Q&A SHORE ANGLING
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QWith many popular fishing marks now becoming tackle graveyards which in turn become even bigger tackle graveyards by their very nature such as Dungeness and the Mersey does anyone ever make any efforts to clean out these enormous entanglements, after all the weight of recovered lead alone would surely be enough to pay for any efforts of a clean-up, before the marks become completely festooned and unfishable?
CK says: This is a good question and very relevant, Dianne. Whether fishing braid, heavy monofilament, fluorocarbons, or even using steel wire to target some tooth predators, finding snags at popular venues is a big issue. I know one venue where some anglers have a deal with the local diving club who go down and free the snags, and collect the lost tackle, including a lot of leads. Obviously, besides the issue sue of venues becoming a misery to fish, the environmental side of things is also very bad.
Storms will l tear the snags out, or bury them at times. There is no simplefix, but as anglers we need to fish responsibly and do all we can to avoid losing gear. Tackle up responsibly for a said venue, and keep crack-offs to a minimum, tying good knots etc is crucial. I do think perhaps divers present pathway to making some of these venues fishable again. I have also heard of heavy grapples being dragged at some venues to clear snags. I have no first hand experience of that. At my local venues people using inappropriate mainlines and losing multiple sets of mackerel feathers per session are the main cause. Not experienced anglers fishing using more refined techniques.
QWhat is the best braid to use on adongle rig?
CK says: I would choose one of good quality that is true to its breaking strain. I use Daiwa J-Braid 8X, but there are many brands out there.The most important thing
is the breaking strain. Most sea anglers in the UK will use between 200lb and 300lb breaking strain.If you go too light, you are likely to lose fish.
Q Lots of brands are now selling weigh and release slings or mats, is it worth buying one? Ihave
