http://www.planetseafishing.com/ The freshest and most informative sea angling magazine anywhere. en admin@planetseafishing.com Copyright 2010 2010-02-08T21:37:55+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-08-02-10 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-08-02-10#When:21:37:55Z Shore sport remains much as it has been for the last few weeks with a nice swell running most days keeping the cod inshore, but they have been few and far between. Once again, those in the right place at the right time have landed quality fish around the 5lb to 7lb mark, and as expected, some big doubles are now starting to show in the south of the region with a 19lb 6oz cod reported from Seaham last week by Shaun Jones to follow the 20lb specimen taken from Craster the previous week. Dave Milne had a cod of 11lb 2oz from Tynemouth, and Andrew Hooper had a cod of 9lb 12oz from Newbiggin. There have also been some quality whiting and dabs showing with the odd big spawning flounder amongst them. Best mark for mixed bags of fish, with the chance of a bigger cod has been Steetley pier, and for a better chance of an all cod bag the rock edges north of the Tyne continue to be productive. Roker pier and South Shields pier have both seen some quality fish landed when fishable. John Stead had one of 12lb from Roker last midweek, and Rathouse Corner in the Wear has been productive when the sea has been too heavy to fish elsewhere. Both the Wear and Tyne have some big flounders present. The Wear has seen the best results for flounders and whiting, but the Tyne has the better cod with worm baits producing lots of smaller fish with odd bigger ones to 5lb reported. Commercial boats out of Hartlepool report lots of quality cod just offshore where they are feeding on sandeel and sprat shoals. Gary Owen reports cod to 30lb have been landed, ling to 10lb have shown and some boats have been taking horse mackerel in their nets. Boats inside of Steetley pier report the fish being full of lugworm, indicating that there is still a lot of washed out bait present in the water.The Dave Jobson Memorial open saw nine out of fifty-two weigh in eighteen fish, mainly cod, for 36lb 3oz. Top rod was Peter Stewart with four cod for 10lb 3oz, including the heaviest fish of 5lb14oz, taken from Dulce Carrs. Chris Stringer finished second with five cod for 8lb 1oz from Blyth beach while third placed John Bryson had two cod for 5lb 13oz. Fourth spot went to Peter Hutchinson who weighed a single cod of 2lb 9oz.Hartlepool W.C.S.A.C. fished last weekend in very heavy seas with most fish coming from the inner piers where Alan Howe had a cod of 2¼lb to finish first. In second Andy Bogey had a cod of 1lb 11oz and Paul Blair had a whiting of 1lb 2oz for third.Hartlepool O.M.A.C. has a Night Hawk match on Saturday February 13th fishing from 6pm till 6am. Saturday February 20th sees a match fishing from 8pm till 2am, and their monthly meeting is on Saturday February 27th in the Pink Domino at 7pm.The last two Ryhope sweepstakes saw cod brought to the scales. There was a tie for top place with Mick Davison and Grahame Peart each having a cod of 2¾lb taken from Featherbed Rocks. Unusually there was also a tie for second place, with Dean Ambler and John Lovett each weighing in cod of 2lb 2oz from Hall beach. The second match saw Lee Burton win with a nice cod of 5¾lb from the Targets ahead of Gary Warwick who had one for 2lb 14oz from Ryhope Village and John Hutchinson who weighed a flounder of 15oz from the Wear.The Ryhope club match on Sunday saw nineteen out of ninety-one weigh in. Lee Burton won again with two cod from the Targets for a 3000 grams total, including the heaviest fish; a cod of 1290 grams. Wayne Callaghan had two cod from the Manholes for 2210 grams to take second while third placed Scott Brown had one for 1230 grams from the High Ledge. Joe Lemon had the heaviest flatfish with a flounder of 530 grams and top junior was Nathan Stephenson with 410 grams.Northumbria Police fished two river matches recently on a measure and release basis. The first, in the Tyne, saw Mick Todd win with eleven fish for 179 points. Steve Walker finished second with seven fish for 104 points and Charlie Bath was third with five fish for 72 points. The second match in the Wear saw Peter Morgan win with three fish for 85 points. Second spot went to Mick Todd with eleven fish for 83 points and Peter Brooks had two fish for 69 points and third place.A recent Seaton Sluice match saw eight out of seventeen weigh in. Chris Guthrie won with four cod for 11lb 1oz, best 5¾lb followed by Barry Tweddle who had three for 6¾lb and Ian Wanless was third with 4lb 4oz. Mick Murray won a Longbenton match with a single cod of 5lb 10oz. Second place went to Les Harris with a cod of 3lb 11oz. Up at Amble; Pye Taylor only needed a single cod of 1lb 6oz to win ahead of Ian Harrogate with one of 1lb 5oz.Tynemouth retired member’s fished Tynemouth pier where five out of fifteen landed fish. Arthur Smeaton won with a single cod of 2lb 2oz ahead of Dave Hayley with a cod of 1lb 11oz. Tony Taylor finished third with a dab and whiting weighing 1lb 7oz.South of the Tees shore sport has also been patchy, Bernard Westgarth winning a Saltburn match with a cod of 4lb 10oz from Boulby, ahead of son Nick who had a half pound pouting. The St. Mary’s A.C. Rover match saw all of the winners fishing Steetley pier where some quality whiting were landed. Terry Dalton had seven for 5¼lb, best 1lb 5oz, to finish first. Alec Gate took second prize with six for 5lb, best 1¼lb ahead of third placed John Hannan who weighed five whiting and one dab for 4lb 1oz. Craig Dalton had the heaviest fish with a fine whiting of 1lb 6oz.Sunday February 14th is the Ian Golds' open at Seaham fishing from 12 noon till 5pm. Top prizes for the heaviest fish are £500, £300 and £200, plus a supporting prize table worth £2000. Basic entry is £12, register at Seaham clubhouse from 9.30 to 11.30. Contact Seaham A.C. on 0191-5810321 or visit their website at seahamseaanglingclub.co.uk for further details. North East England 2010-02-08T21:37:55+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/20lb-shore-caught-cod http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/20lb-shore-caught-cod#When:18:22:34Z Sean Jones had a session of a lifetime when he fished Seaham County Durham on Tuesday night / Wednesday morning (3rd February). Second cast saw a slack line bite which after a furious struggle saw a magnificent 20lb fish hit the shore.Sean landed his monster fish on yellow tail lug and razor cocktail and beached a further five cod to 5lb during his excellent session.Thanks to Alan Charlton for the photos. North East England 2010-02-06T18:22:34+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-04-02-10 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-04-02-10#When:21:45:55Z I had the pleasure of fishing the Humber SAC match last Sunday on the Humber Bank Wall. It was a massive tide and I’m pleased to say that it was an excellent turn out for this well organised event and the friendly atmosphere was apparent. Fish were small and few and far between through the match length. At the weigh in local RNLI Chief Jack Barlow was in command of the fishing he had five fish for 1lb 8½oz pushing Del Miles into second place by one once. Third place went to Steve McGregor who fished small and light at close range to pick up four fish in the last hour.This Sunday the club’s match is at Humberston Creek fishing 10.30 to 2.30pm. Meet at Anthony’s bank Car Park at 09.15hrs. The fishing for flounders has been brilliant at the creek and there have been up to thirty anglers fishing this venue during the week. King rag and fish baits have been taking most of the fish.Reckitts SAC were in action last week on the open coast and top man in the Super league was Chris Wray with a single cod for 1.29kg, second was Mike Brockman with a cod and a whiting for 1.12kg while third placed John Levesley had a cod for 1.1kg. In the premier league Dave Dimaline had four flounders for 1.25kg to take first place. Barry Ramshaw finished second with five flats for 1.22kg ahead of Elliot Spicer who weighed a cod for 1.07kg.Unfortunately the entire field blanked in the latest S.P.A.C. match held at Sandilands, Skegness on Saturday 30th January. SPAC AGM will be held on Saturday 13th February, commencing at 19:00 hours in the New Park Club, Scarborough Avenue, Skegness. This will be followed by the presentation of trophies from the 2009 season and a buffet. All are welcome to attend the AGM and participation the social event afterwards.Next SPAC match takes place the day following the AGM on Sunday 14th February, fishing from 16:00 to 20:00 hours at North Shore Road, with members fishing for the Healey Cup. There is also an Open section, which non-SPAC members are welcome to participate in. Contact me on 07984 967988 or by e-mail, for further details.Despite the blank at Sandilands, North Shore has been fishing consistently well for dabs of late and these should feature in the bulk of catches. East England 2010-02-04T21:45:55+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/river-tees-cod-riches http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/river-tees-cod-riches#When:22:30:01Z Prime winter cod conditions act like a magnet, drawing crowds of beach and rock anglers to a great many popular marks. At such times Steve Walker prefers to turn away from the crush and fish the lower reaches of the River Tees, in industry’s shadow, and in hope of a clonking cod…Despite better flurries over the last two winters, long gone are the days when one could just go out cod fishing and be reasonably confident of copping a few fish regardless of conditions. The depressing truth is that anglers must now accept that cod are just not present in their previous numbers, and it is highly unlikely that they ever will be again. Heartbreaking as this may be, there might just be a positive upside to the state of our shore codding which I’ll do my best to explain.20 years ago the average size of cod in the Teesbay area would be around 2lb. There would always be a proportion of bigger fish of course, but these smaller codling ran in such pressing numbers that any bigger fish struggled to reach baits ahead of the crush. I fished for a local angling club from the mid 70s to the late 90s, and the heaviest cod annually was rarely over the 5lbs. Today, although smaller fish are nowhere near as abundant, it is fair to suggest that the chances of bigger fish are better. It is a simple matter of quality over quantity if you like: with the volume of smaller fish gone, bigger cod are more likely to stumble upon anglers’ baits. Many good and dedicated cod anglers buy into this fresh train of thought.There will always be local exceptions where small fish continue to dominate however. And the local rivers are the glaring exception. The river Tyne in particular is a noted cod venue, and although bigger winter specimens always get reported, 1 – 2lb codling are the main fare. Bigger fish nearly always come from the piers, rock edges and beaches.River success is all about marrying up the correct set of variables: being on the best marks at the best times with the right baits on your hooks. Generally, a heavy northerly sea will prompt anglers to fish the more sheltered piers and beaches. But as the sea drops away, they will move to more exposed marks, which will be settling and now safe enough to fish. Promising marks can be quite crowded, particularly on a weekend. Even if a session is not particularly successful it is always the anticipation of something bigger that makes anglers turn out repeatedly… especially when there are tales of bloated 20 pounders being hooked and lost.Fab FebruaryConditions were perfect over a February weekend last year. A deep low pressure system tracking north of the British Isles brought eagerly awaited northerly swells to the North East coast. A fine heavy sea swept down the East coast and web forums were buzzing in cod-fest anticipation. Likely venues, best tides, times, baits and tactics were being debated with vigour and spirit.The chances of hooking one of the big spawning cod that push into the Teesbay area at this time were better than good. The only issue was that almost everyone and their bloody dogs had the same idea, and all obvious venues were jam packed with anglers. There might be a few bigger fish present along these crowded marks but there were an awful lot of bodies competing for a slice of the cod pie, and somewhere a little less claustrophobic was preferable. Fishing shoulder-to-shoulder with 30 other anglers on the end of Middleton Pier in a heavy swell doesn’t make best use of my fishing time, nor is it my idea of bliss.The river Tees is not a noted cod venue. For example, it does not produce as many fish as the Tyne, for reasons mainly of limited access. When the rarely fished lower Tees estuary does give up cod however, they are usually a good class of fish. I made for the lower estuary, which is flanked by the South Gare and North Gare piers, opens out into a wide bay. The area is sheltered, and there are several places to fish in comfort and without being crowded out.The northerly swells had veered round to a more North Easterly direction and were pushing right into the mouth of the Tees and upriver onto the north side… conditions that would surely herd a few cod into casting range. I parked the car behind the sand dunes and I could hear the booming sea crashing out of sight on the other side.From the top of the dunes the sea looked very heavy at the mouth of the North Gare and along the Ring of Stones - a bank of rocks that running alongside the North Gare into the bay. However, it was comfortably fishable further upriver on the river beach. Judging it fishable, I went to the Ring of Stones anyway. There’s a favourite spot there where the tide swirls along the rock edges, hits the main body of rocks and spirals out into the river. This vortex effect scours out a pronounced hole that can fish well over low water.Inside InfoThe word from a commercial fisherman friend of mine was that he had taken several boxes of quality cod between 10lb and 20lb from the North Bank in recent days. This was interesting information and bigger fish had to be a fair possibility on the day. The tide was about an hour up and there was plenty of time for a few fish to show. A 6oz fixed grip-lead towed a big clam and worm cocktail bait out 80 yards into the swirling black water. The lead trundled then bit and held firm.In my experience lug/clam is the only bait to use here in these conditions. Gaper clams and razors are naturally abundant out in the channel, and get dislodged by heavy seas, offering easy pickings for foraging cod. It pays to remember that some of these river cod will have been around for several weeks and become accustomed to the hoovering up churned shellfish.I had no bites after half an hour. Another couple of bite-less casts then prompted me to move. A 20-minute walk along the sand bars put me at the river beach, which faces into the near Tees channel. By contrast, there wasn’t much movement here, but the deep water was thickly coloured and inviting. I’ve caught some big cod here over the years, nearly always during big high spring tides, and I was confident of bagging something.The tide pull was strong, so I stuck to the fixed uptide lead and large single bait. To ensure the rig held firm, I walked 30 metres up the beach and cast well uptide, letting out 30 – 40 yards of line, before walking back and setting the rod in the rest. Tide pressure, and sometimes wind serves to pull the extra slack into a taught bow; thus ensuring the sinker locks into the soft riverbed. A big fish grabbing the bait will usually tear the grip-lead free, invoking the classic slack line bite. Often the beginnings of the take are seen on the bent rod tip before it suddenly flicks straight and the line drops slack… this is a sequence that I never tire of reacting to.Casting short onto the channel slope regularly produces flounders, eels, and whiting, while longer casting into the main channel is the norm for cod. My first cast returned a good 1lb whiting. The lead snagged the edge of the channel on the retrieve, which is always a danger, but steady pressure drew it free. On small tides and during slack water a plain bomb or lightly sprung grip-lead can be used to make the retrieve easier. In this instance though, fixed wires were essential.Life's a DredgeI decided to work along the beach and to try to find a spot where the channel slope had collapsed and the drop had become less steep. This particular stretch of the river gets dredged 24 hours a day, with the disadvantage that the channel side is often painfully steep. The upside to the dredging activity is that food items are constantly drawn up, which, in turn, tumble down-river for fish to follow upstream.A couple of casts in a new spot were wound back without sticking, and I was soon rewarded with a plump winter dab. A few minutes after slinging out another lug/claim bait the rod tip gave a single hard lunge. The grip-lead wasn’t budged. Picking the rod up, I felt for repeat bite, which came almost instantly. I wound down hard and swept the rod skywards to sink the hook home. There was weight there as I wound in, but it didn’t feel like a big fish. I took only a few turns on the reel before the lead trapped in the bottom. I managed to free it with some frantic rod work and moved downtide to catch up to the moving fish, which was quickly controlled. A fat 4lb cod just clipped the channel edge on the way to my clutches.I pounced on the attentions of several more whiting, and missed one clonking bite that had cod written all over it. My lift for the short session at this point was the cod, five good whiting, a dab and a flounder. I returned all fish except for the cod, which would certainly be eaten. I slung out what I decided would be my final cast and set about cleaning my cod. A bonus was a juicy big roe, which I popped into a separate bag so as not to damage it – I like cod roe more than the fish.Jabba The CodAll done, I dried my hands on a rag, and looked up. Loads of slack line streamed from the rod tip. My attention had been elsewhere and I hadn’t noticed the bite, if indeed it had been a bite at all and not just the lead pulling free of its own volition. I reeled in uncertainly trying to feel for the lead.I had just fumbled a degree of tension on the line when I felt the solid nod, nodding of a hooked fish. Perhaps sensing ethereal hands around its throat, it immediately powered downtide forcing me to reel fast and scramble backwards at the same time. Establishing a tight line to what had to be a good cod, I struck and my Conoflex Nemesis bent right over.The fish thumped back, forcing me to drop the rod and go with it… this wasn’t a one-sided tussle. Gradually working the rod tip high again, I stole back little grabs of lines, all the time moving down-river, gradually shifting my position more parallel to the fish. Instinct determined that applying more pressure would fatally wrench the hook out. “Slow and steady, slow and steady”, I muttered to myself. But another panicky inner voice wondered how the hell was I going to get this thing over the channel bank? I resolved to worry over one thing at a time.I was now almost back at my first, snaggy mark. But as fate and luck would have it, the tide was much higher than earlier. With steady pressure a proper cod aquaplaned right over the top of the channel edge. Stooping to grab it, I almost fell to my knees. It turned out to be squarely with both hooks of the pennel rig lodged in the mouth. My decision to decline the crowds and explore the river had reaped a handsome reward. I couldn’t resist fishing on a bit longer but caught only a few more whiting before calling it a day.Cod FactoidsThe cod population consists of a number of distinct stocks in differing environments over the species range. These include the Arctic-Norwegian, North Sea, Faroe, Iceland, East Greenland, West Greenland, Newfoundland, and Labrador stocks. There does not seem to be much interchange between different stocks, though some fish migrate up to 200 miles to their individual breeding grounds.Spawning occurs between January and April, with March to April being the peak time, at a depth of 200 metres in certain locations when the sea temperature is between 4 and 6 degrees. Therefore if global warming is also affecting sea temperatures it will also affect the spawning season of marine species that react to changes in sea temperatures.Around the U.K. the main spawning grounds are the middle to Southern North Sea, the start of the Bristol Channel North of Newquay, the Irish Channel East and West of the Isle of Man, around Stornoway, and East of Helmsdale off the Moray Firth. The U.K. population generally move inshore into shallow waters to spawn, they do not, as many anglers believe, move inshore to congregate before then moving offshore to spawn. Although those stocks that spawn in deeper water do shoal during spawning.Cod are batch spawners, meaning they do not release all of their eggs at one time. Mature females produce 15 to 20 batches of eggs every 60 to 75 hours; each batch consists of at least several hundred thousand eggs, with each batch based on the body weight of the fish. A cod of 8lb can easily produce a million eggs per batch. They generally spawn over clean ground and in areas where there may be a strong tidal movement; this in order to disperse the eggs and which will also be high in oxygen. Hence on particularly big tides, cod will move into shallow sandy sheltered bays such as the Tees estuary.It is no coincidence that the Scottish record of 40 - 11lb, (Irish Channel East stock), taken from Balcary Point in the Solway Firth, and the British record of 44 - 08lb, (Bristol Channel stock), taken at Toms Point, Barry, in South Wales were both caught over relatively shallow sandy bottoms, and that both fish were probably the bigger spawning females well within their stock breeding range. Male and female fish pair off, and, after spawning, the eggs drift around in the surface layers for between 8 to 23 days before hatching into planktonic larva around 4mm long. This stage lasts ten weeks during which the larva increases its body weight by 40 times to become around 2cm in length.The young cod now move down to the seabed where they start to feed on small crustaceans etc. In six months they are 8cm long; 14cm to 18cm by the end of their first year; and 25cm to 35cm by the end of their second year. Cod reach maturity at around 50cm long after 3 to 4 years depending on location. The more northerly cod tend to grow at a slower rate, sea temperatures being a decisive factor in their development. Away from the main fishing areas a cod will live in excess of 30 years and could reach a weight of around 125lb or more. Shore, Lead Feature 2010-02-01T22:30:01+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/penn-international-trq100-reel http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/penn-international-trq100-reel#When:22:29:03Z Built like a tank, the Penn International TRQ100 reel boasts a magnetic braking system and a mighty 6.3:1gear ratio among numerous standout features. Des Westmore get straight into the guts of things…Penn’s Integrated Side Plate (ISP) design featured on their ‘International TRQ’ reels operates so differently that a patent was immediately sought. The Integrated Side Plate does away with the bridge method of mounting the gears, as seen in reels like the Penn Senator or the Okuma Magnetix, while it also replaces the concept of a separate set plate and side plate seen in reels such as the Shimano Trinidad and Daiwa Saltist for example.PSF tested the Penn International TRQ100 reel, which is the smallest of the range with a similar line capacity and magnetic braking system similar to the popular Penn 525. The reel is built like a tank with several prominent and eye-catching features, namely the handle, the drag star-wheel for the drag, and the gearbox housing.Huge 6.3:1 retrieveThe handle is massive for a reel of this size and can be mounted in two positions. It came set on the outer mounting, which maximises the torque the angler can transfer to the reel. The alternative inner handle position makes fast winding easier for maximum benefit of the 6.3:1 retrieve, which equates to 32 inches of line recovery per turn of the handle with a full spool. Spool capacity is 450yds 12lb mono or 550yds 30lb braid.The star drag wheel, which applies pressure to an eight washer ‘Versa’ drag stack, looks plastic but is in fact robust coated metal. This ratcheted wheel is easy to adjust, while the drag has performed faultlessly with beautifully fluid line payout on demand, to lock down when snagged while drift fishing.The Versa drag is rated for a maximum setting of 25lb, which is more than enough for any normal UK fishing situation. Interestingly, this is the same type of drag stack assembly as on the Penn 113HN Baja Special reel. The drag washers on the 113HN can be arranged in four different sequences by the owner to give a set of configurations from very high maximum setting where the drag pressure increases quickly with each turn of the star, through to a light maximum setting where the drag pressure increases far more slowly as you wind the star wheel. Close investigation flagged no reason why the TRQ could not be similarly optionally configured, especially as the ISP makes access to the drag easy. None of the boxed paperwork flagged this, but the Penn catalogue does.Metal Gear SolidThe gearbox is a great big thing for a good reason that becomes clear when the ISP is opened. To do this simply remove the handle and then undo the four inner bolts on the ISP which allows the outer cover to be removed. The ball bearing mounted stainless main gear is correspondingly huge and meshes with a bronze pinion gear. Both gears are heat treated for maximum hardness and longevity. The ISP outer cover, in addition to being fastened by the four bolts, is located by two close tolerance dowel pins to ensure perfect alignment of the gears. Underneath the massive main gear is a double-dog anti reverse which backs up the one-way roller bearing fitted on the handle shaft. All this techno-waffle simply means that something has to be seriously wrong for the handle ever to rotate backwards.The pinion gear totally disengages from the aluminium alloy spool when the stainless steel eccentric lever is moved to the free spool position. This is achieved by mounting the pinion on its own shaft running on two more ball bearings for perfect alignment. The spool has its own shaft mounted two more bearings. The double-dog system means that the reel is not silent and it ticks when you turn the handle. I prefer reels to be silent, but the ticking on the TRQ doesn’t drive me mad.The frame, all components, the ISP and left-hand side plate are forged and machined aluminium. There is stainless steel all over the place, including the gear stud, gear sleeve and the reel foot. Indeed, there’s virtually no plastic apart from the ergonomic grip on the end of the handle and the reel clamp.The left hand side plate houses the line-out ratchet which is loud and a very traditional mechanism. The end-float adjuster and simple magnetic brake control are also sited at this end. It was the incorporation of the magnetic brake meant TRQ100 hit the market later than its bigger brothers the TRQ200 and 300, neither of which have magnetic brakes.I was pleased with the amount of grease inside the TRQ100, including on the threads of the bolts which all have a Torx style heads and a driver is included. Build quality is paid for in weight… this little reel weighs just 1lb 8oz.Action stationsThe reel truly is a powerhouse and versatile to boot. I moved the handle onto the inner setting and found the fast retrieve perfect for working shads and lures on deepwater marks. With the handle in the extended position the TRQ100 could easily cope with downtiding on a 30lb class rod. The drag is bliss: very smooth with real dial in power at the user’s fingertips. The magnetic brake works well for uptide casting, and the level of control would be of particular benefit to less confident casters, or inexperienced uptide anglers generally. For downtiding, the magnets can be cranked to full, and the lead allowed to freefall to the bottom without the need to stop the spool with your thumb. The exterior finish is still excellent after several fishing sessions.What would I change?A top quality reel and there is little I would want changed. But as a fussy old salt, the ‘ticking’ rankles, and I would like the reel to engage drive automatically on turning the handle. The handle is not counterbalanced currently though, and I accept that the uptake of such a feature could court casting problems. A levelwind option, particularly for lure fishing applications, would be popular addition to the TRQ range.This level of pure quality and reliability usually comes at a considerable price. With a scary RRP of £394.99, the TRQ100 will be beyond the budget of a great many anglers. But TRQ is worthy of serious attention if you have a spare 400 quid burning a hole in your trousers. The combination of superb star drag, massive winching power, high speed retrieve, magnetic brake and machined from solid components offer a package of features that blend into one of the most versatile reels I have handled. If your interest is perked, shop around as there are lots of good offers and better prices out there. TRQ100 and 300 lever drag versions are now also available.For more information visit www.uk.purefishing.com Reels, Lead Feature 2010-02-01T22:29:03+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/european-open-beach-championship-26th-28th-feb-10 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/european-open-beach-championship-26th-28th-feb-10#When:18:18:35Z With just over four weeks to go until this year’s European Open Beach Championship the event looks set once again to confirm its status as the premier beach angling competition in the UK.Interest from the continent has reached new heights with record numbers of competitors from over 10 different countries taking part. They will all be aiming to emulate last year’s winner Dave Richardson from Suffolk who walked away with a large share of the £25,000 prize fund and the crown of European Champion.General Rule ChangeDue to recent reports of large numbers of Rays Bream being washed on shore along the East coast EY Events have amended the general rules to this years European Open Beach Championship. They have deemed that no Rays Bream will be permitted to be weighed in as part of the competition.If competitors are unsure of what species are permitted they should visit the competition website at http://www.eyevents.co.uk/events/openSafety AnnouncementPlease be aware that due to the extremely high tides towards the end of the match competitors should take extra care and attention when planning a suitable exit off the beach.Tickets are still available for the competition and can be purchased at http://www.eyevents.co.uk/events/open or by cheque/postal order to;EY Events, Room JG53B, County Hall, Beverley, HU17 9BA.(made payable to East Riding of Yorkshire Council)For more information contact EY Events (Paul or Kieran) on 01482 391668 East England 2010-02-01T18:18:35+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-30-01-10 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-30-01-10#When:21:24:08Z Shore sport was patchy throughout the region during most of last week with cod generally proving to be scarce. However Andrew Stanton pulled out a monster of 20lb 10oz from Craster in an Alnwick club match, he also had a comparative tiddler of 9lb to go with it in a bag total of 34lb. Roker pier continues to fish well for some bigger cod where Trevor Green had one of 8lb 11oz, Stu Carr had one of 8.5lb, and Anthony Curtiss had one of 7.4lb. Bob Gascoigne had nine cod to 4½lb from South Shields pier and Ian Peacock won the Seaham Coronation Cup with two cod for 11.26lb, best 7.55lb. Dave Hood won a Seaton Sluice match with three cod for 11lb 5oz, Barry Tweddle taking the heaviest fish prize at 6lb 2oz. The river Tyne has slowed down a little but some anglers are still picking up better cod to 5lb amongst the smaller ones. Up in Scotland the Arbroath area continues to attract visiting anglers where Dave Cruddas won a Seaton Sluice travel match with a cod of 8lb 6oz.At other times it has been the ever reliable whiting and flounders that have kept anglers busy with specimens of both species to over 2lb reported, however, a number of club matches have struggled to produce any big weights recently. With heavy seas forecast for this week during very big tides, there is a good chance of some big double figure cod showing from all areas.Alnwick AC competition full results saw Andrew Stanton land five cod weighing 34lb 8oz including the heaviest fish at 20lb to take first place. Second place went to Paul Buddles with two cod for 3lb 11oz while a single fish of 2lb 11oz was enough to give Kevin Donnelly third spot.Tynemouth A.C. fished on Sunday with ten out of thirty-two weighing in mainly flounders and whiting. Top rod Wilf Reed had four flounders and a whiting for 4½lb while in second Mick Styles had a fine specimen whiting for 1lb 9oz. Norman Douglas finished third with a flounder and a whiting weighing 1lb 6oz.The Tynemouth Winter League match the next day produced less fish but at least a few cod were taken with just two out of eighteen finding fish. Shaun Blake had three cod for 7lb, best 2lb 12oz from Whitley Bay beach, to take first place. Dave Hayley also fished here and had the only other weighable, two whiting for 1½lb.Cleadon A.C. also struggled to find any numbers of fish with only four out of thirty-two bringing fish to the scales. Stan Hailstone fished South Shields pier to land a single cod of 4lb 3oz which took first prize. Runner-up Stephen Brown had a single cod of 2lb 9oz from Tynemouth while third placed John McLaughlin had a cod of 1½lb from the pier. In fourth Ollie Feenan had a cod of 1lb 6oz from the Walkway.S.B.R.A.A.C. saw four out of eleven weigh in cod and flounders. First placed Steve Alexander had two cod for 3lb 11oz from Whitley Bay beach. Gary Wilson had the heaviest fish, a cod of 2lb 10oz, plus a flounder for a total of 3lb and second place. Kevin Moffat finished third with a cod of 2lb 1oz from Blyth pier.Sunday February 14th sees the Ian Golds Open at Seaham fishing from 12 noon till 5pm. Top prizes for the heaviest fish are £500, £300 and £200 with a supporting prize table worth £2000. Contact Seaham A.C. on 0191-5810321 or visit their website at www.seahamseaanglingclub.co.ukCleadon AC thirty-two anglers fished with four weighing-in; 1st Stan Hailstone cod 4-3-0 (South Shields pier), 2nd Stephen Brown 2-9-0 (Tynemouth Beach), 3rd John McLauchlin cod 1-8-0 (South Shields pier), 4th Ollie Feenan cod 1-6-0 (South Shields pier)St Mary's result nineteen anglers fished with twelve weighing-in; 1st T Dalton seven fish 5-4-0, 2nd A Gate six fish 5-0-8, 3rd J Hannan five fish 4-1-0, heaviest fish C Dalton 1-7-0.South Beach Residents AC thirteen anglers fished with three weighing-in; 1ST Steven Alexander single cod 2-7-8, 2nd Kevin Moffatt two flounders 1-4-9, 3rd Phil Smithson a flounder 1-4-9.Friarage Sweepstake 1st, 2nd & 3rd Barry Pattinson cod 9-5-0, cod 5-15-0 and a whiting of 1-10-0 from Steetley won £150. These matches are to be a regular event, contact John Readman at the shop on 01429-273145 for details.Jarrow Alberta SAC seventeen anglers fished with five weighing-in; Joint 1st Micky Dellin with six fish and Kevin Cruddas with a cod both weighing in 5-1-0, 3rd Ray Harrison 0-11-0, 4th Alan Bennet 0-9-0, 5th Mark Dalglish 0-8-0. Kevin’s cod was also the heaviest fish. Final places 1st Micky Dellin 50pts, 2nd Mark Dalglish 49pts, and 3rd Andrew Hodgkinson 48pts.B.O.T.A.C. Sunday League thirty-two anglers fished with ten weighing-in; 1st Wilf Reed with four flounders and a whiting for 4lb 8ozs, 2nd Mick Styles with the heaviest fish, a whiting of 1lb 7oz, 3rd Norman Douglas a single whiting and a flounder for 1lb 6ozsB.O.T.A.C. eighteen anglers fished with only two weighing-in; 1st Sean Blake three cod weighing 7-0-12, 2nd Dave Hayley two whiting for 1-8-0; both fished Whitley Bay Beach.Hartlepool W.C.S.A.C. 1st Steve Brown weighed two cod for 6-6-0, 2nd Marc Wallace a cod and a dab for 5-4-0, including the heaviest fish with his cod at 5-0-0.Hartlepool O.M.A.C. nineteen anglers fished with fourteen weighing-in a total of forty-five whiting, cod, flounders and dabs for 37-8-0, 1st Dean Athey weighed a mixed bag of cod and whiting for 9-3-0 including the heaviest fish, a cod of 4-6-0, 2nd Dean Sanderson 4-8-0, 3rd Steve Sweeney 4-1-0, joint 4th Brian Crowe & Jay Kelly with cod of 1-10-0.Ryhope Sweepstake 1st Mick Davison cod 2-13-0 from Featherbed Rocks 2nd John Lovett cod 2-1-0 from Hall Beach, 3rd Darren Welsh flounder 1-13-0 from the Wear.Ryhope SAC eighty-five anglers fished with ten weighing-in; 1st Steve Harriman weighed a single cod of 2815grm 2nd Lee Burton two cod 1545grm (both fished Targets) 3rd John Wilson with a cod and a coalie for 1435grm from the Tyne. The heaviest flatfish was landed by Gary Dunn at 1-11-0 from the Wear and top junior was Thomas Rutherford with 330grm taken from High Ledge.Seaton Sluice H.W. fourteen anglers fished with nine weighing-in; 1st Dave Hood with three cod for 11-5-0 from Newbiggin Bay, 2nd Barry Tweddle again with three cod 11-0-0, including the heaviest fish of 6-2-0 while fishing the Needles Eye, 3rd Mal McIntyre three cod for 6-10-0 from Private Beach, 4th Dave Cruddas two cod for 4-6-0 from the Sumps.Final league results 1st Barry Tweddle 85-1-0, 2nd Ronnie Forrest 60-8-0, 3rd Chris Guthrie 44-13-0, 4th Andrew Stanford 40-11-0, 5th Mal McIntyre 39-14-0, 6th Steve Potts 37-15-0, 7th Gavin Owen 36-11-0, 8th Tony Stanford 28-0-0, 9th Brad Hill 25-5-0, 10th Gary Appleton 20-11-0.Seaton Sluice (Arbroath 2 days) Day 1 - 1st Barry Tweddle three cod for 7-6-0, heaviest fish 3-6-0, 2nd Tony Stanford two cod weighing 4-14-0, 3rd Brian Clennell a single cod of 2-0-0. Day 2 - 1st Dave Cruddas the single heaviest cod of 8-6-0, 2nd Nigel Gemmell two cod for 7-0-0, 3rd Scott Davison a cod of 6-9-0, 4th Tony Stanford a cod of 2-0-0.Workington & Dist SAC fished at Whitehaven. All ten anglers weighed in for this measure& release match. 1st Mike Laycock landed five dabs for 21pts, 2nd Dere Foster had five dabs for 20pts, and 3rd Ron Hawley measured three dabs and a whiting for 18pts. Junior angler Matthew Smith landed one dab 4pts and Ron Hawley had the biggest fish.Seaham Coronation Cup fifty-six anglers fished with six weighing-in; 1st Ian Peacock with two cod for 11.26lb including the heaviest at 7.55lb, 2nd George Hope weighed a single cod of 5.76lb, 3rd Gary Pye had two cod for 4.06lb. First place in the pairs went to Ian Peacock & Gary Pye with four cod weighing15.32lb.Eastenders Sweepstake twenty-one anglers fished with fifteen weighing-in twenty flounders and twelve codling. 1st & 4th places went to Darren Welsh with cod of 3-11-0 and 2-3-0 respectively from Ryhope Steps, 2nd Phil Wright with a cod of 3-3-0 from Roker Beach, 3rd Steve Rackstraw weighed a cod of 2-4-0 from Ryhope Beach.Seaham Badger Open thirty-nine anglers fished with eight weighing-in; 1st Dean Ambler with the single heaviest fish a cod of 3.5lb, 2nd Kevin Cummings a cod 3.34lb, 3rd Ian Griffiths a cod 2.79lb. Heaviest bag went to Ian Griffiths with a five fish total weighing 10.59lb and pair’s prize went to Dean Ambler and J Barrass who weighed in five fish for 10.49lb.Eastenders Open seventeen anglers fished but only Brian Turnbull weighed in with a single cod of 1-6-0 from Shields Walkway.Westoe SAC seven fished; 1st Trev Davidson with five whiting for 4.12lb, 2nd Mick Jewit weighed in a mixed bag of cod and whiting for 4.8lb including the heaviest fish, a cod of 3.6lb. North East England 2010-01-30T21:24:08+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-29-01-10 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-29-01-10#When:11:23:21Z Humber SAC fished a biggest fish rover last Sunday morning and none of the competitors weighed in! Del Miles actually had a weighable smelt that would have swept the board but thinking that there would have been larger fish on the go the smelt was returned.The fishing has been awful just lately, I walked along Cleethorpes beach the other day with the dog and the amount of red weed that has been washed up on the shore was astounding. I have never seen so much of this weed and cannot recall the weed being in the River Humber in such quantities. This problem is not just in this area as all areas affected by the weed seem to be devoid of fish. Fortunately the areas that were affected but have now cleared have had an influx of fish so we can hopefully look forward to an improvement as soon as the weed disappears.There’s a lot of gossip on the go about the Marine and Coastal Access Bill and the proposed “no take” zones or marine conservation zones to give them their full title. The lead authority of the Humber and North Sea areas is an organisation called Net Gain. They have been running a series of roadshows covering the Bill’s proposals and myself and several other anglers attended the local meeting.The Bill is liable to obtain assent and it is important that anglers ensure that their views are put forward and details of the proposals can be found on the Net Gain website - http://www.netgainmcz.org/index.php in how we can protect certain areas.John Atkinson has asked me to let you that the trios match is going to be on the 16th May. If you are intending to put in a team then please contact John at Cleethorpes Angling Centre. It will be held along the Humber Bank Wall. The day before there will be another open along Cleethorpes Promenade, the King Pin Open which will allow visitors to make a weekend of it. East England 2010-01-29T11:23:21+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/southern-blondes http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/southern-blondes#When:22:00:40Z The fishing grounds off the Isle of Wight offer some excellent early season opportunities to catch Blonde rays. Des Westmore takes a trip on charter boat, Southern Star and describes the best tactics and tackle for success...In many parts of the country the first three months of the year pose the biggest problems for finding a mark offering decent prospects of any fish, let alone a big one. For a long time, this was thought to be true where I live and January, February and March were often spent forlornly hoping for the last gasp winter cod on the inshore marks, or the first of the spring pollack offshore. Unlike ports like Plymouth, the Mid Channel wrecks between the Isle of Wight and the Cherbourg peninsula do not offer a winter pollack season. I ought to say though, that while cod are usually scarce inshore at this time, it is not uncommon for the biggest of the season to turn up at this time having snaffled a giant bait. The biggest I can think of was about six years ago on Vernon Everett’s charter boat. It weighed 34lb and took half a dozen squid on an 8/0 pennel rig. In recent years anglers and skippers in the know have found that the banks south of the Isle of Wight produce some superb blonde ray fishing. Among those was a ray of 38lb 9oz caught by local angler Ian Dobson in March 2000 which held the British record for a time.The weather makes any boat trip a lottery at that time of year, and on top of that, the banks seem to either fish very well or downright terribly with no middle ground. I focused on the potential highlights and selected the blonde ray banks as the venue for a trip with a bunch of anglers aboard Greg Woodford’s catamaran, Southern Star. Our crew was a lively bunch of pleasure anglers consisting of Kevin Mardell, Lee Frampton, Milo Pragnell and Malcolm Collier and John Haskett. John is a sound engineer and tour manager and amongst others, has worked with the Stranglers, Jet and the Stone Gods. He spends much time abroad and it’s always difficult to get him on a trip because he is always on the road somewhere. Despite knowing each other since primary school and sharing an interest in angling for nearly as long, this was actually the first time we had ever fished together. He had no boat gear so I sorted him out a Daiwa TDR rod and Saltist reel. Bait boxGood weather and small tides saw other skippers with similar plans departing the western end of the Solent along with us. There was a varied selection of frozen baits onboard, including squid, mackerel and launce. Malcolm had also dug some ragworm and there was also another frozen bait that would prove successful - more on that later. End tackle was pretty standard stuff with most of those aboard opting for a 4 foot trace of 80-100lb mono with Pennell rigged with 8/0 wide gape hooks. Everyone opted for down-tide tactics at the beginning except for me… I would campaign my trusty Abu Conolon uptider and a thirty year old Abu 7000.My main reason for uptiding was an easy life, as the rod can more or less be left to its own fishing devices while I get on with the job of shooting pictures. The first fish were not long in coming. Unfortunately these were in the form of the dogfish, which matchmen relish but specimen hunters have no love for. Rocker John bent into the first ‘real’ fish which put a pleasant bend into the TDR rod. John has been absent from boat angling for a while and braid was a completely new concept to him. The forgiving nature of the Daiwa backed up by the smooth drag of the Saltist easily compensated for the braid’s lack of stretch in the hands of someone not used to it. No mistakes were made, and soon a little blonde of around 8lb was in the net. No monster, but proof positive of the availability of the target species.John’s fish had taken squid and that seemed to be the most popular bait in use. I had opted for a launce/squid cocktail and was pleased to see the tip of the uptider bounce around as something showed interest. I gave it plenty of time and then, after the lead broke out, reeled down to what was hopefully a big blonde. Once I made contact, the mighty bend in the rod betrayed a considerable fish. The uptider was easily capable of applying the pressure to get what was a sure ray clear of the seabed and on it way to the surface. That said, it still took a while to finally get the fish to the net as it used all of the tide flow to its advantage. It went 18lb on Greg’s scales, and was to prove both the biggest of the trip as well as my only blonde. I might add that I had a lumi muppet and a Booby bead on the rig.A gaggle of blondesNews came over the radio that Jane Hopkins had just had a 20lb fish aboard Vernon’s boat a few hundred yards away, everyone had the buzz. Malcolm, who was now also using an uptider, was next in. The ray came to the surface after a good struggle only to throw the hook 20 yards from the boat. Unfortunately for Malcolm that fish looked like it would have been the biggest. Not deterred, he was back down again and into another blonde almost immediately. No problems this time and it was soon netted. It wasn’t as big as the escapee, but well big enough as far as Malcolm was concerned. The tide had now started to slacken and Milo tried the mystery bait I alluded to earlier – Ammo prawns. Both he and I had gone separately into Scotties tackle shop on the Isle of Wight and both of us had decided to try these extremely good looking baits. The fact that shop manager Alan ‘Superbeard’ Bravery assured us we could eat them if they didn’t work had no bearing in the decision process I am sure. Milo put one on despite much barracking from Rob Thompson who, though also a charter skipper, was acting as cabin boy for the day. A wrenching bite came within a minute of the lead hitting the seabed. Milo was right on the money, timing his strike perfectly, the culprit was soon on its way up. It proved to be a small smoothhound.Prawn pulling powerOn went another prawn and the process was repeated again just as quickly. Everyone was now scrabbling for prawns and the bites came quickly. Unfortunately, many were missed but it was Kev Mardell who managed to boat the day’s best hound. There followed some serious brain-storming the ultimate blonde ray bait. It was decided that a three-way cocktail of launce, mackerel and squid would take some beating. John Haskett quickly practised what the group preached and was soon rewarded with another good blonde. Milo and Kev also followed suit with further blondes to their credit. With an excellent day drawing to an end, we were all starving and Rob was put to work cooking up some bacon. Motoring back to port, we reflected on a magic day, and also one when all fish caught were returned fitting fit. For myself, I find blondes about 10lb to be superb eating, but I put bigger and smaller ones back. If you fancy a trip with a skipper who really knows his onions, give Greg a call on 01425 618769 or 07729 787813. Boat, Lead Feature 2010-01-27T22:00:40+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/century-carbon-metal-express http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/century-carbon-metal-express#When:21:59:29Z Rod reviews that ring Shaun Cumming’s bell are those that don’t leave gaps, the ones that explore fishing abilities without guesswork before marrying those findings to casting opinion. This stoic criteria stood as a framework for working the now well established Century Carbon Metal Express rod for Planet Sea Fishing.Century have a profound reputation for producing casting rods that can leave others standing in a grass field. However, those really familiar with the company’s history and modern rod range would be quick to laud their fishing attributes equally. I was conscious that the CME has received raving acclaim from ‘casters’, which is all good and well, but as an angler for whom casting is only a means to an end, those merits alone would not seal contented approval on my account. Indeed, if the CME was to win any real thumbs up from me then it would need to excel in real ‘wet’ fishing situations as well.With a clear mind I set out to systematically judge one fishing factor at a time. I strolled onto the beach without a hook-bait in sight to get the initial casting bit out of the way. The CME carries a 4 – 7ozs lead banding. I started off on a 4oz lead in order to introduce myself to the new rod and gently acclimatize to its casting idiosyncrasies.I don’t profess to be a huge caster but I can bend most rods and sling a substantial bait out to where the fish are on the vast majority of occasions. My initial impressions were that this wasn’t a particularly stiff blank but under load of 4ozs it wasn’t priming as well as I knew it could – but then I am no man-mountain meatball! A 5oz lead was much better and the rod felt markedly more alive through the set up and release. I used a simple slow fishing swing to draw a drop of around 8 feet under the rod, before swivelling into the cast. After several clean confidence building casts, I think it is fair to say regular distances of 150 yards were consistently achieved. 6oz leads felt good on the rod too, and compression and distance using the same stunted fishing cast effortlessly mirrored my 5ozs results.CAST CURVESA recurrent thought was that compressing the CME felt strange, not unpleasant, just different to what I was used to. These CME rods were painstakingly designed with the assistance of field casters, which would make my later ‘fishing’ tests interesting. Regardless, the aim of designers was to break traditional casting rod moulds in order to deliver very achievable high performance. Many lead-chucking rods are more or less stiff throughout, and generically described as displaying a “J-curve”. The CME however, is apparently designed with a “C-curve”. The clues are in the shapes of the letters, but explained simply, the bend extends in parabolic fashion, and when fully compressed, resembles that of a drawn archer’s bow.This perhaps paints a picture of a spineless, floppy rod, but be assured that this is not the case. It takes extreme power to achieve the fully compressed state, and super-fast recovery speed is good indicator of underlying steeliness. I am no casting bear and admit that I cannot achieve rod’s full potential with my current abilities, but I can clearly see why fledged tournament casters are able to launch leads scary distances with the CME. Considering my less than expert casting I was still able to achieve excellent distances without having my intestines pull themselves in painful knots.ROCKS & HARD PLACESAfter the casting feeler session, I had some reservations with the blank design, but stepped out with an open mind and went straight for an extreme. Conditions were wild for an impromptu cod session on Scotland’s rocky east coast. The venue was an esplanade overlooking shallow boulder ground. Not the roughest of venues, but it would provide a wicked first blooding.The fish were playing ball and I landed four small codling in quick succession. This involved some huffing and heaving with the fish 80 yards out and over some trying boulders. The through-action was not ideal but it was manageable. The ante was upped with a 5lb cod, which I eventually landed after a worrying struggle.Moving to a shallower mark, I faced a gulley running parallel to me, and a pronounced reef 40 yards out. Cranking fish over this grabbing ground on the CME was an uncomfortable experience all-round that would define the rod’s limitations. It felt as though I was playing fish on the end of a great big elastic band. Okay, it was a responsive elastic band, but nonetheless, any rod that automatically yields in the mid and butt sections just won’t best meet the challenges that rough ground presents. This rod clearly has its uses, but bullying big fish through snags is not second nature, nor, in fairness, the CME’s intended forte.Next time out, I took the CME to the deep water quarry venue at Loch Etive, where there’s limited tidal run shy of 80 yards. This is a snag-free venue requiring a decent cast to consistently find fish; thus a much more apt proposition for the CME. 6oz grip-leads towing 3-hook clipped rigs were in order. This time the rod was a dream to use: casting was as clean as before but it was a far, far happier animal without jarring rocks to contend with.HD READYI had a good few fish including double shots of dogfish and codling. Every nod and turn was displayed on the discernibly stiff tip, and down the blank to my receiving hands. Nibbling bites from small whiting and gurnards at long range were clear as a bell. If I was impressed with the clean, easy casting performance of the CME, I was doubly taken with what I’ll call the HD bite detection and feel with fish attached. And wind and tide influence didn’t swamp the tip into a rush of fluttering reverb when sat static on the tripod – a habitual failing of many rods over 13ft.The general finish of the rod is top notch. Metallic graphics contrast well against the raw carbon weave to provide a machine-like aesthetic. Whippings are minimalist and suit the rod. The tip is furnished with high quality reflective tape rather than the ineffective and quickly perishable factory grot used on too many new rods.Century faced angler criticism regarding their adjustable reel seat, which some say can slip and rotate under strain. This is my first prolonged experience with this particular reel seat configuration, and I experienced no such problems using reels at all ends of the size spectrum, from a small 6500 or 7HT all the way up to Slosh/Saltist 30 size. All the hard edges on the reel seat, including the coaster, are lined with soft foam for comfort and good gripping.Century supply a rod bag as standard with all of their beachcasters. Usually, these are the first items I throw in the bin, but I simply couldn’t in this case. The Century rod bags are fantastic: made from robust super thick material that screams quality and longevity. Each bag has a convenient carry strap, but the best feature is the fabric separator within the bag that keeps both tip and butt section apart so that guides don’t clash on the way in. Admittedly they are too bulky to take fishing and would never fit inside a rod carrier, but these are perfect if travelling light with only a couple of rods, or even just to keep the car tidy.SUMMATIONFrom top to bottom, the Century CME is indicative of fine British craftsmanship, and vastly superior to the masses of inferior pre-formed Far Eastern blanks. A fabulous casting rod, it shines in clean ground situations at everything from 40 yards to over-the-horizon. A constant of rough ground kills the rod, unduly hurts the struggling angler, and will ultimately cost him fish. While the CME does handle occasional stray boulders and certainly big powerful fish without issue, this is not a rod for rough ground skull-dragging. Match anglers who fish shallow beaches for such as small whiting and dabs at maximum distance will love the CME. South coast beaches spring to mind, but I would also put it at home across Lincolnshire, Norfolk, and pretty much all west coast situations. It certainly won’t accompany me on any more east coast codding trips, but the designers would rightly argue it was never meant to. The price tag speaks volumes, and with an RRP of around £290, the Century CME most certainly is not some Chinese ‘noodle’. Visit the Century site for more information.SPECIFICATIONS• Length: 13'10" (4.27m): Butt 78" (1.98m) Tip 90" (2.29m)• Autoclave technology• Blank colour: Carbon Metal twill - upper butt: - unground UD carbon upper tip• Factory finish ring patterns• Tied in black and coated in ThreadMaster epoxy varnish. Silver metallic trim bands.