garys travels 2

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FeaturePYE’S PROGRESS – PART THREE

GARY’S TRAVELSThis month’s instalment saw Gary Pye have a crack at Velva Liquids Quay, South Shields, where he bagged several species. Terry Patterson was there to record all the action.

My phone rang and it was Gary. He said: “Ready for the next challenge trip Terry?” Gary

Pye boldly stated to Barney Wright, the editor of Total Sea Fishing, that he would catch fi sh from many different venues, every time. I, Terry Patterson, would go with him to record his catches and take photographs of them. So far we have been to North Yorkshire and the southwest of Scotland and Gary has fulfi lled the challenge each time.

“So where are we off to this time?” I asked. “South Shields,” he replied.

We arranged to meet at 5.30pm on The Walkway, which used to be known as Velva Liquids Quay, due to a factory of the same name, which has since

been replaced by a housing complex. The Walkway has been spruced up and is now a promenade along the riverbank. It is perhaps only a couple of hundred yards from the mouth of the Tyne, on the south side. It is a popular venue because, being near the mouth of the river, there is considerable tidal movement.

About 50 yards out from The Walkway is a series of buoys – these are boat moorings. It is necessary to cast well beyond them because otherwise the ropes securing them will snag the lines. Also, by casting further out the bait will land in the main channel, which is deeper, has a better tidal fl ow and is where the bigger fi sh will be.

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THE SESSION

Gary had decided to make it an evening trip, but I arrived earlier than the arranged time because I

wanted to photograph the venue before it got dark. Gary arrived on the dot at 5.30pm and soon had a line in the water.

He started the session in fading light and on the fi rst few casts he reeled in a number of small coleys, a dab and some undersized whiting.

There were quite a few people fi shing that evening, mostly dads and lads. A few of them were catching but only very small stuff.

Gary soon had an admiring audience of kids and it is proof of his good nature that he answered all their questions patiently. They were most impressed by his casting and bait, but most of all when he began to reel in sizeable fi sh!

It is worth noting that The Walkway

has lighting every few yards along its length, so it is never completely dark. But, despite this, one piece of equipment that is crucial, even in these circumstances, is a good-quality headlamp. Wearing one of these leaves the hands free to deal with end tackle, baiting up and unhooking. Gary uses the latest lamp on the market, a Tiga SL 8.5. It is considerably lighter than its predecessor, the SL10, and the head harness for the lamp is more streamlined. It is defi nitely worth putting on your Christmas list.

As usual, Gary had done his homework, and we got the best of the tide, because most of the good fi sh arrive on the fl ood. They follow the tide in to mop up the food that is disturbed by the strong current fl owing up the river.

While waiting between bites, we chatted about the massive changes

there have been on the River Tyne. Regeneration and the ‘tidying up’ of the riverbanks have meant that many marks have been lost to angling for good. The Walkway is one of the few exceptions. Angling is permitted here and it is up to all anglers to keep the surroundings litter free, and to certainly not leave line or hooks with old bait on them lying about because dogs that are exercised on The Walkway will be attracted to them. The other safety factor that should be taken into consideration when fi shing a mark like this is to exercise careful casting. Always warn people when you’re about to cast and look out for the non-anglers walking in the vicinity. You and other anglers will know what is involved, but people who don’t fi sh won’t. It would be a shame if facilities like this were lost to angling because of accidents that could be avoided.

Before light falls, Gary bags up on

small fi sh.

Using his thumb and forefi nger, Gary ‘feels’ for bites before striking.




During the ebb, fi shing can be made more diffi cult due to debris such as loose weed, although on bigger tides and after periods of heavy rain, this is added to with leaves and branches fl oating downriver.

As it got darker the bites from the little fi sh reduced. “I’ll be into the codling now!” Gary remarked and, sure enough, the next fi sh was a codling of about 1½lb. This was kept because it had been deeply hooked. Following this, Gary caught four small codling of about 1lb each, which were returned unharmed. Then he got a double-shot of codling weighing 2½lb and 1½lb, and as these were of an eatable size we kept them.

It was now top tide and the fl ow had eased. The bites became scarcer and Gary was only catching small coleys. He knew that fi shing the fi rst of the ebb at this mark would not yield anything

GARY’S BAITOn this trip Gary used his favourite bait of fresh peeler crab. He also made crab-and-king-rag cocktails. At this mark, using fi sh baits would be in order, especially to target whiting, although Gary tends not to use it because it doesn’t stand up to long casting very well.On every cast Gary strips away every scrap of old bait and starts again with fresh. He uses two large rag threaded up the snood and two halves of a cut crab. The reason for cutting the crab in half is to allow all the juices to escape to attract the fi sh. He then ties the bait on with fi ne bait elastic, ensuring that there are no ends of elastic protruding.

