Spurn may be closed

At the time of writing this, we are experiencing the first proper winter weather for quite a while, with a bitterly cold easterly wind bringing snow and ice.
Together with my son Robert and beach buddy Johnny B, I (Roger) took the opportunity to head to the coast on Friday.
We all enjoyed good sport catching quality flounders and whiting from Easington Beach until the wind backed from a westerly to direct northerly in the space of 20 minutes, making it impossible to continue.
For those of you who are fishing Spurn Head in the British Open in two weeks’ time, please note that the coast guard has currently closed the headland completely due to it being breached over a 200 yard stretch caused by the recent storms.
The current whether should, however, be a godsend as the commercial fishermen are reporting significant shoals of cod only half a mile off shore.
These conditions generally bring them to feed from the storm beaches well within casting range.
The question of where to fish over the 40-mile stretch of the Holderness coast is down to conditions on the day. But the closure of Spurn has unfortunately limited choice as this has always proved to be a recognised hotspot.
Anyone who is contemplating fishing Easington should note that although sport can be exceptional it is also graveyard for terminal tackle. Between Robert and I, we lost seven sets of gear in a four-hour session.
How does the cold whether affect my coarse fishing at this time of year? Quite simply, I don’t do it, leaving it to hardier souls like Stuart and Chris, who sat for five hours in bitterly cold conditions on Saturday fishing the winter league.
For those of you who also enjoy this subtle form of self-torture, I don’t know whether to admire you or recommend a series of counselling sessions.
It does however, reflect your commitment to enjoy your sport whatever the elements throws at you. I salute you, though still questioning your sanity!

Through the Grapevine

Mick Pogson of Worksop and District Anglers’ Association says bailiff Ken Bradshaw told him that Torksey Arm is now fishing reasonably well, after the recent floods, with fish being caught on a variety of baits.
As a special treat, local angling star Sean Storey has agreed to offer the odd tip from his vast knowledge of match fishing.
His advice this week is to freeze any left over joker, thaw it out during the night before your next match and use it to put down a bed of inert bait for the better quality skimmers and roach. Thanks Sean.
Harold Wells of Retford AA is running an open match this Sunday on the Chesterfield Canal. The costs is £10 all-in.
He also informs us that he will be running a mini series on the association’s stretch of the canal. There will be six matches in the league with the five best counting.
They will start on Sunday 20th March and run for the next five Sundays. The cost is £12 entry to the league with £10 pools each match.
For more information on either matches contact Harold on 01777 702227.

For local match results see Notts Match Results

Tight Lines all - and roll on the summer!