LAST UPDATED 3rd July 2009

April sunshine, West Bay, Dorset

This site is built using a standard blogspot template, it is not ideal but it is easy to use and is free! To navigate this site, please use the links to the right, scroll down for links to places to fish, listed under areas, tackle shop links etc. I am adding to the site on a regular basis.

Update History

click for accessible venues

Pembrokeshire, Porth Clais

Porth Clais harbour, from the cliff path to the west of the inlet.

Porth Clais, sometimes written as Porthclais, is a picturesque inlet with harbour a short distance from St Davids. The road to Porth Clais is signposted from the main roundabout in the centre of the city (anywhere else I would have written village, such is the size of this city), turn down Goat Street.
There are two car parks at the head of the harbour, one owned by the Harbour Trust and one, adjoining but further away, owned by The National Trust*. For anyone used to parking charges in Southern England, £2 a day comes as a pleasant surprise. There are toilets in the National Trust car park and a kiosk that sells ice cream, drinks etc alongside NT souvenirs.

The Harbour wall at Porthclais.

There are rock ledges which offer access to deep water for float fishing for bass, wrasse and pollack; these are not for the faint hearted, take local advice before you venture down the cliffs; there are climbs well known to the keen rock-climber so the going is not likely to be easy.
Access to the harbour wall is to the eastern ( left ) side of the inlet along a well defined narow path that climbs up and along the top of the low cliffs and descends by a steep slope and steps onto the broad flat wall.
The water can be crystal clear, as can be seen in the photograph above, and the rock fringes to the inlet can be seen under the water, ideal territory for wrasse and pollack. There is little tidal flow within the inlet so float fishing is a leisurely affair,use a small strip of silver mackerel belly as bait, or a head hooked ragworm. Letting the float drift down the right hand side near the rocks should get results although you will need to look out for other harbour users, kayakers and small boat users have right of way through the entrance.
There are a great many small fish to be caught along the wall, drop a small hook baited with ragworm among the rocks and weed and very soon a blenny or small wrasse will be on it. Large wrasse can also be caught close in, along with small pollack. The ground further out seems to be mainly snag free sand and ideal ground for flatfish; after dark should see dogfish or maybe bull huss moving in. Some nice bass are caught here, try an early morning session when there are fewer people and boats to spook the fish. Light tackle can be used here, distance casting is not required and a light rod can be used for spinning, float fishing or legering.
The venue is safe for children above toddling age, there is no railing to the wall but the inner wall should provide plenty of crabbing opportunities to keep them occupied.
As with most fishing spots in West Wales, buying bait can be a problem; there is a tackle shop in Haverfordwest, County Sports at 3 Old Bridge, Haverfordwest SA61 2EZ, tel: 01437 763740. They have a range of frozen baits and stock live ragworm. It would be best to phone and order ragworm as supplies can be erratic.
There is a shop in Solva, just down the coast, ( Bay View Stores on the left as you go down the hill into Solva) that sells fishing tackle and frozen baits and is open til 7 or 8pm.

Tide Times for the next seven days

* note, being in Wales you may not recognise the wording on the NT sign, luckily the NT Logo looks the same in Welsh, there is free parking for NT members

Pembrokeshire, Neyland - Brunel Quay

Low Tide, Hobb's Point across the water

Original Brunel railway lines make a handy rod rest

memorial to Brunel

Brunel Quay is an easy location to fish. Find it by heading for Neyland Marina which is well signposted; you will find the entrance to a large free car park among the trees on the bend in the road. The water retreats at low tide so fishing is only possible for a few hours either side of high water. The venue is railed and is safe for children.
The picture taken at low tide shows the nature of the sea bed, it is generally quite clean but there is a large mussel bed running out from the corner; this can snag tackle but wrasse, bass, eels and several mini species can be found feeding here. Target species here will be bass, wrasse and mackerel in summer and whiting and codling in the winter. Trigger fish can show up here on occasion in summer.
Long casting is not necessary so light tackle can be used for summer fishing.
Bait, ragworm, sandeel and mackerel can be got from Angler's Corner in Milford Haven ( Pill Rd, Milford, Haven, SA73 2NS tel.01646 698899 ) which is conveniently close to the back road from Milford Haven to Neyland and is easily spotted from the main road into Milford have, it is on the left to the side of a large garage/workshop.

