Pier Fishing
or Getting Into Deep Water
Without Really Trying

Piers are like magnets to sea anglers, and it's not difficult to see why. Pier fishing provides easy access to deep water, that you'd otherwise need a boat for - and no risk of getting seasick!

There are two types of pier:~

Those constructed on piles (or stilts), which may be of steel, concrete or wood.

Or walled structures, solidly founded directly on the seabed.

Tides around piers are often stronger than you'd experience at other shore venues.

This means that there'll be swirling currents and back eddies at various points around the structure, all of which will be carrying food particles of one kind or another.

Pier Fishing - A Communal Activity ...

Fishing on the end of the pier The End of the Pier - A Popular Spot!

Piers, together with jetties and breakwaters, are mini reefs as far as a fish is concerned.

Rich sources of both food and shelter, conditions which both fish and anglers will eagerly take advantage of - so don't expect to have it all to yourself!.

To Cast, or Not To Cast?

Most often than not there's no need to cast at all when pier fishing - the fish will be directly below your rod tip. Over time, the tide will have gouged out depressions around the pier piles which will have joined up into a gully running up each side of the pier along its whole length. It's here that most of the food particles end up, attracting crabs, sandeels, shrimps, pouting and other small baitfish - all of keen interest to the conger, bass, codling and flatfish that congregate to take advantage of this well-stocked larder.

Although the end of the pier will fish well at times, the odds are that you'll do much better fishing in the gully halfway along it.

Pier Fishing Tackle

This is not the place for light tackle, as not only is there a real chance of having to bully a conger away from the pier structure, you may well have to lift its full weight. Main lines between 20lb and 30lb are not excessive - mono, not braid, as you'll need a bit of stretch to absorb your fish's attempts to shake himself free.

Reels can be either multipliers or fixed spool types, but robust enough for the heavy work. In fact, although not often seen in the UK, the Australian Alvey drum reel is ideal for pier fishing.

Rods shouldn't be too short for two reasons:~

Rod leaning on pier rail

There needs to be enough of it projecting when leaning against the rail for bite detection, and

You'll need to pull a fish away from the structure, which is where his survival instincts will drive him.

Unlike the rod shown here, you should contrive some means of securing your rod to the pier railings, or it will slide off.

Many anglers happily use their standard 12ft beachcaster, but others will tell you that the additional power of a purpose built pier rod is a better option.

A Rig for Fishing the Gully

Whatever bait you use - and peeler crab, mussel and worm baits are likely to be best - the fish will expect to find it right at the bottom of the gully, and it would be wise not to disappoint them. The best rig is a modified paternoster. The weight should be attached on a rotten bottom, with a flowing trace attached (by a dropper loop or bead-trapped swivel) a short distance above it. This should be around 3ft to 6ft long and be no lighter than the main reel line.

Of course you may be aware of a mussel bed or a patch of broken ground within casting range of the pier, and believe that your best chances are represented there. If so, you might want to remember that when casting from a pier built on piles - which of course allows the water to flow through it - it's always best to fish from the side that's facing into the oncoming tide. This way the flow will help keep your terminal tackle on the sea bed, rather than tending to lift it off. This may mean using a spiked lead to prevent it trundling downtide, much like you would in uptide ledgering from a boat.

Most anglers will choose standard beachcasting tackle - a 12ft to 13ft rod, a fixed spool or multiplier reel loaded with 12lb to 15lb mono line, and a lead of 4oz to 6oz and fish a one or two hook rig hard on the seabed. In view of the number of people around, all should be using a shock leader.

And here's a tip ~ the shock leader should be longer than usual so that when you'll lifting a fish vertically up the pier, there's already a few turns of the heavier line on the reel.

Shock Leaders

When casting from a crowded pier, the last thing you need is a crack-off. You must use a shock leader to prevent this happening.

As a rule of thumb, the breaking strain of the shock leader (and it must always be mono for its stretch properties) should be ten times the weight of the lead (in ounces) in pounds, if you see what I mean. That is, for a 4oz weight use a 40lb shock leader, for a 6oz weight use a 60lb shock leader and so on.

Float Fishing

You won't need a shock leader for float fishing of course, but during the summer months this will be a popular pier fishing technique for mackerel, garfish and school bass in particular. Bait your hook with of natural bait, a small sliver cut from the flanks of fresh mackerel or a short strip of squid.

Baitcasting and spinning methods don't readily lend themselves to pier fishing - you're just too far above the water to present the lure in a convincing manner.

Local Knowledge

Piers are social places, not just for tourists but for anglers too. We fish together in close proximity, with good banter and light-hearted conversation the order of the day.

Methods, baits and tackle are discussed, ideas exchanged and local knowledge freely exchanged - all of which is invaluable for the angler keen to learn more about pier fishing...