Fishing Marks: Ballure
Location and description
Ballure is the name of the shallow sandy beach running south of the Queens Pier in Ramsey. It is easily accessible, with plenty of parking available at either the base of the Queens Pier or on Ballure Promenade.
The beach is flat and sandy with some small sandbanks and gullies. A small stream runs down the beach about half way along, an area known as the arches, and there is a small area of rough ground in front of the appartments on the promenade.
Species
Catches here are predominantly made up of coalfish, whiting and dogfish. Rockling and flounder can also be caught and the odd bass also turns up, more especially during the late autumn and early winter.
Mullet can also be seen cruising the area on calm days during the summer months.
Tackle required
A standard beachcasting rod will cover all situations. The beach is clean, so tackle losses are unlikely. Distance is not an absolute necessity, with plenty of fish being caught close in, so a lighter 2-4oz outfit can be more sporting.
Sandeel and mackerel baits are the best bet for doggies and can also tempt the better sized whiting, but lugworm, razorfish and mussels are all easily collectable from the area, so it makes sense to use these for the majority of species.
Best fishing
Ballure fishes best during the late autumn and early winter, with night tides being by far the best. It offers relative shelter from all but the strongest of South Westerly winds, so can be a useful mark to bear in mind. The beach is very flat, so comfortable fishing opportunities are limited to about 90 minutes either side of low or high water. Outside of this window the tide floods and ebbs at an alarming speed, especially on bigger tides.
At low water the area close to, and just beyond, the stream is popular. At high water the best option is to cast to the small patch of rough ground that you can see in front of the promenade appartments.
