Pembrokeshire, Amroth Beach.

Amroth, looking back towards Saundersfoot., the slip in the background

Amroth, Looking east, water just reaching the bank.

Amroth is just along the coast, to the east of Saundersfoot, it is a south-facing sandy beach and is noted for catches of flounder and bass. Approaching the village from the Saundersfoot direction you will drop down to the seafront and see, on the corner, free parking and a toilet block.

There is easy access from here down onto the sandy beach via a concrete slipway. The beach to the left has a bank of large stone 'shingle' which is not comfortable to either walk on, stand on, or climb...for that reason many will fish from the slip...or fish at low tide when fishing is more comfortably done standing on flat sand. Catches seem to be about the same at any state of the tide. If heading west, take care not to be cut off by the tide amongst the rocks.
The fish to be targeted here are flatfish and bass, mullet can be caught and according to season, smoothhound and gurnard put in an appearance. Dogfish are probably ever present.
Long casting is not required, fish can be very close in... when fishing a rising tide the water moves in rapidly on big tides so a short cast will soon be a long cast if you do not recast often. When fishing a dropping tide at night you can end up a way down the beach from your kit...some reflective tape on your kit can help in finding it again.............

Amroth, fishing from the shingle.

If fishing from the shingle bank a big bait dropped in close to where the sand meets the bank can pay off with a bass. If there are gar or mackerel about a pop-up rig* may catch them.

Best baits here are worms and fish-baits of various kinds; mackerel, gar, sandeel will all find fish... the beach is sometimes littered with razor shell so razorfish would seem to be a good bet.

Bait can not be got in Saundersfoot unless you dig it yourself, the nearest tackle shops are at Tenby ( ? now closed ) or from Raven Trading, Unit 16, London Road Mall, Pembroke Dock, phone John on 07794 522 396
. Out of season it would be well to phone to check on availability or to order fresh bait.

There are shops pubs and cafés along the seafront within easy walking distance, there is a bigger car park a little further down the road if there is no room on the corner.

* a pop-up rig... a running ledger trace perhaps 3 or 4 feet long with the addition of a small float ( usually a 12mm floating bead or two ) a few inches from the bait to 'pop-up' the bait into mid water and away from the crabs; this rig does not work well in strong tidal flows as the drag of the current forces the float down to the bottom.

OTHER LOCAL VENUES ................ Saundersfoot ....... Tenby

Approximate Tide Times for the next 7 days



updated April 2012 Saundersfoot tackle shop now closed.

Pembrokeshire, Hobb's Point, Pembroke Dock.

Hobb's Point showing the pontoon in place.

Hobb's Point is signposted once you get to Pembroke Dock, look for the brown tourist information signs. It is at the end of Pier Road, don't expect to find a pier, it is the ramp that was used by the car ferry service across the River Cleddau before the bridge was built.
Winter fishing is done from the railed section at the top of the ramp, during the summer a pontoon is erected which prevents the landing of any fish caught. Cod and whiting are targeted by putting large baits out more than eighty yards or so to clear the horrendous snags which result from cars off the old ferry, supermarket trolleys, benches, litter bins, paving slabs and any other rubbish the locals can find to lob in there. If you are prepared to risk losing tackle and fish rotten bottom rigs then conger can be caught here in the rough, close in. Dogfish are likely to put in an appearance at some stage, in the rough or out on the clean ground.

Hobb's Point, the ramp.

Fishing close in is a technique to increase your 'species caught' list if you fish the sloping ramp section. There are snags, kelp and other weed but the bottom is teeming with fish species, four types of wrasse, umpteen of gobies, butterfish, sand smelt, pollack, tiny codling, eels, and others. Use a light rod and small hooks. I use size four fine wire hooks that will bend out of snags under pressure tied to hook lengths about half the breaking strain of the main line, using one ounce leads keeps the cost of lost tackle down. Small pieces of ragworm, stale or dead and dying works better than fresh... or small slivers of fishbait or sandeel will work as well. Fish within a yard or so from the wall ....... and do not be too surprised if in August or September you catch one of these...especially around low slack water.

