Sea_Angler_issue_448

Are you up for it?

Strong gear is in order when fishing the kelp, like this scene at Cresswell in Northumberland.

Sea angler iSSue 448

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Sea angler Modern bass fishing WordS & PictureS by Henry gilbey

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Sea angler iSSue 448

Bass tips

for the

travelling

man

Henry Gilbey has fished around the globe but when it comes to bass fishing he’s drawn to Europe. If you’ve got itchy feet and want to fish new ground read on...

Sea angler iSSue 448

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ďƒœ

places to news fish Sea angler latest

Monkhole lives up to its naMe

T

ralee, Co Kerry angler John Tobin caught this huge monkfish from a mark known as the Monkhole on Ireland's Derrymore beach and he has no idea how much it weighed.

The Tralee Bay SAC member had planned a bass fishing trip, but the fish were not biting.

"I could see that fish were nibbling at my big lug baits on a size 2/0 hook, so I decided to change down to a size 2 hook for a bit of sport with flatties while I waited for high tide," said John.

"An hour passed and I had a couple of schoolies, a flounder and two nice dabs up to high tide. Then

prize bass takes a crab

Husband and wife Martin and Debbie roullier were fishing over low water off their local Barkby beach at Prestatyn, north Wales, with whole fresh peeler crabs on Pennell rigs when the top of Debbie's Daiwa Moonraker rod bucked.

The bite turned out to be from a 9lb 1oz bass, which Debbie (below) caught from an 8ft deep channel, thought to be a local hot spot.

things went quiet so I wandered along the beach when I realised I hadn't clicked off the reel's ratchet.

As I turned to go back to my rod I saw it being pulled out of its stand.

I haven't run so fast in years, which wasn't easy in Wellington boots."

Grabbing the rod, he loosened the clutch on the reel as the tip buckled over. The fish took plenty of line before John managed to get control of it and then he realised it was not a bass on my line.

"A bass would have run towards me, but this fish towed me a 100 yards down the beach. You can imagine how I felt when I saw what I can only describe as a mindblowing monkfish lying in the

water," he said.

John had no weighing scales, so, using a tape measure, he found the fish was 75cm from wing to wing and 126cm from head to tail.

A shattered but overjoyed John returned the alive.

"What a buzz. I won't ever forget the high of enjoying the greatest battle I have ever had with a fish," he said.

The Irish angler fished with an Abu Garcia Cardinal C178 reel and 15ft 9in Penn Powerstix Pro surf rod, which he says lets him cast big distances. If anyone can help John determine the weight of his fish, ring him on 00353 087 9338953 or 00353 066 7129338.

teenager bags his biggest fish Shore-caught cod weighing this big are a reason to celebrate. The lucky lad holding a 16lb 8oz specimen is luke Mcnicholas, 15, from Deal, Kent, who hooked the fish during an evening session on Dover's admiralty pier. a delighted luke said: "i was fishing on the second half of the pier and the fish took my

black lug and peeler crab cocktail four hours after high water."

His successful rig was an 8oz running lead with a 4ft snood fished Pennell style with 2/0 Kamasan uptide hooks.

"This is the biggest cod i have ever seen, let alone caught," added the youngster.

Lug and crab accounted for this big cod

Cocktail picks off big bass Cameron Stenhouse (above) from Deal, Kent, says he's sorry for the delay in sending in this picture of his 11lb 4oz bass caught out of nearby Dover, but his computer crashed! never mind, we still wanted to see the great-looking fish. He caught the bass on lug and squid aboard the private boat Sandpiper.

Rod giveaway winners Issue 445: Steve Ford, Helston, Cornwall; Justin Lee Thomson, Laxfield, Suffolk; Norton Jenkins, Ogmore Vale, Bridgend; David Campbell, Worcester; John Seddon, Tonbridge, Kent; David Morgan, Walton, Essex; Andrew Harries, Milford Haven, Pembs; Peter Holgate, Preston, Lancs; John Bulwell, Halstead, Kent and David Chatfield, Sutton, Surrey.

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skipper snaps up a hound Cod and bass are the normal fare along the Suffolk coast, but there are good smoothhounds too, as proved by Mark Felton, skipper of Panther out of the river Blyth at Walberswick.

