Fishing Marks: Point West
Location and description
Point West is the name for the stretch of beach on the western side of the Point of Ayre, running south from the Point toward the boundry gate to the MNCT reserve over a mile away. It is approached by a rough track which goes around the back of the lighthouse. The track is sandy in places, and it is easy for cars to become stranded - you have been warned.
There is a large offroad parking area, which is popular with the many motorhomes on the Island. The aroma of burgers cooking on a nearby campfire can be very distracting while trying to fish !!!
The beach is made up of steeply shelving shingle, giving way to sand only a short cast away. The lateral tide run along this stretch of beach is awsome. It is only fishable in any degree of comfort for about 2 hours either side of high water. Outside of this window it is impossible to anchor a bait to the seabed.
There are a great number and variety of seabirds attracted to the area, and frequently while fishing you will be able to enjoy watching flocks of gannets and terns diving into shoals of sandeels and baitfish.
Species
There are a wide variety of species to be caught here, including dogfish, coalfish, mackerel, dabs, flounder, gurnards, whiting, codling, bass and of course tope.
Tackle required
This is a clean beach, with very few snags. A standard 12 or 13 foot beachcaster set up is all that is required for the bottom feeding species. Be sure to use a wire or heavy mono trace when the tope are around. Lots of fun can be had with a light spinning outfit in the summer months when it can be alive with mackerel.
Best fishing
Being a deep beach it does fish well for most of the year, but without doubt the highlight of the year is tope season. Between the end of May and the beginning of August you will find many anglers making an evening trip to Point West in search of tope. At this time there are large shoals of mackerel passing through as well, so fresh bait is easy to come by.
Personally, I have found this beach offers a better chance of a tope compared to other locations, and there is usually less floating weed compared to the beaches further south.
This is an ideal beach for a novice angler to learn on - the deep water means that distance casting isn't absolutely necessary to get amongst the fish.
It is also a popular beach for the angling clubs to hold competitions. Bags of dogfish in excess of 30lb are often required to earn a placing. Thankfully, most competitions are now held on a catch and release basis so the fish are returned unharmed.
