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Sea Angling News Ltd. - www.seaanglingnews.com - editor@seaanglingnews.com - Issue 302 December 2020
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MONSTER SHORE CAUGHT TOPE
WINNER Gareth Griffths bagged this monster 50lb + tope from a Welsh shore mark
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Sea Angling News, December 2020
Former top detective to lead Angling Trust’s fisheries enforcement support team
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A former police officer with over 30 years’ experience in the force has been appoin‐ ted National Enforcement Support Man‐ ager of the Angling Trust’s Fisheries Enforcement Support Service, which runs the 500-strong Voluntary Bailiff Service and the highly successful Building Bridges project working with migrant anglers. Nino Brancato retired from Thames Valley Police as Detective Inspector having worked mainly within the Criminal Invest‐ igation Department but was also seconded for over 10 years to National Specialist Operational teams working across the United Kingdom. Throughout his career, Nino has received many commendations for his work includ‐ ing a Higher Chief Constable’s Commend‐ ation for disarming a man with a pump action shotgun who was wanted for murder and a Commander’s Commenda‐ tion for a positive action programme for under-represented officers in specialist roles. Nino said: “I am really looking forward to working with the Angling Trust’s Fisheries Enforcement Support Service and building on the great partnership we have with the Environment Agency. Our 500 volunteer bailiffs, led by a dedicated team of Re‐ gional Enforcement Managers, and our
Building Bridges team provide quality in‐ telligence which supports the work under‐ taken by the Environment Agency’s fisheries officers and police. They put anglers and the environment at the heart of everything they do to help protect fish and fisheries all over the country.” Mark Owen, Head of Freshwater, said: “Nino comes to the Angling Trust with a wealth of experience in policing and I’m looking forward to working with him as we build on the success of the Fisheries En‐ forcement Support Service and take it to the next level. Having someone of Nino's experience and seniority is a great asset to both the Angling Trust and fishing as a whole.” Graeme Storey, Fisheries Manager at the Environment Agency, said: “We have a great relationship with the Angling Trust and look forward to seeing this continue to develop with Nino as the new National En‐ forcement Support Manager. We are work‐ ing hard to crack down on illegal fishing, working in partnership with the Angling Trust, police and others to protect our fish‐ eries. With the skills and experience Nino brings to the role, we are confident that we will build on our achievements so far and further reduce illegal fishing activity.” The Fisheries Enforcement Support Ser‐ vice is funded from fishing licence money
as part of the Angling Trust’s National Angling Strategic Services contract with the Environment Agency. It includes the Voluntary Bailiff Service which was set up five years ago as a pilot project in the South East and now has 500 volunteers operating across the whole of England. They act as the eyes and ears on the bank, reporting suspicious activity and intelligence to the Environment Agency or police. Anglers who want to protect fisher‐ ies and suspect illegal activity is taken place in their area should report it in the first instance to the Environment Agency’s hotline on 0800 80 70 60. They can also report to our Regional Enforcement Man‐ agers or speak to a volunteer bailiff on the bank. The Building Bridges project has made huge progress towards the successful in‐ tegration of migrant angling communities in England and provides positive educa‐ tion and advice to help anglers understand our angling laws and customs. The team also support angling clubs and fisheries by translating their rules into different lan‐ guages and offering free multi-lingual sig‐ nage and leaflets. Nino replaces Dilip Sarkar MBE who left the Angling Trust earlier this year after eight years in the role.
Sea Angling News, December 2020
THAMES ESTUARY
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REPORT FOR THE PORTS OF BRIGHTLINGSEA BRADWELL AND WEST MERSEA
By Lee Bollingbroke, skipper of Sophie Lea Well I wish I had loads to report but due to the lock down I am struggling, the virus has I am afraid bought the worst and best out in our industry with charter skippers from near by ports reporting other skip‐ pers for disobeying the rules, and then do‐ ing exactly the same a few days later you certainly find out who your friends are in a crisis, and lets face it rules thanks to Mr Johnston and his croneys are difficult to keep up with as they seem to change every day. It looks like as I write we can only take out one angler which is unviable unless your going to rip off that one steadfast angler thats supported you through hard times,
the rules effect every one with charter boats despite the kind of boat you run i.e you may have a large catamaran were dis‐ tance spacing is easy and on the other hand a mono vessel were safe spacing is not so easy its a mine field. So on to the fishing lots of whiting to be had and plenty of rays and large whiting if you no were they are, dabs have made a welcome appearance some really nice sizes too, a few unicorns I mean of course codling and some shore anglers are catch‐ ing them in numbers at night from the shore but I believe this is a fish that is mov‐ ing further north and chances of us seeing cod in numbers is decreasing every year.
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NEWS / BRIXHAM
Sea Angling News, December 2020
Sea Angling News, December 2020
NEWS
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HOOKED ON LURE FISHING The groundbreaking new hardback from Merlin Unwin Books (RRP ÂŁ24.99) Packed with brilliant tips and ideas from Dom and saltwater lure fantatic Andy Mytton, this new book reveals a huge range of species to target and exciting tactics to try. Over three years in the making, it also features the amazing underwater photography of BBC Wildlife star Jack Perks. It is available now from various book and tackle shops, or signed from www.dgfishing.co.uk
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BACK TO BASICS By Martin Wood This month on back to basics I thought I would cover a few bait up options we all know about a few worms up the line which is simple enough but for a bait that has plenty of scent trail and can make a bait bigger and last longer I thought we would go over a few squid and black bait ups ready for some nice cod through the heavier winter months. Squid: Squid on its own is probably my preferred bait of choice over worms in the Bristol channel not only is it smelly it’s also a tough bait and for myself catches as much as the live worm at times its per‐ formed better than worms not only is it a tough hardy bait its versatile in how you can present it. So we can look at a few ways first with just squid of ways to present it. Firstly Whole squid: With a whole squid its esay enough you just whip some bait elastic around the squid and then thread a hook through to one end and then put your Pennell hook
Sea Angling News, December 2020
NEWS
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in the other. Half of squid: Half of a squid cut long ways and then whipped up is a great bait for casting dis‐ tance it keeps the diameter of the bait down so it can be cast further by being aerodynamic and yet you still get plenty of smell out there especially if you use both halves one above the other you can catch most species as the bait isn’t so wide which means that even smaller mouthed species like rays or smooth hounds can take the bait. With two basic ways covered now squid can also be a great combination bait one to get scent out there as well as making a bait last longer like using the mantle cover stripping out the guts and wrapping another bait in it that’s more fragile like cart/crab etc. With us moving well and truly into cod season now I will do a cod bait I like to use and one of the most popular but not always this way.
