Measuring Up

One of the most crucial steps in finding the right boat cover is to accurately measure the vessel, which is easier said than done. While you might expect to be able to refer to an owner’s manual or sales brochure for accurate measurements, it’s common that boats don’t match up precisely to their documentation. For this reason, it’s always better to measure the boat yourself. It might sound like an arduous task but it’s better than investing in a boat cover which doesn’t fit.

To measure length, go from the point of the bow to the middle of the transom at the back. If your boat is fitted with an outboard motor then do not include this in the measurement. Often boat covers will have openings for outboard motors or will have individual outboard covers included. To measure the width, use the widest point of the boat.
One of the most common errors in measuring up a boat for a boat cover is not measuring in a straight line. Frequently owners will measure up and over windscreens or other parts of the boat, and will end up taking measurements which are much too large, leading to a baggy boat cover. Boat covers are intended to accommodate the boat’s features, so in order to get a correct measurement it may be necessary to hold a tape measure parallel to the boat instead of on it. You can use wooden planks or poles to help ensure that your measurements are accurate.

Material

When deciding on the best material for your boat cover there are a number of things to consider. Choosing the right material is almost as important as getting the right size. Firstly, where do you plan to store the boat? If it’s being stored inside a garage or other protected area then you will not require the same degree of robustness as you will if it is being stored outside. Boats stored outside are exposed to harmful elements such as wind, rain, snow and UV light, and require highly durable materials which are highly durable.

If you are storing your boat indoors then you are probably only considering investing in a boat cover for transportation uses. Boat covers can help to protect a boat when it is being moved between locations. If transportation is the main factor then pay close attention to the material’s tear strength. When you are travelling down the road at high speeds a number of forces can act upon the boat cover and force it to tear.
If you live in a hot, humid climate you need to look for breathable materials that can prevent moisture getting trapped underneath the cover. In a warm climate this will lead to mildew.

Mildew

Mildew is a common problem with boat covers, particularly in warm climates. As well as being tricky to clean and remove, mildew can aggravate allergies and cause respiratory problems. Breathable boat covers can help to prevent mildew growth. Alternatively, a vented support pole can help to bring some much-needed air flow underneath the cover, reducing the build-up of moisture and ultimately mildew. The vented support pole will allow airflow into the cover but will prevent water from entering. The other option is to use air dryers or dehumidifiers to reduce the humidity level in the storage area and reduce condensation.
Cleaning

There are a number of ways to clean boat covers, but if you want your cover to last it’s important to do it right. Boat covers shouldn’t be washed in a washing machine, and you shouldn’t use harsh cleaning chemicals or bleach, as they can undermine the boat cover’s water-repellent finish.
A soft brush should be able to remove dried dirt, and a rinse with lukewarm water should remove stains. It’s important to allow plenty of time for the cover to dry so that mildew does not quickly form inside the cover once it is closed.
Alan Cairns is a writer from Brighton, UK, who writes on a number of subjects including fuel efficiency and outboard motors. Photo by plentyofants.

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The Mackerel

The Mackerel is a very underrated UK fish found in our waters from April to October, however they are caught at all times of the year, but not in any significant numbers. They are a very powerful fighting fish pound for pound, built for speed with a sharp nose, muscle bound body and efficient v shaped tail.

Mackerel live in shoals and vary their depth according to the water temperature and other environmental factors, making them a pelagic round fish. Because they live in shoals, which can grow to miles long they are often caught in large numbers when located. Finding the fish is half the battle.

If you don’t think these fish are special read these fact about the humble Mackerel:

• According to wikipedia Mackerel can live to be 20 years old, so consider that first when you bring them up 5 on a string!!
• The largest rod caught Mackerel was 6lb 13 oz  wow, that would be a great fish!!
• They can swim at 20mph faster than most of us can run!!
• They are eaten by Shark, Conger, Ray, Bass, Huss, Mackerel, Crabs, Cod, Ling and most other sea fish

Poor Mackerel

There are a number of uses for Mackerel, from bait to eating. Sadly because of the numbers and the uses of the fish in my opinion they are abused and some people tend not to appreciate what these stunning power houses can offer the seasoned angler or beginner. It saddens me to watch people haul them out on the pier, taking no care and allowing them to suffocate on the stone wall in front of onlookers. This does not look good for the sport of angling…

This fish is predated on by many different species, therefore it is a very important fish in the food chain. Stock management is important and commercial fishing needs managing to increase the natural population of this species, it will benefit us all!

Methods For Mackerel Fishing

This depends on where you are fishing from. You can target them with almost any technique out there and this is where Mackerel fishing can become great sport, as well as valuable learning for beginners to the sport. Balancing your tackle and targeting this species with matched gear can set your world alight.

1. Beach casting with lures – A great way to catch Mackerel. Attach a length of lures onto your line, normally a string of 3 is plenty, with a sinker attached to the bottom of the trace and retrieve it by jerking the rod sharply up and high, lifting the lures up and along in the water column, reeling in when lowering the rod tip toward the water. A side ways stroke can be used. This is great for casting practice, learning how wind effects your cast etc.
2. Spinning – Traditional spinning techniques will catch mackerel with ease. You will only get one fish at a time and the sport is fantastic on light line where you have direct contact with the fish. This will teach you lots of spinning techniques if you are a little adventurous and try unusual ideas, you can then apply this to other species.
3. Float Fishing – A sliding float to easily fish different depths and search for the fish can be used or a fixed bubble float can be employed. Allowing the wind and current to take your float can be tried, watching the float constantly for any sign of a take, normally a dip but sometimes the float might rise as the fish lifts the bait in the water column.
4. SWFF (salt water fly fishing) – Using the lightest fly gear you can on warm summer days when the Mackerel are high in the water with small silver hand tied lure can produce outstanding fishing. A running mackerel on the correct gear will put up one hell of a fight. Learn how to cast a fly over the sea, manage the line and basic watercraft.
5. LRF (light rock fishing) – the use of tiny soft plastic and metal lure only .5 to 5 grammes in weight. Light line of 2 lbs and small 7 foot rods with very fine tips all makes for outstanding sport. Mackerel fishing like this improves all the anglers senses and is exhilarating when it all comes together, 2lb line does not provide much room for error with a running mackerel.

