[Oldbones]

I haven't been fishing for a bit, moved house and have had lots to do. Bad weather and work and a lack of daylight has not helped.
Still I am getting around to it and today went searching for a place to fish that I can walk to from the house.
I was not out long and I did find what I think would be a good place to start.

I can get down there but I found a seal colony very close to where I would fish from, lots of pups as well in the colony.
would it be unsafe if I was to get too close to them. Am I wasting my time trying to catch if the place is full of seals.
One part of me says that a food source must be abundance for the colony to exist.

I would like any advise on the matter about seals and the potential danger they may present.

 

[SiDfish]

If you're not careful you'll be accused of disturbing the seals. Best to leave them alone. On the shore or boat one seal=no catch, so what will a hundred do?

 

[Pralla]

The general rule around Cornwall seal colonies is that if they can see you, then you are disturbing them and you could cause them to panic. I'd look for somewhere else, won't be much to catch around a colony that size anyhow.

 

[Had1lost2]

Different species will come in after dark but daytime is probably going to be dead.

 

[Oldbones]

I was thinking along these lines of thought, too close for them and me, but there is some good coves and beaches not to far away which have good reports on catches.
I watch Slippy Limpets and think I could do a bit of what he is doing, but not the real serious rock climbing part as I am now on the wrong side of sixty.
I will keep searching and see what I can find.
Will the seal colony be there all the time or is it a seasonal thing.

 

[tournamag]

I was thinking along these lines of thought, too close for them and me, but there is some good coves and beaches not to far away which have good reports on catches.
I watch Slippy Limpets and think I could do a bit of what he is doing, but not the real serious rock climbing part as I am now on the wrong side of sixty.
I will keep searching and see what I can find.
Will the seal colony be there all the time or is it a seasonal thing.

throw a Thunder flash down there soon shifts them!

 

[Oldbones]

I have had some advise on fishing, but that's the first time I have been told that one. I would not do it anyway.
I have been told about a place close to me where there are or may be bass and mullet so you never know what I will manage.
Just have to work at it and keep trying.
The morning explore was nice and I felt great at the end of it all. And I saw some nice sites not too far away from my house.
Loads of deer tracks, owl droppings and of course all these seals, there were a lot more that what is in the pics, I also found a badger set yesterday on another explore I did.
Think I will start carrying my camera again.

 

[The0neThatG0tAway]

This happened to me the other day, walked an hour to get to the mark, to find out I couldn't fish it...

As already mentioned, if seals can see you, you're likely disturbing them so I turned around and headed off to another mark. The one thing I don't really understand though is about productivity when seals are around in numbers. It makes sense that if there's loads of seals eating like 70lbs of fish a day, then the local fish populations are going to decrease, but on the other hand, surely if there's a lot of seals occupying a smallish area it means there's a lot of fish otherwise they wouldn't survive and be that numerous?

 

[fishlesswonder]

Given they're the experts it might be worth observing the times they go hunting for fish. They'll know when the fish show up.

 

[Oldbones]

Given they're the experts it might be worth observing the times they go hunting for fish. They'll know when the fish show up.

I was in the area for at least an hour, if they saw me they did not appear to care, maybe I should watch them and see what happens.
I have seen videos of people catching mackerel, while seals chase after the hooked fish, so they were catching while seals were around. Vey close to where I do fish.
I have seen videos of people bass fishing and seals show up, the fisher throws a stone at the seal, and he caught fish.
Is it a myth or reality if seals are around there are no fish, I have seen dolphins as well and caught fish.
So I would thing at all times on the east coat you would be pretty close to a seal whether you could see it or not.

 

[fman]

that many seals about you would be lucky to land any fish that you hooked. I fish the north coast of Scotland and there are miles of great rock marks that nobody fishes because of the number of seals. I have seen many bait rods lost too as the seals will take big baits and hooked fish before the angler can get to the rod. I f you must fish, tie your rod onto a rock.