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Sea Angling News, December 2020 Squid & Black lug: With the squid in hand lift up one side of the mantle and push your finger inside opening up the cavity then fold your lug worm in half and stuff the lug into the cavity and push in with your finger. Depending on the size of the squid your are using you can normally get at least 2 in there should you wish to do so Whip the end up tight and snip the closed tip off the mantle then whip the whole bait up with bait elastic whipping both ends nice and tight to not let the lug slip out. Then simply stitch the hook through your bait which also makes holes for the black lug to ooze through the squid body out
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NEWS
into the water. Finish off with the Pennell hook through the top of the bait and your good to go. A 5 star Mitchelin very juicy cod bait! You have the best of both baits which keeps the worm protected from annoying small fish and also gives a controlled scent release instead of a one hit wonder gone in a few minutes with a strong tide. Another small tip you can make these baits at home on a snood which I do and then freeze them down for minimum fuss when you’re on the beach.
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Until next month tight lines and may the cod gods be smiling on you!
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POOLE / DORSET
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Available for wreck, reef, banks, evening trips, 4-day Alderney and 3-day Cherbourg trips. **Bass, turbot, cod, plaice, shark specials** Both boats available for charters and individuals. Owner/skippers Sam & Andy Cumming Phone 07787 375 386 www.silverspraycharters.com Email: info@silverspraycharters.com
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Sea Angling News, December 2020
POOLE REPORT by Philip Higgins If the 2nd national lockdown were not enough for the charter industry to deal with the weather gods must be backing the Government as most of the month co‐ incided with gales which would have kept the boats tied up. The odd day we have managed has produced plenty of Whiting and for a couple of days ‘string fulls’ of Mackeral as a bonus to fill the freezers for the winter. Andy Mitchell drew the lucky card to be the 1 person onboard when it should have been a planned club fishing trip and he took full advantage of the day landing countless double and triple shots of Whiting along with a new PB Blonde Ray of 17lbs plenty of congers and as ex‐ pected dogfish the highlight for Andy was another new PB landing his 1st rod caught Squid at the end of the day. On the next
trip lone angler Ian Procter had a similar day landing a PB Whiting of 3lb 4 ozs backed up by more Whiting, Rays, Eels, Dogs and a double shot of Whiting and Mackeral. Due to the lockdown most of the planned comps to date have been cancelled. A few of the small private boats have found a few Flounders and Eels in Holes Bay. We wait to see what affects the easing of lockdown brings and how we can operate as we start to enter the winter months when every customer and trip is a bonus. As we head towards the Festive Period which will be a somewhat quieter affair for most of us I take this opportunity to wish you all A Very Merry Christmas a Happy New Year and a safer one for all next year.
Andy with a new PB Blonde
Ian with a Whiting PB
Whiting Mackeral double shot
Andy Double Shot
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Sea Angling News, December 2020
POOLE / DORSET
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CHESIL
Sea Angling News, December 2020
CHESIL REPORT By Gareth Mayers I’m currently fishing Chesil now while writ‐ ing this report and what a beautiful day it is! With the wind blowing N/E and and the sun shining for now that is, it would be rude not to head down especially with some cracking ray showing at the mo‐ ment. You would think conditions like this not many fish show but I’ve had the majority of my cod and ray in these conditions. The N/E wind allows extra distance on the cast and the daylight hours allows the sort after species a chance to find the bait be‐ fore fish like doggy’s and pout jump on it before hand. Sandeel and squid wraps neatly presented do the trick for the rays and personally I find peeler crab a killer for cod. Till Hall, Si Clutterbuck, Ben Stockley and a handful of others hit it off recently with multiple rays coming out into the double figure mark. As we moved into November we have had low pressure after low pressure swinging in from the south west which had given Chesil signs of decent fish activity and when there has been a gap in the weather anglers have been making the most of it and making the most of the opportunity. To be fare codling have been showing along the beach from Portland end to Cogden. With Portland to abbotsbury be‐ ing most productive. Good friend John O’brian managed a cracking codling hitting the scales just shy of 9lb. Well done mate!
Wayne Hand with a Chesil codling
Slab of a sole for Jamie young coming in at 3LB
Ben’s biggest of 3 blondes from a session tipping the scales past the 12LB mark.
A Chesil spurdog
As we enter December the fishing will be similar as the last month although yeh big‐ ger whiting have started to show with John O’brian again landing a few decent 2LB fish while targeting cod. Fish baits will also pick up the better whiting aswell as worm baits. Let’s all be thankful that we can all go fish‐ ing through these tough times! Until next time tight lines!
Big old pout for Rob Batten
6lb codling for Greg
Danny Clegg with a prime conditioned fish
John O’brian with a cracking Chesil cod weight near on 9lb. Inset: Chesil cod
Sea Angling News, December 2020
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NORTH DEVON
Sea Angling News, December 2020
NORTH DEVON REPORT By Wayne Thomas North Devon’s anglers have been enjoying some good sport from the open coast with bull huss, conger and the first of the win‐ ters spurdog landed. The only downside to fishing has been the large numbers of tackle twisting small conger that often de‐ vour even large baits intended for larger specimens. The lockdown has resulted in a cessation of competition angling and this inevitably results in less news espe‐ cially from the Taw and Torridge estuaries where flounder matches have been tradi‐ tional fixtures. The mild autumn has ensured that a few bass are still lurking in the estuary and along the coast. When conditions permit lure fishing could well prove productive with every chance of hooking the seasons biggest specimen. Several blonde ray have been tempted along the coast and I suspect we will see a good few of these caught right through the coming winter. The winter will see many anglers targeting spurdog and tope with wire traces essen‐ tial to combat the impressive teeth of these predators. When the weather permits boat anglers will enjoy good sport off Ilfracombe with the spurdog packs. Big huss and conger are also likely and perhaps even a large cod. Once again there has been a tragic loss of an angler’s life on the North Cornish Coast an area well known for its huge swells. The North Devon coast is also pummelled by these same Atlantic surges and anglers must be fully aware of the risks. Each winter I remind anglers of the safe guidelines to follow. Always check the tide and weather before choosing where to fish taking into account the wind direction and both the time and size of the tide. If fishing from potentially slippery rocks consider the impact of heavy rain not just whilst fishing but also accessing the mark and leaving. Ensure that you tell someone where you intend to fish and your expec‐ ted time home. Carry a mobile phone and keep it in a waterproof case. Always wear suitable footwear that gives a good grip metal studs can be excellent and cut through weed and algal growth. Modern lifejackets are lightweight and comfortable and significantly improve the chances of survival if you do fall in. When it comes to landing a big fish have a plan on how you will land it and carry a long-handled land‐ ing net or drop net. Alternatively use a strong enough shock leader to give a chance of lifting the fish safely from the water. I will repeat the frequently uttered quote no fish is worth losing your life for.
