Innholdsfortegnelse for #2 Boat Fishing i Sea Angler Guides

When I was growing up fishing the Thames Estuary we really only had a few choices when it came to lead weights. We either used a Breakaway grip lead for uptiding or a 1lb bell lead when downtiding. If you were really lucky you’d get to use a 12oz watch lead, but they were rarer than mullet’s teeth in my neck of the woods. Long gone are the days of tangled traces due to a bell lead falling over on the seabed and rolling around in circles in the tide. Nowadays there is a huge array of weight styles to choose from to cover every fishing situation, so we thought it would be a good idea to cover our top seven, all of which we use at during the fishing…

Most of the fish that swim in UK waters will give a good account of themselves if you use tackle light enough to give them a sporting chance. Instead of hauling up mackerel six at a time on a 20lb-class boat rod, why not try using a 10g lure on a 7-35g spinning rod and fixed-spool reel loaded with 10lb braid? You’ll be amazed at how hard a single mackerel can pull your string. It’s the same with bigger fish. You can catch a 50lb tope or conger eel quite easily on 30lb tackle, but try landing them on 15lb-class gear and you have to use considerable skill to bring them to the boat. The biggest reason for over-gunning tackle in UK waters is strong tide, but even so there…

There’s something about working a piece of rubber over rocks and weed from a boat that really gets lure anglers excited. Part of the attraction is the fact that you can feel every little bump and knock of the lure, whether it be pulling through weed, bouncing off a rock or a bass swiping it or nibbling at the tail of the lure – it’s a really ‘touchy-feely’ way of fishing. The main species targeted by boat anglers with soft plastics are bass, pollack, cod and wrasse. SIMPLE TACKLE Depending on the harshness of the ground you’re going to be fishing over, most anglers try to get away with the lightest set-up possible. Not just to get the best sport, but to prevent them from getting tired after making sometimes…

The Carolina rig is very similar to the Texas rig, but with one main difference – the lead and bead set up are stopped by a swivel that can sit anything from six nches to 24 inches away from the lure itself. The main difference between the Carolina and Texas rigs is that the Carolina is often used with heavier leads and is a great rig for searching out large areas of water, whereas the Texas rig is often used when fishing rough terrain and heavy cover where the angler knows there are fish. Basically, the Texas rig is great for really snaggy ground that the Carolina rig may get hung up on, but the Carolina rig is better for searching out open areas and allows you to cover more…

There’s nothing quite like the sensation of your rod tip buckling over and feeling the tell-tale head shake of a big cod on the end of your line. Summer cod fishing can be hectic and action packed all day long, unlike winter when the sport can be slow and more of a waiting game for just one or two fish. In recent years both the summer and winter cod sport around the UK has suffered somewhat, but there is still some superb lure sport to be encountered offshore along the South Coast, as well as along the North Sea coast from top charter boat ports such as Whitby. LURE CHOICES There are hundreds of lures available these days, but there are some particular versions that stand out for summer cod…

I love my tope fishing, to the point that I look forward to it all through the winter and spring months. It’s such a buzz when a decent fish strips yards of line from your reel – and that’s part of the buzz of sea fishing for me these days, which is why I tend to fish as light as possible for all species, to get some fight out of them. The tope is one species that can put up a really good scrap, even on heavy gear, so by using a well-balanced outfit you’re guaranteed some heart-stopping sport. Tope are far more widely spread than you might think, and they have been captured well above the Scottish borders on both the east and west coasts. The Thames Estuary is…

If there’s ever a knot that every sea angler should know it’s this one. Tried and tested, the four-turn grinner is essential for tying rigs, and more specifically hooks and swivels. You may use a blood knot or a tucked blood knot, or even a granny knot, but the grinner is one of the most simple to tie and has impressive knot strength. One of the biggest influences in losing fish is tackle failure. It may only be the one time that you hook into a monster and lose it that makes you decide to learn how to tie proper knots, but why let it get that far in the first place? This knot is really easy to tie, and it could be the deciding factor between you getting the…

