Mostyn. March 2012

This year, I have decided to fish some local venues around North Wales and the North West of England.
My first trip of 2012 took me to the popular mark of Mostyn, North Wales.

Having read about the mark on various websites and after a feature in Sea Angler Magazine, it was time to go Flattie bashing.
I took a mixture of two and three hook flapper rigs, with different types and styles of attractors, different hook sizes and a good selection of bait.

Having never fished this mark before, I found it extremely easy to find, after-all, it's not difficult to miss a 4,450 tonne cruise ship, or The Duke of Lancaster to give it it's official title, sticking out above the surrounding waste land.

The ex-cruise ship, The Duke of Lancaster

After a short walk I arrived on the banks of the Dee estuary. The tide was just starting to turn, which gave me a few hours before high tide.

I set up two rods, one with a two hook flapper rig and a 4oz plain lead, the other with a 3 hook flapper and a 5oz grip lead.

I mixed the baits on each hook to see which bait would work better. Unfortunately, I could not get any fresh lug for love nor money, so I had a mixture of frozen baits; Black Lug, which was used on each hook as the main bait, then for tipping off I had Mackerel, Mussels and Razor Fish.

I cast the plain lead and rig into the channel just in front of where I was fishing from. This would allow the bait to move around, find a gully and hopefully attract the fish with some movement.
The grip lead was cast onto to the opposite sandbank which was now been eaten by the tide.

After a 10 minutes or so, and countless twitches on the tip, which was obviously crabs, I reeled in the plain lead to find what I already knew, that the crabs had stripped the hooks. I reloaded the hooks and recast in the same area as before.

After swapping and changing baits, I finally got a decent tap on one of the rods. I left the bite to develop a little while longer until the tip curved round to the right. As I struck, I could feel an almost dragging resistance. After a quick burst of frantic winding I finally saw the fish break the surface.

I beached the little fighter and had landed a perfect Plaice.

First fish, a 1.6lb Winter Plaice

Having weighed, unhooked and returned the fish, I noticed it took a lug/mussel cocktail.

Again I re-baited and recast.

I was still experimenting with different attracters and baits on the other rod. I was having to re-bait and recast every 15 minutes due to crab activity, but this allowed me to experiment with the baits also.

Before long the second tip shuddered and I knew instantly that this was not a crab.

Leaving the bite to develop, the tip started to bend round, at which time I lifted the rod and struck.

Again, the same dragging sensation was felt whilst reeling hard, this was probably down to the fish hunkering down to the bottom. Once landed, I had a slightly smaller 1.2lb, slightly muddy Plaice flipping around.

1.2lb Winter Plaice

After cleaning the fish and letting it go I was frantically running out of time. In hindsight, I should have taken so other, larger rigs, as there was talk of Coddling being caught in the area, but I'll be back before long hunting out the spring Bass and Cod runs.

What I learn't from this short, yet productive session is, don't believe everything you read on the internet. One in particular and well established Sea Fishing website, claims that Mostyn is a rough ground mark, with plenty of tackle losses, and you'll need to cast 80 - 100 yards to land on the sandbanks.

I can suggest that when you want to fish a new mark, ask the people who fish them. Talk to the tackle shops and SAC's from that area!

Cemlyn Bay, Anglesey 19/02/2011

My first major outing for 2011 saw a complete change in tactics from my previous Autumn sessions.
Multi-hook rigs, 2 and 3 hook flappers, replaced the normal pennel pulley rigs, a reduction in hook size from 3/0 - 4/0, to sizes 6, 4 and 2 with smaller baits to suit. Long hook lengths using a fine 15lb flurocarbon, with luminous beads and plain leads, to allow extra movement in the bait.

Arriving at Cemlyn Bay around 1:00PM saw the full tide just starting to drop. The weather was fine, with a very light breeze and a very calm, flat sea.



I set up the shelter, tripod and rods and proceeded to put the first cast out, around 50 yards, just to the side of the rocks. The second cast, on the second rod, was put out to the same distance but around 50 yards to the left of the first cast.
Fishing was slow during daylight, just two gentle taps on the rods in 4 hours, resulting in two small Rockling of around 8 - 10oz each. Both Rockling where caught using fresh mussel tipped with black lug on a size 8 hook.

The most action on the rod tip during the day, was when an Oyster Catcher got the tip of it's wing tangled in my line. From the shore I couldn't see where the line was tangled, and as the bird was panicking, I had no option but to wade out, catch the bird and release it. I also got a nip on the finger for my troubles! A young family didn't help matters, throwing stones and rocks into the sea about 20 or so meters up the beach. Some people just have no sense!

With the daylight hours being slow, it allowed me to crack open the fresh mussels I had bought from a supermarket on my way down to Anglesey. Thankfully, I wasn't eating them as they were tiny! Skewering them onto the baiting needle, I created a sausage-like length of mussels bound together with bait cotton. This would save me some time later on, as all I would need to do is cut off a small piece and bind it onto the hook.

With the light fading and tide turning I started to charge up the luminous beads on the hook lengths.



Now baiting the 3 hook flappers with a mixture of Black Lug, Blow Lug and fresh Mussel, I started putting my casts out at an even distance, around 30 feet apart, to maximise the scent trail.
Within 5 minutes of the second rod being settled in the rest, the slightest twitch on the tip was visible. Leaving it to develop, I could clearly see there was a fish on. Nothing sizeable, but a fish, and a welcome fish at that!
Not much of a battle proceeded and the first small Whiting was landed, around 9 inches in length. This one had taken a small Blow Lug. Gently unhooked and returned, the rig was baited again with a mixture of lug and mussel and cast back to a similar location.



Returning the rod to the tripod, the second tip went, a little more obvious and frantic this time.
Lifting the rod, I could feel some real movement down the line. With the shockleader now coiling around the spool, silver flashes could be seen through the waves. More Whiting, this time 3 of them, one on each hook. I was definitely into a small passing shoal.
With all the fish safely returned, the rig was re-baited and cast out again.

As the tide continued to flood in, the Whiting where continually nibbling and taking the small lug and mussel baits. At one point I was pulling landing them with one on each hook, two or three at a time.

The last cast of the night saw the rod tip shoulder, a typical Dogfish bite! Sure enough a Dogfish was landed at around the 4lb mark.
As the tide started hitting the car park wall it was time to scarper.
Not a bad session for February, the total count was 11 Whiting, 2 Rockling and a Dogfish, an Oyster Catcher too but I'll not count that!
Changing my rigs, hook and bait sizes seems to be the key at this time of year. The fish may be small, but I'd rather be catching than sat still not doing anything.

A few more weeks and hopefully the first of the Thornback Rays will start to come into range.

Roll on Spring!!!!