http://www.planetseafishing.com/ The freshest and most informative sea angling magazine anywhere. en admin@planetseafishing.com Copyright 2012 2012-05-14T16:55:10+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/rite-gear-estuary-championships-kings-lynn-13th-may-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/rite-gear-estuary-championships-kings-lynn-13th-may-2012#When:15:55:10Z The first leg of the Rite Gear Estuary Championships was held at Kings Lynn fishing on the east bank of the river Great Ouse. Although attendance was lower than expected with 17 of the league away at various other competitions around the country, such as the Ramsey Angling Festival and International duties in France, the match still attracted a respectable turnout of 26 anglers chasing prize money of just under £500.The weather was unusually calm and warm before the 10am start but turned rather windy and a bit on the chilly side during the match. The main target species for the competitors would be flounders but they were also hoping for an early eel or two so tactics varied along the match stretch. Crab baits were the predominant choice with maddies and lugworm as backup.From the off it became clear that this would be a tough match with very few fish and zero crab activity with baits coming back almost as good as they were cast out; this was probably due to the amount of rain over the last few weeks. As the match progressed several anglers were catching the odd good flounder up to 31cm and a few eels also made an appearance for several of the rods.In total 61 fish were caught with only 6 anglers returning an empty score card, but man of the match was Grimsby angler George Smith who took the honours with an excellent eight fish for at total weight of 3lb 3 oz. Some distance behind in second place with five eels for 1lb 13½oz was Lowestoft angler Mark Sharman, both anglers were in B section and they also took first and 2nd place in that section.Third place overall went to Stephen Boyce, from Lowestoft, whose practice sessions last year in the river seem to have paid off, he managed three fish weighing 1lb 10½oz .The match was very tight between the top ten anglers on the day with an ounce or less separating those competitors and you really needed the odd bonus fish to give you a boost up the positions.A Section was won by Stephen Boyce, who finished third overall, and his weight of 1lb 10½oz was just one and half ounces ahead of the Section’s second placed Kevin Sealey.Heaviest Flat on the day was shared between, George Smith, Scott Richardson of Squids ‘n Baits and Dave Read all with flounders of 31cm. The heaviest eel of the day weighed in at 1lb 2oz and fell to Avenue Angling team member Trevor Elliot.With most anglers back for the 2nd match at Sutton Bridge and only 7 places available in the league it’s all to fish for and with excellent payouts its worthwhile attending for each open as well as the overall league. The Mystery Pairs will be drawn after the next match.Overall Results1st George Smith - winning £156.002nd Mark Sharman - winning £94.003rd Stephen Boyce - winning £62.00A Section1st Stephen Boyce - winning £39.002nd Kevin Sealey - winning £26.00B Section1st George Smith - winning £39.002nd Mark Sharman - winning £26.00Heaviest FlatfishGeorge Smith, Dave Read, Scott Richardson shared £26.00Heaviest EelTrevor Elliot - winning £26.00 East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-05-14T15:55:10+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-may-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-may-2012#When:14:55:54Z There was a three way tie in the Skegness Pier Angling Club (S.P.A.C) annual Species Hunt, which was moved at short notice from Sandilands to Wolla Bank, due to surfers enjoying the rough conditions at the original choice of venue. The top three anglers all finished on 22 points, each catching four fish of two different species, so the final pecking order had to be decided on weight count-back.Corby’s Paul Marshall came out on top, with his three quality flounders and a decent dab weighing in at 3lb 14oz. He also won the heaviest flatfish prize with his best flounder, which tipped the scales at 1lb 3oz. Not far behind in second place was Dave Burr, from Croxton, with a similar catch of flatties for 3lb 2oz. Lincoln’s Neil Jackson framed again in third place, with two dabs and two flounders weighing 2lb 10oz. There was no round fish caught, so the prize went to the second heaviest flatfish, with a tie between the top three anglers, each with a 1lb flounder.Danny Smith from Chapel caught four nice dabs to beat Skegness local Russ Taylor in the 1st round of the 2012 SPAC Knockout.The next SPAC match will be held on Sunday 27th May from 8am till 12pm at Trunch Lane, with Club members fishing for the Frank Parkin’s Shield. There is also an open section, which non-members are welcome to participate in. For further information please contact SPAC Secretary Chas Tibble on 07984 967988 or chastibble@hotmail.com East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-05-14T14:55:54+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-14-04-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-14-04-2012#When:14:32:10Z Shore angling has improved a little bit with some nice cod reported from several areas due to the continuing heavy seas. Whiting are still present in reasonable numbers from the Hartlepool piers, and most of the clean ground marks are producing good numbers of dabs, flounders, the inevitable whiting and the odd bonus bass.South Shields pier has fished quite well for cod when there has been a sea running with several around the 4lb mark reported on the early flood tide. Coalfish, dabs and plaice have also been taken in reasonable numbers, and anglers have taken double figure mixed bags on most tides. North of the Tyne the winter like conditions have brought the cod back onto the rock edge marks with good numbers of fish to 7lb reported from Lynemouth beach and other marks. Coalies to 3lb have also been reported over a wide area.The lower Tyne is producing coalfish, plaice and small codling to ragworm and crab baits, and recent weeks have seen several dogfish landed from the Walkway. The upper Tyne is full of flounders most of which are still taking worm and mackerel baits. Carl Bibby fishing the upper Tyne took 34 size flounders to 38cm plus a bonus bass. Another session saw Carl and friends land 19 fish between them including flounders, whiting, and cod to 2lb.With Roker pier closed most days due to heavy seas the inner marks at Rathouse Corner have been popular. Eight year old Joe Russell landed a cod of 3lb from here. The Glass Centre marks have seen flounders to well over the 1lb mark landed plus cod and coalies to 3lb reported. Chris Stringer won a sweepstake match at Lambton with eight fish for 177cm; Colin Bell taking the best fish with a cod of 53cm at 2½lb.Seaton Sluice had an away match at Carsethorn on the Solway and found some quality specimen flounders averaging 37cm. Chris Guthrie had a total of 14 measuring 496cm, best 45cm, Micky Bell had nine totalling 314cm, Bryan Clennel also had nine for 314cm, and Neil Lindsay had five measuring 191cm.Heavy seas saw a recent Amble S.A.C. match being fished in the river Aln where Kenny Craig won with four flounders weighing a total of 4lb 14oz, including the best of the match, a nice specimen of 2lb.A Tynemouth match saw Dave Scrimageur win with a mixed bag of coalfish, dabs, and flounders weighing 2½lb, including the heaviest fish; a coalie of 1lb 2oz, followed Bob Gascoigne with three dabs and one flounder for 2lb 2oz.The Ryhope Tuesday evening sweepstake saw a few decent flounders landed. Mick Davison won with one of 1lb 6oz, followed by Gary Conlon with one at 1lb 3oz.The Ryhope Summer league starts on Sunday May 20th with the fishing at the Copthorne Hotel from 1pm until 5pm. Register from 12 noon. Contact Bob Surtees on 0191 5237272 for details. North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-05-14T14:32:10+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/rocks-wrasse-and-heart-attacks http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/rocks-wrasse-and-heart-attacks#When:10:54:36Z Steve Parker scrambles down to the iconic Pulpit rocks for an early tilt at the local wrasse population using light tackle tactics.With sunshine forecast for the end of my week’s holiday, I was keen to squeeze at least one day’s fishing in before returning to work on Monday. Curry and beer the night before did not bode well for an early start and a day on a charter boat. Instead, I opted for Portland to try for early wrasse from the shore. I had previous good sessions on the east side of ‘The Bill’, and the better weather conditions would this time allow me to fish the legendary Pulpit Rock marks.On the way, I called in at Weymouth Angling Centre to pick up some fresh ragworm and frozen hermit crabs. I also bought some extra small weights and drilled bullets for my floats. I reached the car park at Bill Point by 9.15 and there was just one other car parked up. Lovely and quiet is just the way I like it.I set up at the base of the Pulpit, wanting to try fishing to both sides as I was not brave enough, or athletic enough to contemplate climbing it. I started fishing with a 2oz weight and a single hook on a short Portland rig. My crab bait was cast out into the evil mass of rocks and weed.I hadn't thought things through properly in my eagerness to get fishing. The tide was ripping past and my 2oz weight had no hope of holding. The rotten bottom connection surrendered the lead on the second cast and I quickly switched to float fishing. This fared a little better when casting in to the margins out of the tide, but if I strayed in to the main flow the float hopelessly flying past me in seconds.FAST FLOATI moved to the south side of the Pulpit and tried the float. The current was less fierce but still a problem and if I did catch anything sizeable then landing it would be a struggle… but I’d worry about that later. Hooking a fish was my first concern and a switch to ragworm brought a savage bite as I gently teased the float in to the shore.My reactions were pathetic, and the fish bolted straight under a ledge and jammed the tackle. I shifted up and down the ledge, pointed the rod in all directions and tried the loose line trick all to no avail. I resorted to pulling for the break and somehow managed to get everything back but the hook.PuddleSplasher, a member of the http://www.shoreangler.co.uk forum, had recommended I try free-lining a ragworm into rocky ground for pollack and wrasse. The snags were a real issue made worst by the conditions, so I decided to give the free-line method a shot.I wandered back to the north side, and more in hope than anything, dropped the worm below my feet. This worked fine until the worm drifted in to the area of tide where the water rushes under the arch between Pulipt and the Bill where it accelerated to about 30mph and must have been on the surface out of my line of sight. Unperturbed, I tried again and astonishingly just as the worm reached the fast water I had a rasper of a take.The fish felt much bigger than it turned out to be, using the fast flow as it tried to burrow under the arch. I was on better form this time and managed to keep its head up. I soon had a ballan wrasse of 1 ¾lb on the rock at my feet. Encouraged, I continued the free-lining tactics until the tide dropped. With the wind coming from the North West I found it easier flicking the worm out on the south side of the rock where the easing flow of the water gave allowed a longer run before I had to retrieve. I caught a corkwing wrasse almost immediately, followed by a tompot blenny. These openers were followed by several other small fish in rapid succession including: several small ballans, corkwings and a spikey sea scorpion as identified by Dave Pitman, Skipper of Atlanta in Weymouth who is about as attractive!SCARED TO DEATHAs the sun broke through the gloom my beautiful solitude was instantly no more as a bevy of rowdy holidaymakers invaded the rocks. I'm very happy to chat to anybody about what I am doing and what I am catching and it is nice to see the kids take an interest in the fish and the bait etc. What terrifies me though is that parents are letting the kids as young as five or six roam all over a place as dangerous as Pulpit Rock without supervision. I spent a good hour with my heart in my mouth every time a nipper went to have a look over the precarious edge.As a final fling of the dice I decided to head to the far end of the ledge that runs to the north of the Pulpit and away from the rabble. The view back towards Pulpit was stunning and the weather was now absolutely glorious. Another angler and his son were lure fishing in this area and the lad had taken a pollack on a soft plastic. He went on to bag a decent ballan on a legered bait as I looked onThere was less flow here so I went with the float set-up. After a quiet 20 minutes I sussed the depth and found a couple of spots where I was repeatedly getting bites. I managed another three ballans, a couple of which pushed 1lb, but my first fish of the day remained my modest best. There will be other trips to the area this season and bigger fish for sure, but catching good fish is only part of the allure these fantastic and legendary rock marks. Shore, Lead Feature, Wrasse 2012-05-13T10:54:36+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-09-05-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-09-05-2012#When:17:09:47Z Continuing heavy seas in almost winter like conditions have produced a few better sized cod for those anglers prepared to put some time and effort in, with specimens up to 10lb reported. As with last week some anglers have reported taking the bigger cod from the Hartlepool piers on big squid baits, but generally shore sport has been very poor with the seasonal cod in very short supply. Best cod reported was one of 9lb 10oz taken by Brian Rushworth from Roker, his angling partner Jim Brooks followed this up with one of 6lb 6oz. The lower river marks in the Wear and Tyne have produced more cod than the open shoreline and with good numbers of coalfish present in both rivers this year, club anglers have tended to favour the rivers for their matches. While some of the cod and coalfish will still take worm baits the better results have been taken on fresh or frozen crab. The upper river marks however are still producing flounders to ragworm and mackerel baits.Colin Bell won a recent sweepstake fished in the Tyne at the British Airways site with 29 fish measuring 529cm, and Steve Williams won another sweepstake match with eight for 260cm. Plaice continue to be evident from many north east marks despite the cold weather. Terry Cussens had one of 2½lb from the Tyne Walkway and Ivan Stott had one of 2lb from Blyth pier.Dogfish have been reported from several areas lately as they move inshore to drop their egg sacks, most seem to be the lesser spotted dogfish variety, but some reports suggest that the odd small spurdog have also been caught.Hartlepool Pirates had a reasonable result considering the recent poor conditions when they found a few remaining whiting feeding. S. Shields had 10 weighing a total of 7lb, including the heaviest fish of 1¼lb, P. Shields had eight weighing 5lb 13oz, Steve Swales had six for 4lb 10oz, and Bill Bradley had two weighing 11oz.Alberta S.A.C. also had a good match in the river Tyne with 15 out of 28 finding fish, mainly coalies and smaller cod. Andrew Hodgkinson had nine totalling 9lb 14oz, Steve Coyle had six weighing 5lb 14oz and David Graves had four for 5lb 13oz. North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-05-10T17:09:47+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-02-05-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-02-05-2012#When:12:01:45Z Shore sport has dropped off a little lately with the recently dependable whiting now few and far between, but there are still specimens to be taken from the Hartlepool piers on late evening and night time tides. Undersize dabs and flounders have made up the bulk of catches in the south of the region and along the Durham beaches. Roker pier has fished well for mixed bags of coalies, flounders and the odd small cod. Some anglers are having good sport using float fished ragworm baits to target the coalfish and the odd bonus pollack. South Shields pier has also seen similar results with mixed bags of over 10lb reported, mainly coalies, but specimen plaice to 2lb are now starting to show to ragworm baits. Both of the rivers have good numbers of coalfish and flounders present with the odd size cod amongst them, and the lower Tyne has started to produce plaice to 2lb or more from the Walkway and Fish Quay marks.Hartlepool Pirates fished the penultimate match of their winter league last week. Paul Shields had the heaviest bag with two whiting weighing 1lb 9oz, second placed Bill Bradley had a single cod of 1½lb to pip Steve Swales by an ounce, and Adam Dendrickson took fourth with a coalfish of 1lb 5oz.The last Tynemouth Sunday League match saw plenty of coalies in the lower river with the Fish Quay the top mark on the day where 25 out of 35 weighed in. Chris Potts had 10 coalfish totalling 9½lb to win while runner-up Kenny Patterson had five weighing 5lb 1oz. Third spot went to Alan Norman with an eight fish mixed bag weighing 4lb 14oz, and Peter Stewart finished fourth with five coalfish for 4lb 7oz. Gary Appleton took the heaviest fish prize with a cod of 3lb 13oz.S.B.R.A.A.C. fished a measure and release match in the upper Tyne. Paul Roper had eight fish measuring 197cm, Kevin Moffat had eight for a total of191cm, and Michael Thompson had seven for 168cm.A voluntary code of conduct has been published by DEFRA in association with various bodies, including INCA (Industry Nature Conservation Association), for the local EMS (European Marine Site), for those groups who regularly use the Teesmouth and Cleveland coast, and covers user groups such as dog walkers, horse riders, photographers, and of course sea anglers. The sea angling code has been drawn up in agreement with the N.F.S.A.S. (Northern Federation of Sea Angling Societies), and is very generous regarding sea angling. Obvious actions that need to be observed by all groups such as not disturbing wildlife and nesting or feeding birds should already be observed by anglers. A North Eastern IFCA shellfish permit is required for the collection of edible crab, velvet crab, lobsters and whelks within the NEIFCA district. Anglers are advised to use shockleaders of an appropriate breaking strain to minimise lost tackle. Anglers absolutely must take home waste litter, tackle, bait wrappers etc. waste line should be cut up into short lengths before disposal, if there is one thing that will get angling banned in the future it is the problem of litter and discarded waste line. Take it home.Bait collecting is the main area covered for anglers as follows. Do not take small lugworm and ragworm, only take crabs that are fit for use and return immature, berried (carrying eggs), and non moulting crabs (hardbacks). Do not take more bait than is needed, backfill all bait digging holes and dig carefully to limit the exposure of the lower sediment (black mud). Avoid trench digging, and avoid wasting bait by ensuring that it is stored and transported correctly, i.e. in buckets of water and stored at home in a cool environment. Lastly the main area of past contention is the collection of crabs via placed traps. Collecting peeler crabs should only be done via existing traps and shelters i.e. tyres and pipes. No one should even consider placing new traps, particularly tyres, along the shoreline; anyone doing so risks spoiling shore angling for everyone else.All of this is voluntary, and all of it is also “common sense” which is already observed by the majority of responsible anglers. North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-05-03T12:01:45+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-23-04-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-23-04-2012#When:15:24:59Z Continuing heavy seas should mean that any cod would eventually find their way within reach of the shore angler, but sport for this popular species has been surprisingly poor considering the numbers of fish reported just offshore by commercial boats. Only the occasional good fish averaging 4lb to 5lb have been taken. The fish that have been landed have come mainly from the low water and rock edge marks, though a specimen of 9lb was reported from Roker pier, and one of 8½lb from Hartlepool, which was apparently taken on a big bait of squid heads. So the bigger fish are there if you are prepared to wait for them with big whiting and dab resistant baits.The Hartlepool piers and Durham beaches continue to see the better results generally, but only because there are still reasonable numbers of quality whiting showing on most tides with big specimens to 2lb still around. Undersize flounders, dabs and the odd early plaice have made up the remainder of catches. The Wear has some big flounders showing from the upriver marks, and coalfish in the lower estuary. The Tyne has more coalfish present in the lower river, with flounders consistently showing from the upriver marks well above the Tyne Bridge where ragworm and mackerel baits are still taking fish in the near freezing winter conditions. Both Roker pier and South Shields pier have seen coalies being the main species present on most tides, with the odd cod, whiting and various flatfish species among them. Fresh crab baits are taking the better coalfish to 2lb or more. Some of the more sporting anglers are using float tackle with ragworm to pick up the bigger coalfish and odd pollack from both Roker and South Shields piers when conditions are suitable.Club activity is very quiet with most of the clubs that are fishing travelling to the upper rivers or over to the West coast for flounders.Alberta S.A.C. fished a rover match with most fish coming from the local rivers. Eric Bell fished the Wear to land a good six fish bag for a total of 8¾lb, Dave Flood had four from the Tyne weighing 4lb 6oz, including the heaviest fish; a cod of 2¼lb, and he tied for second place with Alan Bennett also with four fish from the Tyne.The popular Ryhope Tuesday evening sweepstake matches start on May 1st at Panns Bank in the Wear, meet at the venue at 6.30pm. The next Ryhope Club match is on May 20th at the Copthorne Hotel in the Tyne fishing from 1pm until 5pm. Contact Bob Surtees on 0191-5237272 for details. North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-04-23T15:24:59+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-april-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-april-2012#When:10:51:11Z Jackson’s Corner was the aptly named venue for Neil Jackson’s win in the latest Skegness Pier Angling Club (SPAC) match. The Lincoln based match angler targeted small fish at medium range, winning the Derbyshire Miners Cup with 4 whiting and 2 dabs for 1lb 3½oz. He also won the heaviest round fish prize with his best whiting, which tipped the scales at a meagre 4oz. Kettering’s Dale Evans had been leading the match from early doors with a specimen 1lb 3oz flounder, but in the end had to settle for second place and the heaviest flatfish award. Wrangle’s Alan Steadman left it very late to scratch out a pair of small dabs to take third place with 10½oz, which regained his position at the top of the SPAC match points leader-board. Neil Jackson made a good day complete by easily beating Croxton’s Dave Burr in the 1st round of the 2012 SPAC Knockout.The next SPAC match will be held on Sunday 13th May from 10am till 2pm at Sandilands. This will be the annual Species Hunt open, which non-members are welcome to participate in. For further information please contact SPAC Secretary Chas Tibble on 07984 967988 or chastibble@hotmail.com East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-04-22T10:51:11+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-17-04-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-17-04-2012#When:14:46:41Z The heavy seas of last weekend failed to produce the expected cod invasion with just one or two better specimens to 7lb reported from various marks along the north east shoreline. Midweek sport was a little better however with some anglers reporting bags of up to 10 cod from the low water marks along the Durham beaches with ragworm and fresh crab taking the better fish to 4lb. Whiting are still evident from the Hartlepool piers with bigger fish to 2lb reported, but most are now in poor condition after spawning, and there are a lot of smaller specimens among the bigger fish. Flounders and dabs are showing in good numbers also, but these too are generally in poor condition after spawning. Flounders have greatly increased in numbers over the last few years and there are lots of smaller fish showing from Crimdon and the Durham beach marks. There are specimen flounders in the upper Wear and Tyne, lots of coalfish in both rivers, and slightly more smaller, but in size, codling in the lower Tyne where fresh crab bait is increasingly becoming the more effective bait, though flounders and the remnants of the winter whiting invasion will still take ragworm and mackerel baits.There is no obvious reason why the cod have failed to move inshore as commercial boats have taken cod to 20lb just off from Crimdon, and before the sea built up kayak anglers fishing off from St. Mary’s Island had cod to 8lb. The T.J. Gannet out of Hartlepool saw Lee Skinner, Paul Skinner, Dave Booth, and Mick Anderson all taking cod averaging around the 5lb with the biggest at 9lb taken by Lee, lots of big pouting were also reported.Unless there is some sea running flounders seem to be the main target for match anglers lately. Seaton Sluice found plenty showing in the river Aln for their last match where Chris Guthrie won with six weighing 6lb 5oz, Mal McIntyre had six for 5lb 13oz and third placed Bryan Clennel had six for a total of 5lb 8oz. The heaviest fish prize went to Mick Bell with an absolute monster specimen flounder of 3lb 3oz, few anglers can ever hope to land a flounder over the 3lb mark.The South Shields monthly sweepstake on the local pier saw various mixed bags landed. Paul McIntyre had five coalies totalling 5lb 2oz to win the event ahead of Phil Coates whose bag of codling, pouting and dabs weighed 4lb 5oz. Third placed Harry Elliott had a cod and whiting totalling 3lb 2oz and Phil Coates took the heaviest fish prize with his cod of 2lb 15oz.The Tynemouth retired members match saw coalfish dominate with 10 out of 19 weighing in. The winner Bob Gascoigne had seven of them for a total of 7lb; including the day’s best of 1½lb. Stu Ford followed Bob home with 4lb and Wilf Reed finished third with two coalfish and a single dab weighing 2lb 5oz. The Tynemouth Sunday league match saw Kenny Patterson win with three coalies from the Tyne, Chris Potts also had three weighing 2½lb from the same venue to take second. Dave Hayley had a coalie, a flounder and a dab weighing 2lb 5oz from Tynemouth pier to finish third. North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-04-17T14:46:41+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/shetland-turbot-adventure http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/shetland-turbot-adventure#When:19:21:53Z MV Kailee left Collafirth pier on north Shetland Mainland with a full complement of eight anglers at about 07.30 in the morning. The day was fine despite a north wind and light snow showers, the long, lazy two metre swell meant that the crew would enjoy a smooth steam to the marks. All aboard the boat enjoyed the stunning scenery around the rugged sea cliffs during the two hour trip to the north as they organised their gear for the day.On arrival at the grounds all were eager to try for the mighty turbot, a species newly targeted in these northern waters. Skipper Kevin Tait set up the drift which would cover the turbot’s preferred habitat among the tide scoured sandbanks and each drift would last around 25 minutes before he would have to steam back to the start.A shout from Kevin and all eight fresh mackerel strip baits were soon on their way to the seabed. It wasn’t long before the first fish fell to Basil Thomson’s rod and an eight pound, diamond shaped turbot was soon flapping on the deck. Into the second drift and a call from Tommy Tyler indicated that he had what he thought was a better fish hooked. His assumption was soon proved correct as the sandy shape of the big flatfish surfaced from the deeps. Tommy’s fish was weighed on board at 23½lb a great fish by any standards. However the next drift saw this fish topped when Ken Graham produced a terrific turbot which when weighed on the shore bumped the scales down to 24lb 14oz, just 6oz under the current Scottish record weight.Most of the anglers had new personal best turbot during this trip and at the end of the day 11 turbot in total had been landed.All the anglers used flowing beaded traces with five inch spoons which were supplied by local tackle dealer and angler Charlie Hunter of Ocean Tackle. Any visitors to the Islands are well advised to visit Charlie’s well stocked Lerwick shop for a wallet emptying session and invaluable advice.For more details on MV Kailee and to book a trip with local skipper Kevin visit his website at www.northmavine-charters.shetland.co.uk Boat catches and results, Lead Item, Scotland 2012-04-13T19:21:53+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-11-04-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-11-04-2012#When:16:38:41Z Just when you thought summer had arrived, good old winter reappeared and the heaviest seas for several months last week had anglers waiting for them to die down and get at the cod that move inshore to clean up on all the food washed out. Prospects were good as some nice cod were taken in the previous week of summer weather and calm conditions. While the spring run of cod has not been evident for several years, some anglers have reported cod to 7lb from various shore and pier marks. Best fish reported was a 20lb cod taken by an angler who wishes to remain anonymous and who also took four other cod to 5lb. Barry Scott had cod of 4lb 15oz and 4lb 10oz from St. Marys Island, and Les Straughan had one of 7lb from South Shields pier. As the seas dropped off shore sport was very poor with just a single cod of 7lb taken on Friday night reported from the Hartlepool piers.Coalfish and flounders have all arrived inshore in big numbers this year with most of the marks north of Seaham to the Tyne producing some big mixed bags. Peter Stewart won a recent Tynemouth match with 11 coalfish, the best 1lb 15oz and a whiting for a total of 12lb 11oz, followed by Chris Potts whose 12 coalfish and 1 flounder weighed in at 12½lb.The well known flounder marks on the Cumbrian coast are starting to produce some big bags of quality flounders already this year. Seaton Sluice had a catch and release match at Port Carlisle which was won by Chris Guthrie with 17 fish weighing 20lb 1oz, Simon Todd had 18 for 18lb 6oz, Gary Appleton had 19 weighing 14lb 9oz. Jimmy Dunn had the best fish, a 43cm monster weighing 2¾lb, and all 16 anglers caught good numbers of fish.Prior to the heavy seas boat angling had started to pick up very early this year with lots of anglers reporting unusually large numbers of pollack showing from the inshore ground marks. Eyemouth and St. Abbs does not usually start to produce fish until mid May but has already produced cod and pollack. Steve James on Charlotte landed four Pollack to 6lb just off Eyemouth. Gordon Grear on Lady Seaton had 10 cod to 8lb just off from St. Marys Island, all taken on ragworm and mussel baits. The Sarah JFK out of the Tyne has averaged around 30 bigger fish per trip recently with the cod averaging 5lb to 7lb, and early ling to 8lb. Best ling was one of 12lb taken by Brian Warren, best cod was 10lb taken by Barry Shields. Albert Grey on the Shady out of the Tyne took five cod and two ling from an inshore mark. The private boat Phantom 1 out of Hartlepool has had cod to 7lb and pollack to 4lbHartlepool W.C.S.A.C. has finished their winter season now. Club champion is Paul Blair with a total of 82lb, Paul Hornsey was runner up with 70lb 9oz, and Mal McGeorge had 36lb 9oz. Alan Howe took the trophy for the heaviest fish with a cod of 3lb 1oz. Boat catches and results, North East England, North West England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-04-11T16:38:41+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-04-04-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-04-04-2012#When:15:18:55Z With angling from the open shoreline now generally quiet in the mostly settled conditions, and with the hordes of whiting now starting to become less evident particularly in daylight hours, the local rivers are the destination for most clubs starting their summer matches. Both the Wear and Tyne have good numbers of coalfish showing this year, flounders are present in large numbers both from the open beaches and rivers for the second year in a row, and with the chance of a decent spring run cod up to 7lb moving into the rivers some of the river are quite crowded on a weekend. The piers at Hartlepool, Roker and South Shields have all produced whiting on night time tides, but there are a lot of very small dabs being reported lately that will eagerly take any worm or mackerel baits. Those with fresh or frozen crab have done quite well in the rivers for double figure mixed bags with coalfish the main species.A Hartlepool Pirates heaviest fish match saw whiting dominate as expected but in much reduced numbers. Adam Dendrickson had seven totalling 4¾lb, including the heaviest fish at 1lb 1oz, Bill Bradley had 10 weighing 6lb 13oz for the heaviest bag, Steve Shields had six for 3lb 15oz and Steve Swales had five for a total of 3lb 15oz.A Tynemouth Sunday league match saw Peter Stewart win with 11 coalfish, the best weighing 1lb 15oz, and a single whiting for a total weight of 12lb 11oz taken from the Ice House in the Tyne. Chris Potts had 12 coalfish and a flounder from Middens Rocks totalling 12½lb, and Kenny Patterson had 12 coalies weighing 10¾lb, also from the Ice House.Seaton Sluice had a good result for their last match with winner Chris Guthrie landing 17 fish for a total of 20lb 1oz, Simon Todd had 18 weighing 18lb 6oz, and Gary Appleton had 19 for 14lb 9oz. Jimmy Dunn had a specimen flounder of 43cm which weighed in at 2¾lb.By comparison the South Shields monthly match only saw a single fish weighed in when Steve Gordon landed a dab of five ounces. North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-04-04T15:18:55+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-north-shore-road-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-north-shore-road-2012#When:11:24:49Z It was déjà vu in the latest Skegness Pier Angling Club (SPAC) match held at North Shore Road, with only five fish caught in total for the second match on the trot. After a week of un-seasonably warm weather, competitors were met with a biting northeasterly wind and rough seas, which adversely affected catches. Croxton’s Dave Burr needed just a single 1lb 1oz flounder to run out easy winner and also to take the heaviest flatfish prize. Wrangle’s Alan Steadman was the only angler to catch two fish, taking second place with a dab and a whiting for a measly 8oz. He also won the heaviest round fish prize with the 4½oz whiting. Skegness local Barry Roper came in third with a 5oz flounder and fourth place went to a tiny 2½oz whiting, caught by Corby’s Paul Marshall.Hopefully catches will improve for the next SPAC match, which will be held on Saturday 21st Apr from 4:30 till 8:30pm at Jacksons Corner, with Club members fishing for the Derby Miners Cup. There is also an open section, which non-members are welcome to participate in. For further information please contact SPAC Secretary Chas Tibble on 07984 967988 or chastibble@hotmail.com East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-04-01T11:24:49+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/uk-hooks-shore-rigs http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/uk-hooks-shore-rigs#When:17:00:44Z With 12 core rig designs and a build-to-order option the expansive UK Hooks Shore Rig range offers just about everything beach, rock and pier anglers could want. The full range is explored in detail here.UK Hooks have all bases covered with their professional range of shore rigs. Big fish, match and pleasure fishing situations are addressed across an impressive series of different rigs that are well constructed and well packaged. Components are top quality, while the rig forms are sound and about as universally appropriate to UK shore fishing as it is possible to be. These rigs are clearly designed by people who go fishing and not blind copies of what is already widely available through the shops and online.It is also key to point out that these rigs are made in the UK and not mass produced abroad. UKH emphasise quality control, and a good standard of knotting and crimping is evident throughout their range of rig products. Are the the UKH rigs better constructed than the likes of those by Greys and Any Fish Anywhere? That's for you to decide for yourself. In terms of comparable component quality however, there is no such reviewer coyness and UKH wins hands down. Top five rig picks among the Planet Sea Fishing shore guys were voted as the Pulley Pennel, Drop-Down Pennel, 3 Hook Distance, 3 Hook Flapper and 3 Hook Loop rigs. Match 1: 3 HOOK DISTANCE RIG (versions 1-RW, 1-SS Circles and 1-G)A standard three-hook clipped down rig with cascade swivels and size 2 Vanadium Red Worm hooks. An indiscriminate long range rig which will account for a wide variety of fish, but great for dabs and whiting. Available with a variety of different hooks, including stainless Circle Streamer hooks or light wire gold Aberdeens. See UKH website for full listing.Features 80lb trace body and 25lb Amnesia snood. Size 2 Vanadium Red Worm hooks, oval split ring, nickel rolling swivels, stand off tubing, Breakaway cascade swivels, 3mm luminous beads, rubber bait stops, sequins and Imp. There is also a circle hook version of the rig.Match 2: 3 HOOK FLAPPER RIG (versions 2-G and 2-RW)A no frills, bread-and-butter, general-purpose shore rig for all flatfish and modest round fish species. Intended for close in work over clean to broken ground, the 3-hook flapper in its various forms is a favourite for pleasure anglers and match fishermen alike. This version is a two above/one below affair, sporting a longer bottom snood of 45cm, with a pair of 22cm snoods above.Features 60lb body and 25lb snoods with size 2 fine wire gold Aberdeen hooks.Match 3: ROCKING WISHBONE RIGLong-snooded 2-hook rocking wishbone (also widely referred to as a ‘See-saw’ wishbone rig) designed for fishing worm baits at distance. Strong size 2 Vanadium Red Worm hooks are used. A particularly effective rig for plaice, codling and the matchman’s favourite dogfish. The overall snood length is a generous 81cm.Features 80lb rig body and 40lb (0.40mm) snoods. Size 2 Vanadium Red Worm hooks, oval split ring, nickel rolling swivels, stand off tubing, 3mm luminous beads, sequin bait stops and Imp.Match 4: CLIPDOWN PENNEL RIGA fit-for-purpose clipped down pennel rig for rays, cod and bass at distance. 76cm/30in snood carries superb VMC Black Aberdeens that rank as one of the most appropriate hooks for ray and across venues where incidental bull huss, conger and cod are likely.Features 80lb trace body and 30lb Amnesia snood. 2/0 and 3/0 VMC Black Aberdeen hooks, 3mm luminous beads, SRT spring, nickel rolling swivel, stand off tubing, Breakaway Imp and oval split ring.Match 5: PULLEY PENNEL RIG (version 5 and 5-GP)Clipped down pulley pennel build with VMC Black Aberdeen hooks in sizes 2/0 and 3/0. An excellent choice for distance work using substantial baits. Capably covers cod, rays and bass, and will cope with stray conger and bull huss too. A serious rig for anglers intentionally chasing serious fish.Features 80lb trace body and 30lb Amnesia snood. 2/0 and 3/0 VMC Black Aberdeen hooks, nickel rolling swivel and Breakaway Impact Shield. Now with a 120lb pulley bead in place of the previous free-riding rolling swivel, which is less inclined to damage the line.Match 6: FLATTIE UP AND OVER PENNEL RIGAn ‘up & over’ (also known as ‘long & low’) rig with generous 175cm hooklength for targeting plaice and dabs at range. Effective and relatively uncomplicated build. Fitted with bigger hooks and sturdier snood material, this is also an excellent distance rig for various rays. It could also be argued that the ‘up & over’ or ‘long & low’ rig has been superseded by the ‘drop-down’ rig, which eradicates the snood kink-age issue caused by the top clip but this particular rig design remains very popular.Features 80lb trace body and 25lb Amnesia snood. Size 2 Vanadium Red Worm hooks, nickel rolling swivels, stand off tubing, SRT Spring, 3mm luminous beads, 5mm coloured attractor beads, sequin bait stop and Breakaway Imp.Match 7: BOMBER RIG (versions 7-G and 7-RW)A very popular match rig pattern that is compact for ease of casting. The top snood is a pennel arrangement, allowing a longer bait to be used. This bomber rig is easy to work with, and great for whiting, dogfish, dabs and general bits and pieces fishing at range. There is an alternative version with size 2 Vanadium Red Worm hooks also available.Features 80lb trace body and low diameter 40lb snood. Size 2 light wire gold Aberdeen hooks, stand off tubing, oval split ring, Breakaway Impact Shield, 3mm beads and sequin bait stops.Match 8: DROP-DOWN PENNEL RIG (versions 8, 8-RD and 8-SS)This excellent rig has been popularised in sea fishing magazines over the last 36 months, but has, in fact, done the quiet rounds in certain circles for a great many years. This version offers pennel 2/0 and 3/0 Red Devil hooks on a 72cm/28.5in snood. The basic principle is that the long snood clips down to the Imp for casting, but triggers to drop down and sit below the lead on hitting the water. The snood is detachable and can be swapped to a single hook, wishbone or whatever else takes your fancy. A great choice for fishing over clean and moderately broken ground for rays in particular. UK Hooks also produce a further ‘Everlasting’ version of this rig featuring stainless Mustad O’Shaughnessy hooks and stainless steel crane swivels, and third option carrying VMC Black Aberdeens.Features 80lb trace body and 40lb (0.40mm) snood. 2/0 & 3/0 Red Devil Aberdeen hooks, nickel rolling swivels, bent rig clip and Breakaway Imp.Match 9: 1 UP/1DOWN LOOP PENNEL RIGA bet-hedging rig if ever there was one. Size 2 hook is used on top for worm baits, while a pennel bottom snood is intended to typically offer sandeel, crab, mackerel or bluey baits for the prospect of bigger fish like bass, cod and stray rays.Features 80lb rig body and 40lb (0.40mm) snoods. Size 2 Vanadium Red Worm hook on top snood, with 1/0 and 2/0 VMC Black Aberdeens in pennel formation at the bottom. With Cascade swivel, Imp, stand off tubing, sequin bait stops, 3mm luminous beads and crimps.Match 10: 3 HOOK LOOP RIGA compact 2 up /1 down ‘loop’ or ‘Portsmouth’ rig that casts well and covers myriad fishing situations and species. Upper snoods measure 26cm, while the long bottom-trailing snood is 68cm. The distance between the cascade on the bottom snood and the hook is 16cm. A full-blown match-bagging rig for use with worm baits.Features 80lb rig body and 40lb (0.40mm) snoods. With size 2 Vanadium Red Worm hooks, Breakaway Imp, cascade swivels, stand off tubing, sequin bait stops, 3mm luminous beads and crimps.Match 11: BASS RIGA short-range traditional running ledger bass rig for rock, kelp and sand fishing. A clean rig armed with strong and extremely sharp pennel hooks. Ideal for presenting king ragworm, large crab baits or squid into mixed ground or between rocks.Features 50lb body and snood lines. 3/0 & 5/0 VMC Red Devil hooks, nickel rolling swivels and snap.Match 12: CONGER PENNEL PULLEY RIGStrength is not compromised at any point in the build. 