MARK CRAME
RTM KAYAK FISHING TEAM
The bulk of my normal fishing is done in the Corton Roads, Suffolk, a murky, fast-flowing patch of sea that is a mix of sand, clay, shingle and some debris. Mostly, I fish down-tide with baits on the bottom for cod, rays and smoothhounds, although there's some trolling for bass around structures. Usually, I’m food fishing for sport and pleasure as there's little opportunity for active species hunting.
I also fish the rivers and broads locally, and my coarse fishing background has influenced me to fish light for smaller species.
I fish from an RTM Tempo because it's light and fast, so I minimise energy loss and push conditions to the maximum. It's not the most spacious option, but it gives me confidence to be out in pretty much all weathers because it can handle a rough sea with ease.
When I fish a species tournament, I concentrate on catching whatever might be around and, with that in mind, I mostly fish size 12 sabikis with pinches of fresh bait, usually ragworms, on light spinning rods, and like to alternate between drift and anchored fishing depending on how conditions and results are; these will take all the mini species, but can also handle larger fish if they turn up.
Things like swimfeeders and glowing or shiny stuff all get thrown into the mix in the hope that it may give me an edge, although luck often plays its part too. It's a needle in a haystack sometimes, as you might be anchored above hundreds of wrasse, and it just takes a few inches difference to put you on to the tompot or a shanny.
Fish identification skills are hugely important, too, especially with wrasse; that Baillon's wrasse you mistake for a corkwing is potentially worth hundreds of pounds in prizes.