beach casting for the 1st time

[kela66]

having had my gear for a couple of months now and fishing the tyne ,blyth pier & harbour to get used to it i feel its about time it was used properly. i am keen to try beach casting for the 1st time . can anyone offer any advice on anything , am i right in thinking the best fish to target at the moment would be flattys ? with this in mind i was thinking of blyth beach if this is a good bet where abouts would be a good spot to try ?, i think i know what rigs & bait i need but my main question is where do you cast ? into the waves or the calm bit after or as far as you can ? , also will i need gripper weights to stop the weight from being washed in ? & will bites be harder to spot because i assume the waves will be moving the rod tip ? . when ive casted out how far back should i put the rod rest on the beach ? and is fishing in the dark a better bet . sorry if these questions are a bit obvious to everyone but i would rather set out with a bit more of an idea what i should doing & any advice would be a great help many thanks davey

[Charlie_Thompson]

Good questions - I'll try and answer one

You won't have a problem spotting bites especially from flatties - the waves will give a regular movement to your rod, a bite will be out of sync most times - you'll soon tune in.

[5150]

If the tidal movement is quite strong, use a gripper or your bait will be on the beach in seconds. If it's light - calm then use a plain lead - flatties like a bit of movement in the bait. Use rag tipped off with a sliver of mackeral. As for distance, just experiment until you find the fish, I usually kick off just behind the waves where they're stirring the bottom (and food) up.

[willywetegg]

Davey, have a look along to the beach at Seaton Sluice at low water. You will see lots of small sandbars and Gullies, take a while to locate exactly where they are and come back at high water and fish into the gullies. As lee says, experiment with distance but you will be surprised at how close in they come.

You will know where to put your rodstand, just out of reach of the highest waves, although if the sea was rough you would have to be quite a bit further back as you can get the odd rogue wave.

I think I have caught lots more flatties during the day rather than at night but you can catch them anytime.

Best of luck to you, if you are really lucky you might just get hooked into a school Bass, be careful when you put them back, the Dorsal finns are VERY sharp.

Jim.

[Defective]

If your targeting flatties id drop down a few hook sizes. Alot of flatties swollow the hook and are hard to un hook. So just cut your line as near to the hook as possible and tie on a new hook. If your using small aberdeen hooks the will rot away in a matter of days in the fishes mouth. Its not ideal but its better than pulling the guts out trying to unhook them.
Ive always done better on the Seaton Sluice side of the beach in daytime.

[5150]

Speaking of flatties and hooks, we always used to use Kirby Long Shank hooks, didn't seem to get swallowed as badly, haven't seen them in the shops here for years now though - anyone know anywhere local that still sells them?

[The Great Wallsendo]

Flatties also may swallow your hook and then just sit there - unless your rod tip is going bananas you may not notice it's even there...quite often when Flatty bashing I will reel in every 15 minutes or so to check and re-bait...have often had small bites once maybe twice and then nothing and thought to leave it only to reel in after the 15 minutes and find I've hooked something ...hope this helps

Hook size I've sometimes gone as low as a size 6, but generally around 1/0 to a size 1

[kela66]

big thanks for all the tips lads much appreciated

[The Great Wallsendo]

I started off about this time (last year) as well and I started off with flatty bashing...it's a great way of fine tuning skills in preperation for the winter codding (bait elastic, prep'ing peelers, hooking mussel etc etc)

[5150]

On a scorching summers day with the water like a mill pond, find a flat beach - get a pair of shorts on, some cheap sandals to protect your feet from glass/weavers etc, pair of polarising glasses and a very light spinning rod (or carp rod or similar)... wade out onto a sandbar and try flatty bashing all around you (bit practice to spot them lying in the sand) - people will think you're insane, but it's a lush way to cool down on a hot day

[johnf]

very relaxing in the summer. I like a quiet beach, flat sea & a flooding tide as dusk approaches, light gear (10' spinning or carp rod) your beach caster will do but use a light line & sinker. Size 1 hooks with rag tipped with mackeral or squid. I cast as far as I can and slowly retrieve, your sinker kicks up a bit of sand & the fish are inquisitive see you bait & bingo, thats the theory, (and they tend not to get as deeply hooked using this method.)
As people have said catch & release is the way forward, if they're deep hooked sacrifice your hook (they're v. cheap at that that size).
Most important, chill out, sit back, relax & enjoy the surroundings

[bullet]

kELLA66 if you are trying to improve your distance on the beach .why not get in touch with a casting instructor. if you check with the sea angler magazine they will put you in touch with the nearest instructor to where you live

[kela66]

thanks again lads ,