a moving bait, losing a bit brill will have a few black and white
of interest when it stops moving. beads on the hooklength, but more
I must admit that I’ve had more often, the attractor, if one is used, will
success simply keeping things tight and be a large spoon about a foot or so
waiting for the fish to hook themselves from the hook.
and pull the rod over. Many times I’ve The Abu Rauto spoon is very much
slackened off on the bite and no fish has favoured for this style of fishing and it
been the result. can produce very good results.
May 2016 43

Fish baits are the rule for turbot
and brill, with strips of mackerel FLATTIE TACKLE BOX
flesh very good and easy to obtain. Rods in the 12lb class are fine for plaice, turbot and brill, although lighter
The white belly flesh is best, and a rods in the 6lb to 12lb range will allow plaice to put up more of a scrap.
good tip is to have as little meat on
Small multipliers like the Penn Fathom 12 are ideal, loaded with 30lb
it as possible. This results in a more
braid line to allow smaller leads to be used and bites to be more easily
active and attractive bait because
it is intended to mimic a sandeel. felt.
Leaving too much meat on the skin For plaice, fluorocarbon hook snoods in the 15lb range will work well.
will see the bait ‘blow up’ as it swells Keep them short, only 12 to 18 inches from the lead is plenty on most
in the seawater, losing much of its days. Hooks should be long-shank Aberdeen patterns, size 1 or 2.
attraction. For turbot and brill use 30lb fluorocarbon and hook traces up to eight
Launce, launce fillets or sandeel feet. It’s a good idea to have a strong crane swivel in the middle of the
are very good baits when available, as trace; alternatively use an Abu Rauto spoon on the trace. These have a
are garfish fillets. swivel at both ends. Set it about a foot from the hook, which should be
An educated thumb can really work size 3/0 or 4/0.
wonders when drifting over the back
edge of a bank. Turbot and brill can
wait in the tidal lee of these drop-offs produces a food trap that is exploited spurring the fish into taking the bait.
awaiting victims. Letting line off the by many species. While drift fishing for flatties is very
reel (the technique is called spooling) The spooling technique can also be enjoyable, it’s as well to travel with
as the lead and bait reach these drop- used to randomly stop the bait for a optimism rather than expectation.
offs keeps the bait in the taking zone few seconds during the drift, before Plaice trips will usually produce fish
for longer, and also makes it behave tightening again and moving the bait, in decent numbers, although it does
more naturally because the backwash this sudden movement sometimes depend how much they have been
targeted and at what time of year you
Black and green beads are fishing for them.
are a popular colour As suggested earlier, skippers give
combination for plaice.
sound advice and to get the best out of
a trip it’s as well to follow it.
In my experience, turbot and brill
trips can be less predictable. There’s
a definite knack to maximising your
chances with these species and it is
gained by putting the time in. It’s very
easy to fail to catch turbot and brill,
and even on a productive trip there is
no guarantee that everyone on the boat
will catch. If you go out with that in
mind you won’t be disappointed.
Surprise captures do turn

up on flattie trips – this
double-figure undulate
ray picked up a ragworm
bait intended for plaice.

#bass BOAT FISHING
CAST HARD, CRANK FAST, GET READY FOR THE…
FOAM FURY
E
verything’s moving. – captain and guide Austen Goldsmith,
Balancing on the swelling top lure angler Matt Jones and LURE
mass of water, heaving editor Steve Phillips – are at the marina
and sighing beneath, the loading fuel and tackle before the sun
boat bobs and weaves. The angler shows itself. Our vessel for the day,
steadies himself against the gunwales, the mighty Zen 2 is soon racing out
concentration is absolute on his rod of Falmouth through the dawn. Our
tip. The bright braid streams down heading is a rock formation where
through the steel-blue sea, tight and towering pillars of stone give prime
trembling. The dawn wind is icy. The hunting ground to our target.
spray dashes against bare skin like As Austen cuts the 150 horsepower
bullets. This is man’s fishing. This is Suzuki engine he sets us up to drift over
bassing. This is heaven. the underwater playground. Mindful of
Up way before first light, our party twisting currents and showing rocks
Bass give all they’ve got,

fighting right to the boat.
May 2016 45
p045-049_TSF_05_Steve Phillips.indd 1 22/03/2016 13:51

BOAT FISHING #bass
out go the lures. Austen’s weapon of slackening of line here when the lure’s illuminating the cloud cover, we move
choice, a 160mm Fiiish Black Minnow taken. The tip jags, it goes solid and you on, engine roaring, faces taking the
mounted on a 60g offshore head worked bring the rod up fast to set that single full fury of the wind. Our new mark is
on a Daiwa 7ft Daiwa Tournament rod Krog hook into what you pray is a an unremarkable set of rocks reaching
and Certate reel. Matt fishes the same mouth the size of a bucket. from the water a few hundred yards
hardware but with a Bait Breath TT And then there’s the other kind of from shore. It’s a spot many would
Shad on a similar size jighead. hit. The scene below us is one of the ignore, but our man Austen isn’t a guide
Dropped deep in the bowels of the most inhospitable places for a lure for nothing.
sub-surface, weed-covered high rises to pass through. Rock, weed, towers, He knows this place well and can
below, the lures are smell when there are bass in
worked vertically. As the
tide courses through the WE GUIDED THE LURES AROUND residence – and his nose is
twitching today.
rock formation the bass
sit on the lee side of the
structures, conserving
THE TOWERS OF ROCK. Same setups but instead of
dropping straight down this
time the lures are cast. Looking
energy in the slacker water. It’s also other anglers’ lines… despite the to land them in the slower water behind
where the scad shoal, and bass love boys’ best efforts and the heavy fluoro the rocks, it’s cast and crank time,
scad. This is where the guys aim to fish, leaders employed, this graveyard of soft letting the lures fall slightly before
working their lures tightly up and down. plastics recruits a few more permanent winching them in. Then it’s a chance of
And there’s no mistaking hits. residents in trade for a number of holding.
Under the weight of the 60g head bristling bass, big on attitude and even Each cast sees the lure drop a little
Austen’s 30lb Sunline braid stays more so on looks. further until Austen and Matt find out
almost always taut. There’s no delicate As the sky yellows with the rising sun the depth the bass are feeding at. And

#bass BOAT FISHING
FIIISH BLACK MINNOW

The Black Minnow from Fiiish
is relatively new to the market
but boy has it taken it by storm.
The French company offers a
mass of options on this lure with
13 different colours alone. The
key, though, is the movement.
Connected to the weighted head
via a special Krog hook it’s
not a straight joint like with a
standard jighead, but through an
atriculated joint allowing for huge
movement and ultimate predator
attraction.The hollow body allows
for weedless hooking, making this
a cast-anywhere, catch-anything
weapon of choice.
Austen’s experience put

us right onto the fish.
May 2016 47

BOAT FISHING #bass
when they do, it’s silver city. Double style retrieve sees Austen cranking hard
hook-ups, frantic boatside action – it’s while everyone else watches and holds
on, big time. We make hay while the breath. Smash. A plume of spray just
sun shine before, as Austen predicts shy of the lure changes everything.
the action slows and dies. Next move. A collective roar from the boat sees
We cover plenty of water. Austen Austen cast again and Matt engage the
drawing on years of experience to services of a Gan Craft surface lure.
put lures through well known and More hits shy of both lures before one
likely looking spots along the Cornish bass really connects, smashing the
coastline. More fish fall. The Black Heddon and wrenching at Austen’s rod.
Minnow in the blue colourway doing It’s soon onboard, glistening in the
the damage and also picking up now setting sun. This fish have got to
pollack and cod as well. be among the most stunning in Europe.
But Austen has one more trick up An industrial design meant for the hard,
his sleeve. Despite the cool weather dog-eat-dog life under the waves but
of early November he pulls out a in that design a beauty that enchants
hard lure from his case and clips it anglers to the point of obsession.
on. This is old-school technology. A As the golden glow of the sun slowly
Heddon Zara Spook flies from the dissolves into the horizon, all we can
boat. An angry, violent walk-the-dog- think about is silver.
Working the lures

fast brought hits.

#bass BOAT FISHING
Get Aboard Zen2

Under the expert guidance of skipper Austen Goldsmith, anglers on Zen2
will be able to access over a decade of bass guiding experience. Based in
Falmouth, Zen2 is a hugely high-spec charter boat powered by a 150hp Suzuki
motor cruising comfortably at 24 knots – less time getting to the marks, more
time fishing.
Comfortable and stable it’s a great fishing platform, and coded for three
people plus skipper there’s plenty of room for working lures. Zen2 also delivers
all the best gear if you don’t
bring your own tackle.
Sponsored by Daiwa and
Fiiish the kit used in this
feature is what anglers will
get to play with. All you
have to do is let Austen
take you to the fish and
listen to his advice and
you’ll have a day never to
forget.
The best fish of the day

hit fast and fought hard.
May 2016 49

SHORE FISHING #morfabeachhounds
Squids In With
SHORE
HOUNDS
John Lewis does a bit of hound hunting at
Morfa Beach, on the Welsh coast.
A
favourite location to catch the crabs from Keen’s Tackle & Guns in
first run of smoothhounds for Bridgend. I then rang a few mates, one
me has to be at Morfa Beach of whom has never experienced the
in South Wales. It is one of fight that smoothhounds have to offer.
the most productive beaches that holds So it was only right that we tried our
them early on in the season, with good best to point him in the right direction
numbers falling to squid baits. and hopefully get him off the mark by
Yes that’s right, squid! So there is no nailing one.
need to panic if you can’t locate peeler I met up with my good friends and
crabs, even though it’s always worth fellow anglers Gary Old, David Allsop
taking a good few just and Daniel Pearce in the car park at
in case. 3pm. We were all eager to head down
As is often to the beach and get in on the action.
the case, I was During the walk to the beach, which I
informed by a should add is not for the faint-hearted,
good angling we all talked among ourselves, also
friend that a giving pointers to Dan who was yet to
morning session land one from the shore.
had produced We explained that pulley rigs were
hounds ideal, baited with either crab or squid,
for him. to maximise his chances of getting at
Wasting least one on the shore.
no time After nearly an hour’s walk we arrived
at all, I at our destination to be greeted by a few
quickly noisy seagulls and a flat-calm sea with
located no other angler in sight.
two Setting up two rods, I opted for a
dozen nice juicy peeler crab loaded onto a
Devon pulley rig, which was made up of 70lb
Powerflex from the Ultima range as the
Daniel with his first- rig body, with the ever-reliable hooks David Allsop
ever smoothhound. from Cox & Rawle in the 4/0s in bends into a fish.
p050-054_TSF_05_Squids in Morfa.indd 1 23/03/2016 11:28

#morfabeachhounds SHORE FISHING
Only a small one for

John but they all count.
the Uptide Extra range. This is a hook

that has done me proud over the past
few years. For the hooklengths I opted
for the same breaking strain Powerflex.
This was to make sure the hooklengths
would hold such fighting fish. I also
used the flat-back Gemini weights in
6oz to hold bottom during the tidal
flow.
On the other rod I decided to fish
a squid to see which bait the fish
preferred. I then showed Dan how to
bait up a crab loaded onto a pulley
Pennel rig. I explained how we
cut the crab to expose the bright
orange coloured juices.
The first few casts produced
no fish for anyone. Just as all
hopes were fading, the first of the
dogfish arrived, with each of us
off the mark with one apiece.
The next cast produced a
better bite. Thankfully the
ratchet was set as the rod tip on
my Zziplex slammed over and
the line began to peel off the
reel at a very quick pace.
As I was tightening
up the star drag on
my Penn Fathom
I knew that I was
hooked into a nice
David with a
cracking hound.
May 2016 51

fish. Suddenly the line fell slack. I began Gary then managed to get his catch
taking up the line quickly on my reel. I ashore and to the scales, a healthy fish
knew I had to catch up to the fish or it of 8lb. While David’s was a little bit
would spit the hooks! smaller at 7lb bang on, all the signs
What greeted me through the surf were promising. A few photos were
was the telltale sign of the fin of my taken of the fish before they were
first decent smoothhound of this season released to fight another day.
gliding through the water. I rushed it As I walked over to see how Dan was
onto the shore as quickly as I could, managing, I noticed him quickly pick
ensuring it would be landed. The first of up his rod. He began winding up the big
the hounds were making an appearance, bow of slack line, and before I could say
something we had all been waiting for. anything he was into the fight of his life
During the next three hours we were – his first hound ever! The look on his
all put in a good mood as they switched face was priceless.
on feeding big time – smashing the Eventually he beached a nice 6lb 5oz
BEFORE I COULD SAY ANYTHING HE WAS INTO THE

