It is with great pleasure that I will be attending the third Southsea Marina Fishing Show held by Premier Marinas on Saturday May 6th.
Having been an angler for over 40 years and the Proprietor of Wintons Fishery it is always interesting to meet like minded individuals from different disciplines of the sport.
Fishing is regarded to many as the biggest participated sport worldwide and Boats and Outboards has seen a dramatic rise in the volume of visitors to their Boats and Outboards Fishing Boat Sector. With over 200,000 visitors to this sector each month the main dealerships for fishing boats are finding the market buoyant.
It was a fantastic show last year and the mixture of the various fishing talks, combined with the cooking demonstration by Jack Stein, made the day so interesting. Jack prepared and cooked a fantastic Red Gurnard and it was a real eye-opener to where I was going wrong in the kitchen.
Southsea Marina Fishing Show will have local boat brokerage companies displaying various different dedicated fishing boats with Sussex Boat Shop displaying a Parker, Sea Ventures a 695 Marlin, Foldable RIB, a company I met at Brighton will also have a unique model the FRIB.
Boat Club Trafalgar are an interesting company and have a unique opportunity for anglers with their Beneteau Barracuda, and RBS Marine will showcase the Rodman along with a new brand of aluminum catamarans and fully loaded and rigged kayaks. I’m also intrigued to see a Wilson Flyer that has been under the radar for some time.
Fishing is more about just the tackle you have in your armoury and quite often the difference between success and failure can be down to very small details. It is therefore essential that you get good local advice, as often one method will work in certain areas of the country and not in others. Bait is one area that is often overlooked as being important to beginners and it’s great to hear that local Portsmouth bait supplier, Allan's Marine, will be in attendance. Pick the knowledge of these experts, find out what’s working for different local species and you will be getting a head start on others. Tackle and rigs are also absolute fundamentals that you need to understand and it’s great that Allan’s Marine will also be exhibiting the latest tackle at Southsea Marina.
This show is not just for the boat angler either, the south coast is a great coastline to enjoy beach fishing as well with the summer species now arriving and the winter species departing. We can be expecting, Bass, Pollock, Plaice, Turbot, Brill and of course mackerel. Mackerel are a sustainable source of fish and are really delicious to cook whilst providing essential fish oils to our diet. I urge all those that have a boat to try and have a fish and enjoy the experience. A simple setup that can be purchased from this show will set you back around £50. The fun that can be had from that purchase is immense and if you have young children it could lead to them having a passion for angling.
Without question a new discipline in angling is kayak fishing and it’s taking off big style. It is something that I’m new to and I’m keen to speak to exhibitors that have bespoke fishing kayaks for sale. The Americans have been into this sector for years and it’s now taken off here in the UK. Sea Angler Magazine even has a dedicated sector for kayak fishing enthusiasts and the Solent is a great place to get afloat and experience the relatively calmer water.
The show is also holding five talks that are being staggered throughout the day in the main marquee, covering topics such as game angling, bass fishing secrets, kayak fishing at sea and, like last year, a filleting/cooking demonstration.
It can’t go without mention that the RNLI will be supporting the show and offering FREE life jacket checks. These guys are supporters of the fishing world so let's, as anglers, replicate that and support them.
In conclusion, this is set to be a fantastic day for the fishing enthusiasts amongst us.
Come and view some of the best purpose built pleasure fishing boats and listen to the presentations from the experts within their field, in the dedicated Q&A marquee at Southsea Marina. As a final note, entrance is FREE with parking on a first come first served basis - I look forward to seeing you there.
Colin Etherington Editor of Boat Trader and Senior Sales Advisor for Boatshop24 UK and Boatshop24 Europe.