• Marine grade etched stainless steel trim band - upper butt• Casting ratio: 4-7oz, (125-200gm) plus bait• Butt diameter - rod: 0.96" (2..44cm) - mid point• Japanese shrink rubber (JSR) handle• JSR rubber separator grip on lower tip and upper butt• Reflective tape between top two guides• Century sliding reel seat with integrated coaster• Century partitioned rod caseBest price found at publication: £259.99 from Spotty Dog Rods, Shore rods, Lead Feature 2010-01-27T21:59:29+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-26-01-10 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-26-01-10#When:19:39:29Z Shore sport remains patchy despite the favourable good conditions but there are a few decent cod to be had for those in the right place at the right time. There are also good numbers of quality whiting showing on some tides. Dave Porter had a specimen personal best cod of 11lb 2oz in a recent Blackhall match. Elsewhere Brian Harrison had a cod of 11lb 10oz from Tynemouth beach and John Topliffe had a cod of 11¼lb from Rathouse Corner in the Wear. Lee Burton racked up another splendid double figure specimen with a 13¼lb fish from the Targets. Lance McVey had one of 10½lb from Marsden while Noel Blockley topped a four fish bag from Newton with a cracker of 11.60lb, all his fish were returned. Scott Howie fishing an Amble match weighed in three cod for 13 14oz with the best banging the scales down at 10¼lb. South Shield pier also fished well early last week and among the successful anglers Alan Scott had cod to 9¼lb, Gav Brennan had cod to 9lb 3oz and Andy Shagganis had fish to 8¾lb.Steetley pier at Hartlepool, the Durham beaches on the flood tide and the rock edges north of the Tyne remain the most productive marks to fish. The rock edges around Craster have produced plenty of cod and one angler is reported to have hooked one of the region’s scarce monster conger eels estimated at around 40lb. The fish was brought to the rock edge and remained on the surface for several minutes, the angler being unable to land it before it broke the line. Quality winter flounders are now starting to show in numbers both from the rivers and beaches, most are around the 1lb mark but Joe Wilton had a monster of 3lb from the Wear during a recent midweek session.Hartlepool W.C.S.A.C. fished last weekend and found in size fish scarce with only two weighing in. Steve Brown had two cod for 6lb 6oz and Marc Wallace had a cod of 5lb plus a dab for a 5¼lb total. Next match is Sunday January 31st fishing from 1pm till 6pm.Staying in Hartlepool, the Friarage Tackle Friday evening heaviest fish sweepstake saw some nice fish landed from Steetley pier where Barry Pattison massacred the opposition taking the top three places with cod of 9lb 5oz, 5lb 15oz and a whiting of 1lb 10oz; winning a handy £150, all caught on yellowtail lug and squid head supplied by the Friarage shop. This match is expected to be a regular event, contact John Readman at the shop on 01429-273145 for details.Hartlepool O.M.A.C. fished the next day with fourteen out of nineteen weighing in forty-five fish for 37½lb. Dean Athey had the top bag with a mixture of cod and whiting for 9lb 3oz, including the heaviest fish; a cod of 4lb 6oz. Dave Sanderson in second weighed in a mixed bag for 4½lb while third placed Steve Sweeney had 4lb 1oz. Brian Crowe and Jay Kelly tied for the second heaviest fish with cod of 1lb 10oz and Dave Clarke took third with a nice whiting of 1lb 7oz. The club have a meeting in the Pink Domino on Saturday February 6th at 7pm.The Ryhope Tuesday evening sweepstake saw fish come from a wide area. Mick Davison won with a cod of 2lb 13oz from Featherbed Rocks and runner-up John Lovett had one of 2lb 1oz from Hall Beach. Third placed Darren Welsh had a fat specimen winter flounder of 1lb 13oz from the Wear.The Ryhope club match on Sunday saw most anglers struggling in the small tides, with only ten out of the eighty-five entrants finding fish. Steve Harriman was top rod with a cod of 2815 grams taken from the Targets, his only bite of the match. Lee Burton also fished this mark and had two cod for 1545 grams to take second. John Wilson fished the Tyne Walkway to land a cod and coalfish for 1435 grams for third spot. Gary Dunn had the heaviest flatfish with another big winter flounder of 1lb 11oz from the Wear and top junior was Thomas Rutherford with 330 grams.Cleadon A.C. also fished early last week and struggled to find many fish with just three out of the twenty-nine who fished weighing in. Paul Wastell had a nice cod of 6¾lb from Whitburn to finish ahead of Neil Cutler in second who had a cod of 2lb 6oz from South Shields pier and third placed Stephen Brown who weighed in a cod of 2lb 12oz from Tynemouth.North of the Tyne Seaton Sluice A.C. had a good weigh in with nine out of fourteen finding fish with first placed Dave Hood landing three cod for 11.5lb. In second Barry Tweddle had three for 11.00lb, best 6.20lb and Mal McIntyre followed with three for 6.10lb.Tynemouth A.C. fished Sunday with fifteen out of forty-eight finding fish. Steve Harper led the field with two flounders and a cod for 2lb 15oz. Norman Douglas finished second with a single cod of 2lb 7oz and Wilf Reed in third had two whiting for 2lb 5oz.Tynemouth A.C. retired members fished early last week with seven out of fifteen having an all cod weigh in on Tynemouth pier. Dave Bentley had four weighing 8lb 15oz, best 3½lb, to take first place ahead of Tony Taylor who had three for 4½lb. Taking third place Arthur Smeaton had two for 3lb 15oz. North East England 2010-01-26T19:39:29+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/gower-boat-angling-festival-2010 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/gower-boat-angling-festival-2010#When:16:42:52Z The Gower Boat Angling Group are organising a small boat catch and release species hunt, in aid of the RNLI Tamar Appeal. It will be held on the 31st of July 2010, high water will be at 10.04 am. There is also a second date proposed, in case the weather doesn’t play ball; the 14th August 2010 high water 10.06am. The competition will be fished from 08.00hrs until 18.00hrs. The weigh in and presentation will be held at the Swansea Yacht and Sub-Aqua Club and the last check in will be no later than 20.00 pm.The comp will be fished on a boat v boat basis, so each boat will have no more than three anglers on each boat. There will be a maximum of two rods per angler, with no more than 3 hooks per rod (a treble hook counts a 3 hooks). There will also be a prescribed fishing zone; West Scarweather Bank to Porteynon has been proposed but this will be confirmed at a later date.The entry fees for this comp will be £10 per angler.The event is supported by the Stonefisher tackle store – http://www.stonefisher.co.uk and further details of the event can be found on the Group’s website - http://gowerboatangling.webs.com News and Info, South Wales 2010-01-22T16:42:52+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-22-01-10 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-22-01-10#When:16:20:24Z Over the past few weeks the fish have decided to vanish, but all this has coincided with the arrival of the red weed which may go some way to explaining their absense. In the forty plus years I have been sea angling I have never come across so much red weed. When you are fishing and this weed comes along you finish up getting pounds of the stuff all the way up your line which makes fishing almost impossible.Unlike the red algae which can bloom in the summer months this weed is not toxic.The HCA boat match last week against the Boston Pirates turned out to be a real struggle, last year the match raised over £1000 for a local charity with the sale of the cod. This year only twelve cod were caught by all the anglers. Many of the entrants finished fishless despite desperate measures including inshore fishing for flatfish. The competition was a cod only event and the Boston pirates ran out winners with Gordon Jackson managing to find a few cod and finish top individual.On the shore Humber SAC were in action on the Saturday on the Humber Bank Wall, and like their boat colleagues the anglers struggled to find fish. Top man was Adie Cooper with 13oz followed by George Smith on 7oz and John Gore with 3oz.The club’s next match is this Sunday and it is a rover match and anglers should meet at the Middle Drain from 07.00hrs with the match starting at 08.00hrs and the scales are closed at 13:00hrs. The match is for the heaviest single fish. It will be interesting to see what is weighed in after the recent disappointing catches.In mid-week Cleethorpes Angling Centre organised a well attended outing. Dave Burr finished first with eight fish for 162 cms. Runner-up Paul May measured seven fish for 160cm; including the biggest flatfish of the night, a 36cm flounder. Third place went to the ever present and supreme coarse angler Brain Tuck with six fish for 139cm. The biggest round fish was a 22cm coalie caught by Steve McGregor. The next match is on February 2nd fishing times from 18.15 to 21.45hrs.The first Skegness Pier Angling Club (S.P.A.C) match of the New Year was held from Trunch Lane, Chapel where Club members fished for the Rowley Cup. Unfortunately the cod were again conspicuous by their absence, with top Grimsby match angler Karl Nangle needing just five dabs to top the field with 2lb 9oz. Long distance casting was the key to success for the top men and Friskney’s Mark Holmes ability to cast a 3 hook baited trace over 150 yards gave him second place with three quality dabs weighing 2lb 4oz. Last year’s runaway match points winner Dave Shorthouse made his journey from Kettering worthwhile, taking third place with four dabs for 1lb 12oz. With no round fish caught, Mark Holmes and Dave Shorthouse shared the heaviest round and flatfish prizes, both with cracking dabs weighing 15oz apiece.The next S.P.A.C match will be held on Saturday 30th January from 4 till 8pm at Sandilands, Sutton-on-Sea, when Club Members will be fishing for the C Smith Cup. There is also an open section, which non-members are welcome to participate in. For further information contact SPAC Secretary Chas Tibble on 07984 967988 or chastibble@hotmail.com East England 2010-01-22T16:20:24+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/daiwa-theory-thb13m-beach-rod http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/daiwa-theory-thb13m-beach-rod#When:19:18:40Z ‘User friendly’ is an overused term but Daiwa’s new Theory beach rods are earning swift plaudits for easy performance at a surprisingly competitive price. Iain Graham takes the 13ft multiplier rod for a whirl on the beach…Daiwa have a habit of producing beach rods that work for anglers without any requirement to dial in excessive effort or critical timing. The new Theory beach rods follow exactly that ‘easy’ theme. There are 12 and 13ft multiplier rods; 12, 13, 14 and 16ft fixed spool rod versions and a dinky little 11ft 6in Theory Bass rod.The 13ft/3.96m multiplier version trialled here comprised of two equal sections and was rated to cast 4 – 8ozs. Such gaping lead spectrums always worry me, and I would prefer to see a more idiot-proof optimum lead + bait loading that leaves no doubt as to what a particular rod will do well. My initial handling of the Theory before a lead was cast guessed the ideal lead at the standard 5-6ozs. Dressed with eight aluminium oxide intermediate guides plus tip, a beautifully fine upper tip sports a generously sized tip guide that won’t easily jam weed-covered leader knots or even bulkier Biminis. There’s 6cm of white high gloss between last intermediate and tip guide. Both male and female sides of the spigot carry 2cm of reinforcing whipping. A fixed Fuji DPS reel fitting is positioned ‘high reel’ ahead of a rubber heat shrink grip on the lower handle. A ‘fat’ EVA grip covers the bottom, while no hand-grip is installed above the reel fitting. A smart white and metallic blue decal overlays a largely deep blue blank lacquer. Overall build quality is good.Daiwa rod craftIf there is an underlying core design draft for every Daiwa multiplier rod that has been made in the last 20 years, then it would follow a loose plot of stiff butt, submissive middle area, and softer top third. This is not a criticism, it is somewhat refreshing in fact to see a company sticking to their guns and delivering what might be described as a stalwart UK beach rod that in the main is not afflicted by continental styling or application. It will come as no surprise then that the Theory does not deviate from the trusted design criteria.All the more expensive Daiwa rods and many others are made in the UK, but some of the more competitively priced rods come in from their overseas facility. I can’t say with certainty but I suspect given the very manageable RRP of £135 for the Theory THB13M, and a special introductory offer price of under £90, that this range of rods is likely to have been produced overseas. Regardless, the stringent Daiwa quality is very apparent.CastingThe first thing to jump out at me when setting up to cast with 5oz of lead was just how high the reel seat is fixed in place. It is a good 4 inches too high for someone of average height (see the picture below), and is more ideal for someone of 6ft 2in. With the butt cap in my armpit, I should ideally be able to comfortably reach the centre of the reel seat with the thumb of my casting hand. I am a big lad but even I was comfortably outreached by a couple of inches. Extended reel seat placement is something common to many continental rods, and this is perhaps the only concession made to that particular ilk.The rod was very responsive and easy to get on with. My first couple of simple overhead casts demonstrated clean release and respectable fishing distances without much thought to technique. I had to adjust to the rather alien reel position, but any initial awkwardness soon melted away as I slipped into the casting bubble.Let’s be clear, the Theory is a fishing rod, so my next move was to notch things up to a more powerful 'fishing' cast. The fishing cast I use when I need decent distance isn’t complicated: keeping the arms high, I basically slowly swing the lead out behind me on a drop of around 8ft; allow the lead to fall back under the rod; turn and hit it. This more powerful cast really compressed the rod. Distances were good and exactly what I would expect for the bit of extra effort.The compound taper tip is a clever hybrid of steel and stealth, delivering good lead control in setting up the cast, easy compression during casting, and pronounced bite detection that would be further amplified with braid in the rod rest. The Theory is tolerant of variances in technique and it doesn’t bite back unexpectedly to undermine user confidence.I repeated the casts with 4oz and 6oz leads, which the Theory rode very easily. If I had to tag the Theory with an optimum performance casting load however, then it would 150g or 5oz plus bait.Test conclusionsThe reel seat is 4 inches too high for the average angler but I quickly got used to it. This is not a stiff rod, a tournament rod, or a rough ground rock rod, but neither is it some rhubarb-like, limp spineless effort. A lovely rod for clean beach fishing, it is also more than capable of coping with a few snags, double figure winter cod and powerful summer smoothhounds. Bite detection is superb in keeping with a long line of Daiwa predecessors. Despite the ‘multiplier’ tag, given the position of the reel seat and proximity of the first guide, I would also be happy to use a fixed spool reel and a braided line with the Theory THB13M for middle distance work with a no frills overhead cast.At well under £135 via the various mail order and Internet outlets, this is an awful lot of rod for the money. In my opinion this Daiwa Theory Beach offers more than a host of other rods costing much more. Anyone looking to purchase a pair of identical beach rods without bursting the bank would do well to consider the various Daiwa Theory options. Details of the full Theory collection can be found here. Rods, Lead Feature 2010-01-19T19:18:40+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/doing-it-all-wrong http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/doing-it-all-wrong#When:19:15:28Z Good bait goes hand-in-hand with good fishing... doesn't it? Newspaper journalist and keen sea angler Ian Lindsay begs to differ, and says plenty of fish can be caught on ripe, rotten and positively rancid baits in spite of what experts say.If I had to pigeonhole myself, I'd say I was an out-and-out 'own-boater' - sure, I've caught big fish and lots of fish on charter boats, friends' boats, even off the shore once in a blue moon - but I get a real kick out of catching something new, or bigger, or even watching someone else catch something new or bigger, so long as it's from MY boat!That's all straightforward enough, but I have a darker secret - I am an anti-bait digger! Now before you jump to conclusions, I don't mean I dislike other people digging worms, but I take great delight from catching fish with all the 'wrong' things on the hook. I avoid any bait that requires physical effort unless there is no alternative.Death by squid stinkOne of my favourite catches, detailed in a previous article, was 60 cod on past-its-sell-by-date squid more akin to radioactive waste. Yet the know-alls in the mainstream sea angling press will always tell you that you must use super-fresh bait, and discard any leftovers. What rot!In my opinion, there are times when ripe bait is far superior to fresh stuff - I'll be the first to admit it doesn't always work, but there are times when it dials the number of inshore codling in particular, and if you are brave enough to sniff some iffy squid, you'll find out exactly why fish find it hard to ignore.Dodgy mackerel is another bait which can work better when sane anglers would've binned it. One time I was fishing in the Sound of Mull area off Davy Holt's Catchalot 2, and as it was deepest winter, it had been a long time since the mackerel I'd brought along had seen daylight. But it was all I had - yellow tinge, freezer burn and all. Naturally the other guys had superior bait, and had a good laugh at my offerings.Yet it soon became apparent that the fish - spurdogs were the target - not only had no objection to dodgy festering mackerel, they positively preferred it, and it wasn't too long till it was being begged, stolen and borrowed! These weren't small daft spurs either - they were quality double-figure fish.Ragworm soupAnother occasion saw me dig a bucket full of red ragworm, and unwisely store it in an outhouse on a humid August night. When I opened the door next morning a wave of heat hit me, accompanied by a very ripe pong, and to my horror I found the worms rapidly turning to jelly. Still, I had it in my head I was going up to the Red Rocks at Cove (near Aberdeen), dead bait or not - and by close of play I'd caught more dabs and plaice than I've ever done before or since! The action halted only when the still-degenerating bait got so soft it wouldn't stay on the hook, even with elastic, but by that time I'd racked up 40 flatties.My filthy habits don't stop with off bait - I also like to catch fish on zero-effort bait, like supermarket prawns. I've had stacks of cod to 8lb, ballan wrasse near 4lb and the odd daft pollack on the shell-on variety purchased from the chiller at Asda. Oddly, these work as well as anything else from May till July, but you can't buy a bite with them (or at least I can't) after that.Lazy baitsAnother lazy bait is the shrimp - while I load the boat I stick a dropnet over the gunwale, baited with a bit of mackerel and the secret ingredient if available - a crushed mussel or two - and little clear shrimps queue up to get into the net! These make good flattie and wrasse baits, though it's one bang and they're gone so you have to have your wits about you to use them successfully.I picked up a small but very significant bit of advice from a potter about shrimping - and that is, don't leave your net in for long - less than a minute does the trick at St Andrews. It's all down to Nature's pecking order - the shrimps are straight onto the bait, but along comes a big bad shore crab and they are outta there pronto!I won't claim that I never use 'proper bait' but most of my cod take mackerel strip when boat fishing. Mackerel belly is also my No. 1 pollack bait of choice, though at certain times I will go dig ragworm (to avoid nuisance mackerel, which are out-and-out cannibals!)Now you can call me a lazy sod or say I'm not a proper fisherman, but hey - I've topped 600 codling in a season and caught 100 in one trip, so what do I care?! It seems to me that many so-called 'experts' are really just experts on their own areas, and what goes in their backyard may be totally different to yours.So don't be shy about trying the unconventional - you may just find out a big secret or two of your own. And if you choose not to tell anyone it'll stay secret forever! Baits, Boat, Lead Feature 2010-01-19T19:15:28+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/irwin-job-tote http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/irwin-job-tote#When:19:14:49Z Suitable carriers for heavy boat fishing leads don't exist... or do they? Dave Proudfoot thinks that they do, but you won't find items like the handy Irwin Job Tote, featured here, in tackle shops...Like most sea anglers I'm constantly on the lookout for useful items and not just in tackle shops. For years I've been searching for a suitable convenient container to humph my boat fishing leads… and I have tried all sorts of buckets, bags and assorted tool trays with limited success.The answer to this problem came via Scottish international Scott Gibson whose tidy lead organiser recently caught my eye. Scott used the ‘Irwin Job Tote’ which is the business for carting weights and pirks safely and comfortably. Its intended function is to hold small heavy tools and is available from DIY stores.The base structure is a sturdy metal frame made from round section bar about 5 mm in diameter. This is surrounded by tough plastic panels contained within a robust 600 denier Polyester cloth which has a waterproof backing. The frame is securely fixed within the panels with six bolts with flanged nuts on two of the sides. The top and bottom edges and the four side edges have reinforced stitched binding. The base has an additional layer of synthetic fabric. The handle is constructed of nylon webbing and can be detached at one side due to the inclusion of a metal clip fitting. An ergonomic soft handle grip makes the tote the most comfortable weight container I've seen.Plenty of pocketsA series of pockets made from the same durable fabric run round the outside. On opposite sides are two full width pockets capable of holding rigs in poly-grip bags. Above each of these is a metal fixing for tape measures or even extra little clip-on containers like the one pictured. The pockets on the other two sides are half width, giving four in all, and these are suitable for pliers, disgorgers and other anglers’ tools. Pirks can also be carried in these pockets but I'd suggest fitting plastic tubes to protect the user from sharp hooks.Inside the carrier is a diagonal divider made from Polyester cloth which houses three pouches, neatly dividing the internal section into locations for different sizes of leads. I found these narrow pouches a little too tight for some of the larger leads I carry, and slit the stitching to form a single large middle pocket as seen below. Around the four internal walls are yet more pockets, three on each side. Two of these are pirk-sized and sit either side of a larger pocket suitable for holding leads up to 6ozs.Possible improvementAbout the only thing I could think of to change with this tote would be to provide a waterproof flap to fold over the top, but I suspect that I'll be able to find a plastic tray which will fit snugly on the open top.The Irwin Job Tote has proven invaluable, allowing me to organise, identify and access my leads in a heartbeat. And the days of red raw fingers being painfully grooved by metal handled buckets are long gone! Prices vary but a quick Google on the internet should locate one for around £20. Irwin produce several other toolbags and organisers which may be suitable for anglers.Size dimensions: 230mm x 230mm x 320mm Moulds and leads, Luggage, Lead Feature 2010-01-19T19:14:49+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-18-01-10 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-18-01-10#When:13:36:46Z Shore sport is still a bit hit or miss but most anglers have been happy with increasing numbers of quality whiting showing from all areas along with some fat winter dabs and flounders. There are still some decent cod around when the sea is right with specimens to 11lb reported from Steetley pier and one of 12lb 13oz taken by Ben Laws to win the Ship Open fished north of the Tyne last week. Gary Pye reports taking fourteen cod to 8lb for a bag total of 37lb from a Hartlepool mark last week and Jackie Dunnet had cod to 6½lb from one of the local piers. Dan Murray had a personal best cod of 7lb from Middleton pier during a midweek session. South Shields pier has been producing plenty of smaller cod on the flood tide and the lower Tyne has seen similar results. There have also been a few better cod from the rock edges between Roker and the Tyne with Bobby Charlton taking four cod from Hill 60 during a recent session. There should be a few more double figure specimens showing now, particularly from the Teesbay area where the big female fish move inshore to spawn.Most marks have seen the odd fish to 6lb reported at some time, Steetley pier produced a few better bags into double figures though most anglers only had whiting. The Durham beaches have seen similar results, and at Newbiggin an unknown angler reported a bag of cod for 42lb. Staying north of the Tyne, Barry Tweddle won a Seaton Sluice match with six cod for 23¾lb, best 7½lb and 7lb 3oz, all taken from Needles Eye. Scott Davison only needed a single cod of 5lb 13oz from the Tyne for second place. Paul Gallon had six cod in six casts from Whitley Bay beach, best an ounce over 4lb, for a total of 17lb 3oz. Neil Pringle had four cod for 12lb 7oz from Hartley while Neil Parker had a single cod of 8lb 9oz from Newbiggin. Gordon Grear landed five cod for 18lb from Blyth pier and Ritchie Douglas won a Bedlington match with seven cod for 14lb.The Whitley Bay Evening Open saw a good weigh in with thirty-four out of one hundred and five landing eighty-seven fish, nearly all small cod, for 185lb 2oz. Chris Stringer took the £300 first prize with nine cod for 17lb 7oz from Whitley Bay beach. Phil Skinner in second had seven cod for 16lb 13oz from Blyth followed in third by Keith Smith who weighed in eight for 16lb 2oz from Blyth. Fourth placed Peter Smith had five for 12lb 7oz and Barry Tweddle in fifth finished with five cod for 10lb 1oz. Pat O’Hagen took the heaviest fish with a cod of 5¼lb followed by Tony Gray with one of 3lb 9oz and Colin Bell with a 3½lb fish.The County Durham Open was fished on Sunday in good conditions with a nice swell running onto the beaches but the better sized cod stayed away and with a top prize of £2000 a disappointing turn out of three hundred and seventy anglers fished. Gary Blanchard took the top prize for the heaviest fish with a cod of 6.20lb from Horden. Runner-up Wayne Harriman had a cod of 5.75lb from Boaties Bay and George Wilkinson landed one of 5.49lb from a peg on Seaham pier. D. Swan had the heaviest bag with 13.75lb with Gary Pye in second on 11.30lb. Third place went to Gary Blanchard with a weight of 10.38lb, Wayne Harriman flowed in fourth with 9.66lb and fifth placed Rob Newton had 7.13lb. Top junior was Matthew Win with 3.12lb.Hartlepool W.C.S.A.C. fished last week and were confined to the Pilot pier in heavy seas where Paul Blair won with a single cod of 2lb 10oz followed by Paul Hornsey with a flounder of 10oz.Hartlepool O.M.A.C. fished on Saturday with eleven out of fifteen weighing in forty-eight fish for 48lb 8oz, mainly whiting. Dean Athey had the heaviest bag of 9lb 15oz, including the heaviest fish of 5¾lb. Brian Crowe had a mixed bag of 7lb for second and Dave Sanderson in third had a similar bag for 5lb 8oz. Next match is Saturday January 23rd fishing from 6pm till midnight.Cleadon A.C. fished last week with seven out of thirty-three landing fish. Norman Spour fished Whitburn to take two cod for 6lb 7oz for top spot and Phil Turnbull fished South Shields pier to take second with 5lb 11oz. Third placed Stan Hailstone also fished the pier to land two for 4lb 11oz and John Newcombe finished fourth with three cod for 4lb 9oz from the Tyne.S.B.R.A.A.C. fished last week and only one angler weighed in, Steve Alexander taking a single cod of 2lb 10oz.The Ryhope A.C. have a match next Sunday fishing from 2pm till 6pm, and the Ryhope Tuesday evening sweepstakes restart this week, contact Bob Surtees on 0191-5237272 for details. North East England 2010-01-19T13:36:46+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-18-01-10 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-18-01-10#When:13:18:57Z At the recent Humber SAC annual general meeting Garry Hutson was elected treasurer and the post of secretary was filled by Mark Taylor.The club fished at Humberston Creek in absolutely horrendous, freezing cold conditions. There were plenty of fish about and George Smith was in brilliant form taking top spot with seventeen fish for 9lb 12oz. Second was Mark Taylor with seven fish weighing 7lb 11oz followed by Simon Drayton also with seven fish for 6lb 6oz.Boat fishing has been very poor, a charter boat was out this week and the ten anglers on board caught one whiting during the ten hour trip. East England 2010-01-19T13:18:57+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/alderney-report-15-01-10 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/alderney-report-15-01-10#When:11:54:22Z Here on the island we’ve been fortunate to experience some really good fishing yet again. The Autumn never lived up to the Alderney hype but since November we have been on song. The best of the fishing has been on the dark nights during the smaller of the two spring tides each the month. Red mullet, sole, tope, conger eel and bull huss are all affected by ‘light’ pollution and the island is fortunate that the only light sources are the moon and the angler’s headlights.Some nice sole have been caught with the best session resulting in five fish being beached. Some anglers around the UK they might be thinking “only 5?” but when they are all over 2lb and the best knocking the door of 4lb it is terrific fishing. Throw in a few red mullet and some bass too it all adds up to a brilliant session. The best of the sole fishing tends to be in the early hours of the morning and occasionally you’ll pick up a bonus plaice too.The red mullet haven’t been as prolific as in previous years but some nice fish have been caught with several over 2lb. They’re the most sporting of fish , ven on light gear but they do give a distinctive nod and a rattle, and they taste terrific which explains why they fetch top prices on the fishmongers slab. My missus has a terrific recipe for them and it is a joy when I winch one up the beach. As you may have read in my previous reports, they are usually caught when sole fishing with worm baits on simple rigs, often very close to the shore.We have had a lot of bass around again this year as well. Bags of up to twenty-seven fish have been landed during a session, with fish to 10lb 2oz. These are again on worm baits if you want numbers of fish with squid or crab attracting the larger specimens. Several smoothounds to low double figures have been landed as well to anglers fishing with crab.Tope to 30lb have featured in the catches of those anglers willing to forego the table fish and target this hard fighting species. Conger and huss are virtually ignored at this time of year but there are plenty out there willing to take a large fish bait.The odd codling has shown too although not in sufficient numbers to target them. One or two rays have been caught, with small blondes and a few small eyed to 9lb featuring among the catches. This month is a better period for these species plus you have a good chance of an undulate or two.Day time fishing normally consists of a bit of bread and a float for some mullet or plugging for bass. The plugging rather strangely has tailed off but at the beginning of this reporting period the fishing was fantastic with plenty of fish to 6lb. I had four sessions myself and all produced fish. Other lure anglers tried over the Christmas period but it proved to be slack with all the bass now seeming to be feeding hard on the bottom. A switch from plugs to softer shad baits cast and retrieved with a sink and draw motion will sometimes do the trick.The mullet fishing has been very good. We are still awaiting the arrival of the bigger fish but bags of up to five fish have been caught. The best fish reported lately was just shy of 8lb. When the sea is calm plenty of fish spotted jumping around the bays.A welcome run of black bream just before Christmas boosted the sport around Alderney, with some cracking fish in from the Breakwater around 3lb 8oz. Some giltheads were caught too with most around the 2lb mark. Channel Islands 2010-01-18T11:54:22+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/tackle-revolution-on-yorkshire-coast http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/tackle-revolution-on-yorkshire-coast#When:22:50:30Z Rigid rods, meaty multiplier reels and rope-thick mono line have long held sway as the only way to fish the testing rock and kelp terrains of the Yorkshire coastline. Rapid changes are afoot however, as more and more rough ground anglers swap to 15ft and 16ft rods, large fixed spool reels and braided mainlines. Top shore angler Steve I’Anson explains…There’s a big change occurring in sea fishing on the North East coast… and it’s got nothing to do with the climate. Until a few years ago nearly every angler fishing the rough ground around here would use traditional rock fishing tackle: a stiffish 13ft rod and multiplier with about 30lb mono line. A quick scan along the rocky shores today and you might be surprised to see an ever increasing band of anglers with 16ft rods and fixed spool reels loaded with braid. This change has evolved by latching onto a concept that takes its origins from continental anglers, who use similar gear with light mono lines to cast huge distances. Of course, this basic concept would never have worked that well on this part of the coast due to the rugged terrain, but factor in the final piece of the jigsaw, braid, and it works a treat.New micro braids have allowed rough ground anglers to mimic the continentals without sacrificing the strength of line. Some 30lb braids are the same diameter as 5lb mono, allowing all anglers to achieve new horizons in distance whilst still maintaining the line strength required to haul big cod ashore. But does the set-up really work? Well in my opinion it definitely does, having caught plenty of fish up to 8lb, its just as at home pulling those north sea cod in as it is hauling whiting in three-at-a-time plus, it's really good fun to fish this way too. With the increasing exposure of these new tactics more anglers are joining the swelling ranks of those already exploiting the benefits it can produce.As well as using lower breaking strain braids (20-30lb) to achieve ultimate distance, you can also use the heavier braids (50-60lb) in really heavy terrain, allowing anglers to still achieve long distances but also allows an increase to the strength of terminal gear, which was often sacrificed with mono whilst trying to maintain casting distance. I’ve often stated that distance isn’t everything on this coast, but just sometimes it’s nice to have the ability to get the bait an extra 20-30 yards. The number of manufacturers of braid is increasing all the time so there is plenty of choice and prices are cheaper than when they first came out. Brands like Power Pro and Berkley Whiplash are among those I have used and would recommend.Rod choiceAs for the choice of rods, there is now a whole array of long rods on the market which are equally at home on the rocks as they are on the open beaches. I have always said you don’t need a really stiff rod for rock fishing; you need one that can achieve a nice bend so it’s castable, but still maintains a backbone to transfer hauling power through to the fish.On first impression these long rods can appear ungainly and awkward, but they are generally very light and easy to handle.The increased length of these rods in combination with a fixed spool reel allows even average anglers to cast further without having to resort to fancy power casting, which can be very difficult and perhaps not the most sensible thing to do when balanced on an acropod or a kelp-strewn ledge! No need to swing the lead, a simple overhead thump will put the bait where you want it effortlessly. This is one of the big appeals of such rods for anglers wanting to achieve better distance without any need to reinvent themselves as power casters.Cool fixed spoolsFixed spool reels have also come on in leaps and bounds in recent years. But while not directly contributing to the extra distance as much as the long rods or thinness of the braid, they do allow the angler to use the braid to its maximum effect without the risk of a potentially disastrous birds nest. Previously, using a fixed spool reel on rough ground has been the butt of many jokes; often associated with the less capable casters and also lacking the capacity to hold sufficient yardage of 30-35lb mono, certainly as far as the more modest fixed spools are concerned. Now however they are winning over many converts to this new and highly effective rough ground regime.I have used braid for well over 10 years since the first Gorilla braids came out, and have also used them on multipliers with some good success. However, the downside to using braid on multipliers is that it digs in when striking fish, or when you are pulling against a snag, you only need one small fluff or snatch when casting and its bye bye £20+ worth of braid! So it was an expensive learning curve that led me to try a fixed spool reel… and I have never gone back to using braid on a multiplier. Having said that, using braid is still expensive compared to mono and losses still occur over the rough ground. A single spool of braid can be the equivalent of a whole year’s supply of mono, but such is the price of progress.Absolute pros and a few consSome of the major benefits of this set-up is that the tackle is very versatile: cast long or short without issue; spool switching is a doddle compared to multipliers; the long rod takes nearly all the physical effort out of casting; and the braid indicates every bite. This tackle is also exceptionally easy to use in the dark, or when your hands are cold - exactly the situations you hate when casting a multiplier as spot on timing and control is essential.While this sounds like the holy grail of fishing set-ups, I look on it as another string to my bow and still use my traditional gear when conditions dictate. Occasionally I have found that in really big seas the braid, having no stretch can drag gear ‘fast’, or break the grip-lead out. Also, using the 16ft rod in very windy conditions can prove troublesome; it’s a lot harder to hold for hours and can be prone to being blown over by strong side winds. At other times I’ve had several really good bites come to nothing, thinking with braid they should really hook themselves, but haven’t. In such instances I have switched back to mono – this is quick an easy to do with the fixed spool – an enjoyed instant success.  When winding fish in, rather than a continuous reeling action as with multipliers and shorter rods, it’s often better to use a slow extended pumping action. This uses the long rods softer action to act as a shock absorber that smoothes out the retrieval to compensate for the braid having little stretch. One of the bonuses of no stretch is that bites are very aggressive and usually result in instant hook-ups. Once hooked, you can feel every nod and pull of the fish in a way that is far more exhilarating than mono. You can also judge when the fish is bumping over rocks and ledges so can adjust your force on the fish so that you don’t tear the hook out.Mind your fingersHere’s couple of handy braid hints. Braid can be difficult to pull against if your terminal tackle becomes snagged up. The thin diameter of the line can swiftly dig deep into cold flesh, so beware and always have a glove or cloth to hand to avoid a nasty injury. Tying braid to a mono leader can be difficult, but I have found the bimini twist to work well. Or, if you can get away with it, do what I often do and use a braided leader. The expressive bend of the long rod easily compensates for the lack of leader stretch, and all you have to adjust to is that the cast comes through a bit quicker.As for success, as the pictures show, long rods and fixed spool reels once thought only fit for beach fishing are now making big inroads into territory that was once the bastion of stiff rods and heavy duty multiplier reels… oh, and the occasional Scarborough reel in the case of a certain Mr Dave Medd. Shore, Lead Feature 2010-01-11T22:50:30+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/missing-presumed-dead http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/missing-presumed-dead#When:22:39:26Z Rock fishing is dangerous regardless of how the pursuit is romanticised in words and pictures. There’s no hiding that rock anglers die every year and we should take all necessary precautions to keep safe says Steve Souter…The headline says it all, and it is with considerable dread that I stare bleakly at another newspaper story detailing the disappearance of an angler from the northern rock marks. Having had some first hand experience of exactly what can go wrong on exposed rocks, this is the same horrible phantom dread that is visited upon me every year around this time. It is rare indeed for a winter to pass without some poor soul being claimed by the sea. With a goodly chunk of the cod season remaining, and potentially bigger seas yet to come, it’s a chilling fact that this might not be the winter’s last victim.Rock fishing is dangerous whichever way we choose to look at it, and it is up to us to minimise the risks. I have said before that it is not just inexperienced anglers who get caught out… I know several hardened rock anglers who have been tumbled into the sea in a heartbeat. Luckily the four well known anglers alluded to all survived but, to a man, they are forever changed for their hard experiences.Dead men tell no talesRock anglers who end up in the cold sea very often don’t live to tell the tale; therefore many stories are untold and lessons unlearned. Big seas and freak waves sweeping anglers from rocks are one thing, but there is another potentially greater danger… slippage. It’s a fact that many of the rocks that are habitually fished are greasy, slippery nightmares, every bit as bad as sheet ice to stand upon, and anglers do slip and fall into the sea usually banging their heads in the process. Because many do not survive, we truly never get to the bottom of circumstances surrounding many unfortunate incidents. I also suspect that some of those that do survive a dunking are too embarrassed to admit to falling in, and might find it easier to blame a big wave.John is an angler with years of rock fishing experience under his belt, yet that didn’t prevent him slipping and falling from popular rocks at Portlethan near Aberdeen. He spent ages in the freezing water before being spotted and pulled out by rescue services pinpointing his headlamp, which thankfully stayed lit. John recovered to tell his story and owes his life as much to his excellent headlamp and floatation suit, as he does to those who fished him out. I don’t think he has fished on the rocks since however.Treacherous underfoot conditions are every bit as dangerous as big seas and should be given due consideration. Inappropriate footwear such as wellies and trainers are potentially lethal. It is a glaring fact that the ideal rock fishing boot hasn’t been produced yet, but there are very good options that go a long way to avoiding broken bones and painful bruises at the very least. Boots with a good gripping tread and flexible sole are best. Boots with rigid soles are generally designed to accommodate crampons and are horrendous to walk any distance over rocks in. A pair of appropriate ‘two season’ boots can easily cost £100, but will provide the wearer with confidence to negotiate rocks. In my book that is a small price to pay for something that will last years if properly cared for and could well save your life.Chest-waders on the rocks are always a matter for controversial debate. I will confess to regularly wearing chesties on some marks where I might need to wade back across back-filling gullies etc, but I’ll always go for boots where the situation allows. A great tip to increase boot or wader grip is to whizz some short self-tapping screws into the soles. Dab the screw threads with a spot of Araldite before working them into the thickest parts of the tread using a cordless screwdriver. It’s a quick and simple fix that will instantly improve rock traction by 50% - try it. The studded neoprene Apollo chest-waders made by Greys are one of the best sets available to rock anglers.Other essentialsSome sort of floatation clothing is essential for a fishing session on the winter rocks. Either a full floatation suit, floatation jacket or a crewsaver-style lifejacket worn on top of waterproofs should be standard policy. These modern lifejackets are extremely lightweight and do not encumber the wearer’s general movement and casting.Another golden rule is never go out rock fishing alone. Many of the best rock marks are far from the heart of civilisation, and there is little chance of another human kicking around to assist should you injure yourself or worse. There can be nothing worse than falling from an isolated rock mark in the sure knowledge that not another living soul will guess your misfortune until they discover your car in the morning.A good headlamp and a spare is imperative for night fishing. Too many anglers are happy to spend hundreds of pounds on super-dooper rods and reels, yet refuse to spend more than 10 or 20 quid on a light. The light is more important than both the rod and the reel. Throwing £200 plus at a top notch lighting set-up is not frivolous.Mobile phones are the bane of my life but in this instance they are vital equipment. Make sure that the battery is fully charged before setting out, and even carry a spare battery. It is a good idea to have important/emergency numbers locked into your phone too. Always alert a family member or friend to where you are going and when you expect to return. Likewise, if you decide to stay on because the fishing is good then phone home and notify any changes of plan. Shore, Lead Feature 2010-01-11T22:39:26+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/vmc-bits-and-pieces-box http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/vmc-bits-and-pieces-box#When:22:30:26Z A small odds-and-ends box to neatly take the likes of spare hooks, links and swivels is an essential. Here Steve Souter discusses a neat little box from VMC that caught his eye…I am a sucker for a decent little bits box. Good examples of such boxes are ideal for carrying spare hooks, swivels, clips, beads etc when out shore or boat fishing. And if you can’t cram the vast majority of your terminal bits and bobs into a couple of these little space-saving boxes then you are packing too much gear.The latest to come into my possession was this bright red one from VMC and supplied by UK Hooks. The tough twin-sided plastic box is formed from non-brittle plastic that isn’t prone to cracking and withstands more than a little rough treatment. The one in my possession didn’t flinch when I accidentally trod on it… and that’s a good enough endorsement for me.CompartmentsA strong plastic hinge and secure latch open to reveal five individual compartments on one side, and a large double hatch to a large single compartment on the other. There’s a foam base in the large compartment to take a few hooks or even some saltwater flies. I utilised the VMC box for a selection of hooks and opted to remove the foam layer in order to accommodate three or four different types of hooks in their more waterproof packets. This box measures a palm-sized 140mm X 85mm X 45mm and is easily carried in the pocket of a jacket or roving angler’s waistcoat. Price is £4.99 from UK Hooks and there are a couple of differently configured but similarly handy boxes also available. See here for more information. Tackle storage, Lead Feature 2010-01-11T22:30:26+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-11-01-10 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-11-01-10#When:21:01:06Z With persistent northerly winds and a lot of movement on the sea, shore sport has been good on some tides, but hit or miss on others. Several anglers who braved the cold and snow have taken bags of cod into double figures; with the Hartlepool piers, the promenade, the Durham beaches, the rivers and the rock marks north of the Tyne producing cod to 8lb, plus a few low double figure specimens. John Wilson had a cod of around 10lb during a recent session at Hartlepool and Brian Lee reports taking five nice cod during a midweek session on the Hartlepool piers. Steetley Pier has also been reported to be producing plenty of fish, with quality whiting and dabs making up for any lack of cod.Darren Farrow had a cod of 9lb 6oz from Blyth pier, John Bell had one of 9lb from Sandy Bay and Paul Harris had one of 6lb 6oz from the Wherry at South Shields. Best club winning bag reported was seven whiting, three cod, best 5lb 3oz, and a coalfish for 19lb 14oz taken by Steve Harper on Tynemouth pier during a recent B.O.T.A.C. match. Another B.O.T.A.C. Match saw Dave Hayley win with three cod and a coalfish for 5lb 10oz taken from Slatey Gut.Unusually the heavy seas over the weekend did not produce much at all with the Pilot pier and Middleton pier at Hartlepool being particularly unproductive despite perfect conditions. The only mark that seemed to produce fish was Rathouse Corner in the Wear. Hartlepool O.M.A.C. fished Saturday night and they managed to find a few fish with nine cod and five whiting weighed in. Paul Lee won with two cod for 10lb 7oz, best of which weighed in at 5lb 2oz, followed by Jay Kelly with two cod for 7lb 5lb, best 5lb 5oz and Mark Brallisford had a single cod of 5lb 1oz for third place.Hartlepool W.C.S.A.C. had two recent matches; the first saw ten weigh in a total of 17lb 50z. Paul Hornsey won with a bag of whiting and dabs for 3¼lb. Runner-up Mal McGeorge had three whiting for 2lb 10oz while third placed Alan Howe had two whiting for 2lb, best 1lb 2oz. Marc Wallace finished fourth with two whiting for 1lb 14oz. The second match saw everyone huddled in the corner of the Pilot Pier in gales and snow where Paul Hornsey landed the only fish; a whiting of 1¼lb.The Horden Buffs Sweepstake saw Ron Smith win the heaviest fish prize with a cod of 3lb 5oz. Steve Moyle had the heaviest bag weighing 6lb 11oz. Steve Lawson won a recent Horden Mechanics match with a cod of 4lb 10oz.Norman Spour won a  match with a cod of 6lb 2oz from Whitburn. Steve Surtees had five cod for 6lb 11oz from Hauxley to win a Bedlington Station A.C. match. John Bell had three cod for 6lb 5oz from Silver Carrs to win at NewCleadon A.C.biggin. The Amble sweepstake match saw Barry Tweddle win with five cod and a coalfish for 10lb 15oz taken at Foxton; with Darren Swan landing the heaviest fish. with a cod of 5lb 1oz at White House Sands.The Amble Open last Sunday saw sixty out of three hundred and three weigh in with most of the cod coming from the Bog Hall Rocks and Lynemouth area. Phil Tworkowski had three cod for 14¼lb from Bog Hall, which included the second and third heaviest fish of 7lb 11oz and 5lb 7oz. Rob O’Hagen was second with a single cod of 9½lb, which was also the heaviest fish and Peter Stewart was third with three cod for 8lb 6oz. The top heaviest flatfish prizes went to Elaine Scott with a flounder of 1lb 6oz, Rob Henderson followed with 1lb 3oz and Elaine Scott and Norma Urwin tied for third place with fish of 1lb 1oz. Norma Urwin took the ladies prize with four flounders for 3lb 13oz followed by Elaine Scott with three for 3lb 1oz. Top junior was Ryan Armstrong with a single cod of 4lb 9oz, which also put him well up in main the prize table.South of the Tees, Bernard Westgarth won the Saltburn A.C. Spencer Cup with a cod of 6lb 10oz and at Whitby Ian Vickers had a great session on the East Pier taking excellent cod of 10lb 1oz, 7¼lb and 7lb 1oz. North East England 2010-01-11T21:01:06+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-10-01-10 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-10-01-10#When:19:23:38Z Humber SAC were doing what they best at last week; and that’s fishing. The conditions were hard and first placed Simon Drayton weighed in 1lb 1/2oz followed by Dave Burr with 14oz and Adie Cooper in third with 12oz.The club’s next match is this Sunday at Humberston Creek one of the few places which is actually producing a few fish. But with a horrible forecast for Sunday it could be hard going. The match times are 1pm to 5pm. Meet at the car park.Over the water it was Tom and Mackey’s match on a very cold night at Chalky Point, temperature were so low the bait was actually freezing. Twenty-two flounders were landed by eight anglers with top spot going to Chris Mack who measured eight fish for 228cm. Second placed Chris Wray had four fish for 120cm and Daisy Broughton four for 114cm. The biggest flatfish was caught by Jody Lemm at 33cm.Anglers have been frustrated this week by the weather and also the lack of fish, it is hoped after this cold spell that the fish will return and in good numbers. Boats that went out last weekend really struggled find any thing. Whiting made up most of the catches.There is a pairs match scheduled for the HCA this Sunday but I doubt whether this will take place with strong North easterly winds forecast . The weather has stopped the boats from going out in the week. Lets hope the weather eases and the fish come back in.  East England 2010-01-10T19:23:38+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/scrabster-small-boat-fishing http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/scrabster-small-boat-fishing#When:18:00:39Z Scrabster in the far north of Scotland is a venue rich in various species of fish and opportunities for the small boat & kayak angler. Dave Proudfoot serves up a guide to the nooks and crannies, and offers the knowhow to tap this superb northern location...The majority of fishing around Holborn and Dunnet Head is carried out within 400 metres from the shore. The shoreline is composed mainly of cliffs interspersed with the occasional sandy bay. The sea bed close to the cliffs is usually very rocky and covered with kelp beds. Further offshore the bottom is mainly sand and shingle with small rocky patches usually covered with 'dead man’s fingers', soft coral.As you move out from the cliffs there is generally a steep drop at their base which levels off to around 20 metres for a short way before a second drop-off is found which falls away to around 30 – 35 metres. Normally the first ledge is home to the pollack and coalies, with the majority of the other species being found at or near the base of the second drop-off.During the summer months the knowing locals will fish out in the deeper water with good results across a variety of different species. The following is a guide to the more popular marks all of which are within easy steaming distance of the local slipways. All charts in this feature are provided by Garmin UK and are copyright reserved. Clicking on certain charts will open a larger scale image.Holborn Head and West SideCrosskirk Bay: this bay sits just to the east of the former US radio base at Forss and lies in the lee of the five wind turbines which now occupy on the site. If fishing any further west of here you run the risk of entering the closed area off the UKAEA site at Dounreay. In the bay itself expect cod and decent pollack close in. Drifting on the edge of the second drop-off between here and Brimms Ness will produce cod with the chance of ling and sea scorpions. The first of the season spurdogs are usually found here, north of the 40 metre contour. The kayak angler has the advantage of being able to cover this area by launching in Crosskirk Bay itself.Brimms Ness: this rocky outcrop is popular with surfers and usually produces the season's first mackerel in the tide rip. Pollack normally sit on the hard ground which rises rapidly and causes a confused sea when the wind is against the tide. Again the cod are normally to be found where the hard ground meets the cleaner mixed seabed. The bay to the west of Brimms is shallow and strewn with kelp and boulders. There can be some big red cod in here during the summer months and pollack can be taken by trolling near the shore, but keep an eye open of the rocky outcrops which jut out from the base of the cliffs.The Quarry: named after the Caithness slate quarry which used to operate at the top of the ciffs, this point sits to the east of the Little Clett. Good cod, pollack, ling and wrasse can be taken along the face of the cliffs just to the west of the point, with decent dabs and LSD out on the clean ground. Fishing further off in the summer months can produce the occasional haddock and codling. And last summer saw a porgie attacking hooked cod when fishing out in 50 metres of water. Some big ling have been taken in the small bay next to the Quarry, and a small reef which lies off the caves in the bay produces pollack.Spear Point: this is a small point which protrudes out from the base of the surrounding cliffs. Between here and the quarry is a popular area for cod, ling, pollack, coalies, mackerel, together with ballan and odd cuckoo wrasse close inshore. Fishing out on the cleaner ground in depths of 40 metres plus can produce haddock, whiting, spurs, plaice, dabs and grey and red gurnard.Clett Rock: this stack stands about 200 metres west of Holborn Head and most of the cod family can be taken around here. If the weather is good it’s worth a steam round the back of the Clett as the rock strata gives the sensation of sailing up or downhill. The tide rip between here and the Head is always worth a try for mackerel and sandeels.Holborn Head: between here and Scrabster Lighthouse it’s worth dropping the the anchor for dabs and LSD. If the weather permits anchoring close to shore, then conger can be targeted.There are two slipways at Scrabster, the outer one is only fit for launching when the weather is settled. For permission to launch at the one next to the Fisherman’s Mission you should contact the Harbour Master on 01847 892779 or harbour@scrabster.co.ukThurso Beach: this is a sneaky one for species hunting as flounders and the odd bass can be taken here close inshore. Avoid the area where you see seagulls working off shore as this is the end of the sewerage pipe and your line will end up covered in all sorts of waste matter, although it’s not so bad as it used to be! Congers can sometimes be found along the rocky ledges at Thurso East. Easy access to the beach for launching a 'yak is available from the west end of the promenade.Dunnet Head and East SideThe Grounds: as noted on the Admiralty charts this mark is known locally as the Hump - N58 37.650 W3 30.044. This is an area of rough ground approximately the size of a football pitch which rises from the sandy bottom at 45 metres to around 15 metres at its shallowest. On top of the Hump you can expect coalies and mackerel in season, with the water occasionally boiling with fish on a summers evening. Around the drop-off into deeper water, wrasse, pollack and ling can be taken with cod on the edge between the rocks and the cleaner ground. The cod can be either on the east or west side depending on the tide. The odd conger is taken here at anchor. During July to September spurdogs frequent the deeper water on the north side. Expect to lose tackle on the hard bottom  when the tide is running strongly. Like most of the inshore areas off Scrabster keep an eye out for lobster pots.Dwarwick Head: this point sits to the west of the small harbour at Dwarwick where there is a reasonable slipway that allows launching and recovery from half tide. You’re supposed to pay the Highland Council for launching but have yet to see anyone checking on this. The clean ground to the north west of Dwarwick produces dabs and plaice on the drift.The Caves: more indentations than caves describe this mark, just north west of a couple of noticable waterfalls produces cod, pollack, coalies, odd ling and mackerel. The Scottish record John Dory was taken off here.Rough Head: this is the south west corner of Dunnet Head and produces launce during the summer months together with the normal members of the cod family. In the slightly deeper waters off the cliffs to the north of here cuckoo wrasse are worth targeting.Sheep Row: this is a shallow geo indentation in the cliffs and a reef runs out from its base for about 100 metres to the west. Cod, pollack, ling and coalies can be expected off here, and it’s around this area that the porbeagles show during the winter months. Many moons ago this area used to be one of the main marks for halibut and a couple have been landed here during the past 15 years.The Sands: an area of sand banks to the east of Dunnet Head - N58 39.310 W3 27.771 and can produce sandeels, dabs, LSD and whiting. It is not regularly fished and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear of turbot from this mark. Recently several plaice have been coming off clean ground marks so it might be worth targeting them on this mark.Brigga Head: this point marks the north west of Dunnet Head and between here and the lighthouse can be prolific for pollack in the shallower water. Porbeagles also frequent the area from here to the lighthouse during the period from November to March.Port Royal: this is a small bay to the west of the Lighthouse and there is a hole just off here which can produce good ballan wrasse. Cod, pollack and ling also frequent this area. After passing the Lighthouse you are into Brough Bay on the east side of the Head, and this marks the start of the Pentland Firth between the mainland and Orkney.Fallen Stones: difficult to describe this mark but you’ll know it when you see it. Close inshore for good pollack and when the tide rip starts offshore it’s worth the bouncing about for the numbers of cod and pollack found chasing the sandeels here. Ballans can also be expected inshore, with ling and cuckoo wrasse out about the 35 metre mark.Brough: the water shallows up as you approach the slip at Brough and seals can be a pain here. The slip is very tidal and only really suitable for launch around 2 hours either side of high water. Lots of boulders around here so worth a look at low water before launching. It’s worth anchoring up out where the bottom falls off in 50 metres plus, as there have been reports of common skate here and again this used to be a recognised halibut area.I hope this guide helps if you decide to visit the far north with your boat. Bait is scarce other than mackerel during the summer, and while some lug and small whites can be dug at Castletown, I’d suggest bringing a good variety of baits north with you.Thanks to  Garmin for permission to re-produce the charts from their quality software. Boat, Lead Feature 2010-01-06T18:00:39+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/shamrock-animal-rigs http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/shamrock-animal-rigs#When:17:58:05Z An ‘Animal’ rig describes a heavy duty boat trace designed to work through a busy session hauling fish with abrasive skins and teeth, such as rays and spurdogs. Here Stirling Daubney comments on the Animal Rigs produced by Irish company, Shamrock Tackle…Shamrock’s Animal rigs were developed by members of the Irish international boat team off the east coast of Ireland where the fishing can be hectic for bull huss, ray, spurdog, hounds and mountains of dogfish among a host of others species. They have found that adding some visual attraction in the form of muppets and beads works incredibly well for a wide variety of species all around the UK.Intended to be used at anchor and fished in front of a sliding boom, each rig is formed of 6.5 feet of 90lb clear mono and sports three 3/0 hooks. A long three-down rig for fishing hard on the bottom, a large connecting rolling swivel runs to two 6-inch droppers sprouting from simple cut blood loops behind the point hook. Each hook is garnished with a muppet-type skirt and a length of colour coordinated tubing which builds in some additional protection from biting teeth.Pay attentionThese are uncomplicated and functional rigs but they do need a little attention before use. The mono heavy has considerable memory and as such it is best to give the whole rig a good stretch before use, or even draw a folded piece of rubber along each rig a few times to drag it straight. The knots are not the tidiest either, and I would have preferred such as a Grinner knot to the hooks, where the tag-end points straight back up the line. As it is the simplest of half blood knots is used which sees the thick tags sticking out at bait-damaging right angles to the eye of the hook. The long tags need to be trimmed back a little too. Hooks are similar in aspect to the Kamasan B940S short shanks but with a more pronounced barb.Shamrock Animal Rigs are available in four different colour variations of red, orange, yellow and mixed. Bait and fishing situation recommendations are detaied on the packaging. Available through HOA and Shamrock stockists. Terminal Tackle, Rigs and traces, Lead Feature 2010-01-06T17:58:05+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/sportsmans-utility-dry-boxes http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/sportsmans-utility-dry-boxes#When:17:57:05Z Tackle box seats have long been regarded as the only real options for boat and shore anglers, but there are more compact alternatives. Here Des Westmore looks at the sturdy Sportsmans Utility Dry Boxes stocked by UK Hooks...I have been looking for the perfect tackle box to stow my gear and keep it dry since my first charter trip eons ago. Nowadays I also lug camera equipment with me so the need for a decent box is paramount.  