Alderney - An Anglers Paradise

I get many people asking about the fishing around the channel islands and in particular Alderney, the questions range from tackle & tactics to Hotels and Restaurants,

The purpose of this page is to give you an insight as to the delights that Alderney has in store for the visiting sea angler,

Shore Fishing

Strange as it may seem I am going to start with and include shore fishing, you may ask why a charter boat skipper would want to promote sea fishing from the shore?

For many years my wife and I used to fly to Alderney from Southampton Airport on a Trilander aircraft operated by Aurigney Air,

We would spend two weeks every year in late September or early October just shore fishing, we would rent a cottage on the island and a car from the local car hire company and simply spend our time collecting bait, beachcombing and fishing, we have fished all the local rock, beach and breakwater marks and I can recommend it to any shore angler as the best shore based fishing I have ever encountered,

This image is one of Corbletts Bay, this is one of the many beautiful beaches to be found around Alderney, as you can see the possibilities for species are endless with the sandy bottom for Plaice, Dabs, Flounder, Turbot, Brill etc. and the rocky outcrops for Pollack, Bass, Wrasse, Bream etc.

Yes, you would need at least two weeks to just sample these hotspots let alone fish them intensely, the problem is every corner you turn produces another gob smackingly beautiful location from which to wet a line. You are quite literally spoilt for choice!

Here are some more images of Alderney's hotspots:

So why include shore fishing on this website? well normally I wouldn't, but the shore fishing around Alderney is so good that I thought you might like to consider it as an alternative for your next fishing holiday,

Boat Fishing

Where do I start, it's difficult to say because the variety of boat fishing marks around Alderney is so diverse that even skippers who have been visiting the island for more than 20 years are still discovering new fishing marks as the island reveals more of her hidden secrets,

Most of my anglers choose to have one day after the big flatfish like Turbot and Brill, One day after other species such as Bass, Pollack, Cod, Ling, Coalfish etc. and one day after other species such as Bream, Huss and the truly huge Tope that we encounter on some special locations that we have found,

The tides are the most influencing factor in deciding where and when to go fishing to a particular location, so when I get an enquiry for an Alderney trip, I always ask which species are top of the anglers wish list so that I can advise on the best dates available,

All of the above details need to be sorted out at the time of booking your trip, but the Alderney experience is not all about catching fish!

Without exception my anglers tell me that they enjoy the 'holiday' atmosphere just as much as the actual fishing,

Let me talk you through a typical days Alderney fishing,

The Morning starts with us all meeting up in the dining room of the Bed & Breakfast Guest House for our 7.30am breakfast,

Suitably watered and fed we either take a leisurely stroll down to the harbour or grab a taxi for an even more leisurely arrival, the water taxi starts operating at 8.30am so whilst we wait for them to start ferrying passengers back and forth to the boats we spend a few minutes browsing the fishing tackle stall that has been set up by the proprietor Mark Harding,

Eventually the water taxi drops us off at Lady Godiva's mooring and we busily sort through our tackle making preparations for the planned day's fishing, with the engines nicely warmed up and the hot water container filled to overflowing with boiling water for our tea & coffee. we slip our mooring lines and head out into the blue yonder,

We are never more than 10 or 12 miles from the island and so we are able to get a panoramic view of the stunningly beautiful scenery that adorns this English Channel Gem,

we will often find ourselves down on the Shoal Bank, this is one of the locations that we find big Turbot & Brill along with other species such as Bass and Pollack,

Long slow drifts over the bank dragging Mackerel baits on flowing traces is the preferred method for tempting these beauties, some anglers decorate their baits with spoons, beads, blades, sequins etc. and some prefer to keep it simple (easier to sort out when tangled) but whichever method you use, you are in with a very good chance of catching your personal best flatfish, we will of course release all of the smaller fish to grow on for our future sport perhaps we will be lucky enough to bump into them next year when they have put on a few more pounds in weight!

Sometimes we will move to another bank in pursuit of the big flatfish such as the Alderney South bank or the Casquets banks and when we have had enough of playing with the Turbot & Brill we will head off to one of our other favourite marks in search of other species, it may be a rocky pinnacle mark for Bass and Pollack or perhaps a deep water shipwreck for the Cod and Ling,

In what seems like no time at all it is time to head back into Braye Harbour, we pick up our mooring lines and sort our fish out by packing them away in the fish hold in ice, we will have brought several boxes of ice over with us from Weymouth but if we run short there is always a fresh supply available on the island via the fresh fish shop owner, we stow our tackle inside the wheelhouse and when we have cleaned the boat in readiness for the following day, I will call the water taxi on the VHF radio for our ride to the shore,

On arriving at the quayside most of the lads will want to head straight to the Moorings Pub for a relaxing pint,

we will often elect to sit outside on the sun terrace (see picture) and have a chat & laugh over the days proceedings, this for me is one of the best parts of the trip, at last I can relax, sit back and just enjoy the atmosphere and scenery,

After a couple of pints of beer we will order a taxi to run us up to the B&B for a refreshing shower and change of clothes before heading out on the town for an evening meal and drink,

Most of the anglers on the island will eventually end up at the Marie Hall where the topic of conversation and more often than not leg pulling will be about the days fishing,

If you fancy a quieter more sedate location for your evening meal I can recommend a few places which must include:

Nellie Greys Indian Restaurant,

Mai Thai Restaurant,

Belle Vue Restaurant,

These are just a few of the many eating houses that are to be found on the island,

A word about the islanders themselves is in order at this point.

When you first visit the island you may find it a little "unusual" just how friendly the islanders are towards total strangers!

They will often wave to you when passing you in their cars almost as if you are an old friend, they will take the time to ask how you are that morning and if you are having a good holiday when being served at the supermarket checkout!

When they leave there cars in the centre of town to go shopping, don't be surprised to note that not only have they not locked their cars, but, they have also left the keys in the ignition!!

The islanders live in a land that time forgot and also one that 'serious crime' has managed to pass by unnoticed, The Islanders have so little crime the once-a-month court sessions are often cancelled due to a lack of arrests,

This will no doubt account for the laid back attitude of the Alderney residents, Lucky Blighters!

Long may it continue I say, it is this old fashioned charm that contributes to the appeal of the island as an anglers paradise.

Here are some more pictures to whet your appetite:

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