HAM-ON-SEA From my experience I can tell you that the flounders generally feed in different intervals at Burnham and not necessarily all the way through the tide. It can seem really strange at times, you won’t catch any on the flooding tide, then catch a couple really quickly when the tide begins to ebb. Having said that, it could easily be the other way around and also can come down to casting different distances. Either way, perseverance is quite often one of the keys to success. Fish to your bites and vary your casting distances. It’s much easier to mix up your casting distances when fishing two rods. You also shouldn’t be afraid to fish a bait right under your rod tip at times, especially on the flooding tide and around high water.
BAIT AND TACKLE
Lugworm and ragworm are your best two baits when targeting the flounder. Straight ragworm can work, but a big lugworm bait is my personal favourite. Sometimes tipping off your lugworm baits with a couple of head hooked ragworms can also work well. It’s worth noting that small codling and whiting also love these two baits, so for that reason I always opt for multiple hooked rigs because it will increase your chances of hooking up with a flounder. Regular bait changes are also
Fish over 2lb are specimen
recommended, try and fish to your bites, but retrieving and changing baits in twenty-minute intervals is often a good benchmark.
TACTICS
You won’t go far wrong with a simple two or three hook flapper rig. It’s also worth taking some two and three hooked clipped rigs for casting out a bit further when needed. Personally, I like my hooks above and below the lead when fishing for flounder and will use loop rigs when I want to clip up my hooks for casting. When it comes to hook choice for flounder fishing here, my favourite is a size 2 Cox and Rawle Aberdeen match, coupled with a 25lb Asso Oblivion hook length. The sea is also coloured in this area of the Bristol Channel, so I wouldn’t worry about fishing putting fish off with heavier snood lines. If you’re wondering about snood lengths, I rarely fish shorter than 18in, going up to around 2ft in length. When casting further out on Burnham you will find a fair bit of tidal run at intervals. The tidal currents can be particularly strong on spring tides and you will need a 5- 7oz lead with grip wires in order to hold and fix your baits on the seabed. Waders are recommended for this beach as they can assist with casting and will help keep the mud off your clothes. This venue can sometimes get quite busy windsurfing and Kite boarding but you will generally find plenty of room to fish on the right-hand side of the beach.
FLOUNDER TRACKS
Keep an eye out on the sand for flounder tracks. Sometimes the flounders can leave an almost perfect impression of themselves (see left) in the sand and mud. This will obviously give you a good indication that there are flounders on the venue and may even give you a clue on where to cast when you are fishing for them ■
NEED TO KNOW GETTING THERE Leave the M5 at junction 22 and pick up the B1340. Continue straight over the roundabout and follow Love Lane up to the next roundabout. Turn left at the garage and join Oxford Street and then third right-hand turn onto College Street. Follow College Street up to the seafront and the Esplanade. TACKLE SHOPS ■ Thyers Fishing Tackle 1A Church St,Highbridge, TA9 3AE Tel number: 01278 786934
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