Website Last Updated 21/February/2012
Deal Pier Weekly Fishing Report
Places & Events to Visit in Deal
Deal Sea Fishing
Now just into the year 2012 and the 'Cod Season' has been very poor up to now, the only place to show any decent fish has been Dungeness and of course with the news of fish being caught the place has been rammed on most good tides. It's a pity because the last couple of years have been really bad on that score, great if you love Whiting, they must be a few fathoms deep and stretch out to the 3 mile mark going by the reports from around the UK, never known anything like it. The pier at Deal is now only open all night on a Saturday and until 7.30pm on all other nights.
Deal sea fishing is a real pleasure as Deal is such a picturesque town, situated on the Kent coast. Some very good fish are taken from the Deal area whether it be summer or winter. There are plenty of facilities to cater for most anglers needs and you can fish from the beach or the local pier. The pier can get busy at weekends and especially over the summer months when the kiddies are off school, so it is often less stressful to fish the beaches either side of the pier. Don't make the mistake that you need to cast a long way if fishing the beaches, you don't. If you use two rods like most anglers tend to do off the beaches, you can use one at distance and the other very close in to determine where the better fishing is. You will often find the fish close in, sometimes no more than ten to twenty yards out and especially if it is after dark.
Deal town motto is "ADJUVATE ADVENAS" (Befriend the Stranger). This sums up the atmosphere of this lovely town established from a small fishing village that grew into an important port as early as the 13th century. The history of Deal goes back as far as Julius Caesar, who is said to have landed on the Deal coast in 55BC and 54BC and is mentioned in the Doomsday Book when it was just a small fishing village.
Deal pier which to me is one of the main features of the town, is owned by Dover District Council and has had international recognition as an angling venue and was named Pier of the Year 2008. The pier boasts first class toilets, a fishing tackle shop at the entrance to the pier, shelters and of course the newly refurbished cafe. It is the perfect place to do a bit of sea fishing from as it has such easy access and all the facilities you would need for a good day or nights sea fishing. The pier used to be open all night on a Friday and a Saturday throughout the year, but unforunately due to financial cut-backs from the start of September the pier will only stay open all night on a Saturday, whereas other days it is open until 10pm.
Fred Leach the new owner of the tackle shop at the entrance to the pier, (how easy do you want it?), actually sponsors the 'Heaviest Fish of the Month' competition run on Deal pier which adds a bit of interest for the anglers each month. Steve Allmark was the owner of the tackle shop for 22 years before moving on to pasture new on July 1st 2011. Steve incidentally, is one of the top anglers in the country having won the World Shore Championship back in 2004.
The pier makes Deal sea fishing a pleasure, plenty of room and having two decks to fish on gives you a lot of scope when deciding where about's to fish from.
Deal sea fishing can be very productive all along the beach which is very steep, fish can be caught at all stages of the tide. Towards the north end of the beach just past Deal Angling Club there are some groins which do give a bit of shelter from cross winds, a good place to try a bit of sea fishing. At the George Thornley Memorial Meet in May, the winning heaviest fish, a Smoothhound weighing over 6lb was landed from there. Incidentally the Memorial Meet raised over £2000 for a couple of charities.
In the summer, bass, rays, smoothhounds, dabs, dogfish, pouting and mackerel can be expected to be caught. Winter produces the usual species such as codling to a good size, whiting, 'doggies', and still the occasional bass, along with dabs and other 'flatties'. This winter season has been like the majority of places around the country, very short of cod, for whatever reason they just haven't shown in numbers as you would have expected.
If you fancy a longer visit than just one day, I always stay over, well that way you get two days fishing in, there is plenty of accommodation with B&B's, hotels etc to choose from such as the Malvern guest house or the By the Beach. A great many are situated overlooking the beach and sea front so you don't have to travel far to cast a line if you don't want to!
Deal has its own Angling Club based along the sea front heading north away from the pier. It was formed in 1919 and has promoted Deal sea fishing ever since. There is another fishing club maybe not as well known but just as popular and that is the Deal &Walmer Angling Association.
We have a section about disabled angling with just some of the facilities and easy access points around the south east coast but other parts of the country are included also.
Here you can find a good review of Samphire Hoe and the Kent Sea Fishing Forum 'birthday bash' held there on the 11th June 2011.
There are numerous Charter Boats in the area to give you a good days sea fishing if you fancy going afloat. Deal is within a short distance of ports like those of Dover, Folkstone and Ramsgate to name a few. If you require a room for a stop over then take a look through our accommodation page. You could possibly book a room and a charter boat at the same time, go on, spoil yourself, really enjoy your Deal sea fishing!
Petition Against The CLOSURE of our Coastguard Co-ordination Centres - Please Read!