A few years back a friend brought a couple of interesting boxes over from the States. They were called SPUD boxes, which, in the singular,  is short for Sportsman’s Utility Dry box. I showed them to Mike Taylor at UK Hooks who set about stocking them immediately having been swamped by a big wave that killed both his mobile phone and car remote fob on his own boat just days earlier. UK Hooks have stocked SPUD boxes ever since.SPUD boxes are made by American firm MTM and four sizes are available: SPUD 1, 2, 6 & 7 – I have no idea what happened to numbers 3, 4 & 5. Made from injection moulded plastic, they are available in orange, green or black. The only metal parts are two alloy rivets used to hold the handle on the SPUD 6 and 7.The lid to box joint incorporates an O-ring seal which ensures everything inside remains dry as long as the box is closed. I have deliberately left them on the deck with waves and spray crashing onto them and their ability to repel water is without question. The lid has a handy built-in quick access compartment that is not O-ring sealed for those items of regular use. A fifth box, the SDB-2T is also available. Similar in same size to the SPUD 2, this does not have stowage in the lid; thus maximising the boxes internal dimensions.Total SPUD-headThe leaky Beta seat box that I used to pack my boat gear in has long since been discarded.  A SPUD 7 has now takes my fishing kit, while my cameras are well protected in SPUD 6. These stack on top of each other and occupy less space that the Beta box. I also used to carry weights in a bucket, but a SPUD 1 has that job now. My SPUD takes plenty of lead, rides the weight element without issue, and the strong handle makes lifting easy.SPUDs are a high quality range of boxes with numerous outdoor and indoor uses. They will also be of use to divers, small boat owners and yachtsmen. Shore fishermen should check out the SPUD 6 & 7 boxes which feature carry straps and can be sat on. Available from UK Hooks, tel: 01983 868687; email: queries@uk-hooks.com The box below gives the sizes for the boxes and also the price from UK-Hooks, inclusive of VAT at 17.5%. CODECOLOURSIZESPRICESPUD1ORANGE(L) 15" x (W) 8.8" x (H) 9.4"£26.44SPUD2ORANGE(L) 15" x (W) 8.8" x (H) 11.25"£35.49SPUD6ORANGE(L) 19" x (W) 13" x (H) 10.4"£38.66SPUD7ORANGE(L) 18.5" x (W) 13" x (H) 15.1"£41.71SDB-2TORANGE(L) 15.5" x (W) 8.5" x (H) 12"£35.49 Tackle storage, Luggage, Lead Feature 2010-01-06T17:57:05+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/new-addition-to-the-weymouth-charter-fleet http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/new-addition-to-the-weymouth-charter-fleet#When:19:58:15Z Young local skipper Lyle Stantiford has recently launched his eight metre Cougar catamaran, Supanova as the most recent addition to the renowned Weymouth charter fleet.An accomplished sea angler, Lyle trained with Chris Caines on Tiger Lily and at the age of 17 obtained his Yachtmaster ticket. Since then he has skippered for several of the fleet before recently attaining his life's ambition of owning his own vessel.The sea worthy catamaran has twin Iveco NEF 250hp turbo charged diesel engines which gives the boat a loaded cruising speed of between 17 and 18 knots.The layout of the cat means that the fishing space available is actually more than found on the bigger Offshore 105 mono-hull. A fully insulated fish hold will ensure that those fishing extended trips to the Channel Islands will return with catches in pristine condition. Lyle intends to make it financially viable for smaller groups of anglers to put to sea.Initial trips commencing in March 2010 will be aimed at wrecking for the early season pollack. The skipper promises an endless supply of tea and coffee throughout your day!Lyle can be contacted on +44 (0) 1305 787583 or via his webpage at Deep Sea Directory News and Info 2010-01-05T19:58:15+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-04-01-10 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-04-01-10#When:19:29:43Z Monday saw twenty odd anglers turn up at The Woods to fish Tony Caton Memorial Match, including members of Tony’s family. The fishing had been hit and miss but Garry Hutson managed to find a nice cod of 7lb 2oz on his last cast to win the match. Second place went to George Smith with 2lb 13oz and third in was Mablethorpe angler Kev Bebbington who weighed in 1lb 13oz. The heaviest round fish was Garry’s and the biggest flatfish was a 37cm flounder caught by Steve McGregor.A total of £95 was raised for the RNLI and Operation manager for Cleethorpes RNLI Jack Barlow was at the match to receive the donation. The last Skegness Pier Angling Club (S.P.A.C) match of the year was a charity event in aid of the “Help For Heroes” appeal fund in aid of our injured servicemen. The match was a biggest fish rover; fished anywhere between Mablethorpe and Gibraltar Point. Unfortunately the expected cod did not show, resulting in a very close finish for the minor places. However, the runaway winner was top Gainsborough match angler Simon Drayton, who finished off a good year for him in style with a last cast specimen 1lb 6½oz whiting. Skegness local Dave Bradley continued his recent run of good form by taking second place with a nice 13½oz dab, followed closely by Grimsby based England International angler George Smith, who despite catching more than 20 dabs, couldn’t manage one bigger than 12½oz. In fourth place was Kettering’s Dave Shorthouse with an 11¼oz whiting and the final prize winner was Wrangle based Paul Cridland, whose 10¾oz dab was just good enough to hold onto fifth place from a large number of slightly smaller dabs landed in the match. The prize presentation was hosted by The Arches Pub, Trunch Lane, where the owner Will Watson put on a superb free buffet for all participants and was master of ceremonies for the Grand Raffle, with more than sixty prizes on offer. The match raised a magnificent £1263.32 for the appeal fund and S.P.A.C would like to thank everyone that helped out and/or donated prizes for the event, especially Lakeside Leisure, Trunch Lane who allowed full use of their facilities for the match registration and weigh-in. The first S.P.A.C match of 2010 will be held on Saturday 16 January from 5 till 9pm at Trunch Lane, with Club Members fishing for the Rowley Cup. There is also an open section, which non-members are welcome to participate in. For further information contact SPAC Secretary Chas Tibble on 07984 967988 or chastibble@hotmail.comOn Monday there was also an HCA boat match when anglers enjoyed fantastic weather for the duration of the event, with warmer temperatures and no wind. All the competitors struggled to find a cod, although there were plenty of whiting about. John Pyle managed to find two cod and this gave him first and second place, neither of them matched Garry’s shore caught fish. Hard luck story of the day must go to John Major who lost a decent cod to a hungry seal. East England 2010-01-05T19:29:43+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-03-01-10 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-03-01-10#When:18:15:55Z Sport was a bit a bit slow during the early part of last week, even with a swell running cod were few and far between for the shore angler. Commercial boats report lots of cod offshore from the rock edges in the Teesbay area and private boats out of Hartlepool had fish up to 7lb a few hundred metres off the promenade on Monday.There were a few better fish around although the big double figure spawning specimens that normally show around January and February have yet to make an appearance. Craig Falcus had cod of 9lb and 4lb from Hauxley and Seaham north pier has produced fish to 11lb. Most of the piers produced cod to 4lb on some tides and both the rivers Wear and Tyne have smaller specimens present. Easterly gales over the weekend produced the heaviest seas of the winter so far and easterlies usually produce the better cod fishing, being much rougher than direct northerlies. The sheltered marks all produced cod and whiting with the inner piers at Hartlepool, Rathouse Corner in the Wear, the first Gate on South Shields pier and the Tyne walkway all producing cod to 6lb, but al these venues tend to be crowded. If there are no fish after this sea dies down then there never will be.Bait will almost certainly be washed out by the heavy surf and those with local knowledge should be able to collect large quantities of razor clam.The Easington Open on Sunday was a little disappointing with few big cod showing. First prize for the heaviest fish went to Chris Hossack with a cod of 3lb 2oz taken from the Green Wall at Seaham, Gary Blanchard had the heaviest bag with 3lb 3oz followed by Gary Pye 2lb 15oz and top junior was Brandon Peel with 12oz.The Blackhall Open the next day saw slightly better results but cod were still not within reach of most of the anglers. One hundred and eighty seniors and fifteen juniors fished with forty-five weighing in seventy fish. R. Stevenson won the top prize of £500 for the heaviest fish with a cod of 5¾lb from Horden; he also had the second heaviest bag with a 6lb 5oz total. Steve Moyle had the second heaviest fish with a cod of 4¼lb, and also had the heaviest bag with a 6lb 12oz total. Pat Ede had the third heaviest fish with a cod of 4lb 2oz.North of the Tyne the South Meadowell Open only saw six weigh in. Colin Hutton was top rod with a single cod of 2lb 6oz from Lynemouth, runner-up Brad Hill had a single whiting of 1½lb and W. Crawley had a single fish of 1lb1oz for third place.The best open result was at the CD Tackle Open where Barry Tweddle had a nice bag of cod which included the heaviest fish of 7lb, the second heaviest fish of 3lb and weighed-in the heaviest bag at 14lb 10oz. Darren Bell had the second heaviest bag with four fish for 4lb 6oz, followed by Willie Emery with 3lb 8oz.Up at Amble S. Punton won a recent match with two cod for 8lb 9oz, best 7lb 6oz, followed by I. Harrogate with four fish for 4lb 14oz.Cleadon A.C. fished last week with eight out of thirty landing fish. Mark Weigman landed a single cod of 3lb 15oz for the heaviest bag and the heaviest fish from Marsden. Paul Wastell had a bag of cod and coalfish from the Tyne for 3lb 14oz and Gav Hall had a similar bag of 3lb 3oz.S.B.R.A.A.C. saw seven out of fifteen weigh in ten fish. First place went to Steve Alexander who had two cod and one coalfish for 3¾lb, including the heaviest fish of 1lb 12oz. John Chisholm had a cod and a coalie for 2lb 6lb in second place and Bob Wilson finished third with a single cod of 1lb 11oz.The last Tynemouth Winter League match saw only three out of twenty find fish. Dave Hayley had three coalfish and a cod for 5lb 10oz from Slatey Gut to take top spot. Alan Norman in second had two cod for 2lb 15oz from Little Bay and third placed John Fielding had a flounder of 1lb 1oz from Cullercoats.Seaton Sluice saw four out of ten weigh in with winner Barry Tweddle landing two cod for 4.50lb. Second placed Steve Todd had a single cod for 3.10lb and Andrew Stanford had a single cod for 2.50lb to take third. North East England 2010-01-03T18:15:55+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-30-12-09 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-30-12-09#When:09:42:29Z An outside swell over the holiday week kept the cod inshore for most tides and those who braved the cold during a night session were rewarded with fish to 6lb from the beaches and low water marks. The piers generally produced smaller cod, but with lots of whiting, dab, and flounders present, it was these species that tended to get to any baits before the cod did. The rivers Wear and Tyne are producing cod and whiting in the calmer conditions, most are around the 1lb to 2lb mark, but both rivers also have a lot of undersize specimens present and anglers have reported double figure catches of these smaller fish.Hartlepool H.W.C.S.A.C. recent match saw nine members weigh-in mixed bags of cod, whiting, flounders and dabs for a total of 27lb 9oz. Mal McGeorge won with a bag of cod and whiting for 10lb, including the heaviest fish; a cod of 4lb 13oz. Steve Brown had a similar mixed bag for 7lb 3oz in second place while third placed Paul Blair had two cod for 3lb 5oz. Marc Wallace in fourth had a single cod for 2lb 3oz.Horden Buffs Surfcasters had a good weigh in last week. Wayne Smith won with three cod for 9lb 15oz ahead of Eric Williams who had two cod, best 5¼lb, and a single whiting for 9lb 6oz and Paul Peacock with three cod for 7½lb.Horden Mechanics also had a match but struggled to find the cod with only two weighing in. Sean Stephenson had a single cod, a bass and a plaice for 5lb and Ged Barker had a flounder of 10oz. Cleadon A.C. fished last week with only five out of twenty-seven finding fish. John Newcombe had two cod from the Tyne for 4lb 1oz to take first place. Runner-up Neil Cutler had two cod from South Shields pier for 3lb 2oz and in third Ollie Feenan had a single cod of 2¾lb from Whitburn which was joint heaviest fish with a cod taken by Paul Harrison from South Shields pier.The Saltburn Open on Sunday saw a few cod landed from the popular rock edges around Boulby where there was a bit of shelter from the northerly swell. Twenty-one out of seventy-five weighed in seventeen cod, four coalfish, two flounders, two rockling, and a whiting for a total of 71lb. Paul Medd took first place with three cod for 9lb 9oz from Boulby. Steve L’Anson had an excellent cod of 8lb 7oz for second spot and the heaviest fish and Jeff Lainton was third with one cod of 7lb 5oz taken from Redcar Scar. Top lady was Vanessa Barker with a rockling of 4oz, and the team winners were Steve L’Anson and Chris Westgarth with 9lb 13oz.The popular Amble Open is on Sunday January 3rd fishing from 9am till 1pm between Seahouses Pier and Lynemouth Pipe, all piers and rivers excluded except that disabled anglers may fish Amble Pier accompanied by their registered partner. Basic entry is £12 for all classes which includes the heaviest fish sweep. Register at the Radcliffe Club Amble from 7am till 9am with the weigh-in from 1pm till 2pm at the same venue. Top prizes for the heaviest bag are £600, £300, £150; heaviest fish £400, £200, £150; heaviest flatfish £150, £100, £50 and ladies £50, £30, £20 with a supporting prize table worth £3000. Anglers are reminded to keep any flatfish alive for returning and stewards will be in attendance to ensure that no litter is left behind. Bait can be ordered from The Amble Angling Centre, contact Norma on 01665-711200. North East England 2009-12-30T09:42:29+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/flounder-fishing-in-the-river-arun http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/flounder-fishing-in-the-river-arun#When:18:40:50Z Brighton fishing guide Robin Howard visits a mark on the river Arun to fish for flounders with a group of friends. He details the various rigs and baits required to cash in…The River Arun runs from the chalk hills of the South Downs, through arable fields and the picturesque town of Arundel complete with its fairytale castle. It then moves on through muddied waters, rich with the soft silts of the lower river, until finally cutting into the English Channel at Littlehampton.Fishing in the upper river is a loosely kept secret, with outsized sea trout, pike and carp being the quarry. The estuary is typical of many small river estuaries around our coasts: an ooze of thick mud and a haven for harbour ragworm, crabs, and the wading birds that feed upon them. In the warmer months, flounders are joined by large mullet and bass, but after the autumn floods a mainstay of flounders and eels remain.Five of us turned up to fish what might be described as a classic river flounder swim on still but grey but morning. An outfall pipe trickled fresh water on a bend which sweeps around and splays to widening mud bank. We all dropped along this feature. TRONIX boss George Cunningham had come second in a local flounder competition the day before, and unashamedly made straight for the same lucky spot. George had some leftover harbour rag which kindly shared with the rest of us – harbours are essential if the fishing proves difficult. We also had some excellent king ragworm and small blow lug from Prime Angling in Worthing. Small blows tipped with harbours are deadly combination bait for Arun flounders.Great rig raceThe tide was just beginning to lift, and a variety of rigs were flicked out into the muddy water. George had opted for a Wessex rig, fishing three baits on 24in hook-lengths; Steve Smith used a simple running paternoster; Graham Poulter fished a running ledger; Gary Hazelgrove and I fished one up/one rigs. I used long 36in snoods and size 6 Mustad silver Aberdeens, which are a very capable hook should a stray bass wander by.Unlike the previous three weeks, the wind was virtually non-existent and no rain fell. Rattles from crabs where soon interrupted by the first flounder for Steve Smith on harbour ragworm, followed by another of around 10ozs to also to harbours on my rod.Minutes later, the unmistakeable pull of a feisty flounder towing upriver prompted me to lift my rod and wind in again. Another chunky little flounder that might have gone 10ozs flicked and kicked as it lifted it from the mud… a routine I would see repeated by others in the group.Super SonikI was using the session to try and decide which rod to use for similar fishing next year. Most of my fishing is for bass, either on low water surf beaches or in the chalk gullies that abound along the Sussex coast. Most of the fishing is ‘touch ledgering’ and done holding the rod. To that end I needed a rod that was light enough to be held all day with a sensitive tip. Much as bass are likely to pick up a bait and pull hard, their interest is often betrayed by just the lightest of rod tip tremblings, especially when free-lining squid. My particular rod requirements didn’t stop their however. I needed something capable of lobbing a live mackerel, with the middle steel to keep a decent bass’s head out of rough ground. My 2009 rod of choice - a Shakespeare Power Play – while excellent in many regards, had proven just a little too meek for my purposes.I’d waded through countless reviews of lauded bass rods, and flexed and fiddled with more yet without any really pressing my buttons… until I picked up and waggled the SONIK SK3 bass rod which is simply stunning for the money. At 12ft 6in it was the perfect length for keeping the line clear of weed-ridden wave crests when fishing at close range in wind driven swells. It was certainly light enough to hold all day; it had oodles of essential backbone and a tip with perfect sensitivity. The SK3 was living up to all my estuary expectations and will be the main bassing rod used by me and my clients in 2010.The flounder action was not hectic. My end of the bank was suffering a definite lull. Gary on the other hand reeled in two flounders in quick succession from further down. As the water increased in height, tiny bootlace eels battered our baits, but generally bounced off.Steve's simple approach found the better fish. His single hook ploy took four fish, all of which were comfortably over ½ a pound. George was astonished to find his successful tactics of 24 hours ago, failing to find any fish on this occasion. Gary managed modest two flounders, while George and Graham unfortunately blanked. I returned a total of four fish: two each on harbour rag and king rag.Flounder rhyme and reasonsOne of Steve's fish carried open sores, which is sadly regular sight flatfish around the UK. Such afflictions might be down to pollutants or parasitic manifestation and could perhaps be part of the reason for the recent large scale decline in flounder numbers around the coast. Whatever the speculation and sinister theories, I do remember those weeping sores on the Essex flounders I caught as a child when flounders were far more numerous.Flounder numbers have all but collapsed in certain parts of the country and they are developing something of a cult appeal. The attraction might be an age-related security thing: that characteristic pull of a flounder as you lift it from the bottom bringing back childhood memories of carefree days when flounder were always obliging. It certainly has little to do with them being good to eat - although some anglers who catch them from open beaches might beg to differ - and flounders don’t exactly score high points for sporting prowess either. One thing is for sure, if suffering aching muscles from repeatedly firing heavy leads into gale whipped seas, chasing shadows of winter cod then the relaxation of quiet day on the river offers a welcome respite. Shore, Flounder, Lead Feature 2009-12-19T18:40:50+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/wrecked-reel-revival http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/wrecked-reel-revival#When:18:36:52Z Serial reel fiddler, Des Westmore explains how to service and revive reels that have fallen victim to the ravages of serious internal corrosion. Here he resuscitates an expensive Alutecnos Albacore boat reel that looked set for the trash bin ...Previously I looked at how Corrosion Block compound made by the Lear Chemical Corp in the USA, can help protect a brand new reel and hopefully save you some money in the long run. I said then that all reels will eventually succumb to neglect and saltwater weathering, the only differential being that better quality components generally take that bit longer to be adversely affected. A reel I was recently given to try and bring back to life proves this point admirably.The Albacore is an expensive, quality big game reel made in Italy. At one time, they were marketed under license by Shakespeare in the UK, and many still doing the rounds (like the one here) are badged as such. This one had given the owner many hours of trouble free fishing, and before grinding to an abrupt halt, it had accounted for numerous rays, cod, conger and even a porbeagle shark. The handle was stiff to turn, and while the drag still seemed smooth, when I moved the drag lever to the free spool position the spool was anything but ‘free’ - in fact, you had to push it round with your hand! There were some external traces of corrosion and salt build up, but nothing too damning. The Albacore is held together with hexagon socket head screws and a couple of these were a bit deformed where it looked like someone had had a go at getting the reel apart in the past with the wrong size key. The reel had certainly seen better days and the owner wanted, if such were possible, to return it to its former glory. This is normally possible given the availability of parts, but, as is often the case, it is not always cost effective. The only places I know to get the required parts are Alutecnos in Italy or through their agent in the USA, and that was sure to be very pricey.Corrosion bustersI have used various corrosion-busting products on reels over the years as the top picture shows. The best way to prevent corrosion is to stop saltwater ingress in the first place. To this end I’ve done long-term trials with neoprene reel covers and a home made ‘Rod Sock’. This combined with a good internal coating of waterproof mountain bike PTFE grease on reels’ internal mechanisms allowed my reels to be used continuously for two years, with only a quick wash off after each trip. They suffered no traces of corrosion or damage at all in that time.These results were fine, but grease is thick and time consuming to apply and it doesn’t always get into all the gaps that saltwater can. This is where Lear Chemical’s Corrosion Block scores: it is easy to apply, by pump spray or aerosol and has fantastic ‘creep’ properties, meaning it seeks out all the nooks and crannies inside and outside a reel. This is just what’s needed apart from near the drag washers, but I’ll come to that later. Sprays aren’t any use for reel gears which instead get smeared with Corrosion Block EP rated grease.On the insideAfter downloading the reel schematic I removed the left-hand side plate - which is the drag end on the Alutecnos – and was amazed to find the innards in pristine conditions … there were even traces of clear grease under the spool bearing that probably went in at the factory.  The drag washer was a little worn but not in need of replacement, and was not contaminated at all. I replaced the sideplate temporarily and opened the reel from the handle side only to discover a hellish world of difference. The internals were in a shocking state. There was no trace of grease anywhere, though there was a dry caked on coating that was probably grease once upon a time. One of the spool shaft bearings looked suspect, while the Belleville washers beneath were orange and furry with rust. Though outwardly corroded the bearing was still smooth, which left me puzzled as to why the spool was so stiff. I finally tracked the problem down to the non-functioning ratchet and some horrible corrosion to several components in that area.The corrosion was so bad that the ratchet plate had been buckled and lifted by the corrosion between the four countersunk retaining screws. The ratchet plate had been displaced by about 1.5mm, and was in contact with the main gear where ‘fossilised’ grease and salt had amalgamated into a nasty grinding paste. The corrosion and salt was cleaned away and the plate removed. This revealed that the spool had also become pitted and eaten away around the gear-side edge. At this stage I feared the worst and thought that the reel may be beyond economic repair but I relished the challenge.I set about cleaning the whole reel to assess it properly. To clean reels (and any greasy mechanism) I use ‘Muc Off’ which is a mountain bike product. Just spray Muc Off on the mechanism, work it around with a brush then wash off with hot water. Always do this latter part in a bowl, in case any small parts that were hidden by the grease get free and go straight down the plug-hole.Deep cleanedMiraculously, all the bearings were fine after being flushed out with lighter fluid and soaked in Reel-X oil. A bit of work with a fine abrasive pad and Autosol metal polish had the Belleville washers looking passable too. The gunked solid ratchet parts were released after a bit of careful attention, and a squirt of Corrosion Block (it also has good lubricating properties) had them all working perfectly. A coating of Corrosion Block was then applied to all the internal surfaces apart from the drag or the drag cover. I also carefully applied Corrosion Block to the roller bearing as these are often very exposed to salt. These bearings do not like being under or over lubricated - too little wears them out, while too much or too thick an application can lead to slipping.For the gears I used Corrosion Block grease so this only left the problem of the ratchet plate. The ratchet plate might have needed to be replaced, but I was still confident of getting it serviceable. The problem was solved by applying a coat of grease on the end of the spool, and turning the plate over and letting the screws pull it flat against the spool. The grease would hopefully stop any more saltwater ingress. A further smearing of grease over the top finished the sealing and ensured the ratchet operated smoothly. After re-assembly each bolt head received a daub of grease. The reel looked handled like new and looked all the better for the full body make-over.As I stress in the previous reel maintenance feature, store reels with modern drags with some pressure on the drag - around 25% of maximum - to prevent oil, water or in this case Corrosion Block from getting between the plates by capillary action when not in used. For more information on corrosion block go to www.corrosionblock.co.uk Lead Feature, Tackle care & maintenance 2009-12-19T18:36:52+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/penn-waveblaster-and-penn-powerstix-braid-rods-compared http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/penn-waveblaster-and-penn-powerstix-braid-rods-compared#When:18:35:32Z Two Penn boat rods at opposite ends of the price scale are tested and compared by Isle of Wight angler, Des Westmore...The merits of two rods from the Penn stable are compared here. Both sport the ‘Braid’ assignation but each target different ends of the market. The Powerstix Pro Braid 20/30 has an extremely competitive £64.99 price-tag, while the Waveblaster Evo Braid 20/50 sells for a more extravagant £229.99. To the naked eye, aesthetically and otherwise, the rods looked similar in many ways. My task was to determine how they differed in the performance area, and if the near £150 price differential can be justified.Both blanks are formed from what Penn describe as ‘24 ton carbon’. The assumption, short of taking a hacksaw to the blank, is that the more expensive Waveblaster Evo incorporates more material in a more complex lay-up process. Both rods incorporate genuine Fuji rings. The Powerstix has round three-legged round rings in a black finish, while the Waveblaster sports much more expensive SiC oval rings, often referred to as ‘Braid’ rings. These attractive rings are popular but do receive some criticism for easy damage. Usually double-legged rings are fitted at the bottom of the rod, with single legs along the tip. This helps preserve the rods action, but they do get bent easily. Penn have addressed this problem on the Waveblaster by fitting double-legged rings throughout. Nine rings plus the tip dress the Powerstix, with 11 plus tip on the Waveblaster. A bit of detective work determined that the oval rings on the Waveblaster would set you back well over £100 alone! Equal sectionsBoth rods are unequal section two-piece rods. The Penn Powerstix is a slim rod, with the tip section joining the handle handle via a slender, dual-diameter spigot. The spigot section effectively takes the load and a larger diameter collar at the lower end interfaces with a counter-bore in the tip. The result is one of the best disguised joints I have seen; a virtually invisible junction and superb, seamless composition. The Waveblaster joins further up the rod, with the low diameter tip plugging directly into a large diameter butt section. The Waveblaster is 8 feet in length and breaks down to 5 feet, while the Powerstix is 8ft 2in length, packing down to 6ft. Both rods are supplied in a cloth bag and hard rod tube. The Powerstix blank is a smart burgundy colour with matching whippings tipped with silver. The Waveblaster sports with black tipped gold whippings and a blue finish that accentuates the carbon cross weave.Both butt/handle sections have Fuji rings and Penn branded reel seats. The Powerstix reel seat is slim and cut-away so that the blank can be seen through it. The Waveblaster has a much bigger reel fitting with gold anodised aluminium collars reminiscent of a lot of blue water big game rods. Both rods have an EVA foregrip, with the cheaper Powerstix further EVA covered all the way to the butt cap. The Waveblaster is left bare lower down, but also incorporates a Fuji gimble with a rubber cover.  "Exceptional bite detection"I was looking for a body of opinion in this instance rather than just Westmore’s take and enlisted some reliable help. Paul Hunter used the rod on his own boat and connected with a 22lb blonde ray on the first trip. As the picture shows, nearly all working ‘action’ is in the tip section, with the butt section staying practically straight under load. Paul said: “The rod has exceptional bite detection for a 50lb class. It feels good and handles well under substantial load. And even then there’s plenty in reserve should more resistance be required. I also believe that lower handle grips are superfluous and like the fact the Waveblaster has none. Nothing wrong with the rod all told, but £230 is a lot of cash to part with when there are some excellent boat rods available for less than half that outlay.”Another small boat owner, Milo Pragnell loved the Waveblaster and was gutted when I asked for it back! He thought the rod was fantastically sensitive for the line rating and praised the action and length. But he did make the point that the lack of a lower EVA grip encouraged scuffing if placed tube type rod holders.ComparisonsThe action of the Powerstix was found to be the opposite of the Waveblaster by the experienced test group. Where the Waveblaster was surprisingly sensitive, the inexpensive Powerstix has more backbone than expected. For simple value for money it is very difficult to direct any criticism at the Penn Powerstix. This is a great rod to use and one that deserves high praise indeed. I worked the rod hard, taking conger to an estimated 55lb without any hiccups. The Powerstix adopts a clean curve under load and I never felt that the rod was overloaded with an eel of these proportions. I also used the rod with shads for pollack, and it’s an excellent ‘hopping’ stick on 8-12oz of lead. The tip is sensitive but not soft, which is perfect for this style of fishing.The Penn Waveblaster’s big price-tag brings consequently high angler expectations. The rod’s function, performance cannot and quality throughout are not in question. The only issue for pause is are there equally good rods of this ilk and quality that cost less? For the Waveblaster, the Daiwa TDXB 20-50lb and the Shimano Antares 30-50lb are comparables. If looking for a quality downtider to cover most bases, and have no budget constraints, then the Waveblaster deserves to be short listed.At the opposite end of the price spectrum, the Penn Powerstix offers fabulous value and performance, it stands shoulder-to-shoulder with are the Abu Ambassadeur 20/30lb which replaces the Conolon in 2010, the IMAX Stroke 18/22 and the Daiwa Sea Hunter 20-30lb. The Penn Powerstix is a rod gem that is sure to have lots of anglers groping for their credit cards. Visit http://www.penn-fishing.co.uk for more information.Best price for the Waveblaster Evo Braid £191.20 found at Devon Angling Centre and for the Powerstix Pro Braid £45.99 at Jim'sThanks to Brian Gourley and Gregg Woodford for their picture input on this review. Boat rods, Rods, Lead Feature 2009-12-19T18:35:32+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skarnsundet-shore-report-december-2009 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skarnsundet-shore-report-december-2009#When:18:06:52Z At last the first cold snap of the winter hit the Skarnsundet area and local guide Phill Dale decided to take advantage of this to hit the Straumen shore marks.With temperatures of  -10o C exacerbated by a strong northerly wind sweeping across the fjord the trip was likely to be a short one. The Century E1000 Eliminator and Penn 525 combo were soon set up and a half herring bait pennel rigged on 8/0 Sakuma hooks was launched into the darkness.A rattle on the rod tip indicated some interest and a small coalfish was Phill’s first thought as the culprit. However when the rod buckled over it was obvious that something larger had grabbed hold. During a short fight Phill was dragged all over the shop as the fish acted as though he didn’t exist. Unfortunately the big fish spat out the smaller hooked fish and the mangled 2lb codling was winched ashore.A quick re-bait and the lobbed cast resulted in a powerful take and after a furious fight this splendid 27lb fish hit the shore.After Phill had stopped shaking he cast another herring baited rig and sat back in anticipation.  With only about quarter of an hour to go before the current was going to be flowing hard for effect fishing the rod tip just slightly dipped. This is the typical start of a big cod bite as it takes the bait, then turns and goes, that’s when you get the slow pull down! A good hard and fast strike to set the hooks and the cod was on. A five minute tussle later and there was a lovely seventeen pounder at his feet, some session!Phill works with Skarnsundet Fjordsenter  and you can find more info and download the shore fishing brochure on the website at www.skarnsundet.com Northern Europe 2009-12-18T18:06:52+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-17-12-09 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-17-12-09#When:17:00:22Z After a good start to this years cod season, with good size fish being caught from the shore in the Humber area, they have seem to have disappeared. On the Yorkshire coast several matches have been held recently and not one cod has been caught. South of the Humber, on the Lincolnshire coast it is the whiting that are making up the bag weights in the matches. Boat anglers have found only the odd cod, well down on last year at this time. One reason might be the amount of freshwater that has been flowing down the river but this should not have a marked affect on the open coast. A cold snap is expected this weekend and it will be interesting to see if that makes a difference to the cod catches afloat and on shore. Last Sunday Humber SAC were in action at the Woods for their annual Christmas match. As expected for this match there was a good turn out. Adie Cooper managed to find an elusive cod, which at 40cm was the biggest fish of the day, to take top spot with a weight of 1lb 15oz. Runner-up was Steve McGregor with 1lb 13½oz while third placed George Smith had 1lb 12¼oz. The club’s next match is this Saturday along Courtaulds Straight fishing times are 5.15 to 9.15pm. The members who fished the match last Sunday were horrified by the state of the wall around the Woods area, there was litter every where. Local angler Del Miles cleaned up this area a couple of weeks ago but it is now back to square one. Locals do not want to lose this venue as it is one of the best areas for fishing in the area and is perfect for disabled anglers. It seems that it is again visiting anglers who are causing the problem. They will be the first to complain if they loose the right to fish this venue, so please, if you’re fishing the Woods or any other venue take your litter home. This Sunday is supposed to be the second match of the HCA winter league, fingers crossed that the weather does not cause another cancellationChas Tibble from Skegness S.P.A.C. is organising a match on the 27th December for the Help the Heroes which is a fantastic charity and anglers should go along and support this. £2 from each angler’s match fee and the money from the raffle will go to Help the Heroes. The match is a biggest fish event and is fished as a rover. The fishing times are 10am to 4pm. Booking in is at the Lakeside Leisure at Trunch Lane, Chapel Leonard from 7am on the morning of the event.Kettering’s Dave Shorthouse was top man in the Skegness Pier Angling Club’s Christmas match held from the North Shore Road. After a ding dong battle which went right to the wire, Dave’s fifteen fish mixed bag of 8lb 13oz was enough to hold off the strong challenge of Friskney’s Mark Holmes, whose similar fifteen fish bag weighed in at 7lb 15oz. Mark just failed to make it an hat trick of wins, but partially made up for the disappointment by taking the heaviest flatfish prize with a 12oz dab. Skegness local Dave Bradley finished third with four fish for 3lb 6oz, this included the biggest round fish of the day a 1lb 4oz whiting. The prize presentation was hosted by the Lookout Pub, were all the participants enjoyed a festive buffet. Finally this is my last lot of ramblings before Christmas, so I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and hopefully sucessful fishing in the New Year. East England 2009-12-17T17:00:22+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-14-12-09 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-14-12-09#When:18:51:18Z Whiting and flatties made up the majority of catches last week with settled conditions keeping most of the cod offshore although night time sessions produced a few smaller fish up from the rock edges and low water marks. Steetley and Roker piers have been reliable, producing some double figure mixed bags. The Tyne has also produced small cod but not in the same numbers as previous weeks.There were a few decent bags taken north of the Tyne where Steve Robinson won a Newbiggin match with four cod for 12lb 13oz from the White Holes and Billy Foster took the heaviest fish with a chunky cod of 7lb 15oz from Snab Point. Barry Tweddle won a Seaton Sluice match with eight cod for 14lb 9oz from Hadston, followed by Paul Stephenson with four for 13¾lb from Lynemouth.Hartlepool W.C.S.A.C. fished last weekend when winner Paul Blair had a good mixed bag of cod, whiting and dabs for 9lb 7oz, including the heaviest fish, a cod of 6¾lb. Andy Boagey had a bag of cod and whiting, best 4½lb, for a 7lb 1oz total in second place and third placed Steven Booth had dabs and whiting for 2lb 7oz.Hartlepool O.M.A.C. fished their last match of the year on Saturday with seventeen members finding the fishing poor with little movement on the sea. Jay Kelly fished Hawthorne Point to win with a mixed bag for 5lb 13oz and Dave Clarke had the heaviest fish with a cod of 2lb 7oz. Next match is January 9th 2010 fishing from 6pm till midnight.The Seaham Open the next day also saw poor results with a northerly swell just arriving just a bit too late. Out of five hundred and fifty fishing only fifty-five weighed in. Horden Beach saw an estimated one hundred and fifty anglers along its length with only five fish reported taken. Cod were few and far between with most anglers who weighed in just picking up a single size whiting or flattie. Tony Fishwick was the top man on the day taking a cod of 3½lb to take the £1500 first prize. Runner-up Ian Peacock weighed in a cod of 3lb 2oz while third placed Danny Swan had one of 3lb 1oz.Cleadon A.C. Fished early last week and found a few cod about despite the calm conditions, Paul Harrison taking two for 4lb 8oz, best 3¾lb, from Marsden to pip Terry Wood who had one of 3lb 7oz from Whitburn. Gav Hall in third place had one cod and a flounder from the Tyne for 2lb 9oz and fourth placed Billy Lea had a single cod for 2lb from Marsden.The last Ryhope Tuesday evening open had one of the better results with all thirty-one anglers fishing weighing in. Gary Pye took the top two places with cod of 1145 grams and 1020 grams respectively from the Hall Beach. Third place went to Paul Riley with a fish of 725 grams from the Falls and Bob Surtees finished fourth with one of 655 grams from Roker Pier.The Easington Colliery Rovers are having their 15th open shore match on Sunday December 27th fishing from 10am till 3 pm between the Green Wall at Seaham and the Heugh at Hartlepool, all piers excluded. Basic entry is £10, register at the Easington Colliery club from 8am till 9.45am. First prize for the heaviest fish is £400, plus £300 for the heaviest bag, there are ladies and junior prizes, plus a full supporting prize table.Monday December 28th sees the 12th Blackhall Navy Club Get Carter Open fishing from 9am till 2pm between the Foxholes Pipe at Horden to the Heugh at Hartlepool, all piers excluded. Basic entry is £10, register at the Blackhall Navy Club, East Street, Blackhall from 7am till 9am. First prizes for the heaviest fish are £500, £300, and £200, plus a full supporting prize table worth £2500. Junior prizes are £50, £30, and £20, juniors have free entry if accompanied by a paying adult. Contact John 0191-5182036 for details.The popular Amble Open is on Sunday January 3rd fishing from 9am till 1pm between Seahouses Pier and Lynemouth Pipe, all piers and rivers excluded except that disabled anglers may fish Amble Pier accompanied by their registered partner. Basic entry is £12 all classes which includes the heaviest fish sweep. Register at the Radcliffe Club Amble from 7am till 9am, weigh in from 1pm till 2pm at the same venue. Top prizes for the heaviest bag are £600, £300, £150, heaviest fish £400, £200, £150, Heaviest flatfish £150, £100, £50, ladies £50, £30, £20, with a supporting prize table worth £3000. Anglers are reminded to keep any flatfish alive for returning and stewards will be in attendance to ensure that no litter is left behind. Bait can be ordered from The Amble Angling Centre, contact Norma on 01665-711200. North East England 2009-12-14T18:51:18+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/shark-trust-skate-and-ray-info-sheets http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/shark-trust-skate-and-ray-info-sheets#When:18:13:53Z The Shark Trust have produced some excellent quality information sheet covering twenty-one of the skate and ray species found in our oceans.The detailed sheets, which cover among others those in the diagram below, are available for download in Adobe Acrobat format at the following address - http://www.sharktrust.org/content.asp?did=33255 News and Info 2009-12-13T18:13:53+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/ian-golds-igloo-beach-shelter http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/ian-golds-igloo-beach-shelter#When:16:10:22Z Speculation is rife that the new Ian Golds Igloo beach shelter is the best to hit the market bar none. Early demand is massively outstripping supply, and in this exclusive Planet Sea Fishing review Steve Souter takes a detailed look at the innovative shelter that's got everyone talking. Check out the video too, which shows just how quickly it can be erected...Beach shelters are traditionally infuriating things with the power to turn the most mild mannered sea angler into a profanity spewing monster who would perhaps be better housed in a padded cell. Shelters have never been the easiest items to erect, with screaming frustration and flailing octopus limbs par for the hellish course. Problems are compounded in strong winds, which habitually sweep the wide open spaces where sea anglers ply their trade, and two pairs of hands are often the only failsafe way to get even the most reputable shelters upright. If all of this sounds horribly familiar then you want... no, you NEED, an Igloo. The brand new Ian Golds Igloo beach shelter is a different animal that introduces simplicity and speed into a task that few anglers are fond of. The design of the Igloo is largely triangular, and much more efficient than the dome and bubble-shaped alternatives that we previously had to make the best of. When positioned correctly, the angular shape not only serves to cut the wind, it also ensures that rain slides straight off and cannot gather in heavy puddles on top of the structure.It is important to stress that the Igloo that Planet Sea Fishing had for trialling was an advance sample, and the finished production model benefits from a couple of minor design improvements. In its packed state the Igloo measures 7ft in length, and there is no billowing of the cover fabric to add bulk thanks to three Velcro straps that securely wrap the shelter around the top, middle and bottom. The best way to transport the Igloo is in a zip-up rod carrier rather than a quiver type. A zip carrier allows the Igloo to be placed internally and thereafter easily removed; thus avoiding potential damage to rods sharing the same space. Quivers are not ideal as both the shelter and rod rest have to be strapped to the outside to avoid rod scarring and busted guides. I found that two rods and an Igloo easily fitted inside the small Ian Golds rod carrier, while I am assured that at least three rods and two Igloos are swallowed by the large rod carrier.Up in a flashAs the video shows, erecting the Igloo is a piece of cake. There are two or three different working orders to getting the shelter set up - all are fine - but this is the one that I favour. Lay it flat on the beach and undo the three straps. Ensure that the open end is facing upwards, and kick the sides out into an open ‘V’ shape. Step to the left-hand side, reach down to pull up the front of the fabric cowl and the shorter roof strut/pole. Place the unattached end of this pole into the receiving bracket joint inside the cowl and press down towards the ground – an audible click will be heard and felt as the connection makes. Now step into the front area, pulling up the canopy and the longer, loose back strut/pole. Place the free end of the pole into the rear roof bracket junction and push to lock it into place – if you listen carefully, this connection can be heard ‘clicking’ securely together on the video. From un-strapping the Igloo to getting it fully upright takes around 15 seconds… a far cry from the tribulations of other shelters. Conversely, the Igloo can be collapsed even more quickly.A framework of eight one-piece alloy poles is secured with standard Nylock nuts and covered with hard-wearing waterproof fabric. The frame is held together via front and back roof junction plates, a rear floor plate and further swivel-plates that tie the poles at the front. All seams and edges are taped and weather-tight. Generous fabric skirts run the full length of both sides, with the Velcro wrapping straps stitched to the facing right-hand skirt.Securing the shelter on a shingle beach, or one fringed by copious amounts of loose dry sand is a straightforward matter of scooping enough material onto the skirts to nail it to the floor. I tested the Igloo on a beach of hard compacted damp sand and immediately realised that I had a problem weighting the shelter down. The sand was too hard to scrape with my feet and a sure recipe for broken ankles. And I had neglected to take an empty bucket for the purpose. I would have given much for a little plastic spade at that point and committed the thought to memory. Thankfully it wasn’t too windy; I anchored the thing by pulling the skirts inside and dumping my gear on top of them... like you might do on a pier or breakwater.How big is it?Make no mistake about it this is a big shelter, and actual size perspective can be lost in a product photograph that doesn’t offer a scale comparison. Fully extended the width across the front opening is 245cm or a little over 8ft. Height at the front peak is 170cm or 5 ½ ft tall, with a front-to-back depth of 6ft. All told, that is enough room to envelop two anglers and all their clutter. At 8.5 lbs / 3.85 kilos the Igloo isn’t lightweight, but it is certainly no heaver than the current crop of popular beach shelters.Three little Velcro retainers are stitched centrally along the top of each side panel outside. These take spare rods which might otherwise be left on the ground for careless feet to tread on. There’s a stitched-in webbing lug at the rear to tug the material straight should it start to ride up the frame, and a carrying strap is attached. Something of interest to tournament casters and anglers fishing from grassy banks is the production Igloo includes a set of three sturdy plastic ground-pegs which are attached to the unit via cords. There are also plans to produce various Igloo-specific fishing accessories.Price and availabilityThe Ian Golds Igloo is available now in red, blue and black, but stocks are limited and anglers are advised to get off their mark. A camouflage version is also in the pipeline. The Igloo retails at £99.99 and is available from stockists of Ian Golds products. Ian Golds can also be contacted directly, tel: 02392 486922. Beach shelters, Lead Feature 2009-12-11T16:10:22+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/rig-winder-storage http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/rig-winder-storage#When:16:04:27Z Rig winders are great for holding light rigs that habitually tangle into infuriating balls of fuzz if packed ‘loose’ in standard rig wallets. Here are two products from Tronix and Ian Golds that solve the problems of carrying and organising a sensible amount of foam winders… Tronix Rig Winder BoxMore than a year ago PSF ran a review on the excellent Tronix rig winders which suggested that some kind of compact storage box or rig organiser was high on anglers’ wish lists. Tronix got in touch to discuss the idea and soon delivered the Tronix rig winder box. This simple rectangular four-compartment box measures 30cm X 12cm, and houses 20 X 6.5cm standard winders comfortably. Various small items like packets of hooks or swivels, spools of Amnesia and bait elastic etc. can all be tucked neatly into this box, keeping them to hand when fishing. Made from tough clear plastic, the hinged box is hardwearing and not prone to cracking when dropped. The lid is secured by strong plastic snap-latches.Tronix Winder Box price: £4.50 from VealsTronix Winder price: £2.93 for 10 from VealsMore stockists are listed on the Tronix website____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Ian Golds Rig & Spool CaseAnother excellent rig and bits storage option is the Rig & Spool Case produced by Ian Golds. These padded fabric winder/spool holders are multi-functional and slot neatly into dead spaces in box-seats or rucksacks as if by magic. Ian Golds cases hold 10 Tronix winders each and are perfect for carrying spools of snood line and shockleader, as well packets of mackerel feathers. These well made cases fasten with Velcro and come in different colours… that’s handy when it comes to identifying different sets of rigs at a glance.Price and availability from Ian Golds, tel: 02392 486922 Tackle storage, Luggage, Lead Feature 2009-12-11T16:04:27+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-10-12-09 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-10-12-09#When:14:26:08Z Last Saturday there was a good turn out of local and anglers from around the country to fish the Les Intress Memorial match. The tuned out showed just how much Les is sadly missed by the angling scene.The match was organised by Humber SAC and fished on the Humber Bank Wall. The weather was not kind, the rain never stopped all night it was certainly a good test for the waterproofs. The match was pegged along Courtaulds Straight up to the shallows. As the match started there was little water at the shallow end and the gloopy mud claimed the gear of a few anglers including well known local angler Dave Shorthouse.Fish were scarce but the winner, Garry Hutson, weighed in three fish for 6lb 10oz which included the biggest cod of the night a 5lb 13oz fish. Runner-up was PSF correspondant Tony Burman with eight fish for 4lb 10oz followed by Adie Cooper in third and fourth placed Dave Shorthouse. There was a three way tie for the biggest flatfish between Wayne Sumner, Karl Nangle and Tony.The club’s Christmas match is this Sunday, fishing at the Wood. Meet at the waste land at 12.15pm. The fishing times are 13.30 to 5.30pm. The presentation of prizes will be held at the Haven after the match.The Cleethorpes Angling Centre's mid-week matches drew to a close last week. This year it was very close run thing with the title going down to the wire. Simon Drayton was two points adrift and had to have a good result on the night to catch John Atkinson. John was in top form for the match and he landed eighteen fish for 346 cm which gave him top spot both on the night and in the league. Second in the match was Richard Leek with seventeen fish measuring 342 cm followed by Geoff hill with 197cms for third place. The best three anglers for the year were John Atkinson, Simon Drayton and Dave Burr. Reckitt’s SAC were in action last Saturday , there were no cod caught , conditions were perfect . The match weights were made up of flatfish and whiting., mostly from the northern beaches. Super League winner was Chris Wray a with 6.06kg bag comprising fourteen whiting and four flats. Second placed Chris Mack weighed in 6.03kg and John Levesley in third had 5.69kg. In the Premier League it was Rob Neale with 3.93kg who lead the field, in second Pete Fenby had 2.61kg and third place went to Brian Mackenzie .This Saturday it is the Yorkshire Angling Trust's AGM to decide whether the division is to carry on.  