Taking a break from the city, I found myself in east Devon, based in the village of Beer. Following a ‘best beach’ recommendation from the Daily Telegraph, I took the long drive to Blackpool “Sands” . A complete misnomer. Great marketing, but in reality a shingle beach. Nevertheless, it’s in a lovely setting with mature Scots pine trees.
After an hour of sunning myself, I thought I’d investigate the fishing possibilities of the beach. The conditions looked unpromising – bright sunshine and clear water – nevertheless we headed for the rocks at the left hand side of the bay for a bit of casting practise if nothing else, for half an hour.
The sea was gin clear, and not much weedy habitat showed around the rocks. I bounced a 6” Slug-Go around the rocks, whilst my co-fisherman tried his luck with the Penn Bass Rod and a string of tinsel lures. Previously, I’d only used a Slug-Go from a boat on a flying collar type arrangement, so I was quite impressed with the movement I could impart into the lure using light gear.
Nothing showed an interest in either lure. The Penn reel was probably overloaded, and the shock-leader very ‘curly’ so I spend a fair chunk of the half hour untangling the line from the spool, and optimising the load up for further use tonight.
A beautiful, but fish (and sand!) free location. I imagine it would fish better after dark.
A Fishing Diary 