This 10lb starry hound was caught eight miles out on lug and squid.

Sea angler iSSue 448

Sea angler

MASTER CLASS

PhotograPhS by LLoyd rogers

Skills

ďƒœ sponsored by

Fishing after dark certainly improves results, but judging when your sinker hits the sea, seeing what you are doing and even spotting your rod tip does present problems. Alan Yates explains how to get the best from a night session

Top tip The higher you place a lamp The bigger iTs pool of lighT

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Sea angler iSSue 448

Things that go

bump night in the

C

atch rates soar when you fish after dark.

Why? Because fish feel brave when the sky turns black.

They often move within easy casting distance, which lets you pick them off one by one.

There is a flipside to fishing after dark because it is not as easy as it looks. Here we look at some of the

problems you might encounter and ways to get around them.

After the sun vanishes, many experienced angling night owls won’t have a problem slowing their multiplier reel spool as the lead weight hits the water, or even knowing the direction they have cast, but for the night novice the whole casting in darkness thing can become a nightmarish succession

of over-runs. This and many say promenade lights, before other problems can cancel out attempting to fish in pitch the advantage of the darkness, blackness. and it does take time to master Lots of sea anglers find darkness the techniques and tactics of a bit frightening, and more than fishing at night. one regular angler I fish with will The simplest way to solve the not fish alone, although they problem of cast timing is to won’t admit it. For the novice, switch to a fixed-spool reel, and fishing with a pal is perhaps good then it is no longer necessary to sense anyway. If in doubt, or you stop the line as the lead hits the are nervous, then fish with a mate water. If you want to stick or a group. You may not with your multiplier then realise it, but this will the solution is to make you more reduce the reel’s line confident and help load and tighten up Bright moonlight you concentrate on can Be a deterrent the fishing and not the magnetic/brake to fish coming spool control slightly. inshore the spooky sound of on some When do you want shingle being shallow venues to cast big distances crunched underfoot. anyway? Under darkness Being in a group will also the fish will come closer to you, help you to solve some of the so a multiplier loaded with less problems that arise when fishing line with the brakes full on will be in the dark. far easier to control.

Night fishing on many beach If you miss the sinker landing in venues during the winter is best the sea with less line on the spool between 7pm and 3am with high of your multiplier, over-runs water before midnight, with two become far less of a problem. hours either side of midnight Practice is essential, though, and often the hot time. Expect here’s a valuable tip – fish from a codling, whiting, pout, dogfish beach, particularly illuminated by and, if you are lucky, a cod.

Top tip

LET THERE BE LIGHT

Things to consider when buying your first headlamp 

The novice night angler’s first step into fishing in darkness can be a short practice session leading into dusk or staying on one winter afternoon and seeing what happens as the l ight fades.

A good venue is an illuminated pier or promenade. There are a few of these around the coast, and on some you don’t even need a light to carry on fishing. But just in case, get your hands on a cheap LED headlamp – some really bright ones are available from the DIY

Sea angler iSSue 448

stores and tackle dealers for around a tenner.

A headlamp is the most practical light source because it allows you to operate hands-free. The best angling headlamps can be much more expensive, but a lot of sea anglers manage with a cheap headlamp to get them started.

Modern LED headlights are now so efficient they are a first choice, with several of the waterproof potholing lamps among the best available. Some mix LEDs with halogen bulbs so that a spotlight

and beam are available.

Basically the LED runs on far less power, so your batteries last much longer than on the standard halogen bulbs.

Bear in mind a couple of points when choosing a headlamp. The cheap ones mostly have the battery pack in the headband and this can prove uncomfortable in the larger models.

A battery pack that goes on the belt or in the pocket will be more comfortable for long sessions. Make sure that the headlamp can be swivelled

downwards so that it shines on your reel and is in a position to help you bait up or change tackle.

Lots of sea anglers also use a base light and there are a couple of options – either the fuel type lantern or an electric lantern. The fuel lamps run on paraffin or petrol and are safe and efficient. They have the advantage of also providing heat, something lots of serious night anglers find comforting in the dead of winter. A fuel lamp hissing behind your umbrella or beach shelter provides a homely glow.

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