I’ve been using circle hooks for nearly two decades. In fact I can’t remember the last time I used a J hook for tope. I stopped using wire for them over a decade ago too, when I discovered that by using heavy mono I increased my catch rate quite considerably. Whether this is down to bait presentation or some other factor I don’t know, but one thing’s for certain – in over a decade I’ve only ever lost one tope through being bitten off while using this rig. To be honest, there’s no need to use wire, unless it is simply a confidence thing. I don’t care what anybody says, confidence in your fishing plays a huge part in how many fish you catch. I prefer to use a good…

STEP 1 Tie a size 3 rolling swivel to the end of your mainline or leader. STEP 2 Tie a 26-inch length of 30lb fluorocarbon to the end of the size 3 rolling swivel attached to your mainline or leader. STEP 3 Now thread two crimp swivels on to the 30lb fluorocarbon rig body and tie a size 2 rolling snap swivel to the end. STEP 4 Crimp the first crimp swivel in place about 10 inches down from the size 3 rolling swivel. Now secure the second crimp swivel in place about 14 inches down from the first. STEP 5 Start with the top snood by tying a size 4 Chinu hook to the end of an eight-inch length of 14lb fluorocarbon. Thread on a red or yellow bead.…

Have you ever wondered why people go boat fishing, or how to try it for yourself? Here’s how to go about enjoying a day’s fishing afloat. HOOKED FOR LIFE For many UK boats anglers the thrill of riding the ocean waves cannot be beaten, and quite often a good catch comes way down the list as far as what constitutes a good day afloat. For many, being on a boat, whether it does 50 knots or five, is all about the sound of the engines and waves, the smell of the exhaust fumes mixed with the fresh salty air, and the voyage into the unknown coupled with the anticipation of what the day may hold in store – no two days are ever the same. Then, of course, there is…

The technique of uptide fishing was developed by Bob Cox and John Rawle many years ago. It was a direct result of their inability to consistently catch fish in the shallow waters of the Thames Estuary. They knew the fish were there, but the noise and presence of the boat created a scare area that was effectively pushing these fish away out of downtide fishing range. Casting and anchoring baits along the new track these fish were taking made complete sense, and is still the most important element of targeting fish in shallow water, although they should become progressively more willing to swim closer to the boat as water depth increases. We’ve fished the uptide method in over 100ft of water before, but as a rule it is practised in…

The obvious problem with fishing in the dark is being able to see what you’re doing. Most charter boats will have outside lighting, which is great for illuminating the deck. If you’re lucky there’ll be enough light to allow you to bait up properly. However, it’s a really good idea to make sure that you have some form of additional light with you – just in case. The best and most versatile form of lighting for any angler who fishes in the dark is a headlamp. There are literally hundreds of models available, but the new generation LED headlamps are ideal. For one, the LEDs used in them have an amazing lifespan and will last for decades, unlike the old Halogen bulb type headlamps, which are prone to having the…

STEP 1 Thread a bead on your mainline, followed by a large float that can support a two-ounce lead weight and the weight of your livebait. STEP 2 Thread on another bead followed by a drilled bullet weight and another bead. STEP 3 Tie a size 5 rolling swivel to the end of your mainline to trap the float, lead weight and beads in place, then tie on two feet of 20lb fluorocarbon and your chosen hook. STEP 4 You will need to tie a stop knot on your mainline above the bead to stop the float at your chosen depth once you have dropped your livebait into the water. STEP 5 Using a small link clip swivel instead of the drilled lead will allow you to change the weight…

THE JIGHEAD RIG This rig is probably the most commonly used presentation in the UK for species such as bass, cod, wrasse and pollack. It can be as simple as tying the jighead directly to the end of your mainline or leader, or you can tie it to the end of a six-foot trace, utilising a boom and lead weight set-up as you would when fishing artificial eels and shads over wrecks for cod, pollack and bass. Many anglers prefer fishing a heavier jighead these days rather than the old boom and lead set-up, especially with a decent lure rod and fixed-spool reel loaded with 20lb braid. Staying in direct contact with the lure and jighead, rather than a weight bouncing away up the trace, gives far more sport and…