Hooks from 6 to 2/0 can be used for Mackerel. I tend to get better hook up with smaller hooks but you will loose more if you are not careful. Float fishing with a small strip of silver flesh (mackerel or sand eel), nicked onto the hook at one end is lethal. Take the time to present the bait well with nice sharp cuts.

Basic Rigs For Mackerel

• Sliding float – Thread a small bead on to your line, the a float followed by another bead, below this you thread a ball weight, the correct weight to cock the float (make it stand upright) and another bead and then a swivel. The beads are added to prevent abrasion on the line. To the bottom of the swivel attach your trace, 3 foot of 10 lb line should do. Then attach your hook. Size 6 to 2/0 . You then need to tie a stop knot above the top bead to prevent the float from riding up the line and the weight just falling quickly to the sea bed. I would use a strip of Sand eel, Mackerel or Squid and then get Mackerel fishing. You can adjust the depth you fish at by sliding the knot up your line until you find the depth the Mackerel are running.

• Feathers / lures – This is an easy set up for Mackerel fishing. You buy your chosen lures - I prefer the holographic silver type, but had great success for years on colored feathers. 3 to 4 lures on a string is plenty with a lot of people getting success with black lures, especially on cloudy days. Attach a swivel to your main line and tie the traces of mackerel lures onto your shock leader, not the loop end! Then attach your weight to the bottom loop and cast away!!!.

How To Target Mackerel

As I have said, we need to find where the fish are and the depth the Mackerel are running. Once you have this determined you will be in for success after success. From a boat after you have ideally found a feature/mark, but not totally necessary and you will drop your gear down to the bottom of the sea and start working the lures. After a short time you will wind up a few times and work the lure again. Repeat this process until you find the level the fish are in and you will start hooking. It is reasonably easy, this is why kids go Mackerel fishing.

Shore fishing is the same, we want deep water early in the season, as it warms the fish will run in more shallow water. The bright hot days see Mackerel playing with Gar fish just below the surface layer, cool days with turbid waters see the fish run deeper. Use this knowledge to locate marks that hold fish.

You also need to decide how you are going to target them. I have told you 5 ways you can catch them and there are many others as well. A lot of the decision making should be made depending if you want to catch large numbers (throw out a string of feathers/shrimp lures) or if you want to learn and improve your fishing by catching Mackerel. A youngster you are trying to get interested in the sport will have their confidence boosted no end – Look Daddy another one! They love it.

If you are more seasoned and want to learn the art of lure fishing for Bass then target Mackerel with small single lures, learn how to cast accurately, present the lure into the exact foot of water you want and allow it to alight on the water, not hit it like a bomb. All these skills and water craft are essential to becoming a great angler.

Please let us all know any tips or ideas that would add to this post by commenting below.

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Are you caught in this trap? Do you find yourself always looking for what you can treat yourself to next? Do you find yourself spending more time in the tackle shop than on the beach wetting a line? To be honest I think there are a lot of folk out there who fall in to this deep tackle trap,

Where To Spend Your Money

How much money, time and effort do you spend in actually researching your fishing marks compared to reading how to catch fish or reading up on the latest tackle trends?

I speak to so many anglers who are looking for the silver bullet for Sea angling and they ask me via email “What do you think of  X or Y product, will it catch me more fish?” and I reply the same way every time “How much research have you carried out on your marks?”

You need to spend hours and hours learning what your mark holds, where to fish the mark, which conditions might hold fish…

Lets Dump the Gear

And use a rod, reel, line, hook and sinker, with a bit of bait. Lets keep it really simple but get out fishing a lot with some simple gear so we can move around our marks and learn what the mark is all about, you need to know it like the back of your hand. I want you to promise me something, for a while you are going to stop buying gear and you are going to learn every last inch of one of your favorite, preferably near-by sea fishing mark.

We have one massive advantage to our Carp and Coarse fishing friends – the tide. it empties hundreds of marks every 6 hours, allowing us to see what we are doing, where the sea bed goes. How close do the gullies run to the beach etc. This is pure Gold!

Take a New Look at an Old Mark

This map shows the mouth of the Helford Estuary in Cornwall at a low resolution. We can go in to much greater detail but instantly you can see some interesting features.

Off the headland in the North of the image can you see the huge spit that sticks out? The appears to be a steeper side, the seaward side. The inside of the curve has a slightly more gentle drop off… Surely this place has got to hold bait species. Food stuffs will get trapped on the inside where the slower water will allow items to fall from the water column. The outside is likely to have faster water flowing around it causing the sand to get stirred up and making interesting areas for fish.

If you were able to zoom in further you would see that there is a sand bank off the southern headland, causing a very barrow deep water channel in the middle.

Once you have identified a feature like this or a reef or drop off, maybe even just a big rock get to the mark and work it out in real life. identify the feature, work out where it is. Take the Google print out with you and use features from the shore line to locate you feature. When you are there before you get your gear out just sit and watch.

