Hidden gem
This flat sandy beach in Essex may no longer see superb cod fishing, but it still has plenty to offer
Frinton-on-Sea has a place in my heart going back to my childhood. During my early years in the local convent school, my mind was always on fishing and I couldn’t wait for the bell to ring so I could go home and get on the beach.
I’ve always been drawn to this area, which consists of a mile or so of fairly flat golden sand. Like many seaside towns, Frinton beach has wooden groynes and to the south opens up to a seawall, known locally as Frinton wall.
Due to rising sea levels, massive granite rocks have been dropped in front of the wall to create a defence to save the low-lying land from the sea. Due to these massive rocks, most of the seawall is now very difficult to fish, but there is still plenty of great fishing along the rest of the beach. Behind the whole stretch of the wall is the local golf course.
Frinton beaches are shallow and have never seen many anglers on them. I am not sure why, because over the years some great catches have been made here and I believe anglers are missing out on a hidden gem.
WINTER FISHING
When the whiting shoals arrive in autumn, the fishing can be hectic. Two and three-hook flapper rigs baited with mackerel or Bluey strips are all you need, and it can be bites and fish on every cast. A cast of 50-60 yards will put you among the fish. Black lugworm baits can find the bigger whiting and also maximise a chance of a codling.
Winter fishing used to be second to none here, with cod to double figures always on the cards. With a lack of any substantial cod stocks on this part of the Essex coast in recent years, the thornback rays have taken over as the main angling target.
It’s now possible to catch rays all year round. A couple of years ago I did just that, although I left it late in February by catching one on the last day of the month. While cod have always been a sought-after catch for the commercial fishing boats, the rays are no longer viable for them and, as a result, the fishing for thornbacks has definitely improved.
OTHER SPECIES
Due to the lack of cod, many anglers consider that spring, summer and autumn are best at Frinton because the bass fishing can be hectic.
There are plenty of school bass and always a chance of some big fish too. Use ragworms or peeler crabs for bait, although in rough seas, a whole squid can pick out a bigger bass.
Lure fishing off the beaches and breakwaters has taken off, and the evening tides into dark can work well for bass, I find the Dexter Wedge lures work best as they have some weight behind them and cast very well, which helps to cover a larger area.
Sole fishing here after dark or in coloured water can be very good, with fish to more than 1lb being caught quite regularly. Once again, use ragworms.
A cast of 30 yards is all you need. Sit on your hands when a sole hits your bait and wait. That initial bite is usually quite violent and it may seem that the fish will be hooked, but they need time to settle on a bait.
A Continental set-up really suits Frinton’s flat, sandy beaches. There is some rough clay ground on the low tide mark and sometimes it means the loss of a lead weight, but, in general, as the tide rises it really isn’t a problem. Small hooks are also the way forward at Frinton, with size 6 to 1/0 being the range to use for most of the species of fish.
Occasionally, a big stingray will turn up and they can weigh upwards of 60lb-plus. A strong size 1/0 or 2/0 hook will land a ray of this size. There are two areas where they can turn up – one is the end of Queens Road, which is central to Frinton, and the other is Frinton Wall by the golf course to the south.
Top baits are ragworms or a juicy peeler crab. It is usually a waiting game for these big rays. Don’t expect one on your first trip, but time and effort is the way forward.
Avoid daylight fishing during the summer because the beaches get busy with holidaymakers and beach hut owners, but by early evening most have gone home, leaving room for anglers.
LOST AND FOUND
When I was a teenager, we used to head for Frinton Wall in the summer for the smoothhounds. It was common to get smashed up by big double-figure hounds on our Cod 6 rods and Penn 160 multipliers.
I only ever used lugworms for bait and never thought about peeler crabs, although we could have found plenty around the breakwaters.
Strangely, the hounds never really returned to the Frinton beaches. You might catch one occasionally, although they are caught from the boats only a matter of half a mile from the shore; very odd indeed! Perhaps it is lack of inshore food for them. We used to find plenty of hermit crabs and whelks on the low tide marks, but these shellfish have all but disappeared too.
I still hear reports of anglers who are unprepared for bigger fish, getting smashed up by fish on these beaches, and I reckon the fish were rogue heavyweight hounds.
During the summer, a few surprise species do turn up. We see increasing numbers of black bream and an occasional gilthead, along with small turbot, brill and gurnard.
It is always exciting to speculate what you will catch next. ■