FIGHT OF HIS LIFE.
baits. I then called Dan over to show fish. A photo was taken and then it was
him exactly what I was doing. quickly on its way, darting through
At this point I was taking my time the sea and back to freedom. We all
while setting the clutch on the Penn congratulated Dan on his achievement.
Fathom 15, in case it decided to dart I then left him to fish on his own
back out to sea, only to look up and because he now had a rough idea what
realise that Gary and David were also to do if he hooked another.
in on the action – it turned into a triple The smoothhounds were now on the
hook-up! I eventually got my catch feed and we were hitting into them
ashore and placed it on the scales as every cast. We were landing a few
quickly as possible. I could see by but also dropping a few fish along the
just how long and thick it was that way. This is something that happens
it was close to being double figures. from time to time, but at least we were
Unfortunately, this was not the case, getting fantastic sport from these hard-
weighing in at 9lb 12oz. Still, it fighting fish. At times it was hard to
The hounds came thick and fast.
was a good-size keep up with them and we had to have Daniel Pearce, John Lewis and David
fish and it gave prebaited rigs ready to help us to keep Allsop show off a trio of fine fish.
us more hope the pace with them during this period.
that we would Within this manic session the four of
achieve a us were now totalling 17 smoothhounds
double-figure between us. I had managed four, with
smoothhound! Gary on seven, David five and Dan on
the single fish. The race was now on to
be the first to catch 10 just to add a bit
of fun to the session.
Dan had a long way to go and he did
hook a few more, but they got away.
I did feel for Dan because we were all
catching around him.
During the next cast he said he had a
big clump of weed on his rig. He then
asked if I minded helping him remove
it from his line. As I waded through the
water I was sure I caught a glimpse of
a tail as it surfaced, but it dived again
in a matter of seconds. I shouted over
to Dan that I was sure he had a fish on
but he was unsure. As he gained more
line onto the spool, the orange
shockleader caught my
eye. It was showing
the telltale signs
that a fish was
Gary Old joined the party on, judging by Another fish for John
with this smoothhound. secures his bragging rights.
the movement

#morfabeachhounds SHORE FISHING
David gets ready

to release a hound.
some catching up to do if I wanted to be

the first to 10!
I was two fish behind Gary and one
behind David, so full attention was
now on my fishing. I quickly sent out
another bait and set the ratchet before
prebaiting three spare rigs in a bid to
catch up. The banter was now in full
flow.
I guess that I was in the hotspot,
though, because I beached two more
hounds in quick succession while
also dropping another one. I thought
I was catching up, but in fact I had
overtaken David and remained one
in the water. What did behind Gary.
greet me in the shallows I now began to feel the pressure
was a nice thornback ray. to catch him up. This also added
It was a lump of a fish and pressure to Gary to remain ahead
I lifted it out of the water of me. I kept a watchful eye on
and approached Dan. him throughout and I’m
He was over the moon sure he did the same.
due to achieving two It was nearly time
personal bests in a to pack up but not
single session. I before one last
was as excited as cast. This time I
he was. The ray was using two
weighed 8lb rods; it could
6oz and it was have been a bad
photographed move when the
and released fish are feeding
very quickly, because you have
laying in the shallows to to concentrate on
regain its strength before both. David had had
gliding back out to sea. enough and made his way
Meanwhile, Gary and towards me very happy
David with the hounds that he
continued had landed. Dan had
to drop also decided that enough
more hounds Daniel set another was enough and started
and also bring more personal best with to pack his gear away.
dogfish ashore. I had this thornback ray. Just as luck would
May 2016 53

have it, both my reels screamed off

almost simultaneously, with the rod tips
arching over due to the power of the
fish. Calmly, I asked David to keep hold
of one rod while I battled the fish on the
other.
Thankfully I landed this one, so it was
now seven fish apiece for Gary and me.
However, I did have the other fish to get
ashore.
It looked as though I had fought my
way back to the top of the leader board,
much to my delight, but I still had to
get the catch ashore to take the lead. I
took my time, praying for it to not spit The business
the hooks as a few had done during end of a hound.
this trip. The pressure was unbearable,
although I did not mention this. camera to take a photo of the winning we were all happy. I was that little bit
After what seemed like an eternity, I fish, to which he smiled and obliged. more than happy, not just because I
eventually beached the winning fish and We all had an exhausting session but had taken the bragging rights but more
the bragging rights! I made sure that I one that will be remembered for a long so that Dan had achieved his goal by
bragged about it, trust me. time – total catch of 21 smoothhounds, getting two personal bests during one
Because Gary came so close to unfortunately dropping 12, plus a nice session. Well done mate and many
snatching the lead I offered him the thornback ray. Walking off the beach more to come I hope.
Daniel and John

with a good brace.

#headturningtackle TACKLE
The tackle everyone is talking about.
01ISEI
NOMURA
PROFESSIONAL RODS
The Nomura Isei Professional range of rods
are built on very high-grade carbon blanks
with top-quality Fuji components. Ultra light
and distinctive looking these rods have very
fast actions. At the lighter end of things
01
casting-weightwise, these aren’t really LRF
rods; the heaviest one in the range casting
lures to 50g. Very impressive newcomers to
the UK market. These are well worth a look.
CONTACT
Kiddy
T: 01803 293999
W: kiddywholesale.co.uk
RRP: From £109.99
SAVAGE GEAR CONTACT

MICRO SANDEEL KIT Savage Gear
You get two types of sandeel T: 01827 59659
bodies – straight or paddle W: savage-gear.com
tail – plus two different weight SSP: £3.99
jigheads in these packs. They
come in a neat package too,
making you ready to go.
These pocket-sized lures
look ideal for LRF work, but
they’ll probably attract
some bigger than average
fish too, so be prepared!
Great value for plenty
of bits to play with!
02
May 2016 00
January 55
p055-058_TSF_05_Gear Gossip.indd 1 23/03/2016 11:29

TACKLE #headturningtackle
03COX & RAWLE

SLEEVE SLIDING SWIVELS 03
These strong stainless-steel barrel
swivels have a bit of freedom of
04
movement on the steel tube they are
mounted on, but are otherwise secure.
They are ideal for making up tangle-
free rigs, with the rigid tube producing a
stand-off effect. Ten to a pack, you get
the excellent Cox & Rawle quality.
CONTACT
Cox & Rawle
T: 01963 31623
W: coxandrawle.com SSP
£2
SSP
£9.99
04 TRONIXPRO
SINGLE RIG WALLET
This single rig wallet contains a set of
16 resealable pouches. It has durable
Cordura construction with heavy-duty
hook-and-loop closure to keep out the
elements.
It also features internal mesh pockets
and an external pocket.
Plenty of room and very neat.
CONTACT
Tronixpro
T: 01903 732567 05
W: tronixpro.com
FROM
£2.90
05 VARIVAS
1/0 CIRCLE HOOKS
You get 10 to a pack in this size of
hook, the pattern of which is becoming NOMURA
INVISIBLE
06
a favourite with flattie and black bream
anglers for its ease of removal and good FLUOROCARBON
hook-up rate. This fluorocarbon line is
It’s a tough pattern, though, made ultra clear, meaning it should
in heavy-duty wire, meaning it will also be even harder for fish to
be useful for rigging Pennel-style with a see. You get a generous
standard long shank. Well worth a look amount per spool of what
and a pattern that you can trust. is a very smooth line that
Always check the variance in price will be a real edge in clear
per size and quantity of hooks when conditions when fish are
ordering. hard to tempt.
At 165 yards per spool,
that’s plenty of snoods and
CONTACT leaders for your money!
Kiddy
With a good diameter-
CONTACT T: 01803 293999
to-strength ratio Invisible is
Veals Mail Order W: kiddywholesale.co.uk
T: 01275 892000 RRP: £8.99 available in 10, 14, 18, 21,
W: veals.co.uk 23 and 25lb breaking strain.

#headturningtackle TACKLE
THE BOOK OF KNOTS

BUDWORTH AND DALTON
08 RING
MUSTAD
BRAID CUTTER AND SPLIT-
PLIERS
Boasting 200 practical knots, this well-
While this isn’t a full multi-tool it is one of
illustrated book has some very good
those items that has more than one use.
angling knots within it, but frustratingly
Spring-loaded for easy single-handed
they aren’t grouped together, and you
use, these pliers do what they say, with a
have to search for them. Luckily there’s
decent braid blade and a finesse split-ring
a good index at the back.
opener.
The book gives strength ratings
If you are rigging and fitting assist
and also ease of tying ratings, plus a
hooks from scratch this tool is a godsend.
few words on the history of the knots.
Made in stainless steel with soft grip
Quite an interesting read.
handles, it’s well enough priced to buy two
– one for your fishing box and another for
CONTACT your rig-making kit at home.
T: 01273 487440
W: ivypress.co.uk
ISBN: 978-1-78240-367-8
SSP: £9.99
07 CONTACT
Mustad
T: 01908 442950
W: leeda.co.uk
09 SAVAGE GEAR
TPE MULLET LURE
This jointed, soft rubber lure is very
08 realistic and might just give you the edge

on an outsize predator that has seen
plenty of more simple action lures.
The wake version of the lure runs near
the surface, looking like a fish in real
trouble – and it probably soon will be.
There’s also a very slow-sinking model
available designed to be fished in the top
couple of feet of water.
Very provocative lures!
RRP
£3.99 CONTACT
Savage Gear
T: 01827 59659
W: savage-gear.com
10 TRONIXPRO
SINGLE QUIVER
Designed for when you want to travel
light, this single-rod quiver from Tronixpro
keeps everything where it should be.
There are external pockets for tripods and
the like, meaning that you can transport
your kit with ease.
09
Made in heavy-duty material with quality
SSP
zips, this is a product that should give
£6.99 good service.
The cosmetics are very nice too, and
10 like all Tronix gear this looks to be a well-

thought-out piece of kit.
CONTACT
SSP Tronixpro
£19.99
99 T: 01903 732567
W: tronixpro.com
May 2016 57

TACKLE #headturningtackle
11 VARIVAS
CHINU SIZE 2 HOOK
For anglers who fancy getting to fully
12
blown circle hooks in stages, the
Chinu pattern is a good staging point.
Designed especially for bream, the tough
wire will withstand sharp teeth, making
them a good wrasse hook too.
The slightly upward-canted eye is
designed to aid hooking when fish are
11
picky, pecky feeders. Always check the
variance in price per size and quantity of RRP
hooks when ordering. £9.99
CONTACT
Veals Mail order SSP
T: 01275 892000
W: veals.co.uk £2.30
13
12 X-MINNOW
NOMURA
LURE
With its ‘body inside body’ effect the
X-Minnow is Nomura’s best-selling lure
ever. Fitted with quality VMC hooks these
floating lures are just a little bit different
in profile to the norm and might draw a
few hits because of it.
Available in four different patterns
these 10cm lures weigh in at 13g. They
have a generous rattle chamber to
produce fish-attracting noise too.
CONTACT
Kiddy
T: 01803 293999 RRP
W: kiddywholesale.co.uk
£24.99
13 MUSTAD
THOR BRAID
Made from 100 per cent HDPE fibres COX & RAWLE
this braid from Mustad looks very HEAVY DUTY RAY RIG
impressive, with a good low diameter This heavy-duty ray rig is assembled from the finest
and a nice profile. It’s always nice to components. It’s a pulley Pennel design, making it
see different colours on the market, and suitable for rough ground, and there’s a helpful rig
Thor comes in either hot orange or blue, diagram on the packaging too. The long dropper will
which makes identifying your line easier. help keep the lead away from the rays, and also
You get 250 metres per spool, which away from snags on the way in.
should fill your reels nicely if you are This is an easily adjustable rig to help
using it for boat fishing or beach reels, baiting up, no matter what size bait you
and it’s a decent price for quality braid. are using.
CONTACT
Cox & Rawle
CONTACT
Leeda
T: 01908 442950
T: 01963 31623
W: coxandrawle.com
SSP: £3.50
14
W: leeda.co.uk

p047_TSF_05_Beach Hotel.indd 1 18/03/2016 14:24
TOTA LTA C K L E
TOTA LTA C K L E
THIS MONTH… SPINNING REELS
- Sea spinning reels come in a multitude of sizes, well with today’s lightweight rods. Accordingly, reels it must be said that there is usually some area of
from tiny LRF reels to more standard 3000 in the 2000 to 3000 size range are becoming very commonality.
or 4000 sizes that the majority of anglers are popular. An interesting development in the ‘size wars’ is
familiar with. However, there does seem to be a It’s worth knowing that these size ranges are what might be referred to as hybrid reels, which
move to more compact reels for spinning these only a guide, because these classifications can have very compact bodies but proportionately
days, the aim being to use a reel that balances differ from manufacturer to manufacturer, although larger spools.
TOPTIPS
01 Check the
specifications on the
reel. The best spinning reels
02 Don’t pay for what you don’t need. If you are considering a
high-end model, find out where the money has been spent.
Some of the highest specification, and highest priced, spinning reels
03 Shallow spools
are good news
for braid users – you
04 Before loading
with braid, use
some nylon mono as
intended for use in the surf are designed for big blue-water species like giant trevally. While reels in are unlikely to need backing. This prevents the
should have some sort of this range will be well built and strongly engineered, a good proportion more than 150 metres braid spinning around the
saltwater protection to keep of the higher price will be reflected in the robust and sophisticated of line on a spool in spool and makes it load
out sand and sea water. drag system, which is perhaps over-engineered for UK species. our waters. more evenly.
GRAUVELL THUNDER 2000 QUANTUM IRON 30PTS

