BallanWrasse
Common around the coast of the UK. The biggest of the Wrasse species you catch in our waters. The current UK record is a little over 9lbs.
If you have lots of kelp and weed over a rocky shoreline then you stand a good chance of Wrasse. They will take worm baits (rag/lug), crab baits and will take plastics too.
My PB was a fish of 4.5lb from the rocks at Seahouses.
Bass
A beautiful fish to catch and a great fighter.
Not as common as other species on our shores in the NE however I still seem to get a few every year.
They will take most types of bait and if you know where to fish, lures also.
Until last month I did not know any of the "secret" spots for catching Bass on lures. They are kept quiet to avoid commercial fishing boats finding out where the shoals are and wiping them out.
Now that I know where to go I expect that Bass will be a far more common catch in 2014.
My PB stands at 3lb from Tynemouth Beach.
Blenny
A species commonly found in rock pools in the UK. A small species that I have not really caught on rod and line as yet. The pic above was of a fish caught on a hand-line in a rock pool at St Mary's.
Once I start the LRF later this year I could be catching a few of these I expect.
PB: Around 3.5 inches!
Coalfish
A hard-fighting relative of the Pollock.
Found all over the coastline in the UK. Not usually caught from the shore weighing more than around 3lbs.
They will take almost any bait you throw at them. They are great fun in the summer on light gear, lures and plastics.
PB: Around 2.5lb from Dunstanburgh Ledges
Cod
Probably the most common and most well-known fish in our waters.
You can find them everywhere at some point in the year. Fish up to 20lb are taken every year from the shore although the majority tend to be between 3-8lb. Cod from the boats are always bigger and more common.
Cod will take whatever you put on the hook if they are hungry (and they usually are) and they will also take lures, feathers, plastics etc.
Year on year I have caught more and more Cod. However my PB still stands at only about 3.5lb. This is one PB that I really want to break in 2014.
Common Eel
Eels are common in the rivers in the NE of England. They come in with the Flounder and are here for a good proportion of the year.
They are great fun on light gear and will take crab baits over worm baits. Best fished for with small hooks.
My PB stands at 2lb 6oz
Common Smoothhound
PB 11lb
Dab
Until recently I had not caught too many Dab. They are common from the piers around the North East but the bigger Dabs are found in Scotland and on the West Coast. My PB is about 3/4lb from Silloth Promenade.
Lesser Spotted Dogfish
A handful are caught in the NE at certain times of the year although I have never had one from down here. All of mine have been from Scotland.
Some call them a plague due to their sheer numbers on some marks once the sun goes down. You literally cannot get the bait down past them to get any other species. But they do give a bloody good fight when hooked and when there is nothing else to catch I don't mind them at all.
I have had them on fish baits and on worm baits.
My PB is around 3lb from Burrowhead in Scotland.
Flounder
The most commonly caught flatfish on these shores. They are found on all beaches and in all rivers and estuaries on this coast.
They will take crab, worm or fish baits depending on location. They will also take lures, plastics and feathers.
My PB is 2lb3oz from the Tyne many years ago.
Goldsinny Wrasse
This was a species I never expected to catch. I had never seen it before until I fished Drimnin in NW Scotland last autumn.
When looking at pictures I had taken once I had got home I noticed that the fish was not a Ballan Wrasse and then identified it as a Goldsinny Wrasse (identifiable by the dark spots on the top fin and by the tail)
Not sure generally what sort of baits these fish take but this fish took rag and I would bet they would take lug also.
This fish shown above is my PB....
Mackerel
Mackerel are such a common fish during the summer in the UK and Scotland I very rarely take pictures of the ones I catch.
They appear on the coast in such numbers and you can literally catch them on nearly anything. Feathers, baits, lures, spinners etc.
They are great fighters and so they are awesome to catch on light gear. They are commonly used as bait for other species.
My PB is close to 2lb
Plaice
Another species of Flatfish found in the UK waters. More common on the West coast than here on the East. Plaice grow much bigger than the Flounder and Dab and are good sport when you manage to hook one.
In my expeience they like ragworm baits, and beads and other attractors on your snood will also help improve your odds of catching one.
My PB isnt much more than maybe a pound. I aim to beat that in the next few months hopefully...
Pollock
Pollock are extremely hard-fighting fish. They are found all over the UK coast during the summer months. They can be caught using most baits and they will also take feathers, lures and plastics.
My PB is around 3lb.
Short-Spined Sea Scorpion
The SSSS are a small species of fish that you tend to catch occasionally on this coast. They are stunning to look at and can range in colour from bright red to black.
I have caught these on both rag and lug baits.
I have no idea what my PB is for this species.
Starry Smoothhound
A species of Shark that can be caught in a number of marks in the UK. I visited Skegness during July 2015 while on holiday and tried my luck for the Smoothhound on the beaches.
Fresh crab did the trick with some really good Starry to 14lb.
PB 14lb
Spurdog
A relative of the Dogfish family that is commonly caught from the Scottish shore line.
They like fish baits and can be caught in numbers from the Scottish Lochs.
I have not caught many of these although my PB was this boat-caught fish above which weighed around 14lb.
Three-Bearded Rockling
A small species of fish that are very common in UK waters.
I find that if all else fails and nothing else is catching then you can usually rely on a Rockling to save a blank.
Most of those caught are maybe 6-9 inches in length. The occasional one is a bit bigger.
The fish above is my current PB and I think it was not far from 1 pound in weight.
Thornback Ray
One of the most common of the Rays found in UK waters.
They like fish and sandeel baits and are best fished for with pennel set-ups on high breaking strain mono/wire hook lengths.
PB is currently 10lb from Silloth Promenade
Tub Gurnard
These are a strange but beautiful-looking fish that I only caught for the first time in 2013.
They are commonly caught from the boat but I have not seen one from the shore in the UK before I caught this one from a mark in Drimnin in Scotland.
Weever
A nasty little bugger if those poisonous black spined dorsal fin or the spines on the gills stab you. Symptoms include Severe pain and swelling so if you see one of these do not touch it! Just cut the snood and throw it back.
Whiting
A fish that can be caught most of the year round in the UK.
The bigger fish tend to be caught during the winter from the beaches when they will take worm or fish baits.
My current PB stands at around 2lb.
To Catch List!
Conger Eel
Mullet
Cuckoo Wrasse
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