Show Notes
What actually happens when you book a fishing charter — and how much do you need to know before stepping aboard?
This week, Jake, Avian and Sam head to sea. Or, more accurately, Jake heads to Suffolk Yacht Harbour to meet charter skipper Garry Wicks, while Avian and Sam contribute varying degrees of useful knowledge from dry land. Garry has spent a lifetime around boats and fishing the waters off the Suffolk coast. From his boat Dawn Raider, he explains what a charter skipper actually does, why local knowledge can matter more than a fish finder, what complete beginners should expect, and how tides, wrecks and changing fish populations shape a day at sea.
They also get into bass, spurdog, conger eels, smoothhounds and tuna; why fishing further offshore doesn't necessarily mean catching more fish; the realities of seasickness; what you should bring on your first charter; and why the skipper knowing a particular patch of sea is a large part of what you're paying for.
Back in the studio, Avian recalls catching a 50lb conger eel off Cornwall, Sam reveals his surprisingly successful history as a mackerel fisherman, and Jake attempts to divide marine life into the scientifically rigorous categories of bitey fish and sucky fish.
And then there are the important maritime questions: should you tip the skipper, why should you never take a banana on a fishing boat, and exactly what has the rabbit done wrong?
Featuring Jake Woolf, Avian Sandercock and Sam Turner, with special guest Garry Wicks of Dawn Raider Charters.
Produced by George Browne and edited by Avian Sandercock
Part of the SideCountry network.
Garry Wicks operates Dawn Raider from Levington Marina at Suffolk Yacht Harbour, offering river and inshore fishing trips from the Felixstowe area.
Dawn Raider Charters
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What exactly counts as a British deer?Is it a red stag on a whisky bottle, a muntjac standing beside the A11, or a Chinese water deer that appears to have grown a pair of fangs?Jake Woolf, Avian Sandercock and Sam Turner take a look at the six species of deer living wild in Britain, with Sam bringing some first-hand experience from farming red deer.They work through red, roe, fallow, sika, muntjac and Chinese water deer, including where they came from, where you are likely to find them and the surprisingly complicated business of what to call males, females and young.Then the conversation turns to deer management. Why have numbers and ranges increased so much? What happens when neighbouring landowners take completely different approaches? And how do forestry, farming, road collisions and sporting management all fit together?Sam explains how management works on deer farms and in the Highlands, while the three discuss the differences between managing deer for sport, controlling numbers and producing healthy animals for the food chain.There is also the curious economics of venison, why wild deer can sometimes be worth surprisingly little at carcass level, some very straightforward ideas for cooking it, and a final test of whether Jake and Sam can tell the difference between a deer term and a medieval insult.In this episode: The six species of wild deer found in Britain Red and roe deer, our two native species Fallow, sika, muntjac and Chinese water deer Roe deer and delayed implantation Why muntjac seem to be everywhere Stags, bucks, hinds, does, calves, kids and fawns Why deer numbers and ranges have increased Deer damage to woodland, crops and new planting Deer and road traffic collisions Highland versus lowland deer management The importance of managing females as well as males Farmed deer and wild deer The changing market for British venison Simple ways to cook venison Deer terms or medieval insults Useful links: British Deer Society: UK deer species British Deer Society: Why manage deer? British Deer Society: Deer open seasons British Deer Society: Venison GOV.UK: Deer impacts policy statement for England SideCountry Please note: Deer seasons, legislation and management requirements vary across the UK and can change. Always check current guidance for the species and location concerned before carrying out deer management.Part of the SideCountry Network.