TIME MACHINE

Looking back through 40 years of Britain’s biggest and best sea angling magazine…

A look back through our archives.

NOVEMBER 2009

■ Danny Watts, of Lancing, and Steven Whitehead, of Bognor Regis, shared two days of fantastic boat fishing, culminating in a 110lb conger eel. Fishing from his own boat out of Littlehampton, West Sussex, first Danny caught a 60lb tope, and the next day Steven caught the ton-up eel.

■ There was a 90lb conger for Robert Hulme, of Southampton, who fished on Private Venture, skippered by Arthur Savage, out of Lymington, Hants.

■ A superb 91lb 14oz conger eel fell to Paul Maris, of Takeley, Herts, while fishing out of Plymouth, Devon, on Size Matters, skippered by Alan Bennett.

■ The Angling Trust was officially recognised as the governing body of coarse, game and sea angling by Sport England.

■ An angler from Norfolk caught a 14lb 10oz bass at Trimingham beach. The big fish fell to Jamie Goodman, of Norwich, who fished after a gale with a lug and peeler crab cocktail.

■ Dave Brooker had his first boat trip and landed a 16lb 8oz bass on a squid bait. The angler, from Essex, was aboard Enterprise, skippered by Chris Mole, out of West Mersea.

■ Kent angler Greg Dixon caught 45 smoothhounds during two sessions at Ferring and Selsey, West Sussex, with the best weighing 17lb 1oz.

1999

■ An annual club trip to Scotland’s common skate waters produced what could have been a new British boat-caught record tope. The 85lb fish was caught and released by David Herd, of Pocklington SAC, Yorkshire, while fishing out of Oban, Arygll, aboard TSMV Gannet, skippered by Adrian Lauder. The tope beat the British record by 2lb, and the Scottish record by 10lb 5oz.

■ A conservation-minded angler returned a recordbreaking blue shark while fishing out of Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire. Ron Webb was aboard Steve Hambridge’s Sabre Tooth when he caught a 169lb 12oz blue, which was 36lb 12oz bigger than the Welsh record of 133lb.

■ A 25lb cod fell to Dennis Richards, of Bromsgrove, Worcs, who fished an artificial eel from Smuggler III, skippered by Colin Dukes, out of Exmouth, Devon. His Cannock SAC colleague Paul Holroyd caught a 23lb 8oz cod, while Mark Woodall bagged a 21-pounder.

■ An Irish skipper broke new ground off the Kerry coast with his new boat designed for long-distance trips for tuna. Derek Noble, of Caherciveen, had seven strikes and took six fish to 26lb while fishing south-west of the Skelligs. Bluefin tuna were also reported eight miles off North Donegal.

1989

■ The British record for a shore-caught trigger fish was broken by Alan Kershaw, of Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, who landed a 4lb 6oz 12dr specimen during a Weymouth Lions match at Chesil Beach, Dorset. The fish was moved to the Weymouth Sea Life Centre, along with 10 more triggers caught in the same event.

■ Rick Knight didn’t realise he had broken the British record for a shore-caught common skate when he landed a fish of 138lb. The angler, from Carloway, Isle of Lewis, caught it on a telescopic rod, Abu 9000 reel and 18lb line, with mackerel as bait. He was fishing at Lochaline pier.

■ Mike Miles, of Plymouth, Devon, had a titanic battle with a 26lb 2oz coalfish in 40 fathoms of water during one of the fastest tides of the year. He caught it on an artificial eel while fishing on Tiburon, skippered by Graham Hannaford.

■ Mervyn Drews landed a British boat-caught record eagle ray of 61lb 8oz while fishing near the

Nab Tower, off the Isle of Wight. He was fishing a squid bait from Brian Monk’s boat Thresher.

■ Dover Sea Angling Association acquired the town’s Admiralty Pier on licence from the local Harbour Board.

■ Adrian Colliver took an 18lb 12oz small-eyed ray, a potential British record, while fishing on Delta Dawn, skippered by Alan Speake, out of Littlehampton. The existing record was 16lb 6oz 8dr.

1979

■ John Smith and his pals, from Newbiggin, Northumberland, had a successful trip to the Isle of Mull. John caught a 12lb 4oz turbot on a pirk, while boat skipper Brian Swinbanks caught cod of 16lb, 12lb and 9lb. Later, one of the party boated a 110lb common skate.

■ Fish of the month shore winner was Graham Thorne, of Dorchester, Dorset, with a 7lb 5oz 4dr plaice from Ringstead, near Weymouth.

■ One of the founders of the Bass Anglers’ Sportfishing Society, John Hockaday, and his wife Marian, were planning to sell their fishing tackle shop in Wyke Regis, Dorset, after nine years.

■ Members of the Sheffield SAC had a great time aboard Embrace, out of Hartlepool. Their three-day catch consisted of more than 2,00lb of cod and ling. The best ling was 12lb and the top cod 14lb.