YOUR LETTERS
Write to: Sea Angler Mailbox, Media House, Lynchwood Business Park, Peterborough PE2 6EA. Email: cliff.brown@bauermedia.co.uk
EFFECTIVE METHOD
I read, with interest, the letters from Gordon Mitchell and Tony Pinto in Sea Angler issue 542.
Gordon highlighted conflicting opinions given by myself and Mike Thrussell about killing fish for the table, the idea of bleeding fish, and he also felt it was wrong that, in another article, it took three people to play a tuna.
His letter is a good one. My aunt and uncle, who ran a charter boat, used to release any fish if an angler couldn’t land it on his own; they said they didn’t deserve to beat the fish.
With regard to bleeding the fish alive, it’s not pleasant, and I struggled with the ethics at first, but then I never liked bashing their heads in either, nor leaving them to suffocate. It’s far more effective than killing them first (heart stops), they calm right down, die quickly and the difference in the flesh is quite marked.
Tony’s letter dealt with his thoughts on the dangers of using a stringer to store fish over the side of a kayak. Being capsized by a seal is a potential issue, but if your stringer is a cord with a karabiner attached to the anchor trolley, and shuttled so it is off the bow, downtide you have a lot of leeway in movement (12ft or more) if a seal scoffs it.
I’d be more concerned at someone who was so poorly skilled he couldn’t get back on his kayak, and so lacking in knowledge that his kayak sank. In this instance, I understand the angler Tony mentioned had a net bag attached at the side of his kayak and an open hatch. Mark Crame, kayak writer, Suffolk
BETTER ANGLING EXPERIENCE
I was amazed to read Henry Gilbey’s dismissive comments about the benefits of so-called ‘really expensive’ rod guides (Sea School Q&A 541).
Henry’s opinion was that Fuji Torzite and Daiwa AGS rings made only marginal difference to his lure fishing.
Both Fuji and Daiwa invest heavily in innovative product design, and it’s a shame to see their efforts tossed over the rocks like that. Even a cursory glance at the technical specifications of those rings will show that both manufacturers are striving to reduce weight on the rod without sacrificing cast-ability but improving it.
The lighter you can make a rod, the easier it will be to cast and the more accurate and responsive it will be. This is especially the case for lure fishing, LRF and fly-fishing. Any genre that demands frequent ‘cast and retrieve’ needs lighter equipment to reduce fatigue, at the very least.
It was the sadly-departed Doug Hannon, who understood that the basic principles of the Venturi effect (a reduction in fluid pressure when a fluid flows through a constricted section of pipe) could be applied to the rod ring, which gave us the microwave guide system (that addressed coiling-memory issues, and gave longer casts while it reduced fatigue and wind knots).
We should embrace innovation. Yes, there are sound commercial reasons for it, but it is, on the whole, sincerely driven towards providing a better experience for the angler. Liam Ogden, Colne, Lancs
DEPLETED COD STOCKS
As a young boy in the 1970s I used to go fishing on the beach at Caister-onSea. There was always plenty of fish to be caught, but I moved inland and lost interest in fishing during the 1980s.
Now retired, I have invested in a good boat and went on a radio course. I also got to know several other people with their own boats, including charter boats. We tend to go out to sea together, but few people catch many cod. It’s the same all over Norfolk, Suffolk, and I think Essex.
Is it because the stocks of cod have been depleted so much due to commercial fishing pressure?
I feel sorry for the charter boat skippers if groups cancel their trips due to the fact that there are no cod. Richard Littleboy, Long Stratton, Norfolk TRY A SHORTER LEADER In his Sea School Q&A boat angling answers, Dave Lewis said he liked to use a rubbing leader of about 3-4m long when fishing over wrecks or jigging in Norway.
I find this a little too long because my knot comes to a halt in the normal tip ring when playing a good fish, and I have to dip the rod a second as the fish is left thrashing about a metre below the surface. This could result in a lost fish.
I use a shorter leader for this reason, but perhaps a roller tip would be the answer. David Hoolhouse, Norwich, Norfolk
HAPPY PRIZEWINNER
A huge thank you for the very generous prize you sent my son Will for his shore-caught small-eyed ray.
He was buzzing catching that fish, ecstatic to be in Sea Angler’s Young Rods pages (issue 541), and then jumping with joy when he received his beautiful rod and reel as the shore prizewinner. We will put it all to good use. He caught the ray on my brother’s old carp rod, so with a proper rod, there will be no stopping him now.
You made a young angler very happy. Will says: “Thank you for my rod and reel. I will try to catch a bigger one next time.” Bill Copeland, Stockport, Greater Manchester
DON’T BE WITHOUT FIRST AID
We have items we always take fishing with us – for instance, scissors, snips, net and spare mono, yet I see anglers without a very important piece of equipment – a first aid kit. This can rescue a session. I have used mine recently to patch up a graze after a trip on sharp rocks, and tidy up after removing a hook from a hand. Neither incidents involved myself, but the other party had no first aid kit.
Like the Scouts, we should be prepared. A small kit can make a big difference. Keith Reid, Crieff, Perthshire