Jonathon Stanway conger 21lb
Nathan Clements - bull huss 8lb 5oz
Nathan Clements - bull huss 8lb 5oz
Nathan Clements - bass 4lb 12oz
Jamie Steward blonde ray 7lb
Ollie Passmore - conger 22lb 15oz
Michael Hammet winner of Appledore Shipbuilders Rover with a thornback 7lb 4oz
Jamie Steward - bull huss 10lb 5oz
Sea Angling News, December 2020
NORTH DEVON
Email: editor@seaanglingnews.com 13
Ali Laird with fine spurdog of 14lb 6oz
Antony Smith small eyed ray - 6lb 8oz
Ali Laird with a blonde ray of 8lb 4oz Ali Laird holds bull huss of 8lb 6oz
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Wreck fishing for bass in Lyme bay, from the river Axe in east Devon.
Ali Laird with a specimen spurdog
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NEWS / LANGSTONE
Sea Angling News, December 2020
LANGSTONE HARBOUR AREA BOAT FISHING REPORT By Neville Merritt, Southsea Marina Angling Club
This month we have been in a rather un‐ real state of lockdown which apparently allows for exercise in the form of recre‐ ational boating but at the same time act‐ ively discouraging us from making nonessential journeys. Charter boats could carry on operating, but with only one addi‐ tional family group in the crew. The net result was that some people were able to go fishing and some weren’t, so our catch reports are more limited than usual. The annual SMAC Cod Open Competition had to be postponed until 6th December and at the time of writing, indications are that the restrictions will be lifted so that this can go ahead. The latest situation will be reported on the SMAC Facebook page. So on to fishing news: November is when we are firmly into the winter species and this year is no exception. Whiting are around in good numbers with some larger fish among them which are well worth fil‐ leting! If you want to take some white fish home it’s best to keep a few whiting be‐ cause cod are still hard to come by, so much so that they are now referred to as Solent Unicorns. Those that have ap‐ peared are on the small size, under 10lbs in weight and you would be very lucky in‐ deed to see more than one in a boat after a day fishing. Having said that, we have seen a few more in the last week so maybe there will be a run in December. Tim An‐ drews is leading the SMAC Cod Cup list‐ ing with this 9lb fish. Colin Fry, fishing from Tim Andrews’ boat landed this haddock – a rare catch in this area but not unknown. It seems odd that a fish preferring deep, colder water would come into the Solent, when we are also seeing fisher from warmer waters such as trigger fish also making an appearance. Some very good bass have been caught, Paul Harris landed this magnificent 15lb 4oz fish from his own boat “Emma” on a squid bait. Martin Morgan shows another good bass of 13lb. As a reminder, the Catch and Release season for bass starts on 1st December when no bass can be landed and all bass hooked have to be re‐ leased unharmed. Other species we regularly catch at this time of year are spurdog, rays and bull huss. For reasons known only to them‐ selves and possibly marine biologists, conger decide to go travelling from November to January, and roam open ground in large numbers. They vary in size from small strap congers weighing a few pounds to brutes of 40lb plus. A pack of conger can monopolise the fishing in some marks making it impossible to catch anything else. I sometimes wonder where they hide at other times of the year. I recall once seeing a conger tank in one of the Sea Life Centres where an old Robin Reli‐ ant car was sitting on the bottom, jam packed with congers. I image our local wrecks must be similarly packed in sum‐ mer months. That’s all to report this month. I hope next moth we will have a successful Cod Com‐ petition to talk about, or at least a bit more fishing! Neville Merritt Southsea Marina Angling Club.
Tim Andrews cod 9lb Crawford Thornback
Heber Crawford Thornback
Tim Andrews cod 9lb Crawford Thornback
Heber Crawford conger
Paul Harris Bass 15.4 Colin Fry Haddock 4.0
Martin Morgan Bass 13lb
Heber Crawford Spurdog Inset: Heber Crawford Bull Huss
Sea Angling News, December 2020
EAST SUSSEX
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EAST SUSSEX DIARY By Kevin Morgan
OVER FIFTIES The 8th over fifties match was held on Tuesday 3rd November just before the new lockdown! A great turnout of 26 anglers decided to fish in Pevensey Bay, all observing the social distance and Covid guideline. Fished on a catch and re‐ lease system the winner was Gary Ban‐ field with 12 whiting for 222 points. Second Terry Taylor with 9 fish for 215 points, third Keith Erridge with 200 points and fourth Ian Hopper with 191 points. The biggest fish was an eel of 53cm for Mike Perfect. The top anglers after 8 matches are 1st Trevor Rooney 94 points. 2nd Gary Banfield 74 points. 3rd Julian French 72 points.4th Keith Erridge 69 points and 5th Paul Christopher 64 points. The next match will be held after the cur‐ rent lockdown which should be Thursday December 3rd. ANDERIDA On Thursday 29th October the club held a match in Pevensey Bay with 16 anglers fishing in calm conditions. 1st with 17lb 5 oz including a 6b 12oz conger, 7 dogfish and pout was Kevin Morgan. 2nd was Les Glazzard with 16lb 2oz including the biggest fish a conger eel of 12lb 8oz. 3rd was James Blackmar with 11lb 9oz includ‐ ing 9 dogfish and 4th Phil Taylor with 11lb 3 ½ oz. EASTBOURNE NOMADS The club fished a catch and release match at Langney Point on Tuesday 3rd Novem‐ ber with 16 anglers fishing in calm condi‐ tions. 1st Grant Bryant with 7 fish including 2 rays for 290 points. 2nd Joe Plumstead with 3 fish for 190 points. 