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Issue 440 £3.25 On sale May 14 - June 10
Today’s besT besT shore and boa boaTT angling magazine Summer SpecieS
CatCh your
first
MULLEt on a 79p loafof bread
BIGGEST EVER BOAT SECTION
44 pages of tackle, stories, tests and advice PLUS why an auxiliary engine could save your life!
4 Easy
stEps
to cast big distances Technique
how to handle
bass without getting
HuRt!
TacTicS
GO FOR tHE
GR GRO GROyNEs O Oy y NEs and hook more fish
Sea Angler Mullet fishing Pictures by Lloyd Rogers
It's pungent, but so what?
It might sniff a bit near the outfall at Kilmore Quay, but that's all forgotten as Mike Hennessey shows off a mullet caught on bread .
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Sea Angler issue 440
‘Bonefishing’ with an Irish twist It isn’t blarney when we say that mullet fight just as hard as warm-water bonefish. They are fast, sleek and scrap all the way to the net, as MIKE HENNESSEY found out when he fished on Kilmore Quay pier, County Wexford SEA ANGLER ISSUE 440
5
Skills
SPECIES SPECIAL
Sea Angler Advice section
sponsored by
Nothing excites more than seeing a ruddy great early summer plaice flapping in gin-clear water at your feet. Here contributing editor Alan Yates explains how you can enjoy that magic fishing moment…
spot
A plaice head-on – they start off as round fish but then everything ‘migrates’
Get on the
Why you should know the importance of venue selection
Top tip Plaice are often found near mussel beds or shell grit banks
Do you want to catch your first prize plaice? Then the most important thing you have got to learn is where to catch them, not how to catch them. This is because only a handful of areas regularly produce plaice in numbers and of any size, although there are always localised pockets of fish to be found, especially on venues that once held large stocks of fish. The prized plaice fishing grounds are mostly throughout the English Channel coast and up the
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Irish Sea, with a few specimens taken from the North Sea shoreline. The Channel Islands remain a plaice haven, with other individual venues around the UK including such places as South Hams beach, Slapton and Beesands, all in Devon. In Dorset, Cogden is very consistent, as well as a few other venues on Chesil beach. Poole harbour still produces the odd monster spottie, especially for dinghy anglers. Eastney, near Southsea, and Lee-on-the-
Solent in Hampshire are the southern plaice hot spots. Although the species thins out toward Sussex and Kent, the odd specimen is always possible from Pevensey Bay, Dover breakwater and the Prince of Wales pier at Dover. North West venues include the River Dee at Mostyn, the Mersey at Birkenhead and further north around Blackpool and Fleetwood in Lancs. Some marks in Cumbria produce, with Whitehaven pier for many years a favourite big
plaice venue, although in recent seasons average size has fallen. Other North West plaice marks include the beaches between Workington and Maryport at Blackbank, Redbank and Grasslot. A few of the western Scottish lochs produce some plaice, too. Plaice are extremely slow growing, which explains their demise, with a 5lb fish being 20-plus years old. You will catch them on a variety of sea beds, from the sandy banks made up of shell grit to patches of
sand between weed and mussel beds. Plaice are fond of pea mussels, and on occasions can suddenly appear inshore in numbers around small mussel beds. Apart from over-fishing, one theory on the small numbers of plaice now found at some of the venues that once boasted a large head of fish is that the large numbers of dogfish that now invade many English Channel shorelines have pushed the plaice out because they have decimated their food source.
Sea Angler issue 440
A PROPER PLAICE RIG
The best terminal rig for catching plaice is very dependant on the choice of venue and angling opinion. A long-time favourite is the wishbone, which is a two-hook clipped rig designed for casting two substantial baits a fair distance. Here we show the staggered wishbone version of this popular rig that I adapted from the loop rig by adding a Cascade swivel on one side of the snoods for the other hook to clip into. In effect, this positions baits in line astern and improves aerodynamics and casting range. The standard wishbone design
ARTWORK BY DAVE BATTEN
Bead and crimp trap swivel
Go for the staggered wishbone
Bead and stop bead trap swivel
hooks both hooks on the same bait clip and this tends to produce a bulky mass behind the lead that’s liable to wobble in flight and cut your casting distance dramatically. Long-distance casting is not required on all plaice venues and a one-up, one-down flapper rig is the other choice when distance is not a priority. The plaice, despite its appearance, has a fairly large mouth, which when extended can engulf a large bait. Hook sizes are 2 and 1 in a long-shank Aberdeen pattern, the smaller sizes being easier to remove than a larger size 2/0.