There is a cafe/bar in the complex of buildings near the marina and shops back in the town. There are no public toilets nearby.

Tide Times for next seven days

easy level access to railed promenade


updated 27 June 09

Bait: Slipper Limpets

Slipper Limpets, the larger ones are about the size of a man's thumb.

Slipper limpets can be bought shelled ready to use and frozen, these make a good bait but they are too fresh; a better bait is got by collecting your own after a storm has washed them up on a beach. Birds are quick to find them, shells on the promenade at Weymouth and crows on the beach were the sign that the bait in the photograph was there for collecting, thanks to a storm three or four days earlier.
Do not rush to freeze the bait, the slipper limpet works best when it is 'a bit ripe'. The meat of the limpet is quite easy to remove from the shell, a fairly blunt knife like the one in the photograph is used to twist under the shell to lever it from the one it is clinging to and then the tip is run around the edge of the orange 'foot' where it attaches to the shell; when this is loose the knife can be used to gently pull the dark body portion from under the white shell dividing section.
Slipper limpets are a very good bait to use for species that patrol the beach looking for such a bait, bass, flounders, sole and plaice are very keen on them, on their own or in a cocktail with lug or ragworm.If you are fishing from a pier, harbour wall or jetty you will find that most fish will readily take this bait.
The limpet flesh is soft and will not take hard casting, but then.... if you will realise the fish are coming in close to find just the bait you are offering, it would defeat the object of using it if you cast it a long distance. You can bind the bait on with bait elastic to stop it flying off or tiny fish pulling it from the hook.

The Solent, Weston Shore.

Weston Shore, morning sunshine and a rising tide

Netley Abbey is fairly well signposted on brown signs from the M27 exit at Burseldon via the A3397;Travelling from Netley back towards Southampton you come onto Weston Parade, a road that runs alongside the shingle beach. There are free car parks and additional parking on the road. There are toilets at the far end where the road swings sharply inland. West of this bend is the area known as The Rolling Mills section, the mills are long gone, they used to roll brass for shell cases for WWI. The area is now a grassed public area leading around to Woolston.

About half tide, water has reached the shingle

This is a fairly shallow venue, there are extensive mudflats at low tide where worms can be dug. The venue becomes fishable when the water reaches the shingle at about half tide. Species caught here are flounder, eels and bass all of which are quite happy to hunt in shallow water. Fish can be caught very close to shore so it is worth a cast of a five or ten yards if you are not catching further out.
Light tackle such as a carp rod set-up will work well here as heavy weights are not required to hold in the tide. At my last visit two ounces was enough to hold.... and a fish came at five yards.
Best baits here are worms or shellfish such as slipper limpet, razorfish or mussel. larger flounder and school bass will readily take fish or squid bait.
There is a tackle shop in Bridge Road, Woolston and another, coincidentally, in Bridge Road, Burseldon on the A27. There are some shops in Netley. A fairly child friendly venue, there is a playground half way along the road where it is possible to fish and keep an eye on the kids.

Approximate Tide Times for the next seven days

A short distance across loose shingle to fish at high tide

updated 27 June 09 tide time link added
6th July note re. Rolling mills added

Poole Harbour, Redhorn Point.

Waiting for a flounder, Redhorn Point

Redhorn Point, Witch Farm Oilfield across the water.

As you head from Studland towards the Ferry you will drive uphill around a long sweeping bend and then as the road levels, see a long straight; on your left about 200 yards on is a metal gate ( FP5 on a sign on the gate) with large a rock each side of the gateway. Coming from the ferry, if you've started going downhill and turning left.... you've missed it. Parking is available at the roadside but keep clear of the yellow line. A broad path leads down to the point it is an easy walk with a few muddy patches after rain. There are usually a few boats moored near the point which provide a marker to head for.

January day, with ice along the shoreline.

Fishing from the side of the point is onto silt and mud and a good pull on the line is needed to move the weight from the bottom, from the point casting out to the right of the green channel marker pole the sea bed is more sand and shingle. There are some weed patches to negotiate when reeling in to avoid snags.
You can fish this venue with light tackle as distance is not needed, ragworm, mussel or slipper limpets will catch the usual Poole harbour species.... flounder, school bass and eels.

