DOWN YOUR WAY
Seven great marks to try on this small island’s northern coastline
Great places to fish on the Isle of Sheppey.
From shingle beaches to concrete seawalls and clay cliffs, the Isle of Sheppey has venues to suit all abilities. Located on the North Kent coast, it is surrounded by the Thames, Medway and Swale estuaries.
It covers 36 square miles, some of it marshland, and it was once known as the Sheep Isle. It has beaches to the north facing towards the Essex coast leading to the North Sea. This creates diverse fishing, and there is always a place to get out of the wind.
1. GARRISON POINT
Situated in the north-west of the island, this is a shingle beach bordering the Sheerness docks. It rises eight to 10 metres above the seabed, which is made up of mud and sand at distance. You will find a few sandbars but these change with tides and weather. I do not recommend walking around the low-tide area because the mud is deep and treacherous.
I like to arrive just before the tide reaches the shingle beach and, depending on the size of the tide, I will use a light rod with a 4oz lead weight and a two-hook flapper with light snoods and size 2 fine-wire hooks, baited with small ragworm or lugworm tipped with maddies. Cast short to search out the inquisitive flounders (or soles and bass in autumn).
My second rod is a heavy beachcaster capable of sending a two-hook loop rig baited with crab, lug or fish bait out into deeper water and stronger tides.
Depending on the time of year, you may catch silver eels, pouting, codling, whiting, dogfish, bass and possibly a thornback ray – and even garfish when the water is clear during the summer.
The best time of the tide seems to be the ebb, when the water pushes out of the Medway. This is a characteristic of all of the marks on the northern side of Sheppey because it creates the best tidal flow and seems to switch on the fish. Therefore, it pays to fish the tide down until it starts to recede on to the mud. I travel light when I fish this mark.
Moving along the seawall towards Sheerness town centre you will find easily accessible marks fishing from the shingle beach over low or up on the concrete seawall.
As the tide is approaching high again, depending on the time of year, you can catch flounders, soles, dabs, whiting and pouting. This area is shallower than some of the other venues found on the island.
■ Getting there: Park in Beach Street car park and it is a short walk up the ramp on to the seawall. As you look to the left, in the distance you will see a shingle beach bordering Sheerness docks. It’s a 20-minute walk from the car park along the seawall. Don’t be tempted to park in Tesco, because there is a limit to the amount of time you can leave a vehicle.
2. BEHIND THE SHOP
Known to the local anglers as ‘behind the tackle shop’ (the shop shut years ago). Head for Invicta Road opposite the amusement arcade and walk on to the beach. I like to go to the left and fish behind the houses close to the pier, where a short cast can put you into deeper water as the tide floods. There can be lots of tidal movement on the ebb.
Dogfish, eels and flounders are caught in the spring and summer. A few thornback rays show too. This mark gives lots of dabs in winter, along with whiting.
Two-hook flappers and loop rigs work well here. Blow lug tipped with fish bait helps entice the dabs, while lug tipped with maddies or rag also works for the flounders, and fish bait on loop rigs (matching the hook to the size of your fish bait) works for the rays. Use a heavy snood when fishing for rays because they have rough mouths.
Again, this can fish well on the ebb and is an easy mark to tackle and very accessible to all. ■ Getting there: Head for Invicta Road, Sheerness, park in this area and walk up the concrete ramp opposite the amusement arcade on to the beach.
3. YACHT CLUB
The seawall at the top of a concrete ramp beside the yacht club is a favoured mark for those anglers who like the comfort of fishing from the car. This is really only done on night tides as the area is used to launch boats during the day, especially at weekends.
Over low tide you will see a large mussel bed and patches of sand in front of you. To the left, towards the shingle bay, it becomes much clearer.
Thornback rays are caught from spring through to autumn. I prefer to fish neap tides for them, particularly when the tide is ebbing. At the seawall, I like to use loop rigs with heavier snoods to help prevent losses to the rough ground on the mussel bank. I have used all sorts of baits ranging from frozen black lug for flounders and dabs, to fish bait for the rays.