Are there eddy’s forming with the tide, can I read the water surface and does it give away any signs (an underwater change is often reflected in the waters surface pattern). Wave motion often give features away, waves will break when they near a shallow area or a pitching wave will sink away if it runs into deeper water. The colour of water is a tell tale to what is going on underneath. Read all these signs.

You need to go through this process again and again over days or weeks at differing stages of the tide to really understand what is happening. Also remember a good storm if a sand or shingle bank can totally change the sea bed shape.

Time to Tackle Up

Cast with your super simple rig and see what happens, but cast for the feature and feel what is going on down there. Our Carp fishing cousins spend a long time feeling for changes in the substrate. Can you feel what the lead is bumping on? yes you can and you will be able to detect holes and gullies. With practice you can almost see what is going on below the surface.

Using a float can help you discover the different depths, which with the cycle of the tides will change but you can learn the relief of the land and use this knowledge to your advantage. If you are confident in the water and its is safe to do so, get in the water with a mask and fins and see for yourself what is going on down there. You can learn so many valuable lessons by jumping in – I have found my very best marks this way.

To Conclude

You do not need the latest gear to catch fish, you need fish! If you can spend as much time a possible learning your mark, asking locals about it, read what you can about it and just watching it then you will and for not a lot of money start to learn how to really catch fish, with just a hook line and sinker!

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Sea fishing changes all the time, generally for the better and normally inline with modern material technology having a huge baring on the tackle we use allowing us to fish lighter, cast further and spend more on the latest gear. I do notice though that we tend to use more and more “old Fashioned” techniques with a modern twist, I mentioned this recently within my article onfishing for Bass at night.

Anyway one massive area of growth within Sea fishing is the use of imitation and attraction devices, better known as lures. Lets concentrate on the subject matter ” How to Sea Fish With Lures”.

What Are Fishing Lures?

If you look in the dictionary a lure is described as “Something that tempts or is used to tempt a person or animal to do something”. There are two main type of lure as I mentioned above:

• Imitation – These lures represent actual species. They are built to look like a particular prey species in size, colour and swim style. They are carefully designed to trick the targetted species into thinking they are getting an easy meal
• Attractor – These lures reflect a charistic of prey species. They may flash to look like small fish swiming, they might create vibration, attracting hunting species to treat them as an easy meal or they might have a scent that attracts your target species.

Knowing these two categories of lure is very important, because it lets you understand how to use them to best effect. Where to place them, how to use them in the water and when to use them. Armed with this knowledge you will become more proficient at the art of lure fishing.

How fish Hunt

There are a number of ways fish hunt the water, depending on the species, conditions, season and a whole load of other factors.

1. Scent – Many fish use scent, especially in the dark or turbid water conditions. The smell can be detected in very small amounts in the water column. Fish will quarter the water heading closer and closer to the source.
2. Vibration – fish are able to detect slight changes of pressure and vibrations in water. Anything swimming will create a pattern of vibrations recognized by hunting fish. Prey fish with injuries will have exaggerated vibrations and advertise them-self as an easy meal
3. Sight -Some fish have great eye sight and hunt using their eyes. They recognize prey species and eat them up.

Armed with this knowledge and considering what method the fish are using to hunt, either scent, sight or vibration you can start to match the type of lure to the right conditions

A hunting fish will search for their chosen prey depending on the time of year. Get to know the species you are targeting and learn where they live and what they hunt. Bass in the early season look for Crab, then small Pollock, when the water warms they hunt Mackerel and Sand Eel as the water cools they turn towards worm, then back to crab. Armed with this knowledge and considering what method the fish are using to hunt, either scent, sight or vibration you can start to match the type of lure to the right conditions.

Basic Uses of Lures

Lures can be used in a lot of different ways depending on all of the above. A fly cast on a fly rod is great for catching summer species from a kayak or the shore. Lures are cast and retrieved from the shore, fishing gullies and places of interest. Mackerel feathers and more modern variants are used from boats where 3 or more small lures are attached to on line to entice the Mackerel. Jelly worms and shads are used in deep waters fished above a heavy weight while drifting over a wreck to target Pollock and Ling. Perks are large heavy lures dropped to the sea bed then hauled up and down to attract Cod. Small spoons are added to Flounder and Plaice rigs to attract the fish to baited hooks and lures can be towed behind boats, trolled at a set speed and depth to catch species from Bass to Marlin.

There are hundreds of Lure fishing methods and depending on the situation and the species you will need to try different methods to catch your target species.

How to Use Sea Fishing Lures From the Shore (Basics).

You do not need to go and buy the best most expensive lures money can buy. Lets just start with a small selection of basic lures. First a few imitation lures –  A blue and white, brown and gold, yellow and green, pure white or silver that looks similar to a fish about 4 – 6 inches long. Then a couple of dexter wedges 1/2 to 1 oz will do and a silver spoon or bar.

You need a rod capable of casting these lures rated from 15 to 60 grams to start with will be ideal. You can get more specialised as you get better. A reel around 2000 – 3000 size will do for starters with some 15 to 20lb line

You can tie a small link swivel onto the end of the line once it has been run through the rods eyes and then you can easily clip on different lures as you fish.

Then you look for a likely spot to fish. Gullies, Rocks, Boulder, Sand and Ecotones (the are between two environments) are target zones to work a lure. Look for food, bait species or currents that would pull food together.

When at the beach look for the features and cast your lure. Work it fast then slow. Draw it in then allow it time to sink or float. Jerk it back or try a nice slow steady approach/ Try all these different methods before moving on a little and rinse and repeat until you find what works.

