Stewart 1971
Well-known member
I had planned to fish the Barrier at Roker last night but with that plan kaiboshed due to Roker being closed a new venue was required. Didn't fancy Shields figuring it would be packed so after a bit of head scratching due to the small tides I decided to head north of the Tyne to a deep water beach venue that I've only fished once before.
HT was due at 23:45 but as it's not a venue I know well I decided to leave early so I could get there and set up with plenty of daylight left. After the 30 mile drive I parked up in Alcan car park and squeezed through the gap in the fence to make the walk to the mark. As I got to the beach just before 7pm a few were fishing already and there was a lovely lazy northerly swell coming on to the beach. The plan was to fish two rods, one with big ragworm bait at range switching to crab as it got dark and the other a two hook flapper closer in with bluey and rag for bait.
It was all very quiet to start off with no interest in either the distance baits or the closer in rod. Then at 9pm as it got dark I hoyed the first crab bait out and after 10 minutes I saw the gentlest little knock on the rod tip. Without a positive bite I left it alone then 10 minutes later when I came to pull in I could feel something on the end. Despite the lack of fight it turned out to be my first size fish of the night going just under 40cm:
I had nothing more for the next couple of hours and with HT approaching I decided to switch over to crab baits on both rods. I was rewarded pretty much straight away with another codling almost exactly the same size as the first one coming to the closer rod at about 70 yards out:
Then as the tide turned I had another gentle knock on the closer rod, again I left it alone and then when I pulled in to change bait I could feel the fish and my third 40cm codling of the night was on the beach. Shortly after I had another fish under sized which went back then as the ebb kicked in properly I looked up to find slack line everywhere on the distance rod. I caught up with the fish and it felt a fair bit better than what I'd already caught, shaking it's head all the way in but then when I got it to the surf the undertow got it, everything went slack and it was gone.
All in all though a canny night, three keepers which went 1 1/2 lb for the fattest and 1lb 6oz for the other two. Everything came to crab, ragworm and bluey weren't touched and the bites were really gentle and timid, almost as if the warm sea has made the fish really lethargic...
HT was due at 23:45 but as it's not a venue I know well I decided to leave early so I could get there and set up with plenty of daylight left. After the 30 mile drive I parked up in Alcan car park and squeezed through the gap in the fence to make the walk to the mark. As I got to the beach just before 7pm a few were fishing already and there was a lovely lazy northerly swell coming on to the beach. The plan was to fish two rods, one with big ragworm bait at range switching to crab as it got dark and the other a two hook flapper closer in with bluey and rag for bait.
It was all very quiet to start off with no interest in either the distance baits or the closer in rod. Then at 9pm as it got dark I hoyed the first crab bait out and after 10 minutes I saw the gentlest little knock on the rod tip. Without a positive bite I left it alone then 10 minutes later when I came to pull in I could feel something on the end. Despite the lack of fight it turned out to be my first size fish of the night going just under 40cm:
I had nothing more for the next couple of hours and with HT approaching I decided to switch over to crab baits on both rods. I was rewarded pretty much straight away with another codling almost exactly the same size as the first one coming to the closer rod at about 70 yards out:
Then as the tide turned I had another gentle knock on the closer rod, again I left it alone and then when I pulled in to change bait I could feel the fish and my third 40cm codling of the night was on the beach. Shortly after I had another fish under sized which went back then as the ebb kicked in properly I looked up to find slack line everywhere on the distance rod. I caught up with the fish and it felt a fair bit better than what I'd already caught, shaking it's head all the way in but then when I got it to the surf the undertow got it, everything went slack and it was gone.
All in all though a canny night, three keepers which went 1 1/2 lb for the fattest and 1lb 6oz for the other two. Everything came to crab, ragworm and bluey weren't touched and the bites were really gentle and timid, almost as if the warm sea has made the fish really lethargic...