The venue is the Tiger Inn at Beverly and the time is 14.00hrs if you want to keep the division or if you do not go and voice your opinion on Saturday.  Last Sunday’s boat match was called off last weekend and has been rescheduled for this coming Sunday. This is the match against Boston, it is a lower tide and makes for marks available for all the anglers. East England 2009-12-10T14:26:08+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/fox-conqueror-multi-match-beach-rod http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/fox-conqueror-multi-match-beach-rod#When:07:30:58Z With three interchangeable tips, a rash of rings and a raft of fishing applications, the Fox Conqueror Multi Match is a surf rod that doesn't conform to tired standards. Steve Souter takes to the beach and puts this clever 16ft beanstalk of a rod to the test...Most shore rods are easy to catergorise and conveniently stream into bass rods, rough ground rods, long range match rods etc without much pause. Others, like the Conqueror Multi Match from the FOX Sea range don’t follow routines. The Conqueror is a 16ft/5 metre, three-piece rod with three colour-coded push-in tips with a general 2 – 5 oz casting rating. Rod sections are equal in length, with the top section length assumed to be with a tip in situ. Supplied in a tough waterproof fabric partitioned rod bag, the Conqueror doesn’t come with a reducer.Genuine Fuji guides are fitted throughout… and there is no shortage of them. 8 double-legs and 3 single legs at the top dress the blank, while a further 5 single legs and tip guide are common to each of the interchangeable tips. For those whose arithmetic is a bit suspect, that’s almost twice as many as a standard shore multiplier rod, and a grand total of 17 rings!Rigid reel mountThe handle area of butt section is covered with a metre of shrunk rubber material which affords excellent grip to wet or bait smeared hands. A FOX slide-lok adjustable screw reel fitting is supplied and this was of particular interest as I have spent years grumbling about the limitations and down right ineffectiveness of these types of devices. The real seat consists of two threaded plastic hoods that attach to a central tubular body at either end. Secure positioning on the rod handle is achieved by tightening the hoods down on the reel foot, which clamps down on strategically cut slotted voids in the fitting; thus forcing a degree of compression and gripping to the blank. Sounds all very good but to date I had not come across any such fitting that delivers what it promises.The problem doesn’t lie with standard small 7HT or 6500 multipliers reels, which hold securely enough, it’s larger reels that make a mockery of similar reel fittings because they torque in use, causing the fitting to shift. The first thing I did was grab a big fixed spool reel and screw it into place. I then proceeded to apply considerable force to the reel handle in an attempt to prove that the FOX reel fitting would be prone to the same failings as those that had gone before… the thing didn’t budge. I could believe it, and set about maniacally wrenching the reel this way and that, but it remained solid. Determined, I swapped the fixed spool for a chunky Daiwa Saltist 30H and despite wrestling like a man possessed, couldn’t get that to shift either. There is also an alternative trigger-grip hood supplied for multiplier users.Tip test curvesRough textures hand-grasps sit above the two intermediate male section spigots to facilitate easier pulling apart. All female joint sections are reinforced with thread whippings. Hi-vis fluoro paint identifies the three push-in carbon tips. Two spare tips are housed inside the butt, and held securely in a foam retainer glued into the butt cap.The lightest, most sensitive tip is coloured green towards the tip guide, with the middle tip in yellow, and the heaviest/stiffest coloured orange. Each tip also carries a rating in grams that equates to test curvature in comparative carp fishing terms. More or less, 250g = ½ test curve, 500g = 1lb test curve and 750g = 1 ½lb test curve. Crucially a Gemini Genie Clip will pass through the tip guides without snagging but the alternative, larger Breakaway Fastlink will not.Fit for fixed spoolThis isn’t the kind of rod to cope with big seas, rough ground or weedy conditions. The Conqueror aptly services short range and middle distance work over clean beach venues not swept by strong tides. A stiff butt and surprisingly stern middle section give way to a more supplicant top section housing the push-in tip. Although the numerous rings are desirable to channel clean line flow along 16ft of blank, something that confounds me is the Conqueror is rung for multiplier. Why? Rods for dedicated fixed spool application do not come more obvious than this and the ring configuration is a mystery.Although ‘low reel’ is an option, this is uncomfortable given the rod length and lack of a reducer. The Conqueror’s application and aspect define it as ‘high reel’ fixed spool rod. But whatever the user’s preference there is a real temptation to remove that first guide which serves to hinder particularly fixed spool line travel. The Conqueror can easily be married to the largest fixed spools but I chose the Daiwa Tournament ISO 5000QD fixed spool reel with 20lb braid and tapered carp leader for test purposes. I started with a 4oz lead on the lightest (green) tip.Overhead casting onlyA simple, slow overhead punt and high release saw the lead travel well out to sea. 4oz slightly over-gunned the green tip, and switching down to first 3oz, then 2oz felt much more comfortable and defined the lightest tip’s optimum power band. As might be expected there is considerable 'reverb' transmitted down the blank as the cast is released, and tip recovery is as slow as a week in jail. The rod is a wobbly lump of a thing that clip-down, distance obsessed anglers/casters will hate… but this not a rod for them. The most effective cast was to keep the arms high, nudge the lead gently away in a straight line to the tip before turning into the cast. Various casts delivered near identical distances. Attempts to preload the tip by drawing the lead under the rod, or off at right angles to the tip, surrendered all lead control and reduced distances were suffered.The intermediate (yellow) tip blended best with the blank under a 3 – 4oz lead loading, while 4oz was the plumb lead for use with the heavy (orange) tip. It should be noted that the orange tip will handle gentle casting with 5ozs, but if conditions or venues demand yet heavier leads then it is time to change rods.Within these tip/lead bands there was no noticeable difference in the casting distances achieved, which underlines the fact that this is a fishing tool rather than some turbo-charged casting machine. On a plain lead and a simple cast 120 – 130 metres is within anyone’s reach. And indeed 30 – 100 metres is the optimum fishing range for the Conqueror Multi match in my opinion.Launching long rigsThe Conqueror’s quiet beauty lies in its ability to ‘swish’ a very light, long-bodied rig with nightmarishly long snoods out to sea without any tangle or bait-splatter problems. I repeatedly cast a 4m, 0.35mm bodied rig with long 0.25mm snoods 80 – 90 metres without any snood tangles, wind knots or bait explosion. There are not many other rods that can pull this off without time consuming hiccup or even catastrophic incident.Casting such long rigs requires and different approach. The best way is to lay the rig out straight of the sand or shingle, step forward to put taught tension in the line, and cast. Draw sideways on the rod as the lead hits the water to ensure that the snoods hold away from the rig body, before allowing the rig to sink and setting the rod in the rest.Final thoughtsThe Conqueror is unconventional, perhaps ungainly, yet wonderfully responsive and tailored to the thinking match angler. A ‘swisher’ rather than a blaster, the FOX Conqueror is a standout tool for delicate fishing with either a braid or low diameter mono mainline. Light line rigs, scratching boom rigs, and any multi-hook rig that doesn’t require bait clips works well in conjunction with this rod. It overcomes the everyday frustrations of long rigs and easily delivers key fishing distances and unmolested bait presentation.The ring configuration isn’t ideal but it’s not the end of the world, while the adjustable reel fitting works a treat even in locking down a large reel. Bite detection is phenomenal on the lightest tip, and the large guides on the trio of tips help avert breakages associated with clips snagging alternative small tip guides. There is a question over whether three different tips are necessary. My preference would be to have a pair of identical light tips to cover unforeseen breakage and just the heaviest tip. At this point we are unsure if replacement/spare tips can be purchased separately.FOX Conqueror Multi Match retails at £169.99 and is available through FOX dealers. Best price found at publication was £124.99 from reefishing.co.uk Rods, Shore rods, Lead Feature 2009-12-09T07:30:58+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/irish-world-squad-event http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/irish-world-squad-event#When:21:53:44Z Shortly after the Fish-offs a couple of weeks ago Martin Kennedy from Shamrock Tackle and Kit Dunne, Irish Team Member, decided to run an event to raise funds to support the Irish Team travelling to Montenegro next year. It was clear from the time that Montenegro was chosen as the venue for the World Championships in 2010 that it was going to be a costly venture so any sponsorship, particularly in these hard times, would be very welcomed.The competition was held last Saturday out of Cobh harbour. Though the plan was to travel to the “Ling Rocks” just off Kinsale the weather force us to remain inside the harbour. Despite the short notice and the appalling weather we had almost 60 anglers booked in to fish the event. This support was overwhelming and unexpected. However the bad forecast for the day made a good few change their mind; still a very respectable 43 anglers showed on the day to battle the environment and fish in support of the Team. The fishing itself was poor enough. There was a lot of fresh water in the harbour and the weather on the day didn’t disappoint our worst expectations either. During the day it freshened up to a healthy force 8 to 9 with the rain coming down in ways that even the Irish considered it wet! Nevertheless a few fish were caught.In making it a fun event and trying to give everybody a good chance of getting into the prizes the focus was put on quality rather than quantity. First prize was to be given to the angler with the heaviest fish, the second for the longest and the third for most species. There were many more prizes afterwards for the longest fish of each species, best skipper, boat with the best laughter and more. Prizes were exceptionally good and everybody on the pier in the morning assumed that it would need a decent size cod of 6lbs + or a blonde ray to snatch one of the first two prizes.Well, we were all wrong; wrong to an extent that most of the biggest and longest fish were all released without being weighed on shore. Who had expected that an lsd would win this. Dave Jolly released two dogs (both the longest fish of the day) without even thinking that one of them would be in with a chance of being the heaviest fish of the day. He wasn’t the only one but this mistake cost him Euro 500.00 for the first prize. There were still a few codling and whiting with the odd coalie, dab, pouting and poor cod caught but in general the fishing was poor. All anglers were eagerly awaiting 15.00hrs; the time for lines up and the opportunity to get some shelter in the bar of the Bellavista Hotel. This event would have not happened without the very generous support from Kevin, the owner of the Hotel. Not only did he offer a good overnight package, a two course meal for Euro 15.00, plenty of finger food and a couple of spot prizes; he also sponsored a prize worth Euro 1000.00 (a five day all inclusive angling holiday voucher). Needless to say that he also was fishing the event. The Commodore Hotel sponsored the third overall prize.  The skippers supported the event by providing the boats for a big discount (Dony Geary gave a couple of Reels), Martin gave Shamrock tackle. A few other private sponsors, who asked not to be named, discretely supported the event. Each of the team members also came up with some prizes which made the prize table look very impressive.First prize of Euro 500.00 was won by John Cronin for a whiting of 500grm and 40cm length. Dave Jolly’s 67cm lsd won him second prize, one weeks Holiday sponsored by the Bellavista and Pat Wright won the prize for most species. His four species secured him a weekend break for two at the Commodore Hotel. There were too many prizes to list them all but David Lynch’s achievement of winning most species Junior, Doreen Byrne and Sandra O’Shea most species Ladies and Polly Polock for best Newcomer are worth being mentioned.The competition turned out to be a great event thanks to all the anglers taking part, thanks to all the sponsors and in particular thanks to Martin and Kit who managed to get this event organised within a very short timeframe. We are convinced that the turn out would have exceeded 60+ if not more had the weather not been better. It has been suggested by a number of people that this should become an annual event in aid of the Irish Team.  Most outstanding, though, was the atmosphere, the support given by everybody, the comradeship and the interest in the Team representing Ireland.On behalf of the Irish Team I’d like to thank everybody again who were involved in making this event happen and I also would like to wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Boat catches and results 2009-12-08T21:53:44+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/6th-anglesey-boat-angling-festival http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/6th-anglesey-boat-angling-festival#When:21:24:54Z Following a 3 year break 2010 will see the welcome return of the Anglesey Boat Angling Festival. This ever popular event has been missed by many of the participants over the years. Now with a new venue at Holyhead on Anglesey  and a tweak to the format, the festival returns on Bank Holiday Monday 31st  May and Tuesday 01st June and looks set to continue for years to come. As the premier charter boat festival in the whole of Wales, this highly successful event draws in anglers from all 4 corners of the United Kingdom. Run by GO Angling Charter Services, details have recently been released for the 2010 event. Fishing will see the anglers set sail from Holyhead Marina for a variety of species in the hope of being in the running for the cash prize fund exceeding £1200 (all prizes are dependant on entry).The Anglesey Festival has proved to be an overwhelming success. When it all started a few years ago GO Angling was hoping to attract 30 or so anglers, to attract far greater numbers every year was always beyond the wildest dreams. With entries averaging 70 anglers, the 2010 event is hoped to continue the success. What’s pleasing for the organisers is that the re-bookings over the years have come from anglers that finished at either end of the table, showing what a good friendly couple days we all have here. This year’s format has changed slightly from the 1 point per fish. Now anglers will strive to catch fish awarded 1, 2 or 3 points. Once again though, the event is being fished on a catch & release basis.The prize structure offers more anglers the opportunity to ‘catch’ a prize. With a maximum entry the 1st prize in the event is a cool £300, with £200 & £100 for 2nd and 3rd respectively. Each day the league will have 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes of £70, £50 and £30. Boat winner’s prizes of £25 are also on offer.You can download a pdf of the entry form, rules etc here Boat catches and results 2009-12-08T21:24:54+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-04-12-09 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-04-12-09#When:21:22:35Z The Daiwa Open held on Sunday 29th November saw the successful completion of this ever popular competition for the 26th year. Despite the horrendous forecast 625 anglers entered for the event. competing. Forecast for the day was initially horrendous with an east / north east gale on the cards we thought numbers would be well down on previous years. The weather duly hit in the morning with gales, torrential rain, hail and thunder and lightning pounding the unfortunate anglers. One angler reported a lightning hit on his rod during the thunder storm. Things did settle down a bit in the afternoon and a flurry of fish appeared late on in the match to give a decent weigh-in with cod, bass and whiting making up the prize list. Top fish of the day came from the River at Ringborough just as the weather improved, a cod of 3.485kg taken by E. Spicer. Thanks from Paul Jefferson, Nick Marshall and Rob Neale to all the people and organisations for helping us make this happen again , to name a few John Stevenson of Northfield Caravan Site, members of Commercial SAC who stewarded the event on the day, Daiwa Sports, Hull Angling Centre, Top Sport of Withernsea, Georges Tackle of Grimsby, A+D Tackle and Tri-Star Angling. Daiwa Open 2009 Results 1st - E. Spicer  -  3.485kg  Cod - £2500 2nd - A.Fowler  -  2.485kg  Cod - £1200 3rd - J. Mercer  -  2.145kg  Cod - £800 4th - N Robinson  -  1.965kg  Cod - £500 5th - A Thompson  -  1.955kg  Cod - £300 6th - R Leighton  -  1.930kg  Cod - £200 Ladies                                                                          1st - A Elliot - £50 and Daiwa Rod                           2nd - D Cannon - Daiwa FS Reel Juniors Jordan Wray - Daiwa Rod Biggest Whiting Callum Richardson    0.715kg - £50                             Biggest Flatfish R Leighton  0.375kg Flounder  - £50 On the Saturday before the main event the Daiwa Junior event was fished with twenty-eight Juniors in attendance for this free pegged match. Despite cold and wet conditions which also saw a heavy swell all of the under 16s last the duration and found some fish. Although catches were down on previous years the kids found sport with whiting, flounders, dabs, coalfish and a couple of bass. All of the entrants enjoyed the day and each received tackle prizes regardless of catch. This Saturday sees the Les Intress Memorial Match.This match is an open and every one is welcome. It is £15 to fish and the fishing times are 17.30 to 21.30hrs. Meet at the Tioxide Pavilion gate. Hopefully there will be some decent fish about and also a good turnout. This Sunday is the grudge match between Boston Pirates and the HCA boat angling section but the weather may put paid to this keenly contested event. The match is cod only and the Pirates will be looking for revenge for last year’s defeat. East England 2009-12-07T21:22:35+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/alderney-report-december-2009 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/alderney-report-december-2009#When:15:35:10Z I'm grinning from ear to ear at the thought of having to write an angling report for Alderney. I could give you full details on a weather report and tell you how many millions of gallons have washed over the 50 foot high Breakwater but I won’t for fear of frightening you off this excellent venue.Joking aside the weather here has been atrocious, the worst I’ve known since my arrival 6 years ago. The biggest problem is not only the strength but the direction of the wind. Most of the weather has come from the south west which once it attains speeds of over 30 mph it is hitting the ‘pointed’ end of the island thus squeezing wind, waves and swell on both the north and south sides, leaving very little protection even in the lee. Despite the weather there has been fishing taking place. The best of it has been plugging for bass. It is an easy option with Alderney’s accessible coastline providing access to some cracking marks. The active pluggers are catching up to six fish in a session and even in the harshest conditions one or two fish are being landed. The best plug caught fish recently was a cracker of 8lb 2oz for local lad Chris Eastwood. Chris is enthusiastic with his angling and the bass and mullet are his two quarries. Mullet have been about with fish to just under 6lb caught. Occasions to target them have been rare as the mullet will always move off to deeper water if they can’t find any sanctuary close to the battered shoreline. However they are quick to return when the seas calm down and around Alderney we are very lucky as the tides flatten the seas almost immediately when the wind drops. I snatched a day in the kayak on a very calm sunny day to go plugging recently. Mullet were jumping all around the ‘yak as I paddled out. Thinking I had chosen the wrong target fish I was rewarded well with fifteen bass on the plug, fantastic! I could have targeted either species as the mullet stayed in view all day. Next day we had gale force winds, I went to the coastline to watch the mullet jump in the bay, not a fish seen!There have been one or two good red mullet landed to worm baits. Signs are that the general run of fish this year could be above average as most fish caught so far are weighing in at over the pound mark. Sole are another specimen target at this time of year and there have been a couple of 3lb fish caught. Steve Ace and James Madsen visiting from Bristol had those two cracking fish. The worm baits put down for these species also catch plenty of bass at night too. Tope have come close to the shoreline as well but opportunities to fish for them have been rare in the heavy swell. Best fish fell to Gary Tucker of Devon. Congers to 38lb have been landed as well and one or two bull huss. I can’t stress how little fishing has been done at night so these fish have been special to see. Our black bream fishing hasn’t been so good though, neither in numbers nor the quality. During the past couple of years anglers have caught well on the float, terrific sport with fish to 4lb and more but this year it is a struggle to find them over 2lb. Still great sport, but obviously a little disappointing given the high expectations; sometimes we’re not realistic in our thinking. Night outings have produced fish too with gilthead bream one of the favoured species. These fish are showing more frequently around the island and peeler crab is the main bait for fish to 3lb. Like the couches bream, which we have seen a few, they are terrific scrappers.Next years festival dates have been set and the week from 2nd to 9th October can be entered in your diary. Time to get flights sorted whilst cheap ones are available and get your accommodation booked. If you need help with this or help with car hire then get in touch. In the meantime, this is the last report before Christmas, Fieona and I would like to wish you all a very merry one and a prosperous new year. Thanks for reading the reports, they’re a pleasure to do and thank you to all of you that spend your angling hours and heard earned cash on this small island. Merry Christmas. Channel Islands 2009-12-07T15:35:10+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-07-12-09 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-07-12-09#When:14:31:52Z The biggest seas of the winter so far last weekend were welcomed by everyone, and brought an immediate, though short lived improvement to shore fishing. Some nice specimen cod were landed among mixed double figure bags. The sheltered marks fished best when the sea was at its heaviest, with the North Gare, Middleton and Pilot piers at Hartlepool, Rathouse Corner in the Wear, and the sheltered marks in the lower Tyne all producing cod to 6lb together with some specimen whiting to 2lb. Tuesday was the top day to get out when the sea had flattened off with all of the Hartlepool marks producing good numbers of cod to 8lb. Bob Coates fished a local pier on the Monday and reported several cod up to 7½lb on worm baits. Calmer seas towards the end of the week saw few of these bigger fish about but an outside north westerly swell kept some movement on the sea and smaller cod, quality whiting and some fat winter dabs were all out in force, with the beaches and low water marks easily outfishing the piers. The heavy seas had also washed plenty of bait out and those anglers in the right place at the right time were rewarded with lots of razor clams to collect.Those club matches fished at the right time saw some excellent weigh ins. Eleven out of twenty-three had fish in a Seaton Sluice A.C. match with winner Barry Tweddle having eight fish for 14lb 9oz, P. Stephenson had four for 13lb 12oz for second, R. Forrest in third had seven for 11 – 12lb and Chris Guthrie finished fourth with seven for 11lb 7oz.A Tynemouth Winter League match saw twelve out of twenty-five weigh in. Dave Hayley had three cod for 9lb 2oz from Slatey Gut for top spot while second placed Steve Harper landed four for 5lb 7oz from the Pipe End and Shaun Blake had two cod and a coalie for 5lb 5oz from Tynemouth beach. The  heaviest fish went to Marty Elliott with a cod of 3lb 15oz.Cleadon A.C. had another good weigh in with twelve out of thirty-six landing mixed bags of cod and coalfish, mainly from the rock edges. Neil Cutler was well ahead with five cod for 18lb 10oz, which included the excellent heaviest fish of 8lb 10oz taken from Whitburn. Martin Bayley had two cod for 8lb 11oz also Whitburn to fill second spot. In third place Steve Elliott had three for 7lb 2oz and John Newcombe finished in fourth with two fish weighing 3lb 13oz from the Tyne.A  brilliant turn out at the Bedlington Station Open on Sunday saw eighty-four out of two hundred and seventy weigh in a total of 410lb of fish. Winner of the heaviest bag was S. Robinson with nine fish for 13lb 13oz taking the £750 top prize. Runner-up Ritchie Howe weighed in five fish for 11½lb just ahead of Paul Westmoreland with eight fish for 11lb 4oz. Gary Pye took fourth place with five fish for 10lb 11oz and Mark Bailey had the heaviest fish with a cod of 8lb 11oz.The popular Amble Open is on Sunday January 3rd fishing from 9am till 1pm between Seahouses Pier and Lynemouth Pipe, all piers and rivers excluded except that disabled anglers may fish Amble Pier accompanied by their registered partner. Basic entry is £12 for all classes which includes the  heaviest fish sweep. Register at the Radcliffe Club Amble from 7am till 9am, weigh in from 1pm till 2pm at the same venue. Top prizes for the heaviest bag are £600, £300, £150, heaviest fish £400, £200, £150. Heaviest flatfish £150, £100, £50, ladies £50, £30, £20, with a supporting prize table worth £3000. Anglers are reminded to keep any flatfish alive for returning and stewards will be in attendance to ensure that no litter is left behind. Bait can be ordered from The Amble Angling Centre, contact Norma on 01665-711200. North East England 2009-12-07T14:31:52+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/blocking-out-reel-corrosion http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/blocking-out-reel-corrosion#When:21:15:43Z Quick investigation of many new shore and boat reels often reveals insufficient internal grease to keep corrosion at bay. Des Westmore has said as much for ages and shows how to ensure than a brand new reel is ready to cope with life in the saltwater environment ...Visitors to PSF digital magazine who have read my reel reviews will be aware that I often rant about how many brand spanking new reels are inadequately greased at the factories. This serial oversight fails to adequately equip reels to resist corrosion ravages should saltwater get inside the reel, as it surely will sooner or later. Take a typical brand new reel like the Daiwa Saltist shown here (below) for example. Without adequate internal protection, saltwater ingress will quickly cause it to look more like the worse-for-wear Shimano Trinidad in the next picture.  Any reel is susceptible to deterioration in the absence of adequate internal protection, and I am not singling out brands in my examples. Component quality does make a difference however, but ultimately the only difference between top quality and cheaper internals is how long they take to degrade.Corrosion Block spray and grease productsIn this feature I’ll detail the required materials and explain how to protect your brand new reel straight out of the box without fuss or the need for a complete strip-down. WD40 spray needs no introduction, but in my opinion there are better products available. My reasoning is that while WD40 is great for displacing moisture it doesn’t possess a particularly high lubricant content. An excellent alternative is GT85. This aerosol product displaces water and contains PTFE which bonds to the surface of the metal and provides ongoing lubrication. GT85 is inexpensive at around £3.00 a can. Alternatively, keen motorcyclists may be familiar with a similar more expensive product called ACF-50 manufactured by Lear Chemical Research Corp. in the USA. Discussion with this company led me to a derivative product called ‘Corrosion Block’ which is specifically formulated or use in saltwater environments. Corrosion Block comes in a pressurised aerosol or in handy sized pump dispenser, and without getting all technical about how it actually works, let me just say that it is the best substance for staving off internal real corrosion that I have come across to date.As well as the spray product, there is also ‘Corrosion Block’ grease which is an anti-corrosion compound and fully waterproof with EP (extreme pressure) additives. These additives ensure that the molecules of the grease are not squeezed out of the way when two surfaces come together under high forces. I have used these products for a few months and am more than happy with their integrity and performance. It goes without saying that the best way to avoid corrosion is for the salt water not to get in your reel in the first place. This is totally impossible in practise but to help I would recommend purchasing one of the many neoprene covers that are available from a number of manufacturers. Don’t store your reel in it but keep it covered up whenever practical especially when you are underway or when the rod is in the rod rack. It is these times that the reel is most at risk from salt spray which will find a way to penetrate.Tyrnos treatmentTypically, anglers are reluctant to dismantle a brand new reel of complex design, such as Shimano’s two-speed Tyrnos, (above and below) but most boat and shore multiplier reels are reels are fairly simple in their construction. Corrosion Block can help as it only requires a film a few microns thick to be effective and it works into gaps between components that would typically harbour a damaging salt build up. In all the photographs, I have deliberately applied the Corrosion Block generously so that it can be seen easily. In reality this is too thick and it would be better to wipe it around with a cloth or brush. One word of caution, because this product penetrates so well always have the drag clamped up tight when applying Corrosion Block. Afterwards, store the reel with some drag pressure still applied … something like 25% of full pressure. This stops contaminants of any form getting between the drag plates by capillary action. At one time it was recommended to back the drag off completely but this was in the days of felt and leather drag washers which would compact and harden if the drag was left on.Starting with the handle, the two-speed control buttons are perfect places for salt to build up and they also require lubrication for smooth operation. Corrosion Blocks tends to foam on application which helps it penetrate. The Tyrnos has a ratcheting drag quadrant typical of many lever drag reels. Apply the Corrosion Block along the gap between the quadrant and the sideplate and then smear the excess all over the front of the plate. Corrosion Block should also be applied to all screw heads. Ideally, slacken the crew half a turn before application to ensure it reaches the threads as well as under the head. Between the reel foot and the frame is a corrosion hotspot, even more so when the reel foot is stainless steel and the frame is aluminium alloy. Corrosion Block grease can be applied to such things as the pillars for the rod clamps and also the nuts or screws on the clamps themselves.Behind the sideplatesIf you are confident to take the reel apart then a lot can be accomplished by just taking the sideplates off, as shown above with an Okuma Catalina. Apply Corrosion block, either the spray or the grease to the internal surfaces.  Also apply it to the drive train mechanisms and springs. If the gears look dry and are accessible, apply grease to them. If the reel has a levelwind, applying the corrosion block spray to the worm will ensure that the bearings or bushes at either end are also lubricated and protected. Finally, lubricate any ball races with a couple of drops of good quality oil. There are a number on the market but the one sold by Penn is very good ,and there are also a lot of waterproof synthetic oils sold for use on mountain bikes. I use Reel-X as a rule, which is difficult to find in the UK but can be found on the internet. All reels are a bit different, but this basic approach covers most situations. The worst thing anyone can do is leaving reels covered in salt water, festering away between trips. Wash reels thoroughly after each trip with plenty of fresh water, but not water under pressure as this drives salt inside the reel rather than washing it off. I either use a plant atomiser, or if I am outside, a spray gun on my garden hose on the ‘mist’ setting. Again have the drag screwed up tight when doing this. Afterwards, the reel should then be left somewhere warm to dry out. Apart from the occasional re-application of Corrosion Block or oil in the bearings, that’s it.A follow-up feature will look at how Corrosion Block can help to deal with reels that have been neglected to the point of failure, and also a complete strip-down and re-assembly.For more information on corrosion block go to www.corrosionblock.co.uk Lead Feature, Tackle care & maintenance 2009-12-06T21:15:43+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/destination-san-diego http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/destination-san-diego#When:21:10:04Z Des Westmore fancied doing something just a bit different, and took the whole family to San Diego on the Mexico/US border where they fished for yellowtail and bonito ... and fed a few hungry pelicans!San Diego has often made the news for less than alluring reasons over the last couple of years. Summer wildfires raged out of control, destroying homes and businesses with damage running into millions of dollars, and many people were left homeless. Ironically, one of the main draws to San Diego is its consistency of climate, which remains in the seventies of Fahrenheit most of the year, with low annual rainfall. Temperatures soar only on rare occasions, chiefly when easterly winds called Santa Ana’s bring hot, dry air from the inland deserts. It was these winds that fanned the flames of the recent terrible fires.San Diego sits just about on the USA/Mexico border at the southernmost tip of California. From a UK angler’s perspective Los Angeles and San Francisco tend to hog the limelight as West Coast destinations, but I believe San Diego beats both as a holiday destination as there is plenty for the whole family to enjoy. And there is, of course, some excellent and diverse fishing for visiting anglers to lose themselves in.The destination offers four main types of boat fishing trip. There the big ‘party boats’ that usually undertake twice daily scheduled, operating a fixed price per head arrangement. Boats such as the ‘Dolphin’, go from 06.00 to 11.30 and 12.30 to 17.30, and charge around $40.00 per angler. The boat is licensed for 149 people … you won’t find that many bodies on the trip but they do get pretty crowded. These excursions offer excellent value for money, but are aimed more towards casual holiday anglers or those on a strict budget. Then there are the ‘Six pack’ boats, so called because they generally take a maximum of six anglers. These craft can be anything from 26 feet - 65 feet long with a fly-bridge.There’s also more specialist long range blue water fishing trips that tap into truly world class tuna fishing for example. These could be one to five-day affairs and may take you six hundred miles down the Mexican coast. The ‘Pacific Star’ runs trips like this, which may cost over $20,000 for the charter. It sounds expensive but groups of up to 25 anglers can go, and meals and berthing are included in the price. Much as I would have loved to indulge in this type of adventure, it would not have been well suited to a family outing.Guided fishingI opted for the final option - fishing with a guide in a fast open boat up to around 25 feet in length, with a party of two or three anglers. My guide was Kelvin Nettleton whose business is ‘La Jolla fishing’ (pronounced La Hoya). He offers two types of small boat trip, fishing the La Jolla kelp beds and the San Diego bay areas. Group trips are aboard ‘Jasara’, a 23’ Sea Pro which is kept at a dock. Various trip options are available but a six-hour charter costs $450 with a maximum of four anglers. Alternatively, Kelvin offers single angler trips on ‘The Flare”, a smaller beach launched boat. A six-hour trip costs $250, but there are shorter trip packages (two hours minimum) at $75/hour.A six-hour trip aboard Jasara with my wife and daughter was arranged. We met Kelvin at 06.30 at the impressive marina. The weather however let something to be desired. While the desert may bring those warm Santa Ana winds, onshore breezes often give rise to a fog termed the ‘marine layer’, which bring temperatures down and make for gloomy conditions.Once underway, our first stop was to get bait. Live-bait is big business in San Diego, and there are lots of huge pens floating in the harbour holding sardines and anchovies. The bait office is more a hut situated on top of the pen, and it’s a simple matter of pulling the boat alongside and filling the tanks with bait fish. As the covers came off the pen, the ever vigilant pelicans chanced hoping for a free feed. The pelicans were on any dropped fish in a flash, and protective netting was kept in place to stop the birds diving into the tank. We ordered ‘two scoops’ for our day out, but the long-range boats can order four-hundred scoops which must give the pelicans plenty of scope for a freebie. With bait aboard we cut out into San Diego bay.Kelvin decided to start the session trolling Rapalas - ‘dragging’ as it is referred to locally. Our intended species would be yellowtail, a hard fighting fish of the amberjack family, though we would probably also catch bonito, which are of the tuna group. Kelvin set up two rods so that the drag setting was just overcoming the considerable pull on the lure caused by a fast trolling speed. The Dolphin party boat was close by, and I could see them throwing in copious amounts of fish-attracting chum. Unfortunately the chum also attracts sea lions, which definitely do not help the fishing.Yellowtail for a pink princessThe combination of marine layer gloom and the speed of the troll made for quite chilly conditions, so I was relieved when one the ratchets screamed impressively. Kelvin shut the engine and handed the offending rod to my daughter Bronwyn, as it had been agreed that she would take the first hook-up. It was clear that Bronwyn would need some help as a very strong fish made straight the sanctuary of the kelp beds. Kelvin helped and between them they turned the fish. Bronwyn did the rest and soon steered a fine 10lb yellowtail to the side of the boat. We had bagged our target species, but I couldn’t help but worry that we had peaked too early.Our next trolling run had only just begun when the ratchet betrayed another searing run. My wife Marilyn is no mean angler and had this one quickly under control despite the fish making several powerful streaks against the drag. This fish not in the same league as Bronwyn’s and turned out to be a fine bonito of around four pounds. Things were looking good for fish but the next run proved quiet. Kelvin had hoped that as the sun rose in the sky, it would burn off the marine layer which would make for better conditions. This wasn’t the case and the fog remained all day.We switched to live baits. I assembled a combo that I had brought with me from the UK: a six-piece Greys 10-20lb Excursion rod and an Okuma Catalina reel spooled up with 20lb Fireline Crystal to 40lb Seaguar fluorocarbon leader. The technique was to fish on the drift and free-line the live bait – no weight or float is used. Line is stripped off the reel by hand to get the live bait away from the boat, while the reel is left in free spool with the ratchet on. Panic signalsWith live bait fishing it is the panicking of the bait fish that signals something is about to happen. This is followed by a whole lot of messing about as the predator turns and swallows the bait. The final stage is a superb ratchet run as the fish makes for the horizon with its meal. It is at this stage that the reel is thrown into gear to set the hook, and it is important to let the run really get going to ensure a solid hook up. It wasn’t long before I went through this sequence events and locked horns with my first fish of the trip. A strong fight ensued, with a string of long, shallow runs indicative of a bonito. The signals were true and a well conditioned 6lb bonito was soon mine. If you have never encountered a bonito close up, lets just the impressive teeth are proper finger-shredders and unhooking is best achieved with pliers.  My gear had performed well but I noticed that braid was not as well suited to free-lining as the mono that Kelvin used on his Quantum reels. Because there was so little tension on the line, it did not bed down as well as mono and then, when a fish ran, the now taught braid was digging into itself on the spool and snagging. We carried on fishing, and we had loads more fun with bonito, but no more yellowtail were taken. The regular action suddenly went quiet. A sea lion popped its head up behind the boat then gave us the opportunity to have a good look as it circled and dived. Bronwyn thought this was fantastic and was quite miffed when Kelvin fired up the engine and moved away.The sea lion dodging shift proved a good call. We encountered more hard-fighting bonito before moving three miles close inshore to try for a calico or spotted bass in the heart of the La Jolla kelp beds. The method here was to cast shads into the massive fronds of kelp that moved spookily in the tide. We had no luck among the jungle of kelps but arrived at the dock still buoyed by the experiences of earlier in the day. Our remaining live bait was fed to the gluttonous pelicans that caught and swallowed everything Marilyn and Bronwyn threw with gusto. Travel and trip informationSan Diego has its own airport but there are few direct international flights. We flew with Virgin Atlantic to Los Angeles LAX airport. Because the flight was 12 hours, we spent the night at the Radisson hotel at LAX, undertaking the two hour drive on to San Diego the next morning. All the big names like Alamo, Dollar and Hertz have depots there.In San Diego we stayed at the Handlery hotel, which is in Mission Valley. Although not right on the coast, it’s just 10 minutes drive from the fishing docks, and an excellent location for getting around San Diego where there’s plenty to do and see. The Handlery hotel is used by Virgin Holidays and Expedia. Kelvin Nettleton can be contacted at www.lajollafishing.com  Boat, Lead Feature, World fishing 2009-12-06T21:10:04+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/scrabster-trip-on-the-silverline-5-12-09 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/scrabster-trip-on-the-silverline-5-12-09#When:12:26:33Z A text to Billy Farquahar on Friday night to ask how the fishing had been resulted in a day out at sea yesterday. I joined a group of young lads from Invergordon and one of our local juniors aboard my favourite Scrabster charter boat, Silverline in search of a few cod.A strong south easterly wind meant that the best chance of shelter and reasonable fishing would be on the west side of Dunnet Head. Billy soon had the Silverline set up on a drift off Rough Head and from the off the lads found a steady stream of cod and pollack to 7lb.Despite the youngsters being trout and pike anglers, only two of them had boat fished before, they coped brilliantly with the fast drift. Shop bought giant hokeye lures baited with frozen mackerel and sprats produced the cod together with a few small ling and a couple of lurid coloured cuckoo wrasse.Fishing with the usual Scrabster uptide casting pirk gear produced strings of shoal pollack with the largest fish around the 6lb mark. A switch to shads produced and excellent average size of cod with fish hammering into Norway sized lures, hopped close to the seabed, with abandon. One of the highlights of the day occurred shortly after one of the crew was smashed in mid-water; a porbeagle estimated at around 200lb breached the surface 3 metres from the side of the boat.A great day out in trying conditions. Boat catches and results, Scotland 2009-12-06T12:26:33+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/marine-conservation-zones-coming-soon-to-south-west-england http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/marine-conservation-zones-coming-soon-to-south-west-england#When:17:44:23Z The Marine and Coastal Access Act introduces a new national designation for marine protection - Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs). MCZs must be identified and designated in the seas around England, to help create a coherent network of marine protected areas by 2012. New Marine Conservation Zones and existing designations: European Marine Sites, Marine Nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest, will make up the network of marine protected areas. No Marine Conservation Zones have been proposed yet but sea angling is one the activities that could be restricted in certain ways by MCZs. For example, some sites may become no-take zones in order to meet conservation targets, therefore it is important that you know how you can influence these decisions now, before they have been made. Four projects have been set up around England to work with sea anglers and other sea users to decide where these zones should go and what level of protection they should have. These projects are: Finding Sanctuary in the south-west, Balanced Seas in the south-east, Net Gain for the North Sea and Irish Sea Conservation Zones for the Irish Sea. Sea angling is recognised as an important activity in the south-west and with a detailed knowledge of local marks and fish ecology, sea anglers will play a vital role in developing ideas for MCZs, ensuring they protect key areas such as spawning and nursery grounds. In the south-west, Finding Sanctuary has brought together sea anglers, divers, commercial fishermen, sailors, conservationists, scientists and many other marine stakeholders on its Steering Group. The Steering Group is responsible for drawing the lines on maps – deciding where MCZs should be placed and what level of protection they should have. The level of protection given to each MCZ will be decided on a case by case basis. The Steering Group will make its recommendations to Government in June 2011 and the final decision lies with the Ministers. We have several liaison officers collecting information from sea anglers about which areas of sea they use, so that we can create a map of sea angling activity around the south-west. Accurate information about where sea angling takes place in the region is essential, as this is the information that the sea angling representatives on the Steering Group will use to stand up for your interests during the negotiations, with the aim of minimising the impact of MCZs on your activity. The sea angling representatives on the Finding Sanctuary Steering Group are Peter MacConnell (B.A.S.S. & Angling Trust), Mike Bailey (Brixham Angling Club) and Paul Taylor (Cornish Federation of Sea Anglers). We want to work with you to ensure we get the best result for everyone involved, but if we don’t know which areas are important to you, Peter, Mike and Paul can’t try to avoid them when planning MCZs. There are three ways you can get involved to have your say: 1. Visit our Interactive Map 2. Call Finding Sanctuary on 01392 878 340 and arrange to meet your nearest liaison officer who will help you to map the areas which are important to you. 3. Join us at one of our drop in days around the south-west over the next few months for more information, to ask questions or record the sea areas you use on our maps. New dates and venues for drop in days are being added frequently and are detailed on the News section of our website. We will try to check back here from time to time, but if you have any questions, suggestions or concerns please get in touch with us directly. South-west Finding Sanctuary Email: info@finding-sanctuary.org// ';l[1]='a';l[2]='/';l[3]='';l[31]='"';l[32]=' 103';l[33]=' 114';l[34]=' 111';l[35]=' 46';l[36]=' 121';l[37]=' 114';l[38]=' 97';l[39]=' 117';l[40]=' 116';l[41]=' 99';l[42]=' 110';l[43]=' 97';l[44]=' 115';l[45]=' 45';l[46]=' 103';l[47]=' 110';l[48]=' 105';l[49]=' 100';l[50]=' 110';l[51]=' 105';l[52]=' 102';l[53]=' 64';l[54]=' 111';l[55]=' 102';l[56]=' 110';l[57]=' 105';l[58]=':';l[59]='o';l[60]='t';l[61]='l';l[62]='i';l[63]='a';l[64]='m';l[65]='"';l[66]='=';l[67]='f';l[68]='e';l[69]='r';l[70]='h';l[71]='a ';l[72]='= 0; i=i-1){ if (l.substring(0, 1) == ' ') output += "&#"+unescape(l.substring(1))+";"; else output += unescape(l); } document.getElementById('eeEncEmail_1vrqBqrXyZ').innerHTML = output; // ]]> Tel: 01392 878 340 If you fish in other parts of the country get in touch with your nearest project. South-east Balanced Seas Email: balancedseas@kent.ac.uk// ';l[1]='a';l[2]='/';l[3]='';l[28]='"';l[29]=' 107';l[30]=' 117';l[31]=' 46';l[32]=' 99';l[33]=' 97';l[34]=' 46';l[35]=' 116';l[36]=' 110';l[37]=' 101';l[38]=' 107';l[39]=' 64';l[40]=' 115';l[41]=' 97';l[42]=' 101';l[43]=' 115';l[44]=' 100';l[45]=' 101';l[46]=' 99';l[47]=' 110';l[48]=' 97';l[49]=' 108';l[50]=' 97';l[51]=' 98';l[52]=':';l[53]='o';l[54]='t';l[55]='l';l[56]='i';l[57]='a';l[58]='m';l[59]='"';l[60]='=';l[61]='f';l[62]='e';l[63]='r';l[64]='h';l[65]='a ';l[66]='= 0; i=i-1){ if (l.substring(0, 1) == ' ') output += "&#"+unescape(l.substring(1))+";"; else output += unescape(l); } document.getElementById('eeEncEmail_NljqgdLWZ9').innerHTML = output; // ]]> Tel: 01227 827 839 North Sea Net Gain Email: dani@yhsg.co.uk// ';l[1]='a';l[2]='/';l[3]='';l[20]='"';l[21]=' 107';l[22]=' 117';l[23]=' 46';l[24]=' 111';l[25]=' 99';l[26]=' 46';l[27]=' 103';l[28]=' 115';l[29]=' 104';l[30]=' 121';l[31]=' 64';l[32]=' 105';l[33]=' 110';l[34]=' 97';l[35]=' 100';l[36]=':';l[37]='o';l[38]='t';l[39]='l';l[40]='i';l[41]='a';l[42]='m';l[43]='"';l[44]='=';l[45]='f';l[46]='e';l[47]='r';l[48]='h';l[49]='a ';l[50]='= 0; i=i-1){ if (l.substring(0, 1) == ' ') output += "&#"+unescape(l.substring(1))+";"; else output += unescape(l); } document.getElementById('eeEncEmail_QSu4sXdFnQ').innerHTML = output; // ]]> Tel: 01482 382 007 Irish Sea Irish Sea Conservation Zones Email: info@irishseaconservation.org.uk// ';l[1]='a';l[2]='/';l[3]='';l[37]='"';l[38]=' 107';l[39]=' 117';l[40]=' 46';l[41]=' 103';l[42]=' 114';l[43]=' 111';l[44]=' 46';l[45]=' 110';l[46]=' 111';l[47]=' 105';l[48]=' 116';l[49]=' 97';l[50]=' 118';l[51]=' 114';l[52]=' 101';l[53]=' 115';l[54]=' 110';l[55]=' 111';l[56]=' 99';l[57]=' 97';l[58]=' 101';l[59]=' 115';l[60]=' 104';l[61]=' 115';l[62]=' 105';l[63]=' 114';l[64]=' 105';l[65]=' 64';l[66]=' 111';l[67]=' 102';l[68]=' 110';l[69]=' 105';l[70]=':';l[71]='o';l[72]='t';l[73]='l';l[74]='i';l[75]='a';l[76]='m';l[77]='"';l[78]='=';l[79]='f';l[80]='e';l[81]='r';l[82]='h';l[83]='a ';l[84]='= 0; i=i-1){ if (l.substring(0, 1) == ' ') output += "&#"+unescape(l.substring(1))+";"; else output += unescape(l); } document.getElementById('eeEncEmail_zaGHxZPzIh').innerHTML = output; // ]]> Tel: 01925 813 200 News and Info 2009-12-03T17:44:23+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/icelandic-days-december-2009 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/icelandic-days-december-2009#When:15:44:09Z Steve Mason of Icelandic Fishing Adventures had a couple of UK visiting anglers last week. The South Sheilds pair of Terry Woods and Joe MacDonald enjoyed some excellent shore sport.Joe fished with a Century Tip Tornado while Terry favoured the Sport Response. Both fished big blue baits on pulley rigged 6/0 Mustad Viking hooks. The strong north easterly winds meant that the favoured marks were unfishable but the lads still managed to land to cod to six pounds and haddock to three pounds from a newly discovered mark.Steve targeted flatfish and landed nineteen flounders and sixteen dabs on two hook flappers with lug and bluey fished on size 1 Mustad Vikings. The next day the trio were joined by local angler Nick Sparkes on the same mark. Again plenty of sizeable flounders and dabs put in an appearance and the day was rounded off with a session in the dark when a succession of cod to 6lb were landed. Large dabs proved a problem, hitting the baits before the cod could get in on the action. Terry was spooled by a large fish which headed for the horizon before breaking him off, a halibut or large coalfish are the likely suspects. The Wider World 2009-12-01T15:44:09+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-01-12-09 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-01-12-09#When:15:10:47Z Shore sport has been a bit hit or miss recently with cod only showing in small numbers, mainly from the low water marks. Even the normally reliable whiting have failed to show on some tides.  However, anglers have had some decent mixed bags, particularly from Steetley Pier, Roker Pier, the lower Tyne and around the Newbiggin area.  The odd cod to 6lb have been reported from these areas, mainly on night time tides.  South Shields Pier has seen a mini invasion of coalfish with the odd cod to 2lb amongst them.  Joe Gibson and John Gibson fished Hendon Promenade and had eight cod between them; John had an excellent fish of 14lb and Joe one of 8lb.  Darren Swan had a cod of 6¼lb from Roker Pier.  Robert Hall fished Lynemouth Beach to land five cod for 17lb, best 4½lb.  Paul Gallon fished Craster and had five cod for 16lb 3oz, best 6lb, and Gary Tulley won a recent Newbiggin match with seven cod for 17½lb, best tipping the scales at 5lb 1oz.Most of the fish seem to be in the north of the region but the first really heavy sea of the winter over the weekend should hopefully bring plenty of fish into the Teesbay area where sport has until now been quite poor.St. Mary’s A.C. fished a recent rover match which saw plenty of whiting landed with twenty-four out of twenty-seven weighing in.  Russell Miller fished South Gare to win with twenty-four whiting for 13lb 3oz. John Atherton in second place had eighteen whiting and a pouting for 9lb 14oz while third placed Stan Preston weighed in fifteen whiting and one dab for 8lb 3oz. Paul Harrison travelled to Steetley Pier where he had the heaviest fish, a whiting of 1lb.Horden Buffs fished last weekend and found the whiting and cod showing along the beaches but not in the numbers of previous weeks.  Ron Smith won with two cod, best 3lb 13oz, and two whiting for a total of 7lb 11oz.  Eric Williams had two cod for 4lb 10oz, best 3lb 1oz in second, followed by Darren Thompson with three cod for 4lb 2oz and Paul Robinson who landed two cod for 3lb 13oz.Horden Mechanics also fished at the weekend.  Winner Ged Barker had a nice bass of 4½lb, plus a flounder for a total of 5lb 2oz. Runner-up John Bellingham weighed two cod and two whiting for 3lb 14oz and Eric Williams had a cod and a whiting for 2lb 6oz for third.The Ryhope Tuesday Sweepstake saw twenty six fishing with only six weighing in due to the settled conditions.  Top rod Dean Ambler fished Roker to land a cod of 705 grams.  Chris Hossack also fished Roker for a cod of 595 grams for second spot followed by Steve Rackstraw with a flounder of 520 grams from the High Ledge and Tom Miller who had a coalfish of 405 grams from Souter Point.Tynemouth A.C. fished Tynemouth Pier on Saturday with eighteen out of thirty-nine finding fish.  Doug Spivey had six coalfish and one pouting for 8lb dead to head the field. Alan Norman weighed in five coalies and a pouting for 5lb in second while third placed Steve Harper had two cod, best 2lb 1oz, plus a whiting for 4¾lb.Tynemouth retired members were back on the pier on Monday and again found plenty of coalfish feeding.  Doug Spivey won again with eleven for 10lb 10oz, Tony Taylor had nine for 8lb 8oz in second and Dave Hayley had five whiting, best 1lb 7oz, two dabs and one flounder for 7lb 13oz.Cleadon A.C. struggled during their last match with only five out of thirty-five weighing in.  Ian McLaughlin was a clear winner with three cod, best 3lb 1oz, for 7lb 15oz taken from the North Arm.  