76cm/30ins of tough 100lb snood handles the abrasive rasping of many bigger fish and rough ground, while the meaty VMC hooks are super sharp and a match for just about any fish likely from the UK shore. Would like to see a rotten bottom facility incorporated into the rig given the types of terrain where congers are most regularly encountered.Features 70lb rig body and 100lb clear snood. Fitted with 6/0 VMC Black Aberdeen hooks, clear Impact Shield, 120lb nickel rolling swivel, 120lb 8mm Pulley bead and lead link.ORDERINGAll rigs are exclusively built by UK Hooks and feature top quality components. Rigs can be made to order in 10-packs using any of the hooks carried on the UK Hooks website - call for custom orders. All rigs are the same price and bulk orders can be mixed-and-matched. A sampler pack containing rigs 1 – 12 is also available. Click here for more details. Ordering is direct from UK HOOKS. Rigs and traces, Lead Feature, UK Hooks 2012-03-28T17:00:44+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/my-way-april-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/my-way-april-2012#When:18:51:48Z During the last couple weeks of March, along with the rest of the country, Anglesey basked in some wonderful weather. The glorious sunshine with little or no wind meant a few days afloat with mixed fortunes for our anglers. This early in our season the fishing can be a little bit hit and miss when targeting specific species. However, setting out with a wide selection of rigs and baits can help anglers to a healthy, spring mixed bag.Setting sail on calm days in March or April is superb and when the anchor is dropped only the sound of fish being caught and banter on deck breaks what can be an eerie silence. Summer time, we often have the roar of jet skis, water skiers and other boats disturbing the silence as the day passes, more so at weekends. At this time of year, similar to mid-week trips, it’s strange to have only the engine of My Way breaking the silence for residents of the marina.During one memorable trip, with the majority of the 10 rods aboard being novice anglers, we concentrated our fishing inshore around Holyhead Bay. The task ahead of us was to catch any fish that were there and hopefully a good variety of species. The medium tide ensured that we didn’t have to go too heavy on our leads and were able to use a selection of different scratching rigs to tempt a variety of species.With the ever present dogfish coming to the boat interspersed with some small whiting it was good to see Jodie, one of our female anglers, break rank and show the lads how to catch a thornback ray when she landed her first of this species. At the bow of the boat her sister Freya was happily catching double shots of fish, much to the annoyance once more of the guys, and her catch included our first sea scorpion of the year.Further excitement was evident on deck when a few plump coalfish came aboard; several of the anglers then stopped everything for sushi. One of the lads had brought along a top quality sushi making kit, rice vegetables and dips and we simply had to provide the fish. I then watched on as in a very professional manner despite rocking boat our chef expertly prepared the raw fish meal. The end product did surprise me as it looked identical to what you see in magazines or online food websites and the food was enjoyed by most of the guests.This year’s Home International Boat Championship is to be hosted by the Welsh Federation of Sea Anglers. The event brings together some of the best anglers from the four homes nations, England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, in what should be a hard fought battle, where pride and bragging rights go rightfully alongside the gold medals.Running from Holyhead, the 2012 event will be fished aboard local charter boats My Way, Spindrift and Empress with Boy Evin as reserve vessel. The anglers will fish both at anchor and on the drift for a variety of species through the catch & release event. Points are then awarded relative to the ease of capture for any of the qualifying species. It was during an official practice day for the Welsh National Boat Angling Team that we had our first couple blondes’ rays in 2012.The practice was to be used to become accustomed to the tidal strength and differing sea bed, but the unexpected happened when John Traynor lifted his telescopic rod to strike and was soon playing a respectable blonde ray of 13lb.Our first trip out to deeper waters situated west of Anglesey saw a group of My Way regulars from Wrexham rewarded with a good number of quality spurdog. All that is except organiser Mike and crewman Harry who both took a barrage of abuse from anglers into their 2nd spurdog before our intrepid duo had even hooked into a dogfish.Many spurs and bull huss made up the bulk of the catch from the deeps, with dogfish adding to the overall numbers of fish landed. With the spurdog weighing an average of 12lb, it was another great start to the season for our offshore exploits. As time goes by rewards for those willing to fish the deep water with heavy leads should also include huss in excess of 15lb and some hard fighting tope. Boat catches and results, Lead Item, North Wales 2012-03-27T18:51:48+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-27-03-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-27-03-2012#When:16:32:37Z There are still plenty of whiting around the Hartlepool piers and Durham beaches, but with settled conditions the night tides have been the most productive. During the day small whiting, dabs, flounders, the odd early plaice and small bass have been reported. The rivers Tyne and Wear have some specimen flounders showing from the upper marks and there are lots of coalies in the lower estuary marks with the odd cod to 5lb taken from both rivers during the last few days. Roker pier has been quiet with just the odd sizeable coalfish and whiting taken on night time tides although lots of small undersize codling have also been evident. South Shields pier is a little better with cod to 7lb taken recently amongst coalfish, flounders, dabs, whiting, and as with other areas, the odd early plaice.With sea temperatures allegedly on the increase some species that were unheard of several years ago are now becoming more common. Pollack in particular are on the increase, and thornback rays are also being reported, although there were plenty of these around in the 1950’s and earlier. Arthur Smeaton and Ken Robinson fishing in Arthurs boat “Lazy Days” just off from St. Mary’s Island landed a few cod to 7lb fishing at anchor before having a few drifts over a local wreck when Arthur landed a monster pollack of 13¼lb. There are rumours that mackerel were taken from both Seaham pier and from the back of Coquet Island off Amble at the weekend, if true this is the earliest that they have ever been recorded. Another unusual catch was a haddock of 1½lb taken by Ralph Stevenson from the White Wall in the river Wear.David Maughan landed a cod of 7½lb from South Shields pier last week, and Duncan Smith had a surprise cod of 5lb 3oz at Panns Bank in the Wear. The upper Tyne has produced some big flounders where junior angler Lenny Davies had one of 45cm, and Ryan Woodhouse had one of 43cm, both well over the 2lb mark. Gordon Grear fished Blyth beach for a night session and landed four specimen flounders plus a nice turbot of 39cm, all taken on mackerel strip. Turbot also seem to be increasing in numbers over recent years and if more anglers used fresh mackerel and sandeel baits some bigger specimens might be taken.Hartlepool Pirates found plenty of undersize whiting and dabs showing for their last heaviest fish match. Steve Swales managed to find 17 fish totalling 14lb 15oz, including the heaviest whiting 1lb 7oz, Bill Bradley had 15 weighing 10lb 6oz, S. Shields had 10 for 8lb 1oz, and P. Shields had eight weighing 5lb 13oz.The Ryhope Tuesday evening heaviest fish sweepstake saw Lee Burton win with a flounder of 0.50kg, Ritchie Carr had one of 0.485kg, and Chris Hossack had one for 0.480kg. The Ryhope Sunday club match saw better results for the 58 fishing when Lee Burton had four coalies totalling 1.86kg from the Tyne, Paul Hossack had four coalfish and one flounder for 1.84kg from the Wear, Frankie Terry had four coalfish weighing a total of 1.64kg. Mason Burton had the best fish, a cod of 1.05kg from the Tyne, and top junior was Keiron Jenkins with 0.38kg.  Boat catches and results, North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-03-27T16:32:37+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/giant-jura-skate http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/giant-jura-skate#When:18:50:59Z Given the recent skate catch form the shore and the phenomenal catches from the boats in Shetland Scotland must be the place to be for big fish at this time of year.With the recent prolonged spell of good weather Gordon Goldie headed to Crinan at the weekend where he joined up with Stuart Cresswell and Willie Kennedy aboard their boat the Reel Deal. The plush vessel is a Rodman 1040 fitted with twin 260hp Volvo Pentas so it wasn’t long before the anchor was dropped in the Sound of Jura and the skate baits were heading to the seabed.A hectic session ensued when Willie boated a fish of 168lb as Stuart was bringing a fish just one lighter to the stern door. Shortly after it was Gordon's turn when a monster fish of 214lb grabbed his bait. Willie and Stuart added fish of 168lb and 157lb respectively during the terrific sun blessed outing.Smaller baits picked up thornbacks to 10lb and a rare black mouthed dogfish. Boat catches and results, Lead Item, Scotland 2012-03-26T18:50:59+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-chapel-six-marsh http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-chapel-six-marsh#When:16:07:03Z Fish were again hard to come by in the latest Skegness Pier Angling Club (S.P.A.C.) match, held in what looked to be perfect conditions at Chapel Six Marsh. Only five fish were caught in total, with Kettering’s Jim Robinson coming out on top, catching two whiting weighing 15¼oz. He also won the heaviest round fish prize with his best fish, which tipped the scales at 12oz. Top Grimsby angler Karl Nangle came in second and also won the heaviest flatfish prize by default, with a single 6oz whiting. Croxton’s Dave Burr continued his excellent run of form by framing again in third place, again with one small whiting weighing just 5oz.Hopefully catches will improve for the next SPAC match, which will be held on Saturday 31st Mar from 10am till 2pm at North Shore Road, with Club members fishing for the Stan Marvin Cup. There is also an open section, which non-members are welcome to participate in. For further information please contact S.P.A.C. Secretary Chas Tibble on 07984 967988 or chastibble@hotmail.com East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-03-26T16:07:03+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/massive-wrasse-caught-on-lure http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/massive-wrasse-caught-on-lure#When:19:34:26Z Les Hannington from Burghfield Nr. Reading today landed a massive 8lb 13oz ballan wrasse while fishing on Tiger Lily, skippered by Chris Caines, out of Weymouth. The massive wrasse capture was all the more remarkable as it fell for a six inch Savage Gear Sandeel lure intended for pollack.The fish is the biggest ballan wrasse ever boated on Tiger Lily and rocks the British boat caught record which has stood at 9lb 7oz since 1999. Boat catches and results, Lead Item, South England 2012-03-23T19:34:26+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-23-03-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-23-03-2012#When:17:11:01Z There are still plenty of quality whiting showing in the South of the region, and if you are not fed up of catching them by now. Middleton pier continues to produce some nice specimens to 2lb on worm, mackerel, and squid baits. The Pilot pier has also produced whiting but tends to fish better with a little bit of sea running. The Durham beaches have seen the odd cod showing to those anglers who can cast the distance to reach them, mainly on night time tides. Whiting are also present on these beaches, as are lots of small flounders and the odd early plaice. Crab has taken the cod, and ragworm baits are the more productive for the flatties.The local rivers are seeing the flounders moving in to feed with some nice early specimens up to 2lb or more reported among lots of smaller ones, the upper river marks are producing the bigger specimens. Whiting are, not surprisingly, also present in the rivers with the lower river marks producing the better numbers. Coalfish have also moved into the rivers in recent weeks with some club matches now being won with more coalfish than whiting. Most coalies are around the 30cm size limit but some bigger ones to 2lb have been reported. Fresh crab and mussel baits have taken the better fish and have also produced any quality cod, particularly from the Tyne.Hartlepool W.M.C.S.A.C. had two recent matches. The first saw Paul Hornsey win with a 14lb bag of whiting, followed by Paul Blair with a similar bag of 11lb 10oz. The next match saw Mal McGeorge win with a mixed bag of flounders and dabs totalling 4lb 5oz, Paul Hornsey had 2lb 1oz, Paul Blair 1lb 11oz, and Andy Boagey 11oz.The Ryhope Tuesday evening heaviest fish sweepstake saw Darren Donelly take the best fish out of the 22 fishing, a whiting of 0.60kg from Roker pier, just ahead of Bob Surtees whose coalie weighed 0.59kg, and Lee Burton with a coalfish of 0.58kg both taken from the lower Wear. Large numbers of coalfish were reported in the Wear during the match.A Tynemouth Sunday league match also saw some sizeable coalfish landed amongst the smaller specimens with 15 out of 35 weighing in. Dave Sloan had five weighing 5lb 5oz, Mick Styles had three coalfish, the best weighing 2lb 3oz, plus a dab for a total of 5lb 2oz, and Brad Hill had six coalies totalling 4lb 14oz. North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-03-23T17:11:01+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/sea-fishing-in-wicklow http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/sea-fishing-in-wicklow#When:10:26:21Z We join Irish angler Ashley Haden as he outlines some of the excellent shore and boat fishing opportunities offered in the east coast county of Wicklow.Adjacent to Dublin city, Co. Wicklow circa 2012 still has much going for it as a sea angling destination. I say 'still' because unfortunately the inshore waters which lap the Garden County have also not escaped the 21st century ravages of commercial overfishing and bad fisheries management. On the plus side however there are a number of commercially un-targeted species, thankfully quite sporting, which swim within casting range of the shore, frequent offshore banks, or are at home within estuary confines, ready and willing to take a carefully presented bait, lure, or fly.The coastline of Wicklow stretches from the town of Bray in the north of the county to a point just south of the town of Arklow. Coastal features comprise steep to shingle banks and shallow sandy beaches, interspersed with an odd headland, with Bray, Wicklow and Mizen being the main ones. Species to expect are bass, smooth hound, tope, bull huss, spurdog, ray, dogfish, mullet, mackerel, pollack, wrasse, flounder, dab, and sea trout.View Larger MapOffshore grounds are shallow, averaging five fathoms (30 feet), and are swept by strong lateral tides. High and low tide Wicklow are forty minutes ahead of Dublin port. The seabed is mainly clean and was home to large mussel banks, which are now sadly diminished due to dredging. The Moulditch ridge off Greystones is the only area of truly rough ground. Small boat anglers should take into account the strong tides and relatively shallow ground when planning a trip, as a wind against tide situation can create quite a lumpy sea.Clubs or individuals wishing to avail themselves of a charter boat are catered for by LISIN 1, a 35’ offshore 105 skippered by Kit Dunne and based at Wicklow harbour. Licenced for 12 anglers LISIN 1 is a clean, well maintained boat owned and run by an Irish international boat angler familiar with the marks off Wicklow head.There are tackle shops in Bray, Greystones, Wicklow, and Arklow who stock a ready supply of fresh lugworm, ragworm, and crab, with frozen mackerel, sandeel, squid, crab, and mussel also available. For those who wish to dig their own bait, lugworm are plentiful on Merrion and Sandymount strands in south Dublin, about forty five minutes north of Wicklow town.Main Sea Angling Marks (working north – south)GreystonesThis is the traditional sea angling venue in county Wicklow, both from boat and shore. Small boats can be launched from the local slipway to fish the grounds off Bray Head and the Moulditch ridge to the south. Smooth hound, tope, bull huss, dogfish, gurnard, dab, and mackerel are the main species to expect. Mussel, lugworm, crab, and fresh mackerel are the baits favoured by local boat anglers, and anchoring is far more productive than drifting. Off the beaches south of the town bass and mackerel are the main quarry, along with dogfish, small pollack, small coalfish, and small flatfish. Small whiting appear in the autumn and winter. Crab, lugworm, and rag tipped with mackerel are useful bait suggestions for the shore angler.For those prepared to be adventurous tope swim close to shore on occasions, particularly in the autumn and early winter, with specimens to well over 40.lbs landed. Try the north end of Ballygannon close to the first river. Sea trout are also a possibility, especially early in the year (February – April) to anglers fishing a lure.Kilcoole, Newcastle, Five Mile Point and KilloughterThese are access points for an eleven mile stretch of continuous shingle bank between Greystones and Wicklow town. Over fishing and mussel dredging offshore has affected the quality of angling on offer, but these venues still can produce sport with bass, mackerel, small flatfish, small coalfish, small whiting, dogfish, smoothound, and latterly shore caught tope (October – November) the species to expect. Use crab and rag tipped with mackerel in the summer, while lugworm and mussel baits work best during the colder months. Another useful tip is that these venues fish best on a falling tide.Wicklow townSurf casting off the Murrough produces similar fishing to that described above, with rockling, small coalfish, flatfish, and whiting available off the harbour walls. Mullet to specimen weight and flounder are targeted by specialist anglers who fish the Vartry Estuary.Brittas BayA shallow sandy surf beach more associated with holiday makers, but in the autumn it comes into its own as a bass venue. A blow from the south or south east attracts in the bass and specimens up to ten pounds have been recorded, with the average size being three - four pounds. The southern corner in particular is worth trying, with evening and night tides best.EnnereillyThis is an area south of Brittas Bay. There are two beaches here separated by the Ennereilly River which is noted for its run of sea trout. Ennereilly strand north is a long shingle beach with relatively deep water off shore. Smoothound, dogfish, and the occasional ray are targeted during the summer months, with flounder, small whiting, and dab making an appearance in winter. Ennereilly strand south is a sandy, shallow beach which fishes best in a southerly breeze. It is a good bass venue from April through to October with lugworm being the best bait. Aim for evening and night tides with the hour either side of low and high water being the feeding times. Other species to expect are smoothound, flounder, and dogfish, with dabs and occasional codling in winter.Arklow North and South BeachesWorm and fish baits will take smoothound, dogfish, dabs, flounder, and small whiting. Baits fished close in will catch bass in the three pound bracket, with an odd bigger fish always on the cards.Clogga StrandSituated south of Arklow this is the last of the Wicklow shore venues. A shallow sandy beach accessed from a car park, keep to the left for deeper water. Expect bass, flounder, smooth hound and dogfish, with the low rock platforms to the right delivering bass to both bait and lures.Lure FishingLure fishing using spinners, plugs, surface poppers, soft plastic/lead head jigs, and flies is becoming increasingly popular. For consistent success specialised stiff, tip action rods, and reels loaded with non stretch braid are essential to make the lure work properly. Depending on the venue bass, mackerel and pollack are the target species, along with an occasional sea trout. Seek out headlands, rocky areas, harbour walls, and tide races for some cracking sport. Water clarity needs to be good, and early morning or late evening, in calm settled weather fishes best.Fishing Tackle for WicklowIf surf casting two kits will suffice, a heavy beachcaster for use over rough ground or in turbulent seas and a light match fishing or bass pole, both married to a suitable multiplier and fixed spool reel. Use 17lb breaking strain main line fronted by a 60lb shock leader. For mullet fishing a coarse float fishing rod matched to a 2500 size fixed spool reel loaded with 6lb breaking strain mono is ideal, and for general spinning you can’t go wrong with a 10’ pike rod designed to cast up to 80 grams coupled with a 4000 size fixed spool loaded with 12lb mono. If boat fishing a 20lb class set up for down tide and an up tide kit will cover nearly all eventualities.Terminal tackle should include for general sea fishing a range of hooks from size 1 fine wires up to 8/0, most general shore and boat situations will be covered by a Kamasan B940 in 1/0 or 2/0. Use a 7/0 or 8/0 for tope fishing and a size 10 for estuary mullet. Carry a selection of 4 – 6 ounce weights both plain and gripper, split shot and half ounce drilled bullets, arlesey bombs up to two ounces, and 30 – 60 gram barrel leads. To the above add feathers, sabikis, shads, spinners, jelly worms, lures, swivels, wire tope traces, various grades of nylon and amnesia line, beads, trace making crimps, selection of floats, scissors, knives, pliers, super glue, head lamp, rod stand, a landing net, and you are more or less ready for anything.Access, Accommodation and ActivitiesAs a tourist destination access to Co. Wicklow couldn’t be quicker or easier with the main car ferry ports of Dublin and Dunlaoghaire 45 minutes to the north and Rosslare one hour south. Of course there is Dublin airport, regular trains run along the coast between Dublin and Wexford linking on to Belfast, and there is a good commuter bus service.Quality hotels, bed and breakfasts, guest houses, country homes, and caravan / camping parks are dotted all over the county many of which are angler friendly. For the traveling sea angler booking accommodation the towns of Arklow, Wicklow, or Greystones would probably be the best bet.Extra curricular activities besides the obvious pubs which are many and varied could include visiting Glendalough, Avondale House, or the Vale of Avoca, a drive up into the Wicklow Mountains, golf, kayaking, mountain biking, or hill walking. Top class restaurants and eateries abound with Greystones arguably having the greatest concentration.If the above account has whetted your appetite to visit and cast a line off a likely mark along the Wicklow coastline, then why not drop me an email at anirishanglersworld@gmail.com for more information. Shore, Boat Fishing, Ireland, Lead Feature 2012-03-17T10:26:21+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/my-way-march-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/my-way-march-2012#When:21:52:12Z During the second week in March we had some pretty mixed weather fortunes in Holyhead; both sunshine and rain in equal amounts and the winds not quite knowing what they should be doing. So it was great on Friday evening to finally check the weather and be in a position to say yes to the voices on the end of the phone.Once again, the more settled weather early season had fallen on spring tides, big springs as well, with both days just under 33ft in height. Not a terrible thing, but owing to the big tidal strengths around our area of operation it restricts our movements to inshore work, a good day of mixed species for early March was though still on the cards.The weekend aboard My Way was filled by two local groups of anglers, keen to make the most of the settled spell. However fishing in the bay on a big tide at this time of year can be hard work at times. Saturday I had decided to try a small patch of rough ground that I’d not fished before for the first hour and see what happened. It wasn’t long before dropping anchor that the dogfish moved in on our baits, with single and double shots coming over the sides. Not too bad a start, at least fish were presentWe also had the odd small codling and pouting before Caernarfon angler Clive grabbed hold of his fishing rod as it received a few thumping bites. Using only general scratch rigs with small hooks it was now a battle of wills between Clive and whatever had taken his bait. Slackening off the drag to take care of any unforeseen dive from the fish and also slowly lifting the rod up to retrieve on the downward motion Clive skilfully brought the fish to the surface of the sea.While the battle continued we discussed what Clive had hooked, bull huss or thornback were the main suspects, at which point it also needed to be clarified what the £5 a head pool money was for – largest fish, most fish, most species or … sexiest fish! The largest fish was the decision of the on board crew. When the surface was finally broken, Clive had played a cracking small conger of 16lb. Great catch for inshore and a superb testimony to his angling skills and My Way rigs!We had a move later on in the day to a patch of more broken ground and were rewarded with fish and a few additional species. Dogfish made up the bulk of the catches along with a good number of huss, the odd codling, whiting and poor cod. The day though was enhanced considerably with a couple of dozen coalfish. Not monsters at a few pounds in weight, but tasty fish that went home with the lads. Back at the new mark to finish the last hour of the day and among the smaller fish we also managed to haul out a couple thornback rays, a nice end to an enjoyable day.Sunday we once again started the day on our new mark; with a bit more tide I hoped we’d maybe see more eels or rays. Thankfully we were rewarded early on with six thornbacks hitting the deck of My Way, although small at between 3 and 6lb they were still first rays for the majority of captors. Sadly the largest thornback threw the hook just as it broke surface, it looked double figures as it swam away.Leaving this mark, we tried a favourite spot on the mussel beds over HW slack; however this proved a bad move, with only a few dogs coming to the boat over the next hour. Normally a very productive area, early spring can be a little hit and miss when fishing the more tidal areas.The rest of the day was similar to that of Saturday, with bull huss, coalfish, Whiting and small codling joining the fun along with a few other species. A nice mixed bag of species and a good session for an early March weekend.Details of booking availabilty on the website. Boat catches and results, Lead Item, North Wales 2012-03-16T21:52:12+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-15-03-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-15-03-2012#When:15:34:44Z Cod have been few and far between lately with the low water marks and the rivers offering the best chance to pick up any sizeable specimens. Whiting are still showing in decent numbers in the south of the region with all of the Hartlepool piers consistently producing double figure bags of whiting, dabs and flounders. Flounders are starting to increase in numbers and the odd early plaice have made an appearance. Club matches can still be won with double figure bags when the whiting are present but at other times bags around 5lb to 6lb are often enough for success.Gary Pye won an Easington Welfare match with 13 fish weighing 15lb, the best a cod of 4.9lb. Dean Furness won a Seaham match with eight whiting totalling 5.76lb from the North pier. Danny Swan won a Seaham A.C. Lawson Cup match with 17 fish for 14.83lb including a cod of 2.77lb. Paul Westmoreland was second with 11 for 6.59lb, and together they both won the team event.Good sized flounders are now starting to show in the local rivers; Lenny Davies took a monster of 3lb from the Tyne during a recent session.The Ryhope Tuesday evening sweepstake saw 19 fishing. Ritchie Carr won with a cod of 2.65kg taken from Marsden, Lee Burton had a cod of 0.62kg from the Manholes, and Terry Mann had a whiting of 0.56kg from Roker. The Ryhope Sunday match saw 71anglers fishing with the majority of the fish being taken from the rivers. Chris Hossack used fresh crab bait to win with seven coalfish weighing 3.42kg from the Tyne, Paul Hossack fished the Wear to land five coalfish and a flounder totalling 2.38kg, Bob Surtees was third with four coalies for 1.68kg. Peter Wilkinson had the best flatfish of 0.65kg, best roundfish was a coalfish of 0.72kg taken by Tommy Tate, and top junior was Daniel Tate with 0.47kg.Alberta A.C. had the first of their summer league matches in the Tyne where sport was a bit slow. Ian Hodgkinson won with six fish weighing a total of 6lb 7oz ahead of Peter Graves with seven for 5¾lb, and Andrew Hodgkinson had four weighing 3lb 9oz.Dave Scrimageur won a Tynemouth match with five coalfish, three whiting, and a flounder for 6lb 3oz while runner-up Bob Gascoigne had five coalfish weighing 5¼lb. Third placed Wilf Reed had four coalies, three whiting and a dab totalling 5lb 3oz. Thirteen out of 26 weighed in.S.B.R.A.A.C. fished in what should have been productive conditions with a nice swell running but only whiting and flounders were weighed in, mainly from Blyth beach. Michael Thompson only needed six whiting weighing a total of 2¾lb to win ahead of Kevin Moffat whose two flounders, one whiting and one coalies weighed 2lb 11oz. Kevin’s bag also included the heaviest fish; a flounder of 1lb 1oz.The Bridlington European two day open saw Stuart Voase win the overall aggregate with a single fish of 4.88lg, worth a nice £4000, ahead of Ben Ray with a single fish of 3.68kg, and Elliot Heather with a single fish of 3.49kg. Sunderland anglers Ken McCoy and Steve Graham won the pairs event with 13.4kg ahead of another Sunderland pair of Chris Hossack and Ritchie Carr with 3.56kg. The team of four went to Pat Would, Simon Gilbert, Andrew Proudfoot, and Elliot Heather with 13.4kg, just ahead of Ken McCoy, Neil Cutler, Gareth Gardner, and Steve Graham with 11.30kg.Boat angling is starting early this year with boats out of Hartlepool getting some decent results for the time of year. Rob Myles and Jim Glew fishing on the “Darlin” had 12 cod to 7lb, mostly taken on lures and squid baits. The Rising Sun Rodbenders A.C. had a trip out on the Famous taking 24 cod to 7lb, plenty of pouting and coalfish, a few early ling, and the inevitable whiting. The Sapphire out of Sunderland also reports good numbers of early cod and ling to 5lb. Arthur Smeaton in his own boat “Lazy Days” took 12 cod to 5lb just off from St.Mary’s Island. North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-03-16T15:34:44+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/my-way-february-2012-part-ii http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/my-way-february-2012-part-ii#When:13:28:50Z Having cancelled 3 days afloat a week earlier because of the high winds a more settled forecast for the last weekend in February was greeted with a very thankful smile. With the tides once again on the large size any thoughts of a venture out to Holyhead Deep were swiftly dismissed and inshore Holyhead was the order for the 2 days.Saturday's crew of regular My Way anglers were looking forward to the craic and laughs as well as the fishing. Pete ‘chilli’ Chant and company were all eager to get afloat, catch a few fish and have a good giggle at each other through the day. The fishing was fairly consistent for a cold February day and dogfish, small huss and small codling, similar to 2 weeks ago, were making up the bulk of the catches.Among the winter regulars. the anglers also found coalies around 2lb in weight and a few decent sized whiting.Pete though decided to go one better than everyone aboard and landed a very nice inshore ling, the ling went un-weighed but was estimated at around 4 to 5lb.Pete also showed the other guys how to lure a better bull huss than the small pups the rest appeared to be catching.The Sunday forecast was giving a little more wind, as everyone called in on the Saturday evening I relayed our exploits from that days fishing and confirmed a good day afloat was on the cards for Sunday, albeit with a little more wind.Sadly, on arriving at the marina it was clear that we had a lot more blowing and within an hour of sailing our wind speeds had increased to around 20mph with gusts nearer 25!Never the less everyone tried hard to catch, despite the conditions but in complete contrast to the previous day was proving very hard, with even the dogfish playing very hard to get.Everyone soldiered on, however only a few dogs and small codling were recorded. Towards slack water I wanted to move a few miles out and try our luck for bigger huss, but as the wind increased and the boat started to move more into the weather we decided to head for calmer waters.A few dogs and whiting graced the decks as we enjoyed a bowl of chilli and cuppa, but with strengthening winds, tangling rigs and morale now at low point, we decided to knock the day on the head a couple hours early, saving a few quid for a better day in the future. Beaten but not dejected, we rescheduled a few places for mid-March, fingers crossed the weather gods are going to settle down for us! Boat catches and results, North Wales 2012-03-13T13:28:50+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/giant-skate-obliterates-shore-record http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/giant-skate-obliterates-shore-record#When:13:00:17Z Jerry Guy, Paul Mckinnon, Sanders McPhee and Murray Farmer from the Wick area in Caithness headed up to their favourite mark at Strathy last Sunday for a session targeting common skate and smaller fish.After a string of flatfish had been landed, and, with the tide approaching low water, both rods fished by Sanders McPhee towed over into what was obivously a decent fish. Sanders picked up the heavy rod while Paul latched onto the one with the smaller end gear. After 15 minutes of hard pumping the snood on the lighter setup gave way leaving Sanders to fight the fish alone.After a titanic half hour struggle the fish was brought to the rocks and after careful selection of a landing place Jerry sunk the gaff home.The magnificent fish was measured and safely returned, and on checking the charts was given a weight of 204lb.This is the second monster that the fishing mates have landed from this mark. Lead Item, Scotland, Shore Catches and Results 2012-03-13T13:00:17+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-08-03-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-08-03-2012#When:18:21:32Z Most of the regions angling clubs will be coming to the end of their winter season now and shore sport often drops off a little until mid-April when fish become more established in the local rivers. Unless there is a good sea running when some big cod can still be expected, most anglers will be fishing the rivers for early flounders, coalfish, and perhaps the odd sizeable cod, or the clean ground beaches mainly for flounders. The exception may be those marks along the Durham beaches and into Hartlepool where big bags of whiting have made reappearance again and these might stay for several weeks yet. Bags of over 30 whiting can still be made from any of the Hartlepool piers, in addition some big dabs are showing, as well as lots of smaller flounders, and as with other areas some big cod can still be possible during a heavy sea.The last Ryhope Sunday match saw most of their fish come from the local rivers. Darren Donnelly won with three coalfish, one whiting and a flounder for 1.73kg from the Tyne. Second placed Bill Bell fished the Wear to land three coalfish and two flounders totalling 1.65kg ahead of Kevin Martin also fished the Wear to land two flounders and a coalie weighing for 1.32kg. Thomas Rutherford took the heaviest roundfish prize with a coalfish of 0.8kg, and was also the top junior with 1.27kg, while John Robson had the best flatfish; a flounder of 0.77kg.The Ryhope Tuesday evening heaviest fish sweepstake saw Craig Smiles take the top two places with whiting of 1lb 6oz and 1lb 3oz, ahead of Terry Mann with a flounder of 13oz.Cleadon A.C. fished their last winter match recently with only four out of the 29 entrants weighing in. Paul Wastell had the heaviest fish, a cod of 3lb 9oz, and a coalfish from the North Arm for a total of 4¼lb total. Mark Shotton only needed two coalies totalling 1lb 14oz taken from the Tyne for second place. Their overall club champion Steve Gordon won with 166lb 9oz followed by Mark Shotton with 139lb 4oz. Taking into account the wide and varied, and generally traditionally very productive areas that clubs between the Wear and Tyne can fish, these weights are nothing compared to those clubs in the south of the region where some individual anglers who have access to the large shoals of whiting present this year have weighed in more than this in only two matches, and where winning bags have regularly been over the 40lb mark.Boat angling is just starting to pick up a little from the offshore marks where some boats have had a few exploratory early trips to the hard ground marks and wrecks. Just the odd cod to 6lb have been reported, but several pollack of similar size have also been taken, and as the pollack become increasingly common some big double figure specimens are likely to be taken over the coming summer season. Boat catches and results, East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-03-08T18:21:32+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/baitbox-humber-cod-open-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/baitbox-humber-cod-open-2012#When:22:01:34Z 262 anglers from around the UK and beyond descended upon Grimsby to fish the Baitbox Big Cod Open Boat Competition in glorious conditions. They enjoyed what turned out to be a day to remember.A total of 94 private and charter boats put to sea from the Cleethorpes beach and Grimsby marina to fish the massive event in the Humber estuary, and organised by the angling section of Humberside Cruising Association. The fishing action in this ‘heaviest single fish' event was superb, and, incredibly, a double-figure cod was required to break into the top 20!Boats efficiently put to sea from the harbour and beach on an ideal calm and sunbathed morning. An impressive racing start saw the mass of boats heading off in the direction of the popular river marks. At lines down most were anchored in the Grimsby Middle area, situated between the two main shipping lanes… and it wasn’t long before the first fish were boated.THE GREAT UNWASHED SQUID BAITMost anglers opted to target cod on 6/0 pennel rigs baited with the highly rated Baitbox Unwashed Squid. The water here is the colour of melted chocolate, and this is definitely not a venue for hopping shads. Casting baits uptide proved most effective, although baits either trotted or cast downtide did also take good fish.Charter boat ‘Predator’, skippered by Craig Moore had an exceptional day. First Charlie Holden hooked and landed a cracking cod of 15lb 9oz, which tested both his tackle and nerve to the limit. But before Charlie’s fish was safely in the net, Dave Proudfoot’s rod sprung back as another hefty fish found the squid bait. Dave also experienced a few heart-stopping moments, knitting in and out of other lines before his bloater 16lb 10oz cod smacked onto the deck. And the big fish action didn’t end there as Matt Netherton pitched in with a fish over 10lb before the ebb tide fell to slack water.WHO WOULD BE HUMBER COD KING?The air waves were thick with news of good fishing a big cod from marks spattered all over the Humber, and the weigh in was sure to be busy. Loads of good cod were presented at the scales and there was much debate as to the identity of the eventual winner at the close. Dave Proudfoot’s 16lb 10oz beast sat top of the pile, with Charlie Holden second on 15lb 9oz and Bob Mogg third in the money stakes with another fabulous fish of 14lb 9oz. £3000 in cash was paid out to the top three rods, while an impressive supporting prize table saw anglers down to 40th place well rewarded for their efforts.All cod landed was sold at market. The money raised, together with donations from anglers totalled almost £1600. This figure will be matched by a local benefactor and presented to ‘Children with Cancer UK’. Sponsors Baitbox and Cryotech are to be congratulated for supporting this tremendous event.The full list of the prize winners can be downloaded here. Boat Fishing, Competition fishing, Lead Feature 2012-03-06T22:01:34+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/30-year-old-scottish-scottish-record-falls http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/30-year-old-scottish-scottish-record-falls#When:20:05:33Z Shetland boat angler Mark Duncan has broken the long standing Scottish ling record with a magnificent fish of 58lb 1oz. The huge fish came from a wreck mark in the north of Shetland, aboard 'Halcyon' jointly skippered by Ian Nicholson and Richard Gray. Mark used a Team Daiwa 30/50 boat rod, 6/0 reel with 80lb braid, and fished a large mackerel bait on a 12/0 hook to tempt the giant. He was using a bombproof three-hook rig and unbelievably had a 20lb ling on another hook at the same time! The fishing party shared several other ling around 50lb in weight, and lost count of the number of 30lb plus fish they landed. Mark's superb fish was weighed and certified in Scalloway but remains to be officially ratified as a new record. The current Scottish record ling of 57lb 8oz was landed off Stonhaven way back in 1982. Boat catches and results, Lead Item, Scotland 2012-03-05T20:05:33+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-march-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-march-2012#When:19:14:20Z Fish were hard to come by in the latest Skegness Pier Angling Club (S.P.A.C) match, held in very poor conditions of driving rain and strong winds at Sandilands. Chapel Beach Angling Club member Paul Kennedy came out on top with four flounders weighing 1lb 14oz. He also won the heaviest flatfish prize with his best flounder, which tipped the scales at 1lb 3oz. His travelling companion and new SPAC member Carl Straw took second place with two flounders for 1lb 3oz. Wrangle’s Alan Steadman continued his excellent run of form by framing again in third place, with three small fish weighing 15oz. He also took the heaviest round fish award with a 7oz whiting.The next S.P.A.C match will be held on Sunday 18th Mar from 12:30 till 4:30pm at Chapel Six Marsh, with Club members fishing for the Ex-Servicemens Cup. There is also an open section, which non-members are welcome to participate in. For further information please contact S.P.A.C Secretary Chas Tibble on 07984 967988 or chastibble@hotmail.com East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-03-05T19:14:20+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-01-03-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-01-03-2012#When:08:24:57Z The large shoals of whiting that have been evident all along the North East coastline since late last year finally seem to be thinning out a little, certainly in the north of the region where club matches are now being won with fewer fish. There are still a lot of them showing from the Durham beaches and Hartlepool piers where double figure bags are still being taken, but here also, they are in much reduced numbers on most daylight tides.There are some nice fat winter dabs being taken from the clean ground marks, flounders are increasing in numbers and they seem to have seen resurgence in population in recent years, and the odd very early plaice are being reported. Now that the whiting are declining more cod are being reported, particularly when there is a sea running, and the low water marks are starting to produce a few more fish to around the 6lb mark. There is still a good chance of a big double figure cod showing from the Teesbay area, and during a good northerly sea, Middleton pier and North Gare may produce the odd monster or two.Hartlepool Pirates picked a night when the whiting decided to stay with plenty of specimens to 1½lb landed during the last match. Chris Coxon won this heaviest match with a nice cod of 6lb 10oz. Steve Swales had the heaviest bag with 55 fish for 45½lb, Bill Bradley had 54 weighing 44lb 12oz, Adam Dendrickson had 49 totalling 40¾lb, John Watts had 48 for 39lb 7oz and Paul Shields had 13 for 11lb 5oz.The Dave Jobson Memorial open on Sunday saw 16 out of 61 land 39 fish for a total of 40lb 10oz. Chris Guthrie had six flounders weighing 5½lb from Blyth, Peter Smith had four for 5¼lb, and Ian Hall had a single cod of 4lb 10oz from Amble. Top junior Craig Lathbury had four flounders totalling 2lb 14oz from Warkworth and Robert Stewart had a single flounder of 9oz.North of the Tyne small winning bags has been the norm in club matches. Only six out of 13 weighed in during a recent Seaton Sluice match when Scott Davidson won with three fish weighing 3¾lb taken from the Middens in the Tyne. Peter Stewart was just slightly behind with two for 3lb 11oz, including one of 2lb 15oz, taken from Blyth beach.An S.B.R.A.A.C. match only produced a single weigh in with Phil Smithson winning with a cod of 3lb 5oz taken from Blyth beach in what should have been perfect conditions for cod.Whitley Bay A.C. fished their last match of the winter league which saw Chris Stringer win with two cod weighing 3lb 6oz from Whitley Pipe ahead of Marty Elliott with a single cod of 1lb 14oz taken from the Old PipeA Tynemouth A.C winter league match saw nine out of the 21 anglers find fish. Steve Harper had a single cod weighing 4lb 7oz and a whiting for a 4lb 15oz total from the Pipe End, Chris Potts had two whiting and a cod totalling 3¾lb from the Middend and Steve Potts had four whiting for 3lb 5oz from Blyth.Cleadon A.C. have a good choice of marks to fish from the Wear to the Tyne and normally have a good weigh in but their last match saw only four out of the 30 weigh in. Mark Shotton only needed two whiting totalling 1lb 10oz to win ahead of Alan Heeley with a single whiting of 14oz taken from Roker. North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-03-03T08:24:57+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/new-summer-league-in-kings-lynn http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/new-summer-league-in-kings-lynn#When:17:05:18Z With the success of last year's Help for Heroes charity final held at Kings Lynn, we have decided to establish a league to be fished over 4 open matches with a maximum of 50 anglers competing for the EAC Estuary Championships title.4 venues will be used, 2 in Kings Lynn fishing the east and west banks of the Great Ouse one over high water and one over low water, similarly Sutton bridge and the river Nene will see two matches on either side of the banks.In past years these venues have proved to be very productive with good sized flounders and eels being the main stay of the action, with bags up to 8 lb.