This is a good-looking 2000-class reel with a This reel is very compact for a 3000 class, although the generous spool size
big anti-twist roller and four ball bearings. would put it in the 3000 category. PTS stands for Performance Tuned Saltwater –
It only comes with one aluminium spool, corrosion resistant and sealed to prevent saltwater getting in.
which is quite deep so it will require plenty of The spool is deep, so lots of backing will be needed for UK work, but a braid band
backing line. The Thunder has a carbon body, on the spool will prevent slip if you do load top to bottom with braid.
which makes it light in weight and suitable for The line capacity hints at blue-water
very lightweight rods, including LRF work. usage, as does the ceramic drag.
The retrieve ratio is 5.0:1 and the drag is In spite of being an all-metal
smooth enough for light-line work. construction this is a very light reel,
A good-looking reel at the price. although it feels very well built and solid.
A titanium bail arm helps keep the weight down
on what is very much a top-end piece of kit.
Spools: 1 | Bearings: 4 | RRP: £39.99 Spools: 1 | Bearings: 6 | RRP: £152.95

T: 01275 892000 | W: www.veals.co.uk T: 0800 3403 4040 | W: www.zebco-europe.com
p060-062_TSF_04_Total Tackle.indd 1 23/03/2016 11:30

TOTA LTA C K L E
G R A U V E L L S M U R F 15 HTO LURE GAME 3000

The Grauvell Smurf 15 is a good example of how There’s no shortage of bearings in this HTO
small spinning reels can get. This is firmly in the 3000-class reel – it has nine plus a roller
LRF category but it still has three bearings and an bearing.
aluminium spool. While the spool is quite deep, it’s also The aluminium spool is quite deep and is
small, so it won’t require too much line, having a stated perforated to reduce weight.
capacity of 100 yards of 4lb nylon line. With a gear ratio of 5.1:1 this is quite a quick
Thanks to its size reel with a nice smooth drag.
and graphite body If you want a reel
construction, this is without loads of
a very light reel. flash, this matt black
offering is a very
good choice!
Very well priced
for a compact reel
with 9+1 bearings.
It comes with a soft
carrying bag.
Spools: 1 | Bearings: 3 | RRP: £19.99 Spools: 1 | Bearings: 9+1 | SSP: £39.99

T: 01275 892000 | W: www.veals.co.uk T: 01903 732567 | W: www.tronixpro.com
NOMURA SENSHI 3000 BROWNING SPHERE MGTI 930

This is a very distinctive-looking reel, almost skeletal Browning has always had a good reputation for reels
in appearance. It has 9+1 bearings and a retrieve and the Sphere MgTi 930 looks set to continue that.
rate of 5.1:1 making it quite brisk. It comes with two It comes with two machine-cut alloy spools, both
perforated aluminium spools and has a tubular bail of which are shallow and braid ready with braid
arm. bands fitted.
Treated for and sealed for corrosion resistance, The body is magnesium alloy and the handle is
this is an ultra-light carbon fibre, making for an ultra-light reel. There
reel that boasts are nine bearings
precision-cut gears in place in this
and stainless-steel 3000-size reel,
bearings, plus a which has a ratio of
micro-adjustable 5.0:1, winding in 92
carbon drag. centimetres of line
Dressed in mainly per handle turn.
black, the body is An absolutely
also stainless steel, stunning reel at
making this a good the high end of the
substantial reel. market.
Spools: 2 | Bearings: 9+1 | RRP: £129.99 Spools: 2 | Bearings: 9 | RRP: £199.99

T: 01626 293999 | W: www.sidewinderlures.co.uk T: 0800 3403 4040 | W: www.zebco-europe.com
May 2016 61

TOTA LTA C K L E
HTO ROCKFISH 2000 NOMURA ISEI 2500

Very similar to the Lure Game HTO 3000-class reel, this Compact and eye-catching, the Nomura Isei
smaller version has 5+1 bearings. 2500 is a versatile reel with a micro-adjustable
However, it has the same gear ratio of 5.1:1 and a drag. It has a 5.3:1 gear ratio and stainless-
perforated aluminium spool too. steel shaft and drive gear for durability.
Sizewise, this would be classed as an LRF reel, but Saltwater treated, it should retain its good
at the larger end, meaning that you could also use it for looks and prove to be a good durable product
general spinning. This is a nice, understated reel and thanks to its aluminium alloy construction.
it comes with a It comes
soft carrying bag with a spare
to keep it looking aluminium
good. spool, both
spools having
plenty of line
capacity.
Spools: 1 | Bearings: 5+1 | SSP: £29.99 Spools: 2 | Bearings: 13+1 | RRP: £119.99
T: 01903 732567 | W: www.tronixpro.com T: 01626 293999 | W: www.sidewinderlures.co.uk
SONIK AVX 2000 DAIWA GEKK ABIJIN MX2004

The Sonik AVX 2000 looks like a reel that has had The well-established Daiwa Gekkabijin MX2004
a lot of attention paid to it. It comes with two alloy is a 2000-class reel body with a generously
spools, a deep one for mono and a shallow one for sized spool that is designed for braid and is nice
braid, the latter boasting a braid band. and shallow.
A high-strength composite body keeps the weight The MX2004 is purpose designed for
down, while a stainless-steel worm shaft adds spinning, with a low 4.7:1 gear ratio that allows
strength. With a the angler to impart more action to the lure. With
gear ratio of 5.1:1 6+1 bearings
this is a lively reel it is Japanese
that operates designed and
very smoothly. very smooth.
It’s good Versatile
looking too and enough to be
made even more used for LRF
attractive by the or full-on lure
price. fishing, it’s a
popular reel.
Spools: 2 | Bearings: 6+1 | RRP: £49.99 Spools: 1 | Bearings: 6+1 | RRP: £149.99
T: 01670 798910 | W: www.soniksports.com T: 01698 355723 | W: www.daiwasports.co.uk

LURE-MAG.COM
p063_TSF_05_LURE.indd 1 23/03/2016 16:13

TACKLE #sidewinderweedlessminnows
COMPETITION #quantumironspinpackage
WIN! £310
Worth
A QUANTUM IRON
SPIN PACKAGE
Q
uantum has really impressed us with its Iron The Iron Spin is a light rod with a fast tip and great
range of spinning rods and reels, and now you casting action, and in its distinctive grey livery it looks
can find out why by winning a matched Quantum good too.
Iron 30 PTS reel and a Quantum Iron Spin rod worth Weighing in at just over 5oz it feels easy in the
£310. hand – especially when matched with the Iron 30 PTS
The Iron 30 PTS has six bearings and is reel. With top-class runners and reel fittings it really is
performance tuned for saltwater; it’s corrosion a classy piece of kit.
resistant and sealed for a long life. The reel is built for We’ve got a matching rod and reel to
braid, with a band on the spool to make line loading give away to one lucky reader – and it
easier, while a ceramic drag will handle anything you could be you!
are likely to hook. It’s a compact reel with a generous Enter our competition and you could
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Winners will be selected at random
WHAT COLOUR IS THE QUANTUM IRON SPIN ROD? from all correct entries received by
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ALTERNATIVELY, YOU CAN SEND YOUR ANSWER ON A POSTCARD TO: THE QUANTUM IRON SPIN PACKAGE and no correspondence will be
COMPETITION, TOTAL SEA FISHING, 1 WHITTLE CLOSE, DRAYTON FIELDS, DAVENTRY, NORTHANTS NN11 8RQ. entered into.
p064_TSF_05_Comp.indd 1 22/03/2016 14:01

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TACKLE
ON TEST#sidewinderweedlessminnows
#sonikgravityrod
Sonik
Gravity Surf Rod 15ft 4in
Roger Mortimer goes long – very long.
A
s an out-and-out 13ft and multiplier man, I do and was very impressed. I didn’t want an out-and-out
enjoy the manly glow that a decent pendulum Continental-style match rod, and the Sonik Gravity
cast gives me. It makes me stand a bit taller appeared to have a more UK look to it, making it a bit
and puff my chest out, but in all honesty I more versatile and user friendly.
don’t do as much shore fishing as I’d like. Although you It’s available in the 15ft 4in size or 14ft 4in, both
don’t ‘unlearn’ a pendulum cast once you’ve learnt it, built on very slim but quite powerful three-piece blanks.
it’s not so easy to hit one with full confidence if you’ve A nice carrying case is a bonus to prevent damage
been away for a while. in transit.
With that in mind, I started to get quite interested in The rod is built for fixed-spool use and I spooled
longer rods and fixed-spool reels. up my big Penn reel with 30lb braid and a 60lb
A simple casting technique, braid line for distance, shockleader to give the rod a thorough testing.
no worries about tuning the reel up, it’s all good. My first impression, when I’d put everything together
But which rod to choose? After all, there are loads and clipped a lead onto the rig, was: “This is a very big
out there. rod indeed.”
I eventually decided to give the Sonik Gravity Surf Looking back and upwards in preparation for the
rod a shot and went for the 15ft 4in version – go first cast, the rod just seemed to go on and on! It did
big or go home, as they say in Australia. I’d had a cross my mind that the 14ft 4in might have been an
good waggle with the Gravity at recent trade shows easier choice to get to grips with.
p066-067_TSF_05_On Test Vass.indd 1 23/03/2016 11:30

#sonikgravityrod ON TEST
Casting was by the simple overhead-thump Those early casts represented a steep learning
technique. curve, but the rod is so good that you want to stick at
I didn’t want to try anything outrageous and I it and get the best out of it.
wanted to see what the rod could do with this simple, It’s slim, light, looks great on the tripod and is
but inefficient style of casting – after all, that’s what the capable of casting a long way when you get everything
extra length is intended for. right.
Well, as things turned out, my impression of the 14ft As an all-round fishing rod it’s a very good choice
4in rod being the easier option was quite well founded. for UK conditions, especially if you do a bit of match
Going up from a 13ft rod to one of 15ft 4in is quite fishing. It’s versatile enough to handle very decent
a jump, and that extra length does take some getting fish while also being sensitive enough to do a job with
used to. It’s mainly down to muscle memory. I do cast smaller species on smooth to semi-rough ground.
the 13-footer overhead from time to time and I’m used That extra length gives you the opportunity to keep
to releasing at a certain point in the cast. It was a a lot of line out of the water when conditions allow, and
ACT
tough job to find the best release point on the longer that longer lever, once you get used to it, will put a CONTik 8910 .com
rod. Put simply, it needed a bit of practice. lead out an impressive distance. Son 670 79 iksports
1
That’s a good tip to give anyone thinking of going If you are used to longer rods and fixed-spool reels T: 0 ww.son 9
9
to a very long rod – give yourself a bit of time to get I’d advise you to give the Sonik Gravity a try. Forget W: w : £329.
R R P
used to it! about going home, just go big.
May 2016 67
p066-067_TSF_05_On Test Vass.indd 2 23/03/2016 11:31

