Talacre, Flintshire

Talacre is a clean and fairly flat beach with a deeper gully just beyond the low water line of spring tides. The beach fishes best the two hours either side of high water. A popular match venue in the winter, though it can also fish well during the early spring.

Care is needed on this venue as the tide can easily creep in behind you. It also pays to carry a compass and take a back reading for the high water line as this area can occasionally be prone to dense fog in calm conditions.

SPECIES
April, May and June can fish well for plaice, silver eels, school bass and flounder. Long casts can find a few thornbacks, though these have been less evident of late.

From late October through to February the main species are dabs which are caught in good numbers, with flounder, whiting and codling for a mixed bag.

BEST BAITS
Rag tipped with crab and squid is the best bait for the plaice, with the eels and bass preferring lug or crab. Thornbacks take mackerel and squid baits.

Stale black lug is the top bait for the winter dabs, but tipping with white or maddie rag can get a bigger bag of flounder. Tip lug or rag with mackerel or sandeel to sort out the better whiting, with any codling falling to black lug tipped with a couple of blow, or frozen crab.

TACKLE
Distance can be an advantage here so choose a 5-6oz beachcaster, 6500 type multiplier, 15lb line and a 60lb shock leader. Leads need to be 5oz Breakaway's, though a lead left to wander with the tide can be more effective for the flounder.

The best all round rig is a three hook flapper with size 2 Aberdeen hooks. For extra range a two-hook clipped up is good, though good whiting bags can be taken on a Wishbone rig, which is also good for the spring plaice.

Thornbacks and long range codling are best targeted with a one-hook clipped down rig and 3/0 pennel.

GETTING THERE
Take the A548 through Mostyn. Talacre is signposted on the right hand side. Go past the caravan site and bear left. There is plenty of parking above the beach at the end. It's roughly a 10 minute walk to the low water line.