Whitby – Both of Whitby’s piers offer good fishing with big cod and decent catches of whiting in winter although they can get busy in summer with tourists and many people using spinners and lures to fish for mackerel. The summer months will also see coalfish and flatfish such as flounder and dabs going for baits, with ragworm, lugworm and peeler crab proving effective. Nearby Saltwick bay offers decent fishing opportunities for all kinds of flatfish as well as coalfish, plus cod and whiting in winter. View this area on Google Maps here.
Robin Hood’s Bay – Large bay which offers great sea fishing. At high tide it is the sea wall mark which offers the best fishing as the tide comes right up to the base of the wall, allowing fishing to take place several hours either side of high water. As with any elevated fishing mark a drop net is needed to safely bring in any hooked fish. As the tide goes out marks further out into the bay can be fished such as Stoupe Beck Sands, Boggle Hole and Long Hole. Cod are a possibility all year round, but are bigger and caught more regularly in the winter, along with whiting. Flounder and dab and show and there are some bass present in the summer. View this area on Google Maps here.
Cloughton – Cloughton Wyke is a rock mark and which should be fished with strong fishing tackle and rigs with weak link releases (rotten bottoms) are advisable. It can entail a long walk to get to some fishing points and anglers run the risk of getting cut off by the incoming tide, so be careful. Cod are here in winter and can reach good sizes. There is also pollock from the rocks in summer, along with mackerel and the chance of a wrasse. Many anglers find this mark fishes best over high tide. Deep water is close in so no need for long casting. View this area on Google Maps here.
Scarborough – West pier casts onto sandy ground while rockier ground surrounds the East pier. Both offer good cod fishing from autumn to spring, with peeler crab the top bait, but squid, lugworm and mussels all catching fish as well. In summer there is plenty of mackerel to lures and float fished mackerel strip and small sandeels, and flounder and coalfish can also be caught on baits fished on the seabed. Marine Drive is another good angling mark, but involves climbing over the sea wall and fishing from sea defence blocks, meaning it is slippery and dangerous to fish here in bad weather. Big cod are caught in the winter and mackerel and some very good pollock go for lures in the summer months. View this area on Google Maps here.
Cornelian Bay and Cayton Bay – Cornelian Bay is a good winter mark for cod with big fish coming close to the shore, especially when the sea is choppy or just after a storm. Use big hooks in pennell rigs with lugworm, frozen peeler crab and squid and mussel cocktails, as well as most other commonly used baits catching fish. Whiting and coalfish will also be caught here, and there is the chance of a summer bass. The ground here is mixed with some areas being quite snaggy. Nearby Cayton Bay also offers winter cod wither from the beach or rocks area, with rough seas again producing the best catches. View this area on Google Maps here.
Filey Brigg – Filey Brigg is a long, narrow spit of land jutting out into the North Sea which offers the chance to catch a range of species. The Brigg End at the tip of the peninsula is a rough ground mark that will produce big cod all year round, but especially in winter. Summer will see a range of species such as mackerel, wrasse and pollock with float fishing and spinning offering great light gear opportunities. Casts onto the cleaner ground can produce flatfish with flounder and dab showing for most of the year and plaice and even sole turning up in summer catches. All of the main sea fishing baits will catch but peeler crab, mussel and razorfish often the most effective. Be very careful when fishing this mark. In bad weather it can become very slippery, while other points can have waves crashing over them if the sea is anything other than calm. It is best to fish this mark for the first time in daylight and in good weather with someone who has been here before and knows what they are doing. View this area on Google Maps here.
Flamborough Head and Bridlington – Flamborough head is a peninsula going out into the North Sea. Some anglers fish directly off the cliffs, whereas others find an area nearby to fish closer to sea level. Mostly a rocky and rough ground area strong reels and powerful beachcasters are often needed to successfully fish here. Be advised that fishing off cliff edges is very dangerous and not for people new to sea angling. Cod are here in winter as well as pollock and wrasse in the summer. There is a Marine Conservation Zone on the east side of Flamborough Head where all forms of fishing (recreational and commercial) and taking shellfish is banned. Bridlington Harbour and wall can produce cod and whiting in winter, plus flatfish, coalfish and occasional dogfish in the summer, as well as mackerel to spinners and daylights, but the area can get very busy in the summer. View this area on Google Maps here.
Spurn Head – Spurn Head is a spit of land on the edge of the Humber Estuary. It fishes well for cod and big whiting in winter, with flatfish in the spring and summer and also the chance of bass in the warmer months. The very furthest point along Spurn fishes best at over low water. At some times the tide here can be too strong to hold the bottom, and there is a long walk to get to this mark. An alternative mark here is Spurn Road, with the lampposts numbered 20 – 55 said to be best marks for fishing by locals. Plenty of cod all winter and well into spring and good fish can be caught close in. View this area on Google Maps here.
Humber Estuary – There are a number of good marks moving down the River Humber. East Halton Skitter is a sluice control where a tributary enters the Humber. This mark offers good fishing over high water, mostly for flounder and silver eels although other species such as cod can also come this far along the river and whiting can be plentiful. The Hessel area near the Humber Bridge is far inland but is good for flounder and silver eels in summer, mullet are also a possibility here in calm weather. View this area on Google Maps here.
Grimsby and Cleethorpes – The North Wall in Grimsby Harbour fishes well a few hours either side of high tide. Colder winter weather will see the cod come within range of anglers and rockling and whiting will also make up catches and pouting, dab and flounder will also show. The usual peeler crab, worm and shellfish baits all work well here. Beaches around the promenade at Cleethorpes offer cod in the winter, as well as flatfish and school bass in the summer. Reports that smooth-hound are continuing to extend their distributionaround the UK mean that they have been caught here occasionally, although they are still far from common. View this area on Google Maps here.