ANGLING THE M25 WAY
Fishing close to the Dartford Crossing.
As a lad, I spent many hours fishing from the banks of the Thames, and as I got older I’d be allowed, with a few friends, to catch the Gravesend ferry over to Tilbury, in Essex. It was a short hop across the river to fish the various marks along the Tilbury foreshore.
We would strap our fishing rods to our bikes, sling rucksacks on our backs holding the bare minimum of gear – a few lead weights, a couple of traces, a score of lugworms and maybe a few peeler crabs – and off we would go for the day, trying to catch whatever took a liking to our baits.
We would ride along the footpath that ran along the bank, trying various places we thought could hold fish or that just looked good. It was like an adventure.
In the summer we could catch silver eels, flounders, soles, bass, mullet and pouting.
As we grew older and learned to drive, the bikes were left to gather dust in the garden shed and we gained greater freedom to explore the marks further afield on the Essex side of the Thames. The construction of the M25 and Dartford Crossing made life so much easier for those of us living in Kent. Subsequently, we met local anglers who knew what state of the tide to fish, and where. We expanded our knowledge and picked up a few of their little tricks to bring a bite.
The marks I have fished the most on the Essex side of the Thames are from Rainham Marshes down to Tilbury East Fort, a stretch of no more than 10 miles made up of various types of ground and fishing platforms. Sitting amid this is the famous Tilbury docks, a gateway to Britain. Some of the best fishing is within the docks, but it is inaccessible.
RAINHAM MARSHES
One of my favourite marks is Rainham Marshes, just off the A13, where the Thames foreshore is ideal for all ages and angling abilities. I first fished here in an Essex Summer League match, which produced flounders, eels, pouting and school bass – a real mixed bag.
You gain access to the venue just off the A13 and follow the road until you reach a small car park on your left, from where you will see the Thames foreshore. Follow the path, which takes you to the river. There is good access to this venue.
As you stand on the footpath you can see the various places where you can fish. Depending on your agility, you can fish from the grassy bank or make your way down to the seawall and rocky foreshore.
A two-hook flapper rig with size 2 hooks baited with ragworm, lugworm or crab baits works well in the summer. A short cast can find flounders and school bass following the tide in across the warm mud. A longer cast will put you into more tide, with a chance of an eel, along with pouting and all the other expected river species for that time of year.
I have been told that you can catch good bass and mullet from this venue. Arriving two hours into the flood tide as the water starts to flush over the muddy flats, using ragworm on a two-hook flapper rig with size 2 match hooks can entice a scavenging fish.
During the same state of the tide, using a larger fish bait presented on a pulley rig, cast short into the tide, can pick up a better bass. When fishing like this, you must keep all movement to a minimum so you do not spook the fish.
In summer, try using lighter rods, lines and lead weights to add to the enjoyment.
When planning a trip to Rainham Marshes, I try to fish more of the flood tide than the ebb. You soon learn its best times to fish for certain species.
GRAYS WHARF
Moving down the river around four miles, you come to Grays Wharf. There are two areas to fish here, the first being is a recreation area in front of houses and flats. There is a concrete seawall, about 300 metres long, rising some five metres from the muddy riverbed.
The water is shallow close in, so check it out at low tide to see an array of snags along the length of the seawall. At each end there are shallow bays that in the summer hold flatfish, eels, bass and mullet.
In autumn and winter, a good cast can put you into the fast tide, where you will catch whiting and codling. Shorter casts usually find flounders.
Like most of the venues on the Kent and Essex sides of the Thames, heavy rain reduces catch rates due to brackish water
flooding down the river from the upper reaches, so I tend to leave it a few days before returning.
In late spring/summer, this is a favoured mark to catch Dover soles. A short cast, fishing rag baits on a two-hook flapper rig with size 2 hooks, is a proven way to catch them. It’s not uncommon to catch more than one. While you target soles, you can pick out the occasional good bass that sometimes swims around the base of the wall. I would recommend taking a drop-net to assist in landing these.
This venue has good access and is ideal for all ages and abilities, but remember, it’s a recreational area for the residents, so respect it by disposing of all rubbish in the bins provided. Be careful where you park your vehicle because the car parks within the flats are allocated to residents.
Park around the roads or in the pub car park, but pop in for a drink before you leave as courtesy for parking there.
THURROCK YACHT CLUB
Moving no more than a few hundred yards downriver is Thurrock Yacht Club, where you will find various platforms to fish from, where you can catch lots of flatfish.
Use the same methods as previously explained, but you can be restricted here if boats are being launched from the club’s slipway, and there are moorings 150 metres offshore.
In the river, small crab baits find eels between the moorings, but you can also fish a lot longer here because thanks to the channel that runs towards the shore and slipway.
As the tide floods, a short cast into the channel can catch you flounders, soles, eels and bass. Flowing rigs, flappers and small hooks with rag, lug and crab baits work here.
Be respectful of the people using the slipway and the members’ boats moving to and fro.
A few yards down the river is a section of saltings, which floods on larger tides, and the ground can be soft, so boots are recommended. On its day, this area can really fish well on the flood tide, but pick medium-sized building tides.
I like using my quiver tip rod here and set it low on the tripod. Use flapper rigs with 10in snoods of 15lb breaking strain line, with size 2 hooks baited with small head-hooked ragworms; this gives lots of movement to attract inquisitive flounders and soles.
You can always start off fishing here and, as it starts to cover with the tide, move to the left on to the grassed area. The whole area has a muddy seabed, so try taking a look at low tide to find the features that could attract fish. I reckon you’ll enjoy some easy fishing, and the area is ideal for the beginner. ■