Deal pier

Whats the crak with Deal pier?
I have fished it a few times and done ok on there and with the Bassboy in tow it makes for an easy to fish and get to venue and is fishable in most weathers which makes it a good spot for him to learn.
What I want to know is it a venue that produces decent fish on a regular basis?
Is it a place that needs to be "learnt"?
I would like to fish it more with bassboy but get fed up going home leadless and normally fishless as they are undersize, also what are the advantages of joining the club?
Sorry if I'm rambling but its hard to put into words..........what I am saying is "is it worth the effort and tackle loses?"
pm me if you dont want to post up "sensitve stuff"

The silence has answered my question

hi shaun m8 wel ive only fished deal 3 times now and as nicks reported in the catch reports it wernt great this time but we did have a few fish with minimal tackle losses. the reason is as jeff said you get snaggy areas on all piers the lower decking an the left hand side as you face out to sea is renowned for it at deal. this is the reason i fish where nick was between the second and third shelter on the top deck facing ramsgate (left side as you face out to sea ) as this area is the least snaggy. to be honest ive only fished this area on deal pier but you see things while there and hear reports too and try to stear clear of the snaggyest areas this is why i stick to the same place if i can. also you tend to get an idea of a place the more you fish it as you know. they are ment to be dragging the area again today i believe to try and clear a few of the snags but time will tell.

hope this helps m8

tight lines len

The dredging starts Monday & again Tuesday, so with any luck and it being a bigger boat this time it will be very posative so all areas will be fishable, then the lower deck will get more use.
I will post up some tips tomorrow.

As I have been fishing the pier since 1962, and have had lots of good and bad days on there heres a few thoughts.
The snags never used to be a problem before light lines and leaders where invented.
I am not a great fan of the top deck in fact in my younger days i campaigned in one of the clubs to get the lower deck included in the comps. I would say 8 times out of 10 the lower deck will beat the top at least that was the case when you got your gear back every cast. Having said that in the right conditions normally after a blow the top deck produces some great fishing.
During the Autumn over highwater I would say the beach in the groynes and at chequers are a better bet. but having said that it you like comfortable fishing with a bit of light then the top deck is for you- my main word of advise would be to fish into the tide that the south side in the high water run.
I would say the great plus with the pier is that it can fish well over low water, because the tide run is not so strong the lower deck comes into play as the snags are less of an issue.
As with all venues the pier fishes best in the dark or when the water is dirty- gin clear water makes the fishing very slow.
Dave

I would just like to reiterate what Dave has just said, as it is one of my pet rants. Deal Pier has not inherited anymore natural seabed anomalies than it had when it was built in the early 50s. Nobody has been dumping cars or shopping trolleys off the end. There are no increase in rocks or wrecks … it is purely down to anglers using thin line and thick leaders.

OK I hear you say ‘…use 10lb line for every ounce I cast, therefore if I use a 6oz weight then I must use a 60lb leader’. Correct, when you are pendulum casting or putting that much power into it without 60lb line it will snap. When you are on the beach this, at times, will be an advantage. However, on the pier pendulum casting is banned and just being on the pier gives you the advantage of distance.

Step up from 6500s to a 7000 size and use 26/28lb line strait through. It will get you off a lot of ‘snags’ and will do away with a leader. No matter how much they drag the pier in a couple of month’s time it will be just as bad. It is the skeins of thick line anchored on the seabed which causes the problems.

There … rant over. I’m now going on the pier to lose some gear. I will report back later.

Well the guys have beet me to it, i was going to say the same use 25lb + mono or braid and forget the shock leaders, this enables you more power to pull your gear free from snags.

Personally i feel they should make it a rule that gets checked regular, but somehow i don't think it will ever happen.

Thanks guys, I do prefer to fish the shelters on the straight bit and try to get on the Ramsgate side (must be phsycic)

As it was bassboys first trip I took him to the lower deck as even if theres not many fish around you can normally scratch down the side for a few little ones, he had a load of pout which kept him happy, I had a few doggies and got rid of 4 sets of tackle to the snags on the right corner (Dover side),hence the questions.

How much rope would be needed for a drop net for the straight bit of the pier?

Just got back from the Deal Angling Club’s Pirate’s comp. I won’t bore you with the results, however, if you caught a sizable fish you won a prize … and I won’t mention that I beat Davefish. Nice fun day and I didn’t lose any tackle.
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Looks like you had fun Dave, glad the weather held up for you.

Shaun i have about 20 mtrs on mine, so it does for the addy as well

thats a nice sole there dave and well done to all attended


tight lines len

Just to confirm that they started to drag the pier this morning. Looks like the same Ramsgate gill netting boat as last time.

Thanks for the update on the pier dragging, looks like you all had a good day at the comp,a nice sole too.
Any other decent fish come out in the compo?

No, the highlight of the day was the sole. A few whiting and an eel made up the rest of the catch. The winner had three whiting … and the afternoon was very slow. However, it was only a fun comp, or we would have possibly held it on better tides.

Its good to hear the kids getting stuck and having a go, hopefully some of them will stick at it

Is there any news on the pier drag, was it successful ?

Stix wrote:Is there any news on the pier drag, was it successful ?

Was it successful? Well, as I have said in previous posts, it never will be completely successful as in a couple of month’s time it will be the same as before. There are no extra snags, and it is the light line and leaders that are the problem.

The local press have now obtained from the ‘rights to know’ that the council have paid the gill netting boat £350 for them to do it. In this day and age of ‘cuts’ it might be a long time before it happens again.