ON TEST #avetreel
AVET SXJ 5.3 MC

ACT
CONT Max 039
9
Rok 635 50 a x.com
1 m
T: 0 ww.rok 9
W: w £194.9
:
SSP
Paul Dennis cranks up a multiplier with plenty of bling.
W
e’ve had a couple of Avet reels in the Total also allow me to use the reel for a bit of light uptiding if aluminium frame too.
Sea Fishing office, and I was so impressed I get the chance, although I bought it for wrecking work In use it’s one of the quietest reels I’ve ever used.
that I decided to dig deep and buy one. and drift fishing in the main. Even the clicker is almost apologetically discreet – you
When Peter Thain is enthusiastic about a The Avet is a lever-drag reel, which means that you can’t imagine it screaming on a take, rather it will give
reel you tend to take notice! ideally have to set it up before fishing. It’s easy to do you a gentle reminder.
The reel that I had my eye on was the SXJ MC, and and once set you control the drag with the lever. You All told the reel is just superbly smooth: it lets
I decided on a very eye-catching ‘standard’ colour in can tell how much you are applying by the position of line out with no fuss, and cranks it back quickly and
purple, to make it stand out on my rods. You have a the lever, unlike a star drag where you are guessing a smoothly; there’s no wobble or hesitation, it just does
good range of colour choices available in Avet reels, bit if you keep tweaking and turning it, as I am prone the job. If it wasn’t for the standout purple anodizing
including the popular plain silver finish. to do when I’m fishing. Having lost a pollack or two you wouldn’t know that it was there.
It’s nice to have a bit of bling every now and again because of having the star drag cranked up too high, I One thing that was a minor concern when I bought
though, and the Avet certainly looks the part where generally back it off a bit these days, introducing more the reel was the massive handle, but surprisingly it
that is concerned, but when you pick it up you are drag as I need it, but the lever system is a lot simpler sits very comfortably and makes life a lot easier – it’s
equally impressed with its solidity. to use in this respect. just right.
What I was looking for was a good reel for boat Spooling up with braid was a doddle. I put on a few You can say ‘it’s just right’ a lot when describing
fishing, so I went for the narrow spool version, which yards of nylon backing to provide a firm base then this reel, and the others in the Avet range. Made in
is the smallest in the Avet range but still a substantial wound on 300 metres of 35lb braid, which filled the America, they have been subjected to a lot of attention
piece of kit. narrow spool perfectly. It was put on under plenty of to detail without being over-engineered. An example is
The narrow spool really helps line lay in the absence pressure to provide a firm base. the reel foot, which makes them sit very low to the rod.
of a levelwind system, and the Avet has no levelwind On my first trip out with the reel it attracted plenty Comfortable… just right.
because it is still designed to be a casting reel. I went of interest. These aren’t lightweight reels and that While Avet reels can’t be described as cheap I do
for the MC (Magic Cast) system, which incorporates was one of the talking points on the boat. The general think that this particular model is a bargain. At less
mag control, not because I’d be doing much casting, consensus was that you get what you pay for in than £200 you are getting a very well engineered reel
but because it allows you to exert some automatic materials and build quality, and I’ve a feeling that Avet built with solid components and great quality control.
control when dropping down to the bottom. You can will be on the list of a few anglers when they come to For jigging, wreck lure fishing, drifting for flatties
get a version without the mags, which is cheaper, but I replace an old reel. and even light uptiding it’s a perfect piece of kit. The
decided on the full-fat version. With stainless-steel gears and innards, plus narrow spool makes life a lot easier, and it makes you
I have to say it was money well spent as it’s one less eight bearings, the Avet is a powerful reel, and that wonder why more reels don’t feature this design. It’s
thing to worry about in a fishing situation, and it will build quality extends to the machined marine grade just right.
68
p068_TSF_05_On Test Avet Reel.indd 1 23/03/2016 11:31

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#hittingthehorizon CASTING
Hitting The
KEY
Assume all casts are
Andy Miller brings pendulum style unless
stated B (for back cast) or
you all the national OTG (for off-the-ground)
and international F/S = Fixed spool

PBs in bold
tournament casting Court records in bold and
Horizon
underlined
results. 300yds+ In red
Kent Sportcast Andrew Sheehan was in great

Tilmanstone, Kent – February 14th form in the Cymraeg casting event.
Conditions: Wind NE/NNE/N 3 to 15mph – 10 casters.
Initially overcast with a NE light breeze with some rain and hail. This
later cleared as the wind strengthened,
strengthened going cross court northerly, which
hampered casting long distances. Well done to Jason having the furthest
casts of the day. Many thanks to everyone who assisted with the court.
Caster 100g 125g 150g
Jason Carter 259.10 262.86
Darren Brooks 228.00
Carl Dale 225.36
Roly Cannon – FS 219.00 223.00 Suffolk Sportscast
Mark Ward 210.00 220.00 Purdis Farm, Ipswich, Suffolk – February 13th
Aidan May – Jnr 186.00 Conditions: ENE 8mph wind gusting to 14mph, with rain on and off all day.
Pete Brown – OTG 172.00 There were 22 casters, of whom five did not measure.
Distances in metres Well done to Martin Osborne on winning the day with a PB on the 125g
and also taking the club record for the fixed spool on the same lead. Also,
Cymraeg Casting
well done to Miles Bieber, Rob Edwards and Mark Peters on their PBs.
Fonmon Castle, Cardiff – February 7th
Caster 100g 125g 150g 175g
Conditions: Very wet – 17 casters.
Martin Osborne 259.63
The day started off drizzly with wet boggy ground from all the recent
Danny Stone 252.60 242.56 233.63
weather storms. Andrew Sheehan took the win, hitting well on four leads, Lee Caley 251.92
with Milo Bjegovic a very close second. Good to see some old casters again, Kevin Southey 248.85 247.60 238.42
including Brian King casting well at 77 years of age. Ollie Williams hit a 155m Steve Boyt 231.50 243.55 229.18
PB, not bad for 13, plus his dad Steve and newcomer Joel Gallivan hit PB Steve Boyt – OTG 234.80
casts. Jerome Curtis thought he had Dennis Retter beaten, but Dennis' last Ian Caley 228.70
cast took the poor lad's dreams away Miles Bieber – BC 226.79
Caster 100g 125g 150g 175g Warren Jarvis 226.43 216.22
Andrew Sheehan 235.00 245.65 248.10 236.93 Adam Jennings – OTG 224.19
Milo Bjegovic 247.62 Craig Buy 223.80 222.80
Dai Thomas 236.90 220.00 Barry Desmond 201.20 219.73 201.00
Gareth Davies 233.00 236.00 Martin Osborne FS 215.69
Adam Morgan 233.48 Rob Edwards – OTG 215.20 214.49
Dennis Retter 210.35 Paul Mayhew 213.17 203.50
Jerome Curtis 205.00 Dave Andrews – BC 212.52 208.58
Brian Sweet 195.40 Bob Murray – BC 203.60
Kelvin Merrick 190.00 Mark Peters – OTG 193.90 184.07
Steve Williams 185.00 Alan Miller 175.20 185.36
Joe Galivan 161.00 Caster 200g
Brian King 156.00 Warren Jarvis 210.90
Ollie Willimas – Jnr 155.00 Craig Buy 202.78
Distances in metres Distances in metres
May 2016 71
p071-073_TSF_05_Hitting the Horizon.indd 1 23/03/2016 11:31

CASTING #hittingthehorizon
South Wales Casting Club Jason Carter was on

Llancarfan, Vale of Glamorgan – February 21st top again in Kent.
Conditions: Wind WSW 35 to 45mph, 1015mbs, 11°C persistent light drizzle.
With the Welsh left wallowing in the mud, Andy Copping took the win with
a cast just short of another 300 yards! Matt Russell’s experience in the big
winds showed by being the best of the rest, with many other struggling with
the timing of the cast in the strong blustery conditions and an abnormally
high percentage landing (mostly left) out of court.
Caster 100g 125g 150g 175g
Andy Copping 297-0-00
Matthew Russell 287-1-00 Kent Sportcast
Phil Jones 272-0-00 277-0-00 Tilmanstone, Kent – February 28th
Andrew Sheehan 273-0-00 273-0-00 Conditions: Wind ENE/NNE/NE 10 to 20mph – 21 casters.
Neil Colston-Bragg 273-0-00
Wind initially ENE backing to NE. Mainly overcast with the odd light shower.
Milo Bjegovic 259-0-00
Rather chilly but overall a good day with numerous PBs. Well done to Jason
Dean Booker 256-0-06
having the furthest casts of the day (his furthest in this wind direction). Also,
Dean Booker – OTG 235-0-00
well done to Darren with a new club record; Luke, pendulum casting for the
John Preece 218-0-00
Steve Williams 210-0-00 first time and Barry, who increased his distances by 20-plus metres. Some
Brian Sweet 204-0-00 anglers came along for the first time to improve on their casting technique,
Kelvin Meyrick 198-0-06 which they did, and left feeling rather happy with what they had achieved.
John Batt 190-0-00 Jeff increased his distance by over 50 metres! Many thanks to everyone who
Ollie Williams – Jnr 166-0-00 180-0-00 assisted with the court.
Caster 75g Caster 100g 125g 150g 175g
Neil Colston-Bragg 243-0-00 Jason Carter 265.00 265.00 254.00
Distances in yards, feet and inches Danny Stone 249.90
Martin Osborne 247.80 233.10
Steve Betina 241.20 236.40
Andy Copping was close Martin Osborne – FS 228.61
to 300 yards at the South Darren Brooks – FS 231.58
Wales Casting Club. Darren Brooks 230.13
Carl Dale 226.20
Neil Jones 220.58
James Allen 211.90 184.00
Luke Ingram 197.00
Luke Ingram – OTG 195.00
Aidan May – Jnr 169.00 181.00
Pete Brown – OTG 180.00
Barry Clayton – OTG FS 179.70 170.09
Wim Pestel – OTG 165.00 166.58
Weymouth Casting Club Jeff Davies – OTG 157.00
Dorchester, Dorset – February 21st Adam Howard – Jnr OTG FS 155.00
Conditions: Wind WSW 18 to 30mph, dry – 13 casters. Mark Howard – OTG 149.00
An excellent day's casting at Weymouth with some cracking distances Distances in metres
measured. Top gun of the day was Jason Carter with some outstanding
casting, putting two leads over the 300-yard mark, his best cast being
Surfcast Wales
277.84 metres (303.85 yards). Pembrey, Carmarthenshire – February 28th
Conditions: Wind NE 5 to 9moh, 7°C, 1024mbs, dry.
Caster 100g 125g 150g 175g
Jason Carter 270.00 274.78 277.84 262.00 Andrew Sheehan scored another win on the sunlit lawns of Pembrey, with
Garry Dickerson 260.81 ‘how far’ Phil Jones not too far behind.
John Hooley 260.45 251.13 Adam Morgan kept the pressure on for third place and also had the
Paul Rogers 239.22 distinction of the unofficial “Furthest Ever Out Of Court” award! With light
Darren Brooks – FS 237.70 winds and high pressure, it wasn’t a day for PBs but the dry conditions were a
Les Baldrey 227.06 welcome break from all the rain and mud of recent events!
Denis Retter 211.04 225.14 Caster 100g 125g 150g 175g
Andrew Holland 219.34 Andrew Sheehan 233.00 243.50 250.30 245.00
Sam Truan 211.71 201.75 Phil Jones 243.15
Terry Moreton 210.67 Adam Morgan 230.00 241.50 237.60
Stephen Derraven 197.15 Ian Williams 206.32
Manny Lasco 188.31 Jerome Curtis 205.94 199.60
Riley Price – Jnr 152.75 142.65 Kelvin Meyrick 198.00
Distances in metres Distances in metres

