David Mitchell heads to Somerset for a session fishing the beaches of a popular seaside resort down on its luck
Poor old Burnham-on-Sea: third from bottom on the 2023 ‘Which?’ list of the UK’s best and worst seaside towns (only narrowly beating Skegness in bottom spot). While the Somerset town’s reputation might be being dragged through the proverbial mud it’s the real mud of the upper reaches of the Bristol Channel where those looking for some reliable and easy fishing can still be handsomely rewarded. To hell with Which? and its customer ratings – clearly none of them were sea anglers!
On a bright spring morning in late May we arrived at Bridgewater Bay, halfway between Burnham-on-Sea and the village of Berrow to the north with the plan to fish the incoming tide. The view over the bay, into which pours the River Parrett, takes in Hinkley Point Power station to the south-west and over the Bristol Channel, Cardiff to the north.
The intake of cooling water for the power station at Hinkley Point is a cause of great concern for anglers in Bridgewater Bay due to the impact on local fish populations: assessments of the impact of the Hinckley Point C show the intake of marine life, including fish, into the cooling system will be over 1.7 billion individuals a year. How that will impact populations of marine and migratory fish is unknown but for the time being the importance of a national infrastructure project seems to be trumping concerns for the local marine fish and wildlife populations.
BRIDGEWATER BAY
Low tide meant navigating the claggy mud that this part of the coast is known for; the sort that sucks in your boots and won’t let them go! It’s also the sort of mud that sticks to everything and combined with the corrosive properties of sea water can eat your tackle! Washing down everything down after fishing with plenty of freshwater is essential.
Shifting sands are always changing the underwater topography here but a sandbank offshore helps to funnel fish into a channel the conditions are just right. With a steady flow of bites we fished the tide up before calling it a day with around 12 fish between us and the best fish a conger of about 8lb.
Easy fishing might not be what experienced anglers are looking for if they want more of a challenge; however, Burnham offers the running along the shoreline. Standard beachcasting tackle is all that’s required and a gentle overhead lob can immediately put you in range of the fish. With the wind at our backs the conditions were perfect.
We were soon targeting thornbacks and congers with fish and squid baits using dongle rigs and circle hooks. The first thor