Trigger fish caught in September, Hobb's Point

Float fishing can reduce tackle loss and can result in pollack or bass, with mackerel in season. The area off the end of the ramp where the water swirls as the tide moves is favourite.
If you bottom fish parallel to the ramp out from the end towards the boat moorings you will be onto generally clean ground with clumps of weed you will pick up bigger wrasse and school bass. Cast over into the shallows to the right and mullet are possible; you can watch the swirls they make in the water as the tide advances over the mud, I'm told they will take ragworm but I haven't the patience for mullet fishing....

This venue has the advantage of being fishable at any state of the tide although heavy grip leads will be needed to hold in the tide if casting out to the main channel.

Be very wary of the green slime on the ramp, it is very slippery when wet... and the ramp drops off suddenly it does not taper gently down to the sea bad.... it was made for a car ferry, not little dinghies.

the ramp, the green bits are slippery !

There is ample parking at this venue, you can park at the top or on the ramp itself. There are toilets at the top of the ramp, food and drink can be got at Lidl or Asda which you will have passed to get there, both are within walking distance. There are several cafés a little further on in the town.

Local tackle and bait shops are

Pembroke Angling Address 31 Meyrick Street, Pembroke Dock SA72 6AL 01646 622712.

Anglers Corner in Milford Haven

Unit 46, Honeyborough Business Park, Neyland SA73 1SE 01646 601300

OTHER LOCAL VENUES....... West Angle............ Brunel Quay
Tide times for Hobb's Point for the next 7 days

easy level access to railed promenade
and from the sloping ramp with a levelling device.

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 until 7 or 8pm.

OTHER LOCAL VENUES ......Newgale.......Fishguard

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 unless fishing from the beach. 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 August and September. Dogfish are present all year round and thornback rays can be caught.
Long casting is not necessary so light tackle can be used for summer fishing. The tide pulls hard on the ebb so grip leads will be required if you cast out into the main tide run. I have seen people fishing from the beach at low tide but I have taken the easy comfort option of fishing from the Quay.

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 another shop on a small trading estate just down the Tenby road from the London Road roundabout in Pembroke Dock. Shops come and go in West Wales with alarming frequency, it's hard to keep up.
There is a long established shop, West Wales Angling, 

31 Meyrick St, Pembroke Dock, Dyfed SA72 6AL 01646 622712 Edit, this is now closed.

Try  

Raven Trading

• Tel: 01646 279117

Unit 16, London Rd Shopping Mall, Pembroke Dock,Dyfed, SA72 4RS

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


OTHER LOCAL VENUES......... Hobb's Point.............. Milford Haven

Tide Times for next seven days

easy level access to railed promenade

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. The yellow post with a cross on top, in the above picture under the middle of the sailing ship,marks a large cube of concrete ( 8' cube maybe ?) that will snag tackle. 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 cafés 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

Pembrokeshire, Newgale Beach.

Newgale Beach, looking south.

Newgale Beach is alongside the A487, to the east of Solva and St Davids. There is a large beachside car park with toilets. There is a café, shops and a pub at the north end of the beach. The beach is made of stone and shingle and gives access to fairly deep water at high tide, you will be casting out onto clean sand. The beach provides sport with dogfish..... lots of dogfish, bait for dogfish? ... anything, fish bait, sand eel or worms.

Newgale, looking north as the light fades.

Bass also show along this beach when there is some surf, unfortunately surf also brings out the surfers. Flounders and other flatfish can be caught and shoals of mackerel sometimes put in an appearance to be caught with float fished baits or spinning.

Getting bait is a problem in West Wales, County Sports in Haverfordwest stock frozen baits and live ragworm.... but phone before travelling to check availability. They are at 3 Old Bridge, Haverfordwest SA61 2EZ Tel: 01437 763740.
A nearer source of frozen bait and a limited range of tackle is in Solva, Bay View Stores, up the hill towards St Davids on the right is open til 7 or 8pm.

Tide times for the next seven days.

Pembrokeshire, Freshwater West.

Freshwater West, access to beach from car park.

Freshwater West is an isolated sandy beach off the A4319 West of Pembroke. Nearby is the Castlemartin Range, the sound of gunfire from tanks may liven up your fishing. There is a car park with, well hidden, toilets about halfway along the beach. Bass and dogfish will be the mainstay of fishing here with flatfish and rays putting in an appearance. The ground in front of the car park and to the left is rocky and snaggy with cleaner ground to the right.

