Kettleness

Kettleness is a rugged North Yorkshire rock-fishing area on the coast between Runswick Bay and Sandsend, valued more for its rough-ground fishing than for easy, comfortable access. It can produce excellent fish in the right sea, but it is a serious venue best approached by experienced, tide-aware anglers.

• Expect broken rock, kelp beds, scars and gullies rather than a prepared fishing platform.
• The mark is particularly associated with autumn and winter codling opportunities when a coloured sea reaches the shoreline.
• Summer sport can include mackerel, pollack, coalfish and wrasse, with the occasional bass possible in suitable conditions.
• Success depends heavily on finding a safe accessible ledge, fishing the state of tide correctly and matching tackle to the ground.

Kettleness is reached from the small coastal settlement and the public footpath network along the cliff tops, including the Cleveland Way in the wider area. Shore access is demanding and routes can change after erosion, rain or cliff falls, so it should never be treated as a straightforward walk-down venue.

• Parking is limited around the hamlet and narrow lanes; park considerately, avoid blocking passing places, gates, field entrances or local access.
• Public footpaths may lead along the cliffs, but a right of way does not automatically provide a safe or legal descent to every part of the foreshore.
• Descents to the rocks can be steep, muddy, loose and affected by erosion; inspect any route in daylight before carrying fishing equipment.
• Some anglers choose to fish neighbouring, more accessible stretches instead when the intended Kettleness descent or ledge is unsafe.
• Do not rely on an old online report for access details: the coastline changes and previously used paths may be closed, overgrown or dangerous.

Kettleness is principally a rough-ground mixed-fish mark, with the species list changing markedly between the cold-water cod season and the clearer summer months. The heavy kelp and rock give fish cover, but they also make lost tackle a normal part of fishing here.

• Cod and codling are the principal winter targets, especially after sustained north or north-east weather has coloured the water without making the shore unfishable.
• Coalfish and pollack can be present around deeper kelp edges, rocky channels and clearer-water periods.
• Ballan wrasse are a realistic summer target close to the rocks and kelp, often taking crab, worm or shellfish baits.
• Mackerel may pass within casting range in summer and early autumn when the sea is settled and clear enough.
• Bass can occur along this type of North Yorkshire rocky shoreline, particularly in warmer months and moving water, but should not be regarded as a guaranteed catch.
• Smaller shore species such as pouting, rockling, poor cod and occasional flatfish may turn up where a bait can be presented over cleaner patches.

The most dependable approach is to fish robust gear and accept that delicate presentation is secondary to getting a bait through the kelp and landing a fish. Choose a position only after identifying both the water in front of it and a safe route away from it.

• For codling, a 12- to 13-foot beachcaster, strong reel line and a pulley or clipped-down rig are sensible starting points; use tackle strength appropriate to the snags rather than copying a fixed setup.
• Pennell-style or large single-hook bait rigs carrying crab, lugworm, ragworm, squid or a mixed cocktail are traditional rough-ground options.
• Keep rigs simple and use a weak-link sinker arrangement where suitable, as this can save terminal tackle when the lead wedges in kelp or rock.
• A firm cast is useful to clear nearshore kelp, but long range is not always essential: fish often feed along the first drop-offs, gullies and coloured-water edges.
• For pollack and coalfish, lures or baited traces can work around deeper water, though retrieving through kelp requires constant contact and quick decisions.
• For wrasse, fish a short-range bait presentation close to identifiable kelp beds or rock features, using enough tackle strength to prevent fish reaching cover.
• Carry a landing net or gaff only where it can be used safely and lawfully; do not attempt to climb down unstable rock to hand-land a fish.

A workable sea state matters more at Kettleness than any theoretical best tide. The shore can fish very well in a moderate coloured swell, yet become immediately dangerous or impossible when the swell is heavy, long-period or rising.

