Best Mark?

[Stores]

Was standing like an Emporer Penguin last night and was thinking about my success (or failure) criteria. Knowing that we all have our favourite marks (for various reasons) what is your league table for the best ratio of fish caught compared to the number of times fished? I did a calculation based on the holes from King Edwards Bay to Crawleys and came up with this. I know there are marks missing - that's because I don't fish them often enough(for whatever reason)

1. Barge Bottom
2. Bottom of the Stairs
3.Stoney
4.Sharpness
5.South Crab Hill
6.Lobster Pots
7. Slatey
8. Bathing Pool Corner
9. Toilets
10. King Eddies
11. Cullercoats Harbour
Crawleys

I won't say why so as to allow others the chance and I don't think this thread is a competition and I would expect everyone to be different - the only criteria is success against number of times fished - just to say my biggest bag weight came from the Bathing Pool. My area is Tynemouth but expand it to wherever you have enough sessions to qualify to make a choice.

[Gerry]

I haven't fished in the NE on a steady basis to have any favourite marks, whenever I came home on leave to visit parents I only fished Blyth Beach as it was only place I knew.
It wasn't until I read your book that I discovered Tynemouth area could be so productive and it renewed my interest in fishing again. (stopped for about 10 years).
Now based in Cullercoats I fish Tynemouth a lot as I want to get to know it, this list will help.
At present I haven't been too successful but hopefully things will change and I will start catching bigger fish. Biggest so far was a 5 pounder off King Eddies last year.
But thanks for your book it has been an inspiration

[tony.codling]

I find that I move around quite a bit, after fishing "tried and tested" shots over the years, for some reason or other I never fish them now. But my favourite three shots that I swear by are.

1 Target rock
2 The North arm
3 The gun pits

Then in no particular order are

4 The Black path
5 North row ends
6 Anywhere in front of Souter lighthouse
7 The back of the doors
8 The pipe end
9 Seaburn beach
10 Don't think I've got one

[willywetegg]

A difficult question David, Ive been thinking and swapping about a bit for about half an hour and still not 100% sure lol. I've settled for this for now.

1. Blyth Beach……. The pipe
2. Blyth Beach……..Seaton Sluice to Astley Arms
3. Roker pier
4. Blyth beach………The Farm
5. Blyth Beach……..Middle Toilets
6. Blyth Pier
7. Hendon
8. Collywell Bay
9. Cambois Beach
10. Cambois Bins.


Not really sure if Hendon should be a bit higher, not fished there in a long time so a bit doubtful. Not a lot of those marks I can fish now but there is one that I can that I had forgotten about so thank you David.

[Deans]

I fish marks from seahouses down to Hartlepool. And trying newuns' every week


Heres my favourites for now


Seaham south pier
Noses
Steetly
cullernose point
Hendon docks
bog hall
Chems/Green wall
twin steps hartlepool
beadnell
football hole Newton
Hawthorn flat rock and point
cambois/Beacons/the target Ryhope/manholes
The wherry
johnsons
Cresswell
Black hole Craster

[mickcave83]

I take it these dont have to be cod marks but saying that i have managed cod from all of these marks

1St. The whole of the Hendon area, i could have picked 10 marks from here but i guess that would be boring

2Nd. Has to be Roker Pier, i prefer the roundhead after a good south easterly

3RD. The Flat Rock, Loch Etive, fantastic fishing and scenery alone

4TH. Fish town of Usan, between Arbroath & Montrose, My favourite low water mark

5TH. Football Hole, summit about the place what makes me feel that im going to get a nice cod, everytime i chuck out

6TH. Dimmington Gas Works, Catch it right and you can have one of them magical fishing trips, with Hounds, Thornies, Cod, Bass & Dogfish

7TH. Back of the doors, I allways like to start on the beach at high water and follow it down till i can get on the doors, then onto the Torent

8TH. Windy Hills, Auchmithie, Big fish mark, bigger the better

9TH. Hawthorn Point, Just dont like the trek there and back, by myseld in the dark

10TH. Hartley Skeer, Must get back up there

And if im allound a 11th, it would have to be Wrasse island, St Abbs, another place where the fishing and scenery is magical

[seanyrooroo]

A difficult question David, Ive been thinking and swapping about a bit for about half an hour and still not 100% sure lol. I've settled for this for now.

1. Blyth Beach……. The pipe
2. Blyth Beach……..Seaton Sluice to Astley Arms
3. Roker pier
4. Blyth beach………The Farm
5. Blyth Beach……..Middle Toilets
6. Blyth Pier
7. Hendon
8. Collywell Bay
9. Cambois Beach
10. Cambois Bins.


Not really sure if Hendon should be a bit higher, not fished there in a long time so a bit doubtful. Not a lot of those marks I can fish now but there is one that I can that I had forgotten about so thank you David.

I take it you like Blyth beach then, Jim.

[willywetegg]

It's a cracking mark but they all fish differently hence the different spots. There are a lot of times you can fish near the pipe when the rest of the beach is unfishable. I could also have made three or maybe four spots from Hendon but did the same as Mick. I might like Blyth beach but not as much as David likes Tynemouth Sean

I kept all of mine as local too as I thought that was what David meant? If it had gone to the distant marks as well my list would have been a bit different too.

