Longsands Advice Please

[Stewart 1971]

I've fished here a couple of times over the last two years and it's somewhere I'd like to try a bit more this coming autumn winter. I've got a decent idea of where the different spots are but I'm a bit stuck on how best to fish them.

Last time I fished there I started off at the Bottom of the Stairs a couple of hours after HT, then as LT apporoached I moved down the beach to the fist skeer I came across, walked as far along it as I dared and then cast NE towards Slatey Gut. Was this mark Boiler Skeer?

South of this skeer was about 20 - 30 yards of very shallow water than another skeer - Bears Head Rock? Is the area between these skeers Stony Bottom and is it a place to fish as the tide ebbs before it empties out?

South of that second skeer is this the mark Barge Bottom?

Sorry for all the questions but I've very rarely headed north of the Tyne and I'm pretty much clueless as to how best to approach this beach and others up there

[RossW]

Dave Hayley, GForce and co will have some good advice for you, I'm sure - they know these marks like the back of their hands. You've pretty much got the lay of the land by the sound of it, though. Slatey Gut always seems popular at the North End. You were on the Boiler Skeer and I've had some success casting towards the end of Slatey from there. Another area worth a look is the Bathing Pool Skeer and Sharpness at the southern end. I reckon it's a matter of fishing the holes as you see them develop but, personally, I've caught more fish in the first push of the flood tide than at any other time on Long Sands marks. Crab, lug, mussel, squid, razor - all the usual suspects. Good luck.

[davidhayley1945]

2 or 3 hrs either side of l/w best. if you start at the bathing pool you can fish the beach or follow the skeer down casting n/e.2hundred yds south in front of park hotel and sealife centre is barge bottom ten yds past the rocks bears back is stoney bottom you can follow skeer down on big tides casting left or right futher south about 70yds is boiler hole you can follow skeer down behind boiler on big tides, futher south at the end of the beach is bottom of stairs follow stairs downfrom top of ramp next to shelter and you will be bang on mark, as the tide drops you will see slaty gut skeer appear get on as soon as possiable and cast towards Tynemouth pier,big cod shot and is sheltered in north n/e by harbour and south crab hill. if you have a copy of stores codling crouch he goes into detail on these marks, best of luck davy.

[Stewart 1971]

Thanks Ross / David.

I bought a copy of David's book this time last year, moved house shortly afterwards and now I can't find it Only read the first couple of chapters before I packed it away somewhere

[g-force]

Davy's got it spot on, although for "south along the beach" to the bottom of the stairs, read north! (Senior moment Davy? ) I'd just add that I've always found the Bathing Pool skeer to be a pure flood-shot - preferably with a nice south-easterly sea coming around the corner. Slaty will fish in either a good northerly or southerly as it's well protected, and can fish equally well on the ebb or the flood....you just don't know which'll be best. Short (isn) chucks on most marks - Slaty & the boiler area are pretty heavy and I'll tend to stick to a single/pennel type rig with a rotten-bottom, whereas from Stony south to the bathing pool I'll revert to the 2 hook flapper - there's plenty of kelp about on most of the marks but at the south end you can generally get away with 2 hooks quite comfortably, although all marks are best fished with heavy gear (30lb minimum).

There's usually a nice half-tide hole just to the right of the Bear's Head rocks which can be worth a chuck if you get down a little early, before moving onto one of the other marks.

Gary