+ not uncommon and some of the larger eels exceeding 1.5 lbs. giving us great sport in the normally lean summer months from the East Anglian shoreline. Both venues offer comfortable fishing.Rite Gear Ltd have again teamed up with East Anglia Championships committee to provide the running and support for this event, the opens will be pre registers only and a maximum of 50 anglers. Full rules and match details will be given to all anglers prior to the first match. Penn Points and SAMF qualifiers for each open.Venue Information:This venue can produce very large numbers of eels and flounders, along with bass and the odd sole, fishing is best before low water and on the first of the flood or either side of high water, although fish will be caught at slack water. Steep sloping sides give way to a sandy/muddy bottom with very little snags. Distance casting is not needed at this venue as the fish can be right at the bottom of the slope or further out in the main flow. Be careful when reeling in as the sloping sides can be snaggy and many a fish has been lost while retrieving.Rigs are generally 3 hook flappers with variations on length and hook size, baits are lugworm, ragworm , maddies and of course peeler crab. On bigger tides the flow is very strong and strong tackle should be used.The catch and release event is open to any baits and the entry will be restricted to the first 50 anglers who pre-register.There is a £10 league registration fee which will go to league prize fund and an entry fee of £25 per matchMatch 1 = Kings Lynn May - Sun 13th 10am - 3pm HW 12.30Match 2 = Sutton Bridge June - Sun 17th 10am to 3pm LW 13.05Match 3 = Kings Lynn July - Sun 15th 9am to 2pm LW 11.45Match 4 = Sutton Bridge August - Sun 12th 10am to 3pm HW 15.45There is a 100% prize payout with the overall league placing down to 5th place receiving prizes.Contact Dene on 01362 668574 or 07786188606 or visit www.easternanglers.co.uk East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-03-02T17:05:18+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-agm-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-agm-2012#When:14:43:59Z The SPAC AGM took place in the New Park Club Skegness on the evening of Saturday 18th Feb, followed by the annual Trophy Presentation, grand raffle and buffet. Winners are as listed below and a photo of the winners is provided in the gallery, along with one of Skegness lifeboat coxwain John Irving receiving a cheque for £50 from Alan Steadman.SKEGNESS PIER ANGLING CLUB COMMITTEEPresident – John CollierChairman – Dean SumnerTreasurer – Bev FaithfulCup Custodian – Christine FaithfulFish Recorder – Chas TibbleSecretary/Press Officer – Chas TibbleMatch Organisers – Paul Cridland, Mark Holmes & Chas TibbleTROPHY & AWARD WINNERS – 2011Dave Shorthouse: Healey Cup, Species Hunt, Shipstone Cup, Carlsberg TrophyKarl Nangle & Dave Shorthouse: Lincolnshire Pairs CupsPaul Marshall: Derby Miners Cup, Ron Scott Trophy, Sheffield Cup, Beachcomber TrophyDave Burr: C Smith Cup, Coleman Cup, Stan Marvin CupMark Holmes: Vanguard TrophyBob Foster: AGM Match, RNLI/CarnivalAlan Steadman: Ex-Service Cup, Mrs Wheatcroft Cup, Club KnockoutPaul & Michaela Cridland: Mixed Pairs TrophiesDave Nellist: Gordon Long CupDave Bradley: Bateman Cup, Hewison CupChas Tibble: Frank Parkins Shield, Biggest Fish Rover (St Johns Shield), Kinsley CupPaul Cridland: Dodsworth CupDennis Stirling: Festival MatchJim Robinson: Dave White Cup, A Smith CupMatch Aggregate Points Top 3 (From 25 matches)1. Paul Marshall 130 points2. Alan Steadman 118 points3. Dave Burr 116 pointsMatch Aggregate Weight Winner (From 25 matches)Alan Steadman 68lb 11¼ozFish of the Year WinnersHeaviest Round Fish: Paul Cridland 7lb 0oz smoothoundHeaviest Flat Fish: Paul Marshall & Jim Robinson both 1lb 6oz floundersHeaviest Silver Eel: Dave Burr 1lb 1oz silver eelAfter all the formal and other bits were completed, the most important event of the evening took place, which was the annual Skegness v Kettering darts doubles challenge. The format was best of 3 games of 501, double in, double out, with the losers buying the beer.Representing Skegness were Chas Tibble & Dave Bradley, against the four years unbeaten Kettering partnership of deadeye Dave Shorthouse & bullseye Bob Foster. The first game was close, with Chas upsetting the form book by holing out on double 8. The second game was again close, with bullseye Bob finishing on double top. So it was all on the last game, with deadeye Dave in unstoppable form from the off, peppering the treble 20 with unerring accuracy. The Kettering duo were soon on a double, with the Skegness boys still in the upper 200's. It was then that the Kettering wheels came off, as successive doubles were missed and Bob made a mess of things to end up on double one. The excitement mounted as Chas stepped up to the oche with 73 left. First dart treble 11, next dart clipped the lower wire on double top, then the last dart did the same on the inner wire of double 10. The pressure was now telling, as Bob and the two Daves all missed and Chas came to the oche again. This time there was no mistake, with Chas's first dart landing plumb in the centre of double 5 and the darts bragging rights came to Skegness at last! East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-03-02T14:43:59+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/fin-nor-marquesa-ma12 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/fin-nor-marquesa-ma12#When:17:19:45Z Fin Nor's Marquesa MA12 with its 6.1:1 retrieve and capacity for more than 300 metres of 30lb braid is the latest classy reel to fall into the hands of tester Des Westmore. But he reveals that it's not all peace and harmony, and you might just require ear-plugs to fish with this reel.It can be challenging sometimes I confess, but I really do try to approach each item of test tackle that comes my way with a cynical eye so that everything has to prove itself. But every now and then, something comes along that draws you in right from the word go. The incredible-looking Fin Nor Marquesa MA12 is just such an item, and is one of the best turned out reels I have been lucky enough to have on review. This reel looks right, it feels right and it just oozes class.I thought I was going to fall for the Marquesa’s dreamy charms but sobriety returned when I turned the handle and identified a niggle. This reel is not of silent operation, and, to my ears anyway, it comes complete with an irritating audible ratchet and pawl system to back up the one-way anti-reverse bearing. Yes, it’s a minor issue and many anglers won’t give a click, but personally speaking it seriously detracts from a reel that is right in so many ways it.Unsurprisingly there is ample sales blurb accompanying the pedigree Marquesa reel. The MA12 is machined from 6061-T6 aluminium,which includes the frame, left sideplate, right side plate and the spool. Line capacity is 245 metres of 15lb mono, which is perfect for use with 300 metres standard diameter 30lb braid. I used Snowbee’s Tuf Line and only minimal mono backing was required. The reel has a weight of 560g and a gear ratio of 6:1, giving a retrieval rate of 109cm per handle turn with a full spool. High speed retrieves are not everyone’s cup of tea and there is no other option offered on the Marquesa 12. There are however bigger Marquesas available and some of them offer a two-speed option. Six ball bearings and one roller bearing, for the instant anti reverse, are carried.Dressed to impressThe reel sports a carbon fibre and stainless lever drag system. The indexed lever is very smooth and has nearly 180 degrees of movement. The cam profile is very progressive and perfect for UK fishing. The pre-set dial is large and similarly indexed, making set up a doddle. A line-out clicker is fitted to the left hand side plate in the traditional way. The same sideplate also carries the engraved Fin Nor logo and a further engraving of a sailfish. Combine all this with the ergonomic handle, silver finish with just the right amount of gold detailing, reel foot bolted to the frame with four thread-locked bolts, Torx style frame screws and you see why I was instantly impressed.So it’s no secret that I prefer reels that have a totally silent anti-reverse system. And I know it can be argued that this may compromise reliability but I don’t think those arguments carry much weight when applied to the bulk of the fishing here in the UK. At risk of sounding pedantic, unfortunately the Fin Nor Marquesa has one of the most annoying audible backup anti-reverse systems of any reel I have tested. It is right up there with the Shimano Tyrnos whose ratchet is like fingernails on a blackboard. It wasn’t so bad when used for down-tiding but when I used it for lure work so as to fully exploit its 6:1 ratio, the high frequency row that accompanied each turn of the handle as I worked the lure got right under my skin. To get second opinion, I a trusted fishing buddy look the reel over and he unfortunately also felt ear defenders were in order! But then, his own reels are Daiwa Saltigas, which are eerily silent.Beautiful on the insideAt that point in the testing, I had pretty much made up my mind that, however good it may be, I would not be able to live with the Marquesa. But then I took the reel apart and I found myself torn once more. Not only is the Marquesa beautifully turned out on the exterior, that trait is true of the reel’s internals too. Everything looks good. There is plenty of grease where it is needed, and full marks to Fin Nor for quality control at the factory. The only downside was that some of the grease did appear to have got on the centrifugal brake blocks, so bear that in mind if you buy one and intend to use it for casting.The inside right hand side of the reel appeared just as good. The stainless gears look the part and are well protected by grease. The Stainless drag plate is big and has a very smooth finish, free of machining marks. Fin Nor have also woken up to the benefits of greased carbon drags. Looking at the carbon drag washer on the spool, the drag grease can be clearly seen. On the other side of the Atlantic debates rage as to whether drags should be greased or not greased. The arguments centre on the greased drags ability to maintain a constant pressure when hot. Whether they can or not is unlikely to bother the average UK angler. The fact that greasing a carbon drag leads to almost zero failures due to saltwater damage should bother UK anglers though. It is for this reason that my vote goes with grease and I am more than happy to see it in a factory finished reel.Sound of silenceThere is so much to like about this real that I do feel that I am being a bit hard over my hang-up on the noisy ratchet… but any likeminded angler paying top dollar for such a reel is allowed to be fickle about such things. Fishing is meant to be peaceful after all. But the Marquesa had a real ace in the hole and it played it just in time. Looking under the drag plate it was easy to see that the removal of just one circlip would facilitate the removal of the ratchet pawl and spring. With fifteen minutes work the reel could be silent. Ok it would remove the backup for the one-way roller bearing but I could live without that.So would I recommend this reel? Yes I would. With the ratchet from hell silenced, the Marquesa 12 is a delight to use. Will its good looks last? I can’t answer that but at the moment things look good and there is no signs of corrosion setting in. Are there any other down points? Well, the plastic button that is pressed in to allow the lever drag to progress from Strike to Full feels cheap in comparison with the rest of the build but that is about it. None of the blurb sent with the reel states an RRP but surfing around flagged prices of around £230-£260. Given the reel’s spec, I feel this is a fair price. Two obvious product competitors come to mind: the Daiwa Saltist lever drag series of reels and the Avets. Both of those are fine reels but neither leave me as smitten as the Fin Nor – at least once the anti-reverse ratchet has been shut up anyway. To help you decide, take a look at www.finnorfishing.com and here. Fin Nor, Reels, Lead Feature 2012-02-21T17:19:45+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-february-2012-part-2 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-february-2012-part-2#When:10:36:27Z Last casts decided the final result in the latest Skegness Pier Angling Club (SPAC) match, held in rough conditions at North Shore Road. Croxton’s Dave Burr pulled in a dab & whiting double shot at the final whistle, which added to an earlier whiting, were enough to win the Gordon Long Cup with 1lb 2¾oz. He also won the heaviest round fish prize with an 8oz whiting. Top Grimsby match angler Karl Nangle was blanking right till the end, until a dab double shot saved the day to give him second place with 13oz. There was a tie for both third place and the heaviest flatfish award, with Kettering’s Jim Robinson and Wrangle’s Alan Steadman each catching a single 8oz dab.The next SPAC match will be held on Sunday 4th Mar from 12:30 till 4:30pm at Sandilands, with Club members fishing for the Bateman Cup. There is also an open section, which non-members are welcome to participate in. For further information please contact SPAC Secretary Chas Tibble on 07984 967988 or chastibble@hotmail.com East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-02-21T10:36:27+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-20-02-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-20-02-2012#When:15:02:24Z As with last week most anglers are overwhelmed by the huge shoals of whiting that are evident all along the north east coast. The south of the region, from Roker pier down to Teesbay and the Hartlepool piers, has seen the greater numbers of whiting with bags of over 30 fish still to be expected, particularly from Middleton pier. Even the heavy seas of last week seemed to have little effect on their numbers. There are signs however that the whiting are starting to thin out a little the further north you travel, and some bigger cod continue to be reported from the marks North of the Tyne.Best angling achievement of the week was when five year old Kier Dodds fishing with his father Paul at the Glass Centre in the Wear for flounders using mackerel strip, saw his rod tip pulled over when a cod of 7¼lb took his bait, when the fish was cleaned it had evidently been feeding on lots of small flounders. The Tyne has also seen a few better cod where the best reported was one of 7lb taken from Church Bank by Steve Anderson.Best of the recent doubles was a specimen of 15lb 11oz taken by Mick Johnson, a visiting angler from Scotland, whilst fishing at Whale Rock Newbiggin. His fishing friend Steve landed a rare mullet of 3lb 2oz. Ken McCoy reports cod of 8lb, 6½lb and 6lb during a recent session on Roker pier. Gary Pye had a cod of 2.16kg to win a recent Easington Welfare A.C. Match.Hartlepool W.C.S.A.C. saw plenty of whiting during their last match won by Mal McGeorge with 11lb 13oz, just ahead of Paul Blair who had 10lb 1oz. Paul Hornsey had 6lb 13oz but was unlucky to find that his cod of 5lb 6oz was foul hooked and therefore ineligible for weighed in. Marc Wallace took the heaviest fish with a cod of 2lb 2oz.Tynemouth A.C. had a few matches recently. Their Sunday match saw 47 fishing with 27 weighing in whiting, coalfish, flounder, dabs, early plaice and a single cod. Brad Hill won with 16 fish totalling 14¼lb while second placed Steve Harper had seven weighing 7½lb. Tird placed Alan Norman had eight for 7lb 7oz, Curtiss Dunn had the lone cod of 2½lb and David Harper had a coalfish of 1lb 11oz. A winter league match in heavy seas saw fewer fish present with only seven out of the 28 entrants weighing in. Steve Hardy only needed three whiting, best 1lb 3oz, for a 2lb 11oz total taken from Blyth, to win ahead of David Harper whose three whiting weighed 2lb 1oz, also from Blyth. Their retired members match saw slightly better results when Dave Scrimageur won with six whiting, a cod of 4lb 3oz, a dab and a coalie for a total of 11lb ahead of Tony Taylor with 17 whiting weighing 10lb 13oz and Ken Robinson with 10lb 3oz.Blyth beach provided the winning weight for Chris Stringer in the last Whitley Bay match with six whiting, a cod and a dab for 9¼lb, followed by Dave Milne fishing the Boat Station with a single cod of 3lb 3oz. The last S.B.R.A.A.C. match suffered a rare result these days with a full blank, although conditions were very rough at the time.South Shields A.C. also fished in heavy seas with 16 out of 18 weighing in. Paul McIntyre had 23½lb, Robert Lees had 8lb 7oz and Andrew Nickerson had 3lb 8oz. Cleadon A.C. found fish showing from South Shields pier and from the Tyne. Steve Brown fished the pier to win with four whiting and a cod weighing for 5lb 5oz, Mark Shotton fished the river to land a cod and a coalie for 3¼lb, and Norman Spour fished the pier to take a single cod of 3lb. Lots of very small undersize cod were reported to be present in the river. North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-02-20T15:02:24+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/my-way-february-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/my-way-february-2012#When:11:02:47Z On 7th February My Way was re-launched at the port of Holyhead after a 4 week stint in the boat yard having some well-earned TLC following the rigours of the previous year afloat.The next few days were spent completing a few odd jobs before getting the kit ready for our first trip of the 2012 season.This trip was on Sunday 12th February, with a 30ft tide and 8 novices and 1 angler; it was going to be an interesting day afloat for early February. The big tides would keep us inshore, but a pleasant enough day was on the cards with hopefully a few different species.Fortunately the day went without too much of a hitch for our newcomers, the inexperience not really showing through as each of the lads took to using the gear fairly quickly.Sadly though the fishing was fairly slow on all the marks that we tried through the day, ever present were the dogfish, many coming to the anglers in braces and on the odd occasions as triple shots, mixed in with a fair number of small huss.A few coalies graced the decks and with weights of around 2lb, they were quickly despatched as thoughts turned to a fish and chip supper for the fortunate anglers.A few very small codling also came aboard along with a couple dabs.Gareth P a regular aboard My Way and experienced pleasure and match angler managed to break the monotony of double shots of dogfish with a small ling of a couple of pounds. We also boated 1 small female thornback of around 6lb in weight.A fair few fish, a mixed bag of species, a bowl full of good chilli... yes, all in all a first day of the season afloat.Details of how to book a trip with Gethyn on My Way can be found on his website. Boat catches and results, North Wales 2012-02-19T11:02:47+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-15-02-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-15-02-2012#When:11:36:24Z Some big cod are starting to show now, with the better fish in the north of the region where there are slightly fewer numbers of whiting present. Some big cod should also show in the Teesbay area, but only if you can avoid the hungry whiting, which, unfortunately, is almost impossible. Huge numbers of whiting continue to be taken from the Durham beaches and Hartlepool piers where bags of over 30 fish can easily be expected with whiting being taken two or three at a time.Best cod reported was taken by Tony Hindmarch with a specimen of 17lb from the lower Tyne, Garry Appleton had one of 15½lb on the same night at the same venue, Chris Hossack had one of 16½lb from Roker Pier where Ian Bellfield also had one of 14lb, and Stu Carr had one of 11lb 10oz. Alan Robinson had one of 12½lb from Seaham Pier, his eleven year old son John had a surprise thornback ray of 5lb the same session. Brian Hudson had a cod of 12lb 2oz also from Seaham Pier. North of the Tyne, Garry Humphries had a cod of 10lb 6oz from Cambois, Paul Gallon had one of 9lb 9oz from Cullercoats, and James Binyon had one of 8lb 9oz. Ian Galbraith had four cod totalling 20lb from the Tyne, the weighed 9½lb and 6lb 10oz. Don Nicholson had three cod for 24lb 5oz from Cullercoats, the best of which went 11¼lb. Chris Stringer had three for 16lb 6oz from Whitley Bay, and Ivan Stott had two for 11lb 1oz including one of best 8lb 2oz to win a Seaton Sluice A.C. match. A recent Horden Surfcasters heaviest fish match produced a specimen cod of 13¼lb for Mark Thompson, followed by Darren Almond with one of 5lb 14oz and Ron Smith with one at 4lb 10oz.The last Hartlepool Pirates match was dominated by the ever present whiting as expected. Bill Bradley had 52 for a total weight of 41lb 13oz, just ahead of Steve Swales whose 46 fish weighed in at 39lb 14oz, including the heaviest fish of 1lb 6oz. Third placed J. Watts had 14 weighing 11¼lb and fourth was S. Shields with four for 3lb 5oz. Hartlepool W.M.S.A.C., who have a high size limit for whiting, also fished recently when Paul Hornsey won with 4lb 10oz, and Paul Blair had 3lb 5oz. Another match saw Alan Howe win with 21lb 6oz, Paul Hornsey had 20lb 1oz, and Paul Blair had 14lb 9oz.Members of Seaton Sluice A.C. travelled to Arbroath for a recent weekend match to try to find some of the big winter cod that the area is known for. Simon Todd won the Saturday match with seven cod totalling 20lb 6oz followed by Ivan Stott with four for 14¼lb, and Chris Guthrie with two for 13lb 11oz. Sunday saw Garry Appleton win with five smaller cod weighing 11lb 2oz, Brian Clennell had two for 9lb 3oz, and Simon Todd with 5lb.A Seaton Sluice local club match saw Simon Todd win with three cod for 6lb 15oz taken from Haven Rocks followed by Peter Stewart with two totalling 6¾lb, including the heaviest fish of 4lb from Dulce Carrs.A recent Ryhope Tuesday evening sweepstake saw 23 fishing, hoping to pick up a cod for the heaviest fish prize among the whiting. Steve Swinhoe did manage to find a cod of 1.06kg to finish top and Paul Richardson had one of 0.79kg for second. Third place went to Steve Harriman with a flounder of 0.36kg and Steve Moore in fourth had a whiting of 0.32kg. Another Tuesday match saw Paul Hossack win with a cod of 1.39kg, and Darren Donnelly had the next two heaviest fish with whiting of 0.60kg and 0.51kg.The Ryhope club match last Sunday saw 70 fishing for whiting in a heaviest bag match. First placed Gary Dunn had 28 weighing 8.20kg from Rathouse Corner and runner-up Ken Hayley had 21 for 8.1kg. Ritchie Carr finished third with 6.38kg and fourth place went to junior Lauren Hayley whose 15 fish totalled 4.99kg. John Robson had the heaviest round fish; a cod of 1.47kg, and Bob Surtees had the best flatfish at 0.62kg. Sunday passed saw 80 fishing with the whiting surprisingly absent and most of the fish weighed in came from the Tyne and Wear. Andy Rutherford had four coalfish and two flounders from the Tyne for 3.32kg to win ahead of John Lovett with a coalie, a whiting, and a flounder weighing 2.24kg. Third placed Lee Burton had a cod of 1.37kg, plus a flounder for a 1.55kg total, and Paul Hossack had two coalfish and two flounders for 1.27kg, including the best flatfish at 0.63kg. Top junior was Kian Ashton with his two flounder limit bag of 0.61kg.Gary Wilson won an S.B.R.A.A.C. match with three cod, a whiting and a pouting for a total of 7lb 11oz taken from Whitley Bay Pipe. Norman Spour won a Cleadon match with a cod of 4½lb plus a coalie for a 6lb 4oz total from S. Shields Pier. North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-02-15T11:36:24+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/sunline-fishing-lines http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/sunline-fishing-lines#When:20:39:41Z Here we investigate four different fishing lines from top Japanese line producer Sunline and distributed in the UK by Nice Fish! A new tapered leader, an impressive main line mono and two very different types of fluorocarbon come under the spotlight.Japanese fishing line manufacturer ‘Sunline’ is a market leading company with a worldwide reputation for producing some of the best lines available. Pioneering technology and processes, and the highest quality materials are responsible for an extensive product range and some of the best nylons, fluorocarbons and braids available. Sunline carry the much loved Siglon brand, which ceased UK distribution some years ago but is now back better than ever thanks to UK and Ireland distributor Nice Fish! Sunline was founded in 1977 and now supplies over 40 countries worldwide.Super Cast Tapered LeaderSuper Cast Tapered Leader is a high performance resin-coated leader line derivative of Sunline’s Single Resin Processing (SRP), and there are no less than nine breaking strain variances available. SCTL as comes in four different colours - clear blue, red, yellow and black – but all breaking strains are not available in all the colours, so be sure to double check before ordering.Each new spool holds 5 X 15 metre leaders, while individual leaders are comprised of an 8m parallel section, 6m tapering section and 1m tippet, as opposed to the more universal tapered leader configuration of an 8 metre parallel running to a 7 metre taper only. The start of each leader is numbered with a sticker that very simply lets you know how many are left on the spool.I trialled the 0.285mm to 0.660mm or 12 – 70lb, non-intrusive clear blue strain, which I found rolled off the spool true and knotted beautifully. Even joined to 0.32mm Ultima F1 main line the 0.285mm SCTL produced a compact little knot that wasn’t inclined to clatter noisily through rod rings when cast. The Clear Blue version displays a slight semi-ultraviolet tint, but it is pleasantly non-intrusive. Exactly how hard-wearing the product is remains to be seen, but the importance of this is negligible given that anglers should be replacing or re-knotting leaders regularly, if not before every session.These tapered leaders cover all bases from refined bass plugging and soft bait fishing using dedicated lure rods and modest fixed spool reels, right through to long-range open beach situations and heavy-duty rough ground fishing with stiff rods and man-size reels.The Sunline catalogue lists Super Cast Tapered Leader availability in a choice of 0.235 - 0.470mm diameter (8 – 35lb), 0.235 – 0.570mm (8 – 50lb), 0.235 – 0.620mm (8 – 60lb), 0.260 – 0.570mm (10 – 50lb), 0.285 – 0.470mm (12 – 35lb), 0.285 – 0.570mm (12 – 50lb), 0.285 – 0.660mm (12 – 70lb), 0.330 – 0.570mm (16 – 50lb) and 0.370 – 0.570mm (20 – 50lb).Siglon FC FluorocarbonTriple Resin Processing is an intricate manufacturing process that fills spaces between molecules with resin to produce a moisture-proof, shock-resistant and hardwearing line in the form of Siglon FC Fluorocarbon.Siglon FC is a 100% Polyvinylidene fluoride or fluorocarbon line that’s clear in colour. The test spool was 50 metres of 16lb (0.33mm): it peels from the generously wide spool straight rather than resembling the crumpled bedspring symptomatic of so many lines claiming to be full fluorocarbons. This line is a joy to knot. Various knots and loops were slid together and formed with very little evidence of forming damage behind any completed knot. Pull-tests against digital scales produced an average of two-thirds line strength expiry at knots, which is pretty good too.Siglon FC is without doubt one of the very best full fluorocarbon lines that I have laid my hands on. The ‘Triple Resin’ technique produces a fluorocarbon that combines discernable body rigidity and suppleness to provide a desirably stiff aspect but soft finished article that’s just magic to work with... this is damn close to the fluorocarbon Holy Grail. Fantastic for both leader and rig uses.Available in a wide range of breaking strains from 3 – 40lb (0.140mm – 0.600mm diameter) in standard 50 metre spools, and in 3 – 18lb (0.140mm – 0.350mm diameter) only on 30 metre spools.Siglon VSiglon V is a water-repelling (hydrophobic), UV resistant line that possesses superb shock strength. Excellent for both reel-line and hooklength purposes, I have considerable previous experience of this IFGA rated line, and would class it as one of the best available for sea fishing. The trouble until now has always been getting hold of it in decent quantities.Actual working strength aside, this is a wonderfully smooth tensile line that’s highly reliable with an excellent wet knot strength. In this instance the test spool was 5kg/10lb (0.235mm), but Siglon V is available right up to an almighty 40kg. Actual line diameters compare very favourably with other similar mainstream fishing lines. Three examples of breaking strain to diameter ratios are: 16.5lb (7.5kg) is 31mm, while 17.6lb (8kg) goes 0.33mm and 22lb (10kg) is 0.37mm in diameter.Siglon is great on reels for finesse bassing in modest breaking strains, or for highly abrasive, heavy-duty rough ground fishing in the thicker diameters. Ideal for lure fishing, float fishing and more general shore and boat use, but also comes highly recommended for rig building purposes. It’s available in either Clear or Mist Green, and spooled in a variety of quantities from just 30m spools for lower braking strains right up to giant 5000m spools. More standard spools carry 100, 300 and 600 metres.Small Game Leader FCSmall Game Leader FC line is only available in 3 – 6lb breaking strains and is included here as it’s ideal for mullet fishing, and for creating ultra light snoods on beach match rigs where likes of flounders and generally modest fish are targeted at close range in clear water situations.Coloured Stealth Grey, Small Game is a soft 100% fluorocarbon hooklength material. It has the feel of a friendly mono rather than a wiry fluoro, and comes on neat 30m spools. My dabbling was with the 4lb SG for mullet under a small float and I cannot fault it in performance terms. Knots form soundly, however I did find that knotting to an eyed hook produced a better aesthetic knot as opposed to a finished snell knot or whipped finish knot to a spade-end hook, which displayed noticeable ruffle on completion. Quick-change loop-to-loop connections worked well, as did snoods attached via tiny match swivels.A full list of Sunline dealers across the UK and Ireland can be found here. The Sunline catalogue contains details of their full product range and can be viewed here. For further information email info@nice-fish.com  Line, Lead Feature 2012-02-12T20:39:41+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/momentum-4-x-4-braid http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/momentum-4-x-4-braid#When:20:38:26Z Momentum 4X4 is a high performance braided line that lure fishing fanatics are absolutely raving about. PSF test drove it and concluded this is a line with plenty to offer shore, boat and more specifically lure anglers.Momentum 4X4 braid comes in highly visible Fluorescent Yellow or Dark Green colour strains. Engineered using polyethylene and “high specific gravity ester monofilaments” to produce a very individual braid that’s less susceptible to the interfering effects of wind and waves. I have no idea what high specific gravity ester monofilaments are but the end result is a stiffish slick surface braid with a round outer profile to minimise guide friction during casting. Joining knots to either a fluorocarbon leader or direct to a link swivel form well, while Momentum 4 X 4 is easy to cut cleanly with a decent pair of braid scissors.I had a couple of spools of yellow gear to try. I put 150m of 20lb on a medium sized fixed spool reel for tossing lures at the modest bass that are prevalent locally. I fished a very short 4ft fluorocarbon leader which allowed maximum technique to be imparted to lures and full feel to be retained for what is generally short range, rock edge fishing.Unlike some braids, Momentum isn’t limp and dull feeling. And it does not absorb water like a sponge even after considerable rasping through rock snags, which serve to swiftly strip exterior coatings. Twitching, popping and walking lures with such a reactive line means you can’t fail to visualise lure movements under cover of full darkness. I would describe Momentum as a responsive buoyant braid possessing a good level of abrasion resistance and knot strength.I let several experienced anglers cast and retrieve the 20lb yellow Momentum on test and overwhelming opinion backed this as a top braid for lure men. An excellent braid is only a part of the wider whole however, and marrying the correct rod and reel to said line is crucial when it comes to achieving maximum sporting enjoyment and full lure fishing function.150m spools of Dark Green or Yellow are available in: 10, 12, 16, 20, 30, 40 and 50lb. Momentum 30, 40, 50 and 60lb is available on 200m spools, while 70 and 80lb are only available on 300m spools.A full list of Sunline dealers across the UK and Ireland can be found here. The Sunline catalogue contains details of their full product range and can be viewed here. For further information email info@nice-fish.com Braid, Line, Lead Feature 2012-02-12T20:38:26+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-08-02-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-08-02-2012#When:15:34:29Z No surprises this week as whiting continue to overwhelm all of the fishing marks along the NE coast with the better results again being in the south of the region, from the Durham beaches and Hartlepool piers where whiting are present in unprecedented numbers. As reported last week Dave Littlewood’s winning bag of 65 fish for 55lb during a recent Hartlepool O.M.A.C. match was a local record, and even Chris Smith in second place with 57 fish for 47lb 10oz was a quite spectacular achievement. However the record did not last long as Jay Kelly won the next O.M.A.C. match with an almost unbelievable 72 fish bag of 83lb 7oz, mainly quality whiting plus a few dabs, well ahead of any other recent winning weights. In years past 83lb would have been a high winning total for the entire year. Chris Smith was second again with an equally impressive bag of 71 fish totalling 65lb 6oz. Steve Sweeney took the heaviest fish prize with a specimen whiting of 1¾lb, and Chris Smith had one of 1lb 11oz. It should be mentioned that all of the 432lb of fish were cleaned, prepared, and then distributed amongst the local community. Forget about digging bait, just go to Morrisons for some fresh mackerel and squid and you simply cannot fail to catch whiting in large numbers. Even the Pilot pier and Banjo pier, rarely fished these days except during heavy seas, have produced bags of over 50 fish, and on tides when there has been a bit of sea running the whiting have been pushed well into the dock channels and the aforementioned piers have actually been the hotspots to fish from.Hartlepool W.C.S.A.C. had a recent match but did not quite reach those levels of whiting. Paul Blair had a mixed bag of 12lb to win the event ahead of Paul Hornsey on 4lb 9oz and Mal McGeorge with 4½lb.The Ryhope Tuesday evening sweepstake saw Steve Swinhoe and Gordon Russell tie for the heaviest fish each with an inevitable whiting weighing 0.39kg, followed by Terry Mann with one of 0.37kg. The Ryhope club match on Sunday saw 30 out of 79 weigh in, mainly from the Tyne where most anglers went to try to avoid the whiting on Roker pier, and hopefully pick up a few cod. Paul Richardson won with six coalfish and a single cod for 3.44kg, his cod was the heaviest fish at 1.12kg. Tommy Tate in second place had four coalies and two flounders for 2.72kg, Wayne Harriman the same bag make up to weigh in 2.13kg, John Bryan had the best flatfish at 0.55kg, and top junior was Jordan Lowes with two nice flounders weighing 1.12kg.Not many whiting showed during a recent Cleadon A.C. match which was won by Bill Lea with eight totalling 6lb 3oz taken from Roker, Gary Parker had the heaviest fish and second place with a cod of 4¾lb from Marsden, and Albert Gray had four whiting from the rock edges at Marsden for 2lb 15oz.Hartlepool has a new charter boat, the Evelyn Jane will replace the older version, experienced skipper Jason reports that it will be ready for sea from April 1st. It is a fully licensed and insured for 12 passengers, Offshore 105 cruising at around 12 to 15 knots; top speed 25 knots, so it can get to the offshore fishing marks much quicker than the boat she has replaced. Costs are £35 per head weekends, and £32 per head midweek. Contact Jason 07754-563737 or Paul 07790-550112 or 01325-460822  Boat catches and results, North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-02-08T15:34:29+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-february-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-february-2012#When:16:00:04Z The sudden cold snap sent the whiting shoals out into deeper water and it was resident flatfish that saved the day in the latest Skegness Pier Angling Club (SPAC) match held at Jacksons Corner. In a match of two halves, Wrangle’s Alan Steadman had a disastrous start, with missed bites and dropped fish. He then scaled his hook and bait size down for the last two hours, to run out easy winner with 12 flatties weighing 5lb 8½oz. He also took the heaviest flatfish prize with a specimen 1lb 4oz flounder and to make a good day complete, won the heaviest round fish prize by default with a 14oz dab. Kettering’s Dave Shorthouse had been in the lead for most of the match, but eventually had to settle for second place with 10 dabs for 3lb 3¼oz. Skegness local Dave Bradley framed again in third place, with 4 flatties weighing in at 1lb 15½oz.The SPAC AGM will be held on Saturday 18th February commencing at 7:30pm in the New Park Club, Scarborough Avenue, Skegness. All current and prospective members are invited to attend. The annual Trophy Presentation and social event will take place immediately after the AGM, including a grand raffle and buffet.The next SPAC match will be held the day after the AGM on Sunday 19th February from 2 till 6pm at North Shore Road, with Club members fishing for the Gordon Long Cup. There is also an open section that non-members are welcome to participate in. For further information please contact SPAC Secretary Chas Tibble on 07984 967988 or chastibble@hotmail.com East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-02-07T16:00:04+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/24th-efsa-irish-open-shore-festival-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/24th-efsa-irish-open-shore-festival-2012#When:18:50:38Z 59 anglers turned out for the recent 24th EFSA Irish Open Shore Festival which took places on the beaches of Co Weford.Excellent weather say the competitors enjoy good sport as the flatfish came on the feed along the zones. A few bass, whiting and rockiling were also landed during the measure and release match.A close fought match saw Dave Roe pip Joe Byrne to the title and 500 Euro first prize. Joe and Dave also lifted the pairs title and with John O'Brine and Martin Howlin in the fours completed a clean sweep of the top prizes.A full report and pictures can be found on the Ullcatch website.  