Jim.

[col]

1.hendon docks,sunderland
2.noses point,seaham
3.northrow ends,whitburn
4.hawthorn point,or anywhere from the cliff tops along there,
5.lynemouth beach,between the burn and the pipe,
6.usan(montrose)
7.arbroath cliffs,
8.tynemouth pier,
9.the target(ryhope)
10.hartley skeer

numbers 2,3 and 4 are in no particular order really and all fish equal to each other imo

[col]

I take it these dont have to be cod marks but saying that i have managed cod from all of these marks

1St. The whole of the Hendon area, i could have picked 10 marks from here but i guess that would be boring

2Nd. Has to be Roker Pier, i prefer the roundhead after a good south easterly

3RD. The Flat Rock, Loch Etive, fantastic fishing and scenery alone

4TH. Fish town of Usan, between Arbroath & Montrose, My favourite low water mark

5TH. Football Hole, summit about the place what makes me feel that im going to get a nice cod, everytime i chuck out

6TH. Dimmington Gas Works, Catch it right and you can have one of them magical fishing trips, with Hounds, Thornies, Cod, Bass & Dogfish

7TH. Back of the doors, I allways like to start on the beach at high water and follow it down till i can get on the doors, then onto the Torent

8TH. Windy Hills, Auchmithie, Big fish mark, bigger the better

9TH. Hawthorn Point, Just dont like the trek there and back, by myseld in the dark

10TH. Hartley Skeer, Must get back up there

And if im allound a 11th, it would have to be Wrasse island, St Abbs, another place where the fishing and scenery is magical

and just when did ya sneak a codling in from football hole then mick

[Stores]

It's a cracking mark but they all fish differently hence the different spots. There are a lot of times you can fish near the pipe when the rest of the beach is unfishable. I could also have made three or maybe four spots from Hendon but did the same as Mick. I might like Blyth beach but not as much as David likes Tynemouth Sean

I kept all of mine as local too as I thought that was what David meant? If it had gone to the distant marks as well my list would have been a bit different too.

Jim.

I think the interesting thing is that my most consistent marks are on the beach. Many a time the old man would say "if you want to catch a fish start at the Barge Bottom and work from there" If you ask me which marks I like fishing the most then Crawleys, the Slatey and Sharpness would be at the top but my catch ratio from them is much lower than on the beach. I'm sure that if I lived in Whitley then Wattsy's Slope and the Panama and etc would be at the top.
As for local or not I thought it a little unfair as everywhere I've fished from Northumberland to Arbroath has been on a rock end.

[willywetegg]

When I was thinking about which marks to include I thought that Cullercoats would be there but I don't think it has been consistant enough for me, especially over the last few years. If we were standing on the beach and you had asked me without being able to have a good think it probably would have been different.

I suppose really it depends how you do it. I could have said a certain mark in Scotland, I have only fished it either four or five times but have caught fish every time. I just don't think I have fished it enough to count it but is that my most successful mark .

Jim.

[YoursTruly]

Without doubt the mark i have had majority of fish from and i get most pleasure from fishing it has got to be the Back of Doors area which includes the old pipe skeer, Turret, Pipe end, South Skeer and red velvets.

Even to this day i really do enjoy fishing this area and suppose will never get bored with it.

Other favourite marks are:

Steehl, New Boiler, Crock Rock, Coal Holes (Whitburn), Station Rocks(3rd bay Marsden), Kiln Rock (Marsden) North Arm over Low water and Target over High water, North Skeer and Eaters (Whitley Bay)

[john/r]

good thread this one lots of info most of terrys marks never heard of before,

wish i could put some marks down myself but this is out of my league.

have a great new year to you all and may plenty of cod pass your ways in 2010 llike i am sure they will.

[willywetegg]

There are some of Terry's marks I haven't heard of either John but that's not too surprising as I do most of my fishing north of the Tyne mate.

I think that a lot of the new fishermen on here should stick this in their favourites, I know it won't help you straight away as you won't know where a lot of the marks are but if you look on the NESA homepage (link at the bottom of the page) there are a few old maps under North East Fishing Marks down the left hand side. If you put the two together it will give you some idea. Have a look out at low tide and see some of the marks. If you keep your eyes open for the biggest tides of the year you will sometimes see what you are casting onto as the sea goes back a hell of a lot further. Also, keep a fishing diary of your fishing trips and write a small story about how each trip went, what you caught on, or if you didn't catch either. What bait were you using, rigs too. State of the tide, weather conditions. All of these things will help in the future to get to know the best times to fish different marks.

Also, keep your ears open for when people are meeting up and ask if they mind you turning up. We have the NESA North versus South match in a few weeks time and it will be fished north of the Tyne. If you want to learn a new mark come along and introduce yourself, there will always be someone to take you along. Details will be posted in the next week or two and the match is open to all NESA members. It costs nothing to enter but there is usually a sweep for those that want to join but it is not obligitory to join if you don't want to. It is a great opportunity to pick the older members brains and each year whether it is north or south of the Tyne there are always people sending thank's to another member for showing them a new place to fish.

Jim.