Sea Fishing

[Derek Funcks]

Just got home from only my second ever sea fishing trip. First one was off the rocks at Anglesey a good few years back. This time, i was invited to tag along with a fellow cab driver, and his mate. We would be fishing the River Mersey at low tide at Perch Rock, New Brighton, on the Wirral. What a fantastic few hours, a completely new experience for me. We arrived at the car park, with a good wind and heavy snow. Unpacked the car, and started the half mile walk across the sand to the river. As we were setting up, the river seemed to know that we had arrived, the wind dropped and the snow stopped. Was taught how to thread a lugworm, around the bend of the hook, which was HUGE by my barbel standards. Also learnt how to fillet a mackerel, and squid into bait sized portions. Half an hour in, i had my first bite, a violent rattle of the rod tip, result, my first ever codling , not quite big enough to be coated in batter , but at least i was off the mark . An hour later came the next bite, this time, it was a small whiteing. Two new species in one session. Before i knew it, the tide had turned, and it was time for us to make our retreat. We fished from 5.30 p.m. till 8.30 p.m., and it was gone in a flash. But an experience i will never forget. Thank you Ste and Stan. Already looking forward to the next one.

 

[Derek Funcks]

 

[David Craine]

Hi Derek,

Glad you enjoyed your first dabble at sea fishing for many years.

Welcome to the Mersey. I started to fish the Mersey about three years ago, but have been a sea angler as well as freshwater angler for over thirty nine years.

I was fishing a bit further up the river from you at a place called Town Hall Steps, on Monday evening bang in front of Wallesey Town Hall. I fished 3.30pm to 11.30pm, did you get wet ? It absolutley hammered down a bit later .
It was a big tide, I fished 3 hours down, and 3 up, low tide was at 6.pm ish . I managed a couple of Whiting, a small Codling and two decent Dabs. The fishing was very slow, maybe too much freshwater in the river ? Dont know.

During the summer where you were fishing is good for Rays,the occasional Smoothhound, Whiting, Dabs,Plaice, Dogfish , the occasional Conger eel can crop up anytime, maybe a Bass. Back in November I fished Perch, I started with two rods, but had to put one away as I was catching double and treble shots of Whiting and Dogfish every cast, it can be that prolific when the fish are feeding.


November.. Perch Rock

January, Town Hall Steps , apologies for picture quality...

May see you there sometime, its a 130 mile round trip for me, but when I fish the Holderness Coast its 200 miles round trip, Liverpool also has better parking facilities than the Holderness, but lacks the wide open spaces.

David.

 

[Gavin Hoe-Richardson]

Thanks for the report Derek. Hope you remembered your passport and visa, we try to keep the fishing quiet this side! I did a job into Eastham a couple of days ago, spoke to a chap who was just packing up at Eastham ferry, he said that he'd only had whiting but had caught some 4lb+ codling on the smaller tides last week. You can park behind your swim there in the winter, gets busy in the summer with tourists.

 

[Rod Fowler]

As one who has sea fished only very occasionally and heard only sad tales of the decline in shore fishing, it was good to read this thread. Thanks guys.

 

[Stephen Crowhurst]

As a Dorset lad my sea fishing began at age 4 with my dad. I’ve always enjoyed beach fishing from the many marks were fortunate to have but the rivers took over for me. Sea fishing is completely different it’s much more social in my opinion.

 

[Graham Shaw]

This thread is a really nice surprise for me to see on here... thanks especially for the pic's which bring back many, many memories...I'm a Wallasey lad and the first fish I ever caught was a small whiting near Fort Perch Rock ... about 49 years ago this year! The Seaforth terminal you can see in the pics was just being built ... my dad worked next door at the Gladstone Dock...

When I got a little bit older I used to dig my own lugworm just along the beach at Harrison Drive. Hard work, for very few fish.

But it's made me so happy to hear in this thread that it can fish really well these days.

Might try it again sometime soon, for old times' sake, though I really only fished it then 'cos I simply couldn't access any coarse rivers when I was a kid.

I notice there's a bait shop right by there too now. Very handy.

 

[Derek Funcks]

Hi Graham, I've lived in Liverpool all my life, for the last god knows how many years. I've travelled far and wide to fish many freshwater inland rivers, and never even thought of fishing the Mersey, even tho its on my doorstep. It was only by pure chance, that i was talking to a fellow cab driver at Liverpool airport, and we got on to the subject of fishing. He invited me to tag along with himself and his mate. I rang him about mid-day on the arranged day to see if it was still on, the snow was coming down very fast and heavy, his reply, " if the car can get us there, then yes its still on, are you going to wimp out " My reply, " like hell i am " Ive sat at Ironbridge on the Severn in the snow at minus 5%, and had a red letter day, so a bit of snow wasn't going to stop me . Only managed to fish for 3 hours, before the tide turned, but it was one of the best 3 hours of my life, loved it so much. Ive been on e-bay and nearly emptied my bank balance on new gear Sitting by the front door each morning, like a kid at christmas, waiting for it to arrive, just so i can inspect, and play with it . Was becoming a bit jaded, and losing the enthusiasm of fishing for barbel and chub. But this sea fishing, its a whole new ball game. How the hell didn't i discover this sooner.

 

[Gavin Hoe-Richardson]

Good memories for you Graham. We're on the Dee side of Wirral, all of the channels have largely silted up now this side so it's usually the Rock Channel (off Wallasey), Fort Perch rock, Eastham and Woodside for me.