 

[Oldbones]

that many seals about you would be lucky to land any fish that you hooked. I fish the north coast of Scotland and there are miles of great rock marks that nobody fishes because of the number of seals. I have seen many bait rods lost too as the seals will take big baits and hooked fish before the angler can get to the rod. I f you must fish, tie your rod onto a rock.

I am in the Northeast of Scotland, and I will be looking at some new marks very very soon.

 

[dabcatcher]

We have a large seal colony locally in our river estuary. Luckily the areas that they haul out in numbers is in areas that we cant get to or dont fish.
Seals in your area doesnt always mean you will blank. While we are lure fishing they will come up close in darkness to see what your doing. Usually pups. At times ive been struggling to get bites then a seal turns up just off shore and we get bites. The seals push the fish closer in.
People always complain when the seals turn up around the piers. But.... they only turn up when theres fish about. its just a case of getting them in before he gets them

 

[Oldbones]

Did a wee bit more exploring today, found this place, thousands of birds and I did see a couple of seals but it looked nice. I can get down to the water edge with a wee bit of effort so I think I will give it a try soon.
With all the birds I saw I could only imagine that there is an abundance of food, I saw some cormorants fishing close by as well.

 

[Norm B]

I have dived near seals and they are curious. They will come very close and put their nose on your face mask and tug at your fins with their teeth. I did hear of a gundog being seriously injured when it went to retrieve a shot duck, it's owner had to shoot it to put it out of it's misery. Some injured/rescued ones have been relocated into Portsmouth Harbour so I'd imaging the fish population will be reduced when they breed.

 

[The0neThatG0tAway]

Did a wee bit more exploring today, found this place, thousands of birds and I did see a couple of seals but it looked nice. I can get down to the water edge with a wee bit of effort so I think I will give it a try soon.
With all the birds I saw I could only imagine that there is an abundance of food, I saw some cormorants fishing close by as well.
View attachment 1384388

If there's some good depth there it looks fishy!

 

[SiDfish]

We get seals taking pollack as we're playing them on the boat. You end up playing a seal for a few minutes till it chews off the pollack. We change marks as they'll keep on letting us catch their dinner ad infinitum

 

[Ian Roper]

I was in the area for at least an hour, if they saw me they did not appear to care, maybe I should watch them and see what happens.
I have seen videos of people catching mackerel, while seals chase after the hooked fish, so they were catching while seals were around. Vey close to where I do fish.
I have seen videos of people bass fishing and seals show up, the fisher throws a stone at the seal, and he caught fish.
Is it a myth or reality if seals are around there are no fish, I have seen dolphins as well and caught fish.
So I would thing at all times on the east coat you would be pretty close to a seal whether you could see it or not.

Hi there used to be an old bull seal around Port Gaverne in Cornwall, until one of the commercial guys shot it according to rumour, he was only there when the Mackerel were about and he would sit off shore until you loaded up a string of feathers with Mackerel then come tearing in and pluck every one of them off the hooks, some days he would have all of them. Other than that a seal had a 7 or 8lb Bass off my hook at my feet at Pentire Head many years ago, I'm not a fan. Fishing around Penlee and Cawsands you get shadowed by seals a lot and whilst normally good fishing I have never caught when they are about, same as Thurlestone. If I see a seal I usually put my rod out of sight and wait for them to move along.

 

[Malks]

I think it is a myth that seals are "disturbed" by humans. I fish from a kayak and they appear close by, approximately 20-50m, and are not disturbed by me unless I paddle close to them. I've even had one follow me as I had fish in my tank well.
Yes they will take flight if you go too close to them particularly with pups but I'm not convinced that if they can see you, you are disturbing them.

 

[snakey1]

I think it is a myth that seals are "disturbed" by humans. I fish from a kayak and they appear close by, approximately 20-50m, and are not disturbed by me unless I paddle close to them. I've even had one follow me as I had fish in my tank well.
Yes they will take flight if you go too close to them particularly with pups but I'm not convinced that if they can see you, you are disturbing them.

yup they seem more curious than anything, I've had them pop up right next to the kayak making me jump before buggering off again after a quick nose around.