Walney Island offers any amount of good fishing marks, not only on the seaward shore but also in places along the channel that runs between the island and Barrow in Furness.
Bass, plaice, flounder and cod are the main species sought by anglers. Mullet can also be found in quantity, particularly around the gullies in the channel.
There are nature reserves at both the north and south end of the island and access restrictions are in place – even more so during the nesting season. Anglers visiting these areas should check beforehand.
Visitors and those as yet unfamiliar with access to the more unusual marks are probably best to focus their attention on the west shore. From Earnse Bay in the north for several miles down to Low Bank in the south the shore alternates between sand and stretches of rocks and stone. Fishing is possible at numerous points along this shoreline with the following marks being amongst the most popular – not least for ease of access and the proximity of parking.
Sandy Gap is the first point where the road from Barrow reaches the coast. There is good parking and this mark can usually offer fairly consistent fishing for bass, flounder and plaice from April through until September when codling begin to appear.
Continuing south the road eventually veers inland at Thorny Nook, another popular venue with similiar prospects. From here lines of low cliffs extend southwards until the next mark at Low Bank, an open sandy beach which produces school bass over the summer and often some better cod at the beginning of winter.
At the south end of this stretch of beach is an area known as the ‘The Black Tower’ ( very Tolkien). There are numerous obstacles on the beach here but it is an area that can produce some much bigger bass. The fishing on most of the western Walney marks is invariably best for the two hours before and hour after high tide.