Guest post by Nigel of http://fishinginisrael.info.
The coastline at Poleg consists of a long sandy beach with a couple of areas of rocks and a section of reefs below the cliffs at its northern end.
The sandy beach (where the lifeguard station is), is ideal for beach casting (although the beach is filled with bathers in the summer months during the daytime). There are no submerged reefs close to shore unlike the beach’s northern end, and so it is possible to fish without the fear of getting snagged. Further up the beach the reefs start to appear, first as a few patches and then developing into a continuous reef system which is a great place to fish.
You can expect to catch sea bream at any time of the year, day or night whilst other species such as bass, bluefish, greater amberjack etc. can be caught a couple of hours either side of dusk or dawn between November to April. Bluefish can be caught year round but as with the others it is best a couple of hours either side of dusk or dawn.
The reefs at the northern end of the beach are relatively flat and long and have a distinct edge about 10-12 meters from the shoreline. You can fish from the edge of the reef as the water is only about 5-10cm deep; there are however a lot of uneven areas where the water can be knee deep so you will need to watch your step as you move around.
After the ‘edge’ of the reef the reef continues underwater for quite a distance and is broken up into several large areas with a few deep channels in between. The submerged reefs are only about 30cm beneath the surface and it is very easy to get snagged on them. If you intend lure fishing and if you are not sure about how shallow the reefs are then go with a topwater lure to begin with until you get to know the reef better.
The Reefs at Poleg – There is also some very good fishing for gray mullet and sea bream on the reefs and a light rod with a small bobber float, using flour dough for bait will provide some good sport throughout the day.
Getting There – Exit the main Coastal Highway at the Poleg Interchange and head towards Netanya. Turn left at the first set of traffic lights and then left at the second roundabout. Keep going until the turning on the right which takes you to the beach car park – there is a parking fee. Alternatively you can continue along Ehud Manor and turn back on yourself at the roundabout at the end of the road, and park on the side of the road. Then walk over the sand dunes and down to the beach and reefs.
Have a look at this map to help you find your way to Poleg Beach and the reefs (you can clearly see the submerged reefs on the map – the dark patches in the water).
For more information about fishing in Israel see http://fishinginisrael.info.