MY EASY WAY WITH PRAWNS

Now it may be just me – I’m getting a bit more ancient every day and the eyesight is not what it was – but in response to the reader question on the best way to hook a prawn in boat Q&A in issue 553, I was a little bit puzzled.

Looking at the photograph, I could not tell where the hook was but also, looking at the head of the creature concerned, it seemed to be more like a shrimp.

The thing with shrimps is that, although they are mottled and sandy in colour to match their sandy surroundings when first caught, they do have the ability to change their colour. One left in a clear tank with no sand, for example, will look quite different after a few days.

I drew a couple of diagrams to show how I would attach a prawn – up from underneath, second or third segment from the tail, depending on the size of the prawn. The usual mistake, I find, is people using too heavy a hook, which hampers the prawn’s normal lively movements.

I use a lightweight hook, such as a 496BB, from size 2 to 2/0 – the exact choice is determined by the size of the prawn. Martyn Green, Totnes, Devon

THE THREAT OF PLASTICS

There has recently been a lot of coverage, quite rightly in my opinion, of the amount of plastic in our seas.

The problem of this waste entering the food chain was highlighted in the recent BBC series ‘Blue Planet 2’.

My beach fishing takes me to popular venues and the not so popular, yet the problem is the same, including material deposited on the high tide line.

Let us all, as I do now, take a small plastic carrier bag with us and during the quiet moments fill it with four or five items, take them home and deposit them in our own recycling system.

Of course, this is a small contribution but anglers have to be seen and indeed should want, to be looking after the environment. By doing our bit, it will make it harder to introduce a sea angling licence, with the excuse that funds from it will be used to clean up the beaches.

A licence is the last thing we all need. Malcolm Gardner, Healaugh, North Yorkshire

HOLIDAY ANGLING TIPS

I am an ordinary guy with an ordinary job so I have always had to fish on family-friendly holidays. Therefore, I feel qualified to help those in the same position and point them in the right direction.

Here are my top tips:

■ Choose your destination carefully. Remember, your loved ones must feel safe and entertained while you are out at sea.

■ Do your research find out what is in season at your chosen resort and look at catch reports.

■ Research the charter trips available in the area – my initial search begins, for instance, ‘game fishing in…’

■ If possible, have a full day’s fishing as this will allow you to go further out and reach the monsters. It is better to do one full day than two half-days.

■ Big-game fishing is expensive, so set a budget and tailor your trip to suit.

■ Try not to share a boat, as you may have to sit there while someone else reels in your fish of a lifetime

■ Find out if you can release your fish.

■ Are transfers to and from your hotel included or could they be arranged?

■ Don’t get drunk the night before or you will not enjoy fighting a fish for 90 minutes or more hours in the sun.

■ If you have a private charter, be specific about your target species. If you only wish to troll for marlin, tell the skipper that is what you would like to do. You must accept the skipper’s advice though, as he or she has the local expertise.

■ I like to book on arrival and see the boat if possible, but at peak times you may have to book online before you go.

These may all seem obvious, but on numerous occasions I have experienced skippers only wishing to bag up on dorado as it is a premium table fish and an easy sell for them, or I’ve been left on the dock with no transport or sidelined for one of the skipper’s more regular customers.

Phil ‘Dickie’ Lewis, by email

REDUCE THE HOOKS

With concerns about protecting bass from over-fishing and from harm, why do the manufacturers of state-of-the-art lures still make many of them with two and three sets of treble hooks on them?

Six or nine hooks on a piece of metal, plastic or rubber measuring 3-6in long just doesn’t seem fair practice these days. When a bass takes a lure, surely one hook at the front and one at the back of the lure are sufficient to catch it? Unhooking would be less of a trauma to the fish.

Tackle manufacturers should keep up with modern views and cut down on the hooks on lures. David W Ellis, Grismby, NE Lincs ■ The editor says: Check out Steve Neely’s article on bass-friendly tackle on page 80.

KAYAK SAFETY

Reading through the Sea School section in Sea Angler issue 552, I came across an article about falling out of a kayak. I feel it opened up the opportunity to pick up on some good safety points.

With kayak fishing becoming more popular, it has increased the number of people going afloat in smaller craft, which are quickly affected by inclement weather and result in more callouts for our emergency services.

Going afloat is one of life’s magic moments, but we must take all the necessary safety measures. When things are going well it’s great, but when it isn’t you’ve got to step up to the mark quickly. Being in the water with a capsized kayak, in the wrong place at the wrong time and not being able to react appropriately is foolhardy to yourself and others.

Kayaks do capsize – it is part of the sport. The risk is highlighted even more by the amount of weight, gear stowed on board in an unbalanced way, sudden adverse weather and rough seas.

Always practise launching, capsizing/ boarding and recovery with just your kayak and paddle in sheltered waters with others until you are confident and it becomes second nature. Only then, I would suggest, should you put yourself afloat in more exposed water.

If there is still any doubt in your head about capsizing and boarding your kayak safely while afloat in exposed or sheltered waters you should not be there.

If in doubt, don’t go out.

Gary Madge, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset

MAKE A STAND

After reading Give Back Our Bass (issue 555), isn’t it time we all took our heads out of the sand and realised that we do not have a Government Minister, including Mrs May or any other MP, who has got the backbone to stand up to Brussels and say what we are going to do, and not tiptoe around?

We are supposed to have a Fisheries Minister, but do we hear what he has done? No. How can a person be a nation’s Fisheries Minister who only listens to one side... commercial fishing?

What he forgets is the number of votes recreational fishing holds, not just from us that go fishing, but from tackle shop staff, manufacturers, bait diggers, charter skippers and thousands and thousands of voters – that’s certainly enough to make or break a Government.

This woeful attitude is reflected in the Government’s negotiations regarding Brexit – softly softly, must not upset the apple cart. Where has the British fighting spirit gone? We should say ‘these are our terms for leaving, this is what we are paying and this is what we are doing – like it or lump it’. John Tillott, by email

KEEPING ME SANE

Thank you for an amazing magazine. I was admitted to hospital for an emergency heart bypass operation and Sea Angler kept me sane through some rather dark times.

I hope to be back on the water fishing soon, perhaps for some of the lighter species (my nurse has banned me from anything more than a couple of pounds). Geoffrey Farmiloe, Plymouth, Devon

CONSERVE STOCKS

Along with my father and friends, we are all believers in conserving fish stocks, especially, bass, mackerel and cod.

You create such a great magazine every issue and we support you and the Angling Trust in fighting the cause of protecting the fish in our seas.

I will always be a loyal fan of your magazine and can’t wait to get my copy every month.

Martin Olley, Southend, Essex

CASTING KNOWLEDGE

You supplied me with Tom Kitson’s contact details as a Sea Angler casting instructor. As a result, I wanted to let you know that I have had a casting session with Tom and he has transformed my angling experience.

He is not just an expert angler, but his technical casting knowledge, patience and ability to translate complex principles into layman’s language is excellent. I wanted to record my appreciation of Tom and recommend him for any future enquiries. Neil Richardson, Gateshead,

Tyne & Wear