WALKING MY WAY TO THORNBACK HEAVEN
The rocky road to Channel success
THE Bristol Channel is one of the most dynamic bodies of water in the world. A collision between the open sea, the rivers Severn and Wye, it creates a huge tidal range that surges in and out stirring up the sediment which makes its water permanently the colour of coffee.
Above the surface it looks like an inhospitable place and most drivers who cross the bridges joining England and Wales see it as lifeless. However, underneath is a world that teems with life – a rich bounty for fish to enjoy. I have experienced this on many occasions from a boat, but never from the shore, so when the lads at my local Premier Angling in Wiltshire invited me on a trip, I jumped at the chance.
Dan Hardwick and Kieran Stone are lifelong mates, fishing fanatics and importantly for this mission, Channel stalwarts, so our date was set for a neap tide. This could be predicted, but the wind couldn’t; all we could do was pray for it to behave itself.
Fortunately, as I met with the
boys and with the Channel still gripped by darkness, a gentle breeze greeted us. Perfect. I had been warned that the mark we would be fishing required a fair walk, but not that half of it would be up hundreds of steps!
Within minutes my legs were burning but the view at the summit made it all worthwhile. To the right were the bright lights of Weston-super-Mare and to the left the craggy coastline leading to Devon and Cornwall. The air was fresh and briny and as we got closer to the sea the rhythmic lapping of waves breaking on the stony shore raised anticipation that soon a cast would be made.
Our arrival coincided with an ebbing tide but it was still too high to venture down the cliff so I took the opportunity to quiz Dan and Kieran on the fishing here. Stories of shore-caught rays to 16lb and cod to 12lb lifted my excitement levels further but I wanted to know how we would be fishing.
Their set-ups were beach casters teamed with 20lb F1 mono and a 60lb Drennan Greased Weasel shock leader. The terminal arrangement was nice and simple with a basic pulley rig utilising a 25lb Amnesia hook length and two Sakuma Manta size 3/0 hooks. Bait for cod was blow lug and squid. The rays would prefer sandeels but they were impossible to source at that time. No problem – a sliver of Bluey would give us a great back-up.
The tide receded as quickly as the light arrived and we carefully picked our way down the seaweed-strewn rocks to where the Channel’s waves lapped against pebbles and freshly exposed pools. We would have a period of three hours up and three hours down to tempt our quarry and my friends’ confidence left me in no doubt we had every chance, an advantage of utilising local expertise. Thin strips of Bluey were whipped on to the Pennell with bait elastic, ensuring a smooth profile, before clipping down on a Breakaway lead that would release on impact with the surface. This preparation had been done to assist with casting but both lads were at pains to stress that sport could be found at 70 yards. Many anglers are put off shore fishing, convinced that they can’t propel a rig far enough, but this
is rarely the case in the Bristol Channel where a good whack on sensibly-priced tackle is more than enough.
Once our baits were in the water, it was time for the scent trail to do its work because even in the seemingly chaotic world of the Channel a free meal wouldn’t be missed. The fish living here are finely tuned to their environment and while we, as anglers, can struggle to understand this world, a ray or a cod will know every sandbank and rock.
Our connection with whatever was below the surface was via nodding rod tips as we watched for an irregularity and a possible bite. If one didn’t come within 20 minutes the baits would be reeled in and replaced to ensure their
pungent nature was kept to the maximum at all times.
I enjoy watching other anglers, and it didn’t go unnoticed that Dan was using only one rod, which seemed like madness in such a vast body of water. The thing is, though, whether it’s carp or cod, more lines doesn’t always mean more fish.
Being a keen match angler, Dan is used to using one rod to its maximum potential and it was no surprise that he was the first to strike. Hooks set into a thornback ray, he clambered on to a nearby rock to gain maximum leverage to prise his fish off the bottom away from danger. It wasn’t a place to play a fish gently and Dan perfectly demonstrated how to land a ray.
Next up was Kieran, a proficient all-round angler at home with everything from catfish to the big bonus whiting that took his bait.
I opened my account when a ‘thornie’ with a body covered with talons landed on top of the Bluey and the rod tip shook as the bait was swallowed.
This was great fun – the fishing as dynamic as the Bristol Channel itself. We were going to be busy and that was worth the early start and the walk! If you’ve never fished from the shore, why not give it a go? I was glad I did…