Ireland, Shore Catches and Results 2012-02-02T18:50:38+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-31-01-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-31-01-2012#When:15:54:59Z Whiting are present in numbers previously unheard of from all areas now, with bags of over 50 to 60 fish not unusual, particularly in the south of the region, and even the rock edge marks are producing whiting for those trying to avoid them and hoping to pick up the odd cod. Some anglers are taking whiting three at a time, and on some tides when they are present in bigger numbers, the shoals are so dense that they are being caught simply by getting tangled up in the line. The plus side is that a lot of them are nice specimens over the 1lb mark, with good numbers also approaching 2lb. Club matches continue to be won with record weigh-ins. Best winning weight recorded lately and possibly a record from the Hartlepool area was a staggering 63 fish haul by Dave Littlewood for a 55lb total, well ahead of any other recent winning weights, when he won a Hartlepool O.M.A.C. match. While some other winning weights have been over 40lb lately, such a high bag weight has never been achieved, as far as I can remember, even when mackerel where present in large numbers. The best bag of cod taken during a Hartlepool club match that I am aware of was a 40lb plus bag taken by Maurice Usher many years ago during an H.A.D.S.A.C. match.Some rare cod have been caught recently and there are also a few bigger cod starting to show among them. Best reported was a specimen of 19lb taken by John Armitage while fishing the lower Tyne, fishing partner Stephen Brown had five smaller ones for a 19lb total. Chris Hossack landed one of 16½lb from Roker Pier. Gary Wilson had four cod, also totalling 19lb from Blyth, and the magic 19 struck again when Ronnie Forest had five for 19lb from Hadston, the best of which weighed 6¼lb. Al Thain had a good session at Newton taking cod of 10lb 1oz, 9lb 2oz and 6lb 10oz. Paul Hossack had a personal best of 7lb 11oz from Roker pier in a 20lb bag total, Chris Pearson had one of 7lb 2oz from Sandy Bay, and Gary Pye won a Seaham Badger open with one of 5.45lb from Hawthorne. Dave Scott reports a cod of 9lb 11oz taken from the Bandstand at Hartlepool.Bill Bradley won a Hartlepool Pirates match with a 46 fish mixed bag of 38lb 13oz ahead of Chris Coxon whose 10 fish weighed 8½lb, including the heaviest fish on the day at 2lb 1oz. Third placed P. Shields had 12 for 9lb 14oz and Steve Swales in fourth had 11 weighing 7lb 10oz.Blyth beach produced the whiting for Glen Campbell in a recent Tynemouth Winter League match where he won with 15 whiting and a flounder totalling 10lb 15oz. Dave Hayley took second with a nice cod of 7lb 10oz from the Lobster Potts, and Steve Hardy was third with four whiting weighing 3lb 7oz, also from Blyth. There are plenty of whiting in the Tyne also, where Dave Flood won an Alberta S.A.C. match with six for 5lb 6oz, Alan Bennett had six weighing 4lb 11oz and Eric Bell had six for 4lb 7oz.Seaton Sluice had a match at Amble which was won by Gary Appleton with two cod and a coalie weighing 6lb 1oz. Runner-up Chris Guthrie had three flounders for 2¾lb and Scott Davidson finished third with three flounders for 2lb 2oz.Kevin Mofatt won an S.B.R.A.S.A.C. match with a cod, a whiting and a flounder for a total of 3lb 11oz from Blyth. Second placed Gary Wilson fished the same venue and landed a cod and a whiting weighing 2lb 13oz, as did Mick Ure with two dabs and two whiting for 2½lb. Dave Hayley won a Whitley Bay league match with a single cod of 4lb from Sharpness, and Simon Park had three cod for 13lb 11oz from Newbiggin. North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-01-31T15:54:59+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/fisheagle-floatation-suit http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/fisheagle-floatation-suit#When:17:00:44Z Gordon Lyall doles out some rough treatment to the smart two-piece Fisheagle Floatation Suit exclusive to Glasgow Angling Centre. He reports his findings after 12 harsh months and two hellish winters of abuse.I was given the Fisheagle two-piece floatation suit exactly a year ago and instructed to do my merry worst. Rather than give a flat list of my first impressions, my different review brief was to press the suit into regular active service and to report back with my findings 12 months down the line. A gamut of rain-lashed rocks, windswept beaches and pitching boats later here I am with my lengthy experience of Glasgow Angling Centre’s exclusive Fisheagle floatation suit.I have had something of a love-hate relationship with various floatation suits over the years. On the one hand I happily embrace the need to fish safely and welcome the peace of mind that a good floatation suit affords, but this is offset with a tight claustrophobic panic of being zipped into something as physically restrictive as a straightjacket. The ability to move freely in any item of fishing clothing is essential in my book, and this is an area where many fishing suits fall short. It is a fine line of course, as manufacturers seek to address both the ‘recreational’ and the most important ‘survival’ aspect of suits.I found the FE suit pleasant to fish in and didn’t court that horrible bound-and-gagged feeling unless I overdid it with thick under layers. A T-shirt, shirt and hoodie worn below the floatation suit were more than sufficient, and this three-layer arrangement saw me through the freezing weather presented by two consecutive Decembers and Januarys. Needless to say, this FE suit meets stringent offshore safety standards. For transportation it isn’t overly bulky and packs down into a neat space-saving bundle.JACKET AND SALOPETTESThe detachable foam-lined hood is fully adjustable and has a highly reflective strip sewn on at the back. As someone who wears glasses, I found the peaked hood front a good defence against rain when staring up at rod tips. The front hood flap secures with strong Velcro to protect the face from the elements. A thick fleece-lined inner collar provides excellent neck protection and warmth, and the interior lining is made from comfortable water-repellent fabric. The jacket’s chunky HKK double-direction front zip is saltwater resistant and is further protected by a full-length Velcro-locking storm flap. There is no shortage of convenient pockets, with two exterior chest pockets and two large lower front jacket pockets; all of which have covering storm flaps. A further external chest pocket is located clear of the main zip and under the protective storm flap, while there is a large inner chest pocket also.A strong adjustable waist belt with quick snap-buckle is held in place with stitched-on retainers. Scotch Lite reflective tape also features on both the arms of the jacket and legs of the salopettes. All seams are rigorously taped and stitched for improved strength, while the jacket’s internal grid-like stitching pattern ensures rip-proof integrity. Cuffs are elasticated with Velcro adjustment. And a robust crotch strap is fitted to stop the garment riding up in the unlikely event of the wearer falling in the sea.The bib & brace bottoms are hardwearing and highly waterproof - I have endured some horrendous wet conditions, and thus far, never experienced damp knees or a wet rear as a result of water penetration. The bottoms are fitted with long zips on the lower leg sections, making it easy to shuffle into them without having to remove bulky footwear like walking boots or Wellingtons. The salopettes sport a large zipper chest pocket and a further two big flap-covered thigh pockets.AFTER HELL AND HIGH WATERBesides a little superficial wear at the seat and knees; some white salt staining on the back of the jacket and smelling a bit fishy, this suit is as waterproof, warm and reliable as the day I got it. I don’t like scrubbing down float suits after fishing for fear of compromising the waterproofing barrier. However, I would suggest that the FE would be fine scrubbed as long as no detergents are used. I have no doubt that this well battered suit will continue to be warm as toast and protect me for seasons to come.Available in S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL …and even 4XL if needed to encase some hopeless cake-monster and NHS-draining catastrophe in waiting! RRP is £129 but the Fisheagle Floatation Suit is currently available direct from Glasgow Angling Centre at the special knockdown price of £69.99 for all sizes. Fisheagle, Floatation Suits, Glasgow Angling Centre, Clothing, Lead Feature 2012-01-28T17:00:44+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-26-01-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-26-01-2012#When:17:15:34Z With a moderate swell dropping away leaving cod to be caught from the rock edges, and calm enough for flatties to show from the clean ground beaches, the always popular Amble Open last Sunday saw a great turnout of 558 anglers with 132 weighing in 391 fish totalling 402lb. The catches included some fine specimen flounders and several cod over the 5lb mark keeping the majority happy. First prize for the heaviest catch went to Matthew Holdroyd with a good bag of 14 flounders weighing 14lb 5oz. The runner-up A. Gibbison had two cod totalling 13lb 11oz ahead of Willie Emery whose two cod weighed in at 10lb 1oz. P. Stone finished fourth with 11 flounders for 8lb 9oz and Steve Ayling had six flounders for a total of 8lb 5oz in fifth. Willie Emery’s cod of 7lb 6oz took the heaviest fish prize, just ahead of A. Gibbison with one of 7lb 5oz, and Dennis Melvin with 7lb 1oz. Steve Ayling had a superb turbot of 2lb 9oz for the best flatfish, followed by Darren McGlen with a flounder of 2lb 5oz and Steve Smith with one of 2lb 3oz. Pauline Ferry was top lady with 4lb 9oz, Cath Higgins had 3lb 6oz and K. Graham had 12oz. The top three juniors all fished very well and were well up in the main prize table. Daniel Tait had 6lb 1oz, Callum Bartlett had 4lb 5oz and Kyle Whellans had 3lb 10oz.With relatively calm conditions later in the week the whiting were still out in force in the south of the region with the Hartlepool piers, Roker pier, and South Shields pier all continuing to produce big double figure bags of them. Hartlepool W.M.C.S.A.C. saw the predictable glut of whiting during their latest match with winner Paul Hornsey having a mixed bag of whiting and flatties weighing 16lb 4oz, Paul Blair had a similar bag of 13lb 9oz and Alan Howe had 4lb.North of the Tyne however sport seems to have slowed down with double figure bags few and far between. Blyth beach remains a popular venue, but most club matches fished here have only produced a few pounds of whiting and flounders for the various winners. Ken West won a Tynemouth Winter league match from Blyth pier with three whiting totalling 2½lb, the best weighing 1lb 1oz, followed by Paul Foster with four weighing 2lb 7oz from the beach. Peter Stewart did slightly better in a Seaton Sluice match taking seven for a total of 3lb 15oz, Neil Lindsay had three for 2lb 2oz and Gary Appleton had two weighing 1¼lb. Ken Smith had five whiting and a flounder from the beach to win a Blyth A.C. match with 3lb 5oz, P. Smith only needed a flounder of 9oz for second place. Keith Armstrong had one of the better results from Blyth beach taking 12 totalling 11lb 2oz to win a Bedlington Station match ahead of Martin Pygall with 12 weighing 11lb 1oz and Alan Naisby with five for 6lb 10oz.Just a few miles down the coast sport is a lot better, where Steve Harper won a Tynemouth Dave Higgins Cup match with 20 whiting, six dabs and a cod weighing 20lb 9oz. Second placed Brad Hill had 15 whiting, four coalies and four dabs for 16lb 1oz and Steve Elliott finished third with nine whiting, four coalfish, two flounders and two dabs totalling 12lb 6oz. Tom Charlton’s cod was the heaviest fish at 2lb 14oz. However, Arthur Smeaton only needed three dabs, a cod of 3½ lb, a flounder and one whiting for a total of 6¾lb to win a Tynemouth retired members match, just ahead of Dave Scrimageur with a similarly made up bag weighing 5lb 11oz.There are also plenty of fish just across the river at South Shields pier where Steve Gordon won a South Shields A.C. match with 27 fish for 19lb 7oz, Robert Lees had 20 weighing four ounce less and Paul McIntyre weighed in 18 for 16lb 2oz and third place. Marc Wilkinson had the heaviest fish; a surprise dogfish of 1lb 13oz. A recent Cleadon A.C. match saw 11 out of 29 weighing in with whiting and cod being taken from Roker pier, South Shields pier and from the Tyne. Steve Gordon won this match also, with 19 whiting for a total of 14lb 9oz from Roker, Trevor Green had 16 for 13lb 14oz, Neil Cutler had six weighing 10¾lb, which included the heaviest fish; a cod of 4lb, and Mark Shotton had nine totalling 7lb 4oz. North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-01-27T17:15:34+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/24th-efsa-ireland-winter-shore-angling-festival-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/24th-efsa-ireland-winter-shore-angling-festival-2012#When:11:54:05Z The 24th EFSA Ireland Winter Shore Angling Festival will take place on the east facing beaches of Co. Wexford over three days from the 26th – 28th January, 2012. Attracting the cream of sea match angling talent from both the United Kingdom and Ireland, headquarters will be Sean Og’s Holiday complex, Kilmuckridge, Co. Wexford, where accommodation can also be reserved through the competition organisers.Competing for an individual first prize of €500.00, there will also be two and four man competitions, and optional pools to include a superpool plus longest round and flatfish for each day of competition. Trophy’s will be presented for first, second, and third place overall and there will be a 100% payout. Entry fee to include a presentation dinner is €150.00, further details and entries to: Warren Doyle, 98 Seacrest, Bray, Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Ph: +353 (0)1.2828769. Mob: +353 (0)86 806 9961 (evenings only). Email: warrendoyle@iol.ie. Ireland, News and Info, Shore Catches and Results 2012-01-25T11:54:05+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-january-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-january-2012#When:09:23:25Z Large whiting shoals just offshore resulted in excellent catches for competitors in the first two Skegness Pier Angling Club (S.P.A.C.) matches of 2012. In match one held from Trunch Lane, Kettering’s Dave Shorthouse won his second match in succession with 21 whiting and three dabs weighing in at 14lb 12¾oz. Close behind in second place was Mark Holmes from Friskney, whose 20 whiting and a single dab tipped the scales at 14lb 4¾oz. Wrangle’s Alan Steadman needed just one more fish to overhaul the top pair, but in the end had to settle for third place with 25 fish for 14lb 0¾oz. Alan also shared the heaviest round fish prize with Dave Shorthouse, both with 1lb 4oz whiting. Croxton’s Dave Burr took the heaviest flatfish award, with a 12oz dab.There was another very close finish in match two held from Chapel Point, with Alan Steadman coming out on top by the narrowest of margins. His 17 fish catch weighing 9lb 14oz, was just enough to beat off a strong challenge from Dave Shorthouse, whose 18 whiting and two dabs weighed in at 9lb 9½oz. In-form Jim Robinson travelled up with Dave from Kettering to take third place with 16 fish for 9lb 5¾oz. New S.P.A.C. member Danny Smith used his local knowledge to win the heaviest round fish prize with a nice 1lb 4oz whiting and Skegness local Dave Bradley was the final prize-winner, taking the heaviest flatfish award with a 1lb 1oz flounder. In total there were 315 fish recorded over the two matches, with the vast majority returned alive to the sea, under the S.P.A.C. catch and release match format.The next S.P.A.C. match will be held on Sunday 5th Feb from 2 till 6pm at Jackson’s Corner, with Club members fishing for the Healey Cup. There is also an open section, which non-members are more than welcome to participate in. If whiting shoals remain in the area it could prove to be a cracker, as Jackson’s is rated to be one of the best whiting venues on the East Coast. For further information (including any bait requirements) please contact S.P.A.C. Secretary Chas Tibble on 07984 967988 or chastibble@hotmail.com East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-01-22T09:23:25+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-17-01-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-17-01-2012#When:16:45:06Z Popular fellow angling writer Jack Melton who wrote a column for the Sunderland Echo for many years passed away recently. Although Jack was well known for his catches of coalfish off Roker Pier which earned him the nick name “coaly king” many may not know that many years ago Jack landed a huge whiting of 4lb 10oz from Roker pier, although this earned Jack many accolades, the one Jack missed out on was having his catch recognised as a British Record, which would still have stood today, simply because he was not a member of the then NFSAS.Whiting continue to be the dominant species by a huge margin over anything else, one angler reports taking 78 of them from the Pilot pier during a recent night time session. Even when there has been a sea running to produce ideal cod conditions, few cod have been reported simply because the hungry whiting are getting to any baits long before anything else has a chance, so if you have failed to get any cod during the recent seas, don’t despair, as few other anglers have managed to find any either.Club matches continue to be won with big 20lb plus bags of whiting from the hotspots at the various Hartlepool piers, some of the Durham beach marks, Roker pier, South Shields pier and Blyth beach. The best chance for any cod is to fish the rock edges or low water marks with big baits where there is a slightly better chance of finding any cod. The rivers, although also full of whiting, have produced a few cod to those lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, and the rock edges north of the Tyne have started to see the odd bigger double figure specimens showing. Big double figure spawning cod often move into the Teesbay area during January to March but if the whiting remain in their present numbers then the chances of hooking one of these look to be very remote.The first Hartlepool Workingmen’s S.A.C. match saw Mal McGeorge win with a mixed bag of whiting and dabs totalling 19¾lb while Paul Blair had a similar bag of 14lb 5oz to take second. Third placed Paul Hornsey weighed in 9lb 3oz, including the heaviest fish; a whiting of 1lb 6oz. Their second match saw Mal win again with the inevitable bag of whiting weighing 11¾lb, Alan Howe had a cod of 3lb 5oz, the heaviest fish plus a whiting for a 4lb 6oz total and Andy Boagey had a single cod of 1¾lb. Next match is Sunday 22nd fishing from 12 noon until 5pm.Whiting featured in the Ryhope match with 58 out of the excellent entry of 83 weighing in. John Topliffe had 7.20 kg of whiting from Hendon Wall to finish top ahead of Ken Haley with 5.66kg/ Third placed Dave Raymond had 4.3kg and Bob Bland had 4.01kg in fourth. Top junior was Lauren Haley with 2.17kg, Lee Brown had the best flatfish at 0.72kg, and Chris Hossack took the best round fish prize with a cod of 0.82kg.A Tynemouth Winter League match saw Steve Harper win with seven whiting, five flounders, and one coalfish weighing 8lb 5oz taken from Blyth beach, just ahead of Glen Campbell with 11 whiting totalling 7¾lb from the same mark. John Storey managed to find a cod of 5lb 14oz from Tynemouth beach for the heaviest fish.South Shields A.C. saw 10 out of 15 land 69 fish for a total of 58½lb, mainly whiting from South Shields pier. Paul McIntyre had 18 weighing 14lb 11oz, Robert Lees had 12 for 10lb 11oz, and Phil Coates had a cod of 2lb from the Tyne for the heaviest fish. Alberta S.A.C. went whiting bashing from Roker pier where 19 out of 20 anglers weighed in. Mark Daglish had 41 weighing a total of 30lb 7oz, Paul Farrell had 28 for 25lb 15oz and Darren Browne had 28 weighing 17lb 15oz. Cleadon A.C. also found the whiting showing at Roker with winner Mark Shotton landing 23 totalling 17lb 10oz, Steve Gordon had 12 for 12lb 10oz, and Trevor Green had seven weighing 5lb 10oz. Terry Wood fished the rock edges to land the heaviest fish, a cod of 4lb.S.B.R.A.A.C. took all of their whiting from Blyth beach, with a few bonus cod also showing. The winner Gary Wilson had four cod, the best weighing 6lb 5oz, and four whiting for a total bag of 17lb 7oz. Second placed Kevin Moffat had two cod and two whiting for 6lb 2oz, and Tony Gray had a single cod of 3lb 14oz. A Whitley Bay match produced a nice cod of 11lb 3oz for Mick Clark taken from Hartley, which together with a single whiting produced the winning bag of 12lb 1oz, ahead of Gary Wilson with eight whiting weighing 4lb 10oz from Blyth. A Northumberland Sea League match fished at Amble surprisingly only produced the odd fish for most of those fishing. Chris Guthrie landed a fine cod of 9lb 14oz, and Geoff King managed one of 6½lb. North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-01-17T16:45:06+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/antigua-adventure-fishing http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/antigua-adventure-fishing#When:13:15:51Z Des Westmore returns to Antigua for a family fishing holiday a year on from his first expedition to the Caribbean. The Virgin Holidays package say him flying direct with Virgin Atlantic from Gatwick to the superb Rex Halcyon Cove Resort.In 2010 I visited Antigua with my wife and daughter for a family fishing holiday. We all loved the place and left vowing to return in 2011. I am glad to say we succeeded in this aim and have just returned from the sunny Caribbean though with all that has happened on the world’s financial stage, we certainly feel very lucky to have done so. For those who don’t know, Antigua is in the West Indies and is part of the Leeward Isles. It covers an area of 108 square miles with 54 miles of coastline. This is not so dissimilar to the Isle of Wight where I live but Antigua manages to cram three hundred and sixty five beaches into those 54 miles.Sticking to what we knew because it worked so well last time we again booked through Virgin Holidays flying direct from Gatwick on Virgin Atlantic. We stayed again at the Rex Halcyon Cove Resort and didn’t bother with a car as there is an excellent taxi service based in the hotel.The Caribbean peak season is in the winter from with the summer being the off-season. The summer is wetter but it can rain at any time in the Caribbean and it generally doesn’t put the mockers on things the same way it does when you get a downpour in August here in the UK. Fishing is good all year round with the maximum number of species on offer being May through to November. Offshore during this period could have you in contact with Wahoo, Dorado, Yellow Fin tuna, Black Fin tuna maybe a kingfish and if you are lucky enough, Blue marlin. If you want White marlin their peak time is January through to April. Inshore, both afloat and from beaches, you will find tarpon, jack, snook, houndfish and barracuda amongst many others.FISHING CHARTERSIf you want to get afloat there are a number of options. English and Falmouth Harbours, which neighbour each other and are on Antigua’s South coast, have two charter boats and I have fished with both; Obsession Charters with skipper Derek Biel and Overdraft with skipper Frank Hart. Obsession is a 45’ Hatteras which will give you the full-on “Big Game Boat” experience, though if you fancy going even further offshore on an extended trip, Derek has introduced “Double Header”, a 55’ Hatteras for 2011. Frank Hart also runs two boats. Firstly the aforementioned “Overdraft” which is his offshore boat and is a 40’ vessel not dissimilar to one you may fish from in the UK except that it has outriggers and a fighting chair and secondly there is “H20”, a 26’ ProKat, which is used for inshore angling. I have fished from all these boats except Double Header and can recommend them all. Fishing aboard Obsession gives you the quintessential big game experience and makes you feel like you are Ernest Hemmingway but I still like fishing inshore on H20, sneaking around the coves and inlets, free-lining live sprats using spinning gear. Frank uses a cast net to catch the sprats, sometimes backing the boat almost onto the beach.Incidentally, English Harbour is known as Nelson’s Historic Dockyard as he was stationed there for three years during his tour of duty in the Caribbean. It is one of the most picturesque harbours you can imagine and it is totally crafted by nature. Ironically it is said that Nelson did not enjoy his stint in the Caribbean because of the heat.For current prices, usually based on four, six and eight hour trips, it is best to check the boats’ web sites (details at the end of this feature). Prices quoted are in US dollars so the actual price you pay varies with the exchange rate. At the time of writing prices go from $495 for the cheapest 4 hour charter to $1000 for the most expensive 8 hour charter. Four hour charters may sound a bit short but you are fishing within minutes of leaving the harbour. I also noticed in Virgin Holiday’s Concierge brochure (which details holiday activities) that Frank Hart accepts individual bookings which is something to consider if you are a lone angler.Not far from Nelson’s dockyard (you can never be far from anything in Antigua), Jolly Harbour on the West Coast also has a charter boat that advertises. This is Captain Mike who runs a 31’ and a 35’ Bertram and his prices are comparable with the two skippers I have fished with. In addition, most beach water sports centres around Antigua offer fishing trips. All the boat’s mentioned provide all the tackle necessary for the day as well as both soft and alcoholic drinks. You just need something to eat and your sun block.  RODS, REELS & LURESAs is often the case with fishing like this, the tackle on the boat is aimed at getting whatever is hooked into the boat, be it a marlin of a couple of hundred pounds or a forty pound Wahoo. Typical setups are therefore a 50lb class rod combined with a 50-Wide lever drag reel. If you want to fish lighter I would suggest you speak to the skipper in advance or take your own gear if you have it. The same would apply if you want to use stand-up gear as the skipper will assume you will be using the chair. The gear I took with me this year was a 30-50lb Greys six-piece travel rod teamed with a Shimano Talica 10 reel. This was loaded with 300 yards of 30lb Power Pro and a 50 yard top shot of 40lb Ande mono and was intended to give maximum sport with the likes of Wahoo and Dorado. I also took a Snowbee Deep Blue four-piece spinning rod combined with an Abu Soron fixed spool for the inshore fishing. I also took a selection of Snowbee plugs, poppers and jigs which I have left with Frank and will hopefully be getting some reports back from him on their abilities.The Rex Halcyon Cove Resort has a restaurant situated at the end of the “Warri Pier”. Not only is this is a superb location to have a meal but the lights from the restaurant attract some huge snook which glide in gracefully just inches from the surface. Well, however graceful the snook are, it would be rude to not have a go at catching one. We did have a go, both from the beach and also by kayak but we didn’t have any luck. I am not the greatest angler when it comes to plugging; ok - I am not the greatest angler at all, but I know a man who is!  Mike Ladle has forgotten more about plugging than I am ever likely to know and gave the following advice:“My suitcase holds two four-piece spinning rods, a slightly heavier 4Surepopper for hurling bigger plugs and poppers and a light 4Surespin used for everything else, plus my eight weight, four piece fly rod. One rod is rigged with a heavy lure on thirty to fifty pound knottable wire for bigger fish and the other with a light lure on fifteen pound wire for bonefish and other modestly sized species. Wire is essential because of the many fish with sharp teeth (at times even wire will not save you from big barracuda). The fixed spool reels for both spinning rods are Shimano 4000s. A bit small in the spool to pack on enough 30lb Whiplash braid but reasonably lightweight and robust."Mike added: "Snook and tarpon are certainly abundant around Antigua and some of the lagoons are heaving with them at times. Both species will take lures and flies keenly. My personal choice would be weedless, unweighted, soft plastics on the spinning rod as they can be fished slowly in the murky ‘weed soup’ conditions often favoured by both species. Big streamer flies are also effective but room for a back cast can be tricky in mangrove areas. Plugs can work well at times although they will pick up weed and unhooking a lively tarpon with a couple of razor sharp trebles hanging from its jaw can be a nightmare. From the open shore, if you want to find fish, keep your eyes peeled for working birds, shoals of baitfish and blitzes of predators and try to make the most of the fishing at first and last light.” WILD IN CAPTIVITYFinally, one thing I just must recommend you do if you get to Antigua is to visit Stingray City. Here you get a chance to swim with, and feed, free-ranging stingray, with their stings still in place, in open water a mile or two offshore. It is a fantastic experience and I just cannot say enough good things about it. Bernado and his team run an excellent setup and I am sure they will look after you. Incidentally, one of the team is Frank Hart’s son who works there guiding their kayak eco tours around the mangroves.USEFUL LINKSMike Ladle: http://www.mikeladle.comObsession Charters: http://www.charternet.com/charters/obsession/Overdraft & H20: http://www.antiguafishing.comCaptain Mike: http://www.fishantigua.com/Rex Halcyon resort: http://www.rexresorts.com/antigua/antigua-resort-halcyon-cove-by-rex-resorts.htmlStingray City: http://www.stingraycityantigua.comVirgin Holidays: http://www.virginholidays.co.uk/brochures/caribbean/holidays/caribbean/antigua/Seven nights in Antigua with Virgin Holidays, including scheduled flights with Virgin Atlantic from London Gatwick direct to Antigua, accommodation at the 3V Halcyon Cove by Rex on a room only basis with transfers included starts from £825. Prices are per person based on 2 adults travelling and sharing a standard room, price includes all applicable taxes and fuel surcharges which are subject to change. Prices are based on departures 09 Dec 2011.Start your holiday before you’ve even taken off in the v-room at Gatwick Airport …adults £20, kids £12Virgin Holidays is a member of ABTA and is ATOL protectedTo book: http://www.virginholidays.co.uk, 0844 557 3859 or visit one of 80 stores located in Debenhams and House of Fraser stores nationwide  Lead Feature, World fishing 2012-01-13T13:15:51+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-09-01-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-09-01-2012#When:14:10:32Z The middle Tyne has fished very well recently with quality cod up to 8lb showing again. Tony Ellies had one of 7½lb, Darren Browne had one of 6lb 7oz, Stan Parkin had one of 5lb 6oz and Jim Brook had fish of 4lb 11oz and 3lb 1oz while fishing partner John Powell had one of 6¾lb. Paul Hague and Stephen Brown had five cod to 4¼lb between them. Roker has also fished well when conditions allow, Trevor Green went fishing with just a handline for a bit of fun with the whiting and took 24 sizeable fish, four flounders and a cod of 2lb. Returning with the more normal rod and reel, Trevor and a friend took 12 cod up to 4lb. Cleadon A.C. also found the hordes of whiting feeding on South Shields pier during their first match of 2012, winner Steve Gordon had 35 for 25lb 11oz, well ahead of Colin Mather who had 12 weighing 7lb 7oz, and Adam Johnson with seven totalling 6lb 6oz. Steve Brown fished the Tyne to land a cod of 2lb 5oz and lift the heaviest fish prize.The Hartlepool Pirates first match of the year saw 10 out of 11 weigh in mixed bags of mainly whiting and dabs. D. Bruce had 18 fish weighing 14¾lb, including a nice cod of 4lb 12oz to win the event. Second placed Steve Swales had 19 for 14lb 6oz ahead of Dave Robinson in third with 13¾lb and J. Watts with 13lb 7oz.Whiting are also out in force north of the Tyne. Keith Smith won a Blyth match with 20 whiting and four flounders weighing 17lb 10oz from Blyth beach, and Ian Greenacre took 24 whiting for 17lb 3oz, the best weighing 1lb 3oz. Jason French won an Amble match with 15 flounders weighing a total of 12lb 14oz from Embleton, and Ian Harrogate had eight whiting and eight flounders for the same weight from Druridge Bay. Peter Smith won a Blyth match with an 18 fish mixed bag of whiting and flounders weighing 13lb 3oz from Blyth beach well ahead of second placed Chris Kell and Keith Smith had the heaviest fish; a whiting of 1 – 06lb. Mal McIntyre only needed a single cod of 4lb 14oz from Seaton Point to win a Seaton Sluice match ahead of Jim Dunn whose three whiting and one cod weighed 4lb 10oz.The first Ryhope match of the year saw an excellent turn out and 41 out of the 88 entrants landed fish. John Topliffe took first place with 14 whiting weighing 3.66kg from the Wear while runner-up Alan Burton had three whiting and one cod for 3.19kg from the Tyne, including the heaviest fish of at 2.01kg. Third placed Wayne Harriman also fished the Tyne weighing in two coalies, two whiting, and a flounder for 3.15kg. Top junior was Lauren Haley with 0.91kg. The next match is on Sunday January 15th with fishing from 3pm until 7pm.South of the Tees it has been the odd bigger cod that has won club matches recently. The last Redcar Navy and Gentleman’s match saw only three out of 16 find fish. Wayne Smith managed a cod of 6lb 13oz from Port Mulgrave to win ahead of Dave Turner whose fish from the same mark weighed 1lb 9oz. A previous match saw five out of 20 weigh in and Bernard Westgarth won with a cod of 6lb 2oz from Whitestones, and Martyn Newbury only needed a flounder of 1lb 3oz to take second place.The popular Amble Open, sponsored by Greys Tackle, is on Sunday January 15th fishing from 10am until 3pm between Seahouses South pier (excluded), to Lynemouth Pipe. Disabled anglers may fish Amble pier and can be assisted by one helper who may also fish from the pier. All rivers are excluded, and no wrasse are to be weighed in. Basic entry is £12 for all entry classes and registration is at the Radcliffe Club Amble. Those weighing in must be in the queue by 4pm. All juniors with a valid ticket will receive a Greys goody bag at the weigh in. Top prizes are £400 plus a rod, £300, £150 for the heaviest bag; £200 plus a rod, £200, £100 for the heaviest fish; £150 plus a rod, £100, £50 for the heaviest flatfish and £50, £30, £20 for both ladies and juniors, plus a £7000 prize table. Contact Tony 01665 602034 or Jim 01665 711007 for details. North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-01-09T14:10:32+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/the-halibut-queen-dvd http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/the-halibut-queen-dvd#When:16:40:40Z If you only ever buy one sea angling DVD make it this one! The DVD entitled "The Halibut Queen" is a must watch for any anglers who want to tangle with these massive flatfish when visiting Norway.A combination of reel screaming action, magnificent scenery and brilliant underwater footage shot in full HD result one of the best action and instructional videos that I've watched. The video is filmed in the Tromso area of northern Norway with Fish4u guide Per Jonasson and enthusiastic angler Kenneth Bruvik who is in search of his first large halibut. Per is an experienced guide whose clients have had halibut up to 444lb in the past. Some of the footage was originally shown on Norwegian TV but the DVD includes additional footage and unpublished clips.The scenery throughout the footage is amazing as the open boat scoots about the fjords on a sunny day. The action footage is interspersed with fishing tips relating to lures and fishing techniques. The person to person commentary is subtitled, generally accurately, and Per has excellent English when explaining the fishing tips.There is also an English commentary over sections of the underwater footage. It is the amazing underwater footage of the halibut in its natural environment that left me gobsmacked when first viewing the video. Not only is the halibut shown over various types of seabed, handy when trying to suss out where they are located, but the fish are shown clearly stalking and taking the large shad type lures. The action of the lures is clearly visible in the clear waters off the Norwegian coast.Kenneth struggles at first to cope with the power but thanks to Per's instructions it's not long before the first of the halibut is at the side of the boat for release. The instructions on how to control the powerful fish are clearly explained by Per and well worth noting by "experts" and halibut virgins alike. Per explains how he likes to work the lures and why the artificial baits are successful.The strength and stamina of the halibut is clearly illustrated as Kenneth huffs, puffs and laughs his way through the multiple dive fights. The pair makes interesting use of a weigh sling to bring a 137cm fish, estimated at 35kg, into the boat for unhooking before tagging and release.There is a short but interesting section on the early life of the halibut including the eye migration in young flatfish.When calm conditions means that the boat does not drift over the ground at a fast enough rate Per makes use of the engines to slowly troll the lures. The main feature video lasts 33 minutes finishing with a 60kg 'but and one of the most extreme catch and release sessions that you'll ever see! The main feature with the underwater footage will provide entertainment for the non-angler while also illustrating some great tips for the serious angler targeting halibut.The DVD also features some extras including footage of Per battling with a massive 203cm halibut and extended suspense filled underwater footage of a halibut following and striking a lure. To me the gem in the extras is the video where Per explains about the rods, reels and lures that he uses, great information that will assist anyone heading to the Arctic Circle to try and capture one of these beasts. Drag settings, rod actions, lines, knots, leaders and unhooking are clearly explained via the sub-titles.All in all this DVD is a must for anyone wishing to hook and land one of these majestic flatfish and for those who can't make it north it provides images to fill your dreams.For details of how to purchase this DVD visit the website.  DVD and video, Lead Feature 2012-01-08T16:40:40+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/small-boats-of-sheppey-new-year-open-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/small-boats-of-sheppey-new-year-open-2012#When:15:31:00Z The Sheppey small boat club are running one of their regular small boat competitions on Saturday 29th January 2012. There is no limit on the sizes of boats for this event and entry fee is £15 per angler. Prizes are for the heaviest single fish and the first three places will be awarded cash prizes.Registration will take place from 12:30 until 13:10 hrs at Barton’s Slipway and fishing is from 13:55 until 18:45 hrs. All fish for weigh-in must be presented to the scales at Barton Point Beach, Minster, Sheppey not later than 19:15 hrs.Launching is over a pebble beach so a 4x4 is recommended but assistance may be available by contacting the organisers.Any specific rules can be found on the Club’s website.The last competition in December saw good bags of cod, whiting, flats and skate being landed with Mick Pilcher lifting the £125 first prize with a cod of 8lb 7oz.For further details visit the website or phone Mick – 07968815137 or Rick - 07876205577 Boat catches and results, South East England 2012-01-05T15:31:00+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-03-01-2012 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-03-01-2012#When:11:21:05Z A bit of a sea running brought a few cod inshore for those out fishing over the last few days with specimens to 8lb reported from several areas. An angler fishing the Tyne reports throwing some unused mussels into the river only to see a cod, estimated at 20lb plus, take the bait off the surface before disappearing into the murky depths of the river. Whiting continue to dominate catches in the south of the region with the Durham beaches, Hartlepool piers, and marks south of the Tees once again producing massive bags of quality whiting, even in flat calm seas in daylight.George Beckett won a St. Mary’s A.C. match with a terrific bag of 51 whiting weighing 42lb; a previous match however was not so productive with winner Dale Miller only needing eight for 3lb 12oz, most of the whiting have been taken from South Gare. George Goldsbrough won a Redcar Navy and Gentleman’s club match with 28 whiting totalling 21lb 1oz, Dave Turner finished second with 12lb 6oz. Richard Warburton and Wayne Smith tied for the heaviest fish each with whiting of 1lb 3oz.Hartlepool Pirates 2011 results saw Bill Bradley win the winter league with a total of 79lb 14oz, Steve Swales had 52lb 9oz and A. Dendrickson had 38¼lb. Their summer league saw Bill Bradley win with 38lb 1oz, Aaron Dixon had 18¾lb and A. Dendrickson again finished third with 8lb 14oz. Bill Bradley also had the heaviest fish; a smoothound of 7lb 6oz.A recent Tynemouth retired members match saw Tony Taylor win with nine whiting, eight coalfish and two dabs for a total of 14lb 15oz. Second placed Bob Gascoigne had eight whiting, six coalfish, and two dabs weighing 11lb 2oz ahead of Ken Robinson whose mixed bag of six whiting, four coalfish and two dabs totalled an ounce under nine pounds.Cleadon A.C. saw 15 out of 30 find fish with whiting coming from all the local beaches and piers. The top rod on the day Neil Cutler had a mixed bag of whiting, one cod, weighing 3½lb, and dabs for 13lb 6oz from South Shields pier. Runner-up Trevor Green fished Roker pier to land eight whiting weighing 7lb 5oz, and John Newcombe had a mixture of cod and whiting from the Tyne for 6lb 2oz.The Tyne was the productive mark for Keith Smith who won a Blyth match with a mixed bag of whiting and coalfish weighing 5¼lb while Rob Eltringham had flatties and coalfish from Warkworth weighing 3½lb to take second. Junior Robbie Farrell had the heaviest fish; a nice coalie of 1lb 11oz.The Alberta A.C. Christmas sweepstake on the Tyne saw 37 out of 65 finding fish. Winner Stephen Coyle had 15 totalling 12lb 3oz, Paul Phillipson had 16 for 11¾lb, and Robert Burton took the heaviest fish prize with a superb cod of 8lb 14oz. North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2012-01-03T11:21:05+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/an-irish-anglers-year http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/an-irish-anglers-year#When:09:42:18Z Irish angling journalist Ashley Harden reflects on a year of varying fortunes with rod and line in fresh and salt water.December is both a time for reflection on the previous twelve months and also of anticipation for what the coming year will bring. Passionate about sea angling, I have to say 2011 proved a very good year indeed, taking me to some wonderful locations, yielding a variety of quality fish, allowing me the opportunity to meet like minded interesting people, and all done within the confines of a beautiful little country, Ireland. Yes we might be in the throes of recession, and there are way more important things to concentrate the mind than where the next specimen fish is coming from, but life goes on so we might as well make the most of it. We all need to recharge the batteries while reducing the stress levels, and what better way to do it then go fishing.Ireland really does have a quality sea angling product with plenty of its best fishing opportunities still under the radar. In the last few years having returned to the sport after a decade away, I am amazed at the quality of fish that I have encountered. Yes the product is diminished and still under severe threat from bad management and overfishing, “the core reason why I gave up sea angling”, however since returning to the fold and by taking a methodical species led approach, my forays confined mainly to counties Wicklow, Wexford, and West Cork have been productive both in terms of species encountered and overall size.A trip to Montana, in mid summer 2009 for a spot of wild trout fishing opened my eyes due mainly to the way that the Americans approach their sport. They think nothing of travelling to Alaska for steelheads, Florida for tarpon, and Wyoming/Montana for wild trout. In all cases the product is marketed in a more sophisticated, specific way, and most importantly the yanks break up their year travelling to fish relative to the key taking periods. Given that Ireland is only a quarter the size of Montana it made sense to apply a similar approach at home, with lo and behold satisfying results. Sea fish caught or witnessed by me in 2011 were of a high average size with one or two being absolute monsters, Gerry Mitchell’s huge 60.lb plus Greystones tope standing out along with Denis O’Toole’s 16.lb Avoca sea trout. Throw in specimens of dab and mullet from the Beara, flounder from Wexford, shad from Carlow (sea fishing in fresh water, yes it can be done), smooth hound from Wicklow, partnered by a host of lesser brethren to include bull huss and pollack and one has to accept that Ireland really has a special resource. When I stop to consider that my story is just the experience of one angler, the mind boggles as to what the real picture is.My sea angling starts in May and finishes the following January, for clarity I shall stay within the calendar year as bequeathed to us by Julius Caesar. Broken into its components January of 2011 was allocated to a spot of cod and flounder fishing. After a gap period to allow our fishy brethren to procreate, an early visit to St Mullins, Co. Carlow after the elusive shad kicked off the season, followed by a trip to the Beara peninsula. Late June was devoted to bass and smooth hound, while July to September became a quest for tope with the latter three months allocated to winter sea species in particular flounder, dab, and codling. In between the road took a few tangents with a mid November trip to the Beara added, but overall the game plan was set in late December 2010 before the first bait of the New Year was cast in earnest.Finally released from a month of arctic conditions where snow lay deep on the ground and temperatures dropped to minus 14 degrees, I ventured out in early January to fish the beaches and estuaries of south Wexford. Two sessions stand out, casting my lug baited hooks into a rising tide west of Carnsore, as darkness closed in codling came on the feed partnered by some decent dabs and a flounder which well topped 45 cms. A week or two later on a blustery grey day fishing a prime estuary mark, a couple of lunker flounder sucked in my peeler baited kamazans. On their spawning run, fat and in excellent condition, after unhooking they definitely went forth and multiplied.Late April into May provided the most consistent settled spell of weather for 2011, characterised by sunny days and light winds. Word came by bush telegraph from St Mullins that the shad were up, which was the catalyst for a number of visits to this magical location in south Co. Carlow. Annually like clockwork the migratory shad, a herring like fish related to tarpon, enter the river Barrow to spawn in gravel beds at the head of the tide. One bright morning at high water I witnessed Declan Roberts from Cork catch and release a whopper 1.3 kg specimen shad. Tempted by a Tasmanian devil (what else) the interesting aspect was that it was only the 20th of April, now that’s early.West Cork and the Beara Peninsula in particular are close to this anglers’ heart, I make the journey at least twice a year, 2011 being no exception meeting up with friend Roger Ball from the UK in late May, and also taking a long weekend in early November. Strong southerly winds became a constant from June and as I write in late December are still present. The Beara is a specimen and species hunters paradise, however to get the best out of it you need settled weather, 2011 tested the patience of all who travelled there. Playing the percentages while using accumulated knowledge and hunches, some fine catches were made over the two trips, with rough seas limiting the opportunities on both occasions. May saw some fine pound plus dabs, codling to 2.5 lbs, and a specimen mullet taken, while November surpassed even that with bass to 4.lbs, codling to 3.lbs plus, at least one specimen dab, and a fine double figure bull huss for friend David Murphy.Bass for me were hard got this year which makes the few that did come my way all the sweeter. While local strands offered up their silver residents sparingly, in contrast smooth hound were plentiful, committing GBH to my surf gear on most occasions that I wet a line. Hauling rod tops over, dragging my number two rod out of the stand while playing its brother on number one, there were times when another pair of arms would have come in handy. What a cracking species, real sport fish, true greyhounds of the surf.Mid summer saw good numbers of sea trout enter the River Slaney and I enjoyed a number of evenings fishing for this elusive but sporting fish. In a pool about a mile below Scarawalsh bridge I was working a team of flies consisting of a Kill Devil Spider on the point and a Butcher when a slight lean on the flies at the end of a run close to a weed bed became a munching sensation, unfamiliar to me I put two and two together pulling down on the fly line while in tandem lifting the rod. BANG, a boil within which showed a paddle of a tail, silver and black spotted, morphed into an unstoppable run across the Slaney. My line fizzed and the reel screamed, the fish obviously a big salmon had taken the butcher intended for sea trout. Five minutes later after numerous deep runs with my arm aching, the single handed rod inexplicably straightened from its previous hooped shape. Gutted, I’ll never know how the hook came out, but the power of that fish will remain with me forever.Late summer became a tope quest off Greystones, Co. Wicklow, my 19’ lake boat being utilised when sea conditions allowed to reach some favoured predator marks east of the Moulditch, and down along the Kilcoole bank. Mackerel for the most part were scarce but Gary and I always managed to get enough for a days fishing. The target had been to land a tope on the Jean Anne before the end of August, and on a red letter 31st day of that very month we hit pay dirt with five fish to the boat from eight runs with one breaking the forty pound specimen weight. It was tremendous fishing, reels buzzing, long runs up and down tide, spells of inactivity only for fish to arrive out of nowhere, and that cracking specimen, well worth the celebratory pint of plain in the Beach House after.This brings us to the winter and a real possibility of reliving the old days given the amount of codling present off the south coast. Frank Flanagan from the Wexford based Menapia SAC enjoyed a fine session in mid October catching a haul of big codling from a local strand. Having opened my winter account with three two pound plus estuary flounder, I took Frank’s cue and headed for the south Wexford shingle banks. They did not disappoint, my first outing producing six species to include 3.lb plus codling and a mullet of all species tempted by lugworm, it must have been hungry.So here we are in December, the year has flown, Ireland’s international soccer team are off to Poland/Ukraine, Michael D Higgins is Ireland’s new