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Some basic terrain
clues as to what you could find below the waterline at your chosen site
will give you a head start in knowing how to fish the spot. Either that
or you could be targeting a particular species, so you'll be aware of
how to seek them out from above the surface. Here's a few thoughts on
some of Britain's frequently targeted fish
| BASS
are a very versatile species happy to live in a wide range
of habitats. Rough ground, soft sand, reefs, wrecks, surf
beaches, inside the harbour and even high up in the estuaries.Read about
Bass rigs and baits in detail |
| Look
out for: |
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large rocks which fit badly together where food can
collect in the gaps |
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shingle
banks and weed beds |
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beaches
with streams flowing into the sea |
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deep gullies in the sand leading inshore and up estuaries |
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bait
scraps discarded by boats and fishermen inside harbours
and at piers |
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| BLACK
BREAM are
often found over deep water wrecks or inshore reefs but generally
rough ground or shingle banks. |
| Look
out for: |
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piers, breakwaters and jetties where the ground is rough
and the water deep |
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patches
of boulders in sandy areas |
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the
base of rocks at the bottom of cliffs where fingers
of rock rise abruptly from the seabed |
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| BRILL
are
happy to live on sandy, muddy or mixed seabeds as they change
their colour to blend in. They prefer strong currents flowing
over them bringing plenty of food. |
| Look
out for: |
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fast flowing water such as that close to islands or
other natural obstructions |
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breakwaters
or headlands |
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seabeds
of soft sand, shingle or broken shells where the food
often collects |
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| COALFISH
(also known as Coley or sometimes called Pollock spelled with
an 'o') will
live over a number of different grounds from rocky ground
and wrecks to open waters with sand and gravel at the sea
floor. The larger fish favour deep water in small shoals over
rocks and wrecks whereas the younger fish favour the shallower
waters. |
| Look
out for: |
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wrecks and reefs in deep water |
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rocky
headlands or breakwaters |
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rough
ground where there is good weed cover |
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deep
water harbours |
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| COD
will
live over most types of seabed from clean sand, shingle or
mixed mud to reefs,wrecks and very rough ground which especially
attracts the larger cod. |
| Look
out for: |
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a patch of rough ground or boulders on an otherwise
featureless shore |
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piers,
manmade breakwaters, end of rocky headlands protruding
into the sea. |
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gutters
in the sand that run inshore where sand meets shingle |
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steep shelving beaches |
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all
places which collect food deposits |
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wrecks
and reefs in deep water |
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| CONGER
is
very much a wreck fish although from the shore they can be
found amongst rough and rocky ground. |
| Look
out for: |
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where
the cliff offers a sheer drop into the sea with a rocky
bed |
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the
base of manmade breakwaters, inside the harbour and
jetties |
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jagged
reefs |
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any
rocky ground where there are plenty of holes in the
rock where the eels can conceal themselves so as to
pounce on passing prey |
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| DAB
tend
to prefer the cleaner areas of the seabed although occasionally
will be found on light shingle and mussel beds. |
| Look
out for: |
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where
clean sand meets rougher ground as the food deposits
there |
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gutters
in the sand |
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at
the ends of jetties and piers where the clean sand meets
the breakwater |
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the
mouths of estuaries looking for gutters in the sand
and also mussel beds |
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| FLOUNDER
are
particularly found in estuaries, even straying some distance
into freshwater. Beach flounder usually exist on beaches which
are close to an estuary and usually stay close to the shoreline. |
| Look
out for: |
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groups
of boulders at the estuary mouth |
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weed
beds
at the estuary mouth |
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shingle
banks
at the estuary mouth |
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| GARFISH
lurk
close to structures such as piers and jetties or close in
to the harbour wall. Also in the breakwaters or close to rock
ledges. |
| Look
out for: |
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rocks
near the harbour mouth |
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the
presence of shoals of small fry in the harbour |
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| HADDOCK
tend
to live in deeper water than Cod very close to the sea floor
in schools and usually in depths of between 40 to 300m. They
are found throughout the UK waters but especially the northern