You can be pestered by dogfish, but there is always a chance of a bass on a fish bait. Be mindful of people walking along the seawall area when casting, and be sure to put all rubbish in the bins or take it home with you. ■ Getting there: The yacht club is located on Marine Parade.
4. SHIP ON SHORE
Fifty metres from the yacht club is the Ship on Shore pub, opposite the car park, and access steps to the bay. It is a shingle beach about 200 metres long, and one of the island’s most productive marks.
It produces lots of thornbacks throughout the year, along with bass, dogfish, whiting, codling, dabs, flounders and eels. I use two-hook flappers, loop rigs and flowing traces when fishing here.
It’s not uncommon to have more than one ray in a tide when they are feeding close to shore. Various casting distances work when searching out those feeding rays. The longer casters find more tide here and might locate the codling on the ebb.
Between the Ship on Shore bay and Barton’s Point is a stretch of seawall that has large boulders to provide extra defence against sea erosion. Space is limited here, and fishing is not best suited to the novice or junior angler. Access to the beach at low tide is limited too, and the steps and rocks can be slippery. It can fish well for codling, dogfish, bass and whiting, but there are easier marks that fish just as well and have easier access. ■ Getting there: The Ship on Shore bay is a nice easy place to fish and is easily assessible to anglers of all abilities.
5. BARTON’S POINT
Moving a further 500 metres down Marine Parade from the Ship on Shore, you reach Barton’s Point and the beach heading down to the boat ramp and white house.
It’s not particularly deep, but on the ebb tide you can find tidal movement coming from left to right. In autumn and winter, anglers catch lots of fish at different distances. These include flounders and dabs close in on moving baits, such as rag and maddies, along with dogfish, rays to fish baits, and smoothhounds in the summer to peeler crabs.
It is worth fishing as soon as the tide hits the shingle – and follow the tide out until it leaves the beach. I recommend two-hook flappers and loop rigs. You can add sequins to your snoods to help attract the dabs.
From the boat ramp to the end of the seawall (half a mile) you are fishing across sand, and the last section to the end of the seawall has groynes that can hold fish in summer. Anglers have caught small stingrays, smoothhounds and bass here, and in autumn it produces a few golden-grey mullet.
Longer casting sometimes works well for the dogfish and rays in the ebb tide at the end nearest the white house and boat ramp. Expect to catch flounders, dabs and soles too. Top baits are lug, rag, maddies and crabs. There are fewer snags along this section of the beach.
■ Getting there: This is a nice easy mark, where you can drive on to the shingle bank behind the beach, and then it’s a small walk down the shingle incline on to the venue. At the seawall, you access the beach via the various steps.
6. EASTCHURCH GAP
The beaches below the clay cliffs leading to Eastchurch Gap consist of rocks and the rubble of former houses.
Access is limited to a few spots, and I would not advise fishing here during or after a prolonged period of wet weather. The ground is made up of clay and can be treacherous when wet.
In the spring and summer this can be very productive, with big stingrays falling to rag and crab baits, and the larger smoothhounds at dusk. You catch bass and thornbacks as well, but the ground can be snaggy and you can lose end tackle. I would suggest using a rotten-bottom attachment.
In certain places, increase the breaking strain of your hooklengths in case you hook into a big fish. There have been some big stingers caught here over the years. I have caught fish here on the flood and ebb tide. ■ Getting there: There is restricted access, so you won’t see crowds of anglers.
7. WARDEN POINT
Moving along to Warden Point, it’s the same type of ground (it can be snaggy) and fishes the same as Eastchurch Gap. Anywhere along this stretch fishes well for rays and hounds, with cod in winter.
Fish baits on pulley rigs take rays, but use crabs for bass and hounds, with dusk better for the hounds. During the spring and summer you can find crabs peeling under the rocks. If it has been raining, do not attempt to fish under the cliffs.
Further down the coast from Warden Bay, the ground becomes sandy and the beaches are shallow. In summer, these can get very busy. ■ Getting there: You can reach it by parking at Warden Bay and walking along the beach, past the pill boxes, for 20 minutes, so travel light.