#hittingthehorizon CASTING
Suffolk Sportscast
Purdis Farm, Ipswich, Suffolk – February 28th Upcoming Events
Conditions: NE 8 to 15mph wind, rain to start then brighter. There were 25 April 2016
casters, of whom four did not measure. 10th NESA, Kirkletham Showground, Redcar
Caster 100g 125g 150g 175g 10th Suffolk Sportscast, Purdis Farm, Ipswich, Suffolk
Duane Lockwood – BC 247.09 250.97 10th Kent Sportcast, Tilmanstone, Kent
Kevin Southey 250.43 237.87 10th Westward CA, Cardinham, Cornwall
Lee Caley 249.85 17th Weymouth CC, Dorchester, Dorset
Kevin Southey – BC 240.00
17th South Wales Casting Club, Llancarfan, Vale of
Steve Boyt 235.90 237.23
Glamorgan
Chris Woodrow 236.09 231.69
17th Sportcast Ireland, Newtownmountkennedy, Wicklow,
Syd Burtcher 227.98 233.83 223.52
Ian Caley 230.65
Ireland
Warren Jarvis 226.36 17th UKSF GP2, Huntindon Racecourse, Cambridgeshire
Miles Bieber – BC 225.00 17th South Wales Casting Club, Llancarfan, Vale of
Steve Boyt – OTG FS 220.79 Glamorgan
Craig Buy 220.70 24th Kent Sportcast, Tilmanstone, Kent
Craig Buy – BC 201.92 220.10 24th Norfolk Casting Club, CITB Training Ground, Bircham
Rob Edwards 219.11 Newton, Norfolk
Adam Torn 215.55 217.77 24th Surfcast Wales, Pembrey, Carms,
Paul Mayhew 188.50 215.17 205.96 24th Suffolk Sportscast, Purdis Farm, Ipswich, Suffolk
Dennis Retter 199.22 204.50
AJ Watson 204.00 May 2016
Jon King 200.30 202.82
1st Sussex Casting Club, Steyning, West Sussex
Dave Andrews – BC 202.82
1st Cymraeg Casting, Fonmon Castle, Cardiff, Wales
Kevin Seeley 198.98
1st Suffolk Sportscast, Purdis Farm, Ipswich, Suffolk
Dave Venables 184.00
Alan Miller – OTG 180.10 181.45 8th Kent Sportcast, Tilmanstone, Kent
Alan Miller 178.10 8th NESA, Kirkletham Showground, Redcar
Caster 200g 8th Westward CA, Cardinham, Cornwall
Craig Buy – BC 207.93 8th Norfolk Casting Club, CITB Training Ground, Bircham
Juniors 75g Newton, Norfolk
Levi Lockwood 77.00 14th Suffolk Sportscast, Purdis Farm, Ipswich, Suffolk
Plugs 7.5g SH 18g FS 18g M 15th UKSF GP3, Huntindon Racecourse, Cambridgeshire
Steve Boyt 69.78 112.63 15th Weymouth CC, Dorchester, Dorset
Dennis Retter 59.73 94.72 98.98 15th South Wales Casting Club, Llancarfan, Vale of
Distances in metres Glamorgan
22nd NWSA, Sandy Villa Farm, Cockerham, Lancashire
Club Contacts 22nd Norfolk Casting Club, CITB Training Ground, Bircham
Club Who Tel Email Newton, Norfolk
UKSF Colin Howlett 01603 872597 colinhowlett@rocketmail.com 22nd Sportcast Ireland, Newtownmountkennedy, Wicklow,
Cymraeg Casting Milo Bjegovic 07540 151114 Milo86727@googlemail.com Ireland
East Coast Steve Lemm 07957 830183 stephenlemm@rocketmail.com 22nd Suffolk Sportscast, Purdis Farm, Ipswich, Suffolk
Casting Club Jody Lemm 07517 310574 jody.lemm@yahoo.co.uk
29th Kent Sportcast, Tilmanstone, Kent
Kent Sportcast John French 01227 360107 Johnfr123@hotmail.com
29th Surfcast Wales, Pembrey, Carmarthenshire
NESA Will Powell 07584 126456 will.powell33@googlemail.com
Norfolk Casting Simon Buttery 07742 173058 info@norfolkcastingclub.co.uk
Club Rusty Parker 07866 546678 June 2016
NWSA John Walker 07935 044487 Secretary@nwsurfcasting.co.uk 5th Sussex Casting Club, Steyning, West Sussex
Mark Armer 07846 378616 chairman@nwsurfcasting.co.uk
Scottish
5th Cymraeg Casting, Fonmon Castle, Cardiff, Wales
Surfcasting Iain Graham 07917 131816 iain@planetseafishing.com 5th Norfolk Casting Club, CITB Training Ground, Bircham
Association Newton, Norfolk
South Wales Brian Sweet bemsweet@hotmail.co.uk
Casting Club 5th NWSA, Sandy Villa Farm, Cockerham, Lancs
Sportscast Paddy 00353-(0)- sportscastireland@hotmail.com 12th Kent Sportcast, Tilmanstone, Kent
Ireland Cunningham 879427645 12th NESA, Kirkletham Showground, Redcar
Suffolk Sportscast Steve Boyt 07764 950269 lboyt@btinternet.com 12th Westward CA, Cardinham, Cornwall
Surfcast Jerome Curtis 1jeromec@gmail.com
12th Suffolk Sportscast, Purdis Farm, Ipswich, Suffolk
Wales 19th Weymouth CC, Dorchester, Dorset
Sussex CC Paul Macintyre 07535 236510 pijmacintyre@gmail.com 19th South Wales Casting Club, Llancarfan, Vale of
Jonny@ulstercastingclub.org
Ulster CC Lee Galashan By e-mail please Lee@ulstercastingclub.org Glamorgan
www.ulstercastingclub.org 19th Sportcast Ireland, Newtownmountkennedy, Wicklow,
Westward CA Ian Ford 01822 617946 Ianford747@btinternet.com Ireland
Weymouth CC Sam Truan 07584 658145 Samtruan@gmail.com
May 2016 73

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p074-075_TSF_05_Tacklehound.indd 1 23/03/2016 13:32

C Series Multiplier
A dependable and rugged boat multiplier.
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www.tacklehound.com
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£48.99
P7QC Torch
Tacklehound love torches from LED LENSER -
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Fisherman’s Knife
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SHORE & BOAT #foreignfishing
Wahoo! Charlie Coppolo heads to Fuerteventura

for big game fish and more…
J
ust to give some sort of insight The wahoo particularly had my interest
and background, when it comes because I had seen photos of what
to my angling and intent, I’m looked very big fish on Agoney’s website
always looking for good, exciting and really fancied a chance at one of
and very affordable fishing within them for myself.
reasonable travelling distance. I’m So the next few months were spent
really not a fan of long-haul flights and making arrangements and booking
lengthy journeys, so if I can source dates with Agoney to target the
worthwhile angling opportunities closer aforementioned species, as well as
to home then you can be sure that I will being in contact with well known island
be looking to give it a go! resident and photographer Simon
So, with that in mind I joined a ‘Skippy’ Waldram, who was going to
friend, Mr Robin ‘Fishyrob’ Howard, be kind enough to shepherd me and
in Fuerteventura in the Canaries one my angling partner during the nights
February. The fishing was good and I and hopefully put us among the equally
managed to land barracuda, bonito, excellent beach angling that the island
angel shark and stingray. offers.
REELING LIKE CRAZY TRYING TO KEEP IN TOUCH

WITH THE FISH, IT WAS GONE. DISASTER!
However, the more exciting angling A couple of days before the flight
opportunity came about after I had I was joined by friend and angling
decided to seek out a local charter boat partner Stewart O’Keeffe, who had
for a day, and sample what boat angling caught a flight over from Cork,
the island offered. Ireland, to stay at mine and travel to
After a bit of online research, I Fuerteventura together.
managed to track down local Bags dropped at the hotel,
skipper Agoney Hierro and what’s the next thing any
Resacca Charters. While good angler does? Head
out for a short day’s straight to the marina
fishing with Agoney, of course, where we
catching bonito Resacca Fishing Charters were infatuated by
and barracuda on Agoney Hierro the big bream and
baits, he suggested Muelle deportivo De Corralejo mullet.
that the best boat La Oliva, 35640 An early
fishing from the Fuerteventura rise the next
island was to be Canarias morning, and
enjoyed later in E: resaccafi shingchater@gmail.com we met Agoney
the year (October T: (+34) 680-326-098 at the boat, which
onwards), when W: biggamefishingfuerteventura. was only a short
the ‘big game’ fish com walk from our hotel
arrive – blue marlin, in Corralejo. The day
white marlin, dorado and was to be short, only five
wahoo and the like. hours. This was a blessing
This certainly sparked my because we would ideally need
interest because these were species to get some sleep before heading back
I would love to target but couldn’t out in the evening for an all-night trip
warrant the time and money needed to beach fishing and to be straight back to Charlie Coppolo with
travel to far-off destinations to do so. the boat in the morning. a massive 93lb wahoo.
p076-080_TSF_05_Wahoo.indd 1 23/03/2016 11:32

#foreignfishing SHORE & BOAT
The vast majority of the first day was

very uneventful on the fish front, aside
from the odd flying fish shooting out
of the water in front of the boat, which
was a sight to see in itself.
The only excitement happened when
we were on our way back in to the
marina and one of the rods erupted into
life, and the line quite simply started
melting off the reel! Neither Stewart
nor I being that experienced with this
style of fishing, we sort of stuttered
and faltered for a bit too long before
grabbing the rod. By the time Stewart
had the rod in the butt pad, reeling like
crazy trying to keep in touch with the
fish, it was gone. Disaster!
Back in port, the evening drew in and
our ride arrived in the shape of the ever-
jovial Skippy! This man has taken the
island in to his life wholeheartedly since
his arrival and is very much in tune
with its waters and the fish it holds.
We discussed a game plan, and it was
decided we first needed to land a ray of
some description.
Heading to a familiar mark for me,
the heavy rods were cast
with pulley Pennel
rigs and whole
sardine baits. It
all came good
in the end, with
Stewart taking
the first run
and landing
an awesome-
looking butterfly
Stewart O’Keeffe with a

spotted bass – job done!
May 2016 77
p076-080_TSF_05_Wahoo.indd 2 23/03/2016 11:32

ray estimated at around 35lb! We had

another run shortly after that and it was
now my turn! Flashbacks were running
through my head of my last visit to this
beach and the epic 45-minute battle that
was inflicted on me by an 80lb stingray!
My hips, back and groin groaned at the
thought of it! Unfortunately, or maybe
fortunately for my body parts, it was
only a very small stinger of around 10lb.
Unhooked, I turned down the photo
opportunity in the hope of pleasing the
fishing gods, stating I would wait for a
“proper one”.
It wasn’t to be, so we headed to meet
Agoney, only stopping for a croissant
and a coffee to refuel.
With a slightly bigger sea than the
previous day, we set out! The plan was
to spend two hours maximum trolling
on the wahoo grounds and then head
offshore in search of billfish for the
remainder of the day.
What happened only 30 minutes
in to the troll sort of caught all of us
off guard a little. The same rod as the
previous day was suddenly screaming
away with a wahoo strike so fast, I
wondered if we might get spooled!
Like a military operation, this time we
Charlie with a good
were on it! I hurriedly got the rod in to shore-caught ray.
my hip and made sure I kept in touch
with the fish. Stewart got the butt pad opportunity, I gained line! Agoney was was ours! I was elated, pure ecstasy! It
in position for me and Agoney did now with me at the stern, controlling was a fish I had wanted so badly and
everything he needed to do at the helm! the boat from there, and talking me now I had landed it.
This one was staying on, and stay on through the fight every step of the way! It was huge! However, having nothing
it did! I cannot even begin to describe A few times I caught glimpses of the to compare it to, I really had no idea
the power and speed that these fish fish, only to see it power away again. how huge. My arms being jellylike from
exert during the fight; it is quite simply The adrenaline was coursing and I the fight, I really struggled to lift it,
breathtaking! I did all I could to keep badly needed this fish to come aboard! as is evident from the photos. Agoney
my fingers wrapped around the rod butt Before I knew it, it was on the surface, estimated the fish at 30kg! That put it
and make sure that, when given the Agoney perfectly handling the gaff, it at just over 66lb and a size that I never
really dreamed of achieving!
Back at the hotel I received a
Facebook message from Agoney,
that just read “42.5k”. I didn’t really
understand it, and on returning to the
hotel I asked Skippy what he thought.
He questioned whether it could have
meant to be kg and referring to the
wahoo. Skippy knew that the fish
would have been taken to market to
sell and there they would have had
to get a true weight. I was positive
it couldn’t have been that, could
it? That would have made the
fish nearly 93lb 7oz! I replied
to Agoney and asked if that was
what he meant, and very quickly he
replied that it was. I was gobsmacked.
I was over the moon with 66lb, but over
90lb, I just couldn’t get my head round
The marina was teeming it. Agoney also confirmed that this was
with bream and mullet.
a new boat record and, of course, it held
p076-080_TSF_05_Wahoo.indd 3 23/03/2016 11:32