GARY’S TACKLEThe use of two rods to cast the baits at varying distances is extremely useful at a mark like this. Using two rods in a match would not be allowed, but alternating casting distance is a recognised match tactic. Once the distance of the fi sh has been established, they can be targeted more effi ciently. When casting at a mark like this when the tide is fl ooding, it is useful to cast slightly uptide and allow the tide to move the bait. Fish prefer to strike at a moving target.At the fi rst signs of the rod tip moving, Gary picks up his rod and holds the line between his fi ngers for extra sensitivity. As soon as he feels another bite he will then strike into the fi sh and have a better chance of hooking and landing it. The tension of the tide pulling on the line means that it is important that you can feel what the fi sh is doing, so that an effective strike is made and the fi sh is well hooked – this way there is less chance of losing fi sh.

Gary is quite pleased with this pair!

As night falls, the codling begin to show.

These fi sh are all ‘keepers’, and Terry Patterson is chuffed because Gary gives them to him for his tea!


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GARY’S SECRETSGary used two rods during this session. His favourite is the Total Tournament rod made by Century Composites, which he uses to cast very long distances. At 14 feet he likes its power, but the tip is still sensitive enough to register the smallest of bites. The other rod is also made by Century and is a 15ft Carbon Metal Blackbird, which is basically a 6oz match rod.Both rods were matched with Penn 525 Mag Xtra multiplier reels. They have a 6.1 retrieve so that each fi sh is brought in quickly. They also have a large capacity for long-distance casting and excellent gearing.The reel on the TTR was fi lled with 15lb Sufi x Tritanium line to allow for maximum distance. On the other was 20lb Ultima F1, which is a black line with a diameter of 0.38mm, and this is for low visibility. Gary told me that this line, which is very popular up north and used a lot for rock fi shing, has the nickname ‘Northern Rock’ line.On both rods he had what he calls a two-hook fl apper. These are not the traditional two-hook fl appers as they incorporate bait clips and also rotten bottoms. The bodies are made up of 80lb Sufi x Superior mono leader line, and the hooklengths are 40lb Sufi x Invisiline. The snoods are secured to the body with Berkley swivels, with an 8mm Lumi bead on each side of the swivel. Gary was using 3/0 Gamakatsu worm Baitholder hooks because they offer excellent hooking,

strength and reliability. Just above the hooks he uses neoprene bait stops to prevent the bait from slipping up the snood during the cast. Finally, he was using his own-design 6oz breakout-type sinkers, which have a loop to use as bait clips.Rather than use a knife to cut up crabs and fi sh for bait, Gary uses a pair of large, chunky scissors, because they are very strong and do the job quickly and cleanly.

productive and, as it was getting late, we decided to call it a day.

We went our separate ways with Gary already planning the next challenge. I may be wrong, but I suspect Gary might want to fi sh the Durham Colliery beaches next!

CONCLUSIONAlthough the Tyne fi shes well during daylight hours, Gary knew that by fi shing in darkness he would do a lot better, perhaps even doubling his catch. As it was he had three good-sized codling, along with four that were undersize. He also caught numerous small coleys and whiting, so many that I lost count, and last but by no means least an 8oz dab. Again, this wasn’t bad for a short session. Many pleasure anglers pack in when it gets dark – they don’t know what they’re missing.

Once again Gary had had a successful challenge. A group of young lads and some of their dads learnt a lot by asking Gary questions and watching him in action.

I am certainly looking forward to our next trip. By the way, the codling were kindly donated to me by Gary and made a lovely fi sh supper the next night.

A fi ne dab adds to the species count.

Gary always uses the best possible bait, and peeler crab is one of his top choices.

Gary uses his own custom leads,

which he rejigs to suit the conditions

and venue.

A rag-and-crab cocktail is ready for casting out.

Gary is certain that it will

produce the goods!

Gary insists on using the best-

quality lines.




TRACESLearn to make your own traces. By doing this you will be able to adapt them for different venues. For example, Gary used a two-hook fl apper that he had adapted with bait clips and a rotten bottom to suit the area.

REBAITINGAlways use fresh bait when rebaiting. Strip the hook bare of old bait before applying the fresh. Then watch your catch rate rise.

HEADLAMPSTry to invest in a decent headlamp. You will be much more effi cient and safer if you can see what you’re doing. The modern headlamp has a light battery pack, so is not such a slog to carry as the old miner’s headlight!

NIGHT FISHINGA lot of species are nocturnal feeders. Use this to your advantage, especially at this time of year when it gets dark early. You can have a good session and still get home before midnight.

ROD RESTWhen fi shing on railed promenades and piers, Gary uses bendy hair curlers as rod tests. These are long, plastic-covered wires, which he winds around the rail to leave a ‘V’ shape to rest the rod in. They are strong, and yet the outer coating is soft to protect the rod from being scratched and damaged by the rails. They are also very cheap. Gary buys them from the Pound Shop. TWO RODS

Gary used two rods for most of the session. The theory behind this was that he would distance cast with his Tournament rod and cast closer in with the other. This will help you to locate the fi sh more quickly.


garys travels 2

Documents

gary pye

good fi sh

bigger fi sh

sizeable fi sh

pyes progress part1

pyes progress part2

arranged time

people fi shing