THE ULTIMATE ANGLING BUCKET LIST

As an NRA officer, and later an EA Environment Officer, I worked on the Mersey in those early years,
and actually took the first ever compliance sample from the newly commissioned Sandon primary
treatment facility, thereby playing my part in the running sewer to running salmon revival of the River
Mersey, which amazingly took a mere thirteen years.
I mention this because at the same time as the big cod were showing along the Fylde Coast, Balcary
and in South Wales, anglers were also catching some very good fish on occasions from Seaforth rocks
at the Mersey entrance. But unfortunately, as with the Fylde Coast fish, that too tailed off for a while.
Later, when cod numbers did eventually start to come back, returning fish were faced with a very much
cleaner River Mersey than previously to spread up in to, sometimes as much as several miles inland to
the Britannia Pub and beyond, making the Mersey one of the best and certainly most sheltered winter
cod fisheries in the country.
On the downside, the ferocity of the river flow on all but the smallest of tides also makes it one of the
toughest boat venues I have fished. Not so bad on tides up to around 8.2 metres with the right gear, plus
a knowledge of how to go about it. But sole destroying at times for first time enthusiasts, as I've
witnessed on more than an odd occasion, if any of those elements are even slightly out of kilter.
Beach launching over at New Brighton
isn't that great either. Not so much for
the risk of getting bogged in with the
trailer or towing vehicle wheels,
though that can happen. More because
of New Brighton's position at the
southern entrance to the Mersey
leaving it so exposed, while up-river
where the fish are it can be flat calm
and perfectly fishable, if only you
could get to it.
There are better and more sheltered
slipways all along the Wirrall side of
the river, which for whatever reason,
the local authorities won't allow to be
used, preferring to let small boat
anglers, including local rate payers,
Launching New Brighton on the Mersey
struggle and put both their outfits and
themselves at risk, despite the fact that it would cost nothing to offer the use of these facilities as they
are already built.
The charter boats on the other hand, which can take more weather anyway, start off up river at the
marina, so never have to go down to the exposed entrance if they don't want to.
I once fished a trip aboard Tony Parry's 'Jensen II' in fifty seven knots of wind which equates to force
eleven on the Beaufort's scale, and there was hardly a ripple over on the sheltered side.
It's the strength of the run that is the main Mersey bug-bare. Fortunately, when the Fylde Coast was
producing its better cod, we would fish there on the big tide weekends and the Mersey on the smaller
tides, which worked out quite well.
As both are roughly the same depth and fish best on baits pinned to the bottom in coloured water
conditions, you would think that the tactics would be inter-changeable. We thought that ourselves. But
it quickly became apparent that modifications were going to be required.
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