THE ULTIMATE ANGLING BUCKET LIST

operating similar systems, and IFCA needs to flex its muscles and demand access as a statutory fisheries
governing body.
Many years ago, when security was much more relaxed than it is today, I managed to get myself an
invite into the power station water intake screening room, which if my memory serves me well, was a
sort of large rotating circular metal cage designed to collect solid matter before passing the water
forward to cool the reactors. And there amongst the other fish and weed were literally dozens of trigger
fish.
When I recount the story, it often draws comments like "obviously they must be there because of the
warm water". But how does a trigger fish travelling north know that if it grits its teeth and puts up with
the gradual temperature decline en route, eventually when it reaches Heysham harbour, everything will
be okay.
Yet there they were, and to this day, not a single one has turned up and rod and line, which in some
ways I'm not that surprised about as it does help to specifically target them, while on the other hand,
enough are caught along the south coast all the way around Cornwall up into Welsh waters to suggest
that at least an odd accidental encounter should have taken place. But it hasn't, which poses the obvious
question of just how numerous and widespread the trigger fish actually is.
Reports from as far east as Sussex of a few showing up in lobster pots date back to the 1960's. The same
is true of other locations to the west and around the Channel Islands. But still, by that stage, these were
rare news-worthy fish, remaining so until the early 1980's, when increasing numbers of accidental
angling encounters started persuading people to work out just what their requirements were and have a
go at specifically targeting them.
This eventually lead to the catching of specimens from the shore where the water was reasonably deep,
and from boats fishing close in to the shore during the summer and autumn months, the start time of
which would be affected by how soon the spring and summer got under-way, and whether or not the
winter had also been mild enough to give things an extra early season boost.
It was also quickly sussed out that trigger fish like to congregate and patrol around specific features
with shelter, such as wrecks, piers, and suitable rock marks, examples of which include the wreck of
the Royal Adelaide along Chesil Beach, and the mark where I first encountered them in South Wales
back in 1995.
Dave Lewis has long had a similar species target objective to my bucket list. I'm not sure what his
specific criteria are, but racking up as many species as possible is certainly a central part of it, and from
time to time in that regard we lend each other a helping hand.
I took him char fishing for example, and he reciprocated with a session after trigger fish around a mark
I already knew quite well, though if I'm honest, wasn't aware was a trigger fish hot spot.
I'd dinghy fished out of Oxwich Bay in South Wales on quite a number of occasions, and not too far off
on the way out I had noticed the wreck, which at low water is clearly visible above the waves, and for
high water fishing, there was a large white letter 'W' as I recall painted on the nearby cliffs to line up
with.
I stayed down at Dave's place and we fished from his orkney longliner, casting peeler crab baits around
the outer edge of the wreck rather that fishing over it. But you have to be quick as they hit hard and are
soon gone if you don't react accordingly, as I was to find out.
I can't remember what we finished up with, but it must have been something like a dozen triggers, plus
of course other fish which will crop here and there under their appropriate species headings elsewhere
in the book.
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