hi guys, having enjoyed the fishing myself at lloyds for many years during my youth i must say it was great, never spent money on bait as you just raided the fish bins at the kipper house or dug a few worms next to the jetty, however it is my belief that once the sewer pipe stopped spewing its spoils into the river, along with the tyne brand factory, this is when the fishing slowed down i know this will have people thinking but i actually caught coalys over 2lb with bits of f---y pads coming out of there mouths, trevor ferry will vouch for this as he was also a regular down there.
There's nowt raang with human waste (from a fishes point of view), they thrive on it . It's the industrial sh..e that reduces the estuary population.
One of the biggest offenders in the 60's and 70's was 'Proctor and Gamble' the soap manufacturers. Apparently, their effluent used to de-oxygenate the water instantly.
Drof