Fishing around the Suffolk Coastline

As well as music there is also the need to take time away and to relax from it. At some stage we all need that little bit of time to recharge our batteries and I find having a hobby like fishing is just what I need.

The Suffolk Coastline offers many a good fishing spot with some more favourable than others for catching and I tend to fish between the Port of Felixstowe and Dunwich.

When we have normal fishing weather not to much rain or wind I will use my brolly of course when the weather is more threatening I tend to use my “Buddy” rather than the umbrella as these shelters are really excellent of the beach.

A popular spot to fish is “Manor Terrace” Felixstowe. This spot is very accessible and my car was parked only 30 yds behind the wall, this means you can carry your gear in small quantities rather than lugging it all at once, something now I am unable to do because of my injuries received when serving in the military. Other places that are easily accessible where you don’t have to carry your gear too far are, Bawdsey, Felixstowe Ferry, Languard Fort Felixstowe, East Lane, Shingle Street, Dunwich, Aldeburgh, Thorpness, Sizewell, Southwold.

Felixstowe Sea Front going down past Manor Terrace towards Languard has had a face lift in 2008/09 with new sea defences put in place due to erosion. You can guarantee that most weekends this beach is well fished. With fishing matches there most weekends we can expect to see more fish being caught there now as all the digging etc etc for the sea defences has finished. On the Port side car park where the little café is you will find many people come and have a cuppa and watch all the big container ships coming in and out of the port. It has been mentioned that this area is also up for redevelopment as well and we hope this will mean even more access for fishing. My best seasons catch was 17 in one night with my ex Royal Marines mate Jeff Martin (euphonium & bass a fellow musician ) on this Port side car park.

Many of us who fish along the Suffolk Coastline will at some stage have fished the “Dirty Wall” at Aldeburgh and know that the further down the wall you go towards Orford Island the chances are you may catch some pretty good fish. With deep water close to the Wall and Orford Island you can be pretty much sure of catching. If you fail to catch there then you need to be very unlucky. Moving up the coast from Aldeburgh and past Thorpness you will come to Dunwich another nice location. Just out of shot on the right of the picture is the car park and café and as well as the café there are public toilets where you can get washed up etc. As you are now on the edge of Minsmere bird sanctuary you will find that this car park is usually busy depending on the weather, with visitors enjoying a day out bird watching, that is the feathered type of course or just coming down for a walk with the dog along another beautiful stretch of the Suffolk Coastline.

I first came to Ipswich in June 1974 when my father moved back home to Foxhall Ipswich with the family and I have always fished whenever I could on this stretch of coastline when given the opportunity. I have often found fish to be plentiful although the size of the fish and quantity you catch has dropped over the years. When you think of beach fishing back in the late 70’s you would think nothing of pulling in maybe a 10lb Cod, however expectations are not as high nowadays along the coastline as they were in the late 70’s and if today you pulled in a 3lb – 5lb cod then you will feel you have done well, still, on occasions there has been a big one pulled in especially out on Orford Island or the Dirty Wall at Aldeburgh.