SEA SCHOOL

Q&A SHORE ANGLING

Q Please can you recommend some decent mackerel feathers? I like a bit of mackerel bashing during the summer months but I’ve been having problems with my feathers. The bodies on the feathers keep snapping which is ruining my fun and I’m worried I might kill someone with a wayward lead weight!

CHRIS RICHARDSON, KENT

JM says: You are right to be cautious about rig breakages, especially when fishing on beaches full of holidaymakers in the warmer months of the year. When it comes to selecting mackerel feathers it can be a bit of a minefield and there are so many different ones available to us in the tackle shops. One of the key things to think about when selecting your mackerel feathers is deciding what sizes of lead weights you will be casting. As a rule of thumb, you should allow 10lb breaking strain for every ounce of lead you are going to cast. For example, if the breaking strain of the rig body on my feathers was a 30lb breaking strain, then I wouldn’t cast a lead weight heavier than 3oz. Sometimes breaking strains are measured in diameter instead of pounds and ounces. In that case I would allow 0.10mm for every ounce I was going to cast. Another example, if my rig body was 0.60mm, I wouldn’t cast a lead weight heavier than 6oz. Another thing to check are the knots on the rig bodies of your mackerel feathers. Sometimes the cheaper mackerel feathers can be really poorly made. I recommend checking the knots first; you could give them a good tug with your hands and if they break either re-tie the knots or return them to your place of purchase.

WINNING QUESTION

Q My fishing mate guesstimates the weights of our fish. To be honest, he can be a little over generous and it can be a bit embarrassing at times. I’ve heard about these length to weight conversion charts that they use in fishing competitions. How do they work and are they very accurate?

JIM JONES, SURREY

That’s right, a lot of the top match organisations in sea fishing now use