For me, nothing comes close to seeing and hearing a big bass engulf my lure being worked across the sea’s surface. It’s a tactic I try to use whenever and wherever I can. Topwater fishing for bass is often wrongly regarded as a tactic that produces only on warm, calm, overcast summer days, or during the low light periods of dawn and dusk, but in reality bass will hit topwaters at any time of day and under many different conditions. I have fished topwater lures right up until the end of October, and I have still been catching, with three decent fish falling to the method on one late trip offshore. Granted, one of those fish was caught over a reef in just 16 feet of water, but the other…

Whiting, along with cod, pollack, poor cod, pouting, haddock and ling are members of the cod family and, as such, they taste pretty damned good. As far as the reason why anglers target them during the autumn and winter months, that probably has more to do with the whiting’s distinct migratory pattern. You see, much of the UK coastline is invaded by whiting come October, and they hang around right through until February in many places, offering a welcome rattle on the rod tips when the elusive cod aren’t playing ball. PEAK TIMES Whiting can be found in small shoals throughout the summer months, but as autumn approaches the juvenile fish start to congregate inshore, before a mass invasion occurs. The larger fish turn up from the deeper water to…

STEP 1 Make sure your crab is ready to peel, and have a size 4/0 pennell rig ready, plus some fine bait elastic. STEP 2 Start by removing all the legs, then peel away the underside of the shell, taking care to remove the tiny pieces of shell from the leg sockets. STEP 3 Now flip the crab over and remove the upper part of the shell, as shown above. STEP 4 Although not essential, I like to remove the lungs (dead man’s fingers) from either side. You’ll also find a thin shell membrane just behind these gills and I like to remove that too. STEP 5 If you’ve done it correctly, there shouldn’t be a single bit of shell left on the peeled crab, and it should be soft…

LUGWORM Probably the most common of all sea fishing baits, lugworms are used throughout the year for pretty much everything that swims. There are a few types of lug, with blow yellowtails and black being the most common. It always a good idea to have a few wraps of black lug in the freezer, because it’s a very good bait and easy to grab for an impromptu session when fresh bait is hard to get. During the summer months, a single lugworm fished in a muddy estuary will catch you bass and flounders, while a cocktail of black lug, prawn and squid is a superb bait for big plaice. Later in the year a cocktail of lugworms tipped off with squid is the staple for most cod anglers. RAGWORM One…

STEP 1 Begin this process by passing the point of your hook through the mouth of the first ragworm – taking care not to get nipped by those evil-looking pincers! They’re snappy little critters. STEP 2 Continue threading the worm up the shank of the hook, just like you would do with a lugworm. STEP 3 You can either fish a single worm, or thread multiple worms up the hook shank and snood, to present a larger bait with more scent. Try tipping off a single worm with a thin strip of squid for added attraction.…

STEP 1 We’re using a Pennell rig tied to 30lb mono with a size 4/0 Sakuma Manta Extra at the top, and a size 5/0 Sakuma Manta Extra at the bottom STEP 2 The first job is to peel the crab. These Ammo frozen crabs are excellent – they’re firm, easy to peel and are packed full of juice. STEP 3 Make sure you remove all the pieces of shell to help prevent your hook points from being masked. STEP 4 Now cut the crab down the middle – not completely in half, just about two thirds of the way through. STEP 5 When you open out the crab, it should look like this and still be joined at the bottom end. STEP 6 Peel a medium-sized squid to reveal…

