Angler missing blackhall rocks

Search resumes for missing fisherman (From The Northern Echo)

I don't know the full circumstances around what has happened with the missing angler, but would ask that we all take care when we are out fishing. The past month has seen some of the most enticing fishing conditions in years, but enticing as it is, the sea is dangerous and unpredictable, as well as some of the cliff marks as was the case with the tragedy the other week.

These may seem like isolated cases, but if you also factor in the number of near misses, each year, sheer luck prevents the toll being much higher than the figures would represent.

I was speaking to a lad the other day (won't name him for embarassment purposes), but he had been washed off the rocks up at Beadnell the other week in his waders, and was fortunately pulled out of the water by a fellow angler who managed to get him to grab his rod stand....Lucky....I could tell you of the guy who used to fish in the Alnwick club, who was hit by a wave while carrying his tackle box and was dragged under, again lucky for him another angler saw him go under and pulled him out!
I have watched myself as surges push up around anglers, as they fish rock marks, water up to their chests, previously just their ankles, and I cringed as I expected to see them lose their footing and get pulled back off as the wave ebbed....Again luckily for them all they lost was their tackle box and entire bait for the session.

Look at the tragedy on the cliffs at Newbiggin, yet we all watched and commented on Youtube footage of a guy jumping across cliffs last year to get to the 'best' marks. As Tony (TC) noted in a previous post, many of these cliff marks are suffering terrible cracks and fissures, caused by years and years of erosion and now with the cold snap, these fissures and cracks are expanding and we can expect a lot more collapses over the coming months and years. Who knows which one will go next!

Here's the basic info from HM Coastguards website

Be safe ashore:

At night

Do not fish alone in remote spots
Take more than one light
When rock fishing, Wear sensible footwear, Take a rope, Tell someone where you will be and your expected return time, Be aware of rising tides, don't get cut off, Take care when casting, Always carry a first aid kit

And you can download a comprehensive version from the RNLI website, albeit for Irish anglers, but am sure it will be as relevant for UK anglers also!

RNLI Download Centre

Don't want to seem patronising by posting this, but weigh up the risks for yourself and your family, as well as the rescue services.....and then ask yourself....Is a fish worth not coming home?
 
condolences to the family

following on after Red5 I get to know of two or three instances each year that could have ended up as a fatality rather than a good laugh at the angler getting a good soaking, and one top NE angler had he been a cat would of easily used up his nines lives by now.
 
all last season i fished a lot of the rocks over at blackhall in some good sea's too been a few times this year aswell had been soaked a few times but now this incident is starting to put me off fishing the rocks and cliffs after all a fish aint woth a life...rip daz
 
Fished Dene mouth area today, heard the news from lads in the comp saw the lifeboat & Hellicopter late this afternoon, our thoughts with his family and friends.
 
r.i.p. two lads who fished the comp came over from the west coast and found the body as the tide pushed them back to the high water mark, they said it is a day they will not forget in a hurry .
 
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