King Edwards Bay, Tyne & Wear

SPECIES
Summer time sees bass and freshwater eels, but it's mainly a winter venue for cod, coalfish, dabs and flounder.

BAITS
The bass take peeler crab or ragworm, as will the eels. In winter the top bait is black lug tipped with blow lug, but tip with crab, mussel or razorfish. Just mussel works well in a coloured sea.

TACKLE & TACTICS
The ground is made up of mainly clean sand between rock scars. It pays to fish as close to the rock scars as you can for the cod, but the flatfish are caught from the mid section of the sand beach. It fishes best during the spring tides, especially during a southerly sea swell with present on both ebb and flood. It can produce daylight fish, but is best fished at night.

Over the sand you can get away with a Penn 525 Mag loaded with 18 to 20lb line and a 60lb shock leader matched to a long range 5-6oz beachcaster. Top rig for the flatties and coalies is a three-hook flapper with size 2 Kamasan Aberdeen hooks, but also try a one up/one down as this can out fish the flapper in calmer seas.

For the cod close to and in amongst the rocks choose a bigger 7000 sized reel and up the line strength to 25lbs. A pulley rig made from 60lb mono ending with either a single Viking 4/0, or rig two Viking 4/0's pennel style works best. Carry both 5 and 6oz grip leads as there is quite a tide run on the bigger tides.

LOCATION
The mark is situated on the A1058 between Newcastle and Tynemouth. At the Broadway Pub Roundabout go straight on for the seafront and turn south past the Grand Hotel. There is roadside parking near to Percy Gardens. Cross the road and access the beach down the steps.