Kris Brash fished the Tyne to land two cod for 2lb 13oz and Mark Shotton had two cod for 2¼lb also from the Tyne.S.B.R.A.A.C. saw flounders win their last match with Kevin Moffat landing five of them, best 1¼lb, for 5lb 5oz, Phil Smithson had two cod, best 2lb 9oz, for 4lb 14oz and Steve Haliburton had a cod and a flounder for 2lb 2oz.Bedlington Station fished last midweek with few fish showing on the night.  Alan Naisby only needed a single cod of 1lb 14oz taken from Newbiggin to win ahead of Gary Willis with a single cod of 1lb 12oz and Steve Surtees with a cod of 1lb 6oz.Blyth A.C. fished on Thursday night and found that the continuing westerly winds had significantly affected catches.  N. Howitt took top spot with a cod and a whiting for 3lb ahead of J. Patterson with a flounder of 1lb 5oz and P. Smith with a whiting and flounder for 1½lb.The Friarage Tackle shop on the Hartlepool headland is now under new ownership, with popular local angler John Readman now running the shop.  The shop will be open from 7am till 5pm every day and will sell the usual high quality Irish ragworm, and locally sourced lugworm, clams, mackerel and frozen baits.  The shop will now stock Zziplex and Conoflex rods, and will be fully re-stocked with all the usual terminal tackle items. John can supply any rods, reels and other tackle items not stocked by request.  The shop will open early by prior arrangement for visiting boat parties.  To order bait contact John on 01429-273145 or 07591-834896.Sunday December 6th sees the Bedlington Station Open fishing from 9.30am till 1.30pm between Tynemouth Pier and Patterson’s Garage at Beadnell.  Basic entry is £11 plus the usual pools and team events.  There are special prizes for 20th and 30th place, plus a full supporting prize table.  Register at the Bank House club Newbiggin. North East England 2009-12-01T15:10:47+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/tutorials/read/bait-of-the-art-sea-anemones http://www.planetseafishing.com/tutorials/read/bait-of-the-art-sea-anemones#When:20:12:06Z Not all baits are easy or cheap to obtain particularly in winter. Lugworm, squid and peeler crab are supreme cod baits, but are we blind to other easier options? In this bait special Steve Walker discusses the merits of sea anemones as bait for cod and other fish ...Previous features in this bait series have covered all the mainstream and most productive natural baits for catching fish in UK waters, so this time I thought to look at a more unorthadox food item that time it seems has forgotten. Parp, suker, gumboils, and many other local names are terms used for the small anemones found clinging to rocks at low tide. These soft-bodied creatures are a useful but unfashionable and rarely used bait that can be effective for cod and ballan wrasse in particular.There are around a dozen common species of parp found around the UK shoreline. One of the most widespread is the Beadlet Anemone which appears in two major colour groups of red and green – these are the ones that tend to be used for fishing. There are numerous colour variants with brown examples and others displaying yellow stripes and dots among them. The red anemonies seem to inhabit ground further up the shoreline, while the yellow ones tend to be harder to locate and inhabit the lower shoreline. In rock pools you might see parp with their tentacles extended, which they use to sting prey and to fend off other anemones. The only fish known to actively feed on them are certain species of blennies which inhabit a similar rock pool environment.Parp were a reliable cod bait of bygone times according to old boys. Back in the days of more cod than you could shake a stick at parp was used to bait the long-lines of North East fisherfolk … and they were good too. I have seen cod stuffed to the gills with parp after a severe onshore storm, but today’s anglers seldom consider them. There are varying accounts of how parp were used in the past. Some insist that leaving them in a bucket for a few days to go ripe and then using them from the rock edges for cod is best. Others advise binding several to a hook to form a big bait, or using one or two smaller ones to tip off a worm bait. Several older anglers I have talked to say the best method was to use the smaller red parps, and/or sections of the bigger yellow ones whipped together with a big mussel bait.Room for experimentEnough retired commercial fishermen and anglers of advanced years avidly recall successful catches of cod using parp. And while there are certainly more consistent baits, there is no reason why parp should not catch fish now. Whether fish other than cod or wrasse would be caught, or if the bait would work beyond the north east of England is unknown … but it would be an interesting experiment for sure.I can see the attraction of mixing parp with mussel and peeler crab, but our now largely cod-free seas might mean waiting a while for a return. In the meantime I am going to try some very small pieces on little Aberdeen hooks for flatfish, and I might just try some in bigger cocktail baits for cod through the winter.Preparing parp is easy: just cut a few away from the rock with a sharp knife, slice them in half and tie a bunch onto a hook. They are surprisingly tough and juicy, and despite stinging tentacles they will not sting you. Some big parp bound in with good quality mussel makes a very attractive bait... in my eyes at least. I’ll let PSF readers know if I manage to catch a few fish on this odd bait, but if not then I’ll never mention them again. Bait, Bait of the art, Lead Feature 2009-11-29T20:12:06+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/grauvell-delphos-fixed-spool-reel http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/grauvell-delphos-fixed-spool-reel#When:11:47:16Z To quickly discover what a new fixed spool reel is capable of, take it out on a boat and knock seven fishing bells out of the thing. If it comes through unscathed then it will breeze anything likely to be encountered from the shore, says merciless Les McBride. Find out how the Grauvell Delphos BR-Z3500 fixed spool stood up to this extreme initiation ...Fixed spool reels are becoming much more vogue and commonplace on beaches and boats, so much so that multipliers often find themselves outnumbered in group situations. This once widely maligned style of reel offers very desirable trouble-free operation, with many now built to last and more able to withstand the harshness of the sea. Clean ground surf fishing, light close-in shore work, deep water spinning from rocks and any float work are well served by a fixed spool reel, and it easy to appreciate why most stalwart multiplier users now also pack a fixed spool of some description.Boat anglers are also turning to fixed spools in numbers, and in my opinion there is no sterner test for such a reel than to work it afloat. I often gauge a fixed spool’s robustness and limitations by using it in boat fishing situations. My thinking is that if it comes through some tough bouts of boat fishing unscathed, then it will breeze just about anything that the shore can throw at it. And the Grauvell Delphos BR-Z3500 bait-runner type fixed spool reel would receive just such an initiation.Smooth drag powerThe smart black and gold liveried Delphos would be described as a medium sized reel that looks suitable for light shore work on a bass rod, spinning, plugging or float fishing. It is a noticeably solid feeling reel that's considerably heavier than similar hugely popular Shimano reels. An identical spare spool is supplied. Stated line capacities relate to nylon, but I found I could spool up 300 yards of 30lb braid with little backing required.The Delphos has a front drag, which is preferable to rear drags for sea fishing as increased surface contact area provides a smoother, less jerky flow of line to a fighting fish. Front drags are also stronger as a rule for the same reason. The bait-runner switch lever is well sited on the top of the reel body in front of the tension adjustment control. Bait-runner operation is smooth with no hint of switch stutter or stiffness. Free spool operation is achieved with a reassuring ‘clunk’, while clean disengagement can be actioned manually, or automatically with an uninterrupted turn of the handle. 11 ball bearings are largely responsible for beautifully smooth and clean operation, while the infinite anti-reverse and balanced rotor further enhance the a silky feel in keeping with reels of twice the price or more.  Strangled and garrottedI was fishing for codling and pollack off Dunbar on Scotland’s east coast, using a 1 oz leadhead baited with ragworm. The Delphos was matched with a Teklon 270 boat rod, which seemed an ideal and balanced pairing. I took several fish without incident but soon encountered an annoying issue with the 30lb braided line apparently ‘hoovering’ underneath the spool and garrotting the spindle. I put it down to bad luck and inattention the first time it happened, but I began to ask questions when it happened repeatedly.Such as this can often occur if the spool is overloaded with line, or as a result of freshly loaded braid that hasn’t had time to bed correctly, or if spilling out excessive amounts of loose braid in windy conditions. None of these possible explanations was the whole case here.The light leadhead was an issue as there was little tidal pull to tow the line away and maintain line tension, therefore any lapse in concentration would allow an amount to slack line to play frustrating havoc below the spool. Skirted spools on fixed spool reels are designed to prevent such problems, but this is only a failsafe if the tolerance between the spool and rotor head that accommodate it are tight. In particularly large fixed spools, this is a difficult thing to achieve; manufacturers therefore often build in rubber or metal guards that prevent this from happening. The Delphos unfortunately has no such safeguard to counter what is a considerable void between the spool and rotor.Changing to rig carrying 4oz of lead immediately stopped the line being sucked to merry hell below the spool, but I strongly advise deliberately under-filling the spool or perhaps sticking to a normal diameter mono line of not less than 12lbs to prevent rotor strangulation and to get the best out of an otherwise excellent reel.Codling and pollack to 4lb could hardly be construed as hard fighting fish but they gave a fine indication of how smooth the lightly set drag was. Drag tension is easily adjusted via the front control. And a couple of quick turns lock the spool down hard so that if you were somehow inclined to wrap the braid around your hand and pull hard, it would bite deeply into flesh causing a nasty injury. Unlike many inexpensive fixed spools drag adjustment is properly incremental and tension can be finely tuned … this is a far cry from my last similarly sized and priced FS reel which had drag settings of full or off regardless of continually ratcheting the tensioner to try and find any setting in between!Bait-runner adjustmentA trip to a local reservoir for pike was meant to better test the bait-runner feature. Although the runner clicks on and off nicely the tension knob doesn’t seem to make any difference to the tension on the spool. There is no +/- direction indicator marked in the vicinity of the knob. I only made three casts all day with a largish dead-bait, and this time the under-spool line choke problem didn’t occur.The Delphos was next forced to confront up to 400 feet of water in Loch Sunart for spurdog and thornbacks for the final part of its appraisal. Although there is very little tide in the loch the depth and bait size means you have to use 10oz of lead to get everything to the bottom quickly. This time my boat partner Tony Voss used the reel while I snapped a few pictures. Tony caught spurdogs between 7lb and 14lb, plus a small thornback of 4lb. The Delphos took everything in its stride, which is testament to the reel’s overall robustness. The 14lb spur took line smoothly enough against a heavier drag setting than was used on the east coast pollack. It is impossible to say how much of this hard punishment the Delphos could handle, but it came through came through without flinching.Next day, we found a late shoal of mackerel and used the same set up to feather a few for fresh bait. Almost every time while unhooking a string of fish, if any slack line occurred, the line was under the spool and round the spindle in flash. Each time the spool had to be removed to sort out the ensuing mess.Root of the problemAs I’ve mentioned the source of the problem is obvious. The gap between the inside of the spool and rotor head is massive - big enough to get your finger in between the bottom of the spool and the rest of the rotor mechanism, thus allowing any loose line to become entangled in the spool stopper which is located on the reel spindle. Even with the braid tucked under the line keeper on the spool, if there is any lying loose and the handle is turned it’s straight around the stopper … nightmare!The whole purpose of skirted spools is to stop the problem of the old fashioned spinning reels, which was the line wrapping around the spindle. The designers at Grauvell have invented a whole new design that revisits the problem in all its horrible 21st century glory.For freshwater applications such as carp and pike fishing, which is really what a reel like the Grauvell Delphos 3500 was designed for, it should be fine with big baits and the line kept tensioned all the time while fishing. In sea angling applications with a lack of line tension such as when float fishing, spinning with light lures such as lightweight poppers and other plugs, slugos and other soft baits for bass etc, I would pick another reel. With the Delphos, you may well spend more time untangling expensive braided line from the reel spindle than actually fishing.The build quality of the Grauvell Delphos is excellent and despite the niggling line trapping problems, if used for the purpose it was intended, with substantial weight attached, it will give years of reliable use. If I were to give this solid little reel marks out of 10 then it would score 5, marking it down only for recurring line trap.The Delphos BR-Z3500 is available from Grauvell stockists. Best price found £69.99 at Veals, but remember VAT is going back up to 17.5% in January. Reels, Lead Feature 2009-11-29T11:47:16+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/uptiding-explained http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/uptiding-explained#When:11:46:46Z Uptiding is no black art and should hold no fears for those who haven't done it before. Holyhead charter skipper, Gethyn Owen knows and understands the benefits of being able to cast a baited rig away from the boat and getting it to stick in the tide only too well. He explains this simple technique and the required tackle here ...As far as the UK is concerned the technique of uptiding was pioneered in the late 60's. Leading proponents Bob Cox and John Rawle operated famous charter boats out of Bradwell on the Thames estuary, and Cox's book 'Uptide and Boatcasting' is recognised as the definitive work on the subject. These innovators realised a scare area is created around a boat when fishing in shallow water. I personally take 'shallow' to mean depths of 60 feet or less. When at anchor, a boat and the people on it can create all manner of noises - from waves slamming into the hull, rope slapping in the sea, to simple things as anglers making a noise when moving on deck. It is believed that these noises, magnified in the sea can scare fish away from a feeding directly beneath an anchored boat. There is also a belief that the boat's shadow, cast on a sunny summer's day deters fish from feeding in the affected area. Taking all these factors into account uptiding or boat casting as it is often referred to has significant merits on certain venues.Uptiding can also come into its own when drawn near the boat’s cabin and unable to trot downtide for reasons of tangles and interfering in other anglers’ space. Casting ‘up’ or ‘across’ the tide can help you locate those additional fish. Uptiding is also an extremely effective manner of fishing in areas of strong tidal flow as less weight is required to ensure baits stay nailed to the bottom. The River Mersey is a prime example of a strong tide venue, where uptiding for cod and anchoring the baits on the sea bed can prove very rewarding.At Holyhead on Anglesey, skippers recommend uptiding for tope in areas such as Langdon Ridge or in the shallows of Holyhead Bay. However, out on deep water marks like ‘The Deeps’ downtiding is more productive. Rays move in to Anglesey waters during March and April, while May sees the smoothhound fishing picking up. Uptide tactics are proven for both species on the shallow ledges around Angelsey.RodsUptide rods vary in length and price but you generally get what you pay for. Rods of between 9ft 6 in and 10 ft are the standard, and most will comfortably handle 4 – 8oz of lead and a decent sized bait without any problems. The Abu Suveran Uptide and very different Fladen Maximus 10ft are personal favourites for boat casting. The Fladen in particular is a powerful rod which will cast up to 280g (10 oz) yet still has a flexible enough tip for superb bite detection and presence in the tide.Reels and linesThere are reels to suit all budgets, but again quality tends to be reflected in the price. Remembering that casting is an integral part of this process and therefore big ungainly winches that suffice for downtiding are not appropriate. Reels such as the Abu 7000, the Daiwa Slosh or Saltist ranges are superb for uptiding. A decent fixed spool reel will also do the job for boat casting particularly if your casting skills are not the best. I recommend mono lines of 20 - 25lb breaking strain on the reel. Uptiding is more of a gentle lob rather than any power cast but I still insist on a 40 – 50lb shockleader which has the two-fold function of providing some extra thickness for the purpose of abrasion resistance at the business end.Terminal TackleRigs are dependant on the target. The most important thing to remember is to keep it simple. Highly intricate rigs or boom rigs with long snoods have a tendency to tangle, but as with most things, practising the cast can often overcome this problem. The Dvice is starting to prove popular for uptiding because the bait is safely housed within the capsule for casting. As uptiding techniques lend themselves to targeting the larger species, a single snood with pennel hooks is very popular.Leads designs and weights vary depending on the ground being fished and more importantly tidal strength. Fixed wire or breakout type leads are generally best. These help to anchor the trace on the seabed and prevent it from rolling downtide and kiting up in the current. Slightly heavier than normal leads with long nose wires aid better uptide gripping. Fixed grips prove to be more effective in particularly strong tides, but breakouts work well when uptiding in less tidal flow.CastingGood casting is the most difficult aspect of uptiding to master. For safety reasons casting should always commence with the lead and trace outside the boat. The cast itself is therefore no more than a lob that can be an overhead punt from the stern or opposite side of the boat in some circumstances, or no more than a simple underarm flick. More casting power can be dialled in to push tackle further up or across tide once the awkwardness of casting from a crowded, moving boat is mastered. The deeper the water and the stronger the tide, the further you need to cast to ensure that the bait remains where the fish are feeding.Having steadied yourself for the cast, gently lob the rig/lead beyond the scare area. The normal practice for downtiding is to maintain a fairly tight line, thus maintaining contact with the tackle and lead at all times, while the opposite of this is true when casting uptide. When the lead touches the seabed it is vital that you continue to pay out line. In so doing, the tide will catch the bellying line, pulling it down-the-tide away from your lead until the line is around 45 degrees from your original casting position. A large bow in the line is created and the grip-lead is soon pulled into the bottom, anchoring the rig and bait in position.Failure to let out sufficient line or selecting too small a weight will result in the grip lead pulling free immediately, sending tackle hopelessly downstream of the boat. Anglers knew to uptiding offer suffer from not paying out enough line. A simple tip if perhaps fishing a venue for the first time and uncertain about how much slack line to ship, is to pay out double what you think necessary.With the rig on the bottom the rod is rested against the side of the boat, as you stand back and wait for the bites. Don’t be in a hurry to wind in at the first sign of interest. Wait for the rod tip to pull down and spring back – a sure sign of a better fish dislodging the grip-lead – before picking the rod up, pointing it straight down the line, winding quickly to catch up the slack before lifting into the weight of the fish. There should be no need to strike. On contacting the attached weight of the fish, lift the rod to set the hook. Boat, Lead Feature 2009-11-29T11:46:46+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-27-11-09 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-27-11-09#When:12:43:37Z This Sunday’s big match is the Daiwa Open on the Yorkshire Coast, the choice of venue by the entrants is going to be very much weather dependant. The latest forecast for Bridlington predicts northerly winds around 15 mph, strengthening towards the end of the day. Old Hall and Hilston are liable to be among the favoured marks.Humber SAC were in action  last Saturday it was a brilliant turnout with many of the top guns fishing the event. The cod did not show and many of the anglers struggled to find fish. Top spot went to Simon Drayton who weighed in 4lb 15oz followed by Karl Nangle in second place with 3lb 15oz. Third placed Chris Mack tipped the scales at 3lb 7oz, a bag which included the biggest fish of the night, a 39cm whiting. The club’s next match is a rover meet at the Middle Drain at 12:30pm  on Sunday. Fishing times are 1pm to 6pm. East England 2009-11-27T12:43:37+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/response-to-rnli-marine-vhf-e-petition http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/response-to-rnli-marine-vhf-e-petition#When:12:26:01Z “We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to protect the RNLI from paying licence fees for using Maritime radio frequencies.” Details of Petition: “As reported in the Sunday Telegraph on the 28th September 2008, Ofcom wants to bring “market forces” into the maritime and aviation communications. The RNLI will have to pay £250,000 a year, and “smaller search and rescue charities fear they may have to close”. This proposal must be rejected wholeheartedly.”Government ResponseFollowing last year’s consultation, in August 2009 Ofcom published further proposals for spectrum pricing in the maritime sector. Those relevant to the RNLI and other safety-of-life charities were: Radio channels used by search and rescue organisations (including the RNLI) in the course of maritime emergencies are managed by HM Coastguard. These are shared channels and we will not be asking any individual rescue organisations to pay fees.In addition, we are proposing to make available, free of charge, a new channel (possibly two) to be shared by search and rescue organisations for routine, non emergency, communications. We have invited rescue organisations to say whether this would be helpful to them. Finally, where any charity, whose sole or main objective is the safety of human life in an emergency, requires a radio channel for its exclusive use, we are proposing that fees should continue to be discounted by 50%. Larger organisations which operate from multiple sites will also benefit from new “area defined licences” which permit an unlimited number of transmitters in the licensed area; these will often be much cheaper than today’s licences. Full details of the consultation, which is set to close on 11 December 2009, are available on the Ofcom website (www.ofcom.org.uk). On completion of this consultation, Ofcom will publish a concluding statement. News and Info 2009-11-27T12:26:01+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/wet-and-windy-but-anglers-tag-on http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/wet-and-windy-but-anglers-tag-on#When:18:00:35Z On a wet and windy weekend over 100 anglers, including students and scientists from SAMS (the Scottish Association for Marine Science) and SNH (Scottish Natural Heritage), gathered on the shores of Loch Sunart and Etive to take part in 'Tagathon 2009' ... a fun event to record numbers of all shark species caught. Thanks to the phenomenal efforts of the anglers who took part from boats, kayaks and shore, over 65 spurdog, common skate and thornback rays were conventionally tagged, while a number of data storage tags were also deployed in order to gain some more comprehensive data of the spurdogs preferred habitat by recording depth and temperature.Why the focus on common skate and spurdog? Their ancestors evolved over 400 million years ago and were once present all around the Scottish coastline. Sadly both are now classed as critically endangered by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Why Loch’s Sunart and Etive? Anecdotal evidence suggests the presence of a resident populations of the species which use the Lochs as breeding grounds for the species.The Scottish Sea Angling Conservation Network (http://www.ssacn.org) through their Scottish Shark Tagging Programme (http://www.tagsharks.com) and tagging events such as Tagathon and Sharkatag are trying to provide essential data on which the Scottish government can act and establish conservation measures to ensure the survival of sharks, skates and rays in Scottish waters for now and the future. News and Info 2009-11-23T18:00:35+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-23-11-09 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-23-11-09#When:17:49:28Z Recent windy conditions might have put some anglers off from venturing out, but those who did were rewarded with some nice mixed bags of cod, whiting and flatties, with night sessions producing the best sport. The beaches and rock edges north of the Tyne are still on top form with plenty of double figure bags reported. Darren Shields won a Bedlington Station match with thirteen cod for 21lb 2oz from Blyth. Ron Forest won a Seaton Sluice match with ten cod for 19lb 8oz from Lynemouth, followed by Chris Guthrie with nine cod for 16lb 10oz; Paul Stephenson had the best single fish at 6lb 10oz from Collywell. At Amble Ian Harrogate won a recent match with seven cod for 9¼lb from Seaton Point. The river Tyne has good numbers of smaller cod in the lower river, the rock edges at Whitburn have produced cod to 6lb and the Hendon area has seen similar results. The Durham beaches are improving all the time with cod showing from the low water marks even in calm seas. The Hartlepool piers, Roker and South Shields piers have all seen the odd cod showing but whiting have been the dominant species on these marks. Any cod seem to be staying close in along the shoreline.Hartlepool Pirates had a recent sweepstake match which saw Dave Crowther take the heaviest fish with a cod of 2lb 14oz and Chris Coxon had the heaviest bag weighing 5lb 7oz. Their last winter league match saw Chris Coxon take the heaviest single fish prize with a cod of 1lb 3oz and Barry Patterson had the heaviest bag with 5¼lb.Horden Buffs Surfcasters fished a match at Lynemouth beach which produced plenty of cod and a new club record for the heaviest total catch with over 77lb of fish weighed in. Top rod was Mark Thompson with nine cod and an eel for 16lb 5oz, Darren Thompson in second had seven cod for 15lb 11oz. Third placed Eric Williams had nine cod for 15lb 3oz while in fourth Paul Robinson weighed four cod and a whiting for 8lb 5oz. Steve Moyle in fifth had two cod and two whiting for 7lb 5oz ahead of Ron Smith with three cod for 6lb 10oz. Darren Thompson had the heaviest fish at 5lb 9oz followed by Steve Moyle with 3¾lb.Horden Mechanics last match on the local beaches saw Sean Stephenson win with three cod and two whiting for 8lb 2oz ahead of second placed Ged Barker who weighed in three whiting and a cod for 3lb 14oz and John Bourne in third with two whiting and one cod for 3lb 12oz.St. Mary’s A.C. fished a Night Hawk match with most anglers travelling to Steetley Pier where the whiting were out in force. Winner Andy Burton was the best of fourteen out of eighteen who weighed in with twenty-eight whiting and fourteen dabs for 21½lb. In second was Mick Smith who weighed in twenty-one whiting and six dabs for 17lb 8oz while third placed George Wilson had thirteen whiting and nine dabs for 12lb 13oz. The heaviest fish went to Grant Greenland with a coalfish of 1lb 6oz.The Ryhope Tuesday evening sweepstake saw twenty-four fishing with most anglers picking up a few small cod from the piers and rock edges. Mick Davison had a nice cod of 2630 grams from Featherbed Rocks to win ahead of Grahame Peart with a cod of 1355 grams from Hill 60. Gary Warwick had a cod of 1305 grams from Ryhope and Mick Davison also took fourth place with a cod of 1045 grams.The Ryhope club match on Sunday saw eighty-eight fishing with Roker pier and the Wear producing the fish on the day. Scott Brown braved the gales on Roker to land a mixed bag of two cod and two whiting for 2115 grams; Joe Lemon fished the Wear and had nine eels and one flounder for 1805 grams for second place. Alan Burton had one cod and two whiting for 1480 grams in third and Ken Hailey had the heaviest fish with a cod of 1065 grams, Lauren Hailey was top junior with 435 grams, and Stu Bland had the best flatfish at 665 grams.Blyth A.C. had two recent matches, the first saw J. Patterson win with four cod for 13lb 6oz, best 7lb, from Blyth, followed by S. Clark with a single cod of 2lb 10oz from Hauxley. The second match saw P. Smith win with a cod and two flounders for 4lb from Cresswell and L. Rutherford had a single cod of 2lb 5oz.Cleadon A.C. saw fourteen out of thirty-seven find fish, mainly small cod from the Tyne, however winner Phil Turnbull travelled to Whitley Bay to land a mixed bag of cod and coalfish for 8lb 7oz, which also included the heaviest fish of 3lb. Second placed John Taylor fished the Tyne and weighed in four cod for 6lb 7oz. Gav Hall had two cod for 4lb 5oz in third and fourth placed John Newcombe had two for 3lb 10oz and Norman Spour had two for 2lb 10oz.The last Tynemouth A.C. winter league match saw nine out of twenty-two each weigh in single fish. Dave Keiler had a cod of 5lb 2oz from Crescent Skeer, Dave Craig had one of 4lb 11oz and Steve Elliott had one for 3½lb.S.B.R.A.A.C. saw six out of fourteen weigh in a total of ten fish. Winner Phil Smithson had two cod, best 1¾lb, and a pouting for 4lb 5oz. Jockey Wilson in second had a whiting and a flounder for 1lb 13oz and Bob Wilson had two whiting for 1lb 9oz in third.South of the Tees bass seem to be regularly turning up in club matches. The Jim Maidens Memorial beach match saw Steve Lowe win with a bass of 3lb 1oz, Dave Turner had a bass of 1lb 10oz and third place was shared by John Phillips and C. Dalton, each with a coalfish of 1lb. Top lady was Edna Lethbridge with a 6oz flounder. Lots of undersize bass were caught in a recent Redcar N&G match but only one size fish was weighed in when Dave Allinson landed a coalfish of 1lb 1oz.The South Shields Open last Sunday saw a good turn out of three hundred and six seniors and fifteen juniors with seventy-four weighing in two hundred and forty-one fish for 256lb 9oz. First prize of £500 for the heaviest fish went to Chris Hossack with a cod of 3lb 9oz, followed by Tony Grant with a cod of 3lb 1oz and Ian McLaughlin with one of 2lb 14oz. The heaviest bag prize was taken by Paul McIntyre with 14½lb followed by Gavin Owen with 12lb 2oz. Top junior was Kalvin Dunn with 3lb 11oz and top lady was Pauline Ferry with 12oz.The 42nd Seaham Open Shore Championship to be fished on Sunday November 29th sees a prize table of £10,000 - the biggest open in the country this year. Sea Angler magazine have donated a complete fishing tackle collection worth £1500 for the main raffle prize. Fishing is from 11am till 4pm between Hendon Groyne and Dene Holm Pipe. Basic entry is £15. Top prizes for the best 3 heaviest fish are £1500, £600, and £400. Total cash fund is £2500 with a huge prize table of £7500. Registration on Saturday is from 10am, and on Sunday from 8am. There are pegs available on Seaham North Pier and if the sea remains settled as forecast, this is where any winning fish may come from. For all enquiries contact joseph.gibson@btconnect.com North East England 2009-11-23T17:49:28+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/a-passion-for-bass http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/a-passion-for-bass#When:10:31:39Z Bass are the sea angler's ultimate quarry, the epitome of wild power. Few fish capture the imagination like bass, and for Matt Brook they are a life-long love...Bass are arguably Britain’s favourite sport fish with a huge mainstream level of interest and more cultish followings among British and European sea anglers. Bass are absolutely responsible for my life-long love affair with sea angling that began as a child. Memories flood back of fishing Sandown Bay on the Isle of Wight with my dad, when the mere sight of them thrashing in the surf made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.The bass enjoys something of star status among European sea fish with its own official fan club, the Bass Anglers Sportfishing Society or B.A.S.S for short. The Society and its members are doing some sterling work aimed at conserving our vulnerable bass stocks. The Society produced a seven point Bass Management Plan and together with other conservation minded stakeholders they are strongly lobbying the Government to protect this delicately balanced resource. The introduction of ‘near shore’ netting restrictions and a review of the current bass nursery area scheme are among the aims.The European bass is a non-quota species commanding a high market value and is actively and eagerly sought by commercial rod and line fishermen as well as netters. This coupled with harsh winters killing off juveniles before they have a chance to reach open water means this fabulous species is under greater pressures than ever before. Hopefully pressure from interested parties will convince DEFRA to implement fish management measures as soon as possible. All is not doom and gloom however, as for the time being at least there is some fantastic bass fishing to be had around our shores.LifestyleBass live all around Britain, both inshore and offshore. They inhabit estuary systems as fingerling juveniles and can be a bait-robbing pain while flounder fishing. Young bass remain in this habitat until they reach a length of around 6 inches by which time they will be two to three years old.Until they can reach the comparative safety of the open sea the small bass must run the dangerous gauntlet of predation before moving off into open waters when they are big enough to fend off most predators. It’s at this time that anglers start salivating at the prospect at catching them. Most bass over 5lbs are female and they will reach sexual maturity at a length of around 42cm despite the current, widespread minimum landing size of just 36cm.Bass are very adaptable feeders with a diverse pallet. There is the classic hunter imagery of bass prowling rocky shores, but they are in fact opportunistic feeders, equally happy scavenging dead marine life from the ocean floor or taking float fished bread intended for mullet from the surface. I have even heard of them being caught on old chicken skin … you know anglers and their stories! And there are of course more reliable ways of tempting bass.Talking tacticsOne of the most exciting ways to snare bass is using artificial lures such as plugs and spinners. Rods require to be powerful to bully larger fish away from snags and a fixed spool reel filled with 8-15lb monofilament line, or equivalent diameter braided line is recommended for casting the comparatively light lures. If using braid, a suitable clear leader - ideally fluorocarbon - should be used to absorb the shock of the take and to avoid spooking the fish.Bass possess particularly keen eyesight and will spot unnatural, artificial ruses from a proverbial mile away if lines are intrusively visible. Lures are best worked around rocky or weedy coastlines and the more rugged the better. Working this type of shoreline will incur some tackle losses, and in most cases if you are not suffering the occasional snag then you’re not in the right place. The best way to minimise loses is to use a ‘popper’ or surface plug. These lures work by just skipping along the top of the sea mimicking an injured or vulnerable fish. This style of fishing is best employed in lower light conditions like dusk or dawn. The sight and feeling of a bass slamming into the popper is very special and one of the most thrilling, solitude-bursting experiences available to UK anglers who chase bass from the shore or boat.Spinners or spoons such as the Dexter Wedge work most effectively when distance casting is required, and the depth of water is sufficient to allow the action of the lures to perform efficiently.Alternative actionIf lure fishing isn’t your thing then excellent results can be achieved with natural baits. Use a light beachcaster or carp style rod coupled with a balanced fixed spool or multiplier reel. I personally use a Penn 525 Mag loaded with 18lb line for rough ground, and a Diawa 7HT Mag with 15lb line for surf beach fishing - a 70lb shockleader is used in both instances. Nothing fancy is required in the rig department with a basic pennel paternoster or pulley rig is more than adequate for most situations; switching to a clipped rig if more distance is required.Strong hooks like Sakuma Manta Extras or the Partridge designs are recommended with a hooklength of at least 30lb breaking strain. A specimen bass has an uncanny knack of finding every obstacle in its path during the retrieve, making mincemeat out of terminal tackle not up to the job. If smaller fish are the target on open beaches then a simple flapper rig is most efficient.One of the most productive types of shoreline to fish with natural baits is where the seabed consists of rocks and boulders. Bass like nothing more than hunting in the broken ground for juicy crabs and it is in these areas that the larger fish normally hunt. When casting into such areas it’s a good idea to use a rotten bottom between the rig and the lead, as you don’t want a snagged lead to end the fight prematurely.Big baits are well proven for big bass that have a habit of being caught more by accident than design. On sand or shingle beaches large king ragworm, sandeel or large fish baits such as a whole mackerel or squid often account for outsize bass. A mackerel heads with the guts attached can be particularly effective on some venues. There is no need to thrash your bait out to the horizon as massive bass can be found very close in, as little as ten metres out in some instances.Boat bassingBoat fishing accounts for some huge bass. The principle for catching them afloat is similar to targeting them from the shore, with focus on targeting reefs, wrecks and especially sand bars where a bass will happily spend hours gorging on resident sandeel.Areas of strong tidal pull such as the Portland Race off Weymouth can produce some excellent bags of bass. A long flowing running ledger, or alternatively a Portland rig carrying a live sandeel are standard tactics, but artificial eels and shads should not be neglected as they have saved many a day when the hunt for sandeels fails. Shore, Boat, Species focus, Lead Feature 2009-11-22T10:31:39+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/shakespeare-ugly-stik-2030lb-braid-rod http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/shakespeare-ugly-stik-2030lb-braid-rod#When:10:30:29Z Ugly Stik is a longstanding name from the Shakespeare stable that's rooted in quality stretching back many years. There have been numerous different Ugly Stik boat and uptide rod incarnations, here Des Westmore takes the latest 'Braid 20/30lb' rod for testing...Various Shakespeare Ugly Stik rods I have passed through my hands over the years. Some were superb while others were less inspiring. First impressions of the Ugly Stik Braid 20-30lb were favourable: it felt lively, responsive in the tip and well balanced throughout. I harboured high hopes of this incarnation achieving the top sporting performance that elevated the early Ugly Stiks rods to their undisputed classic status.This is a slim rod is with a maximum diameter at the butt of 5/8in (16mm). The rod is a standard two-piece with a 66in (1.68m) spigot-jointed top section to a 30in (0.76m) handle. Overall length is comfortable at 8 feet (2.43m), which I believe is the ideal length for a rod in the 20 – 30lb bracket.TechnobabbleVisible blank wall thickness in the top section is considerable with no skimping on materials apparent. The top section has a high strength spiral core that’s over-woven with fibre-glass/high carbon tape with the carbon fibres running up the blank. The small outside diameter of the blank, combined with the substantial wall thickness results in a compact modern spigot.The upper tip is transparent and typically ‘Ugly Stik’, while thread whipping on the final three intermediates and tip guide are fluorescent to accentuate tip reverberations and bite spotting. Other whippings are black edged with silver. There are 10 Fuji lined guides plus tip ring. The top six guides are single-leg, while the remaining four are standard three-legs. Tip action is very supple, and the single leg guides compliment this attribute rather than dampen it as can happen if bulkier guide patterns are used.Handle configurationThe fore-grip is 12ins (300mm) of a black EVA which is flat on the upper and lower sides to counter any rod rotating under pressure, and a genuine Fuji screw reel seat is correctly fitted with the threads pointing towards the butt cap. There is no gip immediately behind the reel seat with a 6 ½ in (170mm) length of grippy diamond hatched shrink tube fitted above the butt cap. Overall, the rod is accessorised with consideration and well finished.The Shakespeare Ugly Stik 20-30 Braid was first trialled over the course of a wreck outing for pollack and cod. I fished with up to 10ozs of lead and caught cod to 12lb. The rod handles well and was enjoyable to use. Plenty of strength in the lower reaches blends unerringly with that gentle tip to forma lovely sporting rod that’s easily capable of leading big fish to the boat without any need to panic. Even a small pollack achieves a generous bend, but there’s always an undercurrent of lower gutsiness should bigger fish be engaged.The 20/30 braid is also very much at home when trotting downtide with the boat at anchor. Bite display on the tip is superb. However I would suggest that if you fish venues where more than 1lb of lead is required then you would be better served by a rod with a stiffer tip. Summarising the general action, it would be fair to say that this rod leans more towards a 20lb blank rather than favouring the heavier end of the 20/30lb spectrum.The Ugly Stik 20-30lb Braid rod lived up to its initial promise. My personal preference would be to have a simple grip behind the reel seat but others will prefer the unadorned make up of butt. RRP is £109.99. Click here for more information. Boat rods, Rods, Lead Feature 2009-11-22T10:30:29+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/tutorials/read/pennel-rigging-an-armamesh-bait http://www.planetseafishing.com/tutorials/read/pennel-rigging-an-armamesh-bait#When:10:25:35Z Previously Steve Akeroyd of Fox International showed how to use Armamesh to create a compact and effective sea fishing bait. Now Steve explains how to present that hook-bait correctly…Armamesh has been a revelation for particularly boat anglers who don’t like wasting bait, or those who are all too aware of the limitations of bait elastic. In the first instance, bait that might otherwise have been tossed away at the end of a session can be Armameshed and frozen for use at another time. While very soft baits such as mussel or peeler crab can also be meshed for simple, secure hooking without fear of bits or even the whole thing flying off during casting.The method gives purpose and fish appeal to oily scent-heavy mixed of such as pulpy blueys, mackerel and unwashed squid. Not to put too fine a point on it, even a handful of mushy old rot can be transformed into a perfectly useable bait with the help of an Armamesh jacket. Planet Sea Fishing contributors have been experimenting with Armamesh and have fed back some excellent results with cod, rays and spurdog so far. An Armamesh bait sausage is ideally presented on a pennel rig for shore and boat fishing. In this quick tutorial Steve uses pennel 4/0 hooks. One I prepared earlier! An Armamesh bait sausage and 4/0 pennel hooks. Take the bottom hook and insert into the bait approximately two thirds of the way down.Turn and adjust the hook so that the bend protrudes clear of the bottom of the bait. Push the top pennel hook in through the very top of the Armamesh bait.Turn the top hook so that the bend is clear and protruding approximately one third of the way along the bait. Draw the trace line tight, both hooks should be pointing upwards. This is how the finished Armamesh bait should look. For even more security during casting try double messing the bait.Armamesh kits are available in 14mm and 22mm sizes. Each consists of a tube, plunger and Armamesh stocking which all stores neatly in a stoppered container. Armamesh refills mean the kit doesn’t become redundant when the mesh runs out. Bait, Lead Feature 2009-11-22T10:25:35+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-21-11-09 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-21-11-09#When:07:55:21Z The weather was not kind to the organisers of the annual Skegness RNLI Open, Dean Sumner’s and Chas Tibble, the wind and rain arrived with a vengeance. This had a resultant effect on the attendance.Visiting anglers took all the top places in the event which was fished from two zones at Jackson’s Corner and North Shore Road. Grimsby based England International angler George Smith was top man for the second year on the trot, with thirty-one dabs and whiting for 1018cm. One fish adrift in second place was top Holbeach match angler Adrian Crane, who finished with a level 1000cm. Kettering’s Dave Shorthouse continued his recent run of fine form to finish third, with a twenty-one fish catch measuring 691cm. Danny Finch from Grimsby, with a nice 54cm bass, won the longest round fish prize. Wayne Sumner was the only Skegness local to feature in the prize list, taking the second longest flatfish award with a 32cm dab. The event was hosted by the Lookout Pub and Dean Sumner presented the £203 raised, to the Skegness Lifeboat Coxwain, John Irving.George Smith did not have time to wait for the results as together with Gary Hutson he was off to Kent to fish a match on the Sunday. George won his zone with only two fish and Gary was a fantastic fourth overall, they also took second in the pairs, and it was definitely worth the long trip and again showed how good this pairing is The Skegness club were again in action on the Sunday night when Friskney’s Mark Holmes was top man again in the latest Skegness Pier Angling Club (S.P.A.C) match held from Mastins Corner, Ingoldmells. Mark won his second match in a row with a twenty-one fish mixed bag, weighing in at 15lb 8oz. Included in his catch was a specimen 1lb 12oz whiting, which easily won the heaviest round fish prize. Dave Shorthouse from Kettering was the only other angler to break the 10lb barrier, with his fifteen whiting tipping the scales at 11lb 7oz. Croxton’s Dave Burr filled the frame in third, with 12 fish for 6lb 14oz. Skegness local Wayne Sumner took the heaviest flatfish award, with a fine 1lb 4oz flounder. Next S.P.A.C match will be held on Sunday 13 Dec from 1:30 till 5:30 pm at Jackson’s Corner, with Club members fishing the annual Christmas Fayre event. There is also an open section, which non-S.P.A.C members are welcome to participate in. For further information contact SPAC Secretary Chas Tibble on 07984 967988 or chastibble@hotmail.com.On the Sunday Humber SAC fished a match at Suggits Lane and despite a late start Adie Cooper blitzed the opposition. Adie was catching from the off when many anglers were struggling to find a bite never mind a fish. There were a lot of small coalies about and this seemed to keep the whiting away. Anglers who managed to find the bonus whiting found themselves in the frame on the new system that the club is operating that gives every one an equal chance. Adie was well in front of everyone else with over 3lb. Next was Mick Smith with two whiting and also the biggest whiting of the night. The junior winner was the fast improving Liam Ainsthorpe. The Club’s next match is this Sunday 6pm top 10pmand will be fished along Courtaulds Straight. The Yorkshire federation also fished a match on the Sunday for a change they decided to hold it on the South Bank and the Humber Bank Wall. Local star Karl Nangle took the honours with twelve whiting, next was Bill Sheppard and third Simon Drayton. Reckitts SAC were in action on the Yorkshire coast and they were greeted with fine conditions which brought out the rays, with three being landed from the Hilston area. There were also plenty of whiting around but the cod still seem to be pretty scarce off the Yorkshire coast. Hopefully this will improve for the Daiwa Open which is being held on the 29th. In the Super league it was Graham turner who had two rays and ten whiting for 8.95kgs, second placed Chris Wray weighed in thirteen whiting for 4.68kg and Carl   Matthews in third had a bag of 4.47kgs. Winner in the Premier league was Peter Fenby with sixteen whiting for 5.43kg, next up was Chris Stofhard who had a nice 7lb cod to add to his three whiting for a weight of 4.81kg and third place went to John Barr on 2.28kg. This weekend it is the next round of the HCA winter league but the weather looks a little bit rough for the weekend and there are doubts if the match will go ahead. There have been plenty of reports coming of good fish caught of the Humber Bank Wall including several doubles. The favoured locations on the Wall are filled rapidly each day and you have to get there early if you want your preferred peg. East England 2009-11-21T07:55:21+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-16-11-09 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-16-11-09#When:09:47:57Z Even in relatively settled conditions small cod are still evident from most areas. The most productive sessions have been during darkness with a bit of surf running. Most cod are averaging around the 1½ to 2lb mark but increasing numbers of bigger fish around 5lb are now starting to show and double figure specimens are again evident from the hard ground marks. The Durham beaches and Hartlepool piers are now producing more fish after a slow start to the winter season with a lot of quality whiting and dabs showing on most tides to keep anglers happy. Double figure mixed bags have been reasonably common from all areas, particularly from the Tyne, where success with at least a few smaller cod or coalfish is virtually guaranteed. Best results continue to come from north of the Tyne where Michael McMenamin had a cod of 12lb 6oz in a bag total of 20lb from Boulmer. Paul Gallon had a cod of 11½lb from Craster, Mal McIntyre a conger of 10lb from Marden, Dave Allen had a cod of 8½lb from the Tyne and Sean Blake had cod of 7lb and 6½lb from Slatey Gut.The Horden Buffs H.S.F. Sweepstake on Wednesday saw some nice mixed bags taken. Darren Thompson was the best of fourteen fishing with a cod of 4lb 10oz in a bag total of 7lb 12oz and Ron Smith had a cod of 4½lb in a bag total of three cod for 10lb 7oz.Hartlepool W.C.S.A.C. fished Saturday afternoon in gale force winds and struggled to find any great numbers of fish. Ian Found did well to land two cod from a local beach for 4lb 1oz, best 2lb 3oz. Marc Wallace had a flounder of 1lb and Steve Booth had a dab of 10oz.Hartlepool O.M.A.C. fished Saturday night and the catches show the obvious difference when fishing at night. Chris Smith won with a superb mixed bag for 19lb 13oz, ahead of Ian Palmer Jnr. In second with 14lb 15oz. Steve Gibbins had the heaviest fish, a cod of 3lb followed by Jay Kelly who weighed in a cod of 2lb 14oz. Next match is Saturday November 28th fishing from 7pm till 1am. There is a meeting prior to this at 5.30pm which all members are requested to attend.S.B.R.A.A.C. fished last weekend with eight out of fourteen landing eleven fish. Phil Smithson won with two cod and a coalfish for 3lb 9oz, second placed Paul Roper had a single cod of 1lb 10oz and Andrew Dodds had two flounders for 1lb 3oz.The Seaham Badger Open on Friday saw ten out of seventeen land nineteen cod, a whiting and a flounder. Mick Davison took the top two heaviest fish with cod of 2.44lb, and 2.42lb in a bag total of three cod for 6.01lb, ahead of Darren Swan with a cod of 2.21lb.Sunderland S.A.A. fished Sunday with seven out of ten landing eleven whiting, two flounders, and two dabs. Paul Robinson won with four whiting and two dabs for 3lb 5oz ahead of Alan Walker with two whiting and a flounder for 1lb 14oz and Bill Gamblin with two whiting for 1lb 3oz.Cleadon A.C. competition saw ten out of thirty-five weigh in small cod mainly from the lower Tyne where John Taylor won with six cod for 11lb. In second Gav Hall weighed in five for 7lb 2oz pushing John Newcombe who had three for 6lb 3oz into third. Fourth place went to Ollie Feenan with 5¼lb and Ian McLaughlin had the heaviest fish, a cod of 4lb 6oz from the Targets.Bedlington Station A.C. fished at the weekend with eight out of fourteen landing fourteen fish. Steve Surtees had three cod for 12lb from Newbiggin including a fine fish of 9¼lb. Brian Hurrell had three cod for 6lb in second and Zoltan had two for 2lb 14oz.The Ryhope Tuesday Evening Sweepstake saw forty-four fishing with the best fish coming from Roker Pier where Chris Hossack won with a cod of 3270 grams, followed by Dave Mould with one of 2170 grams. John Barrass had one for 1885 grams in third and John Gibson had one of 1555 grams.The Ryhope club match on Sunday saw eighty-one fishing with lots of whiting showing on the day. Gary Dunn fished Rathouse Corner to land eight whiting for 3455 grams and take first place. Runner-up John Topliffe had six for 1990 grams from Hendon and Scott Brown had six for 1530 grams from Roker. Top junior was Lauren Hayley with two fish for 815 grams. Joe Lemon had the best flatfish with a flounder of 385 grams and the heaviest round fish was a cod of 620 grams taken by Alan Burton.The Eastenders Sweepstake on Wednesday saw fifteen fishing with all of the top fish coming from Roker. Barry Wright had a cod of 2.10kg, Chris Hossack had one for 1.30kg and Paul Howey had one of 1.19kg.The South Shields Open on Sunday saw an excellent turn out of three hundred and six seniors and fifteen juniors fishing the event, seventy-four weighed in two hundred and forty-one fish for 256lb 9oz. First prize of £500 for the heaviest fish went to Chris Hossack with a cod of 3lb 9oz, followed by Tony Grant with a cod of 3lb 1oz and Ian McLaughlin with one of 2lb 14oz. The heaviest bag was taken by Paul McIntyre with 14½lb and runner-up Gavin Owen weighed in 12lb 2oz. Top junior was Kalvin Dunn with 3lb 11oz and top lady was Pauline Ferry with 12oz.The 42nd Seaham Open Shore Championship on Sunday November 29th sees a prize table of £10,000 - the biggest open in the country this year. Sea Angler magazine have donated a complete fishing tackle collection worth £1500 for the main raffle prize. Fishing is from 11am till 4pm between Hendon Groyne and Dene Holm Pipe. Basic entry is £15. Top prizes for the best 3 h.s.f. are £1500, £600, and £400. Total cash fund is £2500 with a huge prize table of £7500. Registration on Saturday is from 10am, and on Sunday from 8am. More details nearer the time, for all enquiries contact joseph.gibson@btconnect.comSaturday December 6th sees the Bedlington Station Northumbrian Open fishing from 9.30am till 1.30pm between Pattersons Garage at Beadnell and Tynemouth Pier. Blyth Pier is in bounds but all other piers and rivers are excluded. Basic entry is £11 for adults, £5 ladies and juniors for their respective prizes only or full £11 for full prize list, plus the usual optional team event and pools. Register at the Bank House Club Newbiggin from 7am till 8.30am. First prize for the heaviest bag is £750 plus a full supporting prize table and special prizes for 20th and 30th places. North East England 2009-11-16T09:47:57+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/orford-cod-island http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/orford-cod-island#When:17:49:20Z Shore fishing ace Paul Stevens tackles Orford Island where the cod run thick, and even sleeping beauties can cash in on the action…With great reports of cod coming in left, right and centre the boys and I couldn’t resist a bash ourselves. All of us are keen match anglers, so the ideal solution was to take in a match where cod were likely, and the Weymouth Open at Chesil fitted the bill perfectly. With bait dug and rigs constructed the weather cut up forcing the organisers to call the match off. Desperate not to waste the bait we discussed various alternatives and plumped for a trip to Orford Island on the East coast which is renowned for producing cod.Chris Snow, Colin Carey and I travelled in one car and Darren Bond and Dave Falk in the other. The trip from Worthing took three hours which meant a 03:30 start to ensure we made the 7am ferry. Orford Island is reached by boat and the anglers’ ferry operates most days. After fishing it is absolutely critical to get back to the pick up point in plenty of time as this is not a place to be marooned on overnight. Apparently, Orford can also be accessed via Aldeburgh with a 4 x 4 vehicle but we did not have that luxury.The early morning greeted us with a stiff wind and rain which was forecast all day. However, a reasonably small rise and fall at Orford, means you can spend the day tucked under your shelter, which is a major bonus. This was especially so for boozy Dave who had come straight from a nightclub and was still 10 sheets to the wind when we picked him up!Ferry firstThe boat trip took 10 minutes, after which we made for the far end of the Island. This is a considerable walk of around 35 minutes and beach trolleys to hump all the gear are definitely recommended. You can fish pretty much where you are dropped off, but I had never fished the venue before and I was not sure of the top marks. The walk was hard on all of us but you can imagine the state of Dave who lagged 200 metres behind the rest of us trying to keep the contents of his stomach from uncontrollably fountaining all over the beach.Knackered but not