Favourite/ideal UK location?

[Ladfromtad]

Morning folks

I am looking at the empty work calendar, cooking up a fishing trip (or two).
If you could go (shore) fishing anywhere in the British Isles, where would you go?
(Maybe with Haroldswick being a bit too far, unless the fishing there is exceptional!)
Have got a van, so can do it pretty much self contained/self sufficient/camping, up to a week, any month.

Any thoughts would be appreciated

 

[J Richards]

Number one has to be Chesil….. can throw up anything on its day.

 

[Beach]

Channel Islands. I have always found great fishing there.

 

[chesilpete]

I only generally fish the South.
Our year seems to fall into a number of places at different times each year.
The first beach that springs to life is usually Southbourne it fished its tits off for SE rays last year in January most not big but a decent number of them.
Then Brighton for plaice late February early March, March sees Chesil wake up and it can start throwing up all sorts late codling, plaice odd whiting n dogs.
As we move through April into May our thoughts change to Stingers and smuts, the so our annual pilgrimage to West Sussex starts and those sessions in the Warm spring sun are some of my favourite.
Late May each year we do come and look for a Solent or West Sussex Tope.
As the weed in the Solent builds up we move back West to Chesil for the Summer months with odd trips back to Southbourne and Bournemouth for flats and rays.
The arrival of the mackerel shoals give us the option to look for bass each year from just about any venue on the South Coast, literally anywhere can work, its tactics more than location in my opinion.
As we move into the Autumn then we have the opions to fish for just about anything on Chesil and its hard sometimes to predict what to target, literally anything can show up.
With codling being the main target from Sept onwards...... at the same time the Brighton beaches can start to fish incredibly well for flats and will easily outfish Chesil on good tides with good bait.
As we get into winter proper then the whiting invasion means that anywhere will produce fish.

As I read the above I realise how things have changed in the last few years, if I was writing this 3 years ago I would be saying that undulate rays were a target but they have been depleted by the commercials over the last few years to the extent that they are no longer a target but now they are a welcome bycatch.
My fishing is based around Chesil simply because its such a great venue, as Jason has said above it can just chuck up anything anytime........
Odd fish this year have included big bull huss in May, Tope in June, decent smoothounds in September and many other unexpected decent fish.
In general I would say watch social media to find out whats going on but remember many catches are tide and condition specific, its very unusual for us to decide where we are headed on any given weekend in advance we usually decide around Thursday.

We will also travel to the Bristol Channel and into Devon as soon as we see any consistent reporting from our friends, and I would fully credit our mates on the BC for some of our better catches this year.
My life will change soon as I retire, I have a few destinations within the UK in mind and one of those is definitely to revisit the Isle of Man for Tope, it can be awesome fishing but you really need to just go when the wind and tide is right.
West Wales for Tope, I have a long overdue invitation to the Channel Islands which I must take up with CKB catching some remarkable fish.

Then theres the long long saga of me trying to catch a John Dorey, I have had them landed next to me, dropped them from the boat I really really want one so maybe this is the year.........................

So many beaches can hit form you just need to be plugged in......

 

[chesilpete]

As I sit on the beach in the sunshine I would just add a note that me and my mates are always happy to see any forum members join us especially on Chesil.

Now I may be a bit of a confrontational arse online its in my nature, I have always been capable of fighting my own shadow at times but on the shingle we as a collective are super relaxed and love to see anyone catch a whacker.

Jason who I would count as a friend now and I had a very rocky start, but we worked that out in about 2 minutes.

If you want to fish Chesil then theres every chance we will be out every week and over the years I think we have met over 30 members of this or the old forum and we enjoy it, some days the fish have played ball sometimes not! but on every occasion we have definitely had some fun and on many had some decent fish out including days where the visiting angler has given us a damn good thrashing which we have equally enjoyed.
(Nothing like a bit of Spring plaice fishing and the guy your fishing with starts pulling out codling and undulates lol) and we loved it!.

So anyone that wants to have a go at Chesil that is a forum member this year then let us know when you are headed down, if you want almost guaranteed results then early summer or from September onwards massively increases your chances and pick spring tides!.

Anyway the invitation is open to anyone anytime (stay clear on Monday thru Weds) I still have my day job in London at the moment.......

 

[J Richards]

As I sit on the beach in the sunshine I would just add a note that me and my mates are always happy to see any forum members join us especially on Chesil.

Now I may be a bit of a confrontational arse online its in my nature, I have always been capable of fighting my own shadow at times but on the shingle we as a collective are super relaxed and love to see anyone catch a whacker.

Jason who I would count as a friend now and I had a very rocky start, but we worked that out in about 2 minutes.