There are no facilities nearby, there is a cafe and toilets back at Knowle Beach (NT) at Studland. Nearest bait and tackle shops are at Swanage or Poole.

The venue is child friendly, there is a strip of sandy beach or a close cropped grass area for the ankle-biters to play on within sight of where you will be fishing.Like all fishing marks along this part of the harbour please observe the fire safety rules.... no fires or barbecues. Adders are quite common in heathland, leave them alone and they will not bother you; keep out of long vegetation, there are a great many deer here and they carry ticks which lurk on the long growth waiting for another host to brush against it.

Tide Times for the next seven days

updated 27th June 09

Pembrokeshire, Milford Haven.

The Mackerel Landing

Milford Haven is on the north bank of a large natural harbour that serves the oil and gas industry. It is reached by the A4076 from Haverfordwest if travelling south or over the Cleddau Toll Bridge on the A477 from Pembroke Dock if heading west. The Marina is well signposted, at the bottom of a steepish hill you will need to turn back sharp left and follow that road until the junction where a right turn will get you onto the road along the containing wall of the dock. There is plenty of free parking alongside between the road and the wall.The venue is good for disabled access and fishing can be done from the back of a car along the sea wall or from a wheelchair on the Mackerel Landing ( so called as it was built to service the Russian ships that once worked the area hoovering up the shoals of fish).
There are signs saying no unauthorised access affixed to the landing, I have yet to see anyone take any notice of them.
Fishing from here is over fairly clean ground although you will lose some tackle to snags stones and seaweed. Legering fish or worm baits will get pout, codling, dogfish, eels, whiting, bass, pollack , wrasse and flatfish. In summer float fishing for mackerel and gar is the most popular method.

The sea wall provides a handy rod rest; although if you do this be aware that a bass is quite able to flip your rod over the wall. Fish can be caught right up to the wall so distance casting is not required.

The Lock Pit.

If there is no boat traffic you can fish into the lock pit for mini-species or if you are optimistic a conger eel. Bait and tackle can be obtained from Anglers Corner which is on Pill Road, on your left and visible from the main road if coming in from Haverfordwest. ( opposite junction with Coombs Drive...... tel 01645 698899).
There are no facilities at this venue, there is a Tesco supermarket not far from where you turned off the road to skirt around the marina and some bars and cafes have appeared in the new buildings that have sprung up around the marina.
If you are prepared to put in the effort, soft or peeler crabs can be found on the beach to the left, seek them out among the weed covered rocks but put the stones back how you found them if you move them.

Tides Times for the next seven days

updated 27th June 09.

Tackle, Setting up a standard sliding float.

A standard sliding float set-up

Fish will be caught at various depths and to catch them you will need to adjust the depth at which you present your bait. Trial and error will be needed so the length of line between the float and the bait needs to be adjustable.... hence the sliding float.

To set up the standard kit that you will get from the tackle shop put the parts on to your line in this order, bead, float (coloured end first ), ball weight, bead and then the swivel. Tie up a hook length, about 30 to 40 cm long and attach this to the lower eye of the swivel by putting the double overhand loop through the eye and then passing the hook back through the loop and pulling up tight.
The stop to prevent the bait and weight sinking right to the bottom is formed by the small elastic band you will find in the kit; put the band around the line above the float and put one end of the band through the other and pull up tight. If you have large eyes on your rod you can leave it like that.... if the band catches on its way through the eyes you will need to trim off the free end of the band.
You can now slide the band stop up the line to set the fishing depth.

Improved version.

The picture above shows an improvement to the basic set up. A problem with the standard set up is that the sharp edges of the ball weight wear the line away and eventually you will lose your float and weight..... and worst of all, your fish. This variation involves putting the bead and ball weight onto the loop in the hook length, this gives double the line to resist wear, but check frequently and discard and tie another hook length if you see any chafing of the line. You can make life easier for yourself by using a snap swivel ( like a safety pin clip ) instead of the swivel supplied.

