It seems that summer has at last arrived, with plenty of different species for the shore angler available from all areas including a surprisingly large number of cod, which are not only showing from the obvious rock edge marks along the Northumberland shoreline but also in the lower Tyne and from South Shields and Roker piers mainly on night time and early morning sessions. Note that ongoing repair work on Roker pier means that the end is fenced off and out of bounds, and that the local police are patrolling the venue.
A Whitley Bay summer league open match saw plenty of cod showing from the rock edges with 19 out of 33 finding fish. Steve Williams won with six cod for a total bag of 11lb 6oz, Scott Davidson had two for 8¾lb, including the heaviest at 5lb 13oz, and Chris Hossack had two totalling 6lb 9oz, including one of 4lb 5oz. Daryl Bell made it three wins in a row with big bags of cod for the last Tynemouth retired members match in which he landed three cod weighing 7lb 10oz, Dave Hayley had a single cod of 4lb 2oz, and Ken Robinson had a single cod and a single dab for 2lb 15oz.
The local piers are now full of mackerel with plenty of double figure bags taken from all of the Region’s piers, lures are taking most fish but float fishing will soon start to take fish from those piers where this is possible. Those bait fishing report mainly smaller fish, with various flatfish species showing from the clean ground around the Hartlepool piers along with the odd whiting and coalfish. Elsewhere, there is the chance of a bigger coalfish, cod or whiting to be taken, and pollack are starting to show from Roker and South Shields. If you want to get away from all of this then the upper rivers offer easy fishing for lots of flounders looking for worm and mackerel baits.
Flounder sport in the lower Wear has slowed down a little however, with most anglers blaming the continuing unusual cold water temperatures. A recent Ryhope Tuesday evening sweepstake saw all of the heaviest fish well under the 1lb mark. Paul Riley had the best with a flounder of 12oz, Jim Dobie had one of 11oz, Geordie Crawford one of 10oz, and Karl Dylan one of 9oz.
Those anglers travelling away report plenty of fish from all areas. Cod, pollack, wrasse, coalfish and mackerel are showing from the Eyemouth, and St. Abbs rock edges and from the deeper marks further South such as Dunstanburgh Castle. Smoothhounds, thornback rays, bass, and the odd summer cod are the main targets from the Holderness and Lincolnshire shoreline with fish taking fresh mackerel, sandeel, or crab baits. There are big numbers of flounders starting to appear along the Solway shoreline where the marks around Port Carlisle are always popular. Further west along the Kirkudbright shoreline and along to the Mull of Galloway anglers are taking tope, smoothhound, thornback rays, pollack, conger eel, bass, and the inevitable dogfish.