Malc

You'd need a big cooler too

I took a walk out to a local beach and thankfully there weren't many people about as there was loads of lost tackle lying around, a breakaway lead and associated hooks and lines, two cheap jigs and one bizarre thing which seems to be a pink mackerel feather inside a muppet on a 1 inch length of line and attached to a carp bomb and two half ounce bombs!! Apart from the former the lines seemed to be 6-10lb maximum, I wonder how many locals and tourists get caught in these bits of lost gear? At least I can use a few bits and recycle the hooks and swivels.

Great to see plenty of species rather than cod and coalie. Did you not get any pollock?

Awesome, I presume that you got sore arms from the fighting

Give it a try then!

Bit beige, but yes, tasty!

Decided to give them a whirl. One fist sized baking potato, around a fillet and a half of smoked mackerel, 2x teaspoons of full fat soft cheese, egg and breadcrumbs, makes 2x chunky cakes. Either steam or microwave the spud, let it cool and mash and if it looks dry add some softened butter, combine the potato and fish and if you fancy add Parsley and/or capers. Fill a suitable size cooking ring or scone cutter half way but leave a small recess in the centre on which you put the soft cheese, then cover with more fishcake mix. Flour, then egg, then breadcrumb and either fry or cook in the oven at 180 fan. I will try grated cheddar in the centre next time.

Just in case anyone is fishing south shields pier, this is how the tide runs on a decent sized flood tide.

I was a bit bored so decided on a couple of hours at the mackerel, and preferably herring, from south shields pier. Mid tide upwards is both easier to fish and more productive. I started 3/4 of the way along it even though it is supposed to be off limits due to work on the wrecked lighthouse etc so I wouldn't be in their way or in any danger. 2-3 hours into the flood and the tide is hitting the pier and dog legging towards the river proper and you can see the tide lane which is where I aim for. Normally people don't fish here much as they get snagged too often, however I have done my research and have a mental map of the seabed from fishing from my kayak and there is a sharp rise up about 50m out. 80+ m cast into the main run and then slow retrieve for 30m and then reel fast to miss the snags. 3 mackerel in 30 minutes and just one snag and I go back down to get a place further down the pier on the other side of the gate. I know that the last 2 hours of a tide this big (5m) should get an eddy forming that runs up the pier and should bring the fish around here and close in. Half an hour and I get my first fish, unfortunately it shakes off on the way in, next cast the same and a couple of casts later I land another. Few more hits and misses and then it goes quiet an hour before high water and I'm off home. I am lucky enough to be 7 miles from the coast so I can get there more whether or not I am fishing, I've read about shields pier and its best spots and listened in on conversations on the pier and in tackle shops etc and can now put together all the information and hopefully get the best out of it. So what? Big smug grin and a pat on the back! I watched some of the other people on the pier, a group of lads in their late teens, 2 lads not quite in their teens and a holidaying family all having a go, none catch anything but the bottom and other lines. No one really speaking to anyone, however the two young lads had a problem with one of their reels and very politely asked for help, it was just a loose loop, so we get talking and one hooks a mackerel but in trying to get it up the wall it drops off. So we talked about fishing and I explained about how I was fishing the pier and why, and they listened and asked questions which I tried to answer. It gets me thinking that we need to help out more with those who are willing to ask or need help, I've seen guys get stroppy because they were told that they needed more line on their FS reel as you could just hear the friction of the 50(possibly stronger) lb mono from a half filled spool, or multiple crack offs because they don't have a leader (divvent tell me what to dee, I've been fishing here...) . Sad that some people are so self absorbed and can't be told and some are sponges and would mop up the smallest bit of information and act on it, perhaps angling clubs should be a bit more proactive as well as anglers in general 🤔 Sorry for a rambling thread on makky bashing, just finishing my 2nd cuppa tea 😆

Drogue would be my thoughts

Nice one 👍

Yeah, I planned to be out this morning but I'll be making sandcastles on the beach with my granddaughter instead! Swings and roundabouts

@Saintly Fish Interesting that you mentioned Gurnard as they are also caught in the same area as the weever and were a rarity but more common now.

We have always had a few in and around the estuary mouths in the NE, however this year they are plague proportions! Coming in on just about every drop and making mackerel fishing a right faff, even coming up in double shots. I even saw this on the BBC... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c785wpnnlzpo.amp Are you seeing more than the usual numbers where you are?

The silver darlings are back, my favourite fish! Just a quick 2-3 hour session in the river as there was a lot of big traffic coming in and out. The fish were staying well away from the deeper channels and seemed to be picking off bait fish near to the rock ledges, both mackerel and herring were thin on the ground but I kept 3 mackerel that were badly hooked and one herring as I juggled the other back into the sea 🤦‍♂️ Late lunch of herring with a green and a potato salad.

Did you have location/GPS switched on, on your phone. I don't have mine switched on unless I am going to use maps etc

I had a 3lb pollock inhale my lure on Sunday and rather than let a bleeding fish suffer it came home. Two pan sized fillets off it and I chopped up a medium sized red pepper and a handful of green beans. I put the paste (from A well known supermarket) on the fillets and marinated for 15-20 minutes, but next time I will leave it a bit longer. I fried the pepper and simmered the beans for 5 minutes, added the two ingredients to the rest of the paste and fried for 3 minutes and added half a can (200ml) of coconut milk and then fried the fillets in a little oil until cooked. Meanwhile I cooked the noodles and added to the sauce and vegetables. Chucked on top and enjoyed outside in the sun. Yum

Thanks for the reply, unfortunately I am behind the rest with Gurnard as I haven't had one. Lesser weever...millions of the #@£&%!@

Recipe below, I prefer cardamom and cumin to cloves and cinnamon and they work well with the orange. I cooked it and let it cool, as per, but you could just do it on the day.

Looks great, what are the fish next to the Halibut in picture 2 please?

Mmmmackerel

Thanks to the hairy bikers for their recipe, if admin are OK I will post the recipe later, if not p.194 of their Mediterranean adventure. Really nice for lunch with a few new potatoes.

Updated photo, I presume blue means tub?

Thanks, we don't get enough to do comparisons.

Not mine unfortunately