President, and the codling thank heaven are with us in force. Without doubt the best winter season that I have had in years, catches topping two dozen codling with some prime coalies thrown in. Applying catch and release where possible, I’ve still enjoyed some cracking fish suppers.As I write the New Year plan has not really taken shape, although the Beara with Roger is a fixture come next May. The first two weeks in January will see me wrap up the season beach casting for Wexford codling, along with a flounder trip or two. St Mullins during April and May is pencilled in for the shad, and of course by late June I’ll be busting a gut to land a decent bass. My God it’s shaping up already, now what about those gilt head bream?Ashley is an all round angler with a passion for sea fishing, he has developed and maintains the angling information and marine conservation website http://www.anirishanglersworld.com, which highlights the superb sea angling available in Ireland’s sunny south east. Shore, Boat Fishing, Ireland, General Interest, Lead Feature 2012-01-02T09:42:18+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-26-13-2011 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-26-13-2011#When:11:20:45Z Whiting continue to dominate catches from all areas with the more sought after cod being a noticeable minority in all but a few locations. The better bags of cod have been from the river Tyne and from the Northumberland rock edges, where the odd bigger double figure specimen has been reported. While the odd cod has been taken most marks south of the Tyne, Roker pier and all marks down to Hartlepool have been overwhelmed with whiting and lesser numbers of dabs and flounder. Many anglers continue to take mixed bags of twenty or more fish with relative ease, and the Durham beaches and Middleton pier art Hartlepool have all been particularly productive. The best chance to pick up a cod among all the whiting has been from the low water marks when there has been at least a little movement on the sea during a night time session.South Shields pier fished well for the last Cleadon A.C. match producing an 11lb 14oz mixed bag of 15 fish for Steve Gordon. Steve Brown had three nice cod weighing 10lb 2oz from the Tyne to take second. Third placed Andrew Nickerson was on the pier to land five for 7lb 10oz ahead of Paul Smith with 7lb 6oz from the river. Terry Wood had the heaviest fish of 5lb 10oz from the rock edges at Whitburn.The pier also fished well for a South Shields match where Harry Elliott won with 9½lb, including the heaviest fish of 4lb 8oz. Andrew Nickerson finished second with 8lb 6oz and Mark Wilkinson in third had 3lb 11oz. 14 out of 34 weighed in 39 fish for a total of 41lb 13oz.The last Seaton Sluice match had a good weigh in with 10 out of 18 bringing over 70lb of fish to the scales. Ivan Stott had a great win with seven cod and a flounder for at total weight of 26lb 11oz, including the fine heaviest fish of 7lb 5oz taken from Lynmouth. Dave Cruddas also fished here to land five cod weighing 19lb dead, and Mick Bell had six whiting and three flounders from Blyth for 8lb 5oz.An Amble A.C. match produced a nice winning cod of 10lb 7oz for Gary Arkle pushing Tony Cook into second place with his bag of a cod and three flounders which weighed 4¾lb. Third placed Graham Bell had a single cod of 4lb 6oz. A Bedlington Station A.C. match also produced some better sized cod with seven out of 14 weighing in 40lb. Steve Surtees had four cod totalling 18lb 1oz, the best weighing 5lb 1oz, Steve Potts had 11 fish for 10¾lb, followed by Darren Shields with seven weighing 6lb 5oz.Mick Dellin won an Alberta S.A.C. match with 20 fish weighing 14lb 13oz from the Tyne, Mark Daglish had 15 quality whiting for a total of 11lb 14oz from Roker, closely followed by Paul Farrell with 14 for 11lb 7oz also from Roker.By contrast a Tynemouth Winter League match saw no cod weighed in at all with whiting, dabs, and coalfish dominating, all taken from the popular Blyth beach. Steve Hardy had seven fish for 6lb 5oz, Glen Campbell had eight weighing 6lb 3oz, and Kenny Patterson had five for 4lb 5oz. Ken Hill had the heaviest fish, a flounder of 1lb 6oz. North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2011-12-26T11:20:45+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/garmin-gsd-24-testing http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/garmin-gsd-24-testing#When:09:26:43Z Garmin recently conducted tests to compare the output from the well established Garmin GSD 22 and the new GSD 24 sounder unit. These units are designed to add sounder capabilities to the Garmin the extensive Garmin Marine Network range of chartplotters.The range of compatible devices can be viewed here.The GSD 24 features a vastly improved digital sonar design for superior target definition and deep-water performance.Get the Whole PictureWith up to 2,000 Watts of transmit power and a high-dynamic range receiver, the GSD 24 brings high-definition imaging to your compatible Garmin chartplotter. The system is dual frequency (50/200 kHz) capable and offers selectable transmit power (600 W, 1 kW and 2 kW, depending on transducer) for pin-point accuracy at depths of up to 5,000 ft (1,500 m). So whether you’re out sportfishing or just keeping an eye on hazardous terrain and reef structures beneath your boat, you’ll see a clearer picture with enhanced separation of images and deeper bottom detection.Plug and PlayThanks to the easy connectivity of the Garmin Marine Network, installation of the GSD 24 is a snap. Once connected, your sonar data will be shared on any compatible chartplotter on the network. Plus, the network's high-speed connections ensure that you get ultra-fast screen updates with minimal delay.The results of the comparison testing can be viewed in the slideshow below. Marine Electronics 2011-12-22T09:26:43+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-20-12-2011 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-20-12-2011#When:19:01:45Z A decent northerly sea last weekend brought good numbers of cod inshore in the south of the region, along the Durham beaches and into Teesbay. Some anglers fishing the Hartlepool piers had double figure bags of cod well over 20lb, plus quality whiting as a bait snatching bonus. On the tides when the whiting are dominating catches, a lot of them are well over the 1½lb mark and all areas other than the rock edges continue to produce bags of 30 fish or more. Middleton pier has been particularly productive for the whiting with odd cod to 6lb also reported. All baits will take whiting with bigger worm, crab, and shellfish baits having a better chance of producing that sought after cod.Lee Burton had a pleasure session at the Targets and landed four cod for 16lb, and similar bags have been reported from Seaham Hall beach.Hartlepool O.M.A.C. saw 12 out of 17 weigh in, mainly whiting, but with 10 cod also landed. Paul Lee had the heaviest fish, a cod of 4lb 15oz, Steve Sweeney had one of 4lb 1oz and Jay Kelly had one of 3lb 11oz. Dave Littlewood had the heaviest bag of 17lb 6oz, Ian Palmer Jnr. had 18 fish weighing 14lb 1oz and Ian Palmer Snr. had nine totalling 10lb 5oz.The last Hartlepool Pirates match saw a few cod taken among the whiting with seven out of the 10 anglers weighing in. The winner, Syd Burtcher, had a total bag of 14lb 7oz which included the heaviest fish, a cod of 6lb 1oz. Bill Bradley took second with a mixture of dabs and whiting weighing 5lb 10oz and Steve Swales had a mix of cod, whiting and flounders for 4lb 10oz.Tynemouth A.C. fished a match in the recent gales when only four out of 11 weighing in. Steve Elliott had three whiting, two coalies and a single dab weighing 4¼lb from Cullercoats, Glen Campbell had two whiting from Blyth for a total of 1lb 10oz and Marty Elliott had a cod of 1lb 7oz to take the heaviest fish prize.The Tynemouth Christmas match saw 37 out of 58 land fish from Tynemouth pier. Glen Campbell won with two whiting, a pollack and a cod for a total weight of 7lb 2oz while runner-up Billy Davison had two whiting, a pollack, which was the second heaviest fish at 3½lb, and a dab for 4lb 6oz. Third placed Norman Douglas had five whiting for 4lb, lady winner Lyndsey Storey had 12oz and junior Curtiss Dunn fished well to land five whiting weighing 3lb 7oz. The heaviest fish was landed by Paul Scott; another increasingly common winter Pollack of 3lb 9oz.Bedlington Station also found some nice cod feeding with 29 out of 101 weighing in 70 fish for 180lb. Darren Shields won the event with four cod totalling 19lb 1oz, including the heaviest fish of 7lb 10oz from Cresswell. Ron Smith finished second with four cod for 18¾lb from Blyth. Third spot went to Peter Stewart with 17lb 3oz, also from Blyth and Dave Cruddace had four weighing 15lb 12oz from Lynemouth. Ivan Stott won the club’s Christmas match with three fish weighing 5lb 2oz from Craster and Mick Burke’s cod of 4lb 10oz from Foxton was the heaviest fish.Mick Bell won a Seaton Sluice match with three cod totalling 7lb 15oz from Hartley Skeer followed by Peter Stewart with seven whiting and a cod for 7¼lb taken at Blyth. Colin Bell had seven for 8lb 15oz from Haven Rocks to win a Whitley Bay match followed by Ian Galbraith with a nice cod of 8lb 6oz from Hartley.South Shields pier has also produced fish, the last South Shields match saw Paul Smith win with eight weighing 10lb 6oz, Andrew Nickerson had seven for 9lb 9oz, and Robert Lees had three for 5lb 7oz. Ten out of 29 found fish in the last Cleadon A.C. match when Andrew Nickerson won with a mixed bag of cod and whiting from the afore mentioned pier weighing 5½lb, followed by Paul Harrison with a cod of 3lb 11oz and a make weight dab for a total of 4lb 4oz, also from the pier.The popular Amble Open, sponsored by Greys Tackle, is on Sunday January 15th fishing from 10am until 3pm between Seahouses South pier (excluded), to Lynemouth Pipe. Disabled anglers may fish Amble pier and can be assisted by one helper who may also fish from the pier. All rivers are excluded. Basic entry is £12 for all classes; register at the Radcliffe Club Amble and those weighing in must be in the queue by 4pm. All juniors with a valid ticket will receive a Greys goody bag at the weigh in. Top prizes are £400 plus a rod, £300 and £150 for the heaviest bag. £200 plus a rod, £200 and £100 for the heaviest fish. £150 plus a rod, £100 and £50 for the heaviest flatfish. £50, £30, £20 for both ladies and juniors, plus a £7000 prize table. Contact Tony: 01665 602034 or Jim: 01665 711007 for details. North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2011-12-20T19:01:45+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-xmas-fayre-event-2011 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-xmas-fayre-event-2011#When:17:51:10Z Kettering’s Dave Shorthouse was the runaway winner of the final Skegness Pier Angling Club (S.P.A.C) match of 2011, which was the annual Xmas Fayre event, held at Jacksons Corner. Despite losing a sizeable whiting when the line parted whilst winding in his first cast, Dave went on to catch a further six whiting and a decent flounder weighing 4lb 11½oz in total. To make a good day complete, he also won both the heaviest flatfish and round-fish prizes, with a 1lb 1oz flounder and a 1lb 2oz whiting respectively. Some way behind in second place was Croxton’s Dave Burr, who left it very late to catch two whiting and a flounder for 1lb 13oz. Wrangle’s Alan Steadman was also in amongst the prizes again, taking third place with two whiting weighing in at 1lb 3½oz. After the match a prize presentation was held in the Lookout Pub, where every angler received a prize and all enjoyed a festive buffet.The first S.P.A.C match of the New Year will be held on Saturday 7th Jan from 2:30 till 6:30pm at Trunch Lane, with Club members fishing for the C Smith Cup. There is also an open section, which non-members are welcome to participate in. For further information (including any bait requirements) please contact SPAC Secretary Chas Tibble on 07984 967988 or chastibble@hotmail.com East England, Shore Catches and Results 2011-12-19T17:51:10+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/sea-angling-for-beginners-fixed-spool-reels http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/sea-angling-for-beginners-fixed-spool-reels#When:17:16:26Z One of the most widely used types of reel throughout the sea angling word, the fixed spool is a great reel for beginners and experts alike.As its name suggests this reel has a spool which is fixed unlike the rotating spool of the multiplier. The line is wound onto the spool by the bail arm which revolves around the spool. While the spool does not revolve it does oscillate up and down on a spindle to ensure that the line is wound on evenly.Like all geared reels the fixed spool reel is not designed as a winch and a pumping action, lift the rod and wind the reel while lowering, should always be used when the reel is under pressure otherwise the gearing inside may be damaged. Some reels have stainless steel gears as opposed to brass ones and this helps the longevity of the components although they do tend to be noisier in operation.The fixed spool reel is fished under the rod and is generally used with the rod in the right hand while winding with the left. The handle design on the majority of fixed spool reels does mean however that they can be converted for use in the opposite hand. When casting the line is trapped between the fingers and the rod butt before the bail arm is opened. The line is released when the angler feels a pressure on the fingers during the cast. It is difficult to explain the exact moment of release but during the cast the angler will notice a natural release point and in a very short time, with practice, good distances can be cast with a fixed spool reel.The fixed spool reel does not require a breaking system for casting but they do have a drag system to allow the fish to take line during a fight. The drag is provided by a series of washers which apply pressure to the spool or spindle and is controlled via a drag adjustment knob positioned either on the front of the reel or at the back known as a rear drag. The drag should be adjusted to give line when the fish exerts a pressure on the line of one quarter of its breaking strain ie 2 kg for 8 kg line. The drag can be pre-set using a spring balance for accuracy.Reel design is constantly changing and Daiwa have recently produced a range of reels where the drag can be adjusted from the pre-set to free spool with a simple turn of the adjustment knob.Most fixed spool reels also have an anti-reverse button or lever which allows the angler to back wind if a powerful, running fish is hooked. Big game and vertical jigging versions tend not to have an anti-reverse system to prevent the angler accidentally knocking the reel out of gear. Most of the manufacturers fixed spool reel ranges have models which have a release lever incorporated in with the rear drag which allows the spool to rotate freely without the handle also rotating. These are customarily known as “bait runner” reels, a term which was used initially by Shimano but now has become a common name.The fixed spool reel performs best with lighter breaking strains of line and for optimum casting distance the spool should be filled with line as close as possible to the lip without the line spilling off. In the right hands and with balanced tackle a fixed spool reel will cast as far as a multiplier and indeed can outperform the multiplier with lighter weights and lines when spinning, light beachcasting or float fishing. The fixed spool also has a faster rate of retrieve than the multiplier which can be useful when speed fishing in a competition or when rough ground close to shore requires the angler to get their tackle up to the surface as quickly as possible. Reels for distance casting have tapered spools to allow the line to flow smoothly.The fixed spool also has the advantage of being almost idiot proof and ensures that the angler does not have problems with over runs particularly when fishing after dark.Maintenance of the fixed spool can be kept to a minimum if the reel is regularly washed down with fresh water and oil applied to the bail arm, line roller and handle. At the start of each season the body of the reel should be opened, the drag washers cleaned and fresh grease applied to the gears. With a little care a quality fixed spool reel will give many years of service. While there are plenty of online sites with advice for the stripping and servicing of multiplier reels the fixed spool is sadly neglected but with care when opening the reel casing the basic servicing is fairly straightforward.The fixed spool also has its place in boat fishing and is regularly used in situations where casting is required or light weights or lures are used such as uptide fishing, pirk casting and fishing with leadheads.ADVANTAGES• Easy to cast• Comparatively cheap• Good control in headwinds, bad weather and night fishing• Excellent with light lines and weights• Basic maintenance is easy• Good rate of retrieveDISADVANTAGES• Heavy and clumsy to use in larger sizes• Twists line• Drag has to be locked for hard casting• Tendency to snatch resulting in burst baits• Spool shape means that a large amount of line is unused• Can cut fingers during cast Beginners Series, Shore, Boat Fishing, Reels, General Interest, Lead Feature 2011-12-16T17:16:26+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-14-12-2011 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-14-12-2011#When:15:24:56Z The cold weather and a nice bit of movement in the sea have brought huge numbers of whiting inshore all along the north east shoreline. The greater numbers are showing in the south of the region along the Durham beaches, and from the Hartlepool piers, where some anglers have been taking bags of up to 50 fish a session. Among the whiting there are some fine fat specimen winter dabs, and if you are lucky, the odd cod that has managed to find the bait before the hungry whiting pounce. It does not matter what bait you use, as even supermarket bought mackerel, herring and squid will all take fish at the moment. Worm baits tipped off with any of the previous mentioned baits will easily take fish two or more at a time. A low water night time session may be the only time when any cod can be expected with any certainty.The piers at Seaham and Roker have seen cod landed even in calm conditions, the rock edges between Roker and South Shields have seen cod to 6lb reported. South Shields pier and the lower Tyne have also produced cod, and the same two venues have also seen some nice specimen coalies to 3lb being taken. The river Wear seems to have a lot more smaller specimens present, but the lower river is still producing reasonable bags of whiting, flounders and the odd codling.Hartlepool Pirates found plenty of whiting and dabs during their last match with six out of 10 weighing in. Bill Bradley had a 49 fish mixed bag weighing 36lb 10oz to finish first followed by S. Corrigan who did very well landing two fine cod totalling 11lb 3oz. Third place went to P. Shields with 10lb, and A. Dendrickson travelled to Roker to land a mixed bag of cod and pouting for 7lb 1oz. The club finish their year with an AGM and presentation night in the Stranton Club at 7.30pm on Thursday December 22nd.The Ryhope Christmas club match on Sunday saw 72 out of 74 weigh in huge numbers of whiting. Andy Rutherford won with 19 weighing 5.59kg while runner-up John Porteous had a cod and 10 whiting for 5.43kg, and Keith Johnson had a cod of 2.5kg, plus six whiting for a total of 4.87kg. Colin Smedley had the best flatfish at 0.47kg, and top junior was Thomas Rutherford with 1.31kg. Gordon Russell fishing Roker pier had a surprise pollack of 2½lb.North of the Tyne Steve Hardy won a Tynemouth match with three whiting, two dabs and a cod for 4¾lb from the ever popular Blyth beach, Glen Campbell had five whiting and a single flounder for 4lb 5oz from the same venue. Mick Clark won a Whitley Bay Winter League match with a single cod of 6lb 3oz from St. Marys Island, followed by Colin Bell with eight whiting weighing 5lb from Blyth. A previous match saw Gary Wilson win with a five fish bag of 10lb from Whitley Pipe, Mick Wood had a nice cod of 8¼lb from Haven Rocks, and Don Nicholson had a single cod of 5lb 13oz from Crab Hill. Bedlington Station A.C. had a good result recently when Gary Willis won with a three cod total of 16lb, the best of which weighed in at 6lb 14oz, followed by Steve Potts with 13 whiting weighing 12lb.Gary Appleton won a Seaton Sluice match with nine fish from the Tyne weighing 5lb 9oz ahead of Michael McGonigal whose two cod from the Beacons weighed in at 5lb. Third placed Peter Stewart had six whiting for 3lb 15oz from Blyth. An Alberta S.A.C. match saw most members fish the sheltered Wear where Darren Browne won with an 18 whiting bag of 13lb 14oz from Rathouse Corner, Stephen Coyle had 16 for 13lb 9oz from the same venue, and Mark Daglish had 20 smaller whiting weighing 12lb 14oz from Roker pier. Rob Wells won a Cleadon A.C. match with a single cod of 5lb 7oz landed from South Shields pier, Stephen Brown had one for 4lb 3oz from the Tyne, and Norman Spour had three for 3lb 6oz from Roker pierSunday December 18th is the date for the 14th Saltburn Sea Angling Open Shore Angling Championships with fishing from 11am until 3pm between Paddy’s Hole South Gare and Whitby East Pier, (pier included), all rope access to rock edge marks are prohibited and Skinningrove Pier is prohibited. Basic entry is £10 all classes which includes the heaviest fish pool. Register at the Spa Hotel Saltburn from 9am and the weigh in is from 3.30pm until 4.15pm. Details B. Westgarth 01325-720113, P. Race 01642-478351.The popular Amble Open, sponsored by Greys Tackle, takes place on Sunday January 15th with fishing from 10am until 3pm between Seahouses South pier (excluded), and Lynemouth Pipe. Disabled anglers may fish Amble pier and can be assisted by one helper who may also fish from the pier. All rivers are excluded. Basic entry is £12 for all entry classes, register at the Radcliffe Club Amble, and those weighing in must be in the queue by 4pm. All juniors with a valid ticket will receive a Greys goody bag at the weigh in. Top prizes are £400 plus a rod, £300, £150 for the heaviest bag; £200 plus a rod, £200, £100 for the heaviest fish; £150 plus a rod, £100, £50 for the heaviest flatfish; £50, £30, £20 for both ladies and juniors, plus a £7000 prize table. Contact Tony 01665 602034 or Jim 01665 711007 for details. North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2011-12-15T15:24:56+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-rover-2011 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-rover-2011#When:15:36:10Z The penultimate Skegness Pier Angling Club (S.P.A.C) match of the year was a biggest fish rover fished anywhere between Mablethorpe and Gibraltar Point, with anglers weighing in their single heaviest fish only. Unfortunately once again the cod did not show, with whiting deciding all the top placings. Match organiser Chas Tibble booked in all of the competitors at the Lakeside Leisure complex, Trunch Lane, then fished the beach straight in front of the complex throughout the 6 hours event. Fishing big chunks of frozen peeler crab on a 2 hook pennell rig at distance, he caught a 1lb 1oz 8dram whiting early in the match, which was just enough for first place. Kettering’s Jim Robinson continued his recent run of good form by taking second place with a 15oz 8dram whiting. Croxton’s Dave Burr caught 9 whiting to win a Chapel Beach Angling Club match run concurrently with the S.P.A.C event and made a good day complete by also taking third place in the rover with his best fish, which weighed in at 15oz 7drams.The final SPAC fixture of 2011 is a Xmas Fayre match, which will be held on Sunday 18th December from 9am till 1pm at Jacksons Corner, with Club Members fishing for the Carlsberg Trophy. There is also an open section, which non-members are welcome to participate in. The match HQ is the Lookout Pub, where a festive buffet will be laid on after the match, along with a grand raffle. For further information (including bait requirements) please contact SPAC Secretary Chas Tibble on 07984 967988 or chastibble@hotmail.com East England, Shore Catches and Results 2011-12-13T15:36:10+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/picture-perfect http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/picture-perfect#When:22:10:50Z The response to Planet Sea Fishing’s recent Dave Docwra photograph competition was overwhelming and left judge and professional angling photographer Mike Dobson with the tough job of deciding the winning images. The competition was not judged on the technical excellence of an image but rather on a picture’s ability to communicate fishing atmosphere, emotion or a message.There were so many images to choose from that I eventually decided to populate the top three places with one action image, one quirky shot and a trophy picture… and by golly, there were no shortage of those! The standard ranged from technically very good to ‘must try harder’, but instead of plumping for pictures that stood out well technically, I wanted to select those that communicated something of the ‘feeling’ of fishing and the great outdoors.I am a sucker for a good trophy shot, and those showing a great big fish held by a clearly delighted captor are what the best pictures are all about. How often do you see reader snaps and professional shots in the sea angling monthlies with a ruinous down-in-the-mouth expression on the face of the guy holding the fish? The answer is all too often. I do have to say however that ladies generally smile and crack a better image subject than their male counterparts - that’s just one of those odd things that you notice after donkey’s years of pointing cameras at anglers.The trophy shot claiming third place is of a smashing shore-caught tope held by a clearly very happy angler who is not afraid to flash his teeth in all their glory. This picture shouts sheer delight while communicating a real sense of personal achievement. Now I will hold my hands up and confess to a little bit of digital fiddling to remove some blood evident in the original image, but I had decided that a quick clean would be afforded to all shortlisted images if required.The tope is held well, and the angler’s hands are kept discreet rather than unwittingly blotting out the fish’s best bits like too great big fistfuls of sausages. The angler’s face is in focus suggesting that the photographer didn’t make the mistake of locking the camera focus on the fish. No prize but the third place plaudits are yours.Second place fills the action category slot and is awarded to Ashley Hayden for this beach scene. A knowing head tells me that the cast is something of a sideswipe, but that is just testimony to the trueness of the image for me. This is fishing in the raw, with none of the set up or contrition that can go into dedicated feature shoots. I like warts-and-all imagery that communicates actual action. This image of 'Big Red Riding Hood' does this in spades.The picture is well lit, contrasting light and dark well. The angler’s red top serves to draw the eye and lift the shot. There is a certain tempest in the sea and the breaking waves. There is something sensory about this picture where I can almost hear those waves crashing in and smell the salt. A fine effort Ashley; as runner-up, you just miss out on the Dave Docwra double DVD pack but you do get to be very chuffed with yourself.So to the winning image then. Well, this wasn’t an easy choice but for all my to-ing and froing through a final shortlist of 12 images I kept returning to one in particular. It was sent in by John O'Conner and I have christened it ‘Lonely Yellow’ for simple reference.This is a picture that perked my curiosity, and one that provokes many questions and interpretations. By intention or default, the image is more than ordinary. It has that special something that is hard to nail down and describe… and that is a big part of why I like it.Is it an eccentric visage? Is there some deeper hidden message here, or is humour prevalent? The truth is that I don’t know the answers to any of a dozen such questions that spring to mind, and that has to be reason enough to declare this quirky and thought provoking image a worthy winner. Very well done John, I think you have a horrid taste in motorcars but your winner’s DVDs will be on their way shortly… good man!I’ve included some other images at the beginning of this piece and in the gallery below that didn’t quite make the final three. I would like to extend my thanks to everyone who entered this great fun competition. I am told that there will be another soon and I look forward to mulling over the next bundle of your sea fishing pictures.The Dave Docwra DVDs can be purchased by emailing Jon Bryant - jon.bryant@btclick.com  Photography, General Interest, Lead Feature 2011-12-11T22:10:50+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-05-12-2011 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-05-12-2011#When:18:37:53Z Those who were out fishing late last Sunday may have been surprised by a big surge tide with water levels a metre or more above those expected, on what was a big tide anyway. Conditions were a bit interesting and the massive tidal range may possibly push good numbers of fish well up the local rivers.Even in the flat conditions of late cod have shown from most areas in decent numbers with a late evening sessions producing the best results in the north of the region. The lower Tyne has been on top form with plenty of double figure bags reported lately. Further upriver, flounders and whiting dominate, with the odd bigger cod and coalie as a bonus. The river Wear also has a few decent cod showing with specimens to 6lb reported among lots of smaller whiting and coalfish. Some anglers however, are reporting lots of crab activity in the Wear.The various beach and pier marks along the Durham shoreline and into Teesbay continue to produce mainly whiting, with the odd cod showing on bigger tides and from the low water marks where a big northerly sea is needed to shift the whiting and bring the cod back inshore. On some tides though, even a moderate surf has brought some fish within reach of the shore angler with Parton beach and Crimdon being productive.Hartlepool O.M.A.C. had another super weigh in on Saturday night when nine out of 14 landed 275 fish, mainly whiting and dabs, with a single cod caught. Steve Wilson had the cod weighing 2lb 7oz and finished top followed by Toby Lee with a specimen whiting of 1½lb and Steve Sweeney with one of 1lb 7oz. Chris Smith had the heaviest bag with a whopping 55 fish totalling 43lb 10oz with runner-up Steve Gibbins weighing in 38lb 10oz. Third place went to Dave Littlewood with 36lb 12oz to pip Toby Lee on fish number count back. The next match is Saturday December 10th fishing from 7pm until midnight; the whiting had better watch out. The club have their AGM on January 7thRyhope A.C. saw a few cod showing off Roker pier during their last match. John Robson won with six whiting and a cod of 1.61kg, for a 3.28kg total. Bob Surtees finished second with three whiting, two cod and a flounder for 2.71kg. Junior Thomas Rutherford was third with seven whiting weighing 2.47kg and Mason Burton had the heaviest flatfish, a flounder of 0.37kg from the Tyne.Cleadon A.C. saw 15 out of 31 find fish, mainly from the Tyne and South Shields Pier. Trevor Green however, fished the Wear to win with five fish weighing 8lb 7oz, Mark Shotton had six from the Tyne for 7lb 3oz and Paul Smith had 10 from South Shields Pier totalling 6lb 10oz. Alan Brigham took the heaviest fish prize with a cod of 4¼lb from Marsden. The South Shields monthly match saw all of the fish come from the pier where Mark Robson won with six fish weighing 8lb 3oz, Andrew Nickerson had five for 6 – 15lb and Steve Barnett had two totalling 1¾lb.Steve Harper won a Tynemouth Winter League match with five cod and a coalie weighing exactly 10lb taken from the Fish Quay while second placed Glen Campbell had 10 whiting for 5lb 11oz from Blyth beach, and Dave Hayley finished third with a cod weighing 2 – 13lb and a coalfish for a total of 3lb 11oz. The Tynemouth Sunday match saw Alan Norman win with four cod and three whiting weighing 15¼lb taken from the High Shore. Steve Harper was back at the Fish Quay to land seven whiting and a cod for 10lb 14oz and Daryl Bell had two cod, the best weighing 5½lb, for a 6lb 14oz total from the same venue.Bedlington Station A.C. also found plenty of cod in the lower Tyne with eight out of 14 weighing in 46lb. Steve Potts had 10 totalling 20lb 4oz from Haven Rocks; Zoltan had a single cod of 6lb from the Top Rocks, followed by Keith Armstrong with a single cod of 5lb.Blyth beach produced some quality whiting for the last Seaton Sluice match. Mal McIntyre won with 12 weighing 9¾lb, Dave Crudass had a single cod of 6lb 12oz, and Chris Guthrie had 10 for 6lb 11oz.A Northumberland Sea League match at Newbiggin saw Andrew Stanford win with five cod weighing 16lb 13oz, the best weighing 5lb 11oz, followed by Ritchie Douglas with 7lb 3oz.Saturday December 10th sees the Bedlington Station Evening Open with fishing from 6.30pm until 10.30pm between Tynemouth pier and Amble pier. Entry is £12 all inclusive, register at The General Havelock, East Sleekburn from 4.30pm until 5.30pm. First prize is £250 plus a full supporting prize table.Sunday December 11th is date for the Cloughton Open with fishing from 10am until 4pm between Skinningrove and Spurn Point Pilot Jetty. The weigh-in is at the Red Lion Cloughton from 4pm until 5pm. Basic entry is £10 seniors, £5 juniors, plus optional pools etc. First prize is £500 for the heaviest cod. Details from Chris 01723-515182 or Martyn 01723-871145Sunday December 18th is the 14th Saltburn Sea Angling Open Shore Angling Championships fishing from 11am until 3pm between Paddy’s Hole South Gare to Whitby East Pier, (pier included), all rope access rock edge marks are prohibited as is Skinningrove Pier. Basic entry is £10 all classes which includes the heaviest fish pool. Register at the Spa Hotel Saltburn from 9am. Weigh in from 3.30pm until 4.15pm. Details B. Westgarth 01325-720113, P. Race 01642-478351 North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2011-12-05T18:37:53+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/tutorials/read/servicing-a-daiwa-saltist-two-speed-lever-drag-reel http://www.planetseafishing.com/tutorials/read/servicing-a-daiwa-saltist-two-speed-lever-drag-reel#When:15:04:26Z A four part video tutorial from ReelSpeed on servicing a Daiwa Saltist LD35 two speed reel. The principals apply to all the reels in the Saltist two speed range.The Saltist LD Lever Drag series fishing reels are built tough with a rugged “full metal jacket” construction with virtually all components being metal for maximum reliability while most competitor reels at this price point are full of graphite components. Built to handle modern ultra-strong braided lines the frame and side plates are all constructed of a single piece rigid aluminium alloy.The Saltist main gears are machined from Daiwa’s exclusive high strength stainless steel stock. These gears have very tight tolerances for extra high strength and a smooth retrieve feel.With a powerful ratio and rigid frame support the Saltist should deliver exceptional winding power right out of the box. Backed up by the all new lever drag UTD – Ultimate Tournament Drag, a system that features stainless plates and a grease impregnated fibre washer, offering super-smooth drag pressure up to 22% greater than the max drag of competitor reels of the same size. The secret rests in the wet drag system which effectively combats performance robbing heat while maintaining maximum contact with the disc’s surface. Reels, Lead Feature 2011-12-04T15:04:26+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/alderney-angling-report-november-2011 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/alderney-angling-report-november-2011#When:22:06:12Z Shore angling should be at its best now but with very few anglers visiting the island it is hard to grab a handle on what is out there, in addition, post festival the locals are sticking to squidding off the quay or they have put their rods away until next year.My own efforts have been focused around my Species Challenge and where possible getting afloat in the boat to take advantage of the weather windows. I have had some excellent results afloat particularly in and around the rocky gullies lure fishing for bass. The superb Savage Gear Sandeels have been extremely productive to the extent that these eels out fish my plugs to the point that I may stick the hard plastics on Ebay. The venues fished at this time of year have tidal flows of between 2 and 6 knots, in depths of water from 8 to 35 feet, with the fastest flow in the deeper water.The more extreme areas produce the best bass but with the depth, overfalls, strength of tide and pinnacles to contend with it can become expensive as you try and run your plugs hard to the edge of any obstruction across the tide. The Savage Gear Sandeels have given me a different option though. I can run them deep quicker and generally get the retrieve in before the lure is swept around any barnacle clad rock. If the kelp grabs hold generally this lure can pull free, something a plug rarely does. Another benefit is the casting distance, they are much better than most plugs for casting so you are able to use a more stealth like approach to your fishing from the boat; keeping a better distance to where you believe the fish to be holed up out of the current. On my last session I used the second largest of the set to good effect but only switched to this when I had exhausted my plug options, 100g got the lure down and swimming in the current really well, first cast on this particular session saw a fish at the boat but not netted. Second cast as I drifted away I hooked a 2lb 8oz fish. As I drifted on the current its strength eased away so a switch to the 42g sandeel proved the dog’s doo dahs as I hit fish after fish. In two hours I managed 11 Bass to 6lb plus as well as several missed fish before the tide finished and the bass went off the feed. Nothing near the double figure mark but terrific sport nonetheless.Two other trips of note afloat I was targeting undulate rays on both occasions, not widespread around the island but I needed to try and complete my 50 different species target I set myself for 2011. On the first of these trips I fished a mark I have fished several times with no joy, mainly because I didn’t know how the tides operated around the small target area and previously my visits had been at the wrong time of year. Being late autumn I was more than content to give it a go and I got my anchoring spot on based on my previous experiences, so we weren’t continually spun around like a washing machine on a fast cycle. There is nothing worse when anchoring than to be dragging your weights around the bottom snagging any lump of rock, and you also miss the opportunity to build up a scent trail. Between my fishing buddy John Weigold and me we had a cracking time with black bream to 3lb, a brill of 7lb, three blondes in to double figures, red gurnards and a stack of lesser spotted dogfish to keep us on our toes. As darkness fell, the bull huss came out to play, somehow John missed them all whilst I finished up with six all, except one, around the double figure mark. We only headed home when our bait supplies were depleted.The second trip was on a recently discovered mark, very close to the harbour but never fished the seas can be turbulent. I took the opportunity to fish the mark during a calm spell in September and quickly realised its potential when I finished up with 12 species during the session including couches bream, plaice, blondes, small eyed ray among others. On the subsequent visit conditions were not so kind but being utterly desperate for that undulate ray to add to my species count for the year I gave it a whirl. Well it gave me a whirl actually, I got beat to bits as the chop and swell increased. Despite the adverse circumstances the trip turned out a great day. First drop saw an 18lb blonde grab the bait and after dropping a good fish on the down tide rod the black bream moved in. My ray baits were getting smashed to bits as 3lb plus bream hung themselves on 5/0 hooks. No undulate but a memorable session afloat.My shore fishing has been focussed on catching a three bearded rockling, not one of the monsters of the deep. After loads of outings trying throughout the year I have finally managed to nail one to give me 49 species from Alderney this year. Five weeks to go to lure the final one of the target 50. Boat catches and results, Channel Islands 2011-11-28T22:06:12+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/pflueger-trion-66-upgrade http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/pflueger-trion-66-upgrade#When:18:00:56Z Resident reel doctor Des Westmore digs into the Pfleuger Trion 66 and replaces a few vitals to ensure years of continued health and faultless fishing operation. The straightforward process is the same for the vast majority of star drag boat and shore multipliers, so with a just little patience and the correct replacement bits, anyone can perform a top job.If you have just hooked into a personal best bass, or any good fish that you want to get in the boat, then you need to know that your reel is reliable and up to the job. To begin with, it’s always helpful if the reel handle doesn't decide to start spinning round backwards, shredding knuckles and spewing disastrous loops of line in the process. Secondly, when your quarry decides to head for the hills, the satisfying feeling of the drag dispensing line with a fluid smoothness goes a long way towards curbing the anxiety that naturally precedes the fish being securely netted.My preamble takes me squarely to a reel I serviced recently for a friend of mine. The reel in question was a Pflueger Trion 66, which is a very tidy light tackle bassing reel. At the first time of asking I didn’t have a lot of time on my hands so the plucky little Pflueger was simply given a band-aid and returned to its owner while I set about tracking down the bits to get it back to full health. I needed to source the one-way Instant Anti Reverse (IAR) bearing, which was on its last legs and then there were the bits for the stuttering drag that needed serious attention.I called the servicing department at Pure Fishing, who own the Pflueger brand and they put me in touch with Quentin Millman at QM Services in Plymouth. Quentin didn’t have the IAR bearing or the sleeve that runs through it in stock but he was able to get both on special order from the States for the very reasonable sum of £13.00. With the IAR bearing sorted, that just left the drag to deal with… I just needed to know if I could get the correct parts.CARBONTEX: EVERY REEL SHOULD HAVE 'EM!I have used Carbontex drag washers as standard for some time now for all the drag upgrades in my reels, along with those that I service for anyone else. Until recently I have always shipped them over from Smoothdrag in the USA. The owner, Dawn Geider is incredibly helpful, not to mention knowledgeable on all things drag washer related. This time however the Carbontex washers were easily obtained in the UK from Russ Smith at Blakdog Tackle. I say easily but the Pflueger Trion is not the most common reel out there and I needed to identify the correct size of washers then find out for definite that they were available.I suspected that the washers from a Shimano Calcutta 400 would fit the Trion and indeed they did. Conspiracy theorists out there can make of that all they want but the bottom line is that if you own a Pflueger Trion 66 and you contact Russ Smith and order a set of Carbontex washers for the Calcutta 400, it will probably be the best £6.25 that you could spend on that reel. And to complete a real top notch job spend another £4.99 on a pot of Cal’s drag grease.Once all the components arrived, it was just a case of getting the recalled the reel back from the owner. With the handle off and the side-plate removed, accessing the IAR bearing was easy and viewed alongside the new one, the bearing looked even worse than I remembered. IAR bearings do have a hard life as they are made from carbon steel - they are not corrosion resisting - and the bearing cage is plastic. Also, if you read the manufacturers’ specifications for this type of bearing, it is recommended that they are paired up with a standard bearing. This is so that any radial load, such as that from winding, is taken by the standard bearing and the IAR bearing just does the job of making sure the shaft can only rotate in one direction.  