Mackerel Fishing With Lures Boat & Shore

Mackerel love lures. There will take most small lures with ease, once you find the fish. Small little Mepps spinners, Storm spinners (a triangle of metal with twisted corners causing it to spin), coloured feathers in a string, tinsel lures and hockeye lures all work very well.

From a boat lower your lure to the bottom, then pump the rod up and down a number of times 3-6, then reel in a few turns and try again, remembering how many turns from the bottom you are. Once you hit the fish, next time lower to the bottom then reel up the required amount of turns and work the lure as described  You will catch at the same depth time and time again.

Using a light rod and tackle with a single lure will provide you with great sport. You might also catch Garfish, Herring, Launce and Horse Mackerel to name a few.

From the shore on hot, still summer evenings you can catch Mackerel close to the shore on streamer flies. A light spinning rod with a small soft or hard plastic lure will work wonders. You just need the right conditions and preferably a deep water mark.

A beach caster with a trace of feathers or hockeye lures cast into the distance can produce great numbers of fish. Simply attach the trace to your shock leader with a swivel, a lead on the other end and cast away. This is great for getting children interested in fishing and getting some bait for the freezer. I tend to use only 3 lures on a trace. Either buy them made with 3 lures or cut of the extra.

Gilling & Shads

Used when Kayak and Boat fishing around reefs and wrecks. Shads generally imitation lures, looking like a fat rubber fish with a splayed tail, Gilling used to refer to the use of Red Gills, an imitation of a sand eel in differing colours. In the modern day the same system refers to the use of hook tail worms and other soft plastic lures. These are more attractors with vibration making tails on the lures inducing fish to take them in the inky darkness.

You will find your underwater feature, lower your gear down and retrieve it waiting to hit the fish. The fish will sit in different locations on the feature depending on the tide. You can try slow or fast retrieves, really pumping the rod and working the lure hard. You just need to find what works best on the day.

The rig below is a simple gilling rig. The boom can be a plastic hollow one or a wire french boom. The lure is threaded onto the hook or the shad would replace the hook.

LRF and HRF

Light and Heavy Rock Fishing using soft plastics and hard lures. LRF techniques generally employ small lures on small jig heads down to .5g (tiny) The idea is to fish the lure as naturally as possible. The easier the conditions the lighter you go with the lures and line fishing close to the sea bed and natural fish holding areas. Different way to present the lure are use,d from simply just attaching the lure to the line or a drop shot rig where the weight is t the bottom and the lure or hook is attached, great for weedy conditions.

Presenting the lure is important. You want everything to be delicate, accurate and precise, floating the lure to where the fish are, or gently winding in just enough to give the lure action and keep it off the sea bed, keeping it looking as natural as possible. Often you will get takes while the lure is dropping through the water column, this is especially the case for HRF fishing.

Species to target with LRF are: Blennies, Mackerel, Small Bass, Flounder, Pollock, Gar Fish, Wrasse, Shad and anything that swims.

HRF is the bigger brother to LRF. You are generally targeting heavy PIGS (aka Wrasse) in challenging conditions like reef and boulders. Weedless Texas rigging is a popular way to prevent tackle loses. For this you use a hook with a bent shank and thread the worm on and nick the worm with the point of the hook, protecting it from snags. Jigs and weights from 5g to 15g are often used.

Again high quality presentation is essential and keeping in contact with your lure as essential as takes can happen at any time. On the drop (while your lure is sinking) is a common part of the fishing cycle for a take, often only indicated by a gentle move of the line!

Species to target are: Wrasse, Pollock, Cod, Bass and even Turbot can be caught with this method.

I will look into each topic here in greater depth in upcoming articles, so stay tuned.

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If you want to see some possible nasty injuries look for fishing injury in google NB not for the feint hearted!!

Fishhook Flesh Wounds

Arguably the most common of all fishing injuries are fishhook wounds. When you find yourself hooked, it’s best to go straight to a healthcare practitioner immediately – a local clinic or your doctor will have the tools to remove it properly. Underlying tissue and nerves, depending on how deep the hook is, can be damaged and cause complications. For this reason, it’s inadvisable to remove the hook without professional medical help. Keep the wound clean and dry until completely healed.

Fishing Elbow

If you are experiencing pain in the tendon on the outside of the elbow while casting, it is most probably a case of fishing elbow (much like ‘tennis elbow’). The overextending of your arm in the casting motion stresses the joint causing inflammation. It will hurt, especially if you keep casting and fishing. As soon as you experience these pains, rest for a moment, stretch the arm a bit and apply ice. Some stretching will cause further damage, so just any old exercises should be avoided. Consult a chiropractor or physiotherapist if the pain persists.

Carp or Carpal Tunnel

Frequent fishing means your hands can get overused. This is the main cause of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Symptoms include a stinging sensation along the thumb, index, middle and ring fingers as well as numbness of the fingers and pains running up the forearm. A wrist brace is often used to keep the carpal tunnel steady, reducing or avoiding inflammation. Anti-inflammatories help ease pain and aid in healing.

Water Accidents

With so many incidents reported each year, drowning is a harsh reality of fishing. It most commonly occurs with ‘rock and ledge fishing’ and ‘boat fishing’. The chances of drowning are also increased during unfavorable weather, so plan your fishing trips carefully. Examine your boat thoroughly. Wear non-slip shoes on slippery surfaces. And wear a lifejacket.

Insuring yourself against fishing injuries and covering your fishing equipment can make for a more relaxing holiday. Fishing cover for river and deep sea fishing comes standard with any Essential Travel holiday insurance policy. Very low excesses, personal accident cover up to £30,000 and personal liability of up to £2m are some benefits you’ll get. Spear fishing is also covered for a small added premium. With insurance for fishing trips, you can travel to the world’s most popular fishing locations or those secret spots off the beaten track – now that you’re aware of the accidents that happen, how to avoid them and how to keep them from ruining your fishing holiday.