#foreignfishing SHORE & BOAT
Battling a monster
of the deep.
up Agoney’s promise that he made me thread stripped and refused to tighten.

months before of a big wahoo. I’m sure For some unknown reason, I decided
not even he thought he would keep it it would be a good idea to clip up the
with a fish of such magnitude! heavy rig to my spinning rod and flick it
I did a bit of research and discovered out while Skippy dealt with the busted
that the fish had absolutely decimated reel, never actually expecting to get a
the European Federation of Sea Angling take.
(EFSA) record for any tackle class. We The lead didn’t even really get a
had the fish on 30lb-class gear and as I chance to settle before the rod hooped
type this I understand Agoney is going over and the drag on the Penn was
through the process of putting in the singing. Oh dear!
record claim! I leaned in to the fish, knowing that
I KEPT STEADY PRESSURE ON THE FISH, WITH THE

ROD BEING BENT THROUGH TO THE BUTT.
After a day away from the fishing, I if I had hooked a big ray I would have
was raring to get back among them! We very little chance of landing it. I kept
had planned with Skippy to fish that steady pressure on the fish, with the rod
evening, and due to the continuing light being bent through to the butt for the
winds we had agreed to fish a deep- majority of the fight. There were a lot of
water mark that is often unfishable times where the fish just found bottom
with too much swell. A good while in and was not being moved. I knew the
to the session we had a very fast run relatively light spinning rod didn’t have
on one of the heavy rods, which I hit the backbone to winch the fish, but it
into. Unfortunately, it only produced really did surprise me. When the fish
another very small stingray, probably wasn’t hugging the bottom the rod
sub-10lb. came in to its own, way outperforming
Shortly after that we had a major reel anything I ever expected of it, and
Stewart with a malfunction on one of the heavy rods. coupled with the well-known powerful
big butterfly ray. The star drag seemed to have had its drag of the Spinfisher V I thought I may
May 2016 79
p076-080_TSF_05_Wahoo.indd 4 23/03/2016 11:32

Charlie’s delighted at making

contact with his target species.
actually have a chance of landing this usual fish baits and the other fishing
fish. whole squid, a bait that tends to be
Nearly 30 minutes later I saw my ignored a fair bit in Fuerteventura.
leader knot appear through the surface It wasn’t long before the squid rod
of the water and in the darkness I could indicated some interest with some
see colour coming up from the crystal- very jagged, short, sharp taps. These
clear water below. I got the fish to the developed in to a proper nodding
surface and in a joint effort we managed take, although not taking any line
to land it! I was physically beaten, but against the loosely set drag. Still
the adrenaline had me all fired up! Stewart lifted in to it and walked
It wasn’t a huge fish, at around 40lb, to the water’s edge to retrieve the
but on the light gear it was a fight to offending fish. Lifting it from the
remember! Photos taken, the fish was waves and swinging it towards us,
released and it sulked back down into it was difficult to make out what it
the deep water below! was with only our headlamps for
We were heading home the next day light. I wandered down and was
but we had one last chance of a decent very pleased to confirm that we
fish from the shore that evening and, had caught our target fish, albeit
after some discussion with Skippy, we small, a spotted bass! Mission
opted to try somewhere completely accomplished as far as I was
different in the hope of one or two concerned!
different species. The main one we were Sitting here typing this article,
hoping for, but not optimistic of, was I am feeling quite melancholy in
the spotted bass. It’s a very sought-after the knowledge that my next trip
species on the island and is mostly to Fuerteventura is far enough
targeted with artificials in daylight, so in the future that I haven’t even
hoping to nick one on bait after dark started planning it yet. But
was a very outside chance. return I will because there are
After a long drive to the middle of far too many fish here that
nowhere, where there was no mobile evaded my capture and there
signal whatsoever, we finally arrived. are certainly more adventures to
A typical plug used
Rods were tackled up, one fishing our be had. when trolling for wahoo.
p076-080_TSF_05_Wahoo.indd 5 23/03/2016 11:32

www.zebco-europe.com WHEN ONLY
THE TOUGHEST KIT
TI WILL DO...
TI
DA
D
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AL
ST
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AN
EE
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P
SE
UP
LETHAL
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SPINNING
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M A RQU E S A
BOAT FISHING #makoman
MAKO MAN!
Shark expert David Turner, one of the few anglers to land mako
shark in UK waters, reveals how he has finally realised a long-
held ambition.
M
any years ago, when I
was about 14, one of my
teachers asked me what I
wanted to do when I left
school.
“I want to be a shark-boat skipper
sir,” I replied.
Casting his eyes to the ceiling he
retorted words to the effect of: “Yes,
alright Turner, but let’s be realistic
now.”
Well, it has taken a while but this
year I have been asked to skipper the
Madeline May out of Falmouth, a 35ft
Procharter Offshore 105 with a 350hp
turbo-charged Cummins Diesel.
A bit different from my early days of
shark fishing, when a 60hp Lister was
the “cat’s whiskers” powering the shark
boats of the day along at a breathtaking
nine knots.
My first attempts to catch a shark
off Looe proved uneventful and after
some early success off Newquay a
ACT
chance change in circumstances in the CONTid Turner1714
Newquay fleet directed me towards Dav 209 48 9175
1
Falmouth and an up-and-coming T: 0 7849 09
skipper called Robin Vinnicombe. M: 0
For the next 10 years I spent all my
holidays and a few extra weekends UK and Ireland and across the Channel to get a commercial endorsement for
fishing with Robin, but I was never several times. my Day Skipper qualification. No! My
content to just go out and wait to be It seemed that my youthful ambitions Day Skipper was gained under sail
handed a line with a shark on the end of becoming a charter skipper had and, although I have more experience
of it. I wanted to know everything, how long since faded into obscurity until a with power-driven vessels than sail,
the boat behaved, what the tides were strange quirk of fate rejuvenated them. I had to start again. So, four one-day
doing, where we were, how to navigate On returning to Cornwall from courses, two days’ navigation revision
and so on. Ireland, where my wife and I had lived in the classroom, three days’ practical
Unfortunately, our move to Falmouth for nine years, a skipper who I had revision, including night hours, a 10-
coincided with the sharks moving away fished with a number of times offered hour exam on the water, including night
and blanks became the norm. So much me a share in his boat and negotiations navigation, a medical and an online
for my ambition of running my own were proceeding when a mutual exam and I am all set to go.
charter boat. I turned to commercial acquaintance informed me that the guy I know the waters off Falmouth well.
fishing, first as deckhand and then as who was selling me the share didn’t I have caught blue, porbeagle and mako
owner/skipper until increasing EU actually own the boat! sharks in these waters and also hooked
regulations rendered the inshore fishing Well, having sorted out the legal a large thresher last year. There is much
I was involved in unviable. formalities and returned the boat to evidence that makos still inhabit the
My seafaring interests then turned to her rightful owner, it was suggested waters off Falmouth and, having landed
sail, first racing “around the cans” and that maybe I would like to skipper her the last big mako caught off Cornwall,
then sailing as watch leader on a sail for the coming season. After much it would be very nice to put one of my
training boat, logging many sea miles thought and deliberation lasting about anglers on the next one! Watch this
both day and night around the coasts of five seconds, I agreed. I just needed space.
p082_TSF_05_Mako Man.indd 1 23/03/2016 11:32

p083_TSF_05_Subs_345.indd 1 22/03/2016 14:45
#getoutthere
...you’re not going to catch them sitting at home on the sofa!

#watchetreeldeal BOAT FISHING
WATCHET
As It Happens
South Wales-based Gareth Davies travels
over to Somerset to fish with a hand-
picked Ammo-sponsored crew aboard Dan
Hawkins’ new catamaran Reel Deal, which
is moored in the tidal harbour of Watchet.
T
he opportunity to take a trip this allowed the entire length of Reel
out on Dan Hawkins’ new Deal to fish. Numbers pulled from the
catamaran Reel Deal was too hat for boat positions actually worked
good to pass up – but would out fine, as the uptide mono lads opted
the weather gods be smiling on me? to fish forward, with the downtide
Luckily the winds were favourable, braid lads dropping off the rear – it
which meant we could sail. worked a treat!
Leading up to the day was the usual We cleared port and Dan opted to
tale of high winds, lashings of rain run 23 miles northeast up channel,
and general doom and gloom. Having hugging the coastline to prevent any
arranged days out before with Dan that breakfast belching from ensuing. With
generally happens, and they get blown the twin 150hp Mercs purring along at
off. But this one was a goer, and with a steady 18 to 20 knots we would soon
a sensible sailing time of 10.30am be on our mark.
this meant no silly 4am The reason to go further
start, which is normally up channel was that the
the case. The crew bigger double-figure
assembled with the usual cod, renowned from
introductions and hearty the Minehead areas,
banter filling the air. had been slow to
Being a 9.1m cat with come aboard over the
a narrow wheelhouse, recent week, so the
Gareth shows off one

of many codling caught
on the day afloat.
May 2016 85
p085-088_TSF_05_Watchet Happen.indd 1 22/03/2016 14:05

BOAT FISHING #watchetreeldeal
Gareth Davies’
TACKLE CHOICE
Rod choice I favour my trusty
Penn Powerstix Pros, both 9ft
and able to cast between 4
and 8oz with ease – an ideal
choice for uptiding and they
won’t break the bank. In fact,
I have battled and lost a large
porbeagle shark with one of
them, snapping 24lb main line,
so I know they can handle
pressure!
Reel choice To be honest I
wouldn’t use anything else
nowadays but my Daiwa
Sealine SL30SH reels – they
hold ample line (24lb Rovex in
yellow coupled to an 80lb leader
tied with a Bimini twist).
Hook choice I use 6/0
Tsunami-Pro Black Mako hooks
as they are super-sharp and
strong and have never let me
down.
TOP TIPS
01 Don’t skimp on bait –
always try and buy best
quality fresh or frozen, with
Ammo first choice as it is a
proven big-fish catcher! If you’re
out for 10 to 12 hours using two
rods you need to have enough gamble was taken to whizz up to Spear
bait with some in reserve. Rock, just below the town of Clevedon,
02 Hooks should be suited to to start. This would give the tide a

chance to finish ebbing and hopefully
size of bait – don’t mask
allow us to intercept a few cod.
the hook point. Regularly check As it happens, I was first man
the point, a dull hook point will into a decent fish; with a bit of
not pull into the hard mouth tide running and a rhythmic
of a double-figure cod, bass or nod of the tip it was not a cod
conger! as I hoped, but a ray. The
03 Take seasickness tablets

if you’re unsure what
the weather is doing. There
double-squid bait intended for
the local mud pigs had been
happily eaten by a really good
are loads of remedies on the thornback of 12lb 8oz. As
market and they will stop you can see in the picture my
smile says it all really, and the
your day being ruined by the
fish was handled carefully and
worst feeling in the world. I put back for another day.
occasionally feel unwell and Moments after release my
have to take precautions so as second uptide rod sprang
to not turn what should be a back as the 9oz Gemini grip
great day into an expensive, lead pulled free from the sand and
uncomfortable occasion. Always coral bottom. Some more positive
consult your pharmacist for head banging signalled a lively codling Ammo boss Ian Tyldesley
advice. wanting to make a guest appearance on shows the popular bait
choice. These are the
board. No messing around, Dan’s net size and cocktail mix that
embraced the fish; fin perfect and very accounted for many of the
welcome she pulled the scales around to fish taken.

