beach fishing help

[iceman104]

hi all I am new to sea fishing as I have always been a carp angler and have just started too sea fish could anyone give me any advice on baits to use and what beaches to fish I have my own transport so travelling is not a problem I am totally new to this type of fishing so any advice would be much appreciated

thanks all

[Stewart 1971]

Where do you live? The advice will be quite different if you live north or south of the Tyne or even south of the Wear. You looking for easy cleanish beaches to ease you in to it or don't you mind rock hopping and losing a bit of gear?

Oh, and welcome to the madhouse

[g-force]

Welcome to the scene - the best thing I can think of is to find some buddies who know your local patch because local knowledge is a lot more important than bait and the like. Your best bet would be to seek out the local angling club - comp night's are not the best for gleaning knowledge but most of those same lads will be out on pleasure sessions and many will probably be in need of transport now and again. Get to know some of them and have a few sessions and begin to learn your local ground - what fishes best when it's flat, or in a big northerly, or a south easterly etc etc. Then take note of what bait is working - this may be crab and/or mussel if it's rocky ground, perhaps lug or rag on beaches. It'll also depend on what species you're targeting, as will hook size and tactics and time of year…with luck your local tackle shop will also be a source of good information.

Hope this helps, just remember we're all still learning, always!!

Gary

[iceman104]

thanks all I live north of the tyne whitley bay I am looking for clean beaches to start with and any advice would be much appreciated

[Philysafc]

This might help

Bing Maps - Driving Directions, Traffic and Road Conditions

[g-force]

Your nearest clean (well, mostly!) beach would be from Seaton Sluice up to Blyth. For codlings, best fished generally over low water, bigger tides being better, with a nice sea of about 5 or 6ft running. You're fishing on sandbanks, chucking into gullies in-between so you don't generally need a big cast (usually anywhere from 30-70 yards is plenty) but some areas can benefit from a bit more of a whack. You'll see, when there's a sea on, where the waves are breaking on the sand-bars so just make sure you're fishing close to, but not on top of them in the white water (this is where the sand eels that the fish are usually feeding on get stirred up from the sea bed).

It also fishes well at high tide where it's a bit steeper - generally around the back of the farm, but after that big tidal surge last week there are some very steep parts all the way down to the Astley. At the top end, by the Bandstand all the way along to the "hole in the wall" by the pipe (in the direction of the pier) can also fish at high. If you can, have a look at the beach at low water - this will give you an idea where any holes are that could be worth fishing into when they fill up at high tide.

At the moment it's pretty flat and the whitings have begun to show up, so that's what I'd suggest targeting - small hooks around 1/0 or 2/0 with lugworm baits (and perhaps a sliver of mackerel). Ragworm can also be worth having, but lug is far and away my favourite bait for this beach, especially for cod. When the sea's big, razor / clam is also a very good bait, and although I don't use it a lot here peeler crab can sometimes get you a fish or two if they're otherwise a bit scarce. The pier at the north end can be a good shot, but generally I only fish it when the sea is too big to fish the beach (and I prefer it in daylight as well) - the bigger the sea the better for the pier as far as I'm concerned. It's a good shot for bigger fish when the conditions are right - big baits on big hooks fished out in the big swells.

Gary

[davidhayley1945]

top advice by gary you could also try whitley beach or tynmouth beach both pretty clean beachs ,best advice plonk your self next to the lads fishing not to near and talk to them they will be only to willing to help out,or you could always join a local club like whitley,billys at n/s,tynemouth. davy.

[iceman104]

thanks g-force for some excellent advice I will be fishing the blyth beach on Saturday and sunday and taking all of your advice on board

thanks again

[g-force]

No problem mate, good luck with your sessions I forgot to add that you can also pick up some good flounders and the occasional dab from the Sluice / Blyth beaches as well - same baits as above, fished fairly close in. There's even the chance of the occasional bass (that's where the rag worm can pay off).

As Davy said, you've also got Tynemouth and Whitley beaches but I think they need a bit more knowledge to get the best from them, as well as a good sea, and I tend to fish them only for codlings. The beach at Blyth will give you a better chance I think to pick up a variety of species, even when pretty flat like it is at the moment. To get the best from Whitley & Tynemouth beaches you need a good sea running and there are a lot more rough & rocky patches which might frustrate you with tackle loss to begin with. Tackle & tactics are a bit different too - generally a heavy gear approach to cope with the wide variety of ground.

Gary

[Sea_Troot]

top advice by gary you could also try whitley beach or tynmouth beach both pretty clean beachs ,best advice plonk your self next to the lads fishing not to near and talk to them they will be only to willing to help out,or you could always join a local club like whitley,billys at n/s,tynemouth. davy.

Top advice from Gary and Davy, Tynemouth beach is mostly low water marks too,

tynemouth is my local beach and where is put in most of my time, some parts a clean some mixed ground, it is a very shallow beach but you will be suprised at what gets caught here.

in the middle of the beach you will notice a set of rocks. known as bears head, this is straight down from the park hotel. you have 2 marks here worth fishing with two nice holes.

1. Stoney Bottom - best fished in medium tides otherwise the water empties out too much and the fishing dies a death, this is to the left you will see the hole when the sea gets up cant miss it. short casts here as you can cast over the fish.

2. Barge bottom - this is to the right again a cast of 40 yards or so is best and you will see these holes when theres a bit sea on.

both of the above fish well in a north/ north eastly sea but not too big as you will struggle to hold bottom 4-6ft is more than enough.

in the middle you will not a long flat skeer, this is Stoney skeer, walk to the end and cast as far as you can towards the horizon this is accesible on the bigger tides and can fish well after the water ahs emptied out of stoney and barge bottom.

towards the bathing pool you have the skeer knows as bathing pool skeer. best fished in a south eastly sea. can either fish of the skeer itself, but i prefer to be back on the beach casting up the gulley that runs along side it.

hope this helps. there are other marks that can be fished but for clean ground those 3 are your best bet. when the seas away i am generally on tynemouth i dont mind sharing info with people. everyone ahs to start somewhere.

[codfather145]

Try lynmouth behind the power station always a good shot for cod,flatties and the odd bass.

[iceman104]

thank you every one for your very use full comments I will take all of them on board

thanks all

[iceman104]

thanks all for some excellent advice

[iceman104]

thanks g-force

thanks for all of your advice g-force I went fishing today and caught my first ever bass in fact I caught three in total thanks for all of your help

I fished to the right of the pipe from low water to high most bites and the first two fish came on the turn of the tide and the third one was on the full tide about 50 yards out I will definitely be fishing blyth beach again

[g-force]

Well done mate, I'm glad you managed to get a few - haven't had a bass myself from the beach for about 3 years now! Hoping to scratch a few fish of some description out somewhere down there tomorrow night in my club match, I just hope this wind dies down a bit or half the beach will find it's way back to my car lol

Gary