Even leisure fishing requires a bit of effort. So prepare for your fishing trip like you would a hike or another physical outdoor exercise. Carry a healthy supply of water to prevent dehydration, pack a first aid kit and keeping a fully-charged mobile phone on you is a wise move in case you need to make a rescue call. Once you are certain your fishing trip plans are water-tight, relax and enjoy the experience!

This article was written by Essential Travel; providers of worldwide fishing holiday insurance to UK and Irish citizens. Image thanks   here

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This suit is designed to help you stay safe on the sea. It’s comfortable, durable, and most importantly, it does the job, as well as some others for kicks.

Quality
The Imax Floatation Suit provides buoyancy as well as storm protection in wind and rain. If you ever find yourself out at sea in weather that isn’t agreeing with you and your situation, be sure to have the suit available to make the majority of your problems go away. It also includes a face enclosure to help you keep that wind and rain away from your eyes, allowing you to see better while out at sea.

Features
What adds to the suit’s quality is the number of features it has. You can adjust the suit in several different ways to help you remain comfortable while you’re out tackling game, avoiding a storm, or ending up at sea.
On the suit are adjustable cuffs. This is so whoever is wearing the jacket won’t have to feel restricted. Adjust the suit so it flows better with your body movements.
The detachable hood goes off and on at your will. If it’s a nice day out and you only want the suit to serve for its basic purpose of keeping you afloat, then let go of the hood and enjoy the sun while you’re out on the ocean. If some mal-tempered weather comes along, throw the hood back on with the face enclosure to help you avoid being uncomfortable in the storm.
The suit also has an interlining to provide thermal protection. The lining is low density, and created from foam. This will help your temperature remain comfortable at all times, no matter what type of weather you’re facing.
Fleece lining is in the pockets to warm your hands. If something goes awry with your gloves, or even if you just don’t have any, you can always count on your pockets to warm your hands.
Your pockets are also expandable, allowing you to hold more equipment when necessary.
Last but not least, there’s a safety whistle. If ever you find yourself or someone on your crew in jeopardy, sound the whistle to alert others that a safety or dangerous situation has occurred. This could primarily be used if someone goes overboard, or if you find yourself overboard and unable to yell loudly. The whistle may be able to reach ears that your voice isn’t.

Style
The Imax X LITE Floatation Suit is actually pretty stylish for it to provide so many uses. It comes in a soft grey and orange. Grey is a good neutral color that anyone can wear, and orange is a nice unisex color that can be spotted far off. The creators of this suit really put thought into what the suit is for. If you’re out stranded in the ocean, you’ll be happy that you have on a bright color that’s easy to spot at a distance.

The suit is a slim looking jacket and pants, with shoulder straps and a waistband as well. All of these straps are to help you keep your suit in place. While it’s fashionable, the last thing you need is to live true to the fashion stereotype by also being uncomfortable. The suit is designed in a way that will help you to be comfortable while wearing it, as well as serving its purpose of allowing you to float if you need to.

The Imax X LITE Floatation Suit 2 Piece really lives up to its name and more. You won’t be able to understand what a great piece of sea gear this is until you try it. It’s safe to have around, and convenient to wear if you’re a novice on the ocean. For only £122.40, it’s a perfect purchase in order to save a life.

You should add this suit to your sea safety kit, and be glad you did so, even if you don’t end up using it right away. You never know when you’ll ever need it, and you will be surprised how much it could help you even without falling overboard.

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Over the centuries fishermen have learned to pay close attention to the subtle clues that fish may lurk below. Disturbances on the ocean’s surface, changes in current and increased bird life are three such examples. Of course there are countless other clues, strategies and superstitions fishermen have used when trying to locate fish.

Yet in today’s technologically driven fishing world there is one piece of equipment which drastically reduces the amount of time, energy and effort spent locating fish. This piece of technology is, of course, the sonar (fish finder).

But simply having a £800 or more sonar unit (fish finder) installed on your boat is no guarantee of fishing success. As with anything else, there are sonar strategies you can start using today to dramatically improve your odds of locating the biomass. Strategically using sonar (fish finder) is, in my opinion, the #1 most important factor to modern day fishing success.

Locating the Biomass

When it comes to finding large schools of fast moving predatory fish I recommend adopting the mindset of “locating the biomass.”  Most predatory fish species travel in a school, which is often part of a much larger biomass of fish in the general area.  For example, you may have located what seems to be a large school of fish – when in reality that seemingly large school is just a small piece of an even larger biomass.

If you can locate a biomass of life, good fishing will ensue. The question then is, “how can I locate the biomass?”fish I recommend adopting the mindset of “locating the biomass.” Most predatory fish species travel in a school, which is often part of a much larger biomass of fish in the general area. For example, you may have located what seems to be a large school of fish – when in reality that seemingly large school is just a small piece of an even larger biomass.

Locating the biomass begins with having a general idea of where fish may be. Perhaps you know from past experience that schools of fish are likely to reside somewhere within a given bay, along a stretch of beach or on a bank offshore. This is an ideal place to start, yet you still have a lot more narrowing down left to do.
For example when fishing Cape Cod Bay (where I often fish) the fish could truly be anywhere. Cape Cod Bay is a magnet for marine life, yet the Bay encompasses 600 square miles and the fish could be virtually anywhere. How then, after deciding on a general area to fish, can you use your sonar to pin-point fish with laser like accuracy?

