Micro Tope – Sea Fishing at Blackpool

Blackpool, North Wall - Looking a Bit Like Rain

After a weeks worth of truly dismal weather we joined the guys from BLAS (Blackpool and Layton Angling Society) for an evening sea fishing match, fishing a couple of hours either side of high water at Blackpool North Wall.

We met at the boat club on the prom where the weather looked like it was preparing to throw a few suprises our way, but the forcast was for the wind to drop so we set up and got on with it just as the incoming tide hit the bottom of the wall. The swell was fierce and although we had initially been hoping for Ray or Smoothhounds it was looking more and more like Bass were going to be coming out – conditions looked perfect, the bottom being churned up nicely and a nice big surf.

As it turned out no Bass were caught by us although we heard of a few coming out either side of our group – typical.

My First Shore Caught Tope

About an hour in I managed to snare a small flounder that had engulfed my crab bait and impaled itself on a size 2/0 hook intended for slightly biger quarry. I decided to try something different and as the swell seemed to drop slightly I cast a sandeel fairly close in to try for a dogfish – not something I’d usually target, but this was a match and a fish is a fish after all.

While preparing my next rig with a crab I noticed my line go slack and start to move downtide, assuming the lead had been broken out by weed or the surf I wound down only to find it continuing to move at a very odd angle.

A little thump told me something was on but I had no idea what it could be until I landed my first ever shore caught Tope. Not the biggest specimen by any stretch of the imagination but still a perfectly formed mini shark, forget the match – this was brilliant.

After chatting to a few of the guys who fish the wall regularly during summer (they live in Blackpool) apparently this is fairly common and you can usually catch them using baby squid as bait.

We didn’t have and squid but you can bet that Wendy launched a sandeel bait seaward in her effort to snare one of these little beauties.

Wendy's Second Whiting

That was it for me although Dave got another small Tope on crab, Millsy a Whiting, Sparky a Whiting and Wendy, after trying every trick in the book managed to land a couple of Whiting.

As per usual with these matches the weather played a huge part in our lack of success and no one managed to land an insize fish but the evening was great, with good company and, much to our relief stayed rain free even if the wind didn’t drop as we’d hoped.

That’s probably going to be our last sea fishing session until we go to Anglesey but we are going to try and get out and do some fly fishing next weekend as all the new goodies we’d ordered after our lessons at Mere Beck arrived last week.

We’ve sorted everything out (as you do) and have got a couple of 8 weight rods for salt water fly fishing and a couple of cheaper 6 weight ones for normal fly fishing – for those times when no matter how hard you try time, tide and weather are against you. I’ll chat more about the gear once we’ve tried it.

So next weekend the plan is to go back to Mere Beck for a bit of practice on a lake before we attempt fly fishing in the sea and maybe, just maybe, catch a trout.

The Dab and Rockling Shuffle, Blackpool Sea Fishing Scores

JP with a Blackpool Flounder

After visiting the RNLI the BLAS (Blackpool and Layton Angling Society) guys made their way onto an area of Blackpool promenade named ‘North Wall’ for the last sea fishing match of the season.

I went along to keep them company and to see if I could temp anything out of the perfectly coloured water which had a bit of a ‘chop’ to it to it looked promising.

To say the angling was tough would be an understatement and although I tried various baits, rigs and distances I managed to come away without catching anything. Not that it mattered much, I wasn’t in the match I had a good chat with friends I hadn’t seen for some time and the sun came out – finally.

All that came out were a few Dabs, some (only just in-size) Flounder and a few Rockling.

Shauns' matching winning Rockling

The match was eventually won by Shaun, pictured here with a small Rockling – doesn’t look much does it but this fish and another of similar size won him the match.

After chatting to the guys last week and today they’ve been telling me that this winter the fishing on Lancashire coast has been terrible, not only have Codling been in short supply but so have Whiting which is very unusual. We’re putting it down to the lack of storms churning up the sea bed and dislodging food for the fish to come in to shore and eat – at least that’s what we’re hoping…

Thankyou RNLI

RNLI Blackpool

After last weekends drama on the beach and the timely intervention by the emergency services a few of us anglers (and some not so local) got together with Bill (our friend that was rescued last week) and visited the RNLI station in Blackpool. It was great to see the guys who so often put their lives on the line to save many, many lives and we all had a good chat and a look round the station – they’d been out that morning, just practicing thankfully, so a lot of the guys that helped rescue Bill were there.

Presenting the RNLI with the Cheque

We’d had a bit of a collection and although I have no idea where a lot of the cash came from we managed to get just over £500 which Bill handed to the guys. We waited around a while for the local newspaper photographer to arrive so that the RNLI got as much publicity as possible. The more publicity we can get them the better, preferably without calling them out of course.

RNLI Blackpool - Small Life Jacket

While we were chatting one of the guys mentioned a life jacket that was small enough to fit in anyones tackle box, I’m not sure what it’s called or where to get it but it is definitely something I will be looking into.

I must just say a quick thanks to Henry Gilbey as well. Henry is a well known angling addict who as well as taking some stunning photographs has written a few books and been on TV. Last week he put a link up to here, which again highlights the work the RNLI do and helps us all stay safe.

Random piece of Blackpool trivia I picked up today: The 3 Victorian Piers; North, Central and South were made that way so the upper class ladies and gentlemen could take the sea air at the North pier, the middle class at Central and the working class at the South Pier, hence the classes wouldn’t have to mix. Victorians – they thought of everything, thankfully we’re not Victorian but it makes you wonder how they policed it…

A Plan for Cod, Fleetwood or Blackpool?

Well finally we’re getting a bit of cooler weather and this coming weekend the signs are good for our first proper Cod hunt up at either Fleetwood or Blackpool, Lancashire.

Three different weather websites are giving almost the same forecast of strong westerly winds dropping slightly on Saturday night with no rain. The tides are going to be high and the peak of high water is at about 9.30pm. Westerly winds, lo-pressure and a night time high tide – a Cod hunters dream on the North West coast.

We’ll make the final choice tomorrow after checking the weather so hopefully on Sunday I’ll post a few pictures of some Cod!

A Few Links – Walking, Birding and a Rescue

I’ve had a little time on my hands today so I’ve gathered together a few links to websites that support some of the previous articles.

Visit Lancashire The rambling section of Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board with many interesting walks.

Bird blog A blog about birdwatching on Merseyside and the Lancashire shoreline..

Wirral Globe Rescue Story Last weekend a brother and sister were rescued by the RNLI from Crosby beach – less than 10 miles from where we fished!

The RNLI With care you should never have to call these guys out but it’s nice to know they’re there…