Fish visit and live in rocky areas because of the shelter and food easily found there. Rock marks offer the angler access to deep water not reachable from the beach but the problem of tackle loss and inaccessability. Some important points to note are:
You will lose tackle.
Tackle loss is the number one reasons many anglers avoid the rocks. Tough, just got to learn to live with it, keep rigs simple as possible. Use a rough ground rig (see rigs). Make sure you have a good supply of ready tied rigs. After casting do not tighten your line too much as dragging your sinker over the sea bed is a sure way of losing it. Do not reel in too often and when you do do it fast so the lead raises off the sea bed. Light weights come to the surface quicker but are at the mercy of the sea more so may roll into cracks. Fixed spool reels give a better retrival rate but multipliers have more muscle.
There is often a long walk from the car park to the mark.
Carparks near beaches are designed for people taking kids paddling and sand castle making not anglers. Fortunately this means many marks are rarely crowded.
Access is not always easy.
Weed covered boulders, hidden holes, having to wade across gullies and rockpools. Falling flat on your face snapping your £300 pound rod in half is not part of the fun. Don't take too much tackle and spread the load with a partner if possible. It is suicidal to fish a rock mark you are unfamilar with at night. Keep an eye on the tide and leave before you are cut off, once the rocks are covered it is easy to step into a deep hole. Waders are a must as they enable you to take quick cuts through shallow rock pools, use your rod rest can be used to test the area in front of you if the water is clouded.
The stronger tackle used reduces the sporting aspect of angling.
25 - 30lb main line, a good stiff rod and strong reel is the norm around here, shame most local fish are in the 2lb class.
Fish swim with the tide. On the east coast of England the during the flood the tidal flow is North to South. During the ebb it is reversed. In the picture the red fish are swimming with the flood and the green fish with the ebb. Knowing which way the fish are swimming allows you to make a better judgement on where to cast.
Good fish holding areas are:
Weed beds
During long period of clam seas and sunny weather fish head for the cover of the weed beds. Kelp beds cut out 90% of light reaching the sea bed making them ideal hiding places during periods of high visability.
Gullies and Holes
Offer fish deep water and protection from rough seas. Usually best fished on the ebb as soon as accessible. Local anglers passing (usually collecting crabs) will nearly always advise "cast 25yards that way" or similar. Fishing competitions are a handy way of learning the marks as anglers tend head to the better marks well before the contest starts. Local tackle dealers are nearly always local anglers so it pays to buy bait locally when fishing an unknown area. Visiting the coast during the low water extreme spring tide is a great way to get an idea of what's out there. Holes often gain a reputation for being good during certain conditions e.g. during a strong north easterly wind on a neap tide.
Mussel beds
Mussels prefer exposed coasts because they are filter feeders. The down side of this is they take a good hammering every heavy sea. Fish visit to feed on mussels washed from their shells and the small creatures that live between them.