Locating Fish at Lightning Speed

When searching for schooling fish with your sonar (fish finder), the best strategy in my opinion is to remain in motion until you mark life on your sonar. To do this with success, your sonar must function properly at high speeds of over 20 knots. Be sure to adjust the sensitivity settings on your unit, so you can mark fish while eliminating disturbance caused by engine bubbles.

A typical fishing trip for me will involve cruising for sometimes hours on end through a large general area where I believe there to be fish holding. All the while I will keep an eye on the sonar, being sure to notice any schools of bait fish or predatory fish that I may pass over. My goal is to literally drive my boat over the top of a school of fish, with the understanding that the school of fish I mark on my sonar (fish finder) is most likely just one school of a biomass of fish holding the area.

If you are fishing a large general area, it can pay to cruise through that area in a grid like pattern. For example I may follow the 50 foot depth contour for 10 miles, then turn around and follow the 60 foot contour for 10 miles. I will work my way out deeper or in shallower until I cover the entire area before moving on.
Of course when using this method I hope to locate the biomass as soon as possible. Yet in my mind spending a couple hours without finding a single school of fish is not a bad thing at all. In doing so, I have eliminated an entire tract of ocean devoid of fish life, within a matter of a couple hours. If I had not utilized this fast paced sonar strategy, I may have spent an entire morning or afternoon fishing that area – never knowing for sure if schools of fish were even present.

Using my sonar at high speeds of over 20 knots, and cruising in a grid like search pattern has proven to be the most effective fish finding method I have ever utilized. Yet I will admit that the strategy won’t work at all, unless you have a firm grasp of how schools of fish look on your sonar at such high speeds.

What to Look For

When cruising at high speeds (granted your sonar is installed properly and sensitivity settings are correct) schools of fish will mark differently based on how large and dense the given school is.
For example in the image below you will see two distinct marks. The first mark to the left side of the image is the same school of fish displayed in the middle of the image. Yet the difference being that the “sliver” of fish on the left, is actually the same school of fish in the middle, when viewed at high speed.
You’ll also notice the side-scan sonar image below – which we’ll talk about in the next section of this post.

Because you are cruising over a school of fish at high speed, the mark on the sonar will be more like a vertical “sliver” than the big “blobs” you may be accustomed to seeing at slower speeds or when at drift. The thing to remember is that when cruising at high speeds, even the slightest sliver of a mark may in reality be a massive school of fish.
Therefore I recommend stopping and further investigating any “slivers” or any other out of the ordinary marks, that you record on your sonar when traveling at such high speeds.

Sonar Tips to Take Fish Finding to the Next Level

If you really want to take your fish finding skills to the next level I would recommend purchasing a sonar unit that comes with side-scan sonar technology. Side-scan will let you “see” off to each side of your boat. With side-scan you can mark fish that are swimming to the port and starboard of your vessel.

Side-scan does not function well at high speeds; however it comes in very handy after marking a school at high speed using traditional downward imaging sonar. A typical scenario for me is to use traditional sonar at high speed to find the biomass, and then use side-scan sonar at speeds of 2-7 knots to zone in on the individual schools within the biomass.

With regards to locating fish, learning to strategically use sonar can help shave time off locating fish, which in turn provides more time for catching fish. Remaining mobile and using sonar at high speeds to locate rogue schools and biomasses of predatory fish is a new-age technique that can help you maximize your time spent on the water.
Tight lines,
Ryan

Ryan Collins is a charter and commercial captain from Cape Cod, Massachusetts (USA). He is also the creator of the popular Cape Cod fishing blog – myfishingcapecod.com.
He can be reached via email at ryan@myfishingcapecod.com.

The post Finding Fish at Lightning Speeds appeared first on CaughtonSea.

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The Baits That Never Stop Catching Fish

Guest Post By Curt Snow

I’ve been a freshwater bass fisherman for going on 30 years. During those 30 years, I’ve seen soft plastic lures come and go. I’ve fished hundreds and hundreds of bass tournaments and I’m also a professional guide. So you could say that I’ve been around in the fishing world.

I’ve seen hot trends become old news and I’ve seen lures & baits based on gimmicks disappear from the market, never to be seen again. Except, of course if you stumble onto them at a flea market or garage sale!

One thing I can say for sure is that there is one type of lure that perseveres, regardless of how many new “hot” lures hit the market every year. No matter what trends rise and fall, this one type of lure stands head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to longevity and fish-catching ability.

So what is this fantastic lure… this staple of freshwater fishing? Well, it’s actually not just one lure. It’s a whole category of lures, but they’re all made of the same material; soft plastic, welcome to soft plastic lures.

You know…  soft plastic lures like worms, grubs, tubes, shad baits, etc. Regardless of what catches people’s attention on the store shelves or in the colorful catalogs, soft plastics never go out of style. Why? Because they just plain catch fish.

Soft Plastic lures and Fishing Methods

Let’s take a look at some of the different soft plastic baits and the techniques that work so well to catch fish with them.

Soft Plastic Worm

First and foremost on just about anyone’s list of soft plastic lures is the tried and true plastic worm. These baits come in so many sizes, styles and colors that it would be impossible to list them all here. So let’s just talk about a basic style worm in an average size of 6 inches.

The average plastic worm consists of a slender body with some type of curly tail that flutters when the worm is moved.

Even though we look at this bait as imitating an earthworm, fish more than likely see it as a type of fish swimming along, since the only worms that fish ever really see are those tossed into the water on a hook by us anglers.

Plastic worms can be worked just about any way you want to and will catch fish in just about any of those ways. In fact, the same techniques that work for plastic worms will also work for just about any soft plastic bait. We’ll talk about techniques a bit later on, but now let’s take a look at some other soft plastic baits that

have stood the test of time and continue to catch millions of fish year after year.