Unfortunately many reels, the Trion included, do not have the other bearing which means the IRA bearing wears out prematurely. Another odd problem with IAR bearings is that over-lubrication can cause problems as well as under-lubrication. What I do is to make sure that the outside of the bearing is given a good coat of grease, but the bearing sleeve and rollers are just given a very light coating of Corrosion Block. The grease stops the bearing corroding into the side-plate and the Corrosion Block lubricates and protects the rollers.STRIPPING THE DRAG STACKTo strip a drag stack is usually just a case of prising the old fabric and metal washers out of the main gear with a small screwdriver or something similar. Sometimes they fall out; sometimes they are a bit trickier. In the worst case they are corroded into the gear and brute force is needed. In the case of the Trion, they came out pretty easily. The old fabric washers were soaked with oil and seawater but the metal washers cleaned up easily with lighter fluid. The main gear was showing signs of corrosion internally so needed a bit of work with a wire brush in a Dremmel.When you get a set of Carbontex washers, you get the ones that go inside the main gear, usually three, and also the one that goes under the main gear. Most often, this is much smaller than the others but is very important to the performance and feel of the drag. Carbontex washers can be installed dry if you want; they will work perfectly well and some people may prefer the feel of a dry drag. Personally I don’t and I think that a grease impregnated drag feels far nicer. More importantly though, a greased drag can be made impervious to seawater and will pretty much eliminate drag failure due to the ingression of salt water. For this reason, unless the reel is to be used for very light tackle fishing, I grease my drags pretty heavily. This means you sacrifice some lower drag range due to the grease dragging (sorry; I can’t think of another way to describe it) even when the star has been backed right off. The gains in reliability more than outweigh any of the disadvantages for me though. If you are very worried about this trait, you could try the lighter version of Cal’s drag grease which is also available from Blakdog. This also works well in cold climates so bear that in mind if you are off to Norway soon.The first step in reassembly is to give the underside of the main gear a coating of Cal’s grease. Then give the small Carbontex washer a coating on both sides and place it to the main gear, using the grease to keep it in place and replace the main gear on the shaft.GREASED LIGHTNINGNext, give the inside of the main gear a generous coating of the drag grease. Grease the first large Carbontex washer and place that in the gear. Give the first metal washer a light coating of the grease by just smearing it on with your fingers and place that on top of the Carbontex washer. For the remaining washers, you just repeat this procedure. Once you get to the final metal washer, give it a good coating on the outside to seal up the drag. As you apply pressure later with the star wheel, excess grease will be forced out from between the washers which should complete the sealing. It is this process happening that causes the “bedding in” period with a newly greased drag.All that remains is to slide the sleeve that goes inside the IAR bearing onto the handle shaft. I always put some Cal’s grease on the shaft first to stop salt water tracking in. You can then put on the IAR bearing, lubricated in the way stated earlier. If the IAR bearing is a tight fit in the side plate, you may need to push it into place within the side-plate first rather than assembling it onto the handle shaft. All that is now needed is some good quality waterproof grease on the gear teeth and the job is pretty much finishedFor more information on parts for the Trion, as well as many other reels, go to www.fishingreelrepairs.co.uk and for the Carbontex washers take a look at www.blakdogtackle.com Des Westmore, Reels, Lead Feature, Tackle care & maintenance 2011-11-28T18:00:56+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/supernova-in-the-right-plaice http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/supernova-in-the-right-plaice#When:16:40:05Z Being in the fortunate position of having a day’s holiday to use before the end of the year I decided that a trip out on the Supanova with Lyle Stantiford was too good to miss. Lyle’s catamaran out of Weymouth had proved a successful platform for me in the past and I looked forward to a productive day out.My Dad, Pops, had sneakily travelled down a day early and headed out for a session on our target species, bass. Unfortunately the silver torpedoes did not come out to play and as a result of this Lyle decided that our day out would be targeting plaice in the morning switching to turbot and squid later in the day to make the most of the available fishing.My heart sank when I heard this as flatfish are my nemesis. In 35 years of angling my sum total of flatfish caught are two plaice, a turbot, a dab and I seem to recall a couple of flounder from the shore when I was a kid. I steeled myself for a day of drifting, not knowing whether the knock on the rod was a fish or the seabed, and secretly hoping for a dogfish to relieve the boredom. If I should have learned anything from my recent outings it would have been to take nothing for granted and remain positive, because today would blow my misconceptions out of the water!After a quick bacon sandwich and cup of coffee at the Sailor's Return, where breakfast is served from half past six daily, Pops and I headed down to the boat to meet Lyle and the rest of the crew. We rigged up with flowing traces with short 30cm (12") snoods, 2/0 black Kamasan hooks, and a stack of beads, sequins and spinning blades. Black and green are reckoned to be the best colours and I added some 'glow in the dark' beads for good measure. Lyle pointed out to me that I had quite an act to follow after Pops’ performance the previous day. I explained that I have a complete mental block with regard to flatties and Lyle asserted that I was likely to beat my career plaice total in the first drift today - a brave prediction but then he is the expert.We set off into a fabulous sunrise that seems to typify this time of year - "if only it wasn't a flatty day it would have been perfect" I mused.As we arrived at the mussel beds Lyle said the tide was still a bit too strong to fish where he wanted to set up so we would have a first speculative drift on a different part of the established plaice grounds. I baited the hooks with three rag worm and a strip of squid and lowered away. As we covered the ground my rod shook and trembled with the braid on my reel feeling every lump and bump of the seabed. "This is hopeless I thought", it feels like I'm getting a bite all the time.One drift produced no fish and Lyle called for lines up and we headed further west and south. Here the ground was not so broken and there was less of an impact on the rod when drifting. I wondered whether maybe, just maybe, I might be able to find a fish here and know that I had hooked it. It wasn't long into the drift before the first plaice came aboard. I've spent many days before watching other anglers boat flatties with ease whilst I struggled and pessimistically I thought this day would follow a similar pattern.As we neared the end of the drift however I felt something different. It had to have been a nudge from a fish. I forgot completely that you are supposed to give line when you get a bite and kept a tight line. A couple of seconds later and the end of my rod bent over and I was in to a fish. I couldn't believe it, the day had barely started and I was into a fish - was it a flattie? After a lively fight a plaice surfaced, not a keeper, but a red spotted flat fish none the less. My enthusiasm rose and I quickly re-baited to make sure I was ready for the next drift.The next drift was the same, a few quiet minutes and then we were in to the fish. Lyle got busy with the net and I had another bite. No time to worry about giving line - the fish just leapt on the hook. Lyle explained that the wind over tide was assisting us by dramatically slowing the drift. The result for me was my first fish for the table and I had doubled my lifetime career plaice tally.Another drift and I had another fish for the coolbox. What had I been worrying about, this plaice fishing was easy peasy. Lyle kept us on the fish for the whole morning with drift after drift producing more plump 'spotties'.Pops had a slow start after his previous day’s success but then got in to his stride with a nice fish.Everyone was getting a slice of the action and one of our crew, after real bad luck with tackle loss, bagged a double shot; perhaps the purple beads did the trick.Both Pops and I noticed that we were getting a different type of bite at the end of each drift without hooking up. We gloomily predicted that they must be pouting or poor cod. A camera shy angler at the stern proved us wrong when he landed a clonking bream which the skipper duly displayed. Lyle was by now was very pleased with his morning's work - quite rightly I should add.Encouraged by the appearance of the bream, Pops and I both switched to hastily modified Wessex Rigs. We attached a Plaice snood to the bottom of the rig and fished smaller bream baits on the 'up' hooks.The result was instant for me. It didn't feel like a bream though and not like the plaice I had taken earlier. I wondered whether it might be a codling and Lyle said it was possible from the area of ground we were fishing. We were all surprised when it turned out to be a double shot of a plaice on the bottom hook and a nice squid on the top. The squid had take a size 4 hook baited with half a squid head and decorated with a yellow muppet - nothing like a bit of cannibalism in the squid world I guess.Pops' tactics were altogether more successful and he managed two bream as well as another plaice.So with a box full of plaice, bream and the odd squid, the Skipper suggested we try a speculative mark for a cod before we headed to the Shambles for crack at the Turbot. With the best of the tide disappearing from this mark and having had our fill of plaice we were all up for it. With thoughts of my seven plaice, I dropped another two, fresh in my mind we headed off to a piece of rough ground where we would fish shads for cod on hopping rigs for half an hour. We didn't manage a cod but a few large pout gobbled the artificials, which the sea-gulls were grateful for. I did have one heart stopping moment when my rod locked up solid but if it was a fish it let go pretty quickly.Next stop was the Shambles bank and this is a mark where I’ve struggled in the past. I wasn't too concerned though as I had enjoyed a brilliant morning and was keen to see if my good fortune would continue. We set up with flowing traces, 4/0 hooks and long, thin strips of mackerel. Soon after the start of the first drift Pops was in to a fish straight away which proved to be a small turbot. That made two turbot in two days for him and he didn't get to eat either of them as they both failed to meet the boat’s sensible size limit of 45cm.On the same drift a nice brill came to the boat as well as a good tub Gurnard. On the second drift I had a number of bites but I just couldn't hook a fish - the Shambles will continue to get the better of me I guess.Not the case elsewhere on the boat as another small turbot was boated and then another nice brill for the angler who would go on to catch a smashing turbot to complete his Weymouth Flatty Grand Slam.The fishing then went quiet on the bank and we headed back to the Mussel beds for a final crack at the plaice. The tide was running hard however and with the wind now with the tide we were scooting along at 2.5 knots. Pops managed one very nice plaice but the rest of us blanked and Lyle quickly made the decision to head back in to Weymouth Bay and have a final go at a squid while he cleaned and gutted the fish.We didn't have the instant action we had enjoyed on a trip six days earlier and one by one a number of the crew set their rods down and watched Lyle preparing the catch. But I persevered and, as the fat lady was warming up her tonsils, I felt a pluck at my jig followed by my rod bending double. A couple of minutes later and I had another nice squid for tea! Another squid was lost at the back of the boat before two more were netted within the space of a few minutes.This was a great way to end a superb day's fishing. Lyle made an excellent call to change to change the plan rather than allowing us to waste our time and money by drifting the race for bass that weren't there and his prediction of doubling my plaice tally was slightly out of whack as I more than quadrupled it. I look forward to having another crack at these lovely fish again.So now my thoughts will turn towards the winter staple of the Channel Whiting and it will be spring when we are next back aboard Supanova for a battle with the seasonal pollack. Bass, Bream, Plaice, Lead Feature, Weymouth 2011-11-25T16:40:05+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-november-2011 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-november-2011#When:16:56:25Z After hitting the heights in the Skegness Pier Angling Club (SPAC) match held at Jacksons Corner, a move north to Chapel Six Marsh for the latest match had a disastrous effect on catches. Only 3 anglers managed to weigh in, with Kettering’s Jim Robinson finishing top man with 2 small flounders for 1lb 1oz. Jim also took the heaviest flatfish prize with his best flounder weighing 10oz. Wrangle’s Alan Steadman left it late, but eventually came up trumps to take second place with a single 8oz dab. This was a very valuable fish, as apart from also taking the heaviest round fish award by default, it won Alan the inaugural SPAC Knockout Final, as his opponent Neil Jackson, failed to catch. Corby’s Paul Marshall framed yet again, taking third place with 2 small dabs for 7½oz.The next SPAC match is the popular Biggest Fish Rover, which will be held on Saturday 10th Dec from 2 till 8pm between Mablethorpe and Gibraltar Point. This match is open to all, with entrants weighing in their single biggest fish only. Match HQ is Lakeside Leisure on Trunch Lane and a raffle will be run on the day. The picture shows last year's winner Mark Holmes. For further information please contact SPAC Secretary Chas Tibble on 07984 967988 or chastibble@hotmail.com North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2011-11-23T16:56:25+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-21-11-2011 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-21-11-2011#When:18:56:15Z The recent heavy south easterly seas brought plenty of cod inshore for a few days, and those who managed to avoid the ever present whiting had some nice specimens up to 6lb or more among mixed bags of 20lb plus. The piers at Hartlepool have been on top form with good numbers of quality fish taking worm, crab and mussel baits. Anything tipped off with mackerel or squid instantly attracted the hungry whiting. Middleton Pier in particular produced lots of fish when the sea was at its heaviest. The low water marks also fished well as the sea dropped away, with the Staincliffe and Durham beaches all fishing well after dark. The Wear and Tyne have large numbers of cod, whiting and coalfish showing and proved popular when the sea has been too heavy or it has been too windy to fish the open beaches.Hartlepool O.M.A.C. had another good weigh in with 15 out of 17 landing 100 fish, including 20 cod, for a total weight of 125¼lb. Kenny Gooding landed the heaviest fish, a cod of 5lb 7oz just beating Brian Chapman who had one of an ounce less, and Jay Kelly with one of 4½lb. Ian Palmer Jnr. had the heaviest bag at 19¼lb, a nice mix of cod, whiting and flatties. Runner-up Toby Lee had a similar bag make up to weigh in 18lb 3oz and Ian Palmer Snr. Finished third with 13lb 1oz.Hartlepool Pirates also found a few cod in their last match where Syd Burtcher had five totalling 7lb 4oz from Rathouse Corner in the Wear to take top spot. Bill Bradley finished second with 2lb 10oz from the same venue. D. Dixon beached the heaviest fish of 2lb 2oz from Horden, and Adam Dendrickson fished the rock edges at Hartlepool to land one of 1lb 15oz. The next Club meeting is November 24th in the Stranton Club at 7.30pm.A recent Seaton Sluice match saw most of their fish coming from the Amble area where 10 out of the 17 anglers weighed in mainly single codling. Gary Appleton managed two cod for 7lb 9oz, best 4¾lb, Mal McIntyre had two weighing 3lb 15oz and Callum Stephens weighed in 2lb 3oz.S.B.R.A.A.C. saw Blyth beach produce the fish during their last match with over half the anglers finding fish. Phil Smithson had a nine fish mixed bag totalling 10lb 9oz, Kevin Moffat had 12 weighing 7½lb and Gary Wilson had four for 7lb 8oz, including the best fish of 3lb 7oz.Bedlington Station saw 10 out of 23 weighing in and Blyth was top spot again for winner Darren Shields who had six nice cod totalling 18lb 3oz, the best weighing 6lb 3oz. Second placed Chris Potts had four cod for 9lb 9oz from Cresswell while Steve Potts had four weighing 7½lb from Blyth to finish third.Word gets around quick when the fish are showing and the Tynemouth Winter League match saw everyone head off to Blyth Beach where Glen Campbell won with 18 whiting weighing in at 12lb 9oz, Steve Harper, in second had 15 for 11lb 10oz, and Kenny Patterson had 10 totalling 6lb 10oz.Ryhope A.C. saw 30 out of 68 weigh in, but in the flat seas the cod had long gone. Keith Carter did manage one of 1.81kg taken from Marsden to take both the heaviest fish and heaviest bag prizes. Junior entrant Mason Burton fished the Tyne to land one flounder and four whiting weighing 1.73kg, Mason’s bag included the heaviest flatfish of 0.47kg, and Frankie Terry also travelled to the Tyne to land five whiting for 1.60kg.Sunday November 27th is the date for the Sunderland Shore Angling Festival, organised by Ryhope A.C., Eastenders A.C., East End and Hendon A.C. and Rutherfords Angling Ltd. Fishing is from 1pm till 5pm between South Shields pier (excluded), the river Wear up to the Queen Alexandra Bridge, and down to Seaham North Pier (excluded). Basic entry is £12 for all entry classes. Register at the Eastenders pub, High Street Sunderland, or in advance from selected tackle shops. This is a heaviest fish match and anglers can only weigh in one single fish, and all prizes are for the heaviest fish with £500, £300, and £200 for the top three, plus a £3000 prize table, and special prizes for the heaviest flatfish. Contact Bob Surtees 0794056594, Ernie Hunter 07984306120, or Rutherfords Angling 0191-5654183 for further details.Looking slightly further ahead there will be plenty of Open and Sweepstake matches over the Christmas holidays. Alberta S.A.C. have their Open on Tuesday December 27th fishing from 8am until 2pm in the Tyne. Basic entry is £5 plus various sweeps. Register at Hebburn Marina from 7am until 7.30am. Prizes are for the heaviest bags and heaviest fish based on entry. North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2011-11-21T18:56:15+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/harrington-sac-cod-open-2011-results http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/harrington-sac-cod-open-2011-results#When:10:00:48Z Harrington Sea angling club held their annual open cod competition on Saturday 12th Nov in aid of the Workington lifeboat. The event, sponsored by EON Energy, Graham’s Gun & Tackle, Workington and Cumbria Angling, Whitehaven, was fished between the blocks at Workington Pier to Whitehaven North Pier. An excellent turnout saw 131 anglers taking part and fishing the heaviest fish event from 4pm to 8pm in a light southerly wind.Top of the senior list was Mark White from Barrow with a cod weighing 3lb 12oz ahead of Workington’s Steve McAdam who best cod weighed in at 3lb 5oz. Third placed Mike Cook also from Workington only just missed out on the runner-up spot with a cod of 3lb 4 ¾oz cod. Best of the juniors was Elliott Neesham from Dearham whose cod weighing 1lb 2¾oz beat most of the adult entrants.The winners of the pairs comp were Andrew Foster and Steven Litt with a combined weight of 5lb 4½oz.The majority of the cod fell to black lug; either on its own or cocktailed with peeler crab. However Laura Wilson, one of the female competitors, landed a nice fish of 2lb 10oz on frozen squid and mackerel. North West England, Shore Catches and Results 2011-11-16T10:00:48+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-14-11-2011 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-14-11-2011#When:16:11:43Z The better cod fishing is still in the north of the region where some anglers continue to take decent bags from the Northumberland and Tynemouth rock edge marks, the river Tyne, and occasionally, from South Shields pier. The cod are feeding even when conditions are settled and the weather is more like late spring than winter. Elsewhere it is whiting that are the dominant species with large numbers moving inshore during late evening and night time tides. On some days the Durham beaches and Hartlepool piers are overwhelmed with the bait nabbing masses. Some nice fat winter dabs and smaller flounders are among them, but the hordes of hungry whiting are nearly always getting to any bait before any other species has a chance. Any worm baits tipped off with mackerel, herring or squid will certainly produce plenty of fish, and bags of over 30 fish in a four hour session are not unusual.This is the time of year when Ray's Bream are often found stranded on the shoreline, and any silver coloured fish that looks like a large piranha type fish with an upturned mouth is a Ray's Bream. They are nice to eat if you can find a live one, and returning them to the sea is rarely successful as they nearly always beach themselves again. As a bit of an experiment a fresh one cut up into strips can also be a good bait for whiting.Alberta S.A.C. had a good result in the Tyne with all but one of the 21 anglers weighing in the expected mixed bags of whiting, cod, coalfish and flounders totalling 116 fish weighing 89½lb. D. Graves had 10 totalling 12lb 5oz, M. Dellin had 18 for 10lb 9oz and E. Bell had 14 weighing 10¼lb.British Rail S.A.C. fished at Walker in the Tyne, and on a measure and release basis Alan James had four coalies, three whiting and one cod measuring 292cm, the best a coalfish of 44cm; Harvey Keithlow had three totalling 91cm, and Les Park two for 65cm.Cleadon A.C saw most of their fish taken from the Tyne during their last match but results were well down on previous weeks with only 10 out of 34 finding fish. Mark Shotton managed four cod totalling 5½lb from the Tyne, Ian McLaghlin had two weighing for 4¾lb, including the heaviest fish at 2lb 11oz, from Boaties Bay, and Gav Hall had a mixed bag of cod and whiting from the Tyne weighing 3lb 12oz.There are plenty of flounders and whiting along the clean ground Northumberland beaches after dark where Ian Harrogate won an Amble match with seven whiting and six flounders for a total of 9lb 7oz, Ashley Gray had seven weighing 6lb 11oz, and Craig Taylor had six for 6lb 3oz.Sunday November 27th is the date for the Sunderland Shore Angling Festival, organised by Ryhope A.C., Eastenders A.C., East End and Hendon A.C. and Rutherfords Angling Ltd. Fishing is from 1pm until 5pm between South Shields pier (excluded), the river Wear up to the Queen Alexandra Bridge, and down to Seaham North Pier (excluded). Basic entry is £12 for all classes; register at the Eastenders pub, High Street Sunderland, or in advance from selected tackle shops. This is a heaviest fish match, anglers can only weigh in one single fish, and all prizes are for the heaviest fish with £500, £300, and £200 for the top three, plus a £3000 prize table, and special prizes for the heaviest flatfish. Contact Bob Surtees 0794056594, Ernie Hunter 07984306120, or Rutherfords Angling 0191-5654183 for further details. North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2011-11-14T16:11:43+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/sea-angling-for-beginners-multiplier-reels http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/sea-angling-for-beginners-multiplier-reels#When:18:35:08Z The multiplier reel gets its name because the spool which holds the line is geared to revolve several times for each single turn of the handle. One turn of the handle can rotate the line spool two to seven times depending upon the size and design of the gears.Multiplier reels generally have a gear ratio listed in their specifications such as 4.7:1 or 6.0:1.The higher the ratio the more rotations of the spool per turn of the handle and vice versa. Large heavy duty reels usually have the smallest gear ratio in order to retain the greater winching power at the expense of the speed of retrieve.A smaller diameter line spool of an ABU 6500 sized reel geared in a ratio of around 6:1 will give a recovery rate of line between 725mm (25inch) and 975mm (30inch) for each turn of the handle. The rate of retrieve is governed by both the gear ratio and the line capacity of the spool.Once the sole domain of the big game angler most reel manufacturers now feature twin speed reels in their multiplier range. These reels have a high gear ratio for winding the tackle back at speed and can drop into a lower gear when fighting a heavy fish at the press of a button.The vast majority of multipliers are mounted on top of the rod with the rings facing upwards. There are a couple of novelty models that are fished under the rod. Most multiplier reels are right handed in use ie the handle is on the right hand side when in use, but several left handed models are available. The reel is fixed to the rod by the reel foot situated on the bottom of the reel and larger boat reels may also feature a securing clamp which attaches to the frame of the reel.The spool of a star drag multiplier is set into free spool, for casting or lowering from a boat, by way of a small lever or push button located on top of the side plate with the handle. In the case of the lever drag reel the spool is released using the drag lever itself. When using multipliers for boat fishing the line is controlled throughout the release or cast by light thumb pressure on the revolving spool. Failure to do this can result in an over-run of the line, causing a tangle in the line. This is usually referred to by anglers as a bird’s nest or over run, and is the result of the line spool revolving faster than the amount of line actually leaving the reel.In shore fishing and casting reels the risk of this can be minimised by the incorporation of braking system in the design of the reel. Common braking systems range from oil on the spool spindle and bearings through small centrifugal action brake pads made from nylon to hi-tech magnetic control of the rotating line spool.The nylon brake blocks are fitted onto a cross bar on the spool spindle on the end of the spool, and as the spool rotates; these are pushed outward by centrifugal force, onto a braking drum. The resultant friction slows down the spool rotation. Different sizes of brake blocks are available to control the line spool speed; they only give the angler the minimum amount of control although more than that gained from oil alone.A magnetic braking system can offer much more control to the speed of the spool. A magnetic field is set up between the spool and the magnets, causing it to slow down. This slowing down is dependent upon the number and power of the magnets in the reel and the distance of the magnets from the spool which can usually be adjusted by a control on the side of the reel. Reels without a braking system can have magnetic brakes fitted as an aftermarket add-on. These can be in the form of fully adjustable kits or simple fixed magnets glued inside the reel end plates.The use of the above systems is mainly required when casting, for simple down-tide fishing heavy oil, such as car engine oil, on the spool spindle and bearings will give sufficient control of the line spool. A certain amount of braking pressure can be applied on some reels where the float of the spool is adjustable by turning a knob on the side plates. Care should be taken not to over tighten these as it can result in the spool spindle being warped.Some braking devices work better than others and the best way to overcome the problems associated with line tangle is for the angler to learn to use the multiplier reel properly. When retrieving the line the angler should spread it evenly over the spool using the thumb if an automatic level wind is not fitted to the reel. A well laid line will help counteract over runs. A level wind is sometimes fitted to smaller reels and this mechanism moves back and forward across the face of the spool laying the line in a neat fashion. Unfortunately they will cut down casting distance and are frowned upon by experienced shore anglers.An important feature of the multiplier reel is an adjustable slipping clutch mechanism. This is operated by a star wheel or lever drag control located beside the handle of the reel. It can be adjusted to fine limits so as to release line smoothly when under pressure from a fighting fish. Reels with star drags have a set of washers, metal, carbon fibre or plastic which in combination exert an adjustable pressure on the spool. The drag is tighten by turning the star wheel clockwise and slackened off by rotating in the reverse direction.Lever drag reels use drag washers with a large surface area to provide the required friction against a drag plate. The lever drag is set up so that when the lever is against the limiter it is at the required pressure by turning a pre-set knob or wheel. Additional drag pressure can be applied by depressing the limiter button and shifting the lever forward. The drag is reduced by moving the lever backwards towards the free spool position.The drag should be adjusted to give line when the fish exerts a pressure on the line of one between one quarter and one third of its breaking strain ie 5 to 7kg for 20kg line this gives a margin of error when fighting the fish. The drag can be pre-set using a spring balance.The frame and side plates of the reel should be of quality, corrosion proof materials. A feature on some multiplier reels is the quick ‘take-apart’ design offering large grip screws that allow the line spool to be easily removed and changed. It also permits easy access to the gears and other moving parts for maintenance.The line spool must be filled to the correct capacity with line. This should be between 2 and 4mm from the rim of the spool for general boat and shore fishing but when learning to cast a part filled spool will rotate slower and will be less likely to cause an over run. Spools must also be strong enough to withstand the crushing effect of tightly wound line. The spool should be strong and lightweight, preferably of one piece machine cut aluminium alloy but glass fibre, carbon fibre, plastic can be used for shore fishing and cast metal can also be used from the boat. Heavy metal spools are unsuitable for casting due to their weight.Ball race bearings or bronze bush bearings support the spindle, which runs through the centre of the line spool, giving a low friction revolution of the spindle and ultimately, the spool; hence the requirement for a braking system.The majority of multiplier reels have a ratchet button fitted to the side of the side opposite the handle. This serves as an audible warning device when trolling or ledgering and helps ensure tangle free operation when setting up the reel on the rod and threading the line through the rod rings.When and angler selects a multiplier reel care must be taken to ensure that the reel balances with the rod class and line to be used. In the case of shore fishing it is essential that the reel is designed for casting. This will greatly improve the working ability of all the equipment and give better sport.A multiplier reel is basically a winch, and when used in conjunction with a rod, lifts fish and terminal tackle from the sea bed to the boat. It can be a complicated piece of engineering and must be cleaned in warm, fresh water after use. If necessary it can be scrubbed with an old toothbrush before being left to dry thoroughly. Oil and grease the reel according to the manufacturer's instructions. Sparing use of a water repellent spray ie WD40 will aid moisture removal. Saltwater will, in time, corrode any reel destroying chromium plating, alloy parts, pitting bearing surfaces etc. A good multiplier reel, which is well looked after, and regularly serviced, will last for many years of angling and not let you down.The multiplier reel is also known as a conventional or bait-casting reel in areas outwith the UK.Larger versions of the illustrations in this feature can be viewed by clicking on the gallery below.ADVANTAGES• Gives smooth casts• Light in weight• Allows full use of spool capacity• Gives efficient control of hooked fish• Comfortable to useDISADVANTAGES• Difficult to master when casting• Comparatively expensive• Requires regular maintenance and tuning• Difficult to control in bad weather Beginners Series, Shore, Boat Fishing, Reels, General Interest, Lead Feature 2011-11-10T18:35:08+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-whiting-hordes http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-whiting-hordes#When:12:27:57Z Jackson’s Corner beach showed once again why it is rated as one of the top whiting venues along the Lincolnshire coast, in the latest Skegness Pier Angling Club (S.P.A.C) match for the Beachcomber Trophy. Despite the rough conditions, there were 187 fish caught by the 13 anglers, with the top three all weighing in double figure bags. Corby’s Paul Marshall continued with his current rich vein of form to run out a comfortable winner, with 25 whiting and a flounder weighing 15lb 6¼oz. Neil Jackson from Lincoln caught steadily throughout the match to come in second with 26 whiting and a dab totalling 13lb 4oz. He also won the heaviest round fish prize with his best whiting, which tipped the scales at 1lb 3oz. Woburn’s Dave Shorthouse had a ding dong battle with Neil up until the last half hour, but in the end had to settle for third place with 24 whiting weighing 12lb 14½oz. There was a tie for the heaviest flatfish award with Wrangle’s Paul Cridland and Bob Foster of Kettering each catching 1lb 2oz flounders. Both semi-finals of the inaugural SPAC Knockout were completed on the day, with Neil Jackson upsetting the form book with his narrow victory over number one seed Dave Shorthouse and Alan Steadman from Wrangle comfortably beating Mablethorpe’s Kevin Bebbington.The next SPAC match will be held on Sunday 20th Nov from 11am till 3pm at Chapel Six Marsh, with Club members fishing for the A Smith Cup. There is also an open section, which non-members are welcome to participate in. For further information please contact SPAC Secretary Chas Tibble on 07984 967988 or chastibble@hotmail.com East England, Shore Catches and Results 2011-11-08T12:27:57+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-07-11-2011 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-07-11-2011#When:13:05:33Z A lift in the sea produced by the occasional easterly or south easterly winds has resulted in the cod moving inshore in reasonable numbers, the best results have again been in the north of the region, and from the rivers. However more cod are starting to show from the rock edges around Sunderland and from the Durham beaches where the low water marks have proved productive on night tides. Large numbers of quality whiting, flounders and dabs have kept most anglers busy during day light sessions, and double figure mixed bags have been relatively common. The rivers Wear and Tyne remain very popular and fish are almost guaranteed to show with the odd bigger cod among the whiting and coalfish. Teesbay and the Hartlepool piers have been overwhelmed with whiting on tides after dark and cod have been scarce mainly because the hordes of whiting and dabs are getting to any baits before any other fish has a chance to feed. Club matches and pleasure anglers have taken mixed bags to well over 30lb.Hartlepool Pirates saw seven anglers weigh in for their last match with the inevitable mixed bags of whiting, dabs and flounders dominating. Steve Swales had 30 whiting for a total of 21½lb while second placed J. Watts had a mixed bag of 25 fish weighing 15lb 15oz, and Adam Dendrickson had 13lb 6oz to take third. Next match is Friday November 11th fishing from 7pm till midnight, next meeting, where new members are welcome, is in the Stranton Club on November 24th at 7.30pm.Hartlepool O.M.A.C. also found the whiting in a feeding frenzy on Saturday night with 13 out of the 16 entrants weighing in. The overall winner Chris Smith had 36 weighing 26lb 14oz, the best weighing 1lb 5oz followed by Dave Littlewood with 23lb. Third placed Ian Palmer landed 30 weighing 22lb while in fourth Mark Brallisford had 22 fish totalling 17lb 10oz. Brian Chapman took the heaviest fish prize with a cod of 2lb 14oz.Winter flounders are now starting to show from the clean ground beaches in Northumberland with the popular marks at Druridge Bay and Embleton producing double figure bags including the occasional coalfish and whiting on night time tides, particularly during settled conditions when double figure bags have been necessary to win club matches.South Shields A.C. had a good result in summer like conditions on Sunday with 11 out of 20 anglers weighing in 63 fish for a total of 54lb 7oz, taken either from South Shields pier or in the Tyne. Paul Smith weighed in 13 for 10¼lb to win while Robert Lees took second with nine fish weighing 8lb 7oz. Third spot went to Marc Wilkinson with six fish weighing 7¼lb including the heaviest fish; a cod of 3½lb.A South Shields mid week match saw a nice southerly swell push cod into range of the pier anglers and seven out of the13 fishing weighed in a total of 25lb 2oz. Marc Wilkinson had three cod for 8lb 5oz, Geordie Cooper had three weighing 7lb 5oz, including the heaviest fish at 4lb 13oz.Kenny Patterson won a Tynemouth Sunday match with four whiting, four coalies and three cod, best 2lb 1oz, for a total of 10lb 11oz taken from the Ice House in the Tyne and Dave Hayley had seven coalfish, a dab and a whiting weighing 8lb 3oz from the pier to finish runner-up.Ian Harrogate won an Amble match with 10 flounders, the best weighing 1lb 6oz, one coalfish, and one whiting for a total of 12lb 14oz. Second spot was filled by Ken Middlemist with a bag of nine flounders and five coalfish weighing 12lb 6oz, and Gary Arkle had the heaviest fish, a cod of 4lb.Seaton Sluice A.C. found plenty of cod at Lynemouth where Ivan Stott won their last match with nine of them weighing 16½lb, Chris Guthrie had three for 11lb 6oz and Peter Stewart had five totalling 9lb 11oz.The Bedlington Station Open last Sunday saw 31 out of 238 weigh in 59 fish for a total weight of 103lb 10oz, slightly disappointing considering the good bags of cod that were taken a few days previously. P. Wright had the heaviest bag with two cod for 11lb 11oz, which included the heaviest fish of 7lb 1oz, and he also won the team event with partner T. Tate with a total weight of 13¾lb. G. Sidney had two cod weighing 9lb 1oz, and Bob Gascoigne had three for 8¾lb. Paul Buddles had the second heaviest fish weighing 5lb 7oz, and A. Johnson was third with one of 5lb 2oz. Top junior was Robbie Farrell with three fish weighing 2lb 2oz, and top lady was Norma Urwin with 1lb 6oz.The South Shields Open is on Sunday November 13th fishing from 11am till 4pm. Register at the New Crown Inn from 8am till 10.30am. First prize for the heaviest fish is £600 plus a full supporting prize table. North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2011-11-07T13:05:33+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/uk-hooks-boat-rigs http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/uk-hooks-boat-rigs#When:20:31:41Z Finding good ready-made boat fishing rigs can be like hunting sugar grains among mountains of salt. But there's no need to panic because the BOAT RIG range from UK Hooks offers quality in spades, and there's not a bad rig in the set, says Steve Souter.Anglers who choose shop-bought rigs/traces have every right to expect professionally constructed, functional items for their money. However the chances are that their expectations will be rewarded with something else entirely. Indeed, poorly tied clumps of dross that would be better in the bin than on the end of any line are not at all unusual. Uninspiring, unreliable ready-rigs are more the norm than the exception frankly, and sorting any gems from the masses of trash can be like hunting sugar grains among mountains of salt.Cheaper overseas labour and products are largely blamed for the widespread problem phenomenon, but there’s plenty of bad ‘hand-tied’ gear that is shoddily thrown together right here on home soil. Aside from sound core designs there are two main underlying areas that separate good quality sea fishing rigs from bad ones. The first is the quality of the components and lines used in the build, while the other is the skill and the conscientiousness of the rig builder.Just occasionally a set of rigs catches the attention simply because it does not follow the flawed crowd. And the comprehensive BOAT rig range from UK Hooks is one such. Top quality components, attention to detail and careful assembly set this selection of rigs refreshingly apart. Hooks, swivels and clips from acknowledged brands like Mustad, Gemini, VMC and Eagle Claw are used throughout; knots are well formed and the intended application of each rig is clearly labelled. Crimps, where used, are carefully secured with a single neat compression. Lines like clear Amnesia and Seaguar fluorocarbon are also widely used.All rigs are supplied in a generously sized bag, and, as such, they can be pulled from the packet in good, ready-to-use order. There is nothing worse than rigs that have been tightly coiled and crammed into tiny little bags or packets. Rigs made from cheap line are the worst afflicted as they display the most memory and are unusable without stretching.Something guaranteed to send me into a mouth-frothing frenzy of arm-flailing madness is a lack of uniformity across identically labelled rigs. Purportedly identical rigs with differing spacings and carelessly varying snood lengths irritate the hell out of me. Why? Because if I am successfully catching with a particular rig, which I then lose in a snag, I want to be able to replace it in the sure knowledge that the replacement is absolutely the same as the lost one. I have no such slovenly complaints about the UK Hooks rigs… and I compared half-a-dozen just to be sure!PICKS OF THE BUNCHIf I were to pick some favourites from this rig range then I would plump for the standout Island Match rig, the attractor-free Island Bream rig, the clever Island Turbot rig credited to Dale Edmonds, and the currently seasonal HD Needles Cod rig. All of these rigs are crackers that would not be out of place in the rig wallets of the country’s top boat anglers.This is arguably the most comprehensive range of professionally made boat rigs currently available anywhere. Clearly labelled and well packaged, all mainstream boat fishing bases from John O’ Groats to Land’s End and beyond are well covered. Crucially, there is not a bad or inappropriate rig in the UK Hooks BOAT rig range.A brief list of specifications and description of each rig, starting with my top picks, is detailed below (and pictured above). Thereafter the rigs are listed in no particular order and full details of the range can be found at www.uk-hooks.comIsland Match Rig (BR15)Configuration: Three hooks downRig length: 151cm/59.4in – 4.95ft/1.51mHook spread: 54cm-33cm-64cmHooks: Vanadium Red Worm hooksAttractors: Clevis-mounted Indiana-type blades and 5mm lumi beads above each hookDescription: A three-down rig of good working length, with hook sizes and attractor blades staggered upwards in the direction of the point hook. Ideal for worm, fish strip and squid baits.Comments: Luminous beads and added visual/vibro attraction effective for a wide variety of species. A general-purpose rig for both anchor and drift fishing situations. Viciously sharp, strong hooks that will hold big fish even in smaller sizes. Will nail everything including rays, bull huss, gurnard, cod and big bream.Prices: £2.40 each or £20.89 for 10 rigs.Island Bream Rig (BR13)Configuration: Two hooks above, one belowRig body length: 95cm/37.4in – 3.1ft/0.95mHook spread: bottom to top: 3cm (from lead clip)-59cm-30cm-3cm (to top swivel)Hooks: VMC Sport Circles, size 6Attractors: NoneDescription: A neat little three-hook paternoster for bream and other tight shoaling species. Made with top quality Seaguar fluorocarbon line, it utilises a trusted circle hook pattern and sports upper snoods of 24cms, with a longer bottom snood of 36cm.Comments: Fluorocarbon is well suited to black bream fishing. I advocate minimal or no added bead attraction on snoods for bream, and small, strong hooks for neat bait presentation, with the capablity of holding a hard-fighting 4lb plus bream. This rig ticks all the ‘fussy’ boxes.Prices: £10.21 for 5, or £19.14 for 10 rigs.Island Turbot Rig (BR4)Rig length: 136cm/53.5in – 4.46ft/1.36m (hooklength) + 94cm/37in –3.08ft/0.94m (boom section)Hooks: VMC Black Bass, 3/0 & 6/0Attractors: Large 46mm Colorado blade on clevisSpine line: 40lb clear AmnesiaSnood line: 40lb clear AmnesiaDescription: An interesting integral boom, pennel rig with a solid pedigree in the waters around the Isle of Wight. Well thought out, with applications beyond the turbot niche.Comments: I have used spoons in all shapes, sizes and forms for more than 30 years. Spoons are a wonderful attractor for a huge array of different species, with flatfish particularly responsive. A nagging dilemma that I have always had where turbot are concerned is how to effectively employ a spoon in the rig without it seeming to impair the natural action of the launce baits and long cuts of mackerel that I favour. Place the spoon close to the bait in the traditional manner and this is the risk. However, with the spoon positioned immediately in front of the running boom, it cannot counteract the natural bait action. The blade is also not so far away from the bait as to be lost and ineffective.Prices: £2.40 each or £20.89 for 10 rigs.HD Needles Cod Rig (BR20)Configuration: Pennel point and dropper downRig length: 156cm/61.4in – 5.11ft/1.56mHook spread: 66cm gap between point hook and dropper junctionHooks: Mustad O’ShaughnessyAttractors: Orange stand-off/pennel sleeveSpine line: 100lb MarlinSnood line: 100lb MarlinDescription: Heavy duty downtide cod rig robustly constructed from a good quality 100lb mono. The pennel hook arrangement is comprised of powerful 6/0 and 9/0 O’Shaughnessy hooks to ideally carry multiple squid baits, while the dropper spur branches from a very strong all-in-one crimp swivel component. Connection is via a meaty 180lb nickel rolling swivel.Comments: Excellent low memory for such a heavy trace line. Thick-walled tube works well for stand off and pennel purposes… top pennel hook locks in well against the line. A top rig for big fish built free of unnecessary clutter. This rig is the perfect working length for downtide fishing.Prices: £2.40 each or £20.89 for 10 rigs.Island Whiting Rig (BR6)Configuration: Three hooks downRig length: 139.7cm/55cm – 4.58ft/1.39mHook spread: 39cm-36cm-56cmHooks: 1/0 Eagle Claw Aberdeen (all)Attractors: 5mm lumi bead and lumi tube for all hooksDescription: Relatively short three-down rig with single 5mm lumi bead and piece of lumi tube behind each hook. 10-inch long droppers securely positioned with good quality short crimps. Droppers are made from appropriately heavy line to cope with regular toothy whiting action.Prices: £10.21 for 5, or £19.00 for 10 rigs.Island Flattie Boat Rig (BR3)Configuration: Three hooks downRig length: 147cm/57.9in – 4.8ft/1.47mHook spread: 57cm-32.5cm-57.5cmHooks: Eagle Claw Sproat Worm size 2Attractors: 5mm beads, sequins, tubingDescription: Three hook trailing rig to target dabs and plaice in particular, but will account for many other species besides. The particular hooks are large for the stated size and are comparable to many other sizes 1s.Prices: £10.21 for 5, or £19.14 for 10 rigsIsland Bass Rig (BR1)Configuration: Low visibility single hook running ledgerRig length: 174cm/68.5in – 5.7ft/1.74m (hooklength) + 58cm/22.8in – 1.9ft/0.58m (lead runner section)Hook: VMC Black Bass, 2/0Attractors: NoneSpine line: 9.1kg AmnesiaSnood line: 9.1kg AmnesiaDescription: A first class, clutter-free bass rig, and more or less exactly what I would tie and use for general bass fishing with sandeel or small live mackerel. There is an ample length of hooklength should personal preference be to remove the single hook and add in a small stinger treble for use with live mackerel. A weighted shad or likes of a Red Gill EVO lure can also be fished very effectively on this rig.Prices: £10.21 for 5, or £19.14 for 10 rigs.Island Uptide Cod Rig (BR7)Configuration: Running ledger pennelRig length: 90cm/35.4in – 2.95ft/0.9m (hooklength) + 47cm18.5/in – 1.54ft/0.47m (boom section)Hooks: Aberdeen Black Eagle 5/0 & 7/0Attractors: NoneDescription: At around 36 inches it is the perfect uptide trace length for cod in moderate to strong runs of tide. The line used is of an appropriate diameter to counter the rasping problems associated with codding. Hooks sport generous, well defined barbs and are ideal for large worm and worm/squid cocktail baits.Prices: £10.21 for 5, or £19.14 for 10 rigs.Island Smoothhound Rig (BR9)Configuration: Running ledger ‘reverse’ pennel rigRig length: 104cm/40.9in – 3.4ft/1.04m (hooklength) + 47cm/18.5in – 1.54ft/0.47m (slider section)Hooks: VMC Faultless Octopus, 5/0 & 3/0Attractors: NoneSpine line: 30lb AmnesiaSnood line: 30lb AmnesiaDescription: Beautifully uncomplicated rig with incredibly sharp VMC Faultless Octopus short shank hooks. These are strong and perfect for holding crab baits. The larger of the two hooks is positioned above the 3/0 point hook to ensure crab baits are held correctly, and to provide a better strike ratio. Lead is carried via a simple Zip slider. Rig can be used in downtide and uptide scenarios.Prices: £10.21 for 5, or £19.14 for 10 rigs.Island Pollack Rig (BR10)Configuration: Single flowing traceRig length: 305cm/120in – 10ft/3.05m (hooklength) + 43cm/16.9in – 1.4ft/0.43m (boom section)Hook: VMC Red Devil, 6/0Lures: JellywormsSpine line: 30lb AmnesiaSnood line: 30lb AmnesiaDescription: 10ft flowing trace finished with a strong, surgically sharp 6/0 VMC Red Devil hook. Long 13in running boom (11in stand-off length) incorporates a Fistek plastic weak link attachment, which parts at 20lb. Supplied with two curltail jellyworms.Good trace length for general ‘Gilling’ use with lures.Prices: £2.40 each or £20.89 for 10 rigs.Needles Conger Rig (BR2)Configuration: Heavy single flowing traceRig length: 116cm/45.6in – 3.8ft/1.16mHook: Mustad O’Shaughnessy, 9/0Trace material: 250lb commercial monoDescription: Rig features a professional quality ball bearing swivel and 9/0 Mustad O’Shaughnessy hook. Professionally swage crimped, with three compressions per perfectly sized crimp at either end to both hook and swivel. Intended to present mackerel flappers, whole pout, large squid and cuttle baits. Could easily be used for tope too.Prices: £10.21 for 5, or £19.14 for 10 rigsIsland Tope Rig (BR8)Configuration: Single hookRig length: 103cm/40.5in – 3.37ft/1.03mHook: 9/0 E299 Octopus hookTrace material: 150lb mono to 75lb multi-strand wireDescription: A functional mono-to-wire tope trace incorporating a metre of 150lb mono to 15 inches of multi-strand wire, quality ball bearing swivel and on 9/0 Eagle Octopus hook. A good general length of tope trace and an ideal uptide length too.Prices: £10.21 for 5, or £19.14 for 10 rigs.Island Gurnard Boat Rig (BR14)Configuration: Two hooks upRig body length: 96cm/37.8in – 3.14ft/0.96mHook spread: bottom to top: 47cm (from lead clip)-45cm-4cm (to top swivel)Hooks: Southern Sproat, size 2Spine line: 40lbSnood line: 25lbDescription: A two-hook, light paternoster rig with 38cm snoods branching from trapped swivels. This indiscriminate will catch much more than the various gurnard species. Snoods embellished with six 5mm lumi beads and small clevis-mounted attractor blades.Prices: £10.21 for 5, or £19.14 for 10 rigs. Rigs and traces, Lead Feature, UK Hooks 2011-10-31T20:31:41+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-01-10-2011 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-01-10-2011#When:16:06:44Z Cod are moving inshore in increasing numbers now with some nice mixed bags reported from all areas. Whiting are present in large numbers also, particularly on night tides, and along with the ever reliable dabs and flounders some anglers have reported bags of over 30 fish taken on worm, mackerel, and squid baits. The rivers Wear and Tyne are full of fish and most catch reports have tended to come from here with few anglers venturing out onto the rock edges unless there is some movement on the sea. Roker pier is still closed at the time of writing so the lower Wear has been quite popular as a productive alternative.A nice south easterly sea brought the cod inshore early last week, particularly north of the Tyne where double figure bags were expected, and those out fishing were not disappointed. The Teesbay area also produced some nice cod as a change from the hordes of whiting, Middleton Pier often fishes well with the sea in this direction, and cod to 7lb were reported from here and also from the Pilot pier, the normally productive Staincliffe however was strangely quiet.Bill Murray had three cod totalling 12lb including one of 6¾lb from Amble, Chris Kell won a Blyth match with seven cod weighing 12lb 11oz. Bedlington Station had a record winning weight for Darren Shields during their last match, he weighed in six cod weighing 25lb 9oz in total, the best of which also weighed 6¾lb, all taken at Amble. Second placed Steve Surtees weighed in five cod for 9lb 13oz from the same area. Amble was also productive for Gary Appleton who won a Seaton Sluice match with a seven cod bag weighing 14lb 13oz; followed by Dave Cruddas with six for 13lb 3oz. Mark Christian had the heaviest fish, a cod of 6lb 6oz.Plenty of cod are also showing from Whitley Bay beach where Daryl Bell won a Tynemouth match with five cod weighing 13lb 7oz. Brad Hill finished second with four for 12¼lb, and Dave Hayley landed the heaviest fish, a cod of 7lb 1oz. Gary Wilson won a Whitley Bay match with six cod totalling 15lb 11oz ahead of Chris Stringer on count back. Chris’s five fish also weighed 15lb 11oz, and included the heaviest fish of 6lb 2oz. Third placed Dave Bentley had four fish for 9lb 15oz.Hartlepool Pirates had a match last week with mixed bags weighed in. P. Shields landed six whiting from Middleton Pier for a bag weight of 5lb 11oz while Aaron Dixon finished runner-up with two cod of 5lb 7oz from the Green Wall at Seaham. In third place was Dave Robinson who travelled a bit further to South Shields Groyne and landed two dabs, a cod and a whiting for 3lb 3oz. Bill Bradley was fourth from the same mark with 2lb 11oz.Cleadon A.C. found fish in the Tyne, Wear and from South Shields pier with 13 out of the 33 entrants weighing in. Winner Mark Shotton fished the Tyne to land the inevitable mixed bag of cod, coalfish, and whiting for a total of 11lb 6oz, including the heaviest fish of 3lb 7oz. Graham Slesser had five weighing 6lb 7oz from the pier to take second ahead of Trevor Green who fished the Wear for a bag of an ounce under five pounds.The Eastenders Wednesday Evening Sweepstake saw some nice cod landed when 10 out of the 19 anglers weighed in 10 cod, two flounders and a single whiting. Tommy Tate fished the rock edges at Marsden to win with a cod of 6¾lb, followed by Chris Hossack with one of 5lb 5oz, and Ritchie Carr with a cod of 5¼lb.Ryhope A.C. saw 30 competitors out of 72 weigh in mainly mixed bags from the Tyne, with whiting dominating. Anthony Lowther won with eight fish weighing 3.11kg, Darren Donelly had six for 2.9kg, and Alan Marsh had eight for 2.6kg. Paul Craig had the heaviest fish a cod of 2.4kg, Thomas Rutherford had the best flatfish at 0.4kg, and Matthew Winn was top junior with 2.17kg.The Seaham open last Sunday saw 72 out of 313 weigh in 147 fish for 191.11lb with most of the better fish coming either from the North pier or to those anglers who could fish at distance from the beaches in relatively calm conditions. P. Hogson took the £1000 first prize for the heaviest fish with a cod of 6.99lb, Darren Swan in second had one of 5.03lb and D. Turnbull had one of 4.96lb. Paul Golightly had the heaviest bag with 7.93lb. J. Horner and G. Williams won the team event with 10.56lb followed by Paul Golightly and Paul Westmoreland with 7.93lb. Reece Crake was top junior with 2.24lb, Sue Hope was top lady, and the disabled prize went to Mick Tait. North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2011-10-31T16:06:44+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/rig-making-tutorial-dvd-with-dave-docwra http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/rig-making-tutorial-dvd-with-dave-docwra#When:20:30:55Z The Rig Making Tutorial DVD follows the successful re-release of 'The Definitive Guide to Surfcasting with Dave Docwra' earlier this year. And if there is one instructional rig-building DVD that every shore angler should take time to watch then this is it.Some of the country’s best and most recognisable shore anglers credit Dave Docwra for not only getting them into the sport in the first place, but also for charting their paths to fishing success. A fishing brain if ever there was one, the Doc was a true expert of all things beach fishing during the 80s and 90s, and much of what he preached and pioneered has become the standard accepted as the way to do things today. Sadly, the Doc’s Great Yarmouth tackle shop is no more, and his brilliant rig building components range, which is prominent in the DVD, is no longer available. However, the legacy of Docwra’s custom trace building bits lives on and prospers in the shape of so many closely copied items, which now line the walls of tackle shops.This re-jigged DVD is an excellent visual aid and provides a solid grounding for simple rig building. Dave’s easy manner is very watchable and every item covered makes good sense. He doesn’t dizzy the viewer with tackle science, complicated knots and jargon that beginners don’t understand. 20 years on, the clear content is still very relevant, and there are several clever pieces of pro’ and forgotten knowledge in there too.Yes, trace components and lines have been developed since this footage was originally shot, but the core principals and rig designs demonstrated remain. There’s decades of hands-on experience packed into 75 minutes of video here, and dare I go as far as to suggest that a better rig-building video has not been made?Before a crimp is slotted, a swivel twiddled or a knot tied, Docwra lays out the simple thought processes, explodes a few myths and explains the rules. Among a raft of other things, the importance of hook snood position and the need to create tangle free finished rigs is stressed. Most instances of tackle failure at the rig end are the fault of the rig’s builder, and Docwra is at pains to emphasise safety and good working practice throughout the footage.TOOLS, TWEAKS AND TANGLE AVOIDANCEThe required small tools are displayed, and all of these are put to work through the piece. A three-hook trapped swivel trace or “beach paternoster” is explained and demonstrated first. Good close-up camera work ensures nothing is missed, and of course, if you need to see something more than once, just rewind the DVD and follow the particular instructional sequence again.The demo of how to tie the Uni knot is particularly good as it is done at a sedate, easy-to-track pace, with clear stepped pauses in the process. There’s beauty in simplicity, and the segment explaining why split rings and clips are preferred over swivels at the top and bottom of rigs is case in point.DD verbally hammers home the message that fishing is far from an exact science. He explains why, at times, he partly constructs rigs, leaving completing until fishing conditions are established when he arrives at a venue. I won’t spoil what’s coming by detailing all the DVD content, suffice to say that flappers, clipped rigs, pennel and wishbone rigs are covered in detail, with numerous little tricks and tweaks to make them fish better outlined therein. How to correctly set up clipped rigs so that they are properly slipstreamed, and how to build in compensation for rig stretch during casting is spotlighted.Docwra fiercely curbs any temptation to get over technical and mercilessly lampoons over-thinking the whole construction process. It is, after all, a fish you are trying to trap, rather than some freethinking creature of genius, as he points out. Fishing is largely about opinions and Docwra has his. In one perhaps controversial instance he has a right old dig at the haphazard installation of rig tensioning springs, but his reason for avoiding them makes perfect sense. And the Doc’s graphic illustration of why buying cheap hooks is a wholly false economy and a catastrophe in waiting certainly gets the point across!ART OF WHIPPING HOOKSI could not agree more with DD when he suggests that the old art of whipping hooks to nylon has largely been lost. The method is the means to the very best in bait presentation when using the likes of bunches of maddies or small whites. Take it from me, whipping is not as easy as this expert makes it look, but it is excellently demonstrated in step-by-step stages, and the forgotten skill is laid bare for any who want to sit down and learn how to do it well.So now I am going to be petty. I have watched the DVD several times and the glaring spelling mistake in the main opening frame keeps jumping out and assaulting me! On a more telling note, like all other similar instruction video pieces ever made, this one is shot facing the demonstrator, which is ok but not ideal.My gripe is one of perspective. Most anglers are right-handed, right? Well that being the case, if a knot, for example, is demonstrated face-to-face as it were, then the onlooker actually sees things back-to-front... it is a bit like trying to follow something quite intricate looking in a mirror. By far the best way to demo anything small and worked in the hands to a right-handed majority is to shoot the film over the demonstrator’s shoulder. That way the action is seen in the correct perspective and it is much easier to follow. The upshot is that left-handed anglers will love the DVD perhaps a little more than those of the right-handed persuasion.Video quality, while not HD, is sharp. The audio quality is also generally clear and crisp. Beginners will certainly glean a great deal from this excellent DVD, while experienced anglers will also find a few golden nuggets within over and hour of compelling film and dialogue.For Rig Making Tutorial DVD purchase details email Jon Bryant - jon.bryant@btclick.com and the Definitive Guide to Surfcasting DVD and the Rig Making Tutorial DVD can be ordered from the WSF shop.  DVD and video, Rigs and traces, Lead Feature 2011-10-30T20:30:55+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-super-skate http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-super-skate#When:08:40:48Z With a decent forecast and a promising tide a group of mates Jerry Guy, Paul Mckinnon, Michael Edwardson, Sanders Mcphee and Murray Farmer from the Wick area in Caithness decided to head west to their favourite shore marks at Strathy Point. After an abortive, short recce at an un-fished, snaggy mark the famous five decided to head for their normal ledge on the east side of the peninsula.Previous experience had shown this mark to be productive for spurdogs, LSDs and flats and the occasional encounter with large skate so the lads rigged up with one rod for the common skate and another for the smaller species.Soon the rod tips were bouncing as the ever reliable lesser spotted dogfish found the baits and a succession of these hit the shore.After a while Sanders McPhee's rod, baited with a whole mackerel, gave a series of hefty thumps before settling back into its resting place for five minutes. The rod then lurched over and line stripped from the reel at a rapid rate. Lifting into the fish it was obvious that Sanders had connected with one of the big girls.The fish made a series of short but powerful runs as the rod and angler both bent into the fight. After about 50 minutes the fish seemed to be tiring but she still managed to make her way back to the seabed before eventually being brought to the rocks around half an hour later.The problem was now to get the fish up onto a safe platform where she could be unhooked. Michael clung like a limpet to the near vertical rocks and managed to sink the gaff home at the first time of asking; all they had to do now was lift the fish 10 foot up the rocks! Clearly this was impossible so the lads working as a team manoeuvred the massive beast along the rock face to a sloping shelve.With a collective sigh of relief the monster skate was finally hauled ashore where she was unhooked, measured and after group photos was released back into the deeps. A brilliant joint effort to finally get one of these majestic creatures landed from the shore in the far north. The skate measured 67 inches across the wings and had an overall length of 88 inches which, from the measurement charts, equates to 208lb. A truly memorable fish on a day which will live long in the anglers' memories.The fish would have smashed the official British record and is only 20lb less than the biggest catch and release specimen recorded in European waters.As the day continued Murray also hooked a skate but with the fish picking up the smaller baits the one sided contest was soon over as the fish threw the hook.If you are considering fishing this area then please take care as the access down the cliff can be extremely dangerous particularly in wet conditions.Thanks to Jerry Guy for the photos. Scotland, Shore Catches and Results 2011-10-30T08:40:48+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/emma-bags-a-record http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/emma-bags-a-record#When:20:05:46Z A trip out of Falmouth last week proved to be a "red" letter day for Emma Hodge when she landed a new British record red gurnard. Emma and husband Nigel were fishing onboard their own 42' Offshore 125 charter boat "Wave Chieftain" when the monster gurnard snaffled Emma's mackerel baited feathers.The fish weighed in at 3lb 3oz 3drams and beats the previous record, also from Cornish waters, by just under 5oz. Boat catches and results, South West England 2011-10-28T20:05:46+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/12-kilo-plus-cod-from-lofoten-shore-mark http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/12-kilo-plus-cod-from-lofoten-shore-mark#When:12:27:18Z Ashley Hardy from Hastings landed a cracking shore caught cod of 12.5kg when fishing at Svolvaer in the Lofoten Islands. The giant cod was part of a mixed bag of cod, halibut, large dabs, plaice, haddock and coalfish landed by Ashley and fishing buddy Jason Sillince of Bexhill on sea during their visit to north Norway.For information on fishing in the area contact Nigel Hearn at No Problem Sportfishing. Northern Europe, Shore Catches and Results 2011-10-26T12:27:18+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-hewison-cup-2011 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-hewison-cup-2011#When:14:54:26Z The anticipated whiting shoals failed to show in the latest Skegness Pier Angling Club (S.P.A.C) match held at Sandilands and once again it was the resident flounders that saved the day. Skegness local Dave Bradley was runaway winner of the Hewison Cup, catching six nice flounders weighing 4lb 12oz. He picked up the heaviest flatfish prize with his best flounder, which weighed in at 1lb 1oz and as there were no round fish caught, also won the heaviest round fish prize by default, with a 1lb flounder. Chapel Angling Club’s Danny Smith caught two nice flounders at close range to take second place with 1lb 11oz, with Corby’s Paul Marshall framing again in third, with a single 10oz flounder. Kevin Bebbington and Alan Steadman both blanked in the first semi-final of the SPAC Knockout and will have to re-fish their tie.The next SPAC match will be held on Sunday 6th Nov from 1 till 5pm at Jacksons Corner, with Club members fishing for the Beachcomber Trophy. There is also an open section, which non-members are welcome to participate in. For further information please contact SPAC Secretary Chas Tibble on 07984 967988 or chastibble@hotmail.com East England, Shore Catches and Results 2011-10-25T14:54:26+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-24-10-2011 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-24-10-2011#When:16:17:31Z When there has been a bit of movement on the sea cod have moved inshore in reasonable numbers, and some of the beach marks have been productive with whiting showing in large numbers after dark. Most marks have produced the odd cod to 6lb with good numbers of smaller specimens showing from the local rivers and low water marks. As the rivers Wear and Tyne seem to be full of fish at present most club matches have been won from these venues with a few better mixed bags also reported from South Shields pier and the Hendon Wall area. The Durham beaches and Hartlepool marks seem to be full of whiting with some anglers taking bags of over 30 fish on worm and mackerel baits. Steve Moore had a good session from Hendon last midweek taking seven cod to 4lb.Hartlepool O.M.A.C. fished their first Winter League match on Saturday weighing in 70 fish for 55lb 10oz. Chris Smith had the heaviest bag with a mixed catch of 28 fish weighing 18¾lb. Mark Brallisford had 22 fish totalling 15¼lb to finish second and Steve Gibbins had the heaviest fish, a cod of 1lb 6oz, followed by Ian Palmer with a nice dab of 1lb 1oz. Next match is November 5th fishing from 6pm until midnight.Ryhope saw 77 anglers fishing their last match when the winner Joe Lemon fished the Tyne to land 10 whiting for 2.94kg. Runner-up Anthony Lowther had eight coalies weighing 2.45kg from the Wear, and Wayne Harriman fished the Tyne to land four cod, a flounder and a whiting weighing 2.22kg. Mick Telford had the best round fish, a coalfish of 0.64kg, and Mason Burton had the best flounder at 0.57kg.The last Cleadon match saw nine out of 33 weigh in mainly from the Rivers. Trevor Green fished the lower Wear to win with a bag of 11 whiting weighing 6 – 13lb while second placed Mark Shotton chose the Tyne and landed a mixed bag of cod and whiting totalling 6lb 6oz. Third spot went to Paul Smith whose bag of cod and coalfish weighing 4lb 7oz included the heaviest fish of 2¼lb.Flounders dominated the Tynemouth retired member’s match when Arthur Styles won with a four fish bag of 3lb 13oz, followed by Dave Hayley with two dabs, a cod and a whiting weighing 3lb 5oz. The Tynemouth Sunday League match saw Shaun Brunton win with a bag of 5½lb consisting of four big flounders; Marty Elliott had a late season pollack of 3lb 14oz to pip Willy Brunton for second place. Willy had had three nice flounders weighing 3lb 11oz. The Tynemouth Winter League match on Wednesday evening saw yet more mixed bags with winner Steve Hardy landing two cod, two whiting and a flounder for 5lb 11oz, followed by Steve Elliott with a single cod of 2lb 7oz.Settled conditions at Amble saw flounders and whiting dominate with winner Andrew Taylor taking eight flounders and four whiting for a total of 7lb 10oz. Ian Harrogate finished second with eight flounders weighing 7½lb while third placed Gary Stewart had nine for 6lb 6oz. Jacek Juszczyk coalfish of 1lb 1oz took the prize for best round fish.Hartlepool Pirates also got some fish out of the Tyne during their last match with eight out of 10 weighing in, winner Aaron Dixon taking two cod weighing an ounce under 3lb from the Walkway. Aaron was followed by L Ringwood with four whiting and 2 dabs weighing 2lb 14oz, and Bill Bradley whose South Shields’ pier catch of three whiting and one dab weighed in at 2lb 11lb. Next meeting is in the Stranton Club on Thursday October 27th at 7.30pm.Dave Maughan had a good mixed bag of whiting and cod from South Shields pier during the week with the best cod making 6lb.A bit of an outside swell on the sea late last week brought the cod inshore, mainly in the north of the Region. Ian Galbraith had one of the better winning bags with five cod for 19lb 13oz, the best weighing 7¾lb, taken from Colleywell Bay to win the last Whitley Bay match; Chris Stringer had two for 6lb 9oz from the Rex Promenade.Seaton Sluice A.C. had a good match at Lynemouth with six anglers weighing in 45lb of cod. Ivan Stott won with three totalling 11lb 1oz, Steve Alexander had three weighing 9lb 9oz and Peter Stuart had four for 9lb 6oz. Gary Appleton had the heaviest fish of 6lb 5oz. Gary Willis won a Bedlington match with three weighing 12lb, including one of 5lb 3oz, from Hartley and Mark Wilkinson won a South Shields match with three cod weighing 8lb 5oz, the best weighed 4lb 1oz, while fishing from the pier.The R.V.I. Fundraiser Open match last Sunday raised an excellent £427 from the entrance fees and donations. The top three heaviest fish all came from Seaham North Pier where Mark Bressnan won with a cod of 3¾lb, followed by Adam Smith with one of 1lb 15oz and Dean Redden one of 1lb 4oz.Some brief details of forth coming Open matches - October 30th Bedlington Station and Redcar Navy and Gentleman’s ClubNovember 6th East Coast Warrior OpenNovember 12th Hornsea All Night Open and the Harrington OpenNovember 13th South Shields OpenNovember 26th Whitley Bay Evening OpenNovember 27th Sunderland Shore Angling Festival North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2011-10-24T16:17:31+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-17-10-2011 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-17-10-2011#When:16:38:46Z Whiting are showing in large numbers from most areas with lots of double figure bags reported from the Teesbay area, Durham beaches, Hendon Wall, South Shields pier, and both the rivers Wear and Tyne where some anglers have taken mixed bags of 20lb plus. The river Tyne and South Shields pier have been the most productive lately with cod up to 6lb reported and good numbers of coalfish, whiting and flounders on nearly all tides. Night time sessions have produced the best results from the piers and beaches, but the rivers have so many fish at present that they are being taken at any state of the tide and at any time of day. Crab is still picking up the better bags of cod and coalfish but worm baits are increasingly taking more fish, and those anglers tipping their bait off with mackerel for the whiting have been reporting the odd dogfish from Middleton Pier, Seaham North pier, and various beach marks.Alberta S.A.C. saw all but one of the 20 anglers weigh in at the Tyne. Mick Dellin won with 17 fish weighing 9lb 5oz ahead of second placed David Lood who had 8lb 10oz and Darren Brown with 6lb 2oz. Phil Coates won a South Shields match with eight fish totalling 7lb 6oz taken from the pier. Runner-up Steve Elliott had eight weighing 6lb 9oz from the Tyne to pip Andrew Nickerson whose bag weighed in at five ounce less while fishing the pier. Steve Hardy won a Tynemouth Winter League match with 10 whiting and a dab for 5lb 6oz. Glen Campbell finished second with 2lb 13oz and Scott Hill had the heaviest fish; a cod of 1lb 9oz.Cleadon A.C. also found plenty of fish showing in the Tyne and from South Shields pier during their last match with 18 out of 32 weighing in various mixed bags of cod, whiting, coalfish and flounders. Trevor Green won with 10 fish weighing 6lb 7oz from the pier, Ken Collins had a single cod of 4lb 13oz also from the pier and Norman Spour took third with three fish bag of 3lb 6oz from the Tyne.Ryhope A.C. saw 73 anglers fishing their last match but the previously productive Tyne and Hendon Wall areas which had seen double figure bags of cod taken the day before failed to produce on the day. Gary Dunn fished Rathouse Corner in the Wear to land 16 whiting for 4.41kg to win by a big margin ahead of Joe Lemon who had two coalfish and two flounders from the Tyne weighing 2.48kg. Third placed Mason Burton had two whiting, two coalfish and a flounder totalling 2.43kg from the Tyne while in fourth was John Topliffe who fished the Wear to land six whiting weighing for 2.13kg. Steve Harriman took the heaviest round-fish prize with a cod of 0.61kg, and Derek Ross had the best flatfish at 0.51kg.Seaham A.C. had two recent matches, the first match saw 16 out of 27 land 33 whiting, six flounder, two dogfish, one coalfish, and one cod for 26.6lb, with all the top bags coming from the North pier where John Thompson won with a dogfish of 2.11lb, Eddie Talbot had one for 1.76lb, Mick Davison had a cod of 1.01lb, and Jim Dobie had the heaviest bag with 10 fish for 4.83lb, followed by Dave Stoker with seven for 3.80lb. Their second was for the Angus Mills Trophy on Sunday with 21 out of 36 weighing in 46 fish for 39.12lb. John Clark won with five for 5.37lb, Dean Furness had four for 3.13lb, and Rita Clark had three for 2.81lb.The Eastenders sweepstake on Wednesday was a roving match which saw four out of 17 land seven fish. Ritchie Carr won with a cod of 5¾lb from South Shields pier followed by Phil Wright with cod of 3lb 15oz, 3lb 1oz and 2¾lb, all taken from Marsden. The Eastenders club match on Saturday returned to the river Wear when six out of 20 weighed in 15 flounders and four coalies from the Glass Centre. Chris Hossack won with 10 flounders weighing 10lb 3oz, Ernie Hunter had three coalfish for 2lb 15oz and Brian Turnbull finished fourth with two flounders for 2lb.North of the Tyne Lynemouth has also been productive. Nicky Robson won an S.B.R.A.A.C. match with two cod, a whiting and a coalie for a total of 8lb 10oz from Lynemouth beach, and Phil Smithson in second had a cod and a dogfish weighing 2lb 13oz from Boghall. Ivan Stott won a Seaton Sluice match with five cod, the best weighing 3lb 15oz, and a whiting for a total bag of 12¼lb from Lynemouth. In second was Mick Burke with four coalfish weighing 5lb from Blyth, and Chris Guthrie in third two cod for 3lb 2oz from Boghall.Up at Amble John Lee won a recent match with a single cod of 6lb 6oz; Tony Cook was close behind with three weighing 5¼lb, and Adam Dunn had four flounders and three whiting for 4lb 14oz.The Seaham A.C. Open is on Sunday October 23rd with fishing from 11am till 4pm between Hendon Groyne (excluded), and Dene Holme pipe at Horden. Seaham North Pier will have 100 pegs available weather permitting. No fishing areas include Hawthorne Point between the markers, the cliffs at Featherbed Rocks, Hendon Groyne, and all Seaham dock areas except the North Pier. Basic entry is £10 all classes plus optional heaviest fish and team pools, and a sealed weight draw. There is one prize per angler for the heaviest fish; with the best fish winning £1000. There are prizes for junior, ladies, and disabled anglers and a £3000 prize table. Contact Seaham A.C. 0191-5810321 for details.Some brief details of coming open matches: October 30th Bedlington Station and Redcar Navy and Gentleman’s Club November 6th East Coast Warrior Open November 12th Hornsea All Night Open and Harrington Open November 13th South Shields Open November 26th Whitley Bay Evening Open November 27th Sunderland Shore Angling Festival North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2011-10-17T16:38:46+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-october-2011 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/skegness-pier-angling-club-october-2011#When:16:08:37Z The recent run of poor catches continued in the Skegness Pier Angling Club (SPAC) match held at Drake Road, with anglers struggling to catch anything at all. A last cast specimen 1lb 3oz flounder saved the day for Kettering’s Dave Shorthouse, who added to his ever-increasing CV of match wins and also won the heaviest flatfish prize. Corby’s Dale Evans and Friskney’s Mark Holmes shared second place, each with a single 1lb 1oz flounder. Nobody else managed to break the 1lb barrier and Lincoln’s Neil Jackson won the heaviest round fish award with a tiny 2½oz (19cm) smelt.Catches then picked up in the latest SPAC match held at North Shore Road, with the first of the winter whiting putting in an appearance. However it was resident flounders that won the day for Kettering’s Jim Robinson, who caught 2 fine specimens to win the Dave White Cup with 2lb 8oz. He also won the heaviest flatfish prize with his best flounder, which weighed in at 1lb 6oz. Dave Shorthouse had to settle for second place on this occasion, with 5 whiting for 2lb 3½oz. His best whiting tipped the scales at 13oz and won the heaviest round fish award. Mablethorpe’s Kevin Bebbington continued his recent run of good form, taking third place with 2 flounders and a whiting for 1lb 15oz.The next SPAC match will be held on Sunday 23rd Oct from 1:30 till 5:30pm at Sandilands, with Club members fishing for the Hewison Cup. There is also an open section, which non-members are welcome to participate in. For further information please contact SPAC Secretary Chas Tibble on 07984 967988 or chastibble@hotmail.com East England, Shore Catches and Results 2011-10-17T16:08:37+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/freedom-hawk-kayaks http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/freedom-hawk-kayaks#When:18:31:00Z Sea angling Kayak design followed more or less the same standard blueprint until the arrival of the innovative Freedom Hawk range, which changed everything.Using his engineering background Dave Cameron, the founder of Freedom Hawk Kayaks not the other one, put his mind to work on developing a more stable platform for the kayak angler. Dave’s idea was to produce a kayak which could be safely used when standing as well as being light weight and practical both on the water and when transporting the craft.After years of research and development the result is the Freedom Hawk range of kayaks with their unique outrigger design. Instead of the normal single hull used in ‘yak design the Freedom range have a split stern featuring two deployable outriggers. The outrigger system has been used for hundreds of years to provide stability at sea but until now the transportation of this style of craft has proved impracticable.The outrigger pods form a normal kayak stern when paddling but through the use of levers on either side of the seat they can be quickly and easily deployed to provide a stable platform at sea. The outriggers can also be quickly removed for transport reducing the overall length of the ‘yak by approximately one metre (3’ 3”) depending upon the model. To assist anglers opting to fish in the standing position, the Freedoms are provided with a secure yoke or brace situated ahead of the sitting position.At present the range has two Freedom 12 models; the Ultralight which has a carrying capacity of 102-113kg (225-250lbs) and weighs 64lbs in total, the Freedom 12 which is the same overall length at 373cm (12’ 3”) but weighs 3.6 kg (8lb) more and has an additional maximum carrying capacity of up to 125kg (275lbs). For the big guys or those who carry a lot of heavy gear the third model, the Freedom 14, has a maximum capacity of 181kg (400lbs) while still only weighing in at 38.5kg (79lbs) with the outriggers attached. The overall length of the 14 is 422cm (13’ 19”).On the two smaller models the outriggers can be either fully deployed as a fishing platform or set to a mid-point for stable paddling. The Freedom 14 has only the normal closed position or fully deployed options. Being able stand safely stand on a kayak will prove a boon for those saltwater fly casting, or throwing lures as the vertical position is much more comfortable for working the artificials. I can also see these boats being a massive advantage by providing a stable platform for the kayakers who are targeting big fish such as the common skate. The stability provided by the deployed outriggers will allow the angler to apply a greater amount of pressure on the hooked fish at the usual deep water venues. I can also see these craft being used successfully in the fjords of Norway and Iceland where the adventurous angler could tangle with the massive cod, halibut and coalfish.Not resting on their laurels Freedom Hawk intends to bring a larger model to the market in 2012 and we will bring you details of the new Pathfinder when they are released. For more details on this kayak range including the full specification and current prices contact Carl Bailey on 07919 342423 or visit the European website at http://www.freedomhawkkayaks.co.uk/To view our features on kayak fishing read Neil Turnbull's articles. Kayaks, Lead Feature 2011-10-14T18:31:00+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/snowbee-deep-blue-charter-rods http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/snowbee-deep-blue-charter-rods#When:18:30:20Z Snowbee’s affordable Deep Blue Charter rods are fresh additions to the excellent DB range. Priced between £54.99 and £64.99, Des Westmore was keen to get a real handle on them.Good kit doesn’t cost the earth these days, and if clear evidence was needed to underline this then Snowbee’s Deep Blue Charter rods are case in point. The DB Charter rods are fresh additions to the existing Snowbee Deep Blue range that already deliver on both quality and price. I had the 20lb version for testing and Snowbee have got this spot on for my money. The rod is three-piece with wide appeal to experienced anglers, newcomers and casual anglers alike on the grounds convenience of transportation/storage in the first instance.The fittings are good quality with a generic plastic reel seat, and no less than ten lined rings plus the tip. The guides are nothing like the heavily braced monstrosities I regularly see thrown on rods in this price bracket. Crucially, the generous number of guides guarantee the line never touches the blank in use, which is an issue commonly symptomatic of many sparsely rung and lower priced rods.The Snowbee rod bag is open meshed on one side so that the rod will still dry naturally if stowed away wet. The excellent design feature goes a long way to avoiding ring-rot and tarnishing which are regular end results of storage in standard non-breathable cloth rod bags. A great idea, and I think all rod bags should be formed like this.HIGH MARKS FOR ACTION, FISHING FEEL AND DURABILITYThe blank is 7 feet, 6 inches long and the plug-in joints produce a positive fluid curve under load of fish. I haven’t managed any huge specimens on the 20lb DB Charter rod yet, but strings of hard fighting pollack bent in the 20lb version well enough to provide and a good insight into the blank and what it promises in other more testing fishing situations. From bite and through the fight the 20lb Deep Blue scored well. High marks would be awarded for action, feel and the quiet ability to stick it to bigger fish or multiple hook-ups should any need arise. Charter skipper, Greg Woodford has the full range of DB Charter rods on his Lymington based, ‘Southern Star’, and they have been hammered by his hire rod customers since autumn 2010. Greg reports no problems at all. Any gripes I have are minor ones. My only niggles were that the gimble cover was a bit loose fitting - it kept getting left behind in the bag, while a bit of white or fluroscent paint on the tip would have added a little additional polish. Deep Blue Charter rods are vailable in 12, 20 and 30lb classes. Very competitive RRPs range from £59.99 to £64.99, and at that price, it is very difficult to criticise. For more information click HERE.  