• Cod fishing is often most promising on a building or flooding tide in coloured water, with evening, darkness and unsettled weather frequently improving confidence.
• Low water is useful for scouting safe footholds, gullies, kelp lines and possible escape routes, but do not remain on a ledge that the returning tide will cut off.
• Clear, calmer summer water generally favours mackerel, pollack and wrasse fishing, although bright flat conditions can make some species cautious.
• Avoid fishing beneath unstable cliffs after heavy rain, frost-thaw conditions or any recent rockfall; falling debris is a risk regardless of the tide.
• Check tide times, swell height and direction, wind, weather warnings and daylight before leaving home, then reassess the actual sea on arrival.
• If waves are reaching the intended fishing level, washing across the route back, or making it difficult to stand securely, turn around rather than trying to ‘fish through’ it.

Kettleness is not a beginner-friendly or mobility-accessible sea-fishing venue. The combination of high cliffs, rough foreshore, kelp, slippery rock, changing access and North Sea swell demands conservative decision-making.

• Fish with a companion where possible, tell someone your plan and expected return time, and carry a fully charged phone in a waterproof case.
• Wear proper boots with grip, warm waterproof clothing and a buoyancy aid when fishing close to the sea; studded or cleated footwear may help on suitable rock but does not make unsafe ground safe.
• Never turn your back on the sea, especially around surge channels and gullies, and keep well away from the base of cliffs.
• Establish a retreat route before setting up. A rising tide, darkness or an incoming swell can make a familiar route unusable very quickly.
• Do not attempt cliff descents in the dark for the first time, after alcohol, or while carrying more gear than you can safely control.
• There is no reliable step-free route to the fishing ground, and the uneven terrain is unsuitable for wheelchairs or anglers who need stable, level access.
• In an emergency call 999 and ask for the Coastguard; do not attempt a rescue from unstable rocks yourself.

Facilities at Kettleness itself are very limited, and anglers should arrive self-sufficient. Treat it as an undeveloped coastal mark rather than a promenade or harbour venue.

• Take drinking water, food, a headtorch, spare batteries, first-aid supplies and enough warm clothing for a delayed return.
• Public toilets, tackle supplies, refreshments and fuel should be sought in larger nearby settlements rather than expected at the mark.
• Mobile signal can be variable around cliffs and in folds of the coast, so download essential tide, weather and route information before setting out.
• Leave no trace: take away line, bait packaging, discarded hooks, broken rigs and all other litter.
• Avoid changing, cleaning fish or leaving bait waste where it affects residents, walkers, dogs or livestock.

The best local knowledge at Kettleness is not a secret casting distance but knowing when not to fish it. A daylight reconnaissance at a safe low tide will teach more than arriving for a first session after dark in a rough sea.

• Look for cleaner tongues between kelp, deeper gullies, discoloured water lines and points where the tide pushes around rock features.
• Travel light enough to move safely, but do not economise on safety gear, strong terminal tackle or a dependable light.
• Fresh or properly frozen crab can be highly useful for winter rough-ground fishing; secure soft baits carefully with bait elastic.
• Fish can be close in during coloured conditions, so cover the nearer water before repeatedly casting to maximum range.
• Retrieve positively once a fish is hooked and avoid giving it slack line near kelp-covered rock.
• Be courteous to walkers and local residents, keep noise low at night and shut gates only as you find them.
• If another angler has safely established a productive ledge, give them room rather than crowding the only practical casting or exit area.

There is no clear basis to describe all fishing at Kettleness as prohibited, but access, conservation and fish-retention rules must be checked for the exact place and date of a visit. Conditions can also be imposed through land ownership, temporary path closures, safety notices or site-specific signage.

• Check current official notices from North Yorkshire Council, the Marine Management Organisation, Natural England and any relevant harbour, landowner or coastal-management authority before fishing.
• Observe all signs relating to private land, cliff danger, path closures, nesting birds, livestock and restricted access; do not bypass fences or closure notices to reach the shore.
• Recreational sea anglers in England do not normally need a rod licence for sea fishing, but this does not remove the need to follow national and local fisheries rules.
• Retain only fish that are legal to keep and that you will use. Minimum sizes, protected-species rules and bass controls can change, so check current official guidance rather than relying on old charts or social-media advice.
• Release undersized, protected or unwanted fish carefully, and consider releasing larger breeding fish where practical.
• Do not collect bait, shellfish or other marine life where signs, local byelaws, conservation designations or landowner conditions restrict it; verify the current rules before digging, collecting crab or gathering mussels.