Experience, or looking to see what other people have done when they catch a fish, will determine the depth you fish at: for mackerel and gar the books usually say about four feet and two feet, but I catch most of mine at a depth of about nine feet for both species. Pollack are found deeper while bass can show up any any depth.

For a cheaper and more versatile set up have a look at my rig here

Cardiganshire, Gwbert, Cliff Hotel.

From the town of Cardigan take the Gwbert Road, the A4548, along the north side of the Teifi Estuary, past The Patch Caravan Park, up the hill and along the flat towards the entrance of The Cliff Hotel. On the left you will have great views of the Teifi Estuary and see why, with the incoming tide and banks and gullies, Poppit Sands can be a dangerous place to fish. The road down to the hotel is private, the public road turns sharply to the right and you should be able to park on the left side of the road here. There is public access along the drive to the hotel, diagonally down across the car park and down alongside the fence to the golf course. Follow the path down to the cliff top.



Walk around the greens rather than straight across the playing surfaces if crossing the golf course. You will see, near the post on the point, a narrow path and steps down onto the rocks. There are places where you can safely stand to fish; you can either spin or float fish or cast out a bottom fished bait onto the sand beyond the rocks for a variety of different fish species.. There are gullies which hold wrasse , pollack and bass and mackerel are caught in numbers here in the summer.

Rock ledges under The Cliff Hotel.

This is not a mark for small children and can be dangerous for anyone when the sea is rough or when the rocks are wet after rain.

If bottom fishing in around the rocks you may lose tackle in the rocks or weed so take plenty of spare bits and pieces.
Bait can be a problem in West Wales. Mackerel can usually be bought from Tesco in Cardigan, there is a tackle shops in Cardigan ,Castaway Tackle Shop in College Row (01239 621856 ) which sells frozen bait and live ragworm. As you go through the High Street on the one-way system you will notice a small square to the right, immediately turn left down the hill, this is College Row, there is a car park about 50 yards further on. It is advisable to phone to check that they have live bait before travelling far as supply and demand in this area is erratic.

Tide Times for the next seven days

updated 27th June 09

Cardiganshire, Patch

Hoping for a flounder at 'Patch'.

From the town of Cardigan take the Gwbert Road, the A4548, along the north side of the Teifi Estuary, the road drops down to run alongside the beach at Coronation Road; at the end of the flat as the road swings up and to the right there is a boatyard on the left and a narrow lane running down to the beach. To the other side of the lane is The Patch Caravan Park. The beach is firm enough to drive on but you should be aware of how high the tide might come up and park accordingly.

The seaward side of 'Patch'.

This venue is a ridge of stone and sand formed by strong currents in the estuary, the beach to the seaward side is scoured by the tide and is fairly rough ground so some tackle loss can be expected, the upside to this is that crabs hide under the rocks and soft or peeler crabs can be collected. If you do look for crabs make sure you replace the rocks carefully as you found them. Leaving the rocks turned over with weed trapped underneath means the habitat for the crabs is ruined. Fishing a legered bait of crab or worm will perhaps tempt a bass, flounder or pollack.

The landward side of 'Patch'

On the other side of the bank conditions are quite different, the current swirls back around and deposits sand which forms a large sandbank which is exposed at low tide. Lugworm can be dug on the bank if you are feeling fit. the inlet can be waded across without too much trouble or you can walk around dry-shod. The inlet here is prime hunting ground for flounder and the mullet which can be seen cruising in large shoals, legering works for flounder and maybe a bass but float fishing is the way to go for the mullet. Mullet fishing is a black art and possibly to suceed you must sell your soul or spend years learning the techniques for this most frustrating of all fish. Just ponder, they don't get that big or occur in such numbers by being caught!
From the end of the spit you can fish into the main channel, there is a strong current for most of the tide cycle so techniques have to be modified to suit, grip leads will be needed but if there is a lot of weed even these will be ineffective; you could try floatfishing a bait with the depth set to drag the bottom or try a spinner or plug.
This is a good safe place for kids, in summer there are pontoons where the kids can hand line for crabs or paddle and explore the sandbank at low tide.

pontoons at Patch.

Approximate tide Times for the next seven days


There are no facilities at all at this venue.

firm sand and shingle