3rd Steve Martin with 2 dogfish for 100 points and 4th Chris Hughes with 97 points. Biggest fish was a ray of 42cm for Grant Bryant. TWITCHY TIPS ANGLING CLUB A new club based in Eastbourne area fished its first match on Saturday 31st Oc‐ tober with 14 anglers braving some rough conditions. 1st Jack Wiltshire with 6 dog‐ fish , whiting and pout for 12lb 9oz. 2nd Chris Kirrage a conger, whiting dogfish and sole for 9lb 3oz. 3rd Jim Whippy with 5lb 13oz and 4th Mathew Gifford with 5lb 9oz. The biggest fish was a conger eel for Chris Kirrage and he also had the biggest flatfish with a sole. The clubs 2nd match was held on Monday 2nd November with 19 anglers fishing in ideal conditions , just as the weather calmed down. 1st Jim Whippy with 9 dog‐ fish, 13 whiting and 3 pout for 16lb 11oz. 2nd Chris Kirrage with 1 codling, 6 dogfish and 8 whiting for 13lb 2oz. 3rd Grant Bry‐ ant with 7lb 5oz and 4th Ed Holyoake with 5lb 9oz. Biggest fish was a codling of 2lb 15 oz for Chris Kirrage. GENERAL With the lockdown rules the competitions were all stopped but socially distance angling could still take place and some lovely fish have been caught within the re‐ gion both from the shore and the boat. Anglers that have been able to get afloat have found the boat fishing good with some nice bass, pollack being caught! As
well as still catching some balck bream a few codlings and plaice plus the inevitable rays and conger eels. Stuart Curtis landed some nice fish including a 10lb 7oz pol‐ lock and a 3lb 7oz bass on a recent trip. From the shore some nice thornbacks have been caught such as the 7lb 4oz by Paul Sandalls and the 8lb 2oz caught by Peter Cornwall recently. A few codling have also shown with a 2lb 15oz fish for Chris Kirrage and a 2lb 2oz one for Mark Franks. Some nice bass are still showing with Luke Ripley catching a couple re‐ cently including a 6lb 8oz fish on joey mackerel at Eastbourne. Lots of congers have also been caught with Jay Blackmar landing a beauty of 128cm and Les Glaz‐ zard a 127cm fish of around 12lb. Gary Banfield also caught a double figure con‐ ger fishing with Les. The best specimen fish caught recently was an excellent whit‐ ing of 2lb 9 ¼ oz for Steve Kerr which has broken both the Anderida and Nomads club records off which he is a member of both clubs. Well done Steve !!
Mark Franks with a 2lb plus codling James Blackmar with a 128cm conger
Paul Sandalls with a thornback ray of 7lb 4oz
Peter Cornwall with a nice thornback ray
Kevin Morgan with a sizable conger
Ryan Mayell with a 9lb 3oz thornback caught
Chris Kirrage with a 2lb 15oz codling
Les Glazzard with a 12lb conger from Pevensey
Gary Banfield with a 10lb conger from Pevensey
Stewart Curtis WITH A 10.5LB Pollock and 3.5LB bass
Luke Ripley with a 6lb 8oz bass caught on joey mackerel
Steve Kerr with a local Anderida club record whiting of 2lb 9.25 oz
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BURNHAM / GEAR REVIEW
Sea Angling News, December 2020
BURNHAM ON SEA REPORT By Richard Saxby The last month has been a bit of a mixed bag again what with restrictions, lockdowns and the weather to contend with, who knows when we will get back to some sort of normality. A few have made it out and the fishing has been reasonable on the whole but we still haven't seen a de‐ cent cod from Burnham. We held our AGM on zoom this month which went well with all posts being filled and a new committee member in Jamie Lock taking on the roll of fish recorder. Hopefully we will keep him busy next year with plenty of fish to re‐ cord. The next month should provide plenty of cod if we can get out and December is the month when a real lunker could turn up. November 4th Nigel Devey sneaked a day out of Portishead on his own before the latest lock down started. It was a beautiful day, flat seas and sunshine and plenty of fish. Even a few codling graced the decks. On the same day me and Stephen Saxby went out on a charter on Valkyrie skippered by Zac Cairns from Hayling Is‐ land. The bass fishing was slow though I did winkle out a couple with the biggest around 6lb. The fishing at anchor was ex‐ cellent with eels to 35lb, blondes to 24lb, huss and spurs into double figures and a few whiting.
Ian Tench thornback Richard Saxby bass
Andy Georgiou cod
November 8th Team Lock and Ultra Tide were out for a short one over high. Fishing was very busy with lots of rays, dogs, straps and a few codlets. Both boats did find a decent thornback with one of 11lb 10oz for Anne Lock and a 12lb fish for Ian Tench. On the same day Sea Wolf and Ob‐ session were out again form Portishead. Both boats found a few codling, plenty of rays, strap congers and a cracking blonde of 19lb for Nigel Devey. November 22nd saw the same 4 boats out with the same crews fishing both Burnham and Portishead. The fishing was steady from Burnham but very poor from Portishead though both boats found a couple of cod‐ ling with the best around 5lb to Andy Georgiou. Fish of the month winner for October was Fred Saxby with a plaice of 1lb 8oz and 33% from West Bay. Next competition is our xmas comp on the 13th December.
Richard Saxby conger Nigel Devey cod Sarah Tench thornback
We don't normally have a meeting in December but usually have a social even‐ ing with a buffet but that looks doubtful this year for obvious reasons. Hopefully next year will be better for all and we can get back to some sort of normality. Once allowed meetings will start again at Burnham Motor Boat and Sailing Club on the sea front, pop along if you are inter‐ ested in joining a friendly club. You can keep up-to date with latest news and catches and all things fishy on our facebook page and website Burnham Boat Owners Sea Angling Association. That's it from me, stay safe all and have a great xmas.