areas and North Sea and can be found over rough ground and
reefs as well as soft sand and mud. |
| Look
out for: |
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fast
flowing water |
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deep
and very cold water |
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| HERRING
the
larger adult fish are more usually found offshore from the
boat and it is the juveniles that stay inshore. During daylight
hours they stay close together in shoals near the seabed or
at least in deep water, only rising to the surface levels
at dusk where they become more dispersed. |
| From
the shore look out for: |
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steady
to fast flowing water at headlands, breakwaters and
piers |
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| LING
can
be found over very rough and rocky ground, medium to deep
reefs and also where the cliff offers a sheer drop into deep
water. Larger Ling will probably best be found in the underwater
wrecks further out to sea. |
| From
the shore look out for: |
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faster
flowing water often present close to islands |
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natural
obstructions to the tide |
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rough
and rocky ground at the base of a cliff |
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| MACKEREL
are
widely found in the mid to surface layer of the water. They
like a steady to fast flow of water and warm evenings with
not much wind will find them feeding well. |
| From
the shore look out for: |
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steady
to fast flowing water at headlands, breakwaters and
piers |
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active
sewage outlets |
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diving
birds suggest the presence of Mackerel |
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| MULLET
usually
found over soft ground rich in plankton. Ideally low water
on a medium height tide where you can often see them feeding
at the mid to bottom layer in the water. |
| From
the shore look out for: |
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freshwater
outfalls and estuaries |
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weedy
patches where mud meets rougher ground |
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the
base of piers where they feed amongst the weed growths
around the supports. Also at the base of jetties and
sea defence walls |
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harbours
and bays where the bed is especially made of sand, mud
and silt |
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| PLAICE
are
spread throughout the British Isles and are usually found
on soft clean sand or gravel in deep water. |
| Look
out for: |
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gutters
in the sand where the tide flows freely over the top
and food collects |
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soft
sand interspersed with rocks |
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the
edge of rough ground where it meets clean sand |
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sandy
bays |
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| POLLACK
(known as Callig in the Isle of Man) are
particularly dominant on the Western Coast of
the British Isles and the English Channel. They
like rough terrain especially where the rock rises
and falls sharply and the depth is 30ft or more. |
| Look
out for: |
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rough
ground especially where there is good weed cover |
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strong
currents (deep water will provide these) |
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rising
rock pinnacles from the sea floor in deep water |
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pockets
in the rocks where the Pollack can take cover whilst
awaiting passing prey |
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wrecks
and reefs |
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deep
water harbours |
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| TOPE
enjoys
both sandy and rocky ground and their presence in either environment
is often down to their preference for food at the time. |
| From
the shore look out for: |
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gutters
in the sand or flat sandbanks as the Tope hunt for flatfish |
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shallow
reefs as the Tope hunt small Bass and Pollack |
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fast
flowing waters around headlands |
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natural
obstructions to the tide |
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| WHITING
are
found both inshore or offshore and most commonly over sandy
or shingle beds. As September approaches, the Whiting start
to appear close in to the shore feeding from the bottom and
rising to only a few
feet from the sea floor as the tide eases. |
| Look
out for: |
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deep
gullies and gutters in the sand |
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sandbanks
within a few yards of a pier or jetty |
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deep
water sandbanks or shingle beds |
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| WRASSE
(Ballan, Cuckoo) like
to live in the nooks and crannies of rocks and amongst weeds.
Heavy
kelp beds are favoured as is the rocky ground close to manmade
breakwaters, the habour wall or even at the mouth of an estuary.
The
depth of water need not be excessive to catch Wrasse and they
can Indeed be found off rocky beaches in 6 feet of water.
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| Look
out for: |
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rocky
and rough ground especially where the cliff drops sharply
into the sea |
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a
rough, rocky seabed where the rock rises and falls sharply
like fingers |
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kelp
beds |
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rocky
ground at the mouth of the harbour or estuary |
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rocks
around manmade breakwaters |
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Boat