There are loads of winter cod rigs, including both Pennell rigs and multi-hook rigs, that work well for the species. However, sometimes it pays to keep things simple. This is especially true when fishing areas like the South Coast or Bristol Channel, where it’s more than likely that you’ll hook into a big conger eel while targeting cod during the winter months. The last thing you or the skipper wants is a big eel flailing about with loose hooks that could quite easily find a hold in your (or someone else’s) hand or leg. Over the years I have experimented with numerous rigs for my winter fishing, and I have come to the conclusion that a very simple one-hook rig is just as effective and anything else, providing you bait…

My father taught me this rig many years ago, and it’s one that I often revert back to when fishing places like the Thames Estuary, Humber and Mersey. It’s a fantastic rig to use when uptiding for rays, bass and cod. The running paternoster is basically a running leger rig with a mono dropper to the lead weight, which gives the appearance of a paternoster – hence the name. It’s important that you use a slightly heavier, stiffer line for the dropper to help prevent tangles. It’s also vitally important that the hooklength is longer than the dropper and lead length combined – again to prevent tangles. If you tie this rig to the dimensions given it will rarely, if ever, tangle. Just make sure that when you hold the…

Buying a rod is not an easy choice to make, but it can be narrowed down by deciding what type of fishing you think you will be doing on a regular basis. If you intend going out on a charter boat, ask what species you will be fishing for and how much lead weight you will be using. These two considerations will help determine the tackle needed. Your local tackle dealers probably knows as much about fishing as anyone, so talk to them – most will be thrilled to bring you up to speed with what’s being caught and what tackle is used locally. THE ROD MINEFIELD There is no rod made that will work for all occasions. Some designs will cover most styles of fishing, but in truth a…

It really doesn’t get much more simple or relaxing than downtide fishing. Just drop your baited rig over the side and send it down to the seabed. Once it’s there, lift the rod and let your lead weight hit the bottom once more, then slacken off the drag so a big fish can take line if it needs too, put your rod in a rod holder and sit back – that’s it! It’s worth checking that your lead weight and rig are still holding fast on the seabed every now and then by lifting the rod tip and lowering it back down, feeling for the thud as the lead hits bottom. If your sinker isn’t holding, then simply let off a little more line until it does. If you’re still…

Float-fishing in the sea can be great fun, whether it’s with a strip of fish bait for garfish and mackerel, a whole crab for wrasse or with a live fish or prawn for bass and pollack. Nothing beats the thrill of seeing your float disappear while drifting over a reef, knowing that as soon as you wind down into it there will probably be a big fish banging its head on the other end of your line. We’ll concentrate on fishing livebaits for bass here, because it’s by far the most popular method of float-fishing from a boat. As far as gear goes there are no hard and fast rules as to what tackle you can use for this method. Some anglers prefer 20lb-class downtiders while others use uptide rods.…

Slow Pitch Jigging is really taking off in the UK in a big way. I was first introduced to it some years ago during a field-testing mission for Tronix Fishing with Pete Cook. Ever since I have ensured that I have some slow jigs with me at all times, jumping at any given opportunity to send one down to the seabed. After that very successful initial trip I started looking into SPJ a bit more and came across various specialist companies both here and abroad. In more recent years I received a message from the skipper of Kelley’s Hero III down in Hampshire, asking if I’d be interested in a dedicated SPJ day – of course I wasn’t going to refuse that. TALKING TACKLE The beauty of SPJ is that…

The smoothhound’s sleek, shark-like shape and ravenous appetite makes it an excellent target for any angler looking for fast and furious action. The easiest way to distinguish the smoothhound from any other UK shark lies within the mouth. Most sharks, like tope, have rows of triangular teeth designed for cutting through flesh, whereas hounds have teeth that are flat and blunt, very similar to rays. These are designed for crushing hard-shelled, bottom-dwelling creatures such as crabs and other crustaceans. They are a warm water species and have often been associated with only the southern half of the country. However, this is not the case, as many Scottish anglers will tell you that they target hounds on a regular basis. There are good fish to be had in these northernmost waters,…