Anne Lock thornback
Nigel Devey blonde ray
Codling
Sea Angling News, December 2020
BRISTOL CHANNEL / WATCHET
Email: editor@seaanglingnews.com 17
BRISTOL CHANNEL SHORE REPORT BY CRAIG BUTLER
The past month has again seen plenty of good catches up and down the Bristol Channel. The mixed opportunities of a Variety of species continues. It’s not surprising so many fish have been reported considering how many rods are out fishing . It’s great to see so many en‐ joying the beaches during the 2nd lock‐ down which is not a lockdown if you love your fishing. Bull huss, Spur dogs, conger codling, Rays, whiting a few bass and the good old dogfish are there to target. Anglers fishing in the upper reaches around Clevedon and Portishead are fair‐ ing better for the codling with a modest
amount of 2lb-3lb fish about with the odd double figure showing. Thornback Ray are a good reliable specie to target from Weston to Watchet. The Somerset reefs hold the odd codling and plenty of thornbacks but small strap congers are in big numbers making fishing frustrating at times. Minehead beaches have continued to fish well with both high and low water beaches producing small eyed rays , codling , lots of whiting and congers nudging 20lb. The beaches at Porlock and Bossington have been getting plenty of attention due to the good prospects of a decent huss or spur dog. Catches here are also made up with dogs , eels , rockling and a few cod‐ ling. The month ahead is traditionally the time of year the bigger cod show up. So this is the month to put the hours in at any of the notable channel cod holes. As we move deeper into winter things should continue if it stays mild. With this being the last report before Christmas I wish you all a very merry Fish‐ mas and I hope it’s a fishy new year ahead for everyone. Tightlines and happy hunting
RECENT CATCHES ABOARD LORNA DOONE
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18 Email: editor@seaanglingnews.com
BRISTOL CHANNEL / MINEHEAD
Sea Angling December 2020
BRISTOL CHANNEL BOAT REPORT Single man charters and limited private boats out during this period has caused a bit of mystery for this month. Inside info, word on the ground and a really accurate feel for what has been out there this month just is not available in the normal way. What is clear as regards the �me of year and expected winter species is that there are plenty of small whi�ng about all over, there is a good few Spurdogs anywhere from Dunster and further West. But the one fish many look forward to in winter, the cod, appears to be very scarce. Some good cod have been taken by anglers but there is no sign of boats being able to find more than the odd one on any given day. Cod are not of course the only fish out there during the winter along our patch. And as has been proven by boats that have been out, there have been countless Rays, Eels, dogfish, some Smoothhounds and some Huss all very much on the feed. I think the message is strong from all the boats that would usually be out in our area though and that is that we very much look forward to being able to be back out regularly again in December.
Couple of nice blondes AlyKat
15lb blonde ray for SAN boss James Wigglesworth AlyKat
First of the spurdog for Liz Roberts, AlyKat
Cod - Teddie Boy
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Smalleyed ray - Teddie Boy
Sea Angling News, December 2020
BRISTOL CHANNEL / MINEHEAD
Email: editor@seaanglingnews.com 19
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20 Email: editor@seaanglingnews.com
Sea Angling News, November 2020
NEWS
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I
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RECENT CATCHES ON KELLEYS HERO
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LAST LAUGH CHARTERS By John Skeggs
Cod on ! The best Cod season locally for 2 or 3 years, not massive fish but all a very welcome site. Despite the last two winters being virtually cod less, diehard anglers just kept going and have finally been re‐ warded for their efforts. It’s so amazing how a fish can get you addicted to fishing and give you such an adrenalin rush. Whiting are also about in good numbers with reports of 2 and 3lb fish being caught already.
If you want to target these, try baited Hokeyes or Muppets,mackerel being the better bait. With Covid 19 restricting us to 1 person,it has given me a chance to wet a line and learn more about up-tiding something which I don’t often get time to do. I proved I still haven’t lost the touch when it come’s to Cod fishing, even catching a couple on the up-tider.
Sea Angling News, November 2020
PRIVATE VENTURE
NEWS
Email: editor@seaanglingnews.com 21
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Huss - Valkyrie
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22 Email: editor@seaanglingnews.com
Right now, as this report is being typed, the Weymouth & Portland Charter boats are expecting to be allowed to return to sea on December 5th. Before the lock‐ down, inshore fishing was very good with bream, whiting, pollack and conger com‐ ing from the east side/Weymouth Bay marks. There were also a good number of mackerel about for fresh bait at the start of the day. Bass were being caught on lures and live mackerel in the Portland Race with blonde rays and other sought-after flatties from ‘west side’ banks. Pollack were starting to show on the offshore wrecks plus a an oc‐ casional bass. Then came the lockdown and all trips were again cancelled. Let us hope that fishing can recommence in December. If it does then whiting will become a main target species with the best ‘Autumn/Winter’ mark just a short steam east of Weymouth Harbour on the Adamant Banks. These banks stretch away further to the east forming other banks such as the Ten Fathom Bank and then the bank upon which the large wreck of the Alex Van Opstal, a Belgium vessel that was one of WWII’s first casualties hit‐ ting a mine in September 1939. Only in a shallow area, 28 metres, the wreck holds good conger as well as plenty of small ones. At this time of year, it seems the congers leave the wreck and wander around the Banks so that light whiting rigs can often be tested by these adventurous conger. The Banks can thrown up many species during anchoring sessions includ‐ ing rays, tope, occasional decent sized bass, pollack and an occasional cod. With such variety available, anglers can change tactics once the target species of whiting has been caught and aim for something bigger by beefing up the terminal gear. If the weather is calm, then trips to the west of Portland will again aim for whiting with an increased chance of a cod the fur‐ ther west the boat travels. Abbotsbury and Bexington marks are regarded as the best chance for cod with the Weymouth/Port‐ land boats sometimes making the long trip to the Met Buoy area where the whiting are often more prolific and cod can be deliber‐ ately targeted using large T-rigged squid baits with a decent sized flounder spoon as an additional attractor set just above the baited hooks. These West Side marks may produce a stray late bream, bass, various rays and decent sized tub gurnard. The Kidney Bank will be fishing well for blonde rays with the large squid/mackerel combination pennel-rigged baits likely to tempt other species including conger. The bank is a popular haunt for dogfish…but that has to be expected. Bass will still be in The Portland Race area with seabirds often indicating shoals of bait fish that the bass will be attacking from below. If this scenario is encountered then a drift through the feeding birds using
WEYMOUTH
a pirk attractor and feathers can quickly take a bass or two. December can be a superb month for off‐ shore pollacking when the weather allows the lengthy mid-channel journey worth‐ while. And so, this will be the final month of a year full of obstacles and conflicting inter‐ pretations of ‘official’ statements and guidelines. Weymouth was hit particularly hard with the now departed HM making life very difficult for the local skippers whereas the Portland Harbour Authority took a different interpretation and allowed chartering to go ahead. We are, of course, hoping for a much better 2021 but we are all very aware by now that everyday life is even more unpredictable than it ever has been. Anglers are used to having to adapt and to changing weather and fishing patterns and know the importance of retaining a positive attitude.. A special big thank must be expressed you to all our angling friends and customers who have contin‐ ued to support the Weymouth and Port‐ land boats during this very difficult year. The one good thing is that when the boats have been able to go to sea, there has been some very impressive fishing, espe‐ cially for turbot and brill. Good Luck to everyone in December and hopefully there will be the opportunity for a trip or two.
