I have dabbled in fishing before - fly fishing during which I did not catch anything; and deep sea fishing in Cornwall during which I caught the most mackerel of the day! And won a bet with my partner about who is going to clean who's car - it's the little things. But beach casting was a new method of fishing which we were both excited to try so after a fantastic foraging trip on the Cornish coast (I will write all about that in another post) we asked our guide Jonathan if we could also take us fishing with him for a day. He kindly agreed, and we planned an early morning start to go beach casting on one of the hidden beaches in Cornwall.
Waking up early in the morning, we packed our bags, got the puppy ready, and set off to meet Jonathan at the given destination. What we didn't realise is Pedn Vounder beach is not only a hidden beach used mainly by locals, but it's also one of the most inaccessible beaches in England when the tide is high. Often you are able to walk here from the neighbouring beach Porthcurno which is easily accessible, but we took the scenic route of climbing down a cliff with bags, rods, a dog, and me (the biggest liability of all as I am petrified of heights). Getting down to the beach was uncomfortable for anyone who isn't comfortable with heights - this cliff doesn't have a path instead we relied on our guide to show us the best steps to take down. Strapped in her adventure harness, our puppy Jess was carried by my partner who is an adrenaline junkie and is a seasoned climber - I on the other hand took my time with every step. What I was not prepared for was the journey back during high tide - climbing up the cliffs as the waves crashed next to us was a challenge and pretty damn frightening for someone not used to these kind of activities. I will end the description of our there and back journey by saying that Pedn Vounder is paradise on Earth - getting there is a less that heavenly journey with kids, dogs, or for inexperienced individuals. Our guide did tell us that as the beach became more popular with Instagram selfie seeking travel influencers, there have been more injuries getting down to the beach simply because people did not respect the landscape or simply didn't know where to place their feet. The locals however skip up and down that road with their dogs and picnic baskets in hand!
Another point to mention is that Pedn Vounder is a nudist beach so note to be respectful with photography or videos.
By the time we got to the beach and started setting up for the day, we shared this slice of heaven with one other couple and a dog who were walking around the beach - so we got to explore and take our time wondering around the beach. The weather was hot and it was the middle of October! We even managed to get a suntan and a burn nose coming back home from this day. Jonathan showed us how to set up for beach casting and how to catch bait which in this case was going to be sand eels. We aimed to catch sea bass as it was the perfect day for them, and a spot renowned for sea bass to be caught in abundance.
Jonathan showed us techniques with both nets and hooks and spots where to catch sand eels as well as how to store them - in an hour we had a bucket full of eels and now ready to catch our fish. Moving around from spot to spot as the tide came in, it finally got to around lunchtime when we picked the spot for our rods, and settled in to wait for the catch. By this point what was left of the beach was filled with lovely locals who told us their life stories and local gossip, and the beach was also full of dogs playing with each other.
Jonathan also told us about the cave located on this beach popular with spiritual community - the Goddess Cave (I'll let you figure out why this cave is associated with the Goddess!). Women come to this cave to practice meditation to connect with the feminine energy - it's a natural beauty, and a place of shelter from the scorching sun in the height of summer.
Pedn Vounder was a fantastic spot for sea bass as our fishing neighbour proved - he caught three beasts in the space of a couple of hours! The fishing gods weren't as kind to us (probably to shut down my cockiness about the amount of fish I caught on our deep sea fishing trip) - but they didn't let us leave empty handed and my rod started pulling enough for me to know this isn't just another knot of seaweed caught on the line. Jonathan guided me as I reeled in a sea bass which was just big enough for us to keep!
There are rules around how big the fish must be in order for you to keep - smaller specimens need to be released back into the sea to grow. As fas as I was concerned - this was a big win for beach casting! Although we didn't catch anything else that day, the experience of this Cornish paradise will stay with me forever - not only was the beach absolutely stunning and could rival any image from a tropical trade magazine, the feeling of the sun shining on my face whilst I caught the tiny drizzle from waves crashing against sharp edges of the cliffs surrounding us made the perfect sensory contrast. As if I this wasn't the image of paradise, I simply had to turn my head to notice that the local residents with long flowing hair, adorned in silk sarongs and artisan jewellery turned into shadows dancing to the sound of waves...
These memories stuck around when we got home and I couldn't wait to use the gorgeous sea bass we caught - especially as Jonathan kindly gifted us some courgettes from his garden to go with it! I filleted the sea bass and pan seared it, serving this gorgeous fish with potato and carrot mash and grilled courgettes. Sprinkle on some herbs, season with salt and pepper and enjoy fresh. I can't wait to go sea casting again - be this in Cornwall or closer to home.
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