Innholdsfortegnelse for October - November 2023 i Saltwater Boat Angling

Well we finally got to do the Thames Estuary boat competition on 7th September - but it wasn’t the date we had originally planned. The primary date in May and then the June reserve date were both cancelled due to the strong north-east winds we experienced earlier in the year. The rules The event is catch and release and has long standing rules where the target species are smoothhound, thornback and bass. The longest three fish for each angler are then combined to give a total weight and work out an overall winner. Prizes are also available for longest individual fish. Scores were kept by the skippers but each fish had to be photographed and measured before release. As always on the day of the competition we were greeted by…

Shark angling in Falmouth has a strong history and a bright future. Historically there was a Falmouth Bay Shark Club that sadly drifted away like many fishing clubs of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Ours saw a resurgence and reinvention in 2018 when a small group of local skippers sought to engage the new generation of conscientious, catch and release game anglers in the UK. There is a focus towards collecting vital species information for organisations like the Pat Smith Shark Database, NOAA’s cooperative shark tagging program and educating anglers to be stewards of the ocean. For the first five years the yearly comp was held between two or three local charter boats. This year the decision was made to open the competition up to private boat owners. This did face…

September is time for the annual gathering of boat enthusiasts, the Southampton International Boat Show, and this year’s event was just as spectacular as the pre-event publicity suggested. The weather wasn’t kind during the weekdays which did affect the footfall, although many exhibitors we spoke to seemed more than happy with the number of real punters they were seeing. For anglers, however, you have to delve a bit to find what you want as it does tend to be dominated by yachting and cruising – where the big money is I guess. However, there was plenty for anglers to see and we’ve picked out a few things worth a second look. Boats There were plenty of great angling boats to view – from RIBs and SIBs to aluminium, from kayaks…

We’ll be publishing a full list of 2024 events in the next issue and online, but the highlights to look forward to are: Sea Angling Classic, Mull of Galloway tope, Three Species and Bass Competitions, the BoatLife Pro League, The Thames Boat Championships, the Ladram Bay, Oxwich Bay and Swanage Kayak competitions, the Salcombe Small Boats, Looe and Falmouth Shark events, and possibly a brand new international bluefin tournament. If you want us to mention or cover your event then contact us by emailing publisher@saltwaterpublishing.co.uk IN THE NEXT ISSUE Winter Cod fishing: With the way cod stocks are changing around the UK we ask “Is this still a thing for anglers” when cod can be caught all year round. Boat fishing methods: We look at tackle and tactics used by…

September Festival Winners A number of angling festivals took place in September and the winners are: Falmouth Sharks Jack Hodge won the Falmouth Shark Festival with a fish of 194cms caught on board Nigel Hodge’s boat Seawatch. The event was resurrected after an interregnum and 18 boats took part: five charter boats and 13 private boats. The longest blue shark was caught by Jack Hodge with a 194cm specimen and Chris Goddard caught the most with six blue sharks. More on page 44. Thames Boat Championships This event, based at Queenborough and organised by Steve Harris skipper of Dentex III, targets bass, smoothhound and rays, and the 2023 event was won by Craig Williams fishing on Wave Dancer with his three best fish totalling 180cms. More details on page 24.…

I’ve been involved in a lot of competitions over the years – most straightforward, some very challenging, some very large and all of them a lot of fun. We try and cover as many of these as possible and sponsor some of them. A large part of the fun is meeting and fishing with other anglers, learning new tricks and finding out how they approach their fishing. But this latest one I got involved in is both one of the most challenging and one the oddest I’ve ever come across. Devised by Will Parkinson and Darren Mckell – both top private boat anglers based in the Solent area familiar to readers of this magazine. They called it The One Mackerel Challenge… the rules were simple it’s a team competition with…

FESTIVALS Salcombe Small Boats Organised by the Angling Trust, Wyvern region, the event was devised in 1978. The concept of a small-craft competition, within a prescribed area and with a minimum of two anglers in the boat, has proven to be remarkably popular. The event consistently draws competitors from the South Coast, the Bristol Channel area, Somerset and south and west Wales among other places. The 44th Small Boat Festival was, as usual, held in Salcombe with 82 competitors in 32 boats from all parts of the South of England, as well as entries from South Wales. The favourable weather ensured a good entry, and the boats on Saturday and Sunday were allowed to fish to Zone 3 (one mile off). By the end of both days some…

After being approached by marine insurance specialist Pantaenius with an idea they had to run an article about ethical angling I started thinking a bit more about what this actually means. Sea angling has come a long way in the 50 years or so I’ve been chucking leads into the sea. Being a biologist by training and a conservationist by inclination the way we treat (and treated in the past) the fish we catch has always troubled me – in past days we’d see pictures in the angling press of charter boats knee deep in cod, pollack and other fish. Most sea anglers would have little regard for the fish they caught using really crude tackle and roughly treating them when unhooking them (and I was not a saint in…