The Mersey charter boats are now numerous, operating out of Liverpool marina at Brunswick Dock, so there must be a lot more fish around for them to keep profitable. The nature of my job means that I'm able to keep an eye on what they're catching and I'm regularly envious when I see someone bending into a big fish and I'm at work! One of my colleagues owns and operates 'Girl Grey'.

Harrison Drive is a renowned summer bass venue on big tides and after a NW'ly blow, they'll come in very close to the sea wall. I dig my bait off West Kirby and tie it in with a dog walk across the sand to the Hilbre Islands.

The Liverpool docks estate fishing is largely over with no new passes being issued. Existing pass holders can continue but their numbers are dwindling. The sea wall just south of Gladstone Lock is still popular though and I do occasionally upset them by bringing a 280m ship alongside the approach wall where they're fishing! To think that I complain about the gin-palaces on the Yorkshire Ouse!

 

[David Craine]

Steady on there Derek the Perch and the promenade down to the Tunnel Vents can get chocker sometimes, you should also ask your taxi driver mates about fishing Otterspool Prom on the opposite side. There is a better chance of getting attached to a decent Cod over there, but it can be snaggy, and you have to pick the right tide, otherwise the pull is too great . I have had a few decent fish off there in the last couple of years, easy fishing, no sand though.

I park on the layby near the Brittania Pub and walk up the river, only five mins takes you to an area called the "Old Pier Ends " which is a hotspot for matches, although fish can come out anywhere.from that stretch, there is also fishing from many spots downstream as far as the Chinese Restaurant /Jaguar House.

Look on here for venues and locations, it tells you all you need to know, lots of good information.

http://www.wirralseafishing.co.uk/forum/phpBB2/index.php

Dave

 

[Graham Shaw]

Thinking about where my dad's old dock was, and suddenly realising it was somewhere behind the new 'Liverpool 2' sea wall, this image made me realise I haven't actually set eyes on the new terminal yet, and got me trying to work out exactly where they'd built it in relation to Gladstone Dock. Plus in fact I also wanted to work out exactly which way you were facing, so I went on Google Earth - but that's still pre-2016 ... so I ended up watching this 4-minute film https://www.peelports.com/campaigns/liverpool2 about the construction of the terminal and hey presto, at 3:16 there's the perfect view across to your fishing mark at low tide.... so the spot to go is in near the lighthouse at low tide? The whole lay-out of the groynes is very different down there from when I was a kid. In my mind's eye I can still see New Brighton pier! But it looks like the new groynes do make it a bit safer - not many treacherous gullies or quicksand to cross when you're retreating from the tide like I remember! I once had to pull a chap out of quicksand near there when i was digging bait.

Learned a bit from the video- I've always wondered how they constructed the original sea wall in Liverpool in such big tides hundreds of years ago, and I actually think that this clip has given me a reasonable insight, imaging back to the kind of technology they would have had then.

The other thing that's really sunk in over the last two days since I saw this thread is that this mark is so good that you will travel that far to fish it, David - I mean Holderness is famous for sea fishing! Are you really saying that Wallasey can be that good? My old folks, who both grew up in Wallasey like me, have recently moved back to the Wirral to enjoy their 80's in Heswall (in fact they are also on the waiting list for the mariner's retirment home in Wallasey), so I spent more time on Wirral in 2018 than I had in total in the previous 33 years. So I've started to look at http://www.wirralseafishing.co.uk (thanks Dave) and I've already been on ebay/Gumtree looking for some entry level beach gear!

 

[David Craine]

As said Graham, it is a shorter journey to Liverpool than to the Holderness. It is useful living between the two, because when I get a day free to go fishing, I can decide where to go dependent upon tides , wind, and sea conditions on either coast , most winds are either east or west, so its fairly easy to make a decision, based upon those three factors.

I tend to fish the coasts during winter when the cod come inshore to play, and rivers /lakes mid summer to the back end of Oct, so the two complimemt each other... if the weather is bad on either coast during the winter, and not too bad where I live, I may fish one of the local reservoirs for Pike, or try a river for Chub.

It makes for variety... As Derek said in his second post above, it would be easy to get stale just sticking to one species, which I did for some years, I had Barbel goggles much like some have Carp goggles , it did not last too long, I have no end of possibilities as in the summer months if the rivers are low I can touch either coast looking ror smoothhound, ray, bass etc etc..

Liverpool does have some great possibilities and venues, best to read up on them, I myself have only scratched the surface of the Mersey area really.

David

 

[Derek Funcks]

As said Graham, it is a shorter journey to Liverpool than to the Holderness. It is useful living between the two, because when I get a day free to go fishing, I can decide where to go dependent upon tides , wind, and sea conditions on either coast , most winds are either east or west, so its fairly easy to make a decision, based upon those three factors.

I tend to fish the coasts during winter when the cod come inshore to play, and rivers /lakes mid summer to the back end of Oct, so the two complimemt each other... if the weather is bad on either coast during the winter, and not too bad where I live, I may fish one of the local reservoirs for Pike, or try a river for Chub.

It makes for variety... As Derek said in his second post above, it would be easy to get stale just sticking to one species, which I did for some years, I had Barbel goggles much like some have Carp goggles , it did not last too long, I have no end of possibilities as in the summer months if the rivers are low I can touch either coast looking ror smoothhound, ray, bass etc etc..

Liverpool does have some great possibilities and venues, best to read up on them, I myself have only scratched the surface of the Mersey area really.

David

Hi David, if your planning any future visits to the Mersey, please do let me know, we could possibly meet up for a social and fish-in, if not ( cos of work ), i could still probably stop by and say hello.