With Westerly winds keeping the sea flat, mackerel continue to dominate catches from all of the Region’s piers with double figure bags regularly landed, particularly on early morning tides. All of the Hartlepool piers have seen large numbers of them falling to lures and float fished baits with the occasional shad also showing up. Those fishing with ragworm baits have reported some nice plaice making an appearance, and the hordes of whiting are moving in after dark. Parton and Crimdon beaches have produced various flatfish species with bonus turbot taking fresh mackerel bait and bass falling to worm baits. Bass have been reported from all of the regions clean ground beaches and are now well established all along the north east shoreline.
Roker pier and South Shields pier both continue to produce pollack, coalies and cod to lures and baits, with cod to 5lb taking fresh crab on night time and early morning sessions before the mackerel anglers arrive. South Shields and the Tyne have been on top form for numbers of species landed with specimen plaice to 3lb reported from several areas. Rathouse Corner in the river Wear produced a very rare and potential U.K. Record greater forkbeard of 3lb last week, further details to follow when the weight is verified.
The Northumberland rock edges are worth a try for the summer cod population with all of the popular marks at Seahouses, Dunstanburgh Castle and further north to Eyemouth and St. Abbs producing cod, pollack, coalfish, and mackerel.
Tynemouth retired members had two recent matches, both of which produced some quality plaice in the clean water conditions. The first saw Bob Gascoigne win with a mixed bag of plaice, dabs, coalfish, and whiting for at total weight of 3lb 11oz, including the heaviest fish, a coalfish of 1lb 11oz. Second placed Tony Taylor had a mixed bag of flounder, dabs, mackerel and gurnard for 2lb 15oz and Ken Robinson had two flounders and a whiting weighing 1lb 15oz.
The Club’s most recent match saw much better results and is a good example of how the lower Tyne together with South Shields and Tynemouth piers are fishing with 19 out of the 20 entrants weighing in. Bob Gascoigne won again with a mixed bag of eight plaice, three flounders, two dabs, two coalfish and a mackerel which weighed in at 15lb. Dave Hayley finished second with five dabs, four flounders and a cod totalling 8lb 2oz, and third spot went to Tony Taylor whose three plaice, three flounders, two dabs, and a cod weighed 7lb 14oz. Davy Collins Tyne cod of 4lb 9oz was the heaviest fish. Tynemouth also had a match at Seahouses where Dave Hayley won with three cod for 6lb 14oz and Barrie Sanderson had a cod and a coalie weighing 2lb 3oz.
Amble A.C. had a catch and release flounder match on the river Aln. Steve Ayling won with 10 weighing 8lb 7oz, Marty Pygall had eight for 7lb 1oz, including the day’s best fish of 1lb 10oz, and Stu Nicholson had seven weighing 4lb 15oz.
The Ryhope Tuesday evening sweepstake in the Wear saw 26 fishing. John Lovett won with a flounder of 1lb 7oz, he also shared second place with Ritchie Carr. John landed a shad of 1lb 6oz, which was matched by Ritchie’s flounder. Ryhope A.C. also support the local Blue Watch Youth Club and a sweepstake organised for them saw Connor Henshaw win with a flounder of 1lb, Darren Dresser had one of 15oz, and Cameron Archibald and James Almond both had flounders of half a pound.
Boat anglers report masses of mackerel just offshore and despite the sometimes windy conditions most trips have produced double figure cod and ling. Keith Brown and Bert Gray on the Shady out of the Tyne had cod up to 13½lb. Steve Perry on the Sapphire on his first ever boat trip had a ling of 15lb 6oz.
