6 Newsbreakers
There’s cod everywhere! Find out where the biggies have been coming from with our monthly news roundup.
12 Hitting The Horizon
It’s the end of the season and we’ve got the results from the UKSF final.
14 Blondes Are More Fun! (Cover Story)
Have you ever heard of anyone catching 20lb-plus rays from the shore? Well you have now, and we tell you exactly where you can get in on the action.
24 DB’s Cod Quest
A single session on the banks of the River Mersey produced three sizable codling, plus a lost cod that may have been a new PB for editor Dave Barham!
30 Top Codding Tips
34 Testing Times 1
Barney Wright discovers how the new Trek six-piece travel beachcaster from Fox performs.
38 Testing Times 2
The new Greys Triplex, three-piece beach rod gets the Barney treatment.
42 In Close-Up…
Get a grip! It’s time to learn all about grip leads and how to get the best from them. As usual we’ve put together some top tips for you to make life easier on the beach.
50 On Your Marks
TSF reader Stuart Knight receives some expert advice on his shore fishing around
58 Give ’Em The Slipper!
Slipper limpets are an underestimated bait, especially for bass. They’re free and as this feature goes to prove, they can be deadly!
66 What’s New For 2005
Don’t miss this sneak preview of what you can expect to see in your local tackle shop later in the year!
70 The Daz Challenge
He’s back on form! This month Daz fishes the Kent Classic with some much-improved results.
Total Boat Fishing
88 Boat Test
Mike Thrussell falls in love with the new Explorer Fast Bass 22 and its superb handling qualities.
95 Spurred On In
TSF’s Scottish contributor, John Findlay, steps on board Andy Jackson’s boat ‘Laurenca II’ in search of the mighty spurdog.
103 Tide Tables
104 Skipper’s Journal
Jim explains why pirk fishing for bass is more exciting than using bait when he takes a trip out of
112 Ask Jim
Are you having problems afloat? Is there something on your mind that you just can’t figure out? Let Jim O’Donnell come to your rescue.
114 Bird’s Eye View
Last month it was wind farms, this month David Bird explores the realms of nuclear power – it’s not as bad as you think!
Competitions
76 Mega IMAX Competition
Here it is! Your chance to win part of a £2,970 haul of the new Imax range of gear, including a complete set of rods, as well as some top-notch clothing!
Subscriptions
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Editorial
Welcome to the January issue of TSF. This year’s cod season has got off to a flying start with plenty of fish being reported both from the shore and afloat. Let’s hope this sport continues right through until the end of the winter season!
On a much more serious note, I’ve just seen the proposal put forward by Greenpeace to create ‘Marine Reserves’ along the entire east coast of the UK, from Kent right up to Scotland, give or take a few miles around Lincolnshire! If this proposal ever goes ahead that could spell disaster for the UK’s sea fishing industry, because angling would almost certainly be banned. Just think of how many jobs would be lost, how many lives ruined and how our human rights would be simply taken away from us! We’ll keep you informed on this important issue as and when we receive more info.
It seems as though things are starting to happen in the world of sea angling, both good and bad. The next few months are going to be crucial to the future of our sport – the only worrying thing is that we have no real governing body to enable our voice to be heard. At present we’re hedging all our bets on the recent surveys that have concluded that recreational sea fishing is worth one hell of a lot of money to the UK economy.
Obviously money talks as far as the Government is concerned and all we can do is hope that they see the light and start making waves to ensure good sport for us all in years to come. One thing’s for sure though, we’ll keep you all informed of any important issues as and when we hear about them. You can rely on TSF to tell you how it is.
That’s it for this month. I’m heading back home to Essex, to fish with my old mate Terry Batt on board his boat ‘Vicky Emma’ out of Bradwell. He’s been bagging plenty of cod and he assures me that we can’t go wrong. Look out for that one in next month’s mag!