Boat rods, Snowbee, Lead Feature 2011-10-14T18:30:20+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-11-10-2011 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-11-10-2011#When:14:07:32Z As with previous weeks mackerel are still around in good numbers, particularly from the North Gare, and with continuing warm and settled conditions, look to be staying very late this year. Assuming you are not tired of catching them by now, float fished baits and lures are producing plenty from most of the regions piers, and from some of the deeper beach and rock edge marks, and those anglers bottom fishing after dark are catching mackerel on baits intended for other species.The river Tyne is producing lots of winning mixed bags in club matches, though sport is a bit slower than previous weeks with few double figure bags reported. Arthur Smeaton won a Tynemouth retired members match with five coalies and two mackerel weighing 8lb 5oz. Kenny Patterson won a Tynemouth Winter League match with three cod, two coalfish and a whiting for a total of 5lb 11oz. Scott Davidson won a Seaton Sluice match in the Tyne with four cod and a coalfish for 5lb 15oz, followed by Kevin Turnbull with seven flounders weighing 4lb 13oz. Cleadon A.C. had another good weigh in for their last match, with most members fishing either the Tyne or South Shields pier. 16 out of the 29 fishing weighed in various mixed bags of cod, whiting, coalfish, flounders, dabs, bass, sole, pollack, and a very rare shore caught ling of 4lb 6oz which won captor Steve Gordon the heaviest fish prize. Steve added a further ten fish to finish with the heaviest bag of 12lb 9oz while fishing from the pier. Runner-up David Carrick fished the Tyne to land six fish totalling 10lb ahead of Steve Elliott whose two fish bag weighing 5lb 10oz also came from the pier. Fourth spot went to Ray Edmonds with 4¾lb from the Tyne.Rob Lees won a South Shields match with two cod and a coalie weighing 3¾lb, followed by Geordie Cooper with two cod for a total of 2lb 11oz, both were fishing South Shields pier. There are a number of coalfish present this year all along the north east coast and they are starting to feature a lot in competition results. Chris Kell won a Blyth match with six of them weighing 5¾lb, the best weighing 1lb 6oz. taken from Lynemouth, followed by Nigel Howitt with three for 3lb 11oz, also from Lynemouth.Howick produced some nice cod last midweek when Willy Morton had one of 7¼lb, and Ian Hall one of 6¼lb in an Alnwick club match.Hartlepool Pirates A.C. fished last week from the local piers and found sizable fish in short supply. P Shields won with a single mackerel, flounder and whiting for 1lb 11oz, Steve Swales had a single pouting of 9oz, and S Shields had a flounder of 5oz. The next match is on Saturday October 15th fishing from 7pm to midnight and the next club meeting is on Thursday October 27th in the Stranton Club at 7.30pm.The last Seaham A.C. match saw 16 out of 27 anglers land 33 whiting, six flounder, two dogfish, a coalfish and a solitary cod for a total weight of 26.6lb. All the top bags came from the North pier where John Thompson found a dogfish of 2.11lb to take first place. Eddie Talbot finished second with one of 1.76lb and third placed Mick Davison had the cod which weighed 1.01lb. Jim Dobie had the heaviest bag of 10 fish weighing 4.83lb, followed by Dave Stoker with seven totalling 3.80lb.The Newbiggin Open last Sunday saw some nice bags of cod and wrasse taken in the settled conditions with the rock edges around Beadnell producing most fish. Top rod was Paul Westmoreland who fished Beadnell Point to land four cod and a wrasse for total weight of 17lb 5oz, Ken West had three cod for 13lb 15oz in second place, the bag also included the heaviest fish at 6lb 2oz. Third placed Steve Williams had two cod, two wrasse and a coalie weighing 13¼lb, and John Watson was fourth with four cod weighing in at 11lb 11oz.The Seaton Sluice Open is on Sunday October 16th with fishing from 10am until 2pm between Amble pier to Tynemouth pier, all rivers and piers excluded except Blyth West pier. Register at the Bank House Club Newbiggin from 8am until 9.30am; weigh in 2pm until 3pm. First prize is £500 plus a full supporting prize table worth £2000. Contact Mick 07974369897 for details.The Seaham A.C. Open is on Sunday October 23rd fishing from 11am till 4pm between Hendon Groyne (excluded) and Dene Holme pipe at Horden. Seaham North Pier will have 100 pegs available weather permitting. No fishing areas include Hawthorne Point between the markers, the cliffs at Featherbed Rocks, Hendon Groyne and all Seaham dock areas except the North Pier. Basic entry is £10 all classes plus optional heaviest fish and team pools, and a sealed weight draw. One prize per angler for the heaviest fish prizes, with the best fish winning £1000. There are prizes for junior, ladies, and disabled anglers and there is a £3000 prize table. Contact Seaham A.C. 0191-5810321 for details. North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2011-10-11T14:07:32+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/alderney-report-september-october-2011 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/alderney-report-september-october-2011#When:18:32:54Z A short report this time but Alderney fishing can be superb at this time of year with many different species to target afloat and ashore.Ashore, the black bream have arrived, fish to 3lb 8oz in regular bags of up to 12 fish. Most anglers use squid on the bottom for bream, however these early bream have a tendency to feed higher in the water, taking the softer weed which has grown on the rocks during summer.Later autumn bream are better targeted on the bottom. Light float gear similar to that used for mullet is best at this time - match rods, 6lb line on a 2500-size reel and a float weighted with shot. Trace line should be stepped to around 12lb to guard against rock abrasion or bite offs. Once the weed is gone they then switch largely to bottom feeding.Bass is the other main target fish at present, with news of a 5lb 2oz and a 6lb 11oz lure-caught brace coming to me as I type this report. Soft plastic lures have been prolific this summer but these two fish fell to plugs. There have been bass to 8lb 15oz caught, with two anglers sharing 40 bass one night and a further 27 fish the following night.Elsewhere there’s been sprinkling of red mullet and sole. Matt Smith landed the best sole so far at 2lb 8oz. Huss, conger to 30lb and small-eyed rays to 8lb have been landed, with the Breakwater best.Boat sport severely hindered by the weather, however those getting out have faired well enough. Double figure fish are a regular now. Expect to take fish drifting the ebb tide in the race or on the South Banks. My experience is that the best bass tend to come on the end of the tide when most other boats have moved on and missed out.There’s till a few turbot and brill around. And indeed there has been a good number these last three years. Plenty of black bream reported also, with the best of these pushing 4lb. These are easily caught at slack tide around the reef ground on light tackle. Bream baits are often unexpectedly nobbled by a stray eel or even tope. I fluked an angry 30lb eel the other night on the top hook of a 3 hook flapper rig and a size 1 Kamasan hook. I’ve also managed small eyed and blonde rays in the boat, plus a mix of sole, plaice and some couches sea bream.Some of you have been following my crazy mad Species Hunt Challenge for 2011, whereby I am trying to achieve 50 species from Alderney’s small coastline in this calendar year. Well my last trip afloat I did manage 12 species but none to add to my standing total of 48. To stay abreast of the species chase please visit our Facebook page and check out the photos section. With just two knew species needed to break 50 I am praying for a little decent weather.Talking of species, Langstone boat Valkyrie managed two rarities in our waters… an angler fish and a saury pike! Skipper, Glen Cairns’ 10-year old son Buddy was the real star on that trip however, landing a stunning 12lb 4oz bass.Alderney Fishery Management Consultation is nearing its conclusion. We are now on the White Paper which can still be amended if parties aren’t entirely satisfied so long as those amendments are deemed acceptable and with justification. The paper is too long to place in this report but can be viewed here. When it is concluded which could be a matter of weeks I will ask the editor of PSF to publish the full paper. You have an option to reply and add your view even at this late stage.Alderney Fishing Festival is around the corner, 22nd October till 29th. Can I ask that all bait orders are placed soon. In the meantime many thanks to those of you that visit the island to experience the excellent fishing, your coppers in our coffers are much appreciated. Channel Islands 2011-10-10T18:32:54+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/sea-angling-for-beginners-rod-types http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/sea-angling-for-beginners-rod-types#When:11:08:26Z Newcomers to sea angling can be bamboozled by the vast array of rods for shore or boat fishing. In this second article for beginners we explain the uses of the various general-purpose and more specialised rods on the market.SHORE FISHING RODSThe shore angler has a choice of a number of different types of rod each designed for a particular type of fishing although they may also double up for one of the other categories of fishing:• Beachcaster• Bass Rod• Spinning Rod• Float Rod• Fly Rod The majority of rods used in sea angling are multi-sectioned but specialised one piece rods and telescopic rods are also available.BEACHCASTERLonger length shore rods are generally known as beachcasting rods or beachcasters but they are equally at home on the rocks or pier. With a typical length of 3.3 – 3.9 metres (11-13 feet) the average beachcaster will be constructed from a mix of glass and carbon fibre and have a medium to fast action. The preferred length will vary from angler to angler and depends upon the casting style and individual build of the caster. A fast action rod with a very stiff butt section will give better casting distance in the hands of a competent caster.Increasing seen on the shore the longer “Continental” style rods, in lengths of up to 5.5 metres (18 feet), tend to have a medium action and generally have a softer, more forgiving feel with basic casting styles.The rings on the beachcaster are spaced differently depending upon whether a fixed spool or multiplier reel is to be used. The multiplier version requires more rings on the tip section as the reel is fished on top of the rod and the line will gravitate towards the blank when under load.The fixed spool rod needs fewer rings as the reel is fished under the rod and the line is pulled away from the blank. The butt ring on a fixed spool beachcaster should be higher up the rod and is generally larger than on the multiplier rod to allow the line to flow smoothly off the reel and ensure that a small diameter ring does not choke it. An exception to this is the range of Fuji Low Rider rings which have a comparatively small diameter but still perform well when casting.Beachcasters are rated by their designed casting weights and usually are marked with a range of weights although the optimal casting weight is usually in the middle. For instance a rod rated for casting weights of between 4oz and 6oz will typically perform best with 5oz.It is difficult to select an all round beachcaster for the novice shore angler but a good general rod will have a length of 11-12 feet and an optimum casting weight of 150 gm. A quality rod of this type will be able to show bites from small dabs at distance but still have the power to cope with large cod in heavy surf.This rod is normally used with lines of 15 to 18lb (7-9kg) breaking strain with a shock leader from clean beaches and 30lb (15kg) line over rough ground.BASS RODThe bass rod gets its name from the fact that it was originally designed to catch bass in the surf at short range. They are generally shorter, softer versions of the beachcaster which are designed to cast weights in the 2-4oz (50-100gm) range. The soft action helps when casting large, soft baits and absorbs the lunges of large fish in the pounding waves.Lines of 6-7 kg are normally used with this rod matched with a suitable shock leader and multiplier or fixed spool reel.SPINNING RODThis is a light rod of 7-10 foot in length designed to cast lures from ½-2oz (10-60gm) in weight. The action of these rods varies from through action for the lower weight rods to tip action for rods casting at the upper end of the range. They are generally fished with fixed spool reels but some manufacturers produce multiplier versions of their rods with appropriate guide spacing.Lines for use with this rod vary from 2-6 kg depending upon the target species and the weight of the lure.FLOAT RODThere are some specialised sea float rods about but in general the bass rod or a spinning rod around 10 feet in length will cope adequately on the occasional float-fishing trip. Coarse fishing rods make an excellent tool for targeting mullet.FLY RODSome years ago only expensive saltwater fly rods were available from UK suppliers and the United States but fortunately an increase in the numbers of anglers “fluff chucking” in the sea has opened the market at the lower end. Reasonably priced fast taper rods for throwing large flies are now readily available. Alternatively a 9-10 foot reservoir or seatrout rod casting a number 8 or 9 line will handle the target species which are generally bass, mullet and seatrout. Care must be taken to clean the rod and it’s fittings after every trip to mitigate the effects of saltwater.BOAT FISHING RODSSeveral styles of boat rod are available which are suitable for different types of fishing including:• General Purpose / Downtide Rod• Uptide Casting Rod• Stand-Up Stick• Lure Casting Rod• Long Match Rod• Multi-Tip RodsGENERAL PURPOSE RODThis is typical boat rod is used for fishing on the drift with lures and baits or when fishing down tide of the boat at anchor. These rods vary in length from around six to eight feet (2 to 2.4 metres) and are normally constructed from a mixture of carbon and glass fibre with a medium to fast action. They are usually rated by line class which gives a general guide to the recommended breaking strain of line which can be used without serious risk of break off when fighting fish with a properly set drag. European line class ratings on off the shelf rods are lower than those quoted on rods from the United States ie a 10kg rated rod from the US will be rated around 20kg in Europe. Ratings vary from 8lb (4kg) used in inshore waters for flatfish, bream and light bass and pollack fishing through to 80lb (40kg) for hefty shark or big conger fishing. A good all round rating for most fishing styles would be the 20lb class rods. These all round rods are used for shad and pirk fishing as well as general bait fishing.The advent of braided lines has resulted in the manufacturers producing ranges of rods specifically designed to cope with the non-stretch nature of braid. They tend to have softer tip sections which help prevent fish being bumped off when they dive and lunge after being hooked. The rings are characteristically lined to prevent wear and silicon carbide or similar is used to produce hard wearing liners.The heavier class of blank may be fitted with roller rings for using wire or heavier braided lines. In the UK the rods are generally ringed for use with multiplier reels but they can also be used with fixed spool reels as distance casting is not involved in this style of fishing.UPTIDE CASTING RODThe first uptide rods used were cut down beachcasters and the basic design has remained the same over the years. The tip section on rods designed for uptide fishing is softer than found on most beachcasters to allow the rod to move with the tide without tripping the wire leads normally used in uptide fishing.The length of these rods is in the nine to ten foot (2.7 to 3 metre) range with a longish but to allow the angler to cast their baits away from the boat. The blank is normally ringed for multiplier reels but continental anglers make good use of fixed spool versions.The uptider, as it is commonly known is also widely used for bait fishing on the drift although some find the long butt section a hindrance and to combat this several manufacturers have produced rods with butt sections that can be pulled out for casting. Care must be taken with these as they have a tendency to stick if over extended.STAND-UP STICKThe stand-up stick is a short specialised rod used for large fish in conjunction with a harness and butt pad. The rod is generally around five to six feet (1.5 to 1.8 metre) in length and has a long fore grip as it used with a low slung butt pad. The short, effective length of the rod acts as a very efficient lever when under load.LURE CASTING RODThis rod is commonly used for casting spinning lures, small pirks and leadheads and although few specialised rods exist a 4 to 8 kg down tide rod or a heavy spinning rod can be successfully used. Uptiders can also be used but the long handle can interfere with the effective working of a pirk.LONG MATCH RODSIncreasing found on the boat match circuit these long rods, up to 15 feet (5 metre) are designed to allow the angler to effectively fish from awkward positions on the boat. The extra length means that the baits can be flick cast away from the side of the boat and bounced downtide even if the angler is not drawn at the stern of the boat. They come in both telescopic and spigot versions and are also available in hybrid types where the section adjacent to the butt is telescopic and the rest of the rod jointed allowing the total length of the rod to be varied.MUTI-TIP RODSThese rods come supplied with several push fit tip sections each designed to handle differing weights of leads and maximise bite detection. The tips are usually made from solid carbon or glass fibre although metal versions are available on the Japanese market. The majority of long match rods are supplied with multi-tips. Beginners Series, Shore, Boat Fishing, Tackle, General Interest, Lead Feature 2011-10-08T11:08:26+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/snowbee-lure-boxes http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/snowbee-lure-boxes#When:11:07:23Z With huge and growing European interest in plug fishing for particularly bass, Des Westmore casts an eye over a pair of ingenious new lure storage boxes from Snowbee.Snowbee’s new lure boxes are just the ticket for plugging or trolling ashore or afloat. These double-sided compartmentalised boxes have hull-like cross-sections inside, which serve to accommodate treble hooks perfectly and ensure lures are carried independent of one and other. The internal separation system is simple and superb, eradicating the nightmare ‘lure balls’ common to less considered boxes.Another great feature that works well is the ventilation/drainage slots. These allow air to circulate and water to run out, greatly reducing the possibility of corrosion. Long-term storage of wet saltwater lures is not recommended, but the strategic slots do mean that lures can be held under the tap washed with fresh water while still in the box.There are small (20 x 15 x 4.5cm) and large size (25 x 18 x 5cm) boxes available. These take 10 and 14 lures respectively and cost £10.99 and £12.99. Product information at www.snowbee.co.uk Tackle storage, Lures, Snowbee, Lead Feature 2011-10-08T11:07:23+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/savage-gear-cutbait-herring http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/savage-gear-cutbait-herring#When:09:46:45Z Savage Gear Cutbait Herring lures are so well finished that when Dave Proudfoot first saw them he didn't know whether to fish with them or frame them!When I first clapped eyes on the Savage Gear Cutbait Herring, shad-style lures I really didn't know whether to fish with them or frame them! These are a quality product, beautifully finished and well produced from soft plastic that is designed to last longer than your average similar lure. The robust, detailed finish on the tails of the lures is formed, for the most part, by using an “under the skin” painting technique, whereby the final coating protects the lifelike features from wear and tear.The attention to detail is continued to the weighted head which features natural looking eyes, mouth and gills in colours complimentary to the tails. The hook in the leadhead manufactured from forged carbon steel and in the larger lure is around 12/0 in size. The hook point is extremely sharp straight out of the packaging and requires no touching up with a file prior to use.The Scandinavian design origin of these artificials is reflected in the overall body shape which resembles a well fed herring. The large paddle tail imparts a terrific action even at slow speeds with the rapid wiggle of the tail section merging into a gentle wobble of the main body and head. While this lure can be fished on a straight retrieve it is at its most effective when fished sink and draw. If using the lures for monster coalfish I’d recommend a fast retrieve up through the water, I doubt if you can ever fish this style of lure to quickly for the coalies.At 20cm and 25cm long the Cutbait Herring is not a lure for small fish but I would have no qualms in fishing these wherever double figure cod or coalfish are found. With the smaller lure weighing 270g (approx 10oz) and the 25cm version 450g (approx 16oz) the artificials can be fished directly off the mainline without the need for a boom and trace which eliminates the risk of tangles when the lure is descending. I would however recommend attaching the hook to length of substantial monofilament to allow the hooked fish to be controlled by hand when it reaches the side of the boat as well as providing a measure of protection from abrasion. Click on the screen above to see a 168cm halibut which fell for a Cutbait HerringUnfortunately lures of this quality and size don’t come cheap and at prices ranging from £9.99 to £15.99 I’d hesitate to use them when bottom bouncing over rough ground or a wreck. However anglers fishing in the northern waters around Norway and Iceland, where the fishing is generally over a muddy seabed or in mid-water, will find these plastic fish to be an excellent lure when targeting coalfish, cod or giant halibut. A stinger treble hook attached to the leadhead eye and located in front of the tail section, like that on the Savage Gear Saltwater Sandeel, may increase hookups at times.Replacement heads are not available separately at present but the bodies will work well with the Seawaver head and both UK Hooks and Sharnbrook Tackle have larger sized leadheads.The available eight colours range from the natural looking herring and mackerel baitfish imitations through the orange pearl popeye, which resembles a redfish, to the frankly weird and wonderful puffin replica.To sum up, the Savage Gear Cutbait Herring is a class, quality lure which is durable and liable to produce the fish of a life time when used in the realms of the big cod and halibut. Available now from Glasgow Angling Centre. Lures, Lead Feature 2011-10-03T09:46:45+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-03-10-2011 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-03-10-2011#When:08:02:09Z There were still good bags of mackerel being taken from Seaham and Hartlepool piers last week with some good bags reported by those who specialise in float fishing for mackerel, and as there is little else of great size to provide any sport, at least in the south of the region, the hard fighting mackerel is a welcome catch for those who like to fish with light tackle. As long as the sea stays settled mackerel can be taken well into October, but most anglers will praying for the first heavy winter seas to bring the expected cod inshore. If you want a bit of practice with heavier tackle then all of the Region’s piers, the Durham beaches, and both the rivers Tyne and Wear have produced plenty of quality whiting and coalfish, particularly during late evening and night time sessions. South Shields and Tynemouth piers have been producing coalies to 2lb, lots of whiting, and some nice cod at times, and a few late season plaice have fallen to worm and crab baits.Hartlepool Pirates travelled to the Tyne for their latest match where J. Watts won with two whiting, a dab, and a plaice for a total of 2¾lb while fishing at the Groyne. Second placed Steve Swales had a four fish mixed bag of 2lb 5oz, D. Dixon in third had 1lb 13oz and A. Dendrickson was fourth with 1lb 3oz. A. Dixon had the heaviest fish, a cod of 1lb 2oz taken from the Walkway.The Tyne has been very productive on some tides with cod up to 7lb reported. The last Tynemouth A.C. Winter League match saw some good quality bags of cod weighed in. Brad Hill fished Middens Island to land four cod and two coalfish weighing 10lb 6oz, the best of which weighed 3lb 11oz, Peter Stewart fished the Ice House and had five cod weighing 7lb 10oz, followed by Steve Harper with four cod for 4¾lb from the Sand Bar. Nicky Robson won an S.B.R.A.A.C. match with a mixed bag of cod, flounder, dabs, and whiting totalling 5lb 6oz taken from the Ice House. Leigh Critchley won a Blyth match with three mackerel and a flounder for 4¼lb. Scott Davidson won a Seaton Sluice match with three coalies and two cod weighing 6lb 9oz fishing the Tyne. Alberta S.A.C. had a good result in the lower Tyne with 23 out of 24 anglers finding fish. Mark Daglish won with 13 fish weighing 11lb 9oz, followed by David Jackson with three for 7lb 7oz, the best weighing 6lb 7oz, an excellent fish for the Tyne, and Mick Dellin with 11 totalling 6lb 12oz.Ryhope A.C. fished on Sunday with 30 out of 70 entrants finding cod, coalfish, whiting, and flounders, mainly from the Tyne and Wear. Wayne Harriman fished the Tyne for a nice mixed bag of 6.01kg; including the heaviest fish, a cod of 1.61kg. John Topliffe fished the Wear and landed four coalfish and a flounder weighing 4.29kg, including the best flatfish at 0.73kg. Bob Surtees had two flounders and two whiting for 1.85kg, and John Porteous had three coalies weighing 1.38kg.The Eastenders Wednesday evening sweepstake moved out of the Wear for a roving match where a third of the 27 anglers found fish consisting of cod, whiting, flounders, and coalfish. Chris Hossack had a cod of 6lb from South Shields pier to win the heaviest fish and heaviest bag, Mick Davison also fished the pier and had a cod of 1lb 6oz, followed by Tommy Tate with a coalfish of 1lb 5oz from Marsden.Eastenders were back in the Wear at the Glass Centre on Sunday when 11 out of 12 weighed in fish. Barrie Stowell won with a whiting of 1lb 2oz, Chris Stringer had one of 1lb 1oz and also had the heaviest bag with 15 fish weighing a total of 9lb.Boat anglers continue to enjoy a productive summer with some nice late season ling taking fresh mackerel baits. The Swordfish out of the Wear had ling to 18lb, pollack to 7lb, cod to 5lb, coalies to 4lb, and the inevitable hordes of mackerel. Graham Napier on the Stingray out of the Tyne landed a ling of 29¾lb, and Chris Potts had a cod of 16lb on the Sarah JFK.The Seaham A.C. Open is being fished on Sunday October 23rd fishing from 11am till 4pm between Hendon Groyne (excluded), to Dene Holme pipe at Horden. Seaham North Pier will have 100 pegs available weather permitting. No fishing areas include Hawthorne Point between the markers, the cliffs at Featherbed Rocks, Hendon Groyne, and all Seaham dock areas except the North Pier. Basic entry is £10 all classes plus optional heaviest fish and team pools, and a sealed weight draw. One prize per angler for the heaviest fish with the best fish winning £1000. There are prizes for junior, ladies, and disabled anglers and there is a £3000 prize table. Contact Seaham A.C. 0191-5810321 for details. Boat catches and results, North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2011-10-03T08:02:09+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-27-09-2011 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-27-09-2011#When:07:01:42Z Double figure cod continue to be reported from the north of the Region where they are being taken even in calm conditions. Trevor Green and fishing partner Stu Carr fished the Wear estuary taking numerous cod between 2lb and 5lb with the best weighing 10lb 5oz taken by Trevor, and another fish of 5½lb landed by Stu, all the fish fell for worm baits.Whiting are moving inshore in large numbers with all of the lower river marks, piers and clean ground beaches producing double figure bags to worm and mackerel baits. The Seaham and Hartlepool piers are still producing mackerel on some tides. Ryhope A.C. organised a “dads and lads” match with local youth groups, fishing the lower Wear they found the whiting showing in huge numbers with some nice specimens amongst them. Darren Welldon had one of 1lb 7oz, Luka Atkins had one of 1lb 6oz and five year old Kai Atkins had one weighing 1lb 5oz.Ryhope A.C. fished the first of their winter league matches on Sunday with 30 out of the 81 anglers finding fish, mainly in the rivers. Chris Telford however, decided to go for the cod from the rock edges and managed one of 1.43kg from Marsden to win ahead of Bob Surtees with two flounders totalling 1.25kg from the Tyne and Anthony Lowther with two flounders for 1.23kg. Top junior was Nathan Stevenson with two flounders weighing 0.67kg.The Tynemouth Sunday League match saw 18 out of 21 weigh in contesting for the Billy Elliott Cup. Steve Elliott won with 15 whiting, a plaice and a dab for a total bag of 9lb 11oz, followed by Dave Hayley with seven whiting, one coalfish, a flounder and a cod weighing 8lb 11oz and Steve Harper with 13 whiting, two dabs and a coalie for 8½lb. Dave Hayley had the heaviest fish with his lone cod of 2¾lb.The Club’s retired members match saw 13 out of the 14 fishing land fish, with Tony Taylor taking seven whiting and five coalfish weighing 10lb in top spot. Second placed Bob Gascoigne had seven coalies and two whiting for 8lb 12oz and Ken Robinson had six coalfish and a codling weighing 7lb 13oz including the heaviest fish, a coalfish of 1lb 11oz.Longbenton and Seaton Burn A.C. had a match on Tynemouth pier on Sunday and also found the whiting out in force with plenty of specimens over the 1lb mark landed and 15 out of the 19 entrants weighed in. Paul Batey had a nice mixed bag of whiting, coalfish and flounders weighing 17lb 8oz to finish ahead of Les Harris with a similar bag of 13lb 13oz which included a fine coalfish of 2lb. Third place went to Chris Barrass who had a bag of 11¾lb which included the only cod of the match weighing 1lb 8oz. Top junior was Josh Laydon with 13oz.The Whitley Bay Open last Sunday saw a lot of anglers struggle to find anything of size, and as such, all those who managed to weigh in got among the prizes, with only 43 out of 196 weighing in. Ken Robinson won with two cod weighing 9lb 4oz from Howick, including the third heaviest fish at of 5lb 9oz, Runner-up Dave Milne had three weighing 9lb 2oz while Colin Todd fished Newbiggin and landed two for 8lb 5lb, including the second heaviest fish of 6lb 3oz. Bob Ferguson finished fourth with two weighing 8lb 2oz and Ian Hall’s single fish weighing 6lb 10oz from Beadnell was the heaviest of the match. Top junior was Connor Spratt with three flounders weighing 2lb 7oz from Cresswell, he was the only junior to weigh in. Top lady was Pauline Ferry with three weighing 2½lb.The Seaham Beach and Boat Supplies heaviest fish open match also held last Sunday saw those fishing unexpectedly struggled to find any size fish, with whiting in particular in short supply, only four out of 32 landed four cod, three mackerel, a coalfish, and a plaice weighing 12.11lb. Darren Welsh won with a cod of 3.34lb taken from the Manholes, ahead of R. Parnaby whose cod of 1.20lb came from the Green Wall. In third K. Longstaff had a plaice of 1.14lb from the Blast Beach; Darren also had the heaviest bag with three fish weighing 6.80lb, followed by L. James with three for 2.17lb taken from the Spiles. North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2011-09-27T07:01:42+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-18-09-2011 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-18-09-2011#When:06:19:27Z Both shore and boat angling is now at its best as summer and winter species overlap each other in the north east. Boat anglers are taking both cod and ling to over 20lb, and shore anglers are finding cod into double figures, quality coalfish, wrasse, pollack and mackerel from the rock edges and piers. Those fishing the rivers are enjoying a resurgence in flounders, as all of the region's rivers are full of the flats this year. The lower estuaries have good numbers of coalfish and small cod amongst the flounders, and the Durham beaches and Hartlepool piers are producing quality whiting after dark.Cod are moving inshore early this year, even when conditions are settled, and more double figure specimens are starting to be reported, hopefully with masses of cod just offshore, this coming winter could well be the best since 1987.Ian Ingleson had a personal best cod of 13lb 2oz from Beadnell. Sean Hildrew fished a local Sunderland mark and took seven cod to 3lb. Junior angler Liam Harris won a Longbenton match with a bag of 7lb 3lb which included coalfish to 1½lb and a pollack of 1lb 6oz.Plenty of fish on South Shields pier despite the windy conditions, the last South Shields A.C. match saw nine weigh in 31 fish weighing 22lb 4oz. Winner Rob Lees had six for 6lb 1oz, Steve Elliott had six weighing 5lb 1oz, and Mark Wilkinson had three for 2lb 13oz.Ian Galbraith won a Whitley Bay match with two coalfish and a cod for a total of 4½lb from Collywell Bay followed by Gary Wilson whose bag of four whiting and a coalie from Rocky Island weighed 2lb 9oz.The last Tynemouth Summer League match saw Wilf Reed win with five flounders totalling for 4lb 7oz, the best of which made 1lb 9oz. Runner-up Steve Harper had five dabs, a whiting and a coalfish for 3lb 11oz.Seaton Sluice A.C. had a good result for their last match with 12 out of 16 weighing in 46lb of cod and flounders. Ivan Stott won with six cod weighing 18lb 7oz, best weighing 4¼lb, from Newbiggin while second placed Gary Appleton had five cod for 8lb 11oz from Amble.Third placed Tony Rutherford had three flounders from the Tyne weighing 3lb 6oz. Some of those fishing a Bedlington Station match also found the cod, Alan Naisby had two weighing 10lb 3oz including one of 8lb 3oz, from Newbiggin beating Steve Surtees who had eight flounders for 9lb 6oz and Steve Potts whose eight flounders weighed three ounces less than Steve's bag.The Tynemouth Winter League match saw 16 out of the 26 entrants weigh in mixed bags of cod, coalfish, whiting, and flounders. Dave Hayley had two coalfish and one cod for 5lb 14oz to take first place ahead of Brad Hill who had three cod and a coalfish weighing 5lb 3oz. Junior member Shaun Brannan was third with a personal best cod of 4lb 1oz, all the fish were taken from the lower Tyne.Graham Napier on the Stingray out of the Tyne took a fine ling of 29¾lb, the best of 24 double figure specimens on board. The Sarah JFK out of the Tyne produced a cod of 16lb for Chris Potts, Paul Bainbridge had one of 13lb, and another angler had a pollack of 14lb.The Flamer 2 out of Hartlepool had the seven anglers on board asking to go in early during a recent trip, not due to bad weather but because they had caught too many fish and were exhausted taking 135 cod to 11lb and pollack to 12lb in the first four hours. Another trip saw Dave Lithersage take cod of 15lb 10oz and 14½lb, and a previous trip saw Neil Bourne-Arton land a cod of 22lb. Boat catches and results, North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2011-09-18T06:19:27+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/cutbait-herring-strike-again http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/cutbait-herring-strike-again#When:06:16:47Z Dusseldorf based guide Julius Drewes, from Travel2Fish is having excellent results with the Cutbait Herring lures when fishing in the Tromsoe area of Norway just now. The Savage Gear lures have been attracting massive coalfish including with several fish over 16kg with the bigggest todate making 18,1kg. Boat catches and results, The Wider World 2011-09-15T06:16:47+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/incredible-halibut-catch http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/incredible-halibut-catch#When:06:08:50Z Swedish tackle shop Sportfiskegiganten (Angling Giant) headed off to Havøysund in Norway with a group of clients last week. The 32 anglers had an amazing time landing 312 halibut between them. They had 12 'but over 147 cm and the 10 largest measured 180, 180, 160, 158, 158, 155, 154, 150, 148 and 147 cm.The majority of the fish were caught on Savage Gear Cutbait Herring and the most productive colours were the Mama Rosa, pictured below and new for 2012, Red Fish and Puffin with the Green Glow also taking it's share of the massive flat fish. Boat catches and results, The Wider World 2011-09-13T06:08:50+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-12-09-2011 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/northern-bites-12-09-2011#When:09:26:17Z The Northumberland rock edges are on top form now with some good mixed bags and quality fish reported. Dave Rogers fished at St. Abbs spinning for pollack and was snapped off by two big fish on consecutive casts, switching to stronger tackle his next cast did not produce the expected pollack but a superb shore caught cod of 14lb instead, which had the two snapped off traces in its mouth. Fishing on he landed several other cod and Pollack to 4lb, all taken on lures. Pollack to 4lb are showing on South Shields pier where anglers lure fishing for late mackerel are also landing small cod and coalfish to 3lb. Night time sessions from the Durham beaches, most of the local piers and from the Hendon Wall area have produced quality whiting to over the 1lb mark, various flatfish species and the odd smaller but in size cod. Crab, ragworm and mackerel strip seem to be the most effective baits. The Hartlepool piers are producing good numbers of mackerel to float fished baits with plenty of double figure bags reported; as long as the water stays clear mackerel may remain in the Teesbay area well into October.The lower Tyne has a good population of early season cod that seem to have moved inshore during recent days. Chris Potts fished Haven beach landing over 20 cod and coalies with the best cod being a lovely early specimen of 10lb 9oz. John Bell fished Swine Dene and landed cod to 7½lb, Ivan Stott fished Beadnell and landed three weighing a total of 13lb 7oz with the best making 5lb 15oz.Stan Parkin took sons James and Grant to South Shields pier where they landed 21 cod, coalfish, and dabs between them, Grant landing a surprise octopus as a bonus.Specimen autumn flounders are out in force in all of the regions rivers. Junior angler Gordon Holland won an Amble match with 10 totalling 8lb 5oz from the river Aln. There are still plenty of flounders and coalies in both the Tyne and the Wear. The Eastenders Sweepstake of last Wednesday night was a rover with 23 entrants and 18 weighing in 29 fish, (18 flounders, six coalies, four whiting and a codling). Barrie Wright travelled to Marsden to win with a 1 lbs 6 oz codling and second place going to Gerry Kirby for a 1 lb 5 oz coalie from the same area. There was a tie for third place between Neil Cutler and Steve Rackstraw each taking whiting at 1 lb 3 oz from Shields Pier.Ryhope A.C. fished the Copthorne Hotel in the Tyne on Sunday and reported huge numbers of small flounders with some anglers scaling their tackle down to size six hooks to try to land them. All 24 members weighed in, in zone A John Bryan won with 20 measuring 428cm, John Blayney had 14 for 297cm, Bill Bell had 14 which measured 290cm, and Alan Burton had 13 for 288cm. Bob Bland and Mark Redpath tied for the longest fish, each with flounders of 37cm. In zone B Barrie Stowells had 20 measuring 277cm, Bob Surtees and Stu Bland tied with 14 each totalling 237cm, Jordan Lowes had 10 for 205cm, and there was a tie for the longest fish again with Paul Craig and Rob Hipkin each having 34cm flounders.Some clubs are now starting their winter matches, Cleadon A.C. results always give a good indication of what to expect and their first match saw 16 out of 32 find fish in the Tyne and off South Shields pier. Steve Gordon had a good win with a mixed bag of 15 whiting and coalfish weighing 16lb 14oz, David Carrick had six for 9lb 6oz, including the best cod of 3lb 13oz from the Tyne, and Neil Cutler was third with seven weighing 7lb 10oz.The Evelyn Jane had a good day out before the gale force winds arrived landing several ling over 20lb, the best a nice specimen of 29lb 10oz taken by Durham angler D. Keswick. Darren Blagg landed a cod of 18lb and Shaun McCarroll netted a rare angler fish.The 52nd Whitley Bay Open is on Sunday September 18th fishing from 10.30am till 2.30pm between Seahouses South breakwater (excluded), to Tynemouth pier (excluded). Register at the Bank House Club Newbiggin from 8am till 9.30am, weigh in from 3pm till 4pm. Basic entry is £12 plus team events and pools, juniors under 16 years are free but must be accompanied by an adult.First prize is £500, 50%, 30%, and 20% for the heaviest fish, £100 for the heaviest flatfish, plus junior and ladies prizes, plus the usual full supporting prize table.If you require tide information for 2012 there is a full data sheet on the Planet Sea Fishing site at www.planetseafishing.com/maps/tides-england-wales/ Boat catches and results, North East England, Shore Catches and Results 2011-09-12T09:26:17+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/croatian-tuna-hunt http://www.planetseafishing.com/catchreports/read/croatian-tuna-hunt#When:23:45:16Z Rasmus Ovesen, Marketing coordinator for Svendsen Sport reports that tuna fishing has been red hot in Croatia lately, and that they have had a couple of their guys down there testing these fierce fish for strength and fight power.Okuma consultants, Henrik S Lund and Christian Moeller, planned a 10 day trip down there determined to break the code on their own. It was their first tuna attempt, they had brought along their own boat, and they only had a few reports to go from. Nonetheless, they succeeded massively with nine tuna and a sword fish. The guys used Okuma Makaira reels, and they handled the frenetic tuna abuse with elegance.Their Croatian Okuma consultant, Dalien Vignjevic, has also been out to sea, and from him we have the following report:'In a very tight schedule Okuma`s Magnus Gunnarsson found some time to team up with me and we went for a tuna trip here on the Croatian side of Adriatic sea. We were fishing with dead bait sardines and drifting methods. First part of the day passed without any action, but after a mid-day break, the tuna were on.We caught a small 30kg tuna right away, and just half an hour later the big mama took our slow sinking sardine and gave Okuma Makaira 80 LB rod a hell of workout. Although there were moments of complete mayhem, everything went well at the end and the fish of approx 80-90 kg in the gallery below was landed.After that we had an unforgettable experience of watching 100-150 kilo fish emerging from the deep and taking our pre-baiting sardines right next to the boat with incredible grace and speed. We managed to get one of them hooked, but not in the boat!Unfortunately, we ran out sardines so had to leave active fish and possibility of another monster catch but the day was perfect anyway.This hard core fishing with enormous and hard fighting fish, big game tackle and serious approach to every aspect of fishing made this trip one of the most memorable fishing experiences of our lives. Can’t wait to get back there!' Boat catches and results, The Wider World 2011-09-07T23:45:16+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/gilly-eel-lures http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/gilly-eel-lures#When:17:58:55Z They're tough, they're bright and they appropriately swim like fish. Steve Souter discusses the brand new Gilly Eel lures exclusive to top on-line retailer Ocean Tackle Store.Gilly Eels are a new quality artificial sandeel imported into the UK and sold exclusively by Ocean Tackle Store. They are available in 115mm, 150mm and 170mm sizes, but the likes of the fire-tail patterns and several of the other eye-catching killer colours pictured are only currently available in the most popular 150mm size.The colours are vivid, and real eye-burners that will attract a good deal of interest from pollack, cod and bass fanatics in particular. Formed from tough high quality silicon, these lures certainly cut it in the key areas of the general robustness and swimming action.The tail shape holds up well during storage and transit, and I would go as far as to suggest that the Gillys are nowhere near as prone to kinking and damage as other more famous and more expensive eels. These eels have not been in my possession long but, so far, there is no evidence of colour contaimination across different coloured lures which have been stored together in a standard plastic lure box.In appearance terms the Gilly Eel might be described as something of a Red Gill / Eddystone hybrid lure. The head and body are Red Gill-like, while the tail length and very supple nature of the tail section is more in keeping with the alternative Eddystone. Other distinguishing features include prominent pectoral fins for increased stability on the retrieve, and a larger bore hollow body to assist with bouyancy.GET THE HOOKS RIGHTWhile line is certainly very easily threaded through the Gillys, I do think that the large hollow centre is potentially more a hindrance than any great help if it isn't considered when rigging these eels. Gilly eels come without hooks fitted, and my gripe is that many popular hook patterns don't easily find purchase against the sides inside the lure. As such, they are prone to unsolicited left or right movement. For most UK fishing applications the eel needs to track true, and in order to achieve this it is essential that the hook locks internally so that the point remains parallel to the belly of the lure while it is being worked.This is not a problem with Gilly Eels so long as carefully attention is given to hook selection and situation. The simple fact is that any old hook won't do. Pick something with a large eye, like a forged O'Shaughnessy or Sakuma Manta Extra in sizes 3/0 - 5/0 for the 150mm version. Alternatively, install a suitable rubber bead inside the eel, and, using a knot that allows a generous right-angled tag-end to be left, pull the knot solidly into the hidden bead to lock the hook. Now, if all of that sounds like brain-frazzle then it's a good job that Ocean Tackle Store are happy to recommend appropriate hooks, so don't be afraid to ask the question when ordering.150mm Gilly Eels are available in bubblegum pink, blaze orange, fluorescent yellow, black, pearl, merthiolate (translucent pink), pearl-blue/black back, pearl-green/black back, black with orange tail, black with merthiolate tail and black with yellow tail. Cost is £4.28 per pack of four. More information and purchase details can be found HERE. Terminal Tackle, Lures, Lead Feature 2011-09-06T17:58:55+00:00 http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/snowbee-travel-boat-rods http://www.planetseafishing.com/reviews/read/snowbee-travel-boat-rods#When:18:23:42Z Snowbee's Deep Travel Boat rods go under the spotlight. Des Westmore runs the rule over these latest four-piece 12-20 and 30-50 travellers.Snowbee offer two Deep Blue travel boat rods in the shape of 12-20lb and 30-50lb versions. Both are four-piece 7 foot, 7 inch rods that pack down to 29 inches, and come supplied with a protective hard-walled travel tube.The lowest joint is a plug-in junction on the Fuji reel seat, while the remaining two joints are spigots. Rings are genuine Fuji SiC chrome ovals: the two lowermost are double-legged, with six more single legs plus the tip ring. Whippings are black with silver and gold piping while the blank is indeed deep blue.The well-proportioned handle benefits from EVA material grips and includes a gimble. While I would normally suggest a gimble is superfluous on a 12-20lb rod for use the in the UK, its inclusion on a travel rod for overseas work is important. A little cross-weave whipping above the fore grip crowns what is a very attractive rod. The only thing missing in my opinion would be a hi-viz tip to assist bite spotting, but I understand that the primary intent of such rods is to lock horns with the type and size of fish that are more likely to haul you off your feet!IGFA RATEDEver since I first spoke to Snowbee UK's MD Russell Weston some years ago, he has always been at pains to point out that the Deep Blue blanks are accurately rated to the classic IGFA line classes, using a very progressive action achieved by mixing and matching fibres of varying modulus. This makes these rods markedly different from many of the stiff butt/soft tip rods on the market. Despite the compact four-piece design, the Deep Blue travellers follow the same design blueprint admirably, despite the compromise 12-20lb and 30-50lb dual line class ratings.I have enjoyed playing with the rods in home waters and they will be going in the suitcase for my second trip to Antigua later this year. RRP for the 12-20lb is ¬£179 with the 30-50lb slightly more expensive at ¬£199.Visit www.snowbee.co.uk for more imformation. Boat rods, Snowbee, Lead Feature, Travel rods 2011-09-05T18:23:42+00:00