Porlock Harbour, West Porlock, low tide.
Porlock Harbour is a quaint little harbour at West Porlock to the west of Minehead. Follow the brown information signs and just keep heading west until you run out of road. There is a pay and display car park with toilets and there are pubs and a shop at the harbour. To the east there is a long stone bank pushed up by the sea. This is rough ground fishing, the bottom is sand with rough patches. This venue can be fished at all states of the tide but you will need a long cast to get onto the sand at high tide. At low tide you will have to walk out onto the rocky and cobbled beach where getting a firm footing can be difficult, boots with ankle support are recommended.
looking east, the harbour entrance behind the wooden groyne.
To get to this beach walk over the footbridge that spans the harbour entrance, walk past the front of the cottages and over the stone bank onto the beach. The water here is bluer than at Minehead which indicates that the sea has deposited much of the silt it had been carrying further up the channel at Minehead and beyond. This means that fish that prefer clear water,such as mackerel and gar, are caught here by float fishing or spinning in the summer.
Porlock, looking west.
Porlock, looking west.
The anglers in the photographs are fishing a match and are from the Westcoast and Watchet club, they were busy catching dogfish when I was taking these photographs. Thanks to the guy, in the second pic with the yellow bag, for the local advice.
Many different species are possible here that are not often caught further up-channel, pollack and bass are regulars, bream sometimes and even trigger fish at times. The channel regulars, dogfish, thornback rays and congers are the staple species with cod and whiting in the winter.At high tide mullet find their way into the harbour and frustrating hours can be spent trying to catch one.
Bait for general beach fishing can be ragworm, lugworm, squid and fish-baits, nearest tackle shop is back in Minehead; Westcoast Tackle on the Harbour or their other shop in Watchet.
Many different species are possible here that are not often caught further up-channel, pollack and bass are regulars, bream sometimes and even trigger fish at times. The channel regulars, dogfish, thornback rays and congers are the staple species with cod and whiting in the winter.At high tide mullet find their way into the harbour and frustrating hours can be spent trying to catch one.
Bait for general beach fishing can be ragworm, lugworm, squid and fish-baits, nearest tackle shop is back in Minehead; Westcoast Tackle on the Harbour or their other shop in Watchet.
.
