THE PLYMOUTH BREAKWATER COMPETITION
Last year I thoroughly enjoyed getting out on the Plymouth Breakwater to witness the rebirth of the legendary Breakwater competitions, but I missed the first few events of 2010. The Breakwater is such an exiting place to fish as it is realistically un-fished. It is one of those marks that you know will produce a good fish sooner or later - and I want to be there when it happens!

The last planned Breakwater event of 2010 went ahead on Saturday the 4th September. The fishing wasn’t as good as previous events due to strong easterly winds but the event was still a success. The winning fish was a Red Mullet of 1lb 4oz, caught by Lee Sargent, which earned him £100 cash and a Shakespeare Salt MX Rod. In 2nd place was Andrew Wicks with Ballan Wrasse of 4lb 10oz, earning him £50 cash and Diawa Slosh 20 Reel and in 3rd place was Darren Collis with a Pollack of 2lb 4oz gaining him £25 cash and 7ft Rod Rest. Plymouth Angling supplied the prizes for this event.

There has been a rumour that the ‘all new’ Breakwater events had been cancelled for various reasons, but this is untrue. Plans are already underway to organise several Breakwater competitions for 2011 and possibly another for later this year. If you want further info on this competition contact Graham Tippet by email - mean750machine@blueyonder.co.uk

THE BOAT FISHING MONTHLY READER DAY
Plymouth was the venue to host the first Boat Fishing Monthly reader day, which was supported by Honda and Westport Marine boats. Honda and Westport Marine supplied two Pilot 6 angling boats and 6 lucky BFM subscribers were drawn from a hat to experience the day. Due to bad weather the previous day, and quite a large groundswell, the fishing was confined to Plymouth Sound but that didn’t stop play. A total of nine species were caught between the two boats in the morning and in the afternoon there was plenty of bass around to try your hand at.

I’ve been lucky enough to drive quite a few boats under 20ft but I had never driven a Pilot 6 and I have to say I was totally impressed. For 6 meters, the Pilot 6 has a big working deck and plenty of space upfront for a days worth of gear. Scrutinising the construction, I could find no shoddy workmanship but instead a lot of care taken to fine detail. And, with a 75hp Honda 4stroke on the back, the Pilot 6 flies whilst still remaining reasonably economical. If you’re looking for a 18-20ft outboard driven angling boat, then you must check out the Westport Pilot 6 – you’ll be shocked at the cost too! You can read more about the BFM reader day and the Westport Marine Pilot 6 in the next issue of Boat Fishing Monthly.  

BASS TACKLE
Big Bass season is upon us once more! For the next eight weeks or so, catching a big, perhaps double figure bass will be the goal of many anglers around the UK. I’ve spent the past few months mulleting (which has been up and down to say the least) but now’s the time to target a bass (as well as more mullet) and I’ve just had some new tackle land on my desk which will be perfect for the job. Last year I was using a Penn Powerstix Pro Bass and because I was so impressed with it, I’ve now added a Powerstix Pro Bass Spin to my rod quiver. I also have some amazingly priced lures to try from Tronix, a couple of new Abu reels and a rather special rod from Berkley. Watch this space for reviews on those, but first I’ve got a PB Mullet to beat!

NEW MAGAZINE FOR UK ANGLERS
You may not have realised it, but last month saw a new magazine for anglers hit the newsagent’s shelves. Adventure Fishing is as its name says – all about the adventure angle of our awesome sport. This is a multi disciplined fishing magazine about world wide angling and it fills a needed gap in the market for those anglers, like myself, who have an overall interest in angling and who like to travel. Adventure Fishing’s contributing editor is none other than UK Sea Fishing’s own Henry Gilbey! I have been lucky to submit a few articles to the first few editions and I hope to submit a few more in the future.

WIN A SET OF RYA POCKET FISHING GUIDES
Last year I completed a simple set of fishing guides for the Royal Yachting Associations publication department. There was a growing need for some simple pocket fishing guides for general boat users and novice anglers. So we set about producing the RYA Pocket Guide to Sea Fishing Baits, the Pocket Guide to Sea Fishing Rigs and the Pocket Guide to Fishing Knots. Even though these are basic guides, stuff that most well seasoned anglers would know, because the RYA pocket Guides are also waterproof, they double up as a handy tackle box reference for any angler – especially the Pocket Knots Guide!

Courtesy of the RYA, I have a few free sets of their Waterproof Pocket Fishing Guides to give away to WSF readers over the coming months, to the lucky winners who get a simple question correct. So to end this quick blog, here’s the first question…

The RYA produces a Safety/Seamanship book for all boat anglers. What is the working title of this book and who is its author?

You can e-mail your answers into us @ ryacomp@worldseafishing.com please include your name and also your e-mail address. You will be notified via e-mail. The competition will be drawn on the 25th of October.