totally done in, we finally reached the spot and spread out as there was plenty of room. The sea looked absolutely perfect for cod… choppy and filthy dirty. Thoughts of failure were far from our minds – there just had to be fish around. We rigged up with only cod in our sights. Pennel rigs with 2/0 – 4/0 hooks were the top choice and baits were sized to match. Little was left to chance in the bait stakes. Whole and wrapped yellowtail lug, crab and squid were carried. You could fish just about any cod mark in the UK with these options and one of them would come good.The tide had been flooding for about an hour when we started and baits were cast between 80 and 100 yards. The water is very deep here and the tides can be fierce. Holding bottom can be a nightmare if casting further, but as we were fishing neap tides that presented no great problem.Cods away Ginger!Ginger Bond was pitched furthest away and had three dogfish out before anyone else caught a fish. A few whiting came to our rods before Ginger landed the first codling of the session. At 3lb it wasn’t a huge fish but it proved they were there for the taking. Improvement was rapid then. Colin, Snowy and I all landing codling around the 3lb. ‘Dave the Rave' however was fast asleep under his beach buddy and missing out on all the action. He did just manage to wind in and re-bait during this cod flurry before assuming the foetal position once more.Ginger on the end peg was certainly enjoying the lion's share of the action. The size of cod was creeping up too as he dragged a lovely 6lb fish up onto the shingle. There was £5 each at stake on the biggest fish so I got my head down, increased the size of my baits further in an attempt to scoop the loot.I was studying my rod tip: bent nicely in the tide and willing a bite when it dropped back slack in that classic cod fashion. I wound down furiously and felt the other end thumping away immediately. My unspoken thoughts were that this could be a contender for the pool money, but as I pulled it through the surf it turned out to be a large whiting and a healthy 4lb codling package. This was my biggest cod for a while and my smile was genuine despite no cigar.Dave’s a slackerThe action slowed after this so I strolled along to the drunken bum’s shelter intent on giving him some abuse. As I approached I noticed his line lying slack on the beach. I gave him a kick to wake him up and he struggled to his feet muttering away sorrowfully. Dave picked up his rod and wound up the slack. When he eventually got some tension in the line an instant grin confirmed that the fish was still attached.Dave had the as yet unseen fish around 20 yards out and was still battling. He continued cranking down on the reel towing considerable weight closer to the beach. Looking at the big bend in his rod I was sure that our nightclubbing friend was just about to scoop the cash kitty. Not one but a double shot of codling were dragged clear. One fish was a tad shy of 6lb, while the other was over 3lb. A lift of 9lb of cod and the jammy git didn’t even see the bite! You can imagine the words that followed from all.The remainder of the session continued with cod coming frequently - even Dave caught two more - interspersed with dogs and whiting until it was time to pack up for the long walk back to the boat. Fresh Yellowtails were the killer bait, although crab and squid caught fish. Two or three yellowtail lugworm offered on a pennel rig was outstanding. The final haul was 23 cod, about a dozen dogs and numerous whiting. As it turned out Ginger just pipped the drunk for the biggest fish which paid for his expenses. This was my first trip to Orford but it certainly will not be my last and we are all planning on a return over the Christmas period. Shore, Lead Feature 2009-11-13T17:49:20+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/tutorials/read/how-to-make-an-armamesh-bait http://www.planetseafishing.com/tutorials/read/how-to-make-an-armamesh-bait#When:17:48:06Z Keeping soft baits on hooks is an age old problem for sea anglers that standard bait elastic can't always solve. Armamesh from Fox International is a is a meshing material that binds and supports soft baits and even minced fish superbly. Keen sea angler Steve Akeroyd demonstrates in easy to follow steps exactly how to use the Armamesh system to make serviceable sea baits...If you haven’t heard of Armamesh then where have you been? Produced by Fox International Armamesh is a fine but strong mesh material to hold baits together. It comes in stocking form and is available in two different sizes for standard and large bait purposes. It can be used to support soft baits such as peeler crab and mussel, or even ‘particle’ baits that have been run through a food processor. Armamesh allows bait discard to be minimised as even unused defrosted baits such as mackerel, bluey, sandeel and squid can be retained at the end of a fishing session to be quickly rattled through the blender, sausaged in Armamesh and popped back in the freezer for later.Armamesh is great for forming large cocktailed winter baits for mounting on a pennel rig. Application however is not restricted to hook-baits, as the mesh material can be used to truss bait parcels for use in swimfeeders etc.The Armamesh system consists of a tough plastic tube-funnel onto which the mesh stocking is bunched and tied off. Bait is then inserted into the rear of the tube and packed towards the front with the plastic plunger provided. With sufficient bait packed in the tube, the plunger is then used to force it out the front much like a sausage. When the desired length of bait is achieved, it is pulled forward drawing off enough empty mesh to allow a closing knot to be comfortably tied and snipped. The finished bait is then rolled in the hands to firm and can be used straight away or frozen down.The Armamesh system is available in 14mm (narrow) and 22mm (wide) sizes, and replacement mesh refills are available separately. Fox International’s Steve Akeroyd (above & right) demonstrates the simple Armamesh procedure below. Why not give it a try? Armamesh kits are available in 14mm and 22mm sizes. Each consists of a tube, plunger and Armamesh stocking which all stores neatly in a stoppered container. Armamesh refills mean the kit doesn’t become redundant when the mesh runs out.Pull some mesh from the spool and tease onto the non-splayed end of the tube. Draw a generous amount of mesh up on to the tube, bunching it towards the top.Holding the mesh already on the tube firmly in place, twist the end ready for knotting with the other hand. Form a simple overhand or double overhand knot in the tightened end and pull tight.Use sharp scissors to snip off the excess mesh about 5mm from the knot. Do not use a filleting knife for this. Slip the remaining slack mesh up the tube and ensure the knot is tight to the bottom. Use moderate tension to hold the mesh in place and stuff bait down the funnel. We have used luncheon meat for display purposes but it could just as easily be crab, mussel, razor, worm or minced fish.Compact the bait using the Armamesh plunger but do not allow the mesh to leave the front of the tube yet. Stuff more bait in the tube and pack that down too.Relax the tension on the mesh and use the plunger to gently push the bait clear of the tube. Work slowly. The bait will move neatly into the captive mesh.Push the bait out until the desired length is achieved. Draw back on the plunger and pull the bait away from the tube.Squeeze up the empty mesh tight to the bait and judge the length required for knotting. Cut clear of the tube.Twist the end to further compact the bait sausage. Knot the Armamesh as close to the 'meat' as possible.Trim off the excess meshing. An Armamesh bait ready for mounting on a pennel rig.NEXT time, Steve shows how to mount the perfect Armamesh hook-bait Rigs and tackle making, Lead Feature 2009-11-13T17:48:06+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/seasafe-sea-trekker-gilet http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/seasafe-sea-trekker-gilet#When:17:47:58Z Sea anglers can seem averse to wearing floatation devices or lifejackets, often arguing bulkiness, restricted movement and discomfort as their reasons. Such crazy arguments are not rooted in common sense, and there are in fact many smart and less incarcerating life-preserving garments, such as the Seasafe Sea Trekker Gilet, to appease even the dumbest and vainest of fishermen...Many anglers do not wear lifejackets, or floatation clothing of any description even on small boats or precarious rock marks in the height of slippery winter conditions. The reasons given range from simple vanity through to standard equipment making the wearer feel hopelessly encumbered. The point about restricted movement is valid up to a point, but I am of the opinion that owning some sort of floatation garment within the sea angling environment is essential. A possible solution to break this mindset is comfortable clothing with built-in lifejackets such as that from Seasafe. These are not floatation suits or halfway house buoyancy aids, they are full 150N lifejackets built into various styles of waterproof clothing.I acquired the Seasafe Sea Trekker Gilet from the Isle of Wight based company. I was after a neat solution for the warmer part of the year that would normally see me sweating to death, and this item looked promising. Being sleeveless, the Sea Trekker Gilet can be worn over a just T-shirt or lightweight summer waterproof or a heavier outer winter garment. Movement is unhindered by the device, and aside from the piece of mind offered by fully functional lifejacket, they look rather snazzy too.The Gilet is fully compliant with EN396 standards, has automatic and manual inflation, rescue strop and D ring, reflective shoulder bands, fleece collar and neoprene crotch strap. This last feature is one most important from a safety view point because without it, the lifejacket can easily pull above your head when inflated, allowing your head to submerge with potentially disastrous consequences.The Trekker Gilet is a cracking item that I thoroughly recommend. Mine has seen many hours of action at sea, when both angling and on regular photographic assignment. The Trekker Gilet starts at £149.99. Seasafe offer a variety of excellent life preserving clothing which can be viewed at www.seasafe.co.uk Clothing, Lead Feature 2009-11-13T17:47:58+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-13-11-09 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-13-11-09#When:09:48:37Z Last weekends SAMF final held at Skegness produced plenty of fish for the competitors. On the first day Bob Gascoigne was on fire he had a brilliant session with forty-five fish for 22lb 7oz. Bob was well ahead of second placed Joe Arch who had twenty-nine fish for 15lb 7¾oz. Third placed Ben Richards weighed in 38 fish for 18lb 1oz. Neville Charlesworth finished 2nd in his zone on the first day George Smith was sixth in his zone. On the second day Bob Gascoigne could not find the fish and slipped down the leaderboard. Paul McIntyre was in zone A and he had thirty-three fish for 18lb 10oz to take top spot on the day. Second was George Smith who was in zone B and had twenty-three fish for 10lb 2oz. Third placed Ian Brooks finished up the overall winner of the two day event. Neville Charlesworth finished up second overall and George third. There were also good results for Gary Hutson who took seventh place and Simon Drayton in eighth.No codling were landed over the two days and the bags were mainly made up of whiting and dabs. Saturday 14th sees the RNLI Open at Skegness, and by all accounts if the wind behaves itself it should be a good event with plenty of fish. Please come along and support this match, it is well backed by Julian Shambrook and the Anyfish Anywhere team.Humber SAC were in action on the sea wall at Suggits Lane and it was Hull Based angler Chris Mack who took the honours with 6lb 4½oz. He was well in front of Cleethorpes angler Jack Barlow weighed in 2lb 6oz with Adie Cooper third with 2lb 1oz.The junior winner was Liam Aisthorpe This Sunday’s match is again being fished at Suggits Lane from 2.45 to 6.45pm. Last weekend the boats were out for the HCA big fish open. With a decent entry and good reports of cod during the week a decent days fishing was on the cards. One thing the anglers did not expect was the dreadful weather in the afternoon, the rain and the storms were unbelievable.Those at the Bull Fort area had cod and thornbacks with several fish reaching double figures before the compulsory gutting. Back at the weigh in there was a tie for first place between John Pyle and Glen Jubb both with cod of 8lb 8oz. Then it was Matty Booth with a ray of 8lb 7oz and tied in fourth were Mark Briggs and Tony Burman with cod of 8lb 6oz. The club’s next match is on the 22nd and this is the next round of the winter league.Just a quick reminder it is the Daiwa Open on the 29th November with a first prize of £3000 fishing is from 10am to 4pm, tickets are available from most local tackle shops, go along and support the biggest match in the UK. East England 2009-11-13T09:48:37+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/couches-bream-record-tops-alderney-festival http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/couches-bream-record-tops-alderney-festival#When:18:56:47Z Black bream and mullet had dominated the Alderney Fishing Festival this year, with many anglers opting to float fish there way to success. By mid-day Sunday many of the craftier anglers had got their eye in and it was all systems go. Sizeable mullet were making the running, the first of the black bream made the scoreboard and a very welcome Alderney record in the shape of a 2lb 14oz couches sea bream for local builder Gary Maurice.  A mega pollack landed after some out of the box thinking saw Matt Smith on the leaderboard and the first of the huss showed. A cracking plaice of 4lb 8oz was caught on the inside of the Breakwater and then the first of eels. A beautiful wrasse which angler Pete Walker managed to return alive was weighed in at 6lb 8oz, fabulous fish!  Monday/Tuesday came and went with more fish added to the board including more golden greys, a triggerfish just shy of 3lb and now the competition was starting to shape up, the weather was great too, what more could we have wished for with 4 days to go? How about for the fishing to last? No such luck, as we came off the top of the tides so the fishing tapered off. While there were still specimens to be caught most anglers found it a struggle. Keith Quertiers magnificent sole of 4lb plus was the stand out catch of the second half of the week. The fishing derteriorated to such an exctent that anglers resorted to weighing in dogfish. And to cap it all the rain and wind returned. The turn out was excellent given the economic climate, a respectable 109 anglers entered, matching the entry from the past few years. Good to see new faces entering too as we publicise the event, and hopefully they will be back next year.Next year the dates are 2nd October till 9th. Tides will be building through out the week and no doubt we’ll be all back on the shoreline keen as mustard and dreaming of the one that got away this year.Our thanks as always to our sponsors with out whom the Festival would struggle to run year after year. Their support is crucial and much appreciated. Jack and Daphne Main - Lloyds TSB, Alderney BranchAlderney Shipping - Tickled Pink Builders - Le CocqsAlderney Angling - Boardmans Chemists RESULTSBallan Wrasse:2nd Steve Mullins (CI) 6-5-21st Pete Walker (UK) 6-8-14Thick Lipped Mullet:5th Rod Entwistle (UK) 4-14-24th Matt Smith (CI) 4-15-83rd Steve Harder (UK) 5-2-42nd Sam Robins (CI) 5-4-141st Steve Mullins (CI) 5-6-0Bass:3rd Alan Eastwood (CI) 5-0-62nd John Copeland (CI) 6-11-01st Colin Patch (CI) 7-2-12 Under 5lb:5th Andy Hedger  (UK) LSD 1-14-04th Danny Le Merrer (CI) Scad 1-2-23rd Mark Plowman (UK) LSD 1-15-62nd Rick Ball (CI) LSD 2-1-61st Dave Mann (UK) Triggerfish 2-14-10Couches Sea Bream: 1st Gary Maurice (CI) 2-14-12 NEW ALDERNEY RECORDConger:2nd Steve Mullins (CI) 26-8-01st Graham Le Gresley (CI) 33-8-0Graham had another of 32-12-0Over 5lb: 4th Matt Smith (CI) Pollack 8-3-123rd Pete Walker (UK) Bull Huss 9-1-122nd Caleb Zunino (CI) Bull Huss 9-11-61st Matt Pitter (UK) Bull Huss 9-13-12Black Bream:3rd Rod Entwistle (UK) 3-5-142nd Paul Wheaton (CI) 3-6-41st Barry Peel (UK) 3-8-2Plaice/Sole:2nd Alistair House (UK) Plaice 4-8-121st Keith Quertier (CI) Sole 4-0-8Garfish/Mackerel: 1st Danny Le Merrer (CI) Garfish 1-3-10Andy James Trophy (Best Cartilaginous fish): Rick Ball LSD 2-1-6Bert Messam Plaice Trophy: Alistair House Plaice 4-8-12Barbie Cosheril Trophy (Best Fish of Festival highest %): Gary Maurice Couches Sea Bream 2-14-12Veterans Trophy: Pete WalkerLadies Trophy: Not wonHerbie Pike Memorial Trophy (Best fish as voted for by committee individually): Alistair House Plaice 4-8-12BEST UK ANGLER: Pete Walker 2 fish 142.85%BEST CI ANGLER: Danny LeMerrer 3 fish 177.41%BEST PAIR: Danny LeMerrer/ Steve Mullins 302.59%BEST TEAM: Rock Rats - Danny LeMerrer/ Steve Mullins/Paul Bisson/Jack Gavey 2009-11-11T18:56:47+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/alderney-report-october-20091 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/alderney-report-october-20091#When:17:08:43Z Despite being a venue where fishing is normally possible in the lee of the land in almost any weather Alderney anglers have suffered this month from the battering of gale force winds and torrential rain. Usually the lee provides shelter but with winds in excess of 30 mph pushing up a swell round the exposed headlands, boat fishing has proved nigh on impossible.Most of the better fishing has revolved around plugging for bass with some excellent, if erratic results at times from the shore. Bags up a dozen fish have been recorded; however go back to the same mark the following day and you could be looking at a blank session, that’s Alderney! The majority of the fish landed have been in the 2½ to 6lb bracket with the odd bigger bass to 9lb being taken. The larger specimens have tend to succumb to live baits, or legered squid or mackerel rather than the lures. Plugs that have proved successful recently have been minnow shape and colours vary from blue, grey to the white with red head. Shads are always worth a go too, next month should see more fish caught on soft jellies as opposed to plugs.Mullet have been shoaling up between the gales, fish to 6lb have been caught but the inclement weather has curtailed most of the mullet angler’s efforts. Black bream too are another species we get on the float, tremendous sport and you only need a loaf of bread for success. To get the best of the bream fishing the weather needs to calm down to allow the fish to shoal up. Golden greys have been around the harbour area too, with the best fish hitting 2lb mark. This year has been the best year we’ve known for giltheads with fish to 3lb 8oz showing up regularly for the shore angler. Couches bream appear to be showing in better numbers now after a quiet start. Later this month and into December red mullet should show in numbers as should the sole. Eels to 40lb and huss into double figures will provide excellent sport for the angler venturing out after dark. We’re in to that time of year when most local boats come out of the water and no mainland charters visit the island. Colin has taken his customers out aboard Smuggler of Alderney and has had success with turbot and brill together with a smattering of bass on the soft and the rough ground areas are providing variety with tope, eels, bream and huss among catches. Odd triggerfish have also been showing up from the boats. Despite the gales, the kayak anglers have been able to sneak out with plugging for bass being particularly productive. Local angler Mark Harding has had up to fifteen fish in a session with pollack, garfish and wrasse also smashing into the lures. Channel Islands 2009-11-11T17:08:43+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-11-11-09 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-11-11-09#When:10:09:05Z The good bags of codling taken last week have not been so common as of late with settled seas keeping most of the bigger fish offshore.  Whiting and flatties are showing from most piers and beaches with some nice specimens over the 1lb mark amongst them.  Small cod and coalfish are showing in daylight hours with the better results taken after dark with odd fish to 6lb taken from the low water marks.  Again the best sport for any cod has been in the north of the region around the Hendon and Ryhope areas, the rock edges at Whitburn, and north of the Tyne around Blyth and Amble.  Both the Wear and Tyne have cod, whiting, coalfish, flounders and eels showing with the better results coming from the Tyne where some anglers have taken mixed bags into low double figures.Hartlepool Pirates fished Friday with most fish coming from local marks.  Steve Gibbins had the heaviest bag with six whiting and one dab for 5lb 6oz, Jamie Pearce had six whiting and three dabs for 4lb 15oz to take second, third placed John Mekins had five whiting for 3lb 2oz and Dave Crowther had the heaviest fish, a cod of 2lb.  Next match is Saturday November 21st fishing from 6pm till 12pm.Hartlepool W.C.S.A.C. had a match on Saturday with most members landing mixed bags of cod, whiting, dabs, and flounders.  Steve Booth took the top bag with cod, whiting and dabs for 5lb 6oz. Paul Hornsey in second had a mixed bag of whiting and dabs for 3¼lb and Mal McGeorge had a similar bag for 3lb 2oz.  Next match is Saturday November 14th from 6pm till 10pm.Bedlington Station A.C. had a very productive recent match with eight out of twelve landing forty-six fish for 75lb.  Ronnie Forest had a good night taking nine cod for 20lb 11oz, best at 4lb 7oz, from Blyth Beach. Runner-up Darren Shields had nine fish for 14lb 15oz from Collywell Bay followed by Steve Surtees with nine fish for 12lb from Hauxley and Alan Naisby who weighed in seven fish for 11lb 9oz, also from Hauxley.Blyth A.C. saw N. Howitt win their last match with five cod for 7lb 6oz from Amble, K. Armstrong in second place weighed in two cod for 3lb 3oz from Cresswell, and P.Smith had a cod and a coalfish for 3lb for third from Sandy Bay. Tynemouth A.C. saw twenty one members fishing on Sunday.  First place went to Dave Collins with a cod and a coalie for 4lb 6oz, Steve Harper had a single cod for 4lb 1oz and Jai Thompson had one cod and one coalfish for 3lb 2oz.This week’s Cleadon A.C. match saw thirteen out of thirty-six weigh in mainly cod from Whitburn and the Tyne. First placed John Newcombe had two cod for 4lb 2oz from the Tyne. The heaviest fish, a cod of 4lb 1oz was also enough to secure second for Paul Harrison. Third placed Richard Landsbury had one cod for 3lb 9oz had one cod from White Rock and Stephen Brown had two cod for 3lb 5oz in fourth.The Ryhope sweepstake on Tuesday saw all twenty-six anglers land small cod.  John Morrow won with one of 1525 grams from Ryhope, Mick Davison took second and fourth places with cod of 1000 grams and 700 grams from Featherbed Rocks and third place went to Mick Hamilton with one of 925 grams from Hill 60.The Ryhope club match on Sunday saw ninety fishing with Hartlepool angler John Wilson on top form taking nine fish for 6510 grams from the Tyne Walkway despite being harassed by anglers fishing a local open match.  Paul Riley had two cod for 3050 grams, best 2480 grams, from Whitburn, and Sean McAvoy had three cod for 1645 grams.  Top junior was Gary Warwick Jnr. with 210 grams.The Eastenders sweepstake on Wednesday saw seventeen anglers land ten cod, six whiting and two flounders all from Roker Pier.  Jim Dunlop had the heaviest fish with a cod of 3lb 2oz, Malcolm Sopp had one of 2½lb, brother Mick had one for 2lb 6oz, followed by Dale Short with one for 2¼lb.The East End and Hendon sweepstake on Thursday saw ten anglers fishing but with flat seas the cod had moved offshore and only a single fish was weighed in when Barry Robson landed an eel of 1lb 2oz from the Tyne Walkway.The East End and Hendon club match on Sunday saw better results when three out of twelve landed ten cod and a single flounder.  Gareth Gardner fished the Tyne to weigh in five cod for 9lb 6oz, best 2¾lb for top spot. Tommy Tate fished the Wear to land three cod for 4lb 6oz in second place and George Brown also fished the Wear to land two cod and one flounder for 4lb 3oz.Seaham A.C. also fished Sunday when eleven out of fifty brought twenty-one cod, two coalfish and a single flounder to the scales for a total of 40.60lb.  Paul Westmoreland fished Hawthorn to land five cod for 9.83lb, best 3.70lb, followed by Paul Golighly with four for 6.76lb, also from Hawthorn. Third placed Henry Hogwood fished Hendon to take three for 5.49lb, and Gary Ramsden had three for 3.78lb.Horden Mechanics fished at the weekend for their first Nighthawk match.  Mick Edwards was joint winner with three whiting and a cod for 3¼lb, together with John Bourne who weighed in two cod.  Sean Stephenson had a cod and a whiting for 2lb 10oz and Ged Barker had one cod and one flounder for 2lb 9oz.Horden Buffs Surfcasters also fished last weekend.  Winner Ron Smith had a nice bag of five cod, best 1lb 15oz and a flounder for 8lb 3oz. In second Steve Moyle had four cod and one eel for 7lb 5oz and Paul Peacock had three cod for 3lb 7oz.  The Buffs Surfcasters are running a Wednesday night cash match sweepstake from the Buffs club in Horden, fishing from 7.30pm to 10.30pm, Registration 5.45pm to 6.15pm, weigh in 10.30pm to 11.15pm.The Angling Trust Heaviest Fish Marine Open on Sunday saw fourteen out of thirty-two land eight cod, three wrasse, two flounders, and a coalfish for just under 33½lb.  Paul Sample fished Craster to land the biggest fish with a cod of 5lb 14oz, Steve Williams had one of 5¼lb from St. Mary,s Island, Jade Nicholson had a wrasse of 3lb  12oz and Russ Smith had a cod of 3lb.The recent Redcar Open saw one hundred and twelve fishing with nineteen weighing in twenty two flounders, four bass, three pouting, a cod, and an eel.  Top prize of £500 for the heaviest fish went to Dave Turner of Redcar with a bass of 2lb 11oz taken from Coatham.  Norman Middlemass had a bass of 1lb 13oz from Saltburn and James Moore had one of 1lb 11oz from Upgang.  Craig Dalton had the heaviest bag with six flounders for 5lb  12oz taken from Whitby harbour, Terry Dalton had four flounders for 4lb and Stan Preston had four flounders for 3lb 1loz. Sunday November 15th sees the Seaham Town Council Open fishing from 11am till 4pm.  Basic entry is £8 all classes.  Register from 9am till 10.30 am at Seaham A.C. clubhouse.  There will be one hundred sealed tickets available to fish pegs on Seaham Pier. North East England 2009-11-11T10:09:05+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/formula1-florida-tarpon http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/formula1-florida-tarpon#When:09:35:13Z Metallic-looking monsters with gobs large enough to swallow footballs are England international shore angler, Paul Stevens' deepest fishing obsession. We are talking tarpon. A recent family holiday to Florida provided a well engineered opportunity to get afloat with a top fishing guide and finally lock horns with a spectacular silver force of nature...Despite many failed attempts and only ever landing one of the damn things, I have long lusted after tarpon. Huge, powerful, majestic and ever challenging, they are almost pornographically alluring and my dream fish. With a family visit planned to Disneyland, I couldn’t resist dedicating some time to chasing those silver-scaled goliaths. A bit of Internet research lead to the website of Captain Chris McCubbin based in Naples on Florida’s south west coast. A couple of emails established that split sessions were available, enabling anglers to fish at both dawn and dusk periods avoiding the less productive middle of the day. Sounded good to me, and I duly booked up.The easy drive from Orlando to Naples only took three hours, and quick phone call to Chris established that all was set for my first outing. Early next morning, with the introductions done, I boarded the 22-foot Pathfinder boat and got underway. First stop was to catch some thread herrings for live bait. Spots in the marina proved unproductive, but a few throws with the cast-net on mark a half-mile offshore quickly had the live well bursting with baits.We hugged the shoreline and zipped across a millpond sea heading to one of Chris’s favoured ‘open’ marks - we would be fishing the open ocean rather then the backwaters. The majority of tarpon fishing around Florida is carried out in the backwaters, but it can be difficult to tease a take in the brackish waters. From experience, Chris has learned that although there are fewer fish along the beaches, when you see them and can get close enough to cast live baits to them, they will sure as not hit it – “guaranteed” he said.Scouting for tarpsWithout warning Chris cut the outboard approaching the shallows. As we settled to a stop I scanned the sea to try and spot what had caught his eye, but saw and said nothing. I would soon come to realise that Chris has an inbuilt ability to ‘smell’ nearby tarpon. As we edged towards the shore using the quiet electric motor, a pod of tarpon rose unannounced about 100 yards form the boat, moving parallel to the beach. This was heaven and stalking a fish like this is nothing short of exhilarating.Huge black clouds overhead looked ominous, but Chris announced with certainty: “It never rains in the morning at this time of year!” No sooner had the words left his mouth than the tarpon moved off and the heavens ripped opened. An hour into the torrential rain, thunder and lightening, Chris asked if I wanted to call a halt and re-schedule. Given that the boat was wide open and I was shivering to death, it was a no-brainer and arrangements to pick things up again in the evening were made.The skies had cleared by late afternoon when my wife Jenny, four-year old son Conor and I met Chris on the dock. After strapping Conor into a buoyancy vest, we cut our way among the mangrove inlets and islands that surround Naples. We planned to spend some time targeting snook to perk all the family’s interest.Chris had already been out and filled the live well, and we were soon anchored up just 25 feet from the rocks that line the riverbanks. The live-baits were cast and allowed to settle as close to the shore as possible without snagging. My rod was the first to be wrenched over by a small 2lb snook that was quickly beaten. Conor was desperate to get a fish. Chris baited, cast and handed him the rod. In the space of a couple of minutes Conor’s rod pulled over hard, smashing into the side on the boat as he struggled to hold on to the savage take. A swift lunge from Chris ensured the rod stayed inboard and together they battled a beautiful 5lb Snook aboard. Conor was over the moon at catching his biggest ever fish and wanted more.Jenny was taking the pictures, and two dolphins that appeared next to the boat had her snapping away madly. Unfortunately the creatures made returning fish alive a nightmare, as they took advantage of the free feed. We had to resort to lobbing the snook close to the rocks to ensure their survival. After a couple of hour’s fun catching snook and with the sun starting to go down, we hauled anchor and moved further into the canals in search of tarpon.Shimano 8-foot Terramar rods were paired with Shimano 4500 bait-runner reels. The fixed spools carried 65lb braid to 80lb Momoi leaders, while the simple business end was a 7/0 Owner Tournament inline circle hook. We eventually settled in a spot where lumping great tarpon were topping all over the place, but they just wouldn’t play ball. We chucked live-baits, dead-baits and lures at them all to no avail. It was a typically frustrating tarpon session but still incredibly exciting when you have fish in excess of 150lb leaping out of the water just 50 feet away.Next day deliveryChris was on a mission to get me attached to a tarpon. We agreed to meet slightly earlier next morning at 06:00 to ensure we made fullest use of the dawn session. We motored through the Marina to early clear skies and warm weather more typically Floridain. Chris hit a large shoal of perfectly sized thread herring immediately, and 10 minutes later we were positioned back where we had been on the first morning.Not a breath of wind stirred as the sun crept up over the horizon. Chris and I scanned the mirror sea for any tarpon breaking the surface. He spotted some topping 200 yards in front of the boat. We snuck up on them using the silent electric motor. Frustratingly, despite numerous quiet attempts to get close enough, they seemed to be able to sense the boat and kept just out of casting range before we lost them.15 minutes later we spotted another pod coming straight towards us. This time we did not need to re-position the boat; we just readied fresh live-baits and held our breath. When they were 40 feet away we cast to them. The marker floats bobbed momentarily as the herrings panicked - then BANG! My rod arched over as a tarpon seized the bait and ran with incredible speed and power before launching itself clean out of the water shedding spray from head and gleaming flanks as it rose.At around 50lb, it wasn’t huge, but boy, can these things fight. 20 hard minutes later I had it on the boat for some quick trophy shots before slipping it back. Just to shatter the romantic man against fish-beast illusion, Chris had mentioned that tarpon can crap like an elephant when you get them on the boat, and he was not kidding. The boat and I were splattered all over with thick, sticky green goo that didn’t smell too good!A tip for similarly inexperienced tarpon anglers lucky enough to hold one for the camera is to wear a glove on the hand that holds the jaw. Donkey-brains here, who knew better of course, didn’t think a glove would be needed, but when it kicked and I tried to hold on it made a good old mess of my bare hand. I’ll call that a lesson learned the hard way.Frantic fun in the shallowsChris moved the boat right on top of the shallows where the water was no more than 5 feet deep. This seemed incredibly shallow for such large fish but I had complete faith in the skipper and bit my tongue. Chris explained that tarpon in this area do not betray their presence by ‘topping’ here as there’s no depth. The trick is to watch the seabed and as soon as you see a darker shape nearing the boat, cast to it.We drifted around and saw a few stingrays but my eyes failed to spot the shadow off the front of the boat that Chris cast at. Almost instantly a huge tarpon burst the surface with Chris’s bait in its mouth. He struck immediately but the hook failed to penetrate the rock-hard mouth and the herring flew one way as the tarpon went the other. I could only stand transfixed. Chris was muttering numerous swearwords – some that I’d never heard before - at a fish he estimated between 150 – 170lb. We might have been gutted but witnessing such an incredible thing unfold is priceless.With adrenaline still pumping, fresh live-baits were prepared and the stalking continued. Chris did it again 10 minutes later when another tarpon of around 150lb leapt clear without finding the hook. As the action died Chris explained that tarpon almost always stop feeding and disappear in the sun of mid morning.Just when you thought it was safe to go…My tarpon time was almost at an end, but I was content with my pristine 50 pounder. The deck was tided and the engine fired up for the journey back to the marina. We had only travelled about 300 yards when Chris spied another group of tarpon about 200 yards away. We motored up expecting them to scatter, but they stayed together, milling just 30 feet from the bow. There was no resisting the opportunity, and we decided to sling herrings one last time.The shoal held around a dozen substantial fish, and the infuriating things actually had to swim round the baits to avoid banging into them. They appeared disinterested in feeding but just when my shoulders were starting to slump the two rear fish U-turned and raced back to the baits. I snapped to attention willing one to have my madly quivering herring. In a heartbeat my bait was taken. What seemed a colossal tarpon exploded through the surface film and tore off like a like a Formula1 racing car.Braid streaked off the reel in utter contempt for the sternly set drag. Chris had dropped everything to man the boat as soon as I connected. We chased the fish down in an effort to win back some line, but some things are easier said than done. I lost count of how many times the tarpon threw itself clear of the water, but after an hour of pain and hope I believed I had the better of it.I carefully drew it close to the boat, sure of its tiredness. As Chris grabbed hold of the leader the lulled creature came angrily alive with an unexpected blast of reserve energy to thrust and shake clear up and out of the sea once more. It was so close that it is a wonder the thing didn’t land on the boat. As it came down the line wrapped around the body and my heart sank … but the line survived and quickly unwrapped itself clear of impeding disaster.With catastrophe averted the last throes of the fight were short-lived, and Chris had a gloved hand on the powerful jaw just a few minutes later. These muscle-bound machines do not surrender easily however, and it shot off under the boat just as we thought it was beaten. Fortunately this proved to be the final defiance and the scale-perfect tarpon was mine after another bruising round. It was a stunning slab of a fish with a mouth that you could easily lose your head in. Chris estimated it at around 110lb, and reckoned it was landed a mile from where it was hooked.Tarpon fight almost to the death and are completely exhausted at the end. Careful handling is therefore required to ensure the fish swims away strongly. It was held in the sea and gently towed for a few minutes to get oxygen flowing through the gills, before sufficient strength returned and the metallic-looking giant cruised slowly free. The whole experience was both empowering and humbling, and I would not swap for the world.Contact and fishing informationIf you are ever in the Naples area and you fancy a crack at tarpon and snook, then Captain Chris is your man. He is a tremendously helpful guy and will do everything to accommodate your requirements. Visit www.naples-pangafishing.com to find out more, or e-mail Chris direct at mccubbinpanga22@aol.com  Boat, Lead Feature, World fishing 2009-11-07T09:35:13+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/bass-plugging-basics http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/bass-plugging-basics#When:09:28:07Z Sussex angler Neil Pead is a bass fishing fanatic whose particular addiction is casting plugs from the multitude of marks around his home. Plugging tackle and the method basics are simple as Neil explains...I get more raw enjoyment from flinging plugs into the types of places where bass hunt than I do from other fixations. Most of my bass plugging is carried out around where I live in the Sussex area, but the tackle and method essentials stand up countrywide. In this the first of what I hope will be several bass features, I want to introduce you to the core tackle, the best plugs, essential methods and where to seek out those broad shouldered silver bombers.As far as rods go there is essentially nothing wrong with using something like a 1 – 3 oz rated ‘bass’ rod for the occasional chuck of a lure or wedge. However for dedicated plugging the limit of such a rod soon becomes painfully apparent, when after eight hours hopping around a reef or rocks fatigue inevitably sets in and you start to flag. A far better option is to buy a dedicated spinning rod for day-to-day plug slinging, as there is no gain in going heavy in and around Sussex. Most Bass are found close in at the right times, and quality modern spinning rods can happily flick a lure as far, if not further than a light beachcaster, and the right rod is a joy to work and play fish on. You can’t go wrong with some of the Shimano and Mike Ladle range of rods which range from £50 - £120.
These are a world apart from the 7-foot 'toy' spinning rods that I owned as a boy.Despite changing times and attitudes, rods widely available in the UK are still behind some of the technically superb plugging/spinning rods available in Japan and the USA.
Interestingly, dedicated surface lure sea rods have recently become available in the UK. These are specifically designed with ‘popping’ (surface lures) in mind, and for targeting bass in European saltwater.Reels & linesI wouldn't go for anything above a 4000-size fixed spool reel for our inshore plugging. The main requirements to my mind are a smooth handling, light reel with a decent line-lay, and a good bail roller with an excellent drag that won't seize up after 6 months of hard saltwater use. I have a Twinpower 4000XT-RB which has never let me down and the drag is superb. At under £40 the Shimano Exage is an excellent starter reel. I try and rinse my reels in warm water soon after getting back from trips to dissolve the salt. These 5 minutes of attention are essential if you want your investment to last more than a couple of seasons.Braid really is a must to get the very best out of the outfits described. I personally use 30lb Berkley Whiplash Pro and Spiderwire Stealth. Both braids are strong yet supple, resist abrasion well, and the fine diameter is great for casting.Top plugs and other luresThere are many, many types of plugs, spinners, spoons and soft artificial baits available today. The secret of efficient fishing is to whittle those myriad variables down to a concise set of ‘cover all’ options. Plugs can be roughly divided into 1/  Surface 2/ Sub-surface 3/ Floating divers 4/ Sinking or deep diving categories. Out of the four categories, 1 to 3 are most relevant to my regular Sussex shore marks, with 1 & 2 being the optimum for reef marks. Here are the plugs/lures that work for me… Surface plugs - Yo-Zuri Mag Popper and Storm Saltwater Chug Bug  Sub-surface plugs - Maria Chase BW and Maria Angel KissFloating Divers - Dexter Jedi Rattler Spoons - Dexter Wedges and similar Artificial Plastics - Red Gills and similarUse a leader when using surface lures. This helps prevent overzealous, 'walk the dog' actions, which regularly cause the front treble to tangle, damaging the braid. Simply tie around 12 inches of leader material to the braid – I like 18 lb Stren. If you must use Fluorocarbon, step the line strength up as knot strength is often compromised with fluoro. Then tie a Fastlink to the leader to facilitate quick and easy lure changes.Areas to investigateLook for likely bass holding ground, this can include…• Groynes and breakwaters (both stone & timber)• Spits, sand/gravel bars and gullies• 'Rip' currents, boiling or white water• Fast flowing water outfalls• River entrances• Any diversions or change in river features (including some less than conspicuous structures)• Weed beds up the rivers• Bridges and similar offerings• Reefs and associated gullies• Large rock structures• Marinas and pier• Any obvious concentration of food items (baitfish, crabs, prawns etc)• The surf line• Above all, keep on the move and look for signs of panic in the water, or sea birds divingTechniquesMany of the identified features can be successfully fished either with the surface popper or sub-surface lure and it has got to be the most exciting way of catching bass. When a 4lber hits your popper, you know about all it! Stealth is the essence of successful bass fishing. I try to approach my chosen venue quietly, which is not always possible when you are in a group. At night there is always the temptation to switch a light on, but this should be avoided if safety allows. As far as possible keep to shadows and out of the skyline, and avoid silhouetting yourself behind ledges etc.
Don't splash around whilst wading, and try to cover the ground out in front of you before moving along the shoreline.If you can imagine a clock face, always start casting at say 9 o’clock (you might have to adjust that somewhat if wading). Try maybe three or four casts in that area then fan out, working around to 12'oclock and back through to the opposite side from where you started. If using deeper diving or suspending lures you can also go through various different depth levels. The easiest way to do this is to count down until you hit bottom and work back up from there. For instance, a 10 second countdown and work the lure back, then perhaps an 8-seconds fall and retrieve and so forth. Do not be shy of fishing shallow water, and also casting back along the shoreline among gullies and reef structure such as we have east of Brighton Marina to Eastbourne.Walking the dog: There are plenty of websites detailing variances of ‘walk the dog’ techniques, so I’ll leave that instruction to others. A very good tip however, is to change retrieve speeds. I find a very slow retrieve best with the Mag Popper, interspersed with lots of motionlessness and what I describe as ‘dying’ twitches. You are mimicking a wounded fish, and if the bass are lazy, then it is my interpretation that they are more likely to hit a slow, erratic lure.Bubble float tactics: Another method worth of mention is the bubble float. Often derided, to some it’s crude. And whether or not it is strictly ‘lure’ fishing is open to debate, but the method works well on the Sussex shingle beaches and many other places beside. A bubble float is a very simple in-line float where the line runs through the middle, and the stoppered body can be filled with water to add weight for casting. The bubble float method works well in the surf in conditions up to around Force 3, or F4 at a push. It works over reefs and in shallow water too, but my preference in these situations is popping, as I find it produces a better average size of bass. Regardless, the bubble float does have its place, and is still great fun. Setting up a bubble float rig• You need some different sized bubble floats to cope with varying conditions (anything up to 1 oz is sufficient in Sussex). Fix the end with the rubber stop facing the rod.• Thread your mainline down through the float, ensuring the ‘rubber’ is as described above.• Add a small bead and tie on a small size 4 swivel. I trust to a Palomar knot for this.• Tie anything from 2-5 ft fluorocarbon length of trace. I find 4 foot optimal. Be aware that the longer the trace the more susceptible it is to wrapping around the float.• Attach a small snap link to connect the lure – the smaller the better within reason. You can omit this but then it makes changing lures or flies more difficult than needs be.• Next add a small 70mm Red Gill eel, Delta or fly – pearl or white/blue are good starter colours. The fly can be a proper saltwater fly, but I like a small ‘white rabbit’ trout fly.• Get in the habit of feathering the line during the cast, before the rig hits the water. This goes a long way towards preventing the trace from wrapping over the float.Keep the retrieve rate slow and steady. You want the business end to remain sub-surface. With a Redgill, it can almost just sit in the current with minimal work on the reel. The idea is to minimise disturbance caused by the bulbous bubble, which also gets nudged by inquisitive fish. Expect bass, garfish and sometimes mullet and sea trout to fall to this method.There are variations in the bubble float technique: namely specialist ‘dart’ floats that act like fly lines, and there are floating, slowly sinking and suspending types. I have dabbled with these but found they exaggerated the tangling problem, which may have been overcome if I had bothered to refine my rigs.
A Bulrag is another option but I dislike that the weighty float held in a fixed position.
Drennan surface controllers are less visible than the Bulrags but they can be tarted up and they are easily rigged to slide.Tides, times and silver ghostsBass tend to have defined times when they appear over certain marks and like ghosts, often disappearing almost as soon as they arrive. Some areas may experience as short as a 10-minute window frantic bass activity before the fish have moved on. For this reason it is essential to be mobile and I do try and keep an alert eye for ‘sign’ that might betray moving bass. It could be boulders some 50 metres to the left have drawn the fish, or some other feature or naturally occurring giveaway. Ultimately though, time-served local knowledge and experience plays a big part in any good bass angler’s ability to track there quarry across a particular mark or beat.Remember, approach the bass mark quietly…sunrise is the prime time. Maintain a smart eye for working sea birds or disturbances in the water, and look for structure or associated fish-holding features. Cover all ground with the lure, including well in to the shoreline, and keep on the move – generally the more ground you can cover the better your chances of bass. I find fishing from low tide and all the way back over the flood most productive. However, some bass anglers do achieve a margin of success during the latter stages of the ebb down to dead low water on some locations. Shore, Lead Feature 2009-11-07T09:28:07+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-07-11-09 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-07-11-09#When:09:07:49Z Humber SAC were back in action last weekend and those that braved the initial weather were rewarded as the whiting came out to play. George Smith carried on his form from the Chapel Open and landed over 20 whiting for 10lb 11¾oz.  Second place in a close match went to Garry Hutson with 10lb 8oz and third was Dave Shorthouse 10lb 1oz. The top junior was Liam Ainsthorpe. Lug tipped with fish baits proved the most productive bait.This weekend it is the Master’s final at Skegness; the forecast looks good and with calm seas, top anglers in attendance, plenty of fish this should make for an excellent weekend. Friskney’s Mark Holmes was top man in the latest Skegness Pier Angling Club (S.P.A.C) match held from Sandilands. Mark caught consistently throughout the match, ending up with ten whiting and three dabs weighing 8lb 5oz. He also took the heaviest round fish prize with a fine 1lb 5oz whiting and shared the heaviest flatfish award with Wrangle’s Paul Cridland, both catching 7oz dabs. Croxton’s Dave Burr was winning the match going into the last half hour, but in the end had to settle for second place, with ten whiting for 7lb 9oz. Skegness local Dave Bradley filled the frame in third spot, with a similar ten fish catch weighing in at 6lb 12oz. Next S.P.A.C match will be held on Sunday 15 Nov from 2:30 till 6:30 pm at Mastin’s Corner, with Club members fishing for the Beachcomber Cup. There is also an open section, which non-S.P.A.C members are welcome to participate in. For further information contact S.P.A.C Secretary Chas Tibble on 07984 967988 or chastibble@hotmail.com.Match 2 of the Reckitt’s Winter League saw horrendous weather conditions greet 40 anglers on Sunday morning, with the sea unfishable and the river not much better, nearly all ended up in the river or went home, A big well done to Daisy Broughton on winning her first match, she is currently at the top of the leader board, keep it up Daisy. Super league 1st. Chris Mack (6 flounders) 1.86kg2nd. John Atkinson (5 flounders) 1.40kg3rd. Graham Tranmer 1.39 kg  (2 flounder 2 eels) Premier league 1st. Daisy Broughton (3 flounders) 0.84kg2nd. Chris Stofhard (1 flounder) 0.30kg3rd. John Barr (1 flounder) 0.27kgI understand after the weekend the Humber Bank Wall looked like a bomb had hit it, the amount of litter there was terrible, mostly empty bait wrappers and squid boxes.  Warnings have been issued in the past that anglers will lose the right to fish this stretch of wall if littering continues so please ensure that you take all of your rubbish home with you to ensure that this excellent venue remains accessible.  On to the boats and this weekend sees a big fish competition being organised by the HCA. It’s an open event with a leisurely 11am start and finishing at 6pm. Usual contacts for more info. East England 2009-11-07T09:07:49+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/ifsa-international-team-boat-trials-2009 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/ifsa-international-team-boat-trials-2009#When:13:02:54Z The Irish Federation of Sea Anglers (IFSA), decided in 2008 that the international team selection procedure was to be shaken up and improved. Previously it was enough to make the top five of the Irish Master Angler to qualify for the CIPS World Boat Championship, but this changed at last year's AGM when a new system establishing a squad of thirty-two of the top Irish anglers was accepted. A fish-off team trial would now take place among the squad each year to select four world team members and the reserves. The winner of the Irish Masters is automatically selected and becomes team captain.In order to ensure that newcomers have access to the squad the 'top 10' from the Master Angler replace the 'bottom 10' from the previous year’s fish-off. The fish-off this year was based on the top 10 of 2007, 2008 and the top 12 of 2009.  Four boats with eight anglers, partook in four separate fishing sessions of three hours duration over the weekend. CIPS rules were applied, with static bottom rigs being the only permitted method. There would be no Gilling etc as such methods are not permitted at the world championships. The  World Boat Championship scoring system was adopted to ensure angler familiarity in advance of the event proper. The four boat winners from each session would receive 1 to 4 points, with the top score being awarded one point and the lowest boat winner four points. Boat second places would get 5-8 points, and so on down to the lowest scoring angler who would receive 32 points. The five anglers with the lowest overall points qualify for the Worlds. This year qualifiers would go down to 6th place as Heiko Dreier, who finished second, had already qualified as winner of the Irish Masters. A local angler was appointed steward aboard each boat to deal with the scoring of the fish. Bait was provided and each angler received a box of Squid, 40 rag and two packs of frozen mackerel per day. Cobh harbour was the venue and the draw was held in the Commodore Hotel on the Friday night prior to the fishing. Given the quality of the anglers it was no surprise that some really tough boats were drawn. Qualifying wasn’t easy and only three anglers managed to win their boat twice. Plenty of rain during the week leading up to the match meant an abundance of fresh water in the harbour which affected the catches. Organisers had decided fishing would be confined to the harbour for fairness across all boats. The focus was on quantity of fish with a scorecard designed to give high points per fish regardless of species, and comparably low 'species points' to mirror CIPS rules. Fishing was better than expected, despite the wind and rain. Tides were fast and speed fishing downtide won the first session each day, with uptiding being the better option for the second session on most boats. Whiting were the predominant species and together with dabs, lesser spotted dogfish amd poor cod made up the bulk of the catches. A small tope to team regular Kit Dunne was a pleasant surprise. Results after day one showed some of the excellent local and west coast anglers struggling. Leading the field was John Dennehy followed by Pio Enright in second and third placed Dermot O'Brien.Sunday was tougher with stronger winds and more rain diluting the harbour marks. Nevertheless some anglers managed over 100 whiting in the first session, with the second session poorer. The same species formed the bulk of the catches. Tension was high back on the pier as anglers tried to figure out who would fill the six team places in Montenegro 2010.  John Martin announced the results later that afternoon in the Commodore hotel.The Irish team for next year is as follows...Heiko Dreier (captain)Kit DunnePadraig ClearDermot O'BrienTerry BoylePio Enright    (travelling reserve)Shane Gilvarry (2nd reserve)Download full results hereCongratulations to both the successful anglers on qualifying for the team and the organisers for setting up a structure which should stand the IFSA boat teams in good stead for the coming years. Certain other home nation Federations should take note. International Team results and reports 2009-11-05T13:02:54+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/icelandic-days-october-2009 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/icelandic-days-october-2009#When:14:00:18Z Reykjavik based sea angling guide Steve Mason from Icelandic Fishing Adventures decided to take advantage of the excellent October weather and hit a local shore mark with regular companion Nick Sparkes. An hours stop at the beach saw a couple of hundred lugworm in the coolbox together with blueys, mackerel and squid.The guys both favour Century rods for the rock fishing, the TT match for Steve and the Compressor Sport for Nick. The rods were matched up with a Penn 525 Mag Extra and a Diawa Slosh 20 respectively.Tackle, as usual for these water was kept simple with the two mates alternating between two hook flappers, a single hook clipped rig and a clipped wishbone rig. Hook sizes varied between size 1 and 1/0, with Mustad Vikings being the preferred pattern.The session started two hours after low water and finished fours later when high water was reached. The fish played their part on a gloriously sunny day with action non-stop from the first to last casts.Cod to 4lb together with lots of chunky haddock around the three pound mark made up the bulk of the catch. Some of the enormous Icelandic dabs found their way to the varied baits as did excellent quality whiting weighing over 2lb.As well as taking direct bookings Steve has now signed up with Angler’s World to provide holidays which give access to some of the best shore fishing in the northern hemisphere. The Wider World 2009-11-03T14:00:18+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-3-11-09 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-3-11-09#When:09:17:56Z Shore sport is improving all the time with some big bags of cod reported from the north of the region, and some nice mixed bags being taken from the local rivers.  Whiting are starting to show in greater numbers, some nice fat winter dabs are now moving onto the beaches and the first double figure spawning cod are starting to show.  Sport is quite good everywhere with the strange exception of the Teesbay area, where the Hartlepool piers and promenade are seemingly devoid of fish.  Until the fish move into the southern areas, a trip north of Sunderland to the rock edges or South Shields pier, or north of the Tyne to the Amble area seems the only way to get amongst any fish.The biggest cod reported so far was one of 14lb taken by Shaun Rossin from Cambois on a crab and lug cocktail and David Wood landed one just over 10lb from Seaham North Pier.Alnwick A.C. had a fantastic match last week with the weigh in producing one of the region’s rare, monster conger eels.  Scott Howie fishing at Craster landed the conger of 20lb 5oz after a tense battle hauling the beast through the kelp beds.  