BOAT CRAFT For those who tow a boat regularly, a correctly set up trailer is essential. Firstly, your car manual will tell you the optimum hitch weight, or nose weight, for a trailer along with the maximum vehicle gross weight and the maximum towing weight. Unfortunately, only a few people take any heed of this sage advice from the manufacturer and many are towing illegally, sometimes unwittingly, others are just chancing their arm. Your boat is a valuable asset and you really need to make sure you get both the right trailer for your boat but also that your car can handle it. Having towed a 3-tonne boat from Southampton to Scotland and back twice I can tell you both are so important. Nose weight Setting up your trailer nose…

There seems to have been a general decline in the populations of some species of flatfish. Flounders, once a staple of match and some specimen anglers along the South Coast from Kent to Cornwall are seeing a dramatic decline in the numbers caught with no clear evidence about why. Plaice stocks have certainly declined in the eastern channel. Anglers from East Sussex, particularly from Eastbourne and Hastings, report the numbers and size of fish caught has declined in the last five years. A few years ago, a typical catch in the area would result in up to 30 plaice up to 4lbs being common place. Now a 3lb fish is a rarity with most being around 1.5lbs – some of this can certainly be down to commercial overfishing. In addition,…

KENT, SUSSEX AND HAMPSHIRE Having visited Ramsgate a few times recently for various reasons we decided to highlight some of the Kent based boats which don’t get a lot of publicity. First up is Bonwey Charters skippered by Paul Cumbers (07854 322856 /bonweycharters@gmail.com / www.fishingchartersramsgate.co.uk) who has been getting amongst the smoothhounds over the last few weeks along with bass and rays – a staple of the fishing on the north Kent coast. Ramsgate Fishing Charters and the boat Skerry Belle, skippered by Roger Lennon, (www.ramsgatefishingcharters.co.uk / 07805 250427 / rogerlennon44@googlemail.com) has also been enjoying some good smoothhound fishing over the summer. Ollie James Turner achieved his personal best smoothhound in early September and there have been some cracking bass taken over the late summer. Queenborough, on the Isle of…

The members of the SWKA spend the vast amount of the year preparing for our own events, such as The Swanage Classic and Oxwich Bay European Kayak Fishing Championship. The third weekend in September brings an event with a difference, and one SWKA are happy to leave to Shaun Ruddy to organise. The kayaks were loaded onto the van, and we headed from south Wales to the Jurassic Coast, a 95-mile-long stretch of coastline in southern England spanning the counties of Dorset and Devon. This UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognised for its outstanding natural beauty and provides a stunning backdrop for a few days on the kayak with the bonus of some fantastic fishing. Ladram Bay is nestled into that stunning coastline, situated between Sidmouth and Budleigh Salterton, and is…

Using lures to target specific fish is one of the most dynamic and exciting methods available to boat anglers. Rather than just waiting for your bait to attract a passing fish you’re actively stimulating an aggressive reaction. The results can be very spectacular with savage takes and, on relatively light tackle, spectacular fights. Lures are a vital part of a boat angler’s armoury. However, the vast array of products available can cause confusion even for experienced anglers but, by selecting a few simple tried-and-tested designs, and by learning their limitations and how to fish them properly, you can quickly master the art. There are a variety of lure fishing methods which I’ve used and there are ever more inventive ways anglers are developing to target all sorts of species. There…

Garmin have long been market leaders in developing new marine electronics products for anglers. My first fish-finder was a Garmin and I’ve used many different units over the years on small boats and large. The technology has changed and improved dramatically in the last few years with faster processing, easier to use, more intuitive, user-friendly controls and sharper sonar. The chart technology has also improved beyond recognition and now, of course, Garmin owns Navionics, the market leading chart software which has helped standardise the way anglers “see” the sea bed they are fishing over. SO, WHAT’S SO GOOD ABOUT THE LATEST UHD? SIMPLICITY Firstly, it is a very simple unit to operate and has a fresh look about it and new UI graphics which increase functionality and configurability. The intuitive…

XTRA TUFF VINTAGE XTRATUF® VINTAGE DECK BOOTS These boots have been crafted specifically for sport and recreational fishermen. They are immensely popular and used by all manner of anglers and fisherfolk. Anglers need the best footwear to help them perform at a high level. Handcrafted from natural rubber, they are a lightweight design with a high traction chevron outsole. They are ideal for any boater looking for protection with slip-on-and-go styling. ■ 100 per cent waterproof■ Easy to clean rubber overlay■ High traction, non-marking chevron outsole■ Distressed-finish which may vary from the pictures■ Pull-tab for easy on and off■ Estimated boot height: 15cm/6”■ Estimated max circumference: 30cm/11.7”■ Estimated weight: 1.4kg■ Half sizes order up £120 from XTRA TUFF stockists SBS LAUNCHING BAR These launching bars are an excellent tool to…