Pilgrim’s Progress is now be a weekly feature. Read it every Thursday!Floundering At Amroth
In the last Pilgrim’s Progress, I wrote about my pike fishing sessions while on family vacation in Pembrokeshire. I also took some sea fishing tackle with me on holiday, with the intention of having a few short sessions. After all, we were staying in Tenby, in a flat that looked out over the harbour and beach. The scene from our living room window was fantastic. It really was a room with a view!
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| The wide expanse of Amroth Beach |
The harbour was a one minute walk from where we stayed, perfect for the quick visit. The only problem was that High Tide was mid-afternoon. Coupled with the mild weather, this attracted just about anybody and everybody in the town that had any sort of fishing tackle. The small harbour jetty resembled Harrods in the January sales. There were anglers everywhere. Some had such inadequate gear that they would struggle to hold bottom in a lake, never mind the sea. Consequently, I was tangled a few times by people fishing 1/2 oz leads. Now don’t misunderstand me, I’m not being critical, but it wasn’t my scene. So after only a couple of casts on my first visit, I returned to the flat, vowing never to venture on the harbour again.
I decided instead to fish a beach a few miles round the coast at Amroth. It has a reputation as a flounder beach, which suits me fine, as flatties are my favourite sea fish. I’ve caught dab and plaice as well as flounder on my occasional sea session.
Sea fishing is dictated very much by the tide and Amroth has a reputation as a Low Water mark, so I arrived mid-morning to fish the last couple of hours of the ebb tide and the first couple of the flood tide.
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| Amroth Beach looking towards Tenby |
As I parked on the roadside and headed off down the beach things looked good. The sea was in great condition, just right for some flounder action. I was already beginning to write the heading for the article in my mind. ‘Flounder Feeding Frenzy’ took my fancy! Although I am first and foremost a coarse fisherman, I do believe that variety is the spice of life, and I actually enjoy all disciplines of angling. Sea fishing is usually something I do as an opportunist, on holiday or when working near the coast. So, as I reached the shoreline, I was as excited as if I was setting up on the banks of a river in pursuit of barbel, or a lake after tench.
The ability to read the water, or watercraft as it is termed, is as important in sea fishing as it is in coarse angling. Whilst a beach may look like a beach, there are in fact many features that the discerning eye will spot. Preparation is as vital as it is in freshwater fishing. A walk along the beach at low tide reveals sandbanks, lugworm beds, rock outcrops – all features that will attract fish as the tide comes in.
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| The Pilgrim watches and waits…and waits… |
I knew Amroth beach from previous fishing trips, so I set up in a good spot. As I set up the beachcaster I opted for a two hook paternoster, one hook firmly on the sea bed, the other trailing enticingly a foot or so off the bottom. Although flatties are bottom fish, they will feed up in the water. A 6 oz bomb was sufficient for what I wanted. The mistake a lot of novice beach anglers make is to cast to the horizon, when in fact, fish like flounders will literally be under your feet. If the conditions were a little bit harsher, I would have opted for a grip lead, but whenever possible I prefer to fish a bomb. The gentle roll of the tide will allow the bait to search out a wider area. So I cast out, tightened up, and waited…and waited…and waited. Even though things looked good, I didn’t even get so much as a crab nicking the bait! But I can honestly say I enjoyed every minute of it. The peace and tranquillity of being out on the beach, with a lovely sea breeze blowing is a great experience.
Many times we say it’s not just about catching fish, but being out there by the waters edge, that brings satisfaction. The times that we blank put that theory to the test!
The Reverend Stewart R Bloor
Sedgley International Christian Ministries
PO Box 1216, Dudley. DY3 1GW.
Telephone : 01384 – 828033
Web site : www.sicm.org
e-mail : missionscentre@sicm.org