This was, not surprisingly, the heaviest fish of the match, but although Scott added a codling it was not enough for the heaviest bag.  This went to Anthony Gibbison who fished Amble to land a superb bag of fourteen cod for 34lb 12oz which included fish of 7lb and 5lb.  Andrew Stanton was third with six cod for 15lb 2oz.Chris Stringer fished Whitley Bay beach, taking fish almost every cast to land sixteen cod for 30lb, best 3lb.  Michael McNenamin fished Embleton to land eleven cod for 25lb, the best scaling 4lb.  Trevor Green fished the Ryhope area to land eighteen cod for 24lb, best 3lb, all taken on ragworm.  Fishing partner Stu Carr had a 10lb bag, with both anglers returning smaller fish.A Northumberland Sea League match saw some nice bags of cod taken between the Tyne and Blyth where Brad Hill had the best bag with four cod for 11lb 7oz, best 8lb 8oz, from the Tyne.  Steve Williams in second had five for 10lb 15oz and third placed Tony Anderson had six for 10lb 11oz. Fourth place went to Paul Golightly who had five cod for 8lb 10oz.The last Amble A.C. match saw Ken Middlemist win with three cod for 8lb 12oz, best 6 – 05lb and T. Raine in second had a single cod of 4¼lb.Horden Mechanics fished last weekend and found good numbers of smaller cod and whiting along the beaches.  Mick Edwards fished Horden Beach to land five whiting and three cod for 9lb 1loz. Second placed Darren Thompson weighed in four cod for 8lb 4oz, best 4lb and Paul Raison in third had six whiting and a cod for 5lb 10oz.Tynemouth A.C. saw twenty nine members fishing the pier for the Harry Hall Cup with most finding mixed bags of cod, coalfish and dabs.  Winner Steve Harper had eight whiting, a coalfish, and two dabs for 6lb 12oz, Alan Norman finished second with two whiting, two dabs and a cod for 3lb 14oz. Third placed Doug Spivey had two coalfish and a cod for 3lb 9oz, including the heaviest fish, a cod of 1lb 11oz.The Ryhope sweepstake on Tuesday saw thirty-nine fishing with most taking at least a few smaller cod.  Paul Richardson took the top two heaviest fish with cod of 2175 gram and 1900 grams from Hill 60. Chris Hossack had one of 1590 grams from Roker for second and took third J. Barrass had one of 915 grams from Hall Beach.Bedlington Station A.C. also found a few cod with eight out of sixteen landing thirteen fish.  Darren Shields had three for 4lb 12oz from Blyth, Gary Willis had three for 3lb 10oz from Hartley and Steve Surtees in third had two for 2lb 6oz from Newbiggin.The last Cleadon A.C. match saw fish being taken from a wide area with the river Tyne, rock edges and local piers all producing fish.  Seventeen out of forty weighed in mainly small cod.  Paul Harrison had a mixed bag of cod, coalfish, bass and rockling for 10¼lb taken from Marsden to take top spot. Second went to John Newcombe who had five cod for 7lb 7oz from the Tyne while third placed Richard Landsbury had two cod for 7lb 1loz from North Row End, which included the heaviest fish at 6lb 1loz. Ollie Feenan filled fourth spot with five cod for 6lb 13oz from South Shields pier.Hartlepool Pirates are having a sweepstake on Friday November 13th.  Meet at the Friarage tackle shop from 5.45pm till 6.15pm.  Cash prizes for the heaviest bag and heaviest fish.On Sunday November 18th the North East Division of the Angling Trust is having a Penn Points open shore match fishing from 10am till 3pm in open boundaries.  Basic entry is £10 all classes, register at the King Street Social Club North Shields from 8.30am.  Prizes are for the heaviest fish and anglers can only weigh a single fish in.The 42nd Seaham Open Shore Championship on Sunday November 29th sees a prize table of £10,000-the biggest open in the country this year.  Sea Angler magazine have donated a complete fishing tackle collection worth £1500 for the main raffle prize.  Fishing is from 11am till 4pm between Hendon Groyne and Dene Holm Pipe.  Basic entry is £15.  Top prizes for the best 3 h.s.f. are £1500, £600, and £400.  Total cash fund is £2500 with a huge prize table of £7500.  Registration on Saturday is from 10am, and on Sunday from 8am.  More details nearer the time, for all enquiries contact joseph.gibson@btconnect.com Saturday December 6th sees the Bedlington Station Northumbrian Open fishing from 9.30am till 1.30pm between Pattersons Garage at Beadnell and Tynemouth Pier.  Blyth Pier is in bounds but all other piers and rivers are not to be fished.  Basic entry is £11 for adults, £5 ladies and juniors for their respective prizes only or full £11 for full prize list., plus the usual optional team event and pools.  Register at the Bank House Club Newbiggin from 7am till 8.30am.  First prize for the heaviest bag is £750 plus a full supporting prize table and special prizes for 20th and 30th places. North East England 2009-11-03T09:17:56+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/riding-the-lightning http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/riding-the-lightning#When:20:31:46Z Steve Souter holds on to his hat and his breakfast as he teams up with Alderney small boat bass expert Mark Harding to discover the ‘power’ of plugs afloat…25 minutes after touching down in Alderney airport I was carving a path away from the harbour aboard ‘Ginger Ninja’, a smart Raider 18 small boat belonging to islander, Mark Harding. Before dinner, Mark wanted to give me a quick evening insight into what could be expected the following day, when we’d be splitting our attention between chasing late season turbot on the banks, and plugging around jagged rocks and precarious boils for some big lumps of silver bullion.Plugging is Mark’s first love. His vast collection of lures underlining an obsession and addictive need to sling expensive bits of painted wood and plastic between, or straight down the throat of some murderous snags. Bass plugging is a flirtatious game of chance that could cost you £15-a-pop in losses, or just as likely see you connected to a head-banging, mirror-sided powerhouse that’ll pull you inside out as part of the package. Poppers, deep divers and every other type and colour of plug you care to mention lives in Mark’s big bag of tricks.The swirling cauldron that Mark steered us into demanded intimate first-hand knowledge and careful navigation thereafter. For every crown of visible reef surrounding the boat, numerous other potential boat-splitters lurked under the surface: some barely water-covered; others betrayed by haemorrhaging boils hovering directly above them. Mark is expertly acquainted with the area and could point out hazards that were invisible to me. This was just as well, otherwise this 100 mph ‘hellfire and thunder’ introduction to Alderney bassing might never have been written!The result of that short session was a pair of 5 lb bass for Mark and a pair of very dull pollack for me. If I wasn’t keen enough already, this tantalising taster of things to come gave me fresh incentive to drag my travel-weary carcass up before dawn the following morning.First stop, turbotMuch as the whole plug thing had me suckered, you can’t come to Alderney, even at the tail end of October, and not have a tilt at the turbot banks. An Alderney resident, ‘bass-goggles’ Mark, purged his system of these regal flatfish long ago. The same could not be said of me however, and, after a bit of prodding, first light saw us drifting the south banks in search of a big bin lid.Like a sodden black blanket, Mark’s lack of enthusiasm weighed heavy on both of us. He wasn’t confident of rumbling a late turbot, and went through the ‘must I?’ motions for my sake. I was determined to get a fish if only to prove my stubborn insistence had substance.There were no fresh mackerel available locally but we had plenty of frozen gear including garfish, which Mark rates highly later in the season. I opted to fish a 9 inch lask of garfish, pinned between pennel 5/0 wide gape hooks, on a 5 ft trace of 30 lb clear mono. Mark fished a similar rig but with a single hook. The tide was strong and I used a 1½ lb watch lead to stay in touch with the bottom.The long first drift was a non-event, with baits retrieved untouched. 20 minutes into the second pass, with not the slightest sniff to speak of, Mark’s bass grounds were beginning to beckon. But then… a good bite.I was fishing with the reel in free spool, and released a generous amount of line in response to the first knockings. A minute or so later, the fish was still there. Taking up the slack, I lifted into definite weight and began ushering it to the boat. As a 5 lb turbot slid safely into Mark’s net, the value of the pennel rig was obvious. The bottom hook and the half the gar bait hung clear of the fish’s mouth, while the top hook claimed the fish. This wasn’t the 20 pounder on my wish list but it was proof positive of turbot at a time of year when nobody really bothers fishing for them. As fate would have it, the building tide forced our hand, and another hour spent battling the fierce flow was encouragement enough to head in for bass. It’s worth pointing out however, that I dropped another good fish during that time.A few minutes hard steaming took us back to the scene of yesterday’s fiery baptism. The tide was hammering through here too, and we bobbed cork-like in the maelstrom middle. While my neck hair prickled, the man at the helm was a picture of calm.Plugger it!My wrists were killing me after an hour of fruitless perseverance with a big surface popper. To Mark’s dismay, I slung my plugging gear in the corner and changed to single 2/0 hook on 10 ft of 20 lb fluorocarbon. A gar strip bait accounted for two pollack, a garfish and a small bass, before Mark, clutching a bent and bucking rod, yelled: “Yes, here we go!”Mark knows his plugs, and while I was messing about, he had swapped his popper for a huge Rapala Magnum. These full sinking lures are essentially trolling plugs, and not designed for casting. However, Mark was about to prove that they can also be devastating when fished conventionally.A fine bass of around 5 lb was rapidly followed by three more of similar size. Grinning from ear to ear, Mark slung me a slightly smaller black/sliver Rapala Magnum that had clearly seen a bit of action judging by the scared flanks. I put it to work right way and caught a damn pollack. Mark matched my pollack then followed with two clonking bass of nearer 7 lb. I could make excuses about having to get the pictures, but the truth was that I was receiving a lesson from a master plugger.At times in the rocking rough and tumble, the boat felt as though it was passing through a paper shredder. Drifts had to be kept short as there was a serious risk either of grounding on sub-surface rocks, or colliding with one of the obvious ones. I don’t know which was worse: nervousness given my unfamiliarity with the frightening surroundings, or frustration at being given a plug thumping. However, the emotional tumult of the two together gives the impression of being facially clamped in a hot trouser press.I couldn’t catch a decent bass to save my life and really needed to pay more attention to what Mark was doing. Mark could negotiate this area blindfolded, knowing exactly where the unseen areas of cover lay, even when they were completely submerged and not obvious to me. My conclusions were he was working his lure much faster than me, and that precision casting also had much to do with it. He was very deliberately casting between boils and close to rock, where I was just casting and retrieving blindly.To make matters worse, when I did cotton on to the importance of accurate casting, I had several good bass follow my plug right up to the surface, only to turn and bolt back into inky blackness at the last second. I am convinced my growing tentativeness was transmitting down the braid to the spooky fish. The third time this happened frustration got the better of me, and I couldn’t help jumping up and down like an angry troll. Mark was laughing his girly pink socks off; enjoying every second of my mental disquiet.To close the session and really rub it in, Mark slugged out and won an epic battle with a dream bass of 9 lb 10 oz. Three times the broad-shouldered sliver slammer came almost to the boat, and three times it dropped a gear and streaked off like a bolt of lightning just inches from the waiting net.We were edging ever closer to a threatening rock, and eyes in the backs of our heads were required given the uncomfortable proximity. This time when the big fish came within range I stretched out and scooped it into the net, ready or not. With scant time to spare Mark abandoned his rod for the wheel, and whisked us full pelt into less testing waters… this was indeed fishing to take your breath away in more ways than one.With Mark’s bass obsession sated for the time being, and my plug donkey-ism really getting me down, we charged back to the harbour. I might have previously believed that plugging afloat was for a game for hairdressers, but all that had changed. Having witnessed the proof of the pudding, a quick note to self read: “Must get to grips with this plugging lark and stop MH having it all his own way next time.” A note to Mark read: “You don’t catch many turbot on plugs!”Tackle, times & tidesCore tackle is a heavy spinning rod of between 9 and 11 feet, paired with a medium-sized fixed spool reel loaded with a good quality braided line like Mark’s preferred 14lb Berkley Fireline Crystal. Plugs for the job are either surface poppers, or alternatively, deep divers. The Storm Saltwater Chug Bug in Metallic Silver Mullet or Tennessee Shad versions are choice poppers, while full divers like the Rapala Countdown Magnums CD11, CD14 and CD18 in Black/Silver and Silver/Mackerel patterns should be top of the shopping list. Remember this can be an expensive game: Mark lost three big plugs to the rocky bottom on the day, which equates to a near £40 hole in the pocket…ouch!Bass are most active on spring tides. Think May onwards for Alderney bassing. Boats drifting the marks with live baits from May through to November take some stunning catches and good numbers of fish to double figures. Plugging afloat is normally best between August and late November.Shore bassing doesn’t normally come alive before June. Autumn is good for large bass from the shoreline, with big baits and dark evenings the best recipe for bigger fish.Alderney informationMark Harding is the proprietor of Alderney angling. When he’s not fishing or guiding anglers around the island’s many and varied shore marks, Mark can usually be found behind the shop counter. For fishing reports and loads of Alderney boat and shore fishing information visit mark’s website www.alderneyangling.com or call him on 01481 824884Details of available accommodation and all sorts of essential island information can be viewed at www.alderney.netFor details of flights to Alderney visit www.aurigny.com Boat, Lead Feature 2009-10-31T20:31:46+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/daiwa-tournament-global-boat-rod http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/daiwa-tournament-global-boat-rod#When:20:28:26Z Daiwa's Tournament Global boat rod is unlike any other that Des Westmore has handled. Clearly compact and powerful, but how would it perform? International boat angler, Dave Proudfoot has considerable experience of the TG too. Scroll down to read a different perspective from Dave.The Daiwa Tournament Global rod caught my eye while investigating a crop of travel rods. The accompanying product blurb billed it as versatile / transportable with the brawn to subdue big fish, but further enquiry revealed the Tournament Global does not fit the accepted form of a mainstream travel rod. Rather than being a multi-section rod that breaks into four or even six parts, the Daiwa is a two-piece equal section rod similar in aspect only to the popular Daiwa Kenzaki braid two-piece series designed by Steve Souter.The TG is supplied with a cloth bag and a hard travel tube. The tube is 59ins (1.5m) long and 3ins (75mm) in diameter - so you’d need a big old suitcase to pack this one away! Measuring 9ft 4ins (2.8m) when put together, the TG is engineered to deal with powerful fish the world over. Tarpon, giant trevally and Nile perch list among the potential adversaries, but the TG is a even more of an all-rounder with the muscle and guile to beat wreck conger, support pirks over 1lb, and even uptide with heavy leads in very strong tides in home waters. It is a real jack-of-all trades tool, and I know of several boat anglers who have fallen in love with the TG and adopted it as a first choice standard boat rod for UK fishing.Blank diameter is 16mm at the foregrip and 3mm at the tip - not some fat cumbersome blank then. When handled for the first time, the TG gives the impression of being easily flexible, but teasing the tip against the ceiling determined this is a largely false impression, with considerable effort required to express a bend in the rod. Held static, I found that 1lb of lead was no burden on the tip and 2lb didn’t kill the blank action either - which is quite special in a rod of over 9 feet. Despite apparent initial stiffness, the rod displays true parabolic curvature under load. It is pitched for use with lines of 15-30lb, but anything between 20lb and 80lb braid could be allied to the Tournament Global.Fittings and aestheticBuild quality is first class and indicative of top-end Daiwa equipment. The bottom/handle section is generously dressed with EVA grips, and a Fuji DPS20 reel seat is fitted - correctly to my mind - with the threads pointing backwards. Nine Fuji Aluminium Oxide guides - running from size 30 to size 20 - plus tip ring are fitted, making the TG suitable for either multiplier or fixed spool use. The rod has a centre spigot, and as you might expect for a rod of this length, there is no butt gimbal.The guides are of three-leg construction, with two guides set on the butt section. These first two guides are fitted unconventionally with the single leg pointing down - this to ‘reduce the risk of tangles’ according to Daiwa. This deliberate way of setting line guides will always be cause for debate and alludes to modern thinking centred on the use of fixed spool reels. Indeed, most rod builders installing Fuji Low Rider guides on fixed spool beach rods reverse the largest first ring for this very reason despite Fuji advising affixing in the traditional manner. Given the overseas aspect of the TG for the likes of tarpon fishing and particularly the American leaning to specialist saltwater fixed spools in this area, it would be fair to assume Daiwa had a finger on the world pulse when the build instructions were approved. Tip section whippings are plain dark blue, while lower thread work is silver-tipped. Blank colour is black, which despite quirks of ring orientation and the thread differential between top and bottom sections, makes for an understated aesthetic that is easy on the eye. Trial and retributionThe Tournament Global was tested for the first time on an offshore cod trip. The plan was to pirk and ‘hop’ some lures on a short rig, taking advantage of the TG’s length and stiffness. The rod easily coped with 10-12ozs of lead and pirks of a similar weight. But I found the TG’s length to be a bit of a double-edged sword. While the 9ft 4ins helped impart a good lure action, it also applies leverage to the angler, which can be tiring with heavier weights. I failed to catch a cod but did mange a double figure bull huss and an 8lb ling on baited pirks.The rod coped well, but for someone used to much lighter, more sporting rods, the powerful action did take a bit of getting used to. Many modern rods have soft tips, which, even when bent to extremes, do not apply that much direct pressure on the fish – most of the force is actually applied via the rod’s butt-section as dialled in by the angler. The Tournament Global is a different beast. When compressed, it applies a great deal of pressure via the line as it naturally tries to straighten. As a result, an inexperienced angler or one accustomed to lighter boat rods can easily dial in too much power and wrench hooks out of a lively fish. This is not such a problem when hopping or pirking as the heavier weights serve to dampen raw rod power. It also stands to reason that extra attention should be given to how the reel drag is set. Marrying this kind of rod power to a tight drag is asking for trouble if you harbour any intention of staying connected to a big fish or letting it fight back.Bass fishing in the Solent saw the TG wetted for a second time. This time I was drifting livebaits and pirking with lighter weights of around 8oz. The bottom is snaggy in this area and the TG’s stiffer action was useful for lifting when you felt the gear snagging. However I must confess to losing a few fish by tearing the hooks out. Oxford-based Anthony Benson who paired the rod with a Daiwa Saltiga reel and tried it over in Alderney reported similar experiences. While Anthony liked the sensitivity of an intricate blank that transmits every seabed undulation straight down to the handle to the fingertips, he did feel the TG was marginally too powerful for general south coast drift fishing with a single hook.I hadn’t tried the rod for downtide anchor fishing at the time of writing, but if you like a longer rod for this style of fishing, particularly when heavier leads / stronger tides factor then this may be the perfect choice. I know of one angler who purchased a TG for blonde ray fishing and he sings its praises. Des Westmore's conclusions An underlying parabolic blank combines with a responsive tip to deliver easy powerhouse performance in a genuine multi-tasker of a rod. Work the TG with calm hands otherwise it has the inherent ability to turn around and bite your backside hard.During testing, the rod was never washed and is now covered in fish scales and all the usual detritus but only one ring has shown indication of surface corrosion. Saltwater application aside, I am in no doubt the Tournament Global could take Nile perch and even mahseer in its stride. From a UK and European perspective it has a place, but think heavier leads, deep water and stern tidal conditions for starters. It is an excellent pirking and hopping rod with heavier weights, and I believe that several boat anglers travelling to the 2010 EFSA European Boat Angling Championship in Iceland have the TG at the top of their shopping lists. While not as transportable as a multi-section ‘travel’ rod, the two-section design makes it easy enough to take abroad, and there is the huge boon that blank integrity is not potentially compromised by a raft of intermittent spigots.If at all possible, I would advise trying before jumping to buy a Daiwa Tournament Global. My feeling is that prospective buyers will either love or hate this rod with no swithering between opinions. RRP is a tidy £195, but discounted prices can be found online. Click here for more information on the Tournament Global.Here's a different angle on the Tournament Global from international boat angler, Dave Proudfoot...When I first saw the Tournament Global in action during a competition I thought here at last is one rod to cope with gilling for pollack, bait fishing for cod, and throwing a pirk uptide... and I had to get my hands on one. Fortunately, after a phone call to a very nice man, I managed to get one of the first available in the UK. That was nearly two years ago and I have pushed the rod hard ever since.The finish is excellent, with the ring whippings matching the dark coloured blank. The position of the reel seat means the rod sits under the arm well when gilling, while at the same time allowing unhindered casting with pirks and shads. Initial trips with the rod were in the waters around Scrabster where I used it for bait fishing on the drift for cod, spurs and haddock; gilling inshore for pollack and casting pirks in water from 20 to 35 metres deep. While the butt offers plenty of power, the tip is forgiving enough to cope with braid even when used without a shock leader by people like me who are too lazy to tie one on.My first choice multiplier reel for this rod is a Daiwa Saltist 30TH loaded with braid. With my erratic boat casting style, I switch to a Shimano Aerlex 8000 XS when whacking a pirk or three Red Gills uptide, or away from the boat. After proving itself in home waters it was off to the fjords of Norway. The two piece design means that while this is not a rod for stowing in a suitcase, it is certainly compact and I suffered no grief at the various airports.Pirk and lead parametersThe target species in this case were cod to 25lb on pirks, and large coalfish using fast-retrieved shads. Again the rod was up to the task, although I would say that 10oz (280g) is about the maximum weight of pirk that you'd want to use for any length of time despite the manufacturer's stated 'casting' maximum of 14oz (392g). To do otherwise would quickly leave you feeling like your poor arms had been stretched in some medievel torture device! The pull of double figure cod and coalies on the light, responsive blank was quite exceptional, and the power in the rod meant that I never felt underpowered while enjoying great fun.In the downtide sense, the rod will support much heavier weights. The Tournament Global remains limber with 2lb of lead on the end. Arguably my TG's toughest test so far was at Weymouth where it mixed it with conger to 40lb and double figure blonde ray on marks where leads of up to 2lb (1.75kg) were required to hold bottom. I could feel and react to every thrash and lunge of those angry snakes and big flat things en route to dates with the T bar.All in all this is an extremely versatile rod which will cope with most general fishing around the UK and Europe. I can see it being very popular with globetrotting anglers chasing tarpon, mahseer or giant trevally. I even had a porbeagle hooked briefly on the TG earlier in the year... and the rod wasn't scared! Boat rods, Lead Feature 2009-10-31T20:28:26+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/world-championship-woman http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/world-championship-woman#When:20:25:21Z England international shore angler Heather Lindfield has just returned from the World Shore Championships in Montenegro where the ladies turned in a fantastic silver medal winning performance. The beaches were tough to crack but hard work and unbreakable team spirit saw England's women come good. Here's Heather's story of the championships...Being selected to represent England at the World Shore Angling Championships is about as good as it gets. I love the buzz, the camaraderie and that deep sense of group achievement when all the hard work culminates in a successful result. Team selection is never a foregone conclusion however, and the torturous time spent waiting, hoping for that letter to drop through the letterbox is always nerve-wracking…perhaps moreso than the actual event itself. When my England ladies’ team confirmation letter for the 2009 event at Budva on the coast of Montenegro finally hit the carpet, relief and pride warred with excitement and trepidation in a strong emotional cocktail that I am sure all international anglers experience and try to channel.Months were spent sourcing and assembling the correct tackle in readiness for what would be more than two weeks of non-stop graft under the Montenegrin sun facing the Adriatic Sea. Good preparation is paramount and more time yet was spent on the telephone and Internet gleaning as much pertinent information as possible. The kitchen became a bombsite with tackle everywhere as I divided my efforts between precision rig building and preparing dozens of frozen meals so that my other half, Bill wouldn’t starve while I was gone.Fellow team member Pauline Ferry arrived three days prior to leaving and more hours were dedicated to fine tuning terminal tackle. Pauline has been an inspiration for many years and we became best friends when I first joined the team in 2002. When not fishing, Pauline and I are constantly guilty of larking around and laughing ourselves hoarse - acting our ages certainly wouldn’t be half as much fun!Wrecking crewThe car was crammed full of gear. There was barely room enough to breathe as we travelled to Gatwick and the prospect of a night in the plush Ramada Hotel before flying out to Dubrovnik the day after. We set off in high spirits only for me to crash the car three miles from my front door! Now, this is my first motoring dunt in 30 years so no ‘women driver’ quips thank you very much. Luckily no one was hurt and we limped back home to an astonished Bill Lindfield.We had a spare number plate, but replacing the windscreen cracked by our rod tubes when I slammed on the brakes was another matter. Numerous phone calls were made to no avail. Bill said: “A little crack wouldn’t stop me driving to a match!” Wimping out wasn’t an option, so we taped up the damaged glass and left.This time we arrived safely at the Ramada Hotel. We joined team mates Sheryl, Adele, Avril, Janet and our manager, Stuart the following day, and flew into Dubrovnik in darkness. A tiny transfer bus was waiting to transport us and a mountain of kit across the border into Montenegro and our final destination Budva. We travelled for two uncomfortable hours like trussed chickens with legs wrapped round our necks. The route followed the coastline and even contorted in darkness the aspect was one of outstanding natural beauty - something that daylight would soon confirm. We arrived at the team hotel just the right side of midnight, decanting gear into small and basic rooms that would be home for the next fortnight.Early ‘birds’Despite just a few hours sleep we were out practising on Slovenska beach (one of four beaches used in the World Championships) first thing in the morning. Getting up at 5am and fishing one or other of the championship beaches hard for 6 - 7hrs quickly emerged as our practice routine. The evenings were no less intense, and spent tweaking tackle and game plans.Glorious weather blessed the first week, providing fantastic conditions for snorkelling along the beaches and a spot of underwater reconnaissance. The seabed supported all kinds of colourful life. Mediterranean breams, wrasse, garfish, mullet, comber, weaver, mormyrus and dorado were the target fish, while mussel, shrimp and squid baits were the baits provided to catch them. The scorching weather did have a buzzing downside -WASPS! I’ve never seen so many of the damn things. They were attracted in droves by our baits, and I lost count of the times we were mercilessly stung. But we had no choice other than to ignore the stinging demons and stay on task.By contrast, thunder, lightning and teaming rain prevailed over the weekend before the official practice and start of the Championships. However, with the wet opening ceremony behind us, attention turned fully to the fishing ahead. There would be five separate matches contested by 14 countries, with the first – the official practice - kicking off at 9am on Monday.Official practice match7am Monday saw us gathered at Jaz beach waiting for the officials to appear and peg the practice zones. The wind was bad as we huddled in the car park and we watched a 60ft tree uprooted. We gathered that something was amiss when, by 8am, no one else had bothered to turn up. On return to the event HQ we discovered that the match had been postponed. The decision disappointed the England team as we believed the venue remained fishable in the offshore blow. We also felt the conditions favoured our anglers with the continental teams possibly struggling…but it was only a practice.The weather improved on Tuesday and the rescheduled official practice session got underway at Slovenska in front of the Championship hotel. Refined tackle was key. We used 0.12 – 0.18mm hooklengths on 2 - 5mtr rig bodies. It didn’t help that the men’s matches preceded ours on the same beaches, effectively cleaning out many of the resident fish. We soon knew that catching fish would not be as easy as had had been in our previous week of practice. I had done well on Slovenska to date and felt confident fishing here. Although I wanted to catch a few fish to maintain momentum, team thinking was to play our cards close and not reveal too much of our real match tactics to any opposition eyes. I decided to ignore all that had been learned, and to fish the beach as I might back home.I thought the ‘home’ rigs would have proved too heavy, but that is not how it worked out. I took fish steadily and changed to other rigs with ‘thick’ line in the hope that I wouldn’t catch too many fish. The confounding result was that I continued to catch and won the zone without meaning to. Unfortunately, results achieved in practice count for nowt, and I hoped this would not come back to haunt me later in the week.View World shore champs in a larger mapWorld Championships: Day 1Sveti Stefan is a beach that is rocky in parts going to sand. I was happy to be pegged on a stretch I had pre-fished, but disappointed at the lack of fish. I could see fish being caught but I struggled despite working my socks off. I am not the strongest caster and worried that I might not be achieving the necessary distance, but then I saw anglers taking fish at 30 - 40yds - there was no set pattern that I could read. Over the years I have learned not to panic, and I plodded on determined to get as many points for the team cause as I possibly could. I finished up 5th in section but things could have been worse.World championship teams consist of five anglers, one reserve and the team manager. The points system allows for one of the five score to be dropped, with the best four individual results being tallied each day to determine the team score. When all the results were collated England ladies occupied 6th place overall.Day 2Jaz beach was the venue and we knew it would be the scratchiest of all the beaches. It was rocky for the most part, with two zones pegged on largely featureless sand. We had spent three practice seasons on Jaz, in the knowledge that we were scheduled to fish here twice in the Championships.I drew the sand. Fish were even scarcer in the event proper and many anglers were staring a blank in the face. I worked my way through the whole team rig and bait repertoire with little to show and was beginning to despair. Practice had determined that there were a few small weavers, but those had come from parts of the beach with obvious features. With my options pretty much exhausted, I went back to basics with rigs that I would have used on the Wirral. Bingo! After ages without a bite, the switch brought a weaver almost immediately. I could of kissed the spiky little b*****d.The Croatian girl pegged next to me had slaughtered me on day one, and lead the zone with two fish. I persisted with the basic approach and ended on three weavers for a precious zone win. Pauline and Sheryl also won their sections, with Avril turning in a 3rd place. This collective performance gave us the day win and pushed England up to the Silver position. The mood in the camp that evening could not have been more buoyant.Day 3I was pegged number 2 in Zone B on Becici beach for day 3. Off to my left, a good fish came out second cast, which was a little disconcerting when small fish were the norm.There was definitely more fish activity at the left-hand end. Four pegs down, a girl was pulling one fish in after another, while there was absolutely nothing being caught around me. I strained to see the type of rig she was using and could only make out that it was very short. I put one together quickly and started catching right away. Knowing I had quite a bit of pulling back to do I just had to keep working. Despite hoping hard for a bonus big fish it never came. I finished up second in the section, satisfied that I had done as well as I could.Sheryl had a fantastic day win, while Pauline and Adele recorded section wins that collectively put us in the Gold medal position. The camp was ecstatic, but we knew we would have to perform again if we were to stay in the medals.It was at least 2:15pm by the time we got back to our hotel each day. We would rush some food then gather for a team meeting to discuss/plan next day tactics. After that, it was back to the rooms where tackle boxes were up-ended, trashed rigs discarded and get the next batch ready. Reels would be re-spooled, more hooklengths tied…. the list goes on. Tasks would be completed by around 7:30pm, after which you might just be lucky enough to get some warm water for a shower, before the evening meal and bed at 10:00pm – international fishing is no jolly!Day 4Slovenska Plaza was the venue for the final match. Originally this last day was to be fished at Jaz, but the location was altered the evening before for reasons that were unclear. The Plaza was a mixture of rocky and sandy areas across the zones.I was on peg D2 and all the action was coming to the Croatian girl on D7. I was casting the same distance but not catching. I tried everything that had worked previously but steadily fell further behind. I felt awful and could only picture the Gold medals being prised from our grasp as the hours unfolded.Two fish were the sum total of perhaps the toughest session of my international fishing life. The girl to my left had blanked, and another three anglers to my right had also suffered the same fate. I was depressed but quietly thankful for the two little fish that spared me from a similar nightmare.All of us left the beach deflated and unsure of the final outcome. Sheryl had a section 4th, I finished 7th, with Avril and Adele both 8th in their sections. The next couple of hours spent waiting for the final results, seemed to last forever. When the news was finally delivered we were disappointed to have missed out on the Gold medal, but delighted on the other hand to have achieved the Silver medal on a really testing set of beaches. This World Championship medal is a first for the England ladies in these types of waters.National treasuresA scurrying hour later saw us showered and dressed for the presentation ceremony. Having those Silver medals placed around our necks was a very emotional experience that I shall never forget. I was proud of everyone in the team and unashamed tears rolled down my face as I stood straight-backed while the national anthem played.Sheryl had also won individual Silver and we were doubly thrilled for her. She was grinning like a Cheshire cat as she straightened with the medal in place. Sheryl had worked tirelessly for the team and had got her just rewards. Well done that girl.It was a hard-working and solid team performance from everyone involved. We arrived on the beaches an hour before anyone else, and no one complained at an itinerary that had us fishing 11 out of 13 days. As a team, we worked without letting up and figured out how to fish those difficult beaches ourselves, without outside assistance or interference - and it worked.I cannot finish without mentioning our manager Stuart, and Janet our reserve. I would like to thank them for their tireless and invaluable work of relaying information along the beaches. Janet carried on uncomplainingly even after breaking her toes during practice - what a star! Many thanks also to Snows Timber for providing over £1000 of sponsorship for essential minibus hire.Overall team resultsOverall individual results Shore, Lead Feature, World fishing 2009-10-31T20:25:21+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-31-10-09 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-31-10-09#When:09:43:26Z Humber SAC member Frank Cribb, had to be air lifted to hospital after breaking his leg at the Woods area, Frank was trying to retrieve a codling when he slipped on the weed and broke his leg. Anglers should always try to wear suitable footwear with a decent grip when fishing weedy venues as it can be treacherous under foot. Sensible anglers wear climbing style boots for fishing off the wall, as it is very rare that you will need waders. The Humber Bank Wall has fished well this week with cod to seven pounds and reports of bigger specimens lost during the fight. There have also been plenty of whiting about and these are getting bigger and providing the angler with good sport. Out on the boats anglers fishing around the Immingham area on the slacker tides have had some good results, with bigger, fresh run cod about. Tony Hogg president of the HCA fishing section has always said that the main run of cod come after bonfire night so we have not long to wait. East England 2009-10-31T09:43:26+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-26-10-09 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-26-10-09#When:20:03:47Z A heavy south easterly sea, which stirred up the seabed, late has produced some nice bags of cod with some anglers reporting bags into the high teens. The best catches have been coming from the north of the region and from the Sunderland area. Further south on Middleton and the Pilot piers cod to 3lb and quality whiting were landed earlier in the week, but latter in the week sizeable were few and far between, with the normally productive Promenade marks almost fishless. Never the less there are some quality fish out there, and the forecast change of wind to a Northerly direction during this coming week should see an improvement through out the area.The recent Seaham Anyfish Anywhere Open saw seventy-four out of two hundred and twenty-two entrants land one hundred and fifty-nine fish, mainly cod and whiting, for a total of 175.31lb. First prize for the heaviest fish went to Tommy Tait with a cod of 5.11lb taken from the Targets. Wayne Harriman in second had one for 3.27lb, and third placed G.Malloy weighed one for 3.21lb. Top bag went to George Hope who drew the peg on the round end of the pier and landed five cod for 9.70lb. Gary Ramsden had eight cod for 7.38lb and second place ahead of Mick Chadwick who landed four for 6.70lb. Fourth place went to Darren Welch with four fish for 6.45lb. The team event was won by George Hope and D.Stoker with seven fish for 11.37lb, followed by Darren Welch and S.Moore with six fish for 9.93lb. The Newbiggin Open last Sunday saw ninety-five out of three hundred and forty-four anglers weigh in mixed bags of mainly cod and coalfish. Gordon Grear fished Whitley Bay to win with four cod for 13lb 6oz, which also included the 7lb 3oz cod which took the heaviest fish prize. Paul Medd in second place fished Church Point to land four cod and two coalfish for 9lb 1oz and Martin Pygall fished Cresswell to land three cod for 8lb 15oz to take third. Top junior was Kieron Arnold with one cod and one coalfish for 2lb 6oz and best flatfish was a flounder of 1lb 1oz taken by Raymond Gibson. The team event went to Gordon Grear and Brian Clennell with 17lb 5oz.The recent Hartlepool Boat Festival saw Richmond angler S. Nicholas win the top prize for the heaviest fish with a fine ling of 26¼lb taken on the Evelyn Jane, B. Lee had a ling of 25lb on the Famous, and J. Graham had a ling of 23¼lb, also on the Famous.Up at Amble a local match produced some nice bags of cod with winner Ian Harrogate taking five for 6lb 10oz. Second placed A. Taylor had three for 5lb 12oz, best 2lb 6oz and C. Falkous in third landed three for 4 – 13lb.Cleadon A.C. struggled a little bit during their last match with only fourteen out of forty-two weighing in mixed bags of cod, coalfish and eels, mainly from the Tyne. John Taylor won with three cod for 4lb 10oz from the Tyne, Adam Johnson had a cod and an eel from Whitburn for 3½lb and second place with Albert Gray’s single cod of 3¼lb from the Groyne taking third place and the heaviest fish prize. Fourth went to Mark Shotton with a mixed bag of cod and coalfish from S.Shields pier for 3lb 3oz.The last Tynemouth Winter League match saw sixteen out of thirty-one all weigh in cod. Peter Stewart had a single cod of 6lb 6oz to take top spot with Gavin Owen in second with four fish weighing 6lb 2oz. Third placed Steve Elliott had a single cod for 6lb 1oz and Daryl Bell finished fourth with three for 6 – 00lb.Horden Mechanics fished last weekend and found reasonable numbers of smaller cod, whiting and flatties along the local beaches. Paul Raison won with two cod and five whiting for 8lb 5oz, which included a specimen whiting of 1lb 9oz. Nathan Lee had two cod, two whiting, and a nice dab of 14oz in a 5½lb bag for second and John Boxall in third had five whiting for 3lb 14oz.The Ryhope Tuesday evening sweepstake saw eighteen fishing with most managing to pick up at least a few smaller cod with all of the top three fish coming from the lower Wear. Steve Rackstraw had a good Wear cod of 4lb 1oz to win ahead of Bob Surtees who took second and third places with cod of 2lb 6oz and 2lb 2oz.The Ryhope club match on Sunday saw ninety-four fishing with good numbers of fish coming from the round end on Roker pier. Liam Simpson won with four cod, a whiting and a flounder for 4005 grams, Colin Edmondson had two cod for 4325 gram, best 2515 gram and Gary Warwick had four whiting, a cod and a flounder for 2975 grams. Top junior was Gary Warwick Jnr. with six fish for 2340 gram and Dave Terret had the best flatfish with a flounder of 370 grams.The Eastenders Sweepstake on Wednesday only saw four out of eighteen weigh in three coalfish, two whiting and a single flounder. Jimmy Dunlop had the heaviest fish with the flounder which weighed in at 15oz taken from Panns Bank. Phil Wright took the next two places with coalfish of 15oz 14oz taken from South Shields Groyne.The East End and Hendon sweepstake on Thursday saw three out of eight find fish. Andy Rutherford won with a cod of 3lb 14oz from the Cat and Dog Steps, Jim Ford had a whiting of 1lb 2oz from Roker and Geoff Moon had a whiting of 13oz from the same venue.The Eastenders Open on Friday night saw slightly better results with eight out of seventeen weighing in eight cod, six whiting, four coalfish, and three flounders. Steve Maw had a cod of 4lb 10oz from Whitburn followed by son Steve with a cod of 2lb 14oz and Phil Wright who had one of 2lb 9oz from Seaburn.The Eastenders match on Saturday afternoon saw seven out of seventeen land six cod, six flounders, an eel and a coalfish. Chris Hossack had a good session taking four cod for 2.37kg from the High Ledge, Mick Sopp had two cod and the coalfish for 1.53kg, and Brian Turnbull had two flounders for 1.09kg.Some nice bass have been showing south of the Tees where Dave Turner won a Redcar Navy and Gents match with four bass, best 2lb 9oz and a flounder for 9½lb. Frank Harrison had four whiting and one dab for 3lb 2oz and Stan Dowse had four whiting for 2lb 6oz.A St. Mary’s rover match saw Craig Dalton win with three cod, a whiting, a coalfish, and a rockling for 7lb 13oz followed by Grant Greenland with a cod of 4lb and R.Miller with a cod of 1lb 7oz.Sunday November 1st is the 12th Redcar Navy and Gents Club Heaviest Fish Open fishing from 9.30am till 2.30pm between South Gare and Whitby East Pier. Basic entry is £8 plus optional team events and pools. Register from 8am till 8.45am at the Priory Club, Lord Street, Redcar. You can also register in advance from selected tackle shops between Hartlepool and Scarborough. Top prizes for the heaviest fish category are £500, £200, and £100. There are junior and ladies prizes plus a full supporting prize table. Anglers may only weigh in one single fish. Contact Tony Barker 01642-503049, 07727-754746 for details. North East England 2009-10-26T20:03:47+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-24-10-09 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-linconshire-yorkshire-24-10-09#When:13:47:52Z Last Sunday it was the start of the HCA winter series and almost one hundred anglers took part in this club event. The first leg went to Wayne Baxter with 57lb of fish, mostly whiting. The next match is a big fish match and by that time there should be more cod about and it is on the 8th November. .  On the same day the shore anglers turned out for the Millennium Open on the Humber Bank Wall. Top spot went to Adie Cooper weighing in 7lb 9oz ahead of Garry Hutson in second with 4lb 12oz and third was F. Church with 4lb 2oz. The top junior was Liam Aishtorpe keeping up his one hundred percent record with a bag of 2lb 8oz. Derek miles had the biggest flatfish of 32cm and there was a tie for the biggest round between Wayne Rowntree and Adie Cooper. The club’s next match is this Saturday the 24th 6pm to 10pm fishing at the woods.Reckits SAC were in action for the start of their winter league and Grimsby vetern Jeff Volley ran out winner of the super league landing thirteen flats for 3.74 kg. Another all flats bag of thirteen fish weighing 2.59 kg saw Steve Green in second just ahead of John Windle who landed a mixed bag of 2.39 kg. In the premier section Pete Fenby found whiting to take first place with 2.76 kg. Daisy Broughton weighed in 1.49 kg of flatfish for second and a single cod of 1.29 saw Paul McColin take third.Wrangle’s Paul Cridland left it late in the latest Skegness Pier Angling Club (S.P.A.C) match held from North Shore Road. His last two casts resulted in two flatfish, which added to a small dab caught early in the match, gave him first place with a total weight of 1lb 6oz. Paul also took the heaviest flatfish prize with a 10oz flounder. Close behind in second place was Croxton’s Dave Burr with a 1lb 3oz bass, which also took the heaviest round fish award. Wrangle’s Alan Steadman continued his recent run of good form to fill the frame in third, with a dab and a whiting weighing a level 1lb. Unfortunately the rough sea conditions kept the whiting offshore, but catches should start to improve now as shoals of these voracious little feeders start to hit the local beaches. Next S.P.AC match will be held on Saturday 31 Oct from 3:00 till 7:00 pm at Sandilands, with Club members fishing for the Sheffield Cup. There is also an open section, which non-S.P.A.C members are welcome to participate in. For further information contact SPAC Secretary Chas Tibble on 07984 967988 or chastibble@hotmail.com East England 2009-10-24T13:47:52+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/grauvell-zenith-z5000-fixed-spool-reel http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/grauvell-zenith-z5000-fixed-spool-reel#When:21:25:20Z The Grauvell Zenith Z5000 fixed spool reel is growing a solid reputation for outperforming many of its competitors. True or false, International angler Scott Gibson worked the reel on beach and boat, and now delivers his verdict...A weak fixed spool reel is a disaster in waiting. Match conditions often push the boundaries of beach and boat capability and tackle failure could come at no worse time for the angler concerned. Reels explicitly engineered to withstand the strenuous rigors that sea fishing exacts upon everything from rotor to bail-arm are becoming more readily available but cost is often prohibitive. Indeed most of the fixed spools adopted by UK sea anglers are actually ‘big pit’ carp reels. The competitively priced Grauvell Zenith Z5000 however, is a bona fide saltwater reel with a growing reputation for longevity of performance.Too often reels marketed as appropriate for sea fishing soon become stiff, juddering, bolt-crunching nightmares when playing large or multiple fish. To withstand the considerable saltwater exertions and to avoid quickly becoming just another knackered piece of salt-battered scrap, a fixed spool for mainstream sea fishing needs to be something of a working contradiction. In the first instance it needs hauling power based around unbendable, non-corrodible innards and a drag system capable of pulling heads off from 300 metres away! While on the other hand, smoothness of operation is expected for even a modest outlay - a refined bully if you like.The Grauvell Z5000 Gold would seem to tick the necessary boxes and perhaps a few others besides. A mammoth 14 ball bearings in conjunction with the 4.5:1 gearing assist a silky retrieve. The reel is supplied with three ‘long cast’ tapered spools, all of which have different line capacities. The shallowest spool is ideal for loading with braid, and despite having filled many similar reels before I am always taken aback at the amount of line these big fixed spools gobble up. Line-lay profile was very good if not quite perfect, with just the odd little groove that the spool oscillation failed to iron out more noticeably with braid.Beach castingI wanted the reel for predominately boat fishing but what follows is of relevance to beach anglers. After spooling, the Zenith Z5000 was paired with a 14 ft Daiwa Grandwave FS rod and taken to the beach to bed the line and to get a genuine feel for how the big Grauvell cast and retrieved. In keeping with requirements afloat, casting was kept very simple with nothing more than an overhead punt required to achieve good distances on 5 and 6oz leads.An initial concern was the Zenith’s weight. It weighs a hefty 815 grms which is around 100 grms heavier than much of the competition from other stables. Held firmly in a good screw reel seat however, this was no problem and if anything the extra weight balanced the 14 ft beach rod well. And the likelihood that this particular reel would more efficiently balance the raft of 15ft and 16ft beach rods currently finding favour is not lost on me.I don’t pretend to be some super-caster but good distances were achieved without any highly trained effort. My take is that anyone can achieve consistent respectable distances if pairing this reel with any beach rod rung for fixed spool. Based on old experience, I am always a little nervous that the bail-arm might snap shut like a mousetrap mid cast but I experienced no such shortcoming with this reel. I cast with mainlines of 30lb braid and 15lb mono, both to a 60lb leader, and it was frankly difficult to cast less than 100 metres on either line.The 4.5:1 ratio draws in approximately 90cm of line with every rotation of the handle and is smooth, smooth, smooth. I was delighted to find no hint of back-play in the large but comfortable handle. By contrast, the anti-reverse switch is located in an awkward position underneath the reel which I do not like. My preference is a chunky rear-mounted anti-reverse switch for unhindered quick operation. But on the whole the Zenith Z5000 was a breeze to work with and I left confident in its ability to outperform my previous several fixed spools which had rolled over and died within a few short weeks of demanding boat action.Boat castingThe 2009 EFSA English Boat Championship held out from Rhyl saw the Z5000 pressed into boat service for the first time. The draw bag wasn’t kind to me, and I found myself jammed up by the wheelhouse in a very restrictive position for casting. A fixed spool reel has huge advantages over a multiplier in such confined circumstances, and I was able to fire leads both uptide and downtide in search of big tub gurnard, smoothhounds, whiting and dabs. The majority of hounds were under 5lbs but these put a decent bend in my uptide rod and tested the powerful front drag.Carloway on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis was the venue for my next boat outing. This time the Z5000 was used over slack water for big spurdog and haddock in 80 metres of water where powerful spurs were regularly taken two-at-a-time. The successful tactic was to sling a 10oz plain lead up-the-tide, allowing it to roll slowly back to the foraging fish. Just a stunted flick sent the three-hook rig flying some 40 yards uptide, line spilling unchecked from the large static spool allowing it to reach bottom very quickly.A spurdog would often hit just before the rig hit the seabed. As this was a competition the drag was cranked sufficiently tight to ensure the line didn’t part under the strain of pumping potentially multiple spurdogs. This was a busy day’s fishing and I wasn’t gentle on the reel. Regardless, I have no complaints about the Zenith Z5000 which rose to everything that was demanded of it without missing a beat.Five months laterFive months on and no worse for wear, the Z5000 has proven its worth for uptide/up-drift casting with 10ft plus rods. Shorter rods are not best suited to a reel of this weight, so it’s a little heavy for jigging/pirking. It has excellent performance credentials for use on the shore and is particularly suited to use with rods of 15ft or more. The Grauvell Zenith Z5000 has an RRP of £179.99 but is available online for around £90. If searching for a well made, reliable fixed spool beach reel or one to cope with uptiding then the Zenith is well worth investigating.Features• 14 ball bearings• Non corrosion graphite body• Non slip handle Allutex handle with shaped rubber knob• Powerful front drag• Stainless steel long shaft• Infinite anti reverse• Titanium coated anti twist roller with ball bearing• Retrieve 4.5:1• Weight 815gms• 3 X different capacity aluminium spools• Spool wipers to prevent line trapping Reels, Lead Feature 2009-10-19T21:25:20+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/wozzas-real-reel-conversions http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/wozzas-real-reel-conversions#When:21:24:43Z Warren Tippet’s exclusive reel conversions are the dog’s doodas in the eyes of top tournament casters and serious anglers alike. Iain Graham went to see the master at work in Wales…In the world of reel modification, or reel bling, there’s only one Warren Tippet. His endeavours are works of engineering art with the power to make bruisers of men go quite weak at the knees. Wozza’s reputation for innovation and design is well earned, and I must confess to being the proud owner of more than one spanking Wozza piece myself.Wozza is no stranger to recognition having starred in a ‘Ready Brek’ advert aged 8. Many breakfasts later, he now works at Keens Tackle & Guns, Aberkenfig, South Wales, where he is the resident custom rod builder and reel blinger.I had chance to pop in and see him recently and caught him in the act of pimping a Chrome Abu 6500CT Rocket. The customer wanted a centre mag conversion to be matched with a custom chromed QTC one piece frame; these are crafted from a solid billet of aircraft specification aluminium to produce a stronger, more rigid frame than a the standard. A popular combination, the end result is striking creation.Stripped nakedWith skilful dexterity the Abu reel was stripped down to naked component pieces in seconds. The existing frame, ratchet and braking mechanisms were immediately consigned to the spares bin. This was a man who knew his reels inside out without any need to refer to ‘schematic diagrams’ which come close swear words in this world.The end-float cap was removed from the non-drive endplate and drilled out to receive a custom-made centre mag unit. This controls two powerful Neodium magnets mounted on a plate adjusted by the new centre knob. Once affixed, the unit is retained in place with a screw through the endplate. This endplate was then mated with its new chromed QTC frame… a match made in reel-fiddler’s heaven.The next step was a new smaller, lighter paddle-style handle to replace the bulky power handle, and a spanking Abu gold Pro Rocket spool shod with a pair of ABEC 5 ceramic hybrid bearings for good measure. Finally, the drive endplate was screwed on and a thing of beauty complete. I wanted it badly, but this one had a home elsewhere.Custom made partsSomething setting Warren apart from others specialising in reel conversions is that he doesn’t cast competitively, yet he possesses a deep appreciation of the intricacies of reel performance dynamics. His skills are honed over many years of tinkering and testament to them is stood by the fact his reels have already been used to cast over 300 yards in competition. All his bespoke parts are hand-machined on site in Keens to exacting tolerances; quite literally custom made rather than some quick cobble of available bits.The featured reel is a top end piece coming in at a cool £190. Little of the original Abu remains however, and this reel was a ‘no expenses spared’ job optimised for a very particular casting customer. Warren does however do several options of modification which the average angler will find more appealing. These very affordable options range from £25 to £30 to suit specific requirements, or if you are the brave sort a DIY kit with instructions can be purchased.I accept that reel conversions are not for everyone, or even strictly necessary in broad fishing terms. In my experience however, recent various off-the-shelf magnetic cast control reels are inclined to suffer too much from ‘on-off’ braking. I therefore put my casting faith in a custom mag job. If considering extra casting control, a reel service, or you are just an afflicted tackle tart in the market for a pimped reel, a phone call to Warren ‘Wozza’ Tippet sorts it.Keens also undertake custom rod building, rod rebuilds, rod repairs, and a wide range of general reel servicing and repairs. They also carry a comprehensive range of spare parts for all the top brands.Contact detailsWarren TippetKeens Tackle & Guns, 117/119 Bridgend Road, Aberkenfig, Bridgend CF32 9APFor Reel Service & Rod Building enquiries: Warren@keenstackleandguns.co.ukTel: 01656 722448 or email: sales@keenstackleandguns.co.ukWeb: http://www.keenstackleandguns.co.ukQTC – Quality Tournament Conversion by POD EngineeringPOD Manufacturing, Unit 3, Rear of 42-60 Ethelbert Road, Margate, Kent CT9 1SBTel: 01843 230003 or Fax: 01843 298040Web: http://www.podmanufacturing.co.uk Shore, Casting, Lead Feature 2009-10-19T21:24:43+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/elliot-beach-catch-and-release http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/elliot-beach-catch-and-release#When:21:22:16Z Arbroath’s Elliot beach won’t win any prizes for good looks but it’s a magnet for shore anglers. Shaun Cumming reports on an annual competition and reveals how to get the most from the venue...Elliot beach near Arbroath on the Scottish east coast doesn’t score well in the picturesque department. It is positively dowdy in fact, but Elliot is an excellent match venue that consistently turns up a decent numbers of fish, even if the majority fall into the ‘modest’ category. Flounders and turbot are the mainstay, but there is always the chance of bass, coalfish and cod too when the conditions are right.Most of my trips to Elliot beach are for pegged matches, and indeed the venue is currently one of the most heavily fished in the country. Three years ago the Home International Shore Championship was fished here, while more recently the RAF Shore Championships were also pegged along the same sands. Numerous other matches are held on the beach throughout the year, including the Sick Kid’s charity fundraiser competition that I had come to cover with camera and notepad at the ready. This little event is run as a sweepstake with all entry monies paid back out, and a raffle of donated prizes is held to raise funds which are communicated to the hospital in time for Christmas.Access to Elliot is easy; there is ample parking nearby; it is easy to peg and it’s a by and large fair venue to boot. Sure, there are various fish-holding gullies, sandbars and holes that appear at certain times. These features change on a daily basis, and the fact is that no matter where you’re pegged there’s an even chance of a result.How to fish ElliotThere’s no science involved in fishing Elliot beach. It’s a typical surf beach offering flounders, turbot, coalfish and bass from April through to January, with October and November being the most productive months. Aim to fish when a pronounced surf is running the beach and there's some colour to the water. Any stage of tide can produce, but the flood is often the most productive. Darkness is often best for bass and the odd cod is more likely in winter. Look for features like natural gullies and holes scoured by the waves. These hold food items and fish in better numbers. Reading a beach can be just as important as getting bait and tackle right.Tackle should be kept simple. A light beachcaster paired with a fixed spool or multiplier reel to cope with leads between 1oz and 6oz is ideal. For flounders, install as much movement as possible by using the minimum amount of lead required. Fish as light as you can get away with, but always change tactics according to conditions.Use standard three hook flapping rigs sporting fairly long snoods of 18 – 30 inches and Kamasan B940 hooks between sizes 1 and 4. Worm baits are important and often work best when tipped off with little a piece of fish flesh. Rag and lugworm will both account for flatfish, but bass chances are increased if worm is fished on its own. Straight mackerel or bluey also accounts for numerous flatfish, particularly turbot.Catch, measure & releaseThe match was pegged from tight in against the promenade at the nightclub end. I walked the pegs at low water, and it was clear that anglers would be fishing from the prom as high water approached. A ‘catch, measure and release’ system would operate, with fish of over 18cm counting. It was to be a 6 hour match, fishing the flood tide and ending bang on high water.I spent the time wandering around chatting with anglers as they fished. As the day progressed, it was apparent that a handful had pulled clear of the 50 strong field. Word approaching the final was that Alan Combe and Iain Reid both had 13 fish each. Budding International Chris Horn and his dad Mike were catching regularly and both pushing for the lead. The end for Chris came when Mike pulled a last gasp dab and put him to the sword... all rather amusing.Front runners had between 10 and 15 flounders and turbot apiece. Elliot does throw up regular bass but bright, clear conditions ensured none were caught on the day. The match was won by Craig Wilson who scored 437 points, with Alan Combe’s 380 points enough for second and Derek Wilson third on 341 points. Junior winner was Sammy Kavanagh on 167 point, and the raffle raised a total of £326 for the Sick Children’s Hospital in Edinburgh. Shore, Lead Feature 2009-10-19T21:22:16+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/north-east-sea-angling-and-boat-show-2009 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/north-east-sea-angling-and-boat-show-2009#When:14:25:41Z Following the success of the premier show, the 2009 North East Sea Angling and Boat Show will take place on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th October. Doors will be open from 10am until 5pm on the Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday. Entry fee is a very reasonable £3 per head with under 12s free when with an adult.Many of the exhibitors from our first show have re-booked and we thank them for their support … and there are several new and valued exhibitors, whom we would like to thank and welcome to the show.Steve Souter and the guys from PlanetSeaFishing web magazine will be there throughout the two days to answer your questions on all aspects of sea angling.Among the other exhibitors will be the premier sea angling magazine, Total Sea Fishing, boat manufacturers and suppliers, rod and reel manufacturers, lure manufacturers, holiday companies, local tackle suppliers, four-wheel drive suppliers, On Line TV, the organisers of the European Open Beach Championships and several charter boat skippers – in fact, something for everyone.The R.N.L.I. will be carrying out safety checks, free of charge, for boat owners who bring their life jackets to the show and will also be giving demonstrations on the correct use and handling of distress flares.Several boats and four-wheel drive vehicles will be on display and representatives from the Companies will be available to answer any queries on boat handling and safety, etc.The conservatory has been reserved and talks and presentations, together with ‘question and answer’ sessions will be given throughout the two days.Refreshments and meals will also be available in the upstairs lounge throughout the two day event.Come along and meet some of the top experts in Sea Angling.For more info see: http://www.ne-seaangling-boatshow.co.uk/ News and Info 2009-10-19T14:25:41+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-10-10-09 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-10-10-09#When:14:20:41Z Lots of smaller cod under 2lb are now evident all along the north east coast with the odd bigger specimens to 6lb among them.  