Plastic Grub

Next up on our list of ever-productive soft plastic lures is the plastic grub. Grubs come in a few different styles and shapes, as well as a slew of colors.

The most popular size is the 3 inch version, but they can range in size form 1 inch to 6 inches or more.

The smaller sizes are excellent for panfish while the monster sized grubs work well for musky or even large saltwater fish.

When it comes to their looks, grubs can have a curly tail, like the one above, or they can have just a straight tail. These types of grubs with a straight or flat tail are called stingray grubs.

Again, despite the fact that we call it a grub, it imitates a small baitfish in the water. Fish absolutely love grubs! And don’t let its small size fool you. There are some very big fish caught on 3 inch grubs each year across the globe, one of the best soft plastic lures.

Tube Bait

Another fantastic soft plastic lure is called the tube bait. It gets its name from the fact that it looks like a hollow, plastic tube. And in reality, that’s exactly what it is!

Tube baits originally gained notoriety on the west coast of the United States when bass anglers fishing in very clear, deep lakes needed something that had a subtle action and would “glide” through the water.

The tube bait imitates a dying bait fish almost perfectly when allowed to fall on a slack line, spiraling toward the bottom of the lake very quietly and subtly.

The tube bait doesn’t have as many variations when it comes to design. Most types of tubes on the market will look pretty much like the one in the picture here, with no real “action” features. It’s just a hollow tube made of soft plastic, with “tentacles” on the end of it.

The main area where tubes will vary will be the size. As with any other soft plastic baits, tubes will come in sizes ranging from 1 inch, which excel for panfish, to large sizes of 5 – 6 or more inches, created for larger game fish.

Tubes work best when fished either in a cast and “let-it-sink” type of retrieve, or by rigging it on heavy line and pitching or flipping it on heavy cover. Because of the lack of any type of “action appendages”, tubes typically won’t generate much interest from the fish if they’re simply cast out and reeled back in.

Shads – soft plastic lures…

The last soft plastic bait we’re going to talk about is the shad body.

The soft plastic shad body is popular in fresh or saltwater throughout many regions of the world. They are a very straight-forward bait to fish with and they will catch just any species that swims.

As with the tube bait, their style doesn’t vary much, other than color or size. The tail may vary a bit with regard to shape, but the body of the bait will look very similar from one shad bait to another.

Shad bodies can range in color from solid white or solid black, to any variation or mixture of colors in between! Color choice should be made based on the clarity of the water you’ll be fishing and the daylight levels.

How to Catch Fish on Soft Plastic lures

So now that we’ve touched on the 4 most popular types of soft plastic lures, let’s talk about how to use them to catch fish! Here are the best types of retrieves to use with these baits, day in and day out. This is very useful to apply to LRF sea fishing.

• Swimming – swimming a soft plastic bait is probably the absolute easiest way to use one. Simply cast it out and swim it back in. Even with this basic kind of retrieve, you can vary it greatly by swimming the bait on the surface with no weight, adding a weight and swimming it just below the surface, or adding weight and swimming it near the bottom of the lake. Different speeds can be used to try to trigger strikes while working these soft plastic lures.

• Hopping – this is by far the most popular and probably the most productive method of retrieve for the plastic worm, but it can also work with the other baits mentioned above. As with swimming, this can be accomplished with or without a weight, but water depths greater than a few feet will dictate the need for adding some kind of weight if the soft plastic lure is to ever reach the bottom.The hopping retrieve consists of casting the lure out and letting it sink slowly to the bottom. As the bait falls, watch your line very carefully and look for any kind of slight “tick” or “twitch”. This will many times indicate that a fish has hit the soft plastic  lure. If the bait makes it to the bottom without being bitten by a fish, let it sit for a few seconds and then lift your rod tip up to about the 12 O’clock position to cause the bait to lift up off the lake bottom and move forward. Then drop your rod tip to about the 3 o’clock position and allow the lure to slowly fall to the bottom again, all the while watching the line for that telltale “tick”. Most bites will come as the bait falls back toward the bottom. Sometimes the bite will go completely undetected and there will be no indication that a fish has taken the bait except for a “heavy” feeling when lifting the bait again, or the fact that the line starts moving to one side or the other as the fish swims away with your plastic lure. If any of these indications happens, quickly set the hook and bring the fish in. If you don’t get bitten, continue to lift and drop the bait until you have worked it back to you. Then cast the bait out and do it again. You can fan-cast an area with this method and fish it pretty thoroughly in a fairly short time.
• Do Nothing – The do nothing retrieve involves the least amount of skill, but the greatest amount of patience! As the name indicates, you don’t do anything with this retrieve. You simply cast the lure out and let it sink and sit there.You might be wondering if I’m kidding when I say to do nothing, but it’s not a gimmick or a trick. If the fish are in a non-feeding mood or if they tend to see a lot of lures in a given day, the best thing you can do is to do nothing at all.Letting your bait sit idle on the lake bottom allows the currents in the water to impart very subtle, natural-looking actions to the bait that cause it to sway ever so little and ever so slowly. Sometimes this is exactly what’s needed to entice a fish to bite! As with the lift and drop retrieve, watching your line and paying very close attention to what’s going on is critical if you want to catch these subtle biters. And it’s even more important if you want to set the hook before they swallow your bait and become gut-hooked.

So that covers the basics when it comes to the most popular soft plastic baits. The only thing left to talk about is where to buy your soft plastic lures.