Easily identified by its oval shape, the black sea bream is a silvery, scaly metallic-looking fish that is often tinged blue with vertical banded lines across the back. From the family of fishes called ‘Perciformes’ {perch-likes}, they have a full length dorsal with spines, gill plates with a razor-sharp edge and jaws with four to six rows of equally nippy teeth which allow this predatory species, like its freshwater perch relative, to hunt with less chance of being the hunted. Like all British sea breams they are related to the many bream species that frequent the Mediterranean, so it is fair to say they are a warm water species. Bream turn up in huge shoals during spring, and the intensity of the fishing increases with the water temperature throughout the…

STEP 1 This is for a single hermit, but for bigger bait, just follow these steps and then whip another crab or two to the main bait mounted on the hook. STEP 2 First you have to remove the crab from the shell,. This should be done by smashing the shell with a hammer or rock without crushing the crab inside. STEP 3 Push the point of your hook through the tail end of the crab like this (here we’re using a size 4/0 Sakuma Manta Extra). STEP 4 Thread the crab up the shank of the hook so that the point exits the head, as shown here. The dangling legs add to the overall attraction of this bait. STEP 5 Secure the crab to your hook with a good…

Mackerel fillet A whole side of mackerel can be deadly for rays, huss, bass and turbot. It’s a brilliant bait to fish downtide or on the drift, and it’s easy to prepare. STEP 1 Simply remove the fillet from the side of a mackerel and pass the point of your hook through the very end of the tail. STEP 2 Now flip the fillet over and pass the point of the hook through the tail again, as close to the original puncture as possible. STEP 3 Flip it over once more, and again pass the hook point through the flesh. This will help prevent fish from tearing the fillet off your hook.…

Over the years I have learned to tie a whole heap of knots, but time after time I find myself resorting to two in particular. The reason being, I guess, is that neither of these two knots has ever let me down. This installs great confidence in my fishing, and confidence in what you’re doing goes a very long way on the water. First up is the classic four-turn grinner knot. I use this almost exclusively when tying on swivels, hooks, lead weights and lures. It’s simple to tie, and can even be tied when using a doubled length of line to give even more security when using low diameter and low breaking strain materials. Next up is how I join my braided mainline to a mono or fluorocarbon leader.…

I love plaice fishing, in fact I’d go as far as to say it’s one of my favourite forms of boat fishing during the spring, summer and autumn months. There’s just something about standing there, rod in hand, feeling your lead bumping along the seabed, then being rudely interrupted by the violent rattles on the rod tip that send shock waves all the way down your arm, as a juicy red spot grabs hold of your bait. For me it doesn’t get much better than that, apart from the obvious thrill of catching bass on surface lures. I’ve used this rig for many years and it’s caught me some very fine plaice. Of course, you will catch other species on this rig as well, such as gurnards and bream. If…

There’s not a lot you can’t do with a single hook that you can do with a Pennell rig, as long as you take your time to prepare your baits and use plenty of bait elastic. Whole squid can be hooked a couple of times through the tail end to give a great presentation. A lugworn sausage, whipped up with bait elastic can be hooked once through the end to give perfect presentation, as can a lug and squid wrap. When it comes to the bigger baits, like whole cuttlefish, you can either hook it once through the tail end, or you can do what my mate Simon Newman does and thread the cuttle up the hooklength so that the hook point comes out the top of the cuttle’s head.…

STEP 1 Tie a size 2 rolling snap swivel to the end of your main line of leader. You can use a larger swivel if you’re intending to fish over a wreck for cod and ling etc. STEP 2 Tie a 3ft length of 20lb fluorocarbon to the other end of the size 2 rolling snap swivel (not onto the snap link itself, to the bottom eye of the swivel). You can use 30lb fluorocarbon if you’re targeting cod. STEP 3 In some cases you will need to tie the line directly to the hook, but swapping lures is quicker with a proper link. Here we’ve tied a Fast Link to the other end of the 20lb fluorocarbon trace. This is where you will attach a lure. STEP 4 All…