Rubber stop or stop bead
Stop bead
Swivel clips to Genie link on shockleader
Wishbone runs through the snood swivel
Cascade swivel holds top hook of wishbone
Hook snood from main body to wishbone
Grip lead
Beads and sequins held above hook by rubber stop
Snood slides through swivel
SEASON STARTS IN APRIL
Breakaway Imp clip holds lower hook
But May’s better
The plaice season starts in April in the south with fish moving inshore to recover after spawning just as the crabs begin to peel. Unfortunately they are hungry and more easily caught at this time, despite often being thin and what is called wasted. As with the other flatfish they are not easily returned alive because of their habit of swallowing the bait. Even if small hooks and a disgorger are used it is difficult to unhook a flatfish. Once May arrives they have recovered their condition and weight and are then worth targeting.
Top hook falls from Cascade
Hook releases from Imp
Water pressure pushes up the Imp device
SEA ANGLER ISSUE 439
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Tackle
reels
Top tip Bushes on the Rotor arm prevent line getting under the spool
The
fixed-spool 54
Sea Angler issue 440
Why some anglers turn their noses up at fixed-spool reels we’ll never know. Tested over grass they are no more than 10 yards behind a multiplier, the distance making no difference in fishing terms. So if you are thinking of buying an easy to use reel, here’s a range, costing up to £165, reviewed by PAUL FENECH CORMORAN SEACOR BIG BEN 60006PI
1
RRP £52.95
Price: £52.95
A good-looking reel dressed in a smart silver and red livery. It’s a perfect size for shore fishing and holds a large amount of line on the aluminium long cast spool – and you get a spare one. It is protected against saltwater corrosion as long as you give it a general wash down after each trip. The brushes at the side
of the spool also prevent the line falling behind it and becoming trapped. This reel is perfect for fishing with braid when distance is a priority.
Verdict A super casting reel that is built to last with lots of extras.
Technical Information WEIGHT: 670g GEAR RATIO: 4.3:1 SPOOL CAPACITY: 25lb/260m BEARINGS: Five PRICE: £52.95
The handle can fold down when not in use
DAIWA OPUS BULL 6000
2
Price: £69.99
This reel won’t buckle when you need to pile on the pressure. The internal workings are protected securely inside the rotor and tough rigid body. The reel handle is huge to enable super cranking power and the front-operated clutch can be adjusted, when required, in an instant. If the ground you are
RRP £69.99
3
SEA ANGLER ISSUE 440
fishing is tough, don’t worry – this fixed-spool will handle it. Built for sheer brute strength, it won’t let you down.
Verdict A little on the heavy side, but ideal if fishing over mixed or weedy ground.
Technical Information WEIGHT: 850g GEAR RATIO: 4.6:1 SPOOL CAPACITY: 25lb/240m BEARINGS: Four PRICE: £69.99
Change the handle to the side that suits
FOX STRATOS 12000E Price: £159.99 RRP £159.99
This graphite reel is the ultimate workhorse and likes being pushed to its limit, so much so that an angler landed a 50lb conger eel using it. This reel has heaps of extras. I liked the long, coned spool and slow oscillation which lays braid perfectly. Rubber line guards ensure that line cannot become trapped behind
the spool, and with lots of bearings inside, the casting performance is enhanced. A spare spool comes in its own pot with a descriptive label.
Verdict A great carp reel that casts and performs well on the beach for far-off fish.
