Extra height
when needed

Lee West came across Vónin’s Flyer on the internet, and decided it was worth a try as a way of getting more headline height

Lee West works the 14 metre Copious from Mevagissey, towing a 20 fathom balloon trawl for mixed fish. The Flyer was tempting as a way of lifting the headline to catch high-swimming whiting and haddock more effectively, and it has worked for him. ‘It has paid for itself,’ he said, adding that the Flyer isn’t fitted permanently to the headline of Copious’s trawl.

Lee fishes for groundfish with long sweeps, and when there’s a showing of haddock off the Lizard or whiting in Falmouth bay, the Flyer can be clipped on for extra height. ‘There’s a definite increase in catch, so this was a good investment. We don’t use it all the time, but I can clip it on to turn the trawl into a high-lift trawl. At 2.5-3 knots, it’s like having twenty extra floats,’ he said.

‘I have a couple of stainless steel rings seized to the headrope and when we want to use it, I just clip it on with a pair of carabiner clips. It’s bang in the middle of the headrope and it finds its own level. It’s so simple there’s nothing to it.’