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CASUAL HOLIDAY SEA ANGLING AT DARTMOUTH |
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CASUAL HOLIDAY SEA ANGLING AT DARTMOUTH |
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Tony Rolli Emailed to enquire......
We are visiting Dartmouth at Easter and I am bringing my heavy carp rods to do a spot of beach angling. Could you please recommend anywhere in particular that would suit a novice sea angler? What basic rigs and bait would you use?
Yes a carp rod will do you just fine for all manner of sea angling, whether fishing a baited rig or casting and retrieving a plug or lure. Be sure to wash off the rod rings and reel in fresh water to remove the salt on returning home, to deter corrosion. Easter is very early this year. The best shore fishing tends to occur later in the summer when the sea is warmer and conditions are more settled. I do note from our local south-west TV weather man, Craig Rich, that just last week, (mid March), the sea temperature is already up to 11 degrees, which is about the temperature that the Bass start to run, but whether or not they will, so early in the year remains to be seen. The reliable fun fish on light tackle - Mackerel - do not usually run up the river until June, but Mackerel have already been caught on feathers from the river Embankment at Dartmouth during late March and Early April, (and on a float rig baited with mackerel strip, in Torquay Harbour by my Indian fishing pal, Dr. George Mathew). From the Dartmouth Embankment, you can catch all manner of small fish such as School Bass - Pollack - Pouting - and the occasional Flounder. I would be inclined to use a sliding float rig with about ¾ ounce drilled lead bullet just above a swivel & a hook trace below the swivel of - say 2 feet - to about a size 2 or 4 long-shank hook. I would try baits such as fresh ragworm tipped off with a small sliver of squid (to wiggle in the water and add movement). You might also try small fish baits such as a sliver of mackerel fillet or frozen sand-eel to see if there are still any decent whiting in the river. Later in the season, as they become available, live sandeel are a great bait suspended under a float for Bass, Mackerel & Garfish. You will often catch fish very close in to the embankment. You do not need to cast to the horizon. The advantage of the sliding float rig is that you can set the depth by means of a moveable elastic stop knot on your reel line, so you can fish with your weight just off the bottom, allowing the hook to bounce along on or just clear of the river bed, without catching many of the snags into which you would otherwise tangle. You could fish a ledger rig on the bottom, but your tackle is a little light to cast & retrieve a decent sized gripper lead, which you would need to hold bottom against the current. Baits would be similar to those I've already mentioned, although you might increase your hook size to say a size 1, 1/0, or 2/0 hook. You really need a gripper lead of anything up to 5 or 6ozs, which needs a rod with quite a lot of backbone to cast effectively, and a 50lb shock leader to keep it safely attached to the main reel line! You will also be plagued by small green backed crabs if you fish on the bottom, they will steal the bait from your hook in their thousands, but the kids love to catch them using hand-lines alongside the harbour wall! A "popped up" bait can help, but I swear those crabs can jump!
On heavier tackle, cast out a reasonable distance and using fresh peeler crab, or live prawn as bait, you will catch Thornback Ray out of the river. Small ones are quite numerous, but the larger specimens of up to 14 lbs or more are more difficult to contact - I guess because there are less of them! I really enjoy casting a lure on light tackle. I tend to use "Rapala" plugs or similar styles. Vary the speed and angle of retrieve for best effect. You can use a solid metal lure, or a plug with a large bib to fish deeper. You need to explore various depths and venues until you find the fish, but when you do connect, it's great fun.
As for bait, there are a list of local bait and tackle suppliers on this web site. You can get to that page from the 2nd page in, the "Navigation" page. If I am on the Torbay side of the River, I tend to use Quay stores in Torquay; Torbay Angling in Paignton; or Brixham Bait & Tackle . I reckon the best place for bait on the Dartmouth side of the river is the Devon Angling Centre, at Chillington, about 3 miles west of Torcross Village, on the Kingsbridge Road, (next door to the local health centre) - it's only a small shop but their fresh bait is excellent. Sport & Fish in Fairfax Place at Dartmouth stock your local tackle requirements, but due to fluctuating demand, only keep a limited range of live baits and then only stock them during the summer months. You might also like to try a float from the rocky points along the coast for Wrasse and Pollack on crab or worm baits. Blackpool, Slapton and Beesands beaches seem to fish best at night, when they often yield Lesser Spotted Dogfish, together with an occasional Bass, Pollack, Pouting, flatfish such as Plaice, Dab and Sole and even an occasional Bull Huss.
A worm & squid bait cast from the centre of Blackpool Beach during the warmer summer months will catch small red bream, which seem to favour this location. The long Breakwater at Brixham harbour can provide some good sport. Again, a little later in the season, it's excellent for Garfish and mackerel, using a small sliver of sandeel or mackerel fished 2 to 4 feet below a sliding float, or spinning.
The Quarry and The Ledge at Berry Head, Brixham are legendary for their huge Garfish, but again you traditionally catch those a little later in the season. The shore fishing does not generally match up to the local boat fishing and I guess that is true of most places, but it can still provide good sport to the enterprising angler. I trust you will enjoy your stay in Dartmouth. Please drop me a line and let me know how you get on. A photo of any really good catches would be much appreciated, so I can feature you on this web site.
In a further Email, Tony added ... Thank you so much for this info Mike. Can I use two rods on the beaches in the area as this will better suit the family needs, ie: my kids can run up and down all day while me and Wifey can relax with a bevy. Yes you've guessed it, I just want to do carp fishing (ledgering) albeit for anything from the sea. Lazy sods us carp lot. Also do I need a licence? Anyway I'm going to check out your website now so thanks again.
Here's my reply ... There's nothing wrong with being a lazy sod! I should know, I practise regularly! To cover your points in order. Yes, two rods will be fine - you can use as many as you can cope with. I hope the weather is kind to you - it can be a little dicey this early in the season - Blackpool Sands, just the other side of Stoke Fleming, about 4 miles from Dartmouth should suit you well - the kids will enjoy it there too - it's got the European Blue Flag award for cleanliness - there's a beach café & the usual low key distractions & the bottom is fairly clear for general ledgering (and safe for the kids to paddle or swim).
Alternatively, if you park by the Tank towards the west end of Slapton Beach in Torcross Village, you can call in for a pint and excellent fish & chips at the Start Bay Inn, or the café which is next to it. You can fish from the beach outside the pub, although the water shelves off deeply close inshore and is not recommended as a swimming venue for the kids. I enjoy fishing from the beach at Beesands, which is a little further west. The "Cricketer's" pub is on the sea wall. Again the swimming is not as safe as Blackpool, but the fishing can be quite good from the beach right outside the pub! You don't need a licence for Sea Angling (not yet anyway), unless you intend catching migratory game species such as sea trout or salmon, so you will be fine. |
