August can be slow months for shore fishing in many regions of the UK. It’s a time the main summer species are at their maximum range and that means the largest shoals of some species can be well past the southern venues on their journey north whilst in the North they may still not have arrived. However it’s all change in a matter of weeks and I am very pleased to remind you that autumn is very much on the way. In my region, Kent, the bigger bass have already started to show inshore and early whiting are on the deep water beach marks – It does remain to be seen if the codling return in the South East. It was such a fantastic winter season last year the region’s anglers will be expecting lots of bigger fish to start to show from late August. I do hope they will not be disappointed because in the past once cod get to 5lb they fit the gill net mesh perfectly and the shoals can be wiped out in weeks. I am not holding my breath for as good a cod winter as last year although hopefully a few bigger fish will have survived to get the occasional rod puller.
With summer on the way out remember to grab a few mackerel for the freezer for winter whiting bait before they all disappear.
Just back from a trip to western Ireland with the other lads in the Sea Angler Magazine Sea Safari for the Irish Tourist board with a few tales to tell. Read all about our exploits at Clifden and Clare in the coming issues of the magazine, but here is one story to get you started. Fishing at Black Head near our hotel in Ballyvaughan I rigged up with a 6/0 and wire bite trace for tope – Have been bitten off a few times there in the past at nearby Ballyrene and with a more leisurely approach decided to dedicate one rod to catching a tope. To cut days fishing short I retrieved a whiting after one powerful bite less half its body which was bitten in a clean u shape. The whiting had taken my 6/0 and the “tope” had missed the hook by a fraction. Minutes later by son Richard also using wire got a small male tope to the surface before the hook came out. Of interest was that the bite off wire traces we used were solid one piece wire and we landed lots of species, including whiting, pollack, dabs, ray, conger, dogfish and gurnard using wire with the wire itself a great aid to baiting frozen sandeels so that they stayed dead straight for maximum range casting behind an Impact lead.
Just got my hands on a pair of Daiwa Mag multipliers – never did get to test the model when they first came out and the review reels were snapped up by others in the Sea Angler team. But now I can speak with experience on the subject of the Daiwa Mag. What a great Mag multiplier and especially with a dry line out of the tackle box when the maximum setting can be hit as hard as you like – Setting the mags on six seems great for all round casting. Still don’t like Daiwa’s advert though because I reckon the faster you go the bigger you crash!
The Clubman League in Sea Angler magazine is attracting a lot of interest and competition is hotting up with several matchmen dominating their club events and the top of the Clubman table. The top three at present are Tony Thomas of Holt SAC, Mark Quirk of Ramsay SAC and Addie Cooper of the Humber SAC. I was hoping to get involved myself although like lots of small clubs my own local club at Seabrook SAA have failed to field the necessary TEN anglers because of the poor fishing in summer when daylight is extended and entry numbers fall off dramatically – but come the earlier darkness of autumn lots of anglers will be back in the Clubman race.
The Penn league to will see more matches in the Autumn months and just a reminder to clubs that the closing date for Penn League entry is August 30th 09.
For information on the Penn Clubman League and the Penn League e mail me on alankyates@aol.com
Alan Yates