Bream - Atlanta
Sea Angling News, December 2020
Bream - Atlanta
Whiting - Atlanta
Pollock - Atlanta
Pollock - Atlanta
Sea Angling News, December 2020
WEYMOUTH
TWO BOOKS FOR XMAS!!
Email: editor@seaanglingnews.com 23
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24 Email: editor@seaanglingnews.com
NEWS
Sea Angling News, December 2020
WEST SUSSEX By Alan Brown
Congers have been about with mainly straps caught throughout the region and there still remains the chance of a 30lb plus fish whilst it remains mild and during spells of windy weather and choppy seas. Suitable tackle and a landing net are es‐ sential from the piers and either a live Whiting or decent sized fish bait will get results. Worthing Pier is the usual hotspot although local beaches produce similar results, with Selsey showing plenty. Again some decent Bass have shown to around 6lb from the beaches and odd ones from Shoreham Harbour. If targeting a large Bass a nice live bait is often the most successful method this time of year. Some reasonable Bass will show to worm baits and fishing low tide can often see better catches especially when decent surf is running. Both of the local Rivers are still reporting catches of sizable fish mostly in the lower stretches towards the river mouths, with mullet still showing, even though they thinning out now. Undulate Rays reports have mainly come from Pagham and Selsey during darkness and a few small eyes showing among them. Thornbacks are always a possible bonus and can show from these beaches aswell but mainly on the low water spots. The occasional Undulate has been caught from Worthing Pier and nearby beaches. Selsey east beach will offer shelter from the worst of the weather although the tide pull could be far too strong at times so best to fish on the smaller tides, to help avoid the worst of the weed, that has been a major issue. If choppy and coloured big bluey baits and if calm squid baits for them.
George Ball and Wayne gaffney had a 9 ray hit between them down Selsey with undulates to 13lb and a very welcome surprise of a nice small eye
Dave Parker with a east beach undulate
Harrison Curtis with a Selsey codling
Carl Golding travelled down and was rewarded with a nice undulate and a average sized strap conger for Selsey this year
Liam Mcgrady with a typical Selsey codling
Marcus catt with a nice small eye from selsey
Flounders are starting to show in the rivers and harbours, with the open beaches pro‐ ducing better numbers along with a few sole, maddie, ragworm and fresh lug being 1st choice baits. Dabs should start to ap‐ pear in better numbers and whiting on mass if that's your thing! There is still few codling around, with bet‐ ter fish a good bet over Christmas from selsey bill and widewater being the places to head to for a chance of a double on live baits or squid baits. John lock from the hit YouTube channel the Fisher Locker. Visited East beach all the way from Cornwall to catch his 1st ever undulate and was rewarded with a 11lber
Mark pantony with a 11lb conger off worthing pier
A bnice Shoreham harbour sea trout for Jason Michael fredrick wright
Phil carpenter with a nice West Sussex undulate
Sea Angling News, December 2020
BACK TO BASICS
Email: editor@seaanglingnews.com 25
COMPETITION BEST LURE CAUGHT FISH PRIZE
Few fish for me from 2 trips to east beach with a total of 16 undulates to 13lbs and few monster pout
The Red Gill is for the heaviest lure caught fish. The editors decision is final. The claim will have to be backed by photographic evidence and weighed on accurate scales. Full name and address will be needed plus details of where the capture was made. If you wish to have your photo returned please enclose an S.A.E. Entries to Red Gill competition, Sea Angling News 102 Periton Lane Minehead, Somerset TA24 9BP or email: editor@seaanglingnews.com. Usual competition rules apply
26 Email: editor@seaanglingnews.com
LRF / NEWS
Sea Angling News, December 2020
LRF REPORT By Richard Salter
Despite the challenges that lockdown has brought, along with some pre�y dodgy weather, the last few weeks have actually been pre�y produc�ve, especially from a species hun�ng point of view. Early in November, I met up with fellow LRFer Mar�n Roberts down at West Bay, mostly to try and find some shelter from a keen N/NE wind. It turned out the stormy weather over the previous few days meant we were greeted by a pre�y big swell and water clarity that you’d expect to find halfway up the Bristol channel! The condi�ons meant fishing was predictably slow, I opted for a Carolina rig and did find a handful of pout whilst slowly crawling a bit of isome across the mouth of the harbour. Mar�n opted for a dropshot and also caught some pout. The highlight of our session though was at low �de. Mar�n had dropped into a gap in some rocks at the edge of the harbour where he’d men�oned he’d caught a rockling from before. Sure enough, a short �me later Mar�n had caught another shore rockling, from the exact same spot as he’d caught one previously. Obviously I was very keen to catch a rockling myself, having never caught one using LRF tac�cs before. I dropped into the same hole that Mar�n had been fishing, although I wasn’t confident that there would be more than 1 in that spot. Mar�n suggested le�ng the �de wash my bit of isome further under the rocks and leaving it there and a�er ini�ally thinking I’d snagged some weed, it wasn’t long before I’d li�ed into a rockling myself. It was a decent sized one by LRF standards, I tried to li� it up the wall as quickly as possible and my heart sank as I watched it fall off and drop onto a rock just below, it slowly wriggled back into the water and I felt my chance was gone. Thankfully, this hole happened to be the rockling stronghold of West Bay and just a few minutes later I’d caught my first LRF shore rockling, with the help
of Mar�n and all 4m of my telescopic landing net!
Star�ng off with Gulp and Isome on the LRF/Light Game gear, it was corkwing that we found first. I found fishing a slightly heavier fluoro leader meant I could pull out of any snags much more reliably and using a 2 to 10g Major Cra� N-One Kurodai meant I had a rod with enough backbone to deal with some of the feisty ballans we found through the day. The LRF gear accounted for a decent mix of corkwing, ballans with the odd pout and mackerel thrown in for good measure. My favourite catch on the light gear though waa a cracking long spined sea scorpion that hit a cheb rigged Keitech Live Impact as I twitched it off the bo�om down a ledge just in front of me.