If you’re in pinch or if you’re new to Sea fishing with soft plastics and have never bought any of them before, you can buy them at many large retail stores or at small local tackle shops. Doing this gives you a chance to actually see and touch them so you know what you’re buying before you pay for it.

Buying from a local tackle shop also gives you the opportunity to ask the shop owner specific questions about what colors or baits might be working best on local bodies of water.

Once you become more familiar with fishing soft plastic lures and you know what to look for, you can venture onto the web and buy your baits online at greatly reduced prices. Some people like to buy from large retailers online, but I prefer to buy from the less obvious places.

One of the best places to get great prices on soft plastic baits is the places that sell lure parts and components. These types of sites carry brand names, but they also carry generic baits that are every bit as good as the more expensive brands. They can sell them for less because they don’t use flashy or fancy packaging and don’t spend big money on advertisements.

My favorite place to buy from is LureParts.com. They have a great selection and fantastic prices on dozens of different types of soft plastics lures. There are hundreds of other places to buy from, but this site is my favorite, so I wanted to pass it along to you.

This pretty much wraps it up with regard to telling you about the baits that catch fish day after day, week after week, year after year and season after season! We could get into much more detail when it comes to types of hooks and weights to use, or what bait works best under specific conditions, but that’s for another day.

Now get yourself some soft plastic lures and go catch some fish!

About the author: Curt Snow is a professional bass fishing guide located in the USA, in Rhode Island. Curt has been fishing since he was a young boy. He now dedicates his time to pursuing largemouth bass in the southern New England area of the USA.

The post The Baits That Never Stop Catching Fish – How To Use Soft Plastic Lures appeared first on CaughtonSea.

It doesn’t matter how careful you are with your boat, at some point you will strike something with your propeller and it will be damaged. Continuing to use a damaged propeller can lead to advanced wear of the internal components of the drive shaft and engine. Damaged propellers create vibrations that can slowly diminish the functionality of motor parts, as well as reducing fuel efficiency and overall performance.

This is why it’s important to regularly check your prop for damage. Holes in the protective paint on aluminium propellers or dents in stainless steel props require attention. It’s especially important to check your prop regularly if you boat in sandy or rocky areas. To help your prop resist damage, avoid shallow waters and be careful when loading and unloading. Power loading can sometimes kick stones and rocks up from the bottom of the water that can damage the prop.

If your propeller is problematic and beyond repair, you’ll really notice the difference when you replace it. A new propeller should get rid of any vibrations and will also make the boat more fuel efficient. It will also help the boat’s motor to last for longer.

If you’re looking for a new boat prop there are some key terms you need to learn. It can be confusing for newcomers as there are a number of different elements to consider when selecting a new propeller.

Propeller Hub

The hub connects the propeller with the drive shaft. Each hub is designed to fit with a particular drive shaft system which can vary by manufacturer. That said, there are two main types of boat prop hubs; fixed and removable. Fixed hubs are the most common, and cost-effective solution. The hub is fixed into the core of the propeller. Removable hubs are separate from the propeller, and several props can be fitted to a single hub. If you change your prop regularly for some reason then removable hubs are the best option.

Splines

A drive shaft has a number of ‘spline’ or ‘teeth. It’s important that the number of splines on the drive shaft match the number of spline on the hub. This is how these two items fit together, so if the splines don’t match you have selected the wrong propeller.

Blades

Prop blades are connected to the hub and turned by the motor, creating propulsion. 3 and 4 blade propellers are the most common. 3 bladed propellers tend to be a bit cheaper, and will provide more top end speed and pitch options than 4 bladed propellers. 4 bladed propellers help to lift the stern of the boat and generally offer smoother operation and more efficiency at mid-range speeds. Boaters with a removable hub often change to 4 bladed propellers if they are trying to achieve smoother acceleration. The extra blade means the propeller can move more water, but will also create more drag, which can have a detrimental impact on speed.

Pitch

Propeller pitch is the distance the prop will move through the water for each full rotation. A propeller with a 50” pitch will advance 50” for every complete spin on a solid surface. Obviously on the water the boat will move more slowly than this. Pitch can also be used for things like screws, which will advance a few millimeters for each complete rotation with the screwdriver.

It’s crucial that the pitch and diameter of the propellers are carefully calculated. If the pitch is too large, the propeller becomes heavy and will require more power than the engine can each. Equally, a pitch too small then the propeller will not be able to dispatch the engine’s full power.

To find the right pitch a number of elements need to be considered, including power, RPMs, gear reduction, the size of the boat and its intended use.

Alan Cairns writes on a number of subjects including outboard motors and motor boat fuel efficiency. Image used courtesy of Spigoo.

The post Replacing a Boat Propeller – What you need to know appeared first on CaughtonSea.

Fox’s Warrior S carp rod is synonymous amongst the carp angling fraternity due to its feature packed design and top build quality, and can be used as a great Bass rod. This award winning rod is one of the best sellers in the UK and has set the benchmark for all others on the market. These rods represent brilliant value for money along with solid reliability and stunning aesthetics for Coarse Fishing Tackle! Although they are positioned at the entry level end of the market, the Warrior S doesn’t have the feel, look or finish of other rods in this price bracket. The rods progressive action gives it a brilliant all-round ability to not only play fish, but also cast large leads into the horizon. The rods stunning blank, discreet graphics and quality fittings make the Warrior S look and perform like a rod three times its price.

The rods feature the Fox SLIK guides, 40mm butt rings, 18mm DPS reel seat along with a stunning laser etched butt cap. These rods are a pleasure to use; perfect for fishing PVA bags, sticks, method feeders and large leads. These rods have landed some of the biggest fish in Europe and are used by thousands in pursuit of their dream specimen.

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