Rig Guide

SeaAngler
Britain’s only shore
and boat fishing magazine
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IN THIS SECTION
CASTING
John Holden explains why thin line
and multipliers don’t mix Page 74
THE KNOWLEDGE
Spotlight on the flounder and tips
on how to catch it Page 76
MAN-MADE FISHING
Jake Schogler’s LRF tips for great
fishing in industrial areas Page 78
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Nine pages of advice from our top
panel of saltwater experts Page 82
Ha ry Brake’s
happy with
this tope
urnards are usua ly caught
by a cident when anglers fish
with bo tom baits, but in some
areas of the country it is
po sible to targe them with
light tackle, which puts a
completely di ferent
perspective on their fighting capabilities.
Not only are gurnards great eating, they
provide som exce lent sport for both bait
and lure anglers.
Most UK sea fish species are the exact
o posite of their tropical relatives when
it comes to colouration. Our cold-water
species are often shades of brown, grey
or silver, bu tub and red gurnards are real
mavericks when it comes to the colouration
stakes. Even the grey gurnard has tinges
of purple – guarant ed to brighten an
otherwise du l day at sea.
The shape of a gurnard is quite unlike
any other British sea species. With their
exceptiona ly strange l oks and big head,
it wi l probably come as no surprise that
the order of fishes they come from is
known as Scorpaeniformes (scorpionfishes
and flatheads), and the direct family of
fishes tha they are related to is ca led the
Triglidae (Searobins).
Scorpionfishes have distinct l oks
and a matching personality - the
gurnard is no exception. From
initial l oks they may a pear
quite cute, bu this is far from
the truth. The gurnard has
developed to live and hunt on
the seabed among the most
fearsome of larger predators.
Large eyes to s e at depth in
low light, dorsal spines and
sharp gi l plates capable of
dete ring any other predator,
and a huge head constructed
entirely of bone, taking up a
third of its body ma s, means
that for any other predator
that eats fish whole, it’s an
uninviting meal.
ou may have read on Facebook and sea fishing
forums about frozen black lugworms being a
ru bish bait.
Recently, Crusty, a Holderne s Coast
sea fishing forum member who catches a lot of cod,
disregarded them and called them nothing but whiting
bait. I know he won’t mind me repeating that.
We l, I want to stick up for frozen blacks. I have
seen the poor use of them far too often. Most people
just thread them up the hook, cas them out and, 10
minutes or so later, r el them back in to find a
sa gy, wrinkled skin hanging around the
bend of the hook.
My view is that they are a cracking bait when
used correctly and have got me out fishing
and catching at short notice when fresh bait
is not available. They are a g od back-up
bai that I ca ry with me.
Costing around £4.50 for 10, su plied
in rolls usua ly wra ped i newspaper
or ce lophane from my local tackle
shops, they are not a cheap bait,
so it’s a shame to s e
them used badly.
Words and
photography by
JANSEN TEAKLE
Words and
photography by
DAVE BARHAM
Gurnards not only have large heads
and larg eyes, but also have an oversized
mouth when compared to their somewhat
sma ler body. This large mouth is the ideal
t ol for any bo tom f eder that n eds to
swa low di ner quickly and without even
having to chew.
Perhaps the most notable feature,
though, is the gurnard’s huge pectoral
fins, almost like wings, which are used for
propulsion. Thr e long f elers can be
found extending like fingers from
the base of these fins. These are
not only used to f el for f od,
bu to walk on like legs.
Words and photography by Ma t Hope
Main image by Lloyd Rogers
SEA ANGLER I SUE 5 SEA ANGLER I SUE 5
SEA ANGLER I SUE 5
SEA ANGLER ISSUE 555
SEA ANGLER I SUE 5
5
WAYS WITH WORMS
Here’s how I use them. Two things you need are a g od
baiting n edle and fine bait elastic.