North end of Freshwater West beach.

There is a small car park with access to the beach at the northern end of the beach. The sand dunes show signs of severe erosion caused by foot traffic, don't add to it.... fish where there is easier and less damaging access.

Tide times for Freshwater West for the next 7 days,

to be continued

Pembrokeshire, Stackpole Quay and Barafundle.

Stackpole Quay at very low tide.

Stackpole Quay is a tiny picturesque inlet on the rocky coast south of Pembroke. It is reached via the A4319 and then narrow lanes, the Stackpole Estate is National Trust Property, there is a large car park with toilet facilities and a cafe/restuarant which is open during the summer season. NT members have free parking, others have to pay. Access to the Quay and rocks is along a winding path with a final descent over the rock platforms. There is a steel escape ladder structure in the corner of the inlet for those silly enough to get trapped by the tide.

From the cliff top to the left of the Quay.

As can be seen from the photographs, this is rocky, snaggy country ! Fishing is best done by float fishing fish strips or sand eel or spinning. Bottom fished baits close to the rocks will get wrasse and pollack. Most fishing is done in summertime for mackerel and bass.

Low tide, showing rocks that you will fish over at high.

Hardy and agile types can find rock ledges to fish from by exploring the cliffs from the path that leads from the right of the harbour. This is not to be advised for children at any time or anyone at all in rough weather. Bottom fishing from these ledges needs a good cast to clear the rock ledges and kelp which eat tackle, bull huss are the prime target.
Those of more lazy disposition will find the beach at Barafundle more to their taste. A short walk and steepish climb down from the cliff path. Fishing here is mainly done from the rock fringes of the beach.

Tide times for Stackpole Quay for the next 7 days, .

to be continued.

Pembrokeshire, Freshwater East.

Freshwater East, looking eastwards.

Freshwater East is reached via the A4139 and B4584 south east of Pembroke. There is a large pay and display car park a short walk from the beach with toilets on the route to the beach. The best fishing area is said to be far to the left of the bay although fish are caught for the whole length.
Dogfish will be the most common fish caught here with pollack and pouting showing up also, in season smoothound are a possibility. The ground is generally quite clean and tackle loss should be minimal.

Freshwater East, with freshwater stream at the right of the beach.

The beach is popular with other holiday makers so early mornings or late evenings will be the times to fish. Expect the occasional bass, ray, plaice, turbot, flounder or whiting to turn up; use ragworm, sand eel or fish baits. Many of these fish favour places where a freshwater stream brings food items into the sea.

to be continued.

Pembrokeshire, West Angle Beach.

West Angle beach at low tide.

West Angle is as far as you can go west from Pembroke, follow the B4320 and go through the village of Angle, the beach is signposted with a brown information sign. At the end of the road there is a car park, a café which is open during the holiday season, and toilets. The beach is shallow and sandy with rock fringes and has rock-pools for the children to investigate.

Fishing from the rocks at low tide with plugs or spinners will sometimes get a bass and bottom fishing at higher tides will provide sport with dogfish and flatfish with bass and pollack a possibility.

At high tide the water reaches the shale and stone beach.Lugworm can be dug at low tide but it will be hard work, a flat tined potato fork is the best tool for the job. Bait, including ragworm, can be bought from Pembroke Angling in Meyrick Street in Pembroke Dock ( look for the shop painted tangerine !). The beach faces direct out onto the Atlantic so it will be rough here in a westerly blow

Approximate Tide Times at West Angle for the next 7 days

Pembrokeshire, Solva

Solva, rock mark.

Solva is a picturesque inlet on the A487 between Haverfordwest and St Davids. It is popular for boating and has a busy quay area. There is a free car park at the head of the inlet and coast paths lead out to rocky headlands on each side. There is a toilet block in the car park and another at the quay which is on the right hand side of the inlet along a level path, wheelchair access is as far as the Quay. Shops and cafés are a short walk away and there is a shop, Bay View Stores up the hill towards St Davids on the right, that sells fishing tackle and frozen baits and is open until 7 or 8pm.

Solva, at the seaward end of the mooring inlet.