Some anglers have taken double figure mixed bags of five or six cod, with whiting, flatties and coalfish making up the remainder.  These sort of catches however, have only been taken after dark, or when there has been a bit of sea running, as daylight catches have generally been poor with only the usual flatties and whiting to keep anglers interested.  With south easterly winds forecast for the rest of this week this pattern of fishing should change and cod hopefully will start to move inshore during daylight hours.The Ryhope open last weekend saw thirty-five out of one hundred and ninety anglers weighing in.  Most struggled in the sunny conditions but rock expert Steve Coverdale used his considerable experience to winkle a few cod out of the kelp beds taking the heaviest with a cod of 2065 grams and the heaviest bag with 4525 gram, all taken from the Boiler Hole at Whitburn.  Gary Walker was second with a cod of 975 grams from Souter Point and Kevin Ord was third with a cod of 955 gram from Hendon.  Top lady was Hartlepool angler Jackie Feeney with a flounder of 520 grams, top junior was Tamzin Kenfield with a flounder of 850 gram, Ian Bellfield had the heaviest flatfish with a plaice of 865 gram from South Shields and the team event was won by Steve Coverdale and Mick Fawcett with 4525 grams.Hartlepool O.M.A.C. fished Saturday and found plenty of small cod on the grounds with fifteen out of twenty-six weighing in fifty-one fish, mainly cod.  Paul Lee fished Hendon to win with five cod for 6lb 12oz followed in second by Andrew Small who had a mixed bag for 6¼lb from Steetley Pier. Kenny Gooding and Dave Littlewood tied for the heaviest fish with cod of 2lb and Steve Gibbins and Chris Smith tied for the second each with a cod of 1lb 15oz.  Next match is Saturday October 24th fishing from 6pm till midnight.  Next meeting is Saturday October 31st in the Pink Domino at 6.30pm.A recent Eastenders sweepstake saw ten out of twenty-two weigh in eleven cod, five flounders, two coalfish, and a solitary rockling.  Bob Surtees took the top two places with cod of 2lb3oz and 1lb 11oz from Roker Beach and Ernie Hunter had one of 1lb 10oz from Whitburn.East End and Hendon also had a recent match with only three landing size fish.  Darren Welsh had a surprise bass which tip the scales at 3lb 7oz, Steve Rackstraw in second had a coalfish of 1lb 2oz and in third place was Geoff Moon with a whiting of 1lb 1oz.With good numbers of smaller cod showing between Roker and South Shields, the Ryhope Tuesday evening sweepstake saw thirty-five anglers out along Roker Pier and the rock edges with most taking at least one cod.  Chris Hossack had the heaviest with a cod of 1810 grams from Roker, with Andy Little in second with 1140 grams from Whitburn. Third placed Gordon Russell had one of 1100 grams from Roker and Gary Warwick picked up fourth place with 925 grams from Hendon.The Eastenders Open on Saturday was fished in the Wear at Panns Bank where six out of sixteen landed eight flounders and a cod.  Mason Burton had the heaviest fish with a flounder of 1lb 6oz in a bag total of three for 3lb 1oz.  Micky Sopp had a flounder of 1lb 5oz for second and Ernie Hunter and Chris Hossack tied for third place with 1lb 3oz.Seaham A.C. fished for the Angus Mills Trophy on Sunday with eighteen out of sixty-seven landing nineteen cod, four whiting, four flounders, two coalfish, a eel and a turbot for 35.44lb.  Top rod was Gary Pye with four for 5.58lb, Mick Davison had two for 3.88lb in second place, best 2.76lb. Third place was Colin Smith who landed two for 3.41lb and Andy Clegg had two for 3.40lb in fourth.The North East Sea Angling and Boat Show is being held on Saturday and Sunday October 24th and 25th from 10am till 5pm on Saturday and 10am till 4pm on the Sunday at the Nissan Sports and Social Centre, Old Washington Road, Washington.  Entry is £3.  Various tackle, holiday companies, and boat builders will be in attendance giving talks and presentations.  See www.ne-seaangling-boatshow.co.uk for detailsSunday November 1st sees the 12th Redcar Navy and Gents Club H.S.F. Open with fishing from 9.30am till 2.30pm between South Gare and Whitby East Pier.  Basic entry is £8 plus optional team events and pools.  Register from 8am till 8.45am at the Priory Club, Lord Street, Redcar.  You can also register in advance from selected tackle shops between Hartlepool and Scarborough.  Top prizes for the heaviest fish are £500, £200, and £100.  There are junior and ladies prizes plus a full supporting prize table.  Anglers may only weigh in one single fish.  Contact Tony Barker 01642-503049, 07727-754746 for details.On Sunday November 18th the North East Division of the Angling Trust is having a Penn Points open shore match fishing from 10am till 3pm in open boundaries.  Basic entry is £10 all classes, register at the King Street Social Club North Shields from 8.30am.  Prizes are for the heaviest fish and anglers can only weigh a single fish in.The 42nd Seaham Open Shore Championship on Sunday November 29th sees a prize table of £10,000 - the biggest open in the country this year.  Sea Angler magazine have donated a complete fishing tackle collection worth £1500 for the main raffle prize.  Fishing is from 11am till 4pm between Hendon Groyne and Dene Holm Pipe.  Basic entry is £15.  Top prizes for the best three heaviest fish are £1500, £600, and £400.  Total cash fund is £2500 with a huge prize table of £7500.  Registration on Saturday is from 10am, and on Sunday from 8am.  More details nearer the time, for all enquiries contact joseph.gibson@btconnect.com On Saturday December 6th the Bedlington Station Northumbrian Open is being fished from 9.30am till 1.30pm between Pattersons Garage at Beadnell and Tynemouth Pier.  Blyth Pier is in bounds but all other piers and rivers are not to be fished.  Basic entry is £11 for adults, £5 ladies and juniors for their respective prizes only or full £11 for full prize list, plus the usual optional team event and pools.  Register at the Bank House Club Newbiggin from 7am till 8.30am.  First prize for the heaviest bag is £750 plus a full supporting prize table and special prizes for 20th and 30th places. North East England 2009-10-19T14:20:41+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-lincolnshire-yorkshire-report-16-10-09 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-lincolnshire-yorkshire-report-16-10-09#When:16:58:54Z Despite having to be towed home as a result of a electrical fault, Tim Burgess won this year’s HCA Thornback Open with a fish of 7¼lb. Ollie Call pick up second and third prizes with rays of 5lb 2oz and 4lb 10oz respectively. At time the anglers were cursing the numbers of cod around which is typical in a targeted species event.This coming Sunday sees the big guns come out to play for the start of the winter league and it will be very interesting first match as the anglers are expected to hone their speed fishing skills by targeting whiting.Humber SAC were in action last weekend when members fished a rover match along the length of the sea wall. Steve Robinson landed the top weight of 2lb 12oz, next on the list was S. Wilkinson and followed in third by Simon Drayton. This Sunday the club is holding the Millennium Open and the fishing times are from 4.45pm to 8.45pm. Meet at Tioxide gate from 3pm where the entry fee of £15 is payable. Birse Construction and the Environment Agency are to be congratulated on the excellent work that they have carried out on the Wall. This now provides a fantastic fishing platform, which if looked after by the anglers should provide a brilliant venue for years to come. East England 2009-10-16T16:58:54+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/alderney-report-october-2009 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/alderney-report-october-2009#When:15:19:11Z It has been a good month generally although one or two species are not showing up as soon as we would expect. In particular red mullet and sole have been scarce so far this season. Having said that sole to 3lb 1oz and red mullet to 1lb 9oz have been landed so it’s not all doom and gloom by any stretch of the imagination. That’s the downside, the rest of the fishing is brilliant! We have experienced some tremendous plug sessions for bass seeing good numbers of fish with bags of up to 7 fish per rod. Great sport, with fish running to 6lb and one or two bigger ones thrown in for good measure. The biggest bass though have fallen to fish baits anchored on the bottom with the best reported at over 9lb. Black bream are in good numbers with lots of fish in the 2½lb to 3lb bracket. Couches sea bream and giltheads are also putting in an appearance. Most of the giltheads are falling to crab with others on squid and worm. Angler’s who have been ground-baiting have landed thick lipped mullet to 6lb and bags of up to five fish have been taken during targeted sessions. Give the quality of the general fishing huss and eels have been largely ignored but there have been a couple of 40lb plus snakes landed. More than usual numbers in the way of triggers have been taken round the coast and these tough terriers are topping the scales at 2½lb. There are still one or two mackerel being caught, plenty of gars and pollack to 5lb.Boat sport is dropping off now as the visiting charter fleet end their annual pilgrimages to the island. It is a shame as the fishing is pretty hot; hopefully this is where our local charter boat Smuggler can do well if we can drum up enough trade for him. Once again Colin Dukes produced the goods for one of our regular visiting anglers, Tonto who landed an absolute beauty of a turbot weighing 23lb. That’s the third 20lb plus flatfish aboard Smuggler this year. As well as the turbot and brill, the bass fishing is now in full swing with plenty to aim for if you can find the live bait which can be a struggle. Tope fishing has been absolutely phenomenal with more fish than you can shake a stick at. Mainly in the 25lb to 35lb range there are better fish nudging 45lb in among the packs. Porbeagle have also been hooked and lost and it may be worth a serious attempt for these powerful sharks, kitted out with suitable gear. Lots of bull huss about too and eels to 50lb have been caught on the rough ground. The smaller boats getting plenty of bass amongst the rocks on plugs, not for the faint hearted this and you should take local advice when trying these marks for the first time.Kayaking is starting to take off on the Island with the hard few finding plenty of bass to 6lb on the plugs, pollack to over 9lb and when at anchor the various mixed Alderney species can be taken. Channel Islands 2009-10-14T15:19:11+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/black-beach-paradise http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/black-beach-paradise#When:08:44:49Z Shore angler Shaun Cumming boldly goes where few have gone before, travelling to a weird ash-bed beach on the extreme southern edge of Iceland. There's no shortage of fish, but watch out for the volcanoes!Iceland is home to some of the most visually unique and fascinating landscapes in the world. While driving cross-country, visitors are constantly accosted by sights that hold the eyes and force quick intakes of ragged breath. Some scenery looks positively lunar and it’s difficult not to drift from reality to daydream at times.A recent trip with professional angling guide Steve Mason, took me to a location so different that I could only stare out the window of the 4 X 4 mouth agape. It was like crossing some alien desert of hellish black ash in purgatorial contrast with glorious blue skies that stretched overhead forever. Our group was completed with Irish anglers Steven O’Donovan, Bryan O’Rourke, and Derek Kenrick, all of whom appeared similarly bug-eyed as we lurched and bounced our way off-road for several miles along char-black sands. Steve had seen it all before and wasn’t in the slightest bit surprised by the gawping reactions.Imagine racing through a suffocation of engine-clogging stoor without other trace of humanity or hope of rescue - this was not a place I would care to break down. After 20 minutes of chundering progress across a relentless soft sand blanket, I spotted what looked like water in the distance but didn’t give voice to the thought. To the right, a battery of huge sand dunes appeared hazily at first, seeming to form out of mirage before solidifying as we drew closer. Suddenly the vast wash of North Atlantic Ocean opened out in front of us in all its raw glory. With the sight came invigorating realisation that the nearest landmass to this southern coastal extreme of Iceland lay due south in the shape of the southern ice caps themselves.VolcanoesThe banked upper shoreline sloped steeply seaward. At a glance, the water looked deep and inviting with a hint of lateral tide. On haunches, the fistful of strange sand that ran through my fingers was less than jet, laid down eons ago by a volcanic blast from one of the region’s myriad volcanoes many of which are still living, breathing things. Perhaps oddly, I thought it might have been warm to the touch, but it was cold as death. Blackness blossomed to wet ebony where waves caressed the otherwise bone-dry shore.This beach is one of Steve Mason’s favourite venues for targeting large spurdogs. Unfortunately a pressing schedule dictated only a single session could be spent here. Frustrations were increased tenfold by evidence of dense baitfish concentrations which effectively spelled disaster for our spurdog prospects according to a knowing Steve. Literally thousands of guillemots, puffins and gannets were diving madly off the beach, their quarry betrayed by breaking waves that would deposit frantically flapping greater sandeels on the sand.We set up our gear nonetheless, and drank in the otherworld surroundings to a cacophonic backing track of seabird noise. Mackerel too, it seemed, were hot on the heels of the sandeels, as they intercepted our baits at regular intervals. A large Minke whale was patrolling no more than 20 yards out. And just like scenes from some BBC wildlife documentary, balls of harried baitfish regularly exploded on the surface so close as to make the power of High Definition television quite redundant. This was nature in grand motion and anglers stood transfixed while nodding rods went ignored.Double troubleSteve seemed immune to peripheral events and was busy telling of huge numbers of double figure spurdogs - some to 20lbs - caught here. He advises large fish or squid baits on pennel 6/0 hooks, which all of the group were using. Even in the absence of spurs there was no shortage of fish. Large whiting and dabs were unperturbed by the huge hooks and retrieved every cast. Often two fish would be extracted on pennel rigs with hooks set mere inches apart.To make the most of the situation we all scaled down to 3-hook flapping rigs with size 1 hooks. You didn’t need to cast far as fish were everywhere. The change resulted in ridiculous numbers of good whiting and big dabs, with instant ravaging bites and fish on all hooks the norm. By UK standards this was fantastic fishing despite the lack of spurdogs.Alas, you can only catch so many fish before tiredness sets in, and after several hours non-stop action energies were on the wane. To a man, we were enraptured by the sights and sounds of this magical venue and its fishing. So nature conspired to deny us those big spurdogs…there will be another time, and we had done exceptionally well besides.I am constantly surprised by Iceland and keep coming back for more. Fishing on the rocks and piers for cod, haddock and catfish is fantastic, but June to October is peak spurdog season, and a trip to the ‘black beach’ is an absolute must during the week-long fishing excursions Steve Mason specialises in. The bait-massing problem apparently occurs every year in the height of summer. Thankfully the phenomenon lasts just a few weeks and the shoals quickly disperse as soon as a good storm rakes the beaches. And there is more than just fishing to whet the holiday appetite, with bubbling hot water springs, Geysers, raging waterfalls to name but a few of the wild wonders. I have already made arrangements to return next year when I intend to see if those big spurdogs want to play.Trip & travel informationProfessional sea angling guide Steve Mason offers a wide variety of fishing holidays for individuals and groups. If you want to experience cod fishing of a quality and consistency that just isn’t possible from the UK shore, or you fancy locking horns with big powerful wolf fish from easy marks, then Steve is the man. There are lots of other shore species to catch, and incredible boat fishing can be arranged too. Steve can be contacted through his Dreamfish website.Icelandair flies twice daily from Heathrow and four times a week from Glasgow and Manchester from 25 September. Flights start from £209 from Heathrow and from £197 from Glasgow and Manchester. Visit http://www.icelandair.co.uk for more info. For all information on tourism in Iceland you can learn more at http://www.visiticeland.com Shore, Lead Feature, World fishing 2009-10-13T08:44:49+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/shimano-tyrnos-12-2-speed-reel http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/shimano-tyrnos-12-2-speed-reel#When:08:35:29Z Fans of the famous TLD range of Shimano boat reels could find plenty to wax lyrical about with the newer Tyrnos models. Des Westmore gives the chunky Shimano Tyrnos 12 2-speed version the treatment afloat...My eyes were first drawn to the Shimano Tyrnos reel when a friend received a mighty Tyrnos 20 5.1:1 single speed as a competition prize. It looked a hardy and capable reel but with braid at the height of popularity I wondered how much use an ox-like reel of that size and high gear ratio would be in home waters. Shimano’s introduction of smaller Tyrnos models in single and twin-speed retrieve has significantly increased UK sales potential since.The Tyrnos 12 2-speed that arrived for testing was perfect for braid. The narrow spool only needed a small amount of backing for 300yards of 50lb Power Pro to fill it, while spool width combined with a wider than normal right side-plate (to accommodate the extra gearing) certainly make for a chunky reel. The reel was paired with a 30-50lb rod that’s equally at home for summer wrecking or heavy winter codding.On its first outing, I just put my gear in the boat’s rod rack, sat back and said nothing. It wasn’t long before the Tyrnos drew attention and comments ranging from “That’s different” and “Expensive is it?” to “What an ugly ******d!” I’m still trying to fathom whether the last comment was directed at me, or the Shimano.The large handle is ultra comfortable, while the lever drag is easy to set via the big preset adjustment dial. The ratcheted lever has nearly the full 180 degrees of travel from free-spool to full pressure. There is a positive ‘click’ when backing to free spool, and the central button to action adjustment beyond the STRIKE position is again easy to use.Remember the TLDs?Though similar in layout to Shimano’s famous TLD reels, the more modern drag feels smoother and more progressive. Changing gears is a cinch. If you have used a TLD two-speed multiplier or the Shimano Beastmaster reels that preceded them, then control will look and feel familiar. Push in the button on the end of the handle shaft to engage low gear. The high gearing is re-engaged by simply pushing the slider on the handle. Crucially, there is no need to stop winding to change gear.A lineout alarm or ratchet stud-button is located on the left-hand side-plate. Engagement is positive and very audible. That loud ratchet leads me on to the only feature of the Tyrnos that I really do not like… that is anti-reverse mechanism. While the Tyrnos is a clear evolution of the TLD, Shimano’s engineers have chosen not to incorporate the ‘Super Stopper’ silent anti-reverse that is fitted to most of their latest reels. Instead they have stuck with the dual ratchet and pawl systems seen in the TLD. This means that there is noticeable backlash in the mechanism and the Tyrnos clicks when you turn the handle. In fact, this reel can CLICK, CLICK, CLICKLY CLICK for England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and the rest of the bloody world! I got fed up with people asking me if I had left the ratchet on when reeling in, which is a shame because it is the only thing that detracts from the reel in use. However, if you can cope with the migraine and the abuse then all could be well.Cranking powerEven in high gear the reel generates impressive cranking power, but switching to low gear shows what the Tyrnos is really capable of. The biggest thing I landed during testing was a 17lb ling, and low gear over-powered it in a totally unsporting way – but is good to know that such awesome power can be called upon at the quickest flick of a little switch. Had I locked horns with one of the big conger eels that the fishing area is renowned for, I am sure I would have welcomed the low gear’s fish taming power.During discussion, some anglers said that they couldn’t see the point of two-speed gearing. Given a retrieve of 3 or 4.1:1 on a reel of this size they have a point, but with the top gear being 5.1 that low gear makes a huge difference that became clarion clear during early winter codding…and the reason has nowt to do with humping out great big cod. The reality is that winching up 1 ¼ lb of lead, half a dozen squid and a 2lb pound dogfish in the middle of the raging tide in 90 feet of water is made almost joyful. While red-faced others alongside me puffed their equally fish-less way to the surface, pumping the rod into the bargain, I just nudged into low gear and turned the handle - even doing it with just finger and thumb to prove the point. Anyone who suffers with back problems or wimps will love this pain-free facility– just for the record, I have a bad back. Tribulations of deep water, fast tide, big baits or a combination of all three are instantly erased by the Tyrnos low gear option.Taken to bitsAt the end of the season I had the reel apart. There was no corrosion evidence at all, but this particular reel that was treated externally with Corrosion Block from new as part of some other PSF testing. The Tyrnos has a carbon/plastic left side-plate that houses the lineout alarm, so there’s little to go wrong there. The duralumin spool runs on a large diameter, non-rotating stainless shaft and sits inside a die-cast aluminium frame. The spool and the shaft are supported on four Shimano anti-rust bearings, while the drag is situated at the right hand end of the spool and is well sealed. There were no problems with the drag at all so I left it alone and didn’t disturb it.The stainless steel gears are impressively large, and there was a reasonable amount of grease in place. It is good to note that by taking off just the handle, drag lever and right side-plate (which is carbon plastic with an alloy cover), all routine maintenance can be carried out. Unless something is malfunctioning, there is no need to dismantle the reel further.The only thing that looks out of place is the anti-reverse mechanism. Most twin pawl reels (including single-speed Tyrnos) have a mechanism consisting of two springs with pawls that engage with a ratchet, and all the force pushes down the length of the pawl. The twin-speed Tyrnos has two pawls located one on top of the other, and they actually mesh with the low speed pinion gear, thus preventing it from rotating backwards. The pawl is therefore load-sheared from the gear, and while there are two pawls there is only one spring. Given that this system has been used for years in the TLD two-speed reels there is probably no need for concern, but I would have preferred fitment of the more up-to-date ‘Super Stopper’ system.My guess is that installing alternative SS anti-reverse might well have pushed the price up too far. Regardless, Shimano have here an extremely good reel. The Tyrnos 12 has a capacity of 250m of 20lb mono and an RRP of £249.99. The range now extends to 8, 10, 16, 20, 30 and 50 in twin-speed, and sizes 8 to 30 in single-speed. For more information contact Shimano on 01386 425824, ukinfo@shimano-eu.com or go to www.shimano.com Reels, Lead Feature 2009-10-13T08:35:29+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/shakespeare-ugly-stik-travel-boat-rod http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/shakespeare-ugly-stik-travel-boat-rod#When:08:30:52Z There is now a staggering amount of choice in compact multi-section travel rods, but quality varies enormously. Des Westmore has fished with numerous examples and now turns his attention to the Shakespeare 20/30 Ugly Stik travel boat rod...Shakespeare introduced the Ugly Stik range of rods way back in 1976, billing them as ‘unbreakable’. These original Ugly Stiks introduced the ‘Howald’ process to the angling world, or so many people would think. The Howald process of 1976 actually refers to a patented procedure that more or less builds rods twice; the basis being a spiral-wrapped carbon core with longitudinally laid E-Glass fibres over the top. The inner build provided rod strength and ‘backbone’, with the outer glass layer providing superior durability. Well that was the process of 1976, but the Howald name goes back a lot further. In 1947 while working with Henry Shakespeare, Dr Arthur M. Howald created the ‘Howald Glastik Wonderod’, the world’s first fibreglass fishing rod. This bait-casting rod sold for $60, at a time when bamboo rods cost $15.Since then, various Ugly Stik adverts have carried various near indestructible claims. Checking the latest Shakespeare catalogue this most recent Ugly Stik incarnation is said to be a mere ‘35% stronger than standard rods’. But come whatever ‘Uglies’ have been around a long time and proved themselves to be very, tough, extremely durable and all excellent fishing rods with a huge angler following worldwide. The latest Ugly Stiks retain the classic transparent tip are formed of the Howald process which has been further refined, incorporating three distinct construction layers. These layers are the tip section, which has a spiral core of high strength fibreglass and/or carbon. A spiral woven coat of fibre-glass/high carbon tape with carbon fibres running up the blank comes next. And finally, the butt is made in a traditional rolled manner to give a faster modern action.Over the years, I have found various progressive versions of the Ugly Stik rods to be inconsistent in performance terms - some were great rods worthy of the lauded name, while others were complete lemons that frankly did nothing for such a well-regarded brand. I held to these thoughts as my attention now turned to the latest Ugly that I had for testing.Have rod will travelThe focus of this review is the 20/30lb class 5-piece ‘Ugly Stik Travel Rod’ that is styled to match the wider ‘Ugly Stik Braid’ range. The assembled length is 7 feet (2.1 metres), with a compact pack-down length of around 19 inches (0.48 m) in the bag provided, or alternatively down to 22 inches (0.56m) in the protective tube.A distinctive handle caries a heavy-duty gimble with removable cover. The reel seat the handle area is a real ‘bare-bones’ build affair, with the only comfort concession being a short piece of diamond hatched shrink tube fitted immediately above the gimble. The rest of the lower handle is just plain, gloss finish, carbon. A genuine Fuji DPS 24 reel seat is fitted the right way round, with the upper end incorporating the first joint.Section two sports an EVA fore-grip flattened on the upper and lower surfaces to help prevent the rod rotating in your hand under load. A male spigot is fitted at both ends and a pleasant touch is both incorporate a piece of tubular EVA to help disguise the reduction in rod blank diameter that is visible on a spigot joint. If the spigot naturally wears in time, this piece of tube can be cut back.The third section has the spigot joint with the foregrip section and an overlapping joint with the fourth section. Similarly, an overlapping joint is used between fourth and fifth (tip) sections.Guides and extrasSeven heavily braced Aluminium Oxide lined Fuji BLRLG rings, ranging from 20mm down to 10mm plus the tip ring, are fitted. Whippings are black tipped with silver apart from the final three plus the tip, which are fluorescent orange to aid visibility. The high-build finish on the whippings looks good and the blank is black with a matt finish, apart from the transparent portion between the last ring and the tip. Shakespeare describe the rod as having a semi-fast taper with a progressive tip and stiff butt and lower mid section. In addition to the carrying tube, neoprene rod bands, a cleaning cloth and a rod bag are provided.I like to get as many people as possible involved in a rod test and this occasion was no different with a boat full of anglers all eager to have a go with the new rod. However the Ugly Stik was not an instant with the testers, all of whom are experienced boat anglers used to handling a wide selection of tackle. All liked the foregrip, but everyone also bemoaned the lack of a grip behind the reel seat. To a man the rod was adjudged too stiff for its 20-30lb rating and far more akin to a 30-50lb. The chunky guides were also thought to be more synonymous with a 30-50 rod. It could be that these particular guides were chosen for their robustness on grounds that they will be more resistant to crushing in transit, but I am with the testers on this. The rod really does feel and balance more like a 30-50.The Ugly Stik travel rod is a stand-alone item only available as the 20-30lb rating, I can’t therefore provide a like-for-like comparison with anything another version. This is not a soulful, sporting rod, but rather a stiff natured brute suited pirking and heavyweight bottom according to the testers.Naughty in NorwayBrian Gourley used the Ugly Stik travel boat rod for drifting with dead baits for ling over rough ground. He liked the finish but said the Ugly Stik lacked the sensitivity for effective drift fishing. The action was overkill even for the rough ground and mainstay of double figure ling that were coming aboard.Rather than just dismiss the rod as too hard-core heavy for everything in the mainstream, I gave it to Ross Wilkinson at Navimo UK who was August cod fishing in Norway. Ross used heavy pirks with10/0 trebles and successfully boated lots of cod up to 35lb. Regular texts and pictures stoked my jealousy but kept me updated as to how the rod handled this more manly fishing situation. All seemed to be going very well until I received an apologetic text telling how the rod had burst during a tussle with a big fish.The point of breakage was at the overlapping joint of the third to fourth sections, where the lower section had burst out through the wall of the upper section. Reasons for the failure could be several fold but this certainly wasn’t an example of rod abuse of indeed fishing extremes by the angler using it. The flaw, whether it is unique to this test sample or more widely apparent, lies with the actual rod. My Post Mortem of the breakage leads me to think either insufficient cure cycle pressure may have caused a lack of carbon fibres consolidation, or perhaps resin starvation might be underlying. If it was neither of these things, then the design needs to re-examined.Ross noted the mid-section stayed quite straight when loaded, and this appeared to be putting excessive load directly into that joint. I took the rod to Shakepeare’s trade show and it was immediately replace. Discussions identified that this particular rod may have come from a problematic early production batch. I have since used the replacement rod a couple of times without any issue. The real test however will come when I can again put it up against some of the big fish in Norwegian or Icelandic waters – I will let you know what happens. Credit to Shakespeare who didn’t try and play down the problem and took onboard all the points raised in this review.Availability & priceThe catalogue RRP for this rod is £105.00, which very fair price given the fittings and build quality. Unless the action sounds like exactly what you are looking for, I would advise having a good hard look at this rod in the shop first rather than doing the Russian roulette thing and ordering right off the Internet without taking a breath. With the Ugly Stik’s proud heritage, I am hopeful that the breakage was down to a manufacturing fault, which, in all honesty can happen to even the best of blanks. I work in the aerospace industry and it is for reason such as this that we test composite airframe structures so intensively. To find out more about the Ugly Stik range or locate a dealer near you. Phone 01527 513308 or go to http://www.shakespeare-fishing.co.uk Boat rods, Lead Feature 2009-10-13T08:30:52+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/common-skate-shore-record-smashed http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/common-skate-shore-record-smashed#When:16:06:17Z Steven Morrison has landed a potential record-busting shore caught common skate from West Loch Tarbet pier on the Isle of Harris. Weighing an estimated 225lb, the fish, if ratified, will smash the existing record by more than 20lb! Here's Steven's story...For the past couple of years Tarbet, Isle of Harris locals Geoff Peterson and Steven Morrison have ventured down to West Loch Tarbet Pier to target the massive common skate which lurk in the shallows after dark. The lads have had varying degrees of success: Geoff has had fish over 174lb, but up until last Thursday Steven’s best fish was this monster! (above) Setting up as normal at the end of the pier, Steven rigged his Abu Suveran SX and Penn 535 Mag reel with the standard terminal rig used in the Islands; consisting of 5 feet of nylon covered wire with a 400lb swivel crimped to the leader end and 10/0 and 12/0 bronze Mustad O’Shaugnessy secured in pennel fashion. A 100gm barrel lead is slid onto the trace before assembly to nail the bait to the seabed.Steven lobbed his whole mackerel bait out 40 yards into 20 – 30 feet of water and placed the rod in the rest. The calm of the Harris evening was shattered when the reel screamed as the fish picked up the bait and moved off. Firmly striking into the fish Steven lent back and prepared for the struggle. Like all the Harris female commons the fish lead him a merry dance as it fought from the minute it was hooked. Despite the big girl snagging up a couple of times on underwater debris after a back breaking, arm wrenching 50 minutes the magnificent specimen was beach on the rock and gravel slope at the base of the pier.The gob-smacked look of awe on Steven’s face says it all (below).After unhooking the fish swam a short distance out where she was seen resting for ten minutes before majestically gliding off into the darkness. The cracking fish measured out at a staggering 89 inches by 72 inches and on checking the charts the two fishing buddies realised that 225lb giant had shattered the British record by more than 20lb! Scotland 2009-10-11T16:06:17+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/irish-master-angler-boat-2009 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/irish-master-angler-boat-2009#When:13:27:43Z Seventy-nine anglers fished this year's Irish Master Angler boat competition out of Kilmore Quay...The match was fished at anchor with four sessions over the two days. The competitors rotated their boat position after three hours and percentage points were calcluated from the catches for each rotation. Over seven thousand fish were landed despite some concern about fishing this venue at anchor. In brilliant weather Ireland's top anglers landed more than thirteen species over the 20cm minimum size.Because certain species had bag limits applied the entrants had to work hard, chopping and changing rigs to target the available fish. Bait, ragworm and mackerel, was supplied by Martin Kennedy and the team of organisers - all were agreed that it was excellent quality.Heiko Dreier again ran out winner of the event with a perfect score of 400% just beating fellow maximum scorer Pio Enright on countback.1st -     Hieko Dryer     400%2nd -    Pio Enright    400%3rd -    Dorian White    398.13%4th -    Liam Longmore    397.09%5th -    Kit Dunne    388.14%Heiko will captain the IFSA boat team at the World Championships in Montenegro next year and the rest of the top ten will join those from 2007 and 2008 for a fish off for the remaining places.The full results can be found here - results Boat catches and results 2009-10-11T13:27:43+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/pout-for-the-count http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/pout-for-the-count#When:19:00:29Z Steve Parker reports on his Weymouth charter trip on Atlanta skippered by Dave Pitman...I had been staring at the forecast for Saturday 26th September all week.  The forecast was for light winds and sunny skies and I was just waiting for it to turn as is normally my luck.  But as Saturday approached it just got better and better.  When it got to Friday night and the sea state was forecast as "Smooth", yes not even slight but "Smooth", I was convinced I was assured of a fish filled day.I set off to Weymouth typically early as I didn't sleep much the night before with the anticipation, and as usual this gave me ample time to convince my self I needed all those new shiny things hanging on the walls of Weymouth Angling Centre.  I even convinced myself to invest in some fresh tiger prawns from Asda as a contingency - what could go wrong!In the car park I bumped in to Dave Pitman, skipper of Atlanta and my host for the day, and despite the early hour Dave said he'd finished preparing the boat and that I was welcome to go and grab my self a spot for my gear.The conditions were the best I have had for years and the rest of the crew were as cheerful as I was as we left the harbour and headed to the west side of the bill to pick up some fresh Mackerel to compliment our supply of frozen squid and fresh ragworm (and of course my secret prawn weapon....).  As we rounded the bill I rattled off a few photos but all stuff I've published before so put the camera away for a bit and settled down to soak up some sunshineWe arrived at the west side quickly and got amongst a number of other boats already in to the mackerel.  First drop and I was in.  On retrieving the line I had hooked a cracking garfish of around 2½ feet long.  Despite having got in to a terrible tangle with an angler named Tina I was soon back in the water searching for mackerel.  Another similar sized gar was boated and then we got in to the target species.  String after string came aboard and we had quickly filled the cool box and were ready to go after larger prey.  This is the best mackerel fishing I have seen all year and it was kind of hard to stop!Dave planned to fish a couple of marks out in Lyme Bay.  The first a reef mark fairly close in to Chesil Beach and the second a wreck we would fish as the tide eased which was further out in the bay.  On the way to the first mark I got the first inkling that my luck may not hold for the day.  I got out my camera to snap some shots of the other anglers and the scenery along the beach only to realise that in my hurry the night before I had forgotten to charge the battery and I had exhausted this at Portland Bill.....and now knowing what was to be caught I apologise for the lack of photos!We anchored up and quickly got fishing.  I started out with a two boom paternoster rig with size 4 hooks.  The bottom hook was tipped with half a squid head and the top with a section of king prawn.  It didn't take long for a bite, but just as I started to retrieve I became tangled with two other anglers.  With little tide and a fickle light breeze this can be a real problem as the boat swings around.  Dave's crewperson, Dee, quickly sorted the mess though and I started to wind again, pleased that my fish was still there.  As the fish surfaced it turned out I had a nice bream of around 1½ lbs on the prawn and a decent sized scad on the squid.  The bream went on ice and the scad was kept for pot baits on another day. So one drop and one target fish, surely this would be a day to remember? The boat started to catch a steady stream of fish.  Bream came to the boat in reasonable numbers and one chap behind me boated a nice thornback ray of around 5lb.  He had brought his daughter on her first fishing trip and she was quickly in to her stride catching bream to a good average size. Dave the skipper was the first to show the way to bigger specimens with a bream in excess of 3lbs and this was followed by several more on the boat.  Now a 3lb plus bream has been my target for the last couple of years as I want the Shimano mission accomplished badge.  Sadly however, at this point in time, I settled in to a steady stream of nuisance pouting and poor cod.  Variety was added by hits from mackerel and scad on the drop.  I reckon I averaged a fish every 3 to 5 minutes for the next couple of hours, and none of them worth mentioning.  I proved beyond doubt that king prawns will attract pouting if nothing else!After a couple of hours Dave moved us to a wreck where he was determined that I would catch my 3lb bream.  At this wreck my neighbouring angler, Tina, switched tactics and broke out her conger gear.  Deftly preparing a mackerel flapper she lowered here gear and settled in to her crossword.  Not for long though as Tina was quickly in to an eel.  At around 20lbs Tina made short work of this fish.I however was equally quickly in to the pout and scad again.  I did have a heart hastening moment when I leant in to a larger fish which broke the trace, and then brought a reasonable bream all the way to the surface only to drop it as I tried to hand line it in to the boat (will I never learn?)!The rest of the boat seemed to settle in to the task of making me look even more incompetent as large and interesting fish came on board from all angles. Tina was catching congers to 30lbs at regular intervals and other members of the crew were also landing the odd conger on all sorts of varieties of gear A number of good size bream, all in that 3lb bracket, were also being taken, without me contacting any.  I continued to catch pout, ho hum…As there was a brief lull in the fishing Dave suggested we move and try another reef on the way back in.  No sooner had he started the engine to warm it up, two more 3lb bream came aboard.  "I've changed my mind" he said, "We’re staying".  It proved to be the right choice.The next shout went up from one of Dave’s regulars, Geoff.  He bemoaned his luck at hooking in to what must be another smallish conger but on his ultra light bream rod and trace.  Not expecting to land the fish Geoff started a very cautious contest with a large and lively predator.  Bit by bit he made more ground on the fish and we waited to see the long streak of grey / white colour below the surface.  Dave stood ready with the T-bar to release the fish, but as it broke surface it was not a conger but a cracking pollack!  Dave grabbed the gaff and the fish was boated.  It weighed in at 15lbs and had taken a size 4 bream hook baited with worm and squid, a fantastic angling achievement - where was that camera?!?I continued to catch pouts....I even tried to trot a shad back in to the wreck only to catch a pout and then lose the lure! The novice lady who had come for a day in the sun with her dad seemed to need a break from landing good quality bream so boated her own pollack, a fish of around four pounds I guess, before returning to the bream action.  Another pollack, not a double but a sizeable fish came aboard from the other side a few minutes later.  I caught, yes you’ve guessed; more pout!  On every hook size from a 6 to 4/0, on prawn, squid, and mackerel, I caught pout.Finally Dave started the engine and it was time to go.  I dropped down one more time and immediately received an unmistakable pout bite.  I struck it hard out of frustration and was glad it had dropped off. I raised the rod tip and had one more trot back before I started to wind in, and.... wham! I was into a fish.  Not a lousy, barely registered poor cod or pout bite.  Not a frenetic but weightless mackerel bite.  It was a proper fish.  I gained some line before it took a run, peeling line off the reel - I couldn't believe it!  Now, after the day I had, I was seriously doubting my angling ability and was convinced between me, my tackle and my fish I would conspire to lose this catch.   But bit by bit I gained and after what seemed to be an age, but was probably only a minute or so, it surfaced.  Not a 3lb bream but a nice sized sporting pollack.  It was not a double figure fish but was not that far away.  I don't think I derived pleasure from this fish so much as absolute relief.  Interestingly I had caught this fish also on bream gear with a mackerel squid cocktail.So with that we set off back to the harbour with an ice box now filled with a good number of bream and pollack and having enjoyed a prolific days sport in fantastic conditions.  Dave had done everything he could to find me a 3lb bream.  He had put us on fantastic marks with tons of good quality fish; it was just not my day.  It is funny how fishing does this to you though.  In my last report I could do no wrong, so perhaps the fishing gods were looking to humble me a little?  Funny how they throw you a good fish at the end though, because that's the one you will remember, and that's the one which will make you come back! South West England 2009-10-10T19:00:29+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-lincolnshire-yorkshire-report-10-10-09 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/humberside-lincolnshire-yorkshire-report-10-10-09#When:13:57:42Z Anglers fishing off the Humber Bank Wall this week, on the bigger tides have had better sized whiting together with codling around the two to three pound mark. Small coalfish dominated the recent Cleethorpes Angling Centre’s midweek bash on the local beach. They kept the rod tips nodding throughout the evening match. It was John Atkinson who took the honours with twenty-two fish for 432cm, John managed to find a few nice flounders amongst the small coalies. Second was Hull based angler Chris Mack who had on fish less for 411cms. Simon Drayton finished third with fourth placed Steve Macgregor lading nineteen fish for 369cms. The biggest fish on the night was a 38cm flounder caught by Simon Drayton and Doncaster angler Brian Mackenzie beached a 32 cm bass. The battle for the top spot in the league is very tight and it is between John Atkinson and Simon Drayton.  The next match is on the 20th October fishing 6.45pm to 9.45pm.In the last Humber SAC match Simon Drayton was the top man with a bag of 2lb 14oz which included the biggest flatfish , a flounder of 31cm. Next was Steve Robinson with 1lb 12oz just ahead of third placed Richard Leek who weighed in 1lb 10oz. Liam Aisthorpe won the juniors and the biggest round fish was caught by George Smith, a whiting of 32cms. The club’s next match is on Saturday and it is a rover, on the Wall. Fishing times 5.30pm to 10.30pm and it is being fished to NFSA size limits.  This Sunday hopefully should see the boats go out, the match last week was postponed due to the weather. The main target species will be thornback rays which have been featuring when the boats are able to put to sea. Bait thieving crabs may be a problem. I have been told today that the Humber Bank Wall at Stallingborough will be assessable by car in around ten days time. East England 2009-10-10T13:57:42+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/irish-winter-shore-festival http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/irish-winter-shore-festival#When:15:28:31Z Details of the 2010 Irish Winter Festival have been released. The event will take place on the East Wexford beaches from 28th to 30th January 2010.This Penn League match will have a first prize of €500 in addition to zone, pools and team prizes. This is the main winter shore event in Ireland and the entry fee for the three days is €150.Accomodation is available at the event HQ, Sean Og's Complex in Kilmuckridge.Full details and entry forms from Warren Doyle - warrendoyle@iol.ie News and Info 2009-10-08T15:28:31+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/garmin-press-release http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/garmin-press-release#When:15:24:26Z Garmin is proud to announce the launch of Garmin HomePort. This new product allows mariners with Garmin chartplotters to plan journeys from their home PCs for the first time.This PC application allows you to plan your trip from the comfort and warmth of your armchair, leaving you more time to enjoy the voyage, instead of plotting your course in the cold. Garmin HomePort utilises the charts you have already purchased for your Garmin chartplotter to aid you in arranging and analysing your sailing routes.This software can read charts from your existing Garmin microSD™/SD™ BlueChart card and display it on your home PC. You can then use the charts to organise journeys, mark waypoints and manage routes. Once you have finished working with your data you can return it to your chart plotter via the SD card slot for use onboard your boat.If you have a chartplotter with preloaded cartography such as the Garmin 400 or 500 series, you can simply copy your cartography from the plotter onto a blank SD card to use with Homeport on your PC.HomePort provides a complete marine planning solution that can be used with both traditional and fishing charts. When planning a big trip marine enthusiasts can input a few key details and use HomePort to calculate speed, projected arrival time and fuel flow.Displaying distance and bearing measurements for your chosen route, Garmin HomePort provides information on tide stations and tidal streams, as well as celestial data.This useful planning companion also offers depth profiles for your desired journey and can even be used to overlay your course on to Google Earth.Garmin HomePort can be downloaded to your computer from Garmin.co.uk or alternatively can be purchased via selected marine retailers on a 2GB microSD/SD card at an RRP of £24.99 (€ 29) including VAT.  The 2GB microSD/SD card can then be recycled after installation of the software.For more information on how Garmin HomePort PC please visit http://www.garmin.co.uk News and Info 2009-10-07T15:24:26+00:00