First, I thread a worm (preferably defrosted) on the
baiting needle and then trap th elastic a th end of
the worm. I hold it with my finger and thumb, tightly
wrapping th elastic around the worm a l the way to the
bo tom of it and back up. You can then tie it off a the
end with a couple of half-hitch knots if required.
Next, place the hook in the end of the baiting n edle.
You need to keep the pre sure on your hooklink while
threading the bait from the n edle on to your h ok
to stop the hook point po ping out of th end of the
n edle. I do this by l oping the hooklink around my
little finger while holding the n edle with the rest of my
3
1
everal months ago, I
stated in this magazine
that I no longer
considered tope to be a
viable target species from
the shoreline of the
Bristol Cha nel. With
only a handful of this
shark species landed here over the last
few years, I had g od reason to declare
that opinion.
No s oner i such a bold statement
made, though, tha nature gives you
reason to doubt yourself.
A th end of December, fo lowing
a phone conversation with my pal
Da ren Be l, a general fishing trip
to the north coast of Devon was
a ranged. The lure of the cli fs and
deep water under the shroud of
darkne s has b en one that I
have su cumbed to for many
years. I am undeniably
h oked on thi style of
fishing, to the extent
that thr e visits
each w ek are not
unheard of around
this time.
The evening
was erily sti l,
and mist
clung to the
Exmoor hills.
The sme l of
damp and
earth hung
in the air as
we trudged
through
sodden gra s
and negotiated the mu dy tracks. As we
reached a sma l fence, we stopped
SEA ANGLER ISSUE 5
You n ed
some
frozen
black lug
(it comes
wra ped
in paper or
clingfilm),
a baiting
needle and
some fine
elastic bait
co ton.
Inser the
point of
your h ok
into the
hollow
end of the
baiting
n edle,
making
sure you
k ep
pre sure on
the length
of line.
Continue
threading
the black
lug from
the needle
on to the
hook and
over the
eye, so
there is
plenty of
hook point
visible.
to a preciate the stillne s. Far below
the limestone cli fs, the sea had a
gentle wisp that beckoned us towards
it. A riving on hard standing, we
tackled up and, for a brief moment,
the m on revealed itself.
The phrase ‘m on shark’, that
a fectionate name given to the tope by
Devon anglers of old, flashed through
my mind before the m on was gone
once more.
As anglers, we a rive and run through
the motions of preparing tackle,
casting our lines and waiting for what
might happen, bu things can and wi l
happen that are beyond ou reasoning.
GUILTY PARTY
After almost two hours we’d caught
a few sma l bu l hu s. The mist had
dispersed to leave a relatively clear
sky, and the m on emi ted a bri liant
glow overhead. One of my two rod tips
gave a couple of subtle taps before the
line dropped away and I reached out
for it. Again, in my arms I could f el
the line tighten through the rod, so I
decided to se the hooks.
Although I met with some resistance,
the guilty party was recognisable as a
small conger. As it revealed itself at
the base of our cli ftop vantage point,
our headlamp beams picked it out
well. It was an awkward el – t o small
to bother with a net, but perhaps t o
big to hand-line up the face . perhaps.
Da ren gra bed a glove from his
rucksack an did the honours. The
el was a few f et away when the hook
pu led and it dro ped into the froth
below us. At exactly the same time,
the ratchet of the r el on my second
rod su denly decided to let out a
6
4
2
fingers and thumb. My other hand eases the bait off
the needle and over the bend of the h ok, down the
hook shank and over th eye, always leaving plenty of
h ok point showing.
It’s quit easy once you get the hang of it. You can also
whip in other baits to create a cocktail; I like mu sels
(see the photos) or squid, especially the g oey bits out
the mi dle of the squid when fishing for cod.
For fishing with sma ler baits or smaller h oks, cut
the worm in half, or even thirds, depending on what
size is required. Sma l slithers of Bluey or mackerel can
be whi ped into the worm when fishing for whiting or
fla ties.