My next LRF foray was in Plymouth where I met my LRF partner in crime Ben Basse� for a bit of species hun�ng. Our day started well enough, Ben showed me where he’d found some common gobies and a�er changing to a size 20 hook on my carolina rig that I’d set up in search of flounder ini�ally, I soon had my first ever common goby that I could confidently iden�fy! I added several more just to make sure, as did Ben, before we moved on in search of other species. To cut a long story short, the rest of the day was a bit of a struggle, the usually reliable Elphinstone was very quiet with just a corkwing showing any interest. We went in search of ballan wrasse, but these usually aggressive lure munchers were very finicky and evaded our a�empts to hook them. Ben is a bit of a dab hand at sight fishing for flounder under the beam of a head torch and has already had some good success this winter, but even this proved to be a frustra�ng mission as although Ben spo�ed a few small ones, we le� flounderless, despite a few near misses. Ben had to head off a�er that, so I headed back to my car, which I’d parked in Elphinstone car park. I decided to have a couple of casts before ge�ng in the car, which proved to be a good decision! Within half a dozen casts, I’d had 5 different species with rock goby, pollock, pout, herring and a half decent whi�ng. The herring was my first of the year and totally unexpected as it took my dropsho�ed bit of isome on the drop close in.
My new HRF rod also got a good run out and I picked up several ballans, we es�mated the biggest to be about 3 and a half pound. Again, this was hooked right at my feet and I had to hang on a bit as the fish made its a�empts to smash me up on the ledges below. The rod performed well though and the fish was ne�ed a�er a short but violent fight! This fish, along with a few others, took a texas rigged Keitech Custom Leech.
My final session was back in Torbay where I met up with Jon Owens. Jon has been fishing all his life but has only fairly recently taken up LRF and has already racked up an impressive list of species and is thoroughly enjoying the variety and fresh challenge of fishing that LRF brings. We started off at Hopes Nose and it didn’t take Jon long to find some pout, poor cod and corkwing in a gulley that took a liking to his dropsho�ed isome. Meanwhile, I
My next saltwater session was down at Brixham where I met up with Mar�n again. We headed for some rocky ledges, I was keen to try out my new HRF rod, a Major Cra� Triple Cross on the local wrasse popula�on and failing that, we can usually pull out a few species from amongst the weed and rocks on the lighter gear. Our loca�on gave us some shelter from the SW wind but the unexpected heavy rain and milky water made for what we thought would be tough condi�ons. It turned out that the fish weren’t bothered by the condi�ons half as much as we were though and once we’d sussed out that most of them were sat �ght under the rocky ledges at our feet, we had a really enjoyable and busy session.
searched around with some metals and found a couple of very small mackerel and an even smaller pollock with my major cra� jigpara. We carried on searching around the ledges and gullies and found a few more small wrasse before moving round to the north side to see if we could find some more mackerel. This side was very busy with anglers feathering and we struggled to find a space to fish effec�vely. We could see the featherers were finding mackerel at range but we couldn’t quite reach them, we did however have some fun with the small garfish that were chasing our metals and so� plas�c lures down. We managed to hook and land a few, Jon losing one to a very wily and agile seal which we watched chasing a leaping garfish along the rocks at one point. We returned to the gullies and the wrasse, pout and poor cod, Jon also catching a couple of nicely marked scorps along the way. As darkness approached, we head down to Haldon pier. The pier was much less sheltered and the strengthening wind made things tricky so we focused on dropsho�ng down the walls. Jon was soon into a few pout, including a real chunky one that I just about managed to net for him, ge�ng soaked in the process as I lay in pre�y much the only puddle on the harbour! I picked up a couple of pout, before catching what I was really a�er, a leopard spo�ed goby! My friend Joe had caught one here a few weeks ago and I’d been fishing the dark areas of the harbour in the hope I’d find one too. Thankfully this one turned up just as we were as about to call it a day, taking a bit of isome on a split shot rig I’d bodged together a�er losing my dropshot weight. So that sums up the last months ac�on, some decent Autumn fishing with plenty of variety! Tight lines all.
Sea Angling News, December 2020
LRF / NEWS
Email: editor@seaanglingnews.com 27
28 Email: editor@seaanglingnews.com
ROVING RODS - SPECIES
Having started another online compe��on for a winter species hunt and this �me I had Chris joining in as well so we decided to go and kill two birds with one stone and see if we could tackle the Cod and Rockling sec�ons of the comp in a certain mark I use normally in the summer one because the cod sec�on no one had caught one yet and the Rockling sec�on it wasn’t a par�cularly big one holding the lead at present. So making up a few smaller rigs with 1/0 hooks for myself and a few pulley rigs as well for the cod which isn’t my first choice of rig but the ground we were going to be fishing over is par�cularly snaggy at Bossington beach and no one tends to fish this spot for that reason but it can be produc�ve. With my gear all packed away ready I got in from work the next night and grabbed the rucksack, rod rest and rods and fresh flask of hot chocolate now in the bag too I made my way out to Chris who had just walked up the drive ligh�ng up the night with his head lamp. Ge�ng to the mark eventually a�er a walk of about ¾ of a mile Chris gave me the op�on of where I wanted to fish first as he chose last �me so I picked le� and then knew I was pre�y safe that he wouldn’t be cas�ng over my lines tonight! Ge�ng geared up and I was grateful to have the TTGSM back in ac�on a�er smashing a �p guide on a rock, but all was good I had the gear to replace and eventually got the �me to do it. With the first rod all set up, tonight I was running mono line of 20lb Asso S.H.T with a 80lb leader I went a bit heavier due to the snaggier ground which can be hard on leaders here. For the rockling I had gone for a running ledger with a short 20cm hook length with 1/0 hooks and strips of squid that flap off the end of the hook by a few cen�metres the rig and short hook length should keep it hard on the bo�om with a limited run on the rig un�l the lead engages and normally results in the fish hooking themselves. Plain leads were the order of the day as gripped leads here tend to snag up easier.
NEWS
By Martin Wood
Pinging the bait out to around 5060 yards I carried on se�ng up the other rod my Tronix xenon as it sits in the �de well here and has good bite sensi�vity. With the same line set up I opted for a 2/0 pulley rig single hook. With this I had half a squid cut long ways and whipped up and slid on like a worm bait with the hook clear out the end. All finished and baited up I fired this bait to a feature around about 80-90 yards out but get it wrong and you won’t be retrieving it at all and le� snagged up but the cod and bass love to run along this feature.