If you want to fish Chesil then theres every chance we will be out every week and over the years I think we have met over 30 members of this or the old forum and we enjoy it, some days the fish have played ball sometimes not! but on every occasion we have definitely had some fun and on many had some decent fish out including days where the visiting angler has given us a damn good thrashing which we have equally enjoyed.
(Nothing like a bit of Spring plaice fishing and the guy your fishing with starts pulling out codling and undulates lol) and we loved it!.

So anyone that wants to have a go at Chesil that is a forum member this year then let us know when you are headed down, if you want almost guaranteed results then early summer or from September onwards massively increases your chances and pick spring tides!.

Anyway the invitation is open to anyone anytime (stay clear on Monday thru Weds) I still have my day job in London at the moment.......

Have to agree with the old git… we had a crappy start lol. The 2 mouthy gits on the forum… but now look at us. Had many many sessions with decent fish thrown in.
Always a good laugh on the beach.

 

[Mr Fish]

Channel Islands. I have always found great fishing there.

Yep probably my choice although autumn is the best time

 

[Trampster]

Can't get out much due to health, and after 44 years of driving for a living, I can't be arsed with driving far, like Chisel, just for a fishing session, so happy to make do with the local area & beaches.

 

[chesilpete]

Can't get out much due to health, and after 44 years of driving for a living, I can't be arsed with driving far, like Chisel, just for a fishing session, so happy to make do with the local area & beaches.

Lol you have some great beaches in Kernow you are in Utopia you dont need to come to Chesil.

 

[Topwater]

Interesting thread this! Shetland and Orkney should be on everyone's list, but then I'm a bit biased. I've been lucky to have worked, travelled and fished fairly extensively throughout Scotland and Northern England. Not done much sea fishing in the southern half of England apart from a bit on the North Coast of Cornwall as I've family there. I intend to change that at some point and the coast of Wales is also on my list!
The Isle of Man is a place I definitely to revisit as is the magnificent coast of Northern Ireland.
We are blessed with truly amazing coastline and countryside here in the UK, even if the fishing has been over exploited by the commercial greed of most of Europe. Thankfully the full angling experience is not all about catching fish

 

[Craig]

For me it's got to be Anglesey, it's the one place I just keep getting drawn back to time and time again. It has everything from big flat sandy beaches to rough ground and rock ledges, and a huge variety of fish can be caught there.
I've fished it for about 8 years now and have always slept in my van, there's a few nice places to park over there if you know where to go, and some with great fishing a short walk from the van.
It also has an amazing fishing shop as you cross over into the island, ABC at Beaumarris, well worth a visit if your ever in the area.

I'd glady give you a few pointer if you ever decide to try fishing there.

 

[Trampster]

Lol you have some great beaches in Kernow you are in Utopia you dont need to come to Chesil.

Cheeky Monkey! Whilst I'm not far from Kernow, I'm in the Cream county of Devon I'll have you know!

Had a few trips to Seaton, Cornwall & blanked every time. Went down there one night with John, @dodders, and 2 others. All of us on similar baits & rigs - John had a half decent Bass, Dogfish & something else, the other 4 of us all blanked. All on the same bit of Beach too.

 

[J Richards]

Cheeky Monkey! Whilst I'm not far from Kernow, I'm in the Cream county of Devon I'll have you know!

Had a few trips to Seaton, Cornwall & blanked every time. Went down there one night with John, @dodders, and 2 others. All of us on similar baits & rigs - John had a half decent Bass, Dogfish & something else, the other 4 of us all blanked. All on the same bit of Beach too.

I had that on chesil with a work mate, i had 8lb bass, 3lb cod, fish or 2a chuck…… he caught nothing lol. He 20yards away
I just put it down to my superior angling

 

[Wolf]

For night fishing,chale or atherfield, daylight, gurnard,& anywhere between fishbourne& seaview on the Isle of Wight

 

[Tatunka joe]

I agree with Pete chisel is the bollocks June onwards soon as the blasted spiders start to clear I stay local on the east Devon beach’s up till then the bassing was great last year and the plaice fishing was good aswell altho not the numbers chisel throws up there bigger down this way . I fished branscome a lot last year and it threw up some good fish nice wrasse Huss and conger on the rough plenty of bass gurnard macs and the odd ray on the clean Seaton has just Turned absolutely shit in the last 2 yrs use to be a half decent mark but recently it’s a waste of time maybe due to the amount of gill nets in the bey who knows . But September October chisel is king one comp we had up there last year there was a total of 22 species caught including a missive shad and even a pipefish long days on ferrybrige targeting bream red mullet gurnards triggers and god knows wot else then night sessions down west arfter sole dream fishing is that but if you do deicide to hit chisel fish alongside someone who knows it it’s a conundrum sometimes and if your travelling a long way can be depressing if your not hauling mate .