Fishing near the moorings is difficult when there is boating activity and crabbing or fishing the fringes for flounder is about as much as is possible. Local children head out along the coast path to the right and a short way along there are paths down to rock ledges from which a few anglers can fish. There is rough ground so tackle loss may be expected. Restricted space for casting means scaling down to a spinning rod rather than a beachcaster, pollack and bass will take a spinner or plug worked along the creek edge or out into the deeper water. Float fishing can be employed for bass, wrasse, pollack, and mackerel in season.. Paths lead out to other rock marks on the headlands but this is not recommended for children or beginners.

Worms can be dug here at low tide but do not dig around the boat moorings and backfill any holes. Crabs can be found in the weed and under rocks, the small hard-backed crabs can be hooked through at the base of a leg and float fished for wrasse.

Tide times for Solva for the next 7 days.

as far as the Quay only

Pembrokeshire, Saundersfoot Harbour

Saundersfoot Harbour, Inner wall.

Saundersfoot ( pronounced Sandersfoot by the locals ) is to the north of Tenby, just off the A477/478 and the B4316.
It is a convenient spot for children and parts are accessible to wheelchair users. The harbour dries out at low tide so check tide times for fishing here. Parking is right alongside the harbour wall and toilets, shops and cafés are a short level walk away. 
The easiest fishing is from the inner wall casting onto clean sand. A long cast is not needed, fish come very close to the wall. Dogfish, flatfish, bass and other bottom feeding fish are caught along with mullet, mackerel and gar in season to float fished mackerel strip.
In the Autumn there are usually plenty of Tub Gurnard to be caught and sometimes smoothhounds although they are likely to be small pups.
Squid, mackerel or sandeel will take most fish. 

Very light tackle and size 6 or smaller hooks dropped down the wall or by the rocks will get blennies, watch out with these they have sharp teeth and they are not averse to giving a nip as you get the hook out.
There is a wall dividing off a small section at the back of the harbour, this wall is usually crowded with people catching crabs.

Saundersfoot Harbour, the outer wall.

The outer wall has a stone and concrete apron which can make fishing from here difficult when retrieving tackle or landing a fish. At the end of the wall at the round section there is a vertical drop to the water which makes that section the favoured spot. Summer fishing spells mayhem here as people will come and fish from the apron under where you are trying to fish from the top. There is access at the start of the wall onto a small beach which can be fished on a rising tide although at high you will be forced back onto the steps.

At most times light tackle and smooth leads can be used, there is not much tidal current.

Razor fish and black lug can be got from this beach at low tide on spring tides by those who know how to get them.

Bait including ragworm can be got at Tenby, Tenby Angling within the Old Market Hall which is on the High Street * ( edit. June 2015, I heard that this has now closed ) or at Pembroke Dock

updated Mar 2012 local Tackle Shop now closed, ref deleted.

Tide times for the next 7 days

Inner wall only, see top photograph.

Pembrokeshire, Tenby Harbour.

Tenby Harbour, rising tide.

Tenby Harbour dries out at low tide so is fishable only a few hours either side of high tide. The venue is comfortable and easy to fish and would enable wheelchair users to access fairly deep water over a low wall. Parking is a long walk away, as you arrive at Tenby take the road out towards Saundersfoot, then take the road signposted North Beach and Hospital. There is a large car park signposted on the left at the bottom of a hill (Hospital sign is more visible.) You will have to walk along the top prom, down steps or slopes down to the lower prom and around to the Harbour. At high tide it is possible to fish from this prom, and, out of season from the beach. The beach is clean sand apart from a patch near the visible large rock. There is disabled parking near the harbour entrance.

Tenby Harbour, The low section of wall.

As with most working harbours you may not fish the inner harbour. Boats have right of way so do not cast from the end into the area used by boat traffic. Long casting is not required from here, the fish are as likely to be close to the wall as a long way from it; bottom fishing will get a variety of fish, dogfish, flounder, dab, whiting, bass, gurnard and other species. Summer season brings mackerel, garfish and the crowds. Float fishing is the most sporting way of catching mackerel, catch only as many as you need , mackerel die after being handled with dry hands or a cloth so if you have enough, stop fishing for them and go back to bottom fishing. This is a venue suitable for children although there is either a long drop to the water or deep water depending on the state of the tide. Crabbing can be done in the inner harbour. All the usual facilities, shops, cafