Jackson’s Bay

Jackson’s Bay is a rugged North Yorkshire rock-and-kelp mark, best known as a rough-ground venue rather than an easy, open-beach cast. It can produce excellent autumn and winter codling fishing when there is colour and movement in the sea, while the warmer months offer mixed-rock species.

The bay lies on the exposed North Yorkshire coast and is approached by coastal paths and rough ground rather than by a promenade or harbour wall. Treat it as a remote natural mark: access can change with erosion, weather and land-management arrangements.

Jackson’s Bay is principally a cod and mixed rough-ground venue, with the catch changing markedly through the seasons and sea state.

• Codling and occasional larger cod are the main cold-water target, particularly in autumn and winter coloured water.
• Coalfish, pollack and wrasse can show around kelp, gullies and cleaner rock edges in calmer summer conditions.
• Rockling, shore crab-feeding species, dogfish and occasional flatfish may be encountered where there are patches of sand or softer ground.
• Mackerel can pass within range in summer, although the depth, clarity and swell dictate whether they are realistically reachable.
• Bass are possible in the right mild, coloured conditions, but should be regarded as a bonus rather than the mark’s primary draw.

Strong, simple rough-ground tackle is the sensible starting point because lost gear is part of fishing this type of coast. Put baits into likely gullies and kelp-edge channels rather than casting blindly for maximum distance.

• For codling, use a robust beachcaster or bass rod, a reliable fixed-spool or multiplier reel, and line/leader suited to rough ground and heavy leads.
• Pulley-style rigs, pennel rigs and other snag-resistant bait presentations are practical choices; use tackle only as light as conditions safely allow.
• Fresh or well-presented crab, mussel, squid, lugworm, ragworm and fish baits can all work, with crab and shellfish-style baits especially relevant around kelp-covered ground.
• Fish baits with enough weight to hold station in the surge, but do not leave a bait pinned in a snag-prone crevice for long without checking it.
• In settled weather, spinning or fishing soft lures around deeper clear-water edges may produce pollack or coalfish, provided it can be done without standing in the wash.

The mark is generally most worthwhile when the sea has some colour, oxygen and movement, rather than when it is glassy-clear and flat. A moderate swell can switch on the fishing, but it can also make the platform dangerous or completely unfishable.

• The flooding tide and the period around high water are commonly the most practical times on rocky North Yorkshire marks, as deeper water reaches the gullies and access across the foreshore may improve.
• Fish the early flood, high-water period or the first of the ebb only where there is a safe, known route back; do not allow a rising tide to cut off the exit.
• Autumn and winter northerly or north-easterly seas often create the coloured-water conditions sought by cod anglers.
• In summer, calmer evening, dawn and overcast sessions are often better for pollack, wrasse and other mixed species.
• Avoid heavy swell, large surf, poor visibility and onshore gale conditions. This is not a mark on which to ‘try it and see’ once waves are reaching the intended ledges.

Jackson’s Bay is not an easy-access venue. Cliff paths, uneven rocks, weed, loose shale, deep gullies and a fast-changing tide all demand sound judgement, suitable footwear and a conservative approach.

• Check the route in daylight before attempting a night session, and identify a safe retreat well above the expected tide line.
• Wear a buoyancy aid when fishing close to the water, use studded boots or other grippy footwear where appropriate, and carry a headtorch plus a spare light after dark.
• Never turn your back on the sea; isolated larger waves can sweep across ledges well beyond the apparent wash line.
• Avoid fishing alone where possible, tell somebody your plan and expected return time, and carry a charged phone in a waterproof case.
• The approach and fishing ground are unsuitable for wheelchair access, and are likely to be difficult for anyone with limited mobility or poor balance.
• Cliff erosion is a real coastal hazard: keep away from cliff edges, do not shelter beneath unstable faces, and do not rely on old paths remaining safe.

There are no facilities to rely on at the bay itself, so anglers should arrive self-sufficient and leave no trace. The nearest services are in surrounding coastal villages or towns rather than at the fishing ledges.

• Carry drinking water, food, first-aid supplies, spare tackle and a means of taking all litter home.
• Do not assume that toilets, lighting, shops, mobile reception or formal parking will be available close to the access point.
• Park only where it is lawful and does not block farm access, private driveways, gates, passing places or emergency access.
• A landing net is often less useful than a safe gaff-free lifting plan on uneven rock; only lift fish where doing so does not put you near the edge or in the wash.

Success here usually comes from reading the ground and choosing conditions, not simply casting as far as possible. A short cast into a productive gully can outfish a long cast into snaggy kelp or featureless water.

• Visit at low water in calm daylight, without fishing if necessary, to learn the channels, kelp beds, snag lines and safe route off the rocks.
• After a moderate sea, look for coloured water moving through defined gullies and alongside kelp margins.
• Keep rigs economical and pre-tie several replacements; rough ground can claim terminal tackle quickly.
• Travel light enough to move safely, but do not compromise on essential safety equipment or warm, waterproof clothing.
• Respect other coastal users and local residents, keep noise down at night, and take discarded line, bait packaging and any litter away with you.

There is no confirmed general prohibition on angling at Jackson’s Bay, but access and fishing can be affected by local landowner arrangements, temporary safety closures, conservation measures and seasonal notices. Anglers remain responsible for checking the current position before travelling.

• Read all signs at parking areas, path entrances and cliff-top access points; official notices and closures take precedence over customary access.
• Do not cross private land, closed paths or fenced areas without permission, and do not damage walls, gates, crops or livestock boundaries.
• Check current national and local rules for protected species, minimum sizes, catch restrictions, bait collection and any shellfish or crustacean regulations before retaining a catch.
• Observe any conservation designations or wildlife restrictions that apply to the surrounding coastline, especially around nesting birds and sensitive cliff or foreshore habitats.
• If in doubt about access, tides or the legality of taking a species, choose another mark or seek up-to-date advice from the relevant authority or local tackle shop.