Technical Information WEIGHT: 671g GEAR RATIO: 4.5:1 SPOOL CAPACITY: 20lb/275m BEARINGS: 14 PRICE: £159.99
The coned spool helps to give great line lay
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Sea Angler What's going on around you
f ly ng Here come the
angels
Zoe Dunford hitches a ride on a B Flight 22 Squadron Sea King search and rescue helicopter to learn how the crew come to our aid when things go pear-shaped at sea
I
am UGS. That’s utterly gob-smacked. My hair is a mess. I am still drunk with the motion of the helicopter. My mind is spinning with all the things I have seen, heard and experienced. When I first arrive I know I’m in the right place when I see a baby-faced guard cradling an SA80 assault rifle. This is serious. I pass a building labelled ‘Attack Aviation’ and a sign warning of live firing. I get a sense that anything might happen. Which is very much the ethos of SAR. They prepare for the unexpected and work on the presumption that if something can happen, it bloody well will. I am escorted to the base. Just beyond the car park is the runway, and the unmistakeable, bright yellow hulk of a Sea King helicopter. It looks huge. Inside the building I pass a cabinet of sporting trophies and a board displaying photos of all the staff, some with added moustaches and devil’s horns. The control room is a mesmerising mix of old-fashioned telephones, high-tech equipment, crazily detailed maps and neatly stored immersion suits.
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In the hot seat
Zoe Dunford meets pilot Richard 'Strooky' Strookman.
Wearing the suits is obligatory whenever the sea temperature is below 10°C and when flying at night. With them, you get about three hours to live in the North Sea. Without them you might have a few minutes. It’s a no brainer. The control room walls are lined with instructions. I learn that ditching a helicopter into the water might happen accidentally, but it may become the safest option if you lose an engine. The Sea King has a boat-shaped hull and can be driven along on the water, Bond-style, to the nearest beach. The crew have been on duty for 23 hours and have an hour to go until their 10am handover. They were called out for a ‘medivac’ (medical evacuation) in the night to take a child from hospital in Great Yarmouth to Cambridge.
Facts about the Sea King and its crew
What it costs, why it's there ■ A Sea King is powered by two Rolls Royce Gnome engines. It takes more power to hover than to fly forward. ■ It can carry a maximum of 6000lb of fuel – six hours’ worth. ■ The crew have four and a half hours’ allocated flying time per day to keep their training current. ■ A Sea King costs about £6,000 an hour to fly. Hospitals, commercial ships, ferries and leisure users, including anglers, are not charged for being rescued. ■ B Flight 22 Squadron
averages just shy of about 200 jobs annually. A large proportion is rescues from ferries, such as passengers injured in a fall. ■ The service exists to assist military aircrew. ■ Winchman Shawn Clark is a qualified paramedic, as are most winchmen on a Sea King crew. ■ The Sea King has a four-man crew: pilot, co-pilot, winch/ radar operator and winchman/ paramedic (the one who is lowered to casualties).
Sea Angler issue 440
Space invader
Once she's suited and booted, Zoe prepares to board the Sea King
Sea Angler issue 440
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SEA ANGLER THE BASS SERIES YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO MISS
HENRY GILBEY
“FISH GRIPS ARE DESIGNED TO CAUSE NO HARM TO THE FISH'S JAW, SO WHILE IT MIGHT SOUND LIKE A BRUTAL WAY TO DEAL WITH A FISH, IN FACT IT IS A VERY HUMANE WAY TO HANDLE BASS” 136
SEA ANGLER ISSUE 440
hot handle Too
to
Henry Gilbey has shown you
how to catch bass. Now he explains how to handle and release them without getting hurt. Bass don’t bite humans – they try to spike and cut them instead!
Hold on tight
Grab the bass with a fish grip then unhook.
Sea Angler issue 440
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Sea Angler next month
156 PAGES of Sea Angler just how you like it! PLUS an EXTRA eight-page charter boat guide While some sea angling magazines are shrinking we are getting even
bigger and better HERE are THE FACTS...
■ Who else gives you at least 12 pages of instruction? ■ What other sea angling magazine explains rigs with such clarity? ■ Is there any other quality magazine around that gives you over 40 pages of dedicated boat fishing plus around 60 pages of shore fishing? ■ Who else offers match anglers a three-tier Sea League... including one aimed at grass roots club anglers? ■ You’d be missing a trick if you failed to read the next issue lands in your newsagent of Britain’s biggest and most read sea angling magazine on JUNE 14
Next Issue
Snag beater Gordon Thornes shows A taste of summer to come... you how to beat the Join us at Maryport on the Cumbrian coast, weed and catch bass where the shore fishing is spectacular and flounders
Rays a smile The thornbacks are feeding in the breakers. Shane Pullen shows you how to bag them
Also in next month’s issue
■ The best boat multipliers for around £100 PLUS a couple of real steal deals ■ How to catch summer mackerel for sport and bait Sea Angler issue 440
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