Float Fishing from the Leas

[Markie1]

Hi, although this is my first post I have been an avid reader of these forums for a year or so now.

I'm a Shields lad now living in West Boldon and I normally fish the Tyne or the first gate. Like most people who fish these areas I spend most of my time dragging in pretty small fish with bloody big rods with 6 ounces of lead tied to the end of their line.

Now for my questions
I am interested in trying my hand at float fishing and I was thinking of trying the rock marks along the Leas. Places like the Black Path or the shelf at Whitburn sprang to mind.

Has anyone any experience that they can share with me? I am particulary interested in what baits to use and at what depth I should fish. Also I would appreciate any advice on suitable rock marks to spin from as well.

Thanks in advance
Mark

[jimmy]

Hi Mark,
I do a lot of float fishing and spinning in the summer months mostly from the south shelf of the wherry,climb down onto the skeer and float or spin from there,you can catch wrasse,pollack etc.
I normally just use rag worm or a bit macky for bait,floating depth off the skeer,i normally set my hook to 2ft from from float wait 20-30 mins,if no joy,drop the length to about 3 ft,and so on until i start getting bites.Best place i have found is the northern side of the skeer,just above the kelp beds you can see.
Hope this is of some help mate,but i am sure other lads will offer you some advice to

[Markie1]

Thanks for the reply Jimmy. When would you recommend giving it a try? I remember seeing a lad spinning for Coalies on Shields Pier last May and he seemed to be doing better than the rest of us who were bait fishing.

[jimmy]

Hi Marky,i normally start my float fishing back end of june beginning of july mate

[Markie1]

Thanks for the reply Jimmy

[eddie t]

welcome to NESA Markie enjoy

[Markie1]

Thanks for the welcome Eddie

[fishing bairn]

welcome to NESA mate

[Mike.Haley]

Welcome to NESA M8. hope you find it as enjoyable here as I have.

[Markie1]

Thanks for the welcome lads.
I had a trial run on Friday from Shields Pier and managed to catch a little Coalie. The fish wasn't worth a mention but I learnt a few things about setting the float and depth etc.It's an area of angling that I am going to spend more time doing because that's the most fun I have ever had catching a coalie

[jamiebrennan]

Glad you got summick markie1, i was the lad that was float fishing on the pier on friday dinnertime aswell, didnt get owt but i put it down to wrong state of tide, too much dirty river water on the end of the pier at the time.

[Markie1]

Hello again Jamie
I was back down on the Pier today and caught my first pollock on a float. It was only a 1 pounder but it was great fun on really light gear.

[RONVIK]

yeah its great fun with light gear, watching the float disapear is exciting, just wait till a mackeral drags it under at 400 mph.. "hope some of you can get some good photo`s, and put them in the gallery" tight lines to all

[jamiebrennan]

Going back to the post title, im going to try some float fishing around The Shelf and further south at Whitburn aswell to see if i can pick up some wrasse, got plenty just a few hundred yards off the wherry last summer on the boat so no reason why they shouldnt be amongst the rocks on a good high tide.