Both baits for Chris were already out there and we didn’t have to wait long with Chris pulling in a rockling a quick measure photo and release ...and we forgot to put the name card in the photo haha Never mind early doors plenty of �me for a some more and they are easy enough normally here and of ok size to take the lead. Laughing about it Chris fires his bait back out with the gentle whirring noise of his 525 breaking the s�ll air. I was just making up some baits when my rod �p started to shake away, I had missed the bite so le� it to see if it would come back a�er about 5 minutes I thought to myself I may need to change or replace the bait in case it had been robbed but upon bringing it in the fish was s�ll on the end! As I bright it in through the surf line there was a small 5 bearded rockling... and I do mean small. A quick photo and back it went gently tossing it beyond the surf line. Bai�ng the hook back up with another strip of squid and it was straight back out to around 40 yards. I was thinking how well the evening had started with both of us scoring hits on species early on which we needed and wanted and clearly I had been thinking too much as it soon went quiet for a stretch with a couple of bait changes going by and there was nothing on either rod for either of us, then out of nowhere the wind turned up a notch and
Sea Angling News, December 2020
turned from the south to westerly which put a small amount of chop on the water with that my rod came alive almost instantly with a hell of a calling card ra�ling away on the �p of the century rod, straight on it and li�ing the rod up I started to wind in slowly I could feel the dis�nc�ve Bang! Bang! Bang! Of a conger rolling away on the end, it came up on the surface about 10 yards out and was a small strap eel of a couple of pounds roughly. With the eel safely landed I take a quick photo, unhook and return the snot monster to the blackness. With the next bait flying back out I thought about breaking out a hot chocolate but the other rod �p starts to twitch away, I get to the rod with hands ready to li� it up on the next set of twitches I knew were coming and then sure enough more stronger more defined twitches started to show on the rod �p, I li� into the rod and there is no weight on the end but more than just the lead and bait. Upon bringing it in it was another rocking at 20cm long it was too short to enter the compe��on so just another quick return, bait up and fire back out there I look across to Chris and he’s s�ll there �nkering trying to get the fish on the end of one of his traps. A few more minutes and a couple of cups of chocolate down warming up the pipes inside and I get a cracking bite with a big double nod which is what I’ve been wai�ng for cod on! The rod �p bends over a fair way as I’m li�ing out of the rod stand and take a bit of line I just start to wind up on it and the line starts to droop and go slack so I wind like fury to catch up and get the line taught again, with the line taught and no dramas I pull the codling in the remaining 20 yards of so and through the surf un�l I see the gold and then white belly roll over on the rocks Chris is over as well now and congratula�ng me on the cod to open the sec�on if no one else has by the �me we get home. With the codling collected and up by the gear it measured 45cm and weighed 2lb on the nose it was a
nice fat codling just right for dinner tomorrow so a quick dispatch and then gu�ed the fish it was kept cool in a hessian sack I carry and make wet and when the wind blows over it the wind chills the fish really well a portable fridge. A new bait on and I send it straight back to the line just in case one of his bigger friends wants to make an appearance. The wind changed again and is now blowing in north and picking up at a fair rate of knots 30 to be precise and with the rain howling in as well fishing all of a sudden switches off and gets less comfortable. A�er around an hour of driving rain I decided to fish one rod properly so pulled one in and found another rockling I didn’t even realise was on the end, so a quick unhook and throw back and it was pack this rod down double �me on the upside it had well washed! The rain was really lashing us now and on the upside it showed myself the Century suit is trustworthy and waterproof even when the wind is driving it in. Chris came over and said did I want to sack it off and as it had been dead for a while I though it wasn’t such a bad idea we both reeled in and both had fish on we knew nothing about due to wind blowing the rods �ps everywhere it had picked up even more as we were packing away and just seemed to be ge�ng stronger so we had made the right decision. Chris measured his Rockling and it was 29cm cracking stuff! In the lead by 8cm so a quick photo with his card as well this �me and it was job done I unhooked my huss of average dogfish size and that was that we loaded up, hunkered down and humped our way back though slippy mud back to the motor. Driving on the way back we were discussing the evening and we were both pre�y sa�sfied with how it went although we aimed for bigger and be�er of the species and Chris didn’t manage a few more or cod the main thing was we got the species we set out for and are now both in front on a sec�on. I’m sure bigger will come in hopefully from us as well but we’ll be back out again soon for some more ac�on looking for the larger fish.
Sea Angling News, December 2020
ROVING RODS
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ROVING RODS - SPECIES
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RESULTS
Sea Angling News, December 2020
Sea Angling News, December 2020 LDSFC
Shingle Bank League Competition 26th October. On Monday evening 26th October Lym‐ ington & District Sea Fishing Club held its 11th Shingle Bank League competition. The weather for the evening was very good and 17 club members signed on. 16 weighed in fish consisting of undulate ray, whiting, dogfish and pouting. 68 fish were caught for a total weight of 82lbs 3oz. As these competitions are run on an aggreg‐ ate weight basis the fish are weighed and immediately released gently back into the sea. The best fish of the evening was an undulate ray weighing 10lbs 1/8oz caught by Ben Daniel. Results: 1st Ben Daniel with undulate ray, dogfish and pouting for 19lbs 2.8oz. 2nd Tom Bagnall with undulate rays for 18lbs6.5oz. 3rd Malcolm Stote with dogfish and pout‐ ing for 9lb 1oz. 4th Paul Watson with conger eel, dogfish and whiting for 7lb 6.6oz. 5th Ollie Hopkins with dogfish and pouting for 6lb 12.8oz. 6th Chris Ellis with dogfish and pouting for 5lb 5.5oz. 7th ------ ----- with dogfish, whiting and pouting for 4lb 0.1oz. 8th Danny Panks with dogfish and pouting for 3lb 7oz. 9th Roland Blomfield with dogfish for 2lb 13.6oz. 10th Andy Hopkins with dogfish for 2lb 4.8oz.
RESULTS / FIXTURES
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LDSFC 6th Adult Win-Sum League Competition 4th November. On Wednesday evening Lymington & District Sea Fishing Club held its 6th Adult Win-Sum League competition at Steamer Point. 8 club members signed on and the weather and sea conditions were both perfect for the competition. Species caught included smooth hounds, whiting, pouting and bass. As this is a measure and return competition, all fish when caught are gently measured and immedi‐ ately released gently back into the sea. Only edible fish are retained. After fishing for about an hour Ben Daniel had not had a bite or a nibble and was thinking it was not going to be his evening when all of a sudden, things went mad. Fish came on fast and in the end it turned into a very close match with Ben winning top spot. The longest round fish pool of £8.00 was won by Colin Saunders with a smooth hound of 42cm. The longest flat fish pool of £8.00 was not won so is a rollover till the next competition. Results: 1st Ben Daniel 355pts, 2nd Paul Watson 339pts, 3rd Chris Ellis 332pts, 4th Colin Saunders 329pts, 5th Luke Woodford 306pts, 6th Pete Chamberlain 254pts, 7th Billy King 163pts, 8th Marc Duncan 102pts.
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Sea Angling News, December 2020
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