I find whi ping with plenty of elastic k eps the scent
in the bait longer. It’s well worth the effort.
A decen tub gurnard
caught on a lure rod rea ly
puts up a g od scrap
Thread
the worm,
preferably
defrosted,
on the bait
n edle.
Then trap
th elastic
a the
end of the
worm and
wrap the
bait with
the elastic.
Thread the
bait from
the needle
on to the
h ok by
easing the
bait off the
n edle and
over the
bend of
your hook.
Remove
the h ok
point from
the baiting
n edle and
your bait
should l ok
like this.
You can a d
another
worm if you
want, or
tip off with
a piece of
squid
or fish.
scream. It we l and truly startled me.
I instinctively pa sed the rod that had
almost landed th el to Da ren.
GREAT SPEED
By the time I’d picked up the ru ning
rod, the line level of the wailing sp ol
ha dropped considerably. Unle s I
did something now, I knew the culprit
could drop the bait.
I put a couple of clicks on the
star drag and o fered a li tle more
resistance with my thumb on the sp ol
as I leant back to take the strain.
With a quick, uneasy ping, I fel the
lead weight pop from the weak link. By
now I knew it was a tope, particularly
when it began swimming towards me
at great sp ed. Just a few f et from
th edge of the cli f it revealed itself in
spectacular fashion by leaping clear of
the water. This i something to behold,
but the damage a tope can cause to
the leader when it performs this trick
can be catastrophic. I prayed that my
leader had survived this crash without
a scrape, which may prove fatal.
When the fish a peared on the
surface again, it was clear that it had
managed to wrap itself up in the
leader and was now being pu led in
backwards. This, combined with an
increasing swe l, made for one he l of a
task. Da ren waited patiently with the
net a the water’s edge and, after what
s emed like a lifetime, the tope was
lifted from the water. The tension that
had b en in the air had lifted t o.
We rejoiced in the moment and
weighed, photographed and released
the tope as quickly as we could before
si ting down to take a breather and
gather our thoughts. The tope
WHERE AND WHEN
Gurnards can be caught a l-year-round from
much of the UK coastline, but catches are
more frequent during the warmer months. A
gurnard’s diet consists of anything that wi l
go down whole, including crustaceans (mostly
shrimps and sma l crabs) and fish (gobies,
flatfish, young he ring, els and other bo tomdwe
ling fish). A l thr e species of gurnard
will often be found living hard on the bo tom
either on clean open ground or on clean
ground around th edge of a r ef or wreck.
The south coast, Cornish and Welsh coasts,
right up the west coast into Scotland provides
some of the best gurnard fishing, with notable
spots such as Rhyl being established as the hot
spot for big tub gurnards, which often weigh
in exce s of 6lb.
Gurnards love sand, shingle and mud,
although you may find areas where they
are more common and prolific. Although
predominantly a bo tom species, I have caught
gurnards just a few f et under the surface in
over 1 0 metres of water, strings of them at a
time on feathers intended for mackerel.
The huge
pectoral
fins, almost
like wings,
have long
finger-like
f elers
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1972
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MOON SHARK
MARVEL
Catch tope from the
shore at night
18 PAGES OF
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ON TEST
Daiwa beach rods
REEL GUIDE
Spotlight on multipliers
FIRST LOOK
New kit for shore & boat
SEA SCHOOL
17 PAGES TO MAKE YOU A BETTER ANGLER
FROZEN
ASSETS
The fish-catching ability of black lug
Y
HOW TO... BAIT UP WITH FROZEN LUG
72 73
SHORE ANGLER
MOON
SHARK
MARVEL
Nothing in sea angling should be set in stone. Even
though we might claim to understand what wi l
happen, an element of surprise is a constant
28 29
BOAT ANGLER
BOAT FISHING WITH BARHAM
GO LIGHT FOR
GURNARDS
One of the most brightly coloured and often overlooked
species can be targeted by bait and lure anglers alike
G
S
52 53
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