Coastal marks - Seaham
Take a look at some of our fishing snaps, feel free to ask questions or leave comments.
A little more history..
Located on the Durham Coast, Seaham is situated 13 miles east of Durham. The town grew from the late 19th century as a result of its harbour and coal mine investments.
Seaham's coast has been in a constant state of change over the past 100 years with the additions of piers, docks, sea defences and the coal mining industry. Commercial over fishing has made a noticeable difference to stock levels with fewer and fewer fish being caught in sporting events. With the mines closing the water quality and beaches have improved greatly leading to a more hospitable environment.
The Spiles
Seaham spiles tends to be quite a rocky mark but very easy to fish from due to its paved area, best fished high tide up especially if you want your fishing tackle back. During the open hours of the Marina toilets and food are available. Some of the typical species can be caught such as Codling, Whiting, Coalies, Rockling and Bull heads. During the summer Maceral, lance, Pollock, sand eels can be added to the list.
Seaham Pier
Seaham pier is a great spot with various ground types, to gain access to the pier you do need to be a member of Seaham Angling Club and have a key to the gate. With there being no shelter apart from the side of the lighthouse it can be tough in strong winds and its always worth keeping an eye on the water as it can be very dangerous. A wide range of species can be caught here and if you fish on a sunny day the water reflection can have you taking home a decent tan.
Chemical beach
‘Watson, Kipling and Co.’s Chemical Works’ was built in 1863 and was successful trading in soda crystals and magnesia.
The beach nearby was given the name the Chemical beach. Over the years there has been reports of large fish especially in the winter months.
The main way down can be quite tricky as it involves walking a mud track with an almost sheer drop, it can be daunting at fists but with a little time should be manageable.
The blast beach
The blast beach was once home to one of the largest mining facility's in Seaham. It was estimated around 2.5 million tones of colliery waste was dumped there each year. Since the decline of the pits the coast has been slowly returning back to the way it was.
In recent years many species have been caught here, some rather large Cod were said to roam with the occasional one pulled in every now and then.
Feather bed rock
The Feather bed rock has been slowly eroded by the crashing waves and now is a mere shadow of its former self. It now has become a place of exploration for the beach walkers and a fishing spot in calmer weather with people often opting to fish the sea defences when its a little rougher. The rock and defences can be accessed by both the new and old beaches or via a paved area down from Denehouse road.
Chemical beach shelf
This fishing mark is located at the end of the Chemical beach and has limited access. Coastal erosion has warn away the cliff underneath creating a platform. During rough seas this mark offered the height needed to fish along with some rest from the winds, the climb down to the platform is quite dangerous if you have never fished it as any shelf marks could collapse.
Red Acre beach
Seaham old beach is a relatively overlooked fishing spot, once home to a beach railway and a place for boats to shelter. Now the beach is a mixture of rock and sand with fish upto 3lb being caught and stories of much larger fish coming gracing hooks. Its fairly easy to get to as there's a concrete ramp with a number of steps near the bottom.
New beach
Seaham new beach is a mark offering varied ground and quite a lot of it. The beach is around half a mile long connecting to the hall beach and Rhyope beach. There are varies ways to reach the promenade in the form of ramps, steps and also a connecting road. This beach is fished both summer and winter with Cod, Bass, Mackerel, Whiting, Coalies and many more species being caught here.