Lots of cod mean we do like to be beside sea!
PLENTY of codling in the 1-3lb range continue to be taken from beaches, piers and rock marks from Whitby to Berwick.
There have been fish in the 3-6lb range with a very nice cod of 11lb 5.9oz turning up in Newbiggin’s match in Graham Foster’s bag of five cod for 19lb 11.8oz.
With plenty of fish around most matches have been won with doublefigured bags. whether matches have been fished during high or low tide and even when the sea has been relatively calm.
The Northumbria rock marks are producing fish to 5lb when the sea has been flat. Marsden has also given a few decent fish.
Arron Stead took one of 5lb 10oz and Gavin Head one of 6lb 3oz, while Whitby angler Dave Ward caught one of 5lb 9oz.
Most baits, rag worm, lug worm, blacks and crab fished on their own have accounted for the smaller codling, the bigger fish being reeled in on big cocktails.
With the smaller tides catches in the Tyne have dropped off a bit from the upper reaches and Tynemouth pier, anglers taking up to half a dozen fish a session with codling bigger than 2lb and a few flounder to just over 1lb.
However, South Shields pier has continued to produce decent catches with codling to 3lb, flounder, whiting and decent coalfish.
The River Wear continues to give good catches of flounder to 2lb in the upper reaches with venues in the lower wear also giving coalfish and whiting - most baits taking fish.
In the calmer conditions during the day the beaches north of the Tyne have given decent catches of flounder to just over 1lb and also a few bass to 3lb.
The few anglers who have had a late trip over to the west coast have found the going hard with only a few pollock and wrasse captured from the more sheltered marks around the Mull of Galloway.
It is far too late in the year to be fishing these marks, as well as being few fish the chances are the conditions will be poor and you may not even get a line in the w water.
Unfortunately, with the winds lately, very few reports have come from the Cumbria area but I suspect now the storms have abated the fishing for codling a and flounder should p pick up.
There has been very l little boat action all down the coast and those who have ventured out have had to stay close inshore where they have only encountered the same stamp of fish as the shore angler.
However, a settled spell could see a few decent fish falling to big baits fished hard on the bottom either uptiding or straight down the side.
There is good news for anglers as Roker pier will apparently be reopening on November 24 - , so hopefully anglers will get a few calm days so they can fish it.