#watchetreeldeal BOAT FISHING
Gareth proudly holds aloft his Ian with

12lb 8oz thorny, which went a nice
back to fight another day. codling.
6lb, things were looking positive. from the banks that the River Severn is
Frozen Welsh black lug was doing the famous for.
damage and a steady stream of congers We opted for the English side of the
and small rays kept coming on buoys, where there seemed to
board. Crab and frozen and be more tide run. You can
fresh black lug baits see the pockets of tide
were steadily fed into water, rough then
the gravy-coloured Local Tackle Shops smooth – quite an
water, along with Westcoast Angling Centre incredible sight
double and triple 53 Swain St, Watchet when seen for
squid for bigger TA23 0AG the first time.
fish. T: 01984 634807 Uptiding allows
Soon the tide you to sample
had eased to the more of the sea
Westcoast Tackle
point of non- bed when the
existence, so we
Quay St, Minehead, tide runs hard;
looked around for Somerset TA24 5UL you have
an area with a bit T: 01643 705745 to cast
more pace. Tides will tighter to the
stimulate cod to feed anchor rope
and can sometimes put but when
off other species such as dogs, conditions
congers and rays, so Dan fired up the allow you can cast to the
Mercs and headed out to the famous tide runs, especially with
English and Welsh grounds, which are sandbanks being close by.
a series of buoys indicating the shipping Ian Tyldesley wasted no time before Kody Sherwood
channel and outlining where the ships showing the crew how to whip out cod with his winning
10lb 1oz cod.
can run safely in good deep water away with ease – all good eating fish and
May 2016 87

BOAT FISHING #watchetreeldeal
Reel Deal
Information
Skipper and owner Dan
Hawkins. Based in Taunton,
operated from Watchet,
Somerset.
Length 9.1 metres
Top speed 38 knots
Built by Colne Catamarans,
Colchester, Essex
www.facebook.com/
Reeldealfishingtrips
www.reeldealcharters.co.uk
M: 07850 984933
Crew on day (Dan’s Regulars)

Ian Tyldesley, Richard Dean,
Mark Watts, Kai Broom, Mark Richard Dean bends
into a decent cod.
and John Hembrow, Kody
Sherwood, Paul Bowden and
Gareth Davies
in prime condition. Worm and squid

cocktail seemed to be the killer baits,
with the better fish coming to uptide
tactics. Dogfish seemed to be put off by
the bigger baits, which is always great
news as they are known to be in plague
proportions at certain times of the year
in the estuary.
This, incidentally, was day two of
the planned Ammo-sponsored cod
fishing weekend, where Kody Sherwood
hooked the best cod of the trip so far
at 10lb 1oz. He was made up and quite
rightly took the leader’s red Ammo
hoody as his prize. I was in second
place with my specimen thornback and
plump codling while Ian took third
position with a good bag of codling.
To finish off the day we headed back
into Ladye Bay, where the new flooding
tide would give us another crack at
the ever-present cod. As it happened I
knew a few mates had travelled over
from Wales to fish the shoreline directly
in front of us, and just a few hundred
metres away Paul Rosser and Steve
Tucker, both from Swansea, had caught
codling to around 4lb and a few small
thornback rays, which shows we all hit
the right spot.
We didn’t get any more fish from
there, though, so headed home as the
tide flooded and the wind increased.
It was a little bumpy and moist
getting back to base, although a very Kai Broom from
memorable day afloat and one I intend Exeter holding aloft
one of his better rays.
doing again.

Contact Karen Biggs t: 01327 315426 e: karen@dhpub.co.uk CLASSIFIED
Bait Supplier Tackle Shop
WWW.HOOKERSBAITS.COM
TEL: 02392 466761
EMAIL:ENQUIRIES@HOOKERSBAITS.COM
Boat Charters
Angelus Charter
Grimsby,
Grimsby, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
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ONLY £30
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Classifieds
p089_TSF_05_Classified.indd 100 22/03/2016 14:22

SHORE FISHING #thornbacks
Spring FIRST RAYS OF
Matt Crowe has early rays in mind

when he visits a famous Essex venue.
W
ith spring fast
approaching, thoughts
turn to the species that
will soon be arriving
in more prolific numbers. Bass, cod
and rays all turn up once the water
temperature starts to increase and food
items around the shoreline become
more readily available.
With this in mind the lads I fish with
and I had been on many trips probing
and testing various venues, trying to
catch the first of the species as they
returned.
With the winter’s cod fishing being
so poor the only way the fishing could
go was up, and when the jungle drums
started banging with reports that the
odd thornback ray was starting to be
caught on the Essex shores, a plan was
quickly put in place.
Going back a few years, thornback
rays from the shore were quite a hard
species to target, with numbers not
being that great, but in recent years the
numbers have rapidly increased and
they are now a fairly easy species to
p090-094_TSF_05_First Rays.indd 1 23/03/2016 11:33

#thornbacks SHORE FISHING
target around the coast.

Incredibly, in some areas
they are classed as a pest,
robbing the bait intended for
other species.
However, on the east
coast these are still not an
extremely common fish
to catch, so catching one
always puts a smile on the
face of its captor.
When fishing for these
Pout became a proble
fish I prefer to use either a as the night wore on. m
long pulley dropper or an
up-and-over rig, making
the snood itself around four to
five feet long so as to keep
the bait away from the
rig body and grippers on
the lead. I feel that rays
can be finicky fish and if
they feel anything around
the area where they are
feeding they will spook
and drop the bait and
you will never see them
return. I opt for a 20lb
hook snood and I fish a
Varivas Big Mouth hoo
single 3/0 hook. A good a good choice for ray ks are
fishing.
strong pattern is best
as rays have big, tough,
crushing pads in their mouths that will
quickly destroy a fine-wire pattern – and After firing a few messages around
also any stray fingers that may enter on social media it turned out that east
while trying to unhook the fish… so coast fishing supremo Robert Allen was
beware! going to be fishing as well. Most people
As for the thornbacks ray’s bait have heard about ‘Lucky Bob’ and know
preference I would say fish baits always that if the fish are there this man will
come out on top, with squid and fish find them. Many a good angler has been
cocktails being my number-one choice. outfished by Robert, or “Bobbed” as we
Bluey, herring and sandeels are always call it.
winners, with peeler crab also being a We were going to fish the flood and
ONCE IT WARMS UP WITH NICE, HOT SUNNY DAYS

THERE IS A CHANCE OF A MONSTER STINGRAY.
good standby. On occasion worms do see how that worked out before making
catch, but in my eyes nowhere near as the decision whether or not to fish the
well as squid and fish. ebb. With low water at 7pm it was going
Back to our session, looking for to be a long night, but if the fish were
these spiky, flappy things. The fish had there it would be worth it.
started to turn up on the large building Our venue of choice was St Osyth in
tides at the beginning of March with Essex. This is a beach that, come late
reports of anglers catching three or spring into summer, will be producing
four in a session. Unfortunately, due to a fair few thornback rays, and once it
work commitments I could only make it warms up with nice, hot sunny days
out on the Friday, just as the tides had there is a chance of a monster stingray
reached their highest point. Not great from these shores, with 50lb-plus fish
conditions for thornback rays, as they not uncommon. All you need for these
don’t like a massive flow in the water, much-prized fish is ragworm as bait.
opting to stick flat to the bottom rather Turning up at the venue, Rob and
Not the biggest ray ever, than fight the tide. Blonde rays are his mate Adrian Needham were both
but Matt Crowe was delighted
to land it – target achieved! another matter, but you’d get big odds already set up and fishing, and upon
of catching one off our local marks. asking what they had caught the reply
May 2016 91

Herring and unwashed

squid are great early
season baits for thornback.
was a dab and a whiting on their first water, which was still a long way down.
casts. Well, at least we knew fish were I would have to keep my eyes open until
about. Bob then stated that people had the water was a bit higher as the low
fished the daytime tides and not seen tide had uncovered various rocks and
any rays. snags that were just waiting to trip me
Would we see them on this night- up and send me flying. With the rods
time flood tide? We didn’t know, but sitting nicely in the tide it was time to
conditions were perfect, and with a pour a welcome cup of tea.
virtually non-existent slight easterly It was such a still night with no cloud
breeze the sea had nothing but a slight cover that the temperature had rapidly
ripple on it, just the way rays like it. dropped. Looking up at the sky the
I dropped my gear a little way from moon was only slightly visible with a
Bob with my mate Damo setting up tiny sliver of a crescent showing itself in
further down from me and took a walk among the hundreds of twinkling stars
down to the water’s edge. With these that were shining bright. With the tea
big tides we were having the water had poured I wandered over to have a chat
disappeared out a long way, uncovering with Bob. The water was still a fair way
HOPEFULLY THE RAYS WOULD ‘CHOW DOWN’ ON

OUR COCKTAIL BAITS AT SOME POINT!
areas of the beach I had never seen out and even though there was always
previously, but it had turned prior to a chance of a ray we knew it would be
our arrival and was now pushing back a little while before we really had the
and coming in fast. I wandered back best chance. After half an hour it was
up the beach and started to set up, time to rebait, and upon lifting into the
opting for a two-rod attack I would be weight it was obvious there was a bit
fishing at maximum range with one of weed running with the tide. Getting
and dropping the other in at around 70 near to the leader knot the weight
yards, hopefully putting a scent trail showed itself – not only was it weed but
out and pulling those rays in. Rigs for lots of bits of plastic were mixed in as
the night for me were pulley droppers well. Once the tide dropped off I hoped
consisting of 70lb rig body, 20lb snood the weed would all but disappear, as on
and a single 3/0 Varivas Big Mouth this cold night plucking weed off the
hook on the business end. Baits were line was becoming a bit of a chore, with
unwashed squid and fresh herring, my hands becoming blooming cold
which I would be making cocktails every time I reeled in!
with. Hopefully the rays would ‘chow With the tide around two hours up,
down’ on them at some point! the water had snuck in and pushed up Robert Allen, AKA
With both rods set up and bait on the beach to show there was a better ‘Lucky Bob’, with the
best fish of the session.
the hooks I took the walk down to the volume of water out there, and with the

#thornbacks SHORE FISHING
baits coming back untouched so far,

this was when we felt the rays would
start feeding again. I had just walked
over to Bob for a chat when his left rod
tip decided to straighten up slowly: a
fish had dislodged his bait, but what
was it? Was it our target species or a
dreaded whiting?
Well, it quickly became evident it was
a ray, albeit not massive but a target
fish all the same. I ran back to get my
camera and quickly checked my rods.
It was obvious that something was
showing interest in my left one, with
a few pull-downs and little rattles. But
with no definite signs like a big pull over
or a slack-liner I left it and took a few
pictures of Bob’s fish. I wandered back
to my rod and still no sign of a definite
bite, so I sat on my hands for another
five minutes before it positively dropped
back, picking up the rod and winding
down into it I caught up with the lead
and lifted back into some weight, which
quickly disappeared. Fish off, not a
great start dropping the first bite of the
night but the fish were there, and while
I was baiting the rod back up my other
rod trembled and shook a few times,
but nothing materialised from that bite.
Looking back over at Bob I could see
him walking another ray up the beach.
Continental-st yle rod

to show their sportings allow rays
qualities.
Squid-and-herring
cocktails ready for the
hoo k.
May 2016 93

The rig
baited up and
ready to go.
He was hitting some good distance

with his perfect back-casting technique
and was picking up the rays a fair
way out. After more pics of his fish I
poured another cup of tea; watching
the rod tips I saw my distance rod tip
move through the warm foggy breath
my lungs were expelling on this ice-
cold night. I stood back for another
minute and watched as my tip did a
merry dance of little pull-downs and
slight shakes before it pulled down
and slowly returned to the bolt upright
position. Winding down I could feel
the weight of a fish on the end and the
solid little thumps I could feel through
the rod all but confirmed this was a Adrian Needham caught
ray. his target species with
With the leader knot through the tip this small thornback.
ring I shone my headtorch along the
beach and was met with two bright around 2am. Adrian had caught a small slowly slack-lined; catching up with the
little eyes glaring back at me: it was a ray but no others had been seen yet, lead it was apparent no fish was on the
‘raymondo’, not a massive one but a with just pouting and whiting showing. hook and with the tide picking up it was
welcome sight all the same and a nice It was getting near to the ebb and we time to start packing away and make
little scrap on the Continental gear. knew the tide would soon start to pull the 45-minute drive back to Ipswich.
With pictures taken she was released hard, bringing with it more weed, so we Bob’s drive home to Norfolk was a
into the surf and quickly flapped her decided to give it a little while longer lot longer than ours, so at that time of
way back out to the deeper water. I and then pack up, but not before Bob the morning I was not envious at all.
sent another bait out into the glass-like had another ray – naturally, the biggest He puts the effort in by travelling the
sea, the silence of this still frosty night of the night. It was nice to see, though, distances for the fish and he gets some
only being disturbed by the splash to be honest. absolute stonkers.
of my bait landing, hopefully near A couple of lads fishing further up I can guarantee I will be having some
another hungry ray. had packed up and stood chatting to me more fishing adventures with Lucky
High tide was soon upon us at as my rod again pulled over and then Bob before the summer is out!

#news
ENGLAND DEVELOPMENT SQUAD

The Angling Trust (AT) is inviting junior shore anglers to get involved
in the 2016 England Talent Pathway programme.
T
he programme provides opportunity for any young person
opportunities for young who wants to develop their skills
anglers to learn about and has the desire to represent their
international tactics and country. We have some of the best
techniques from current England coaches in the country, with a huge
international anglers and coaches. amount of international experience
Last year, 18 anglers received expert delivering the programme and every
tuition and many went on to represent young angler will benefit from being
England at Under-16 level. involved.”
Due to its success and popularity, the
AT has amended the programme for Bass Mann
2016 and anglers are invited to attend Scott Mann MP (North Cornwall)
an assessment event at Lulworth Cove is the sea bass ‘Species Champion’ Team England’s Chris
in England after lending political Clark is involved in the
in Dorset on June 11th, 2016.
Talent Pathway scheme.
A maximum of 20 places are available support to protection and
on the day and anglers are advised to restoration of threatened stocks of
submit their entry quickly to avoid fish. fishing, hydropower, and pollution)
missing out. Iconic and threatened English species to be reduced to as close to zero as
Youngsters will have the opportunity are being ‘adopted’ by MPs across possible until there is clear evidence of a
to showcase their skills under the England, who are acting as Species continued increase in both recruitment
watchful eye of England coaches, who Champions to help improve the future and the adult stock.
will provide each angler with detailed of these species. The initiative was Sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax):
feedback. England coaches will then launched this week by a coalition Overfishing, increasing fishing effort,
invite a maximum of 12 anglers to join a of organisations including RSPB, targeting of spawning and juvenile
development programme, which will be Buglife and the AT. This follows a aggregations and successive years of
held over the summer of 2016. successful model in Scotland, and a recruitment failure have led to the
The purpose of the programme is to trial in the southwest of England in stock reaching its lowest-ever recorded
educate anglers about international 2014. The AT proposed the Atlantic level. In December 2015 the EU Council
fishing, including understanding and salmon, European eel and sea bass as of Ministers agreed a package of
learning the skills and techniques a contribution to the initiative because conservation measures for 2016 that is
required to compete at international they are among the most threatened of estimated to result in reported landings
level, while supporting the anglers’ all fish. of bass in 2016 of 1,660 tonnes – over
ambitions to represent England at Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar): Once three times the amount advised by
major championships at home and abundant and widespread in English ICES.
abroad. rivers, but in 2014, of England’s Mark Lloyd, chief executive of the
The programme consists of a series of 42 principal salmon rivers 10 were Angling Trust and Fish Legal said:
four coaching sessions, which are free assessed as being ‘at risk’ of not “We are very grateful to our MPs for
to attend. achieving their conservation limits in at agreeing to champion the cause of these
Assessment Event: least four out of five years, 28 ‘probably three iconic species in Parliament.
June 11th, Lulworth Cove, at risk’ and 10 ‘at risk’. None was The Angling Trust has provided them
Dorset deemed to be ‘not at risk’. all with detailed briefings about their
Event 1: July 30th, Lymington Sea European eel (Anguilla anguilla): species and what they can do to
Angling Club Recent official advice by the encourage decisions in parliament to
Event 2: July 31st, Lymington Sea International Council for the help restore healthy populations.
Angling Club Exploration of the Sea (ICES) to the “We hope that this initiative
Event 3: August 7th, Lepe Country Park, EU is that while there has been a slight will provide a brighter future for
Southampton increase in glass eel recruitment, the salmon, eels and bass, by increasing
Event 4: To be confirmed status of stocks remains critical. ICES’ understanding in the political
Team England’s Chris Clark said: advice is for all human-caused mortality community of the challenges these fish
“The Talent Pathway offers an excellent (eg recreational and commercial face.”
May 2016 95
p095_TSF_05_AT says.indd 1 22/03/2016 14:06

CATCH SCENE #readercatches
CATCHSCENE
Caught A Fish? Want to share your latest catch with the sea fishing community? E-mail paul.dennis@dhpub.co.uk
Record Spur!
Who: Kevin Reay
What: 24lb 8oz spurdog
Where: River Tamar
The star of a ground fishing trip aboard Colin Penny’s Flamer IV was 50-year-old Kevin
Reay from West Sussex, who landed a 24lb 8oz spurdog.
With the current British record apparently standing at 24lb 5oz, this was a superb
specimen. Kevin did not want to kill such a superb fish, so it was weighed, photographed
and returned alive. This big spur also beat the Flamer IV record, which stood at 20lb.
Kevin was using 20lb-class tackle with a Pennel rig of Sakuma Manta hooks baited
with squid-and-mackerel cocktail. The big spur was caught while fishing at anchor on a
bank to the east of Weymouth.
Top Grears
Who: Ged Grears
What: 37lb 6oz cod
Where: Watchet
Sailing from Watchet on board Reel Deal

skippered by Dan Hawkins, Ged Grears
landed this massive cod of 37lb 6oz on
downtide tactics just a mile offshore Super Ray For Ryan
from harbour, with the top bait being Who: Ryan Casey
Ammo squid and black lug wrap. What: 34lb 9oz blonde ray
Ged has fished for in excess of 50 Where: Weymouth
years and was said to be over the moon.
Some members of his club, Plough SAC, With a small window of opportunity in the weather,
were also mightily impressed, especially Weymouth, Meerkat skipper Ryan Casey put a small short-
after the fish was returned to fight notice crew together and managed to do a bit of fishing
another day. himself.
Ged said: “The sea was flat calm, Ryan led by example with this superb 34lb 9oz blonde
although a bit chilly. The fish hit hard ray taken on a mackerel-frame-and-squid cocktail.
and gave a good account of itself and
we weighed and handled it very carefully
to ensure its best chance of survival
and hopefully continued breeding
success, producing many more of these
wonderful fish.”
p096-097_TSF_05_Catch Scene.indd 1 22/03/2016 14:07

#readercatches CATCH SCENE
Jon Gets His Skates On

Who: Jonathan McLoy
What: 217lb common skate
Where: Red Bay
Billy’s Brace
Who: Billy McMichael This skate of 217lb was a new PB for Jonathan
What: 22lb spurdog, 47lb conger McLoy from Colerain, who fished aboard
Where: Red Bay Hamish Currie’s boat Predator.
On a day of heavy hauling, Jonathan also had
This 22lb spur dog made an interesting brace with a another skate of 161lb, both fish falling to whole
47lb conger, taken on the same day by Billy McMichael coalfish baits.
from Bush Mills, Ireland. Billy targeted the Red Bay area,
fishing from Hamish Currie’s boat Predator using whole
coalfish for bait the on the deep water mark.
Young Guy’s Skate

Who: Liam Young
What: 241lb common skate
Lucky Bob Strikes Again
Where: Red Bay
Who: Rob Allen
What: 4lb thornback ray
Liam Young from Toomebridge
Where: St Osyth
caught this monster skate of 241lb
from Predator skippered by Hamish
Rob Allen is widely known as ‘Lucky Bob’ due to his knack of
Currie, fishing from Red Bay.
outfishing his mates, and his luck was in again when he landed
Hamish, who clearly knows where
the first fish of a session out with TSF contributor Matt Crowe.
the big skate lie, reported: “It is
The pair had rays in mind when they visited the famous St Osyth
the second largest skate caught in
beach, and it was this modest thornback that started things
Irish waters, the biggest being 249lb
rolling when it picked up Rob’s herring-and-squid cocktail.
caught in the same area in 2008.
Liam tempted the fish with a whole
coalfish bait.
“It was one of five taken on the
same day, and as usual the fish was
tagged and returned to fight another
day.”
SEND IN YOUR
CATCH REPORT
Send in a good-quality picture of your catch and fill in the form, which is available on our website, www.totalseamagazine.com, plus add
any other interesting facts about your catch. Send your entry to: Catch Scene, Total Sea Fishing, 1 Whittle Close, Drayton Fields, Daventry,
Northants NN11 8RQ, or e-mail high-quality images to: paul.dennis@dhpub.co.uk.
May 2016 97
p096-097_TSF_05_Catch Scene.indd 2 22/03/2016 14:07

BOAT FISHING #skipper’sspotlight
Skipper’s Spotlight
GARY FLINT
THIS MONTH: Skipper of Daiwa-sponsored Liverpool charter boat,
Discovery, Gary Flint.
I
first got into fishing aged about
nine when my dad took me with
him. It didn’t take long for the bug
to bite and sea fishing became a
real passion.
Boats also became a bit of an
obsession, and I’ve been messing
around in them for more than 35 years,
first with small single-hander craft, but
then with bigger ones just for personal
use on offshore wrecking trips and the
like.
However, when I got up to a Lochin
33 I knew things had got a bit serious!
Obviously I used my boats mainly
for fishing, and I really got to know the
Mersey and also the Irish Sea over the
years, and about six years ago I decided
to leave my job as an electrician and
take up skippering full time.
To do that, as the saying goes, hounds, tope, bass when allowed, rays, something – we’ll be able to fit you out.
“I needed a bigger boat,” which is basically all of the summer and autumn I and the crew have years of angling
Discovery, a 10m Blyth Catamaran species of the North Wales coast and experience and we are always on hand
powered by twin Sabre Perkins diesel out into the Irish Sea to the Isle of Man to help out and offer as much or as
making her capable of 28 knots. Fast, and beyond. little advice as you like. We are happy
stable, roomy enough for 12 anglers in Species hunts are very popular, to cater for novice or expert alike, and
comfort – what more do you want of a especially with anglers who haven’t there’s nothing that pleases us more
fishing boat? done any sea fishing and don’t know than when a first-timer catches a decent
Well, we also have a very good what a wide variety of fish live around fish – our best for a sea fishing novice
lighting system, so fishing into dark is the British Isles. You can catch many was a 62lb tope!
an option, a real bonus on the short species while fishing with us aboard The boat has very easy access and
winter days when the cod and ray Discovery, including cod, ling, conger there’s loads of free parking right
fishing is at its best on the Mersey. eels, pollack, three types of gurnard, next to the boat berths on
Fishing on the river isn’t some rays, tope, whiting, bull huss, dogfish, Liverpool Marina.
anglers’ idea of sea fishing, but it has a smoothhounds, dabs, plaice, turbot,
lot to recommend it: It’s a good choice bass, mackerel, pouting, coalfish,
ACT o.uk
for ‘iffy’ sailors; we aren’t as weather flounders and many more.
CONTy Flint char ters.c
affected as some areas because the We are sponsored by Daiwa so Gar iscovery 8262
Mersey is sheltered, making it a good we have top-quality gear : d
W 7844 2 3
backup if it’s too rough to venture out; on board to use (it’s all in M: 0
it’s a very short travel to the marks, but with the price) with Saltist
most of all, at the right time of year the multiplier reels and Super
fishing can be terrific. Cod, rays, whiting Kenzaki rods, plus uptiders
and strap congers feature, with our best and big fixed spools – the
cod last year being 19lb. tackle that’s required for
However, we do venture quite a anything that we are targeting
distance further afield as well – no sense and any method you care to
in having those big engines if you aren’t mention. Bring your own
going to use them! tackle by all means, but
Away from the Mersey we target don’t worry if you forget
p098_TSF_05_Skipper Spotlight.indd 1 22/03/2016 14:07

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TSF - May 2016

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95 ANGLING TRUST NEWS

p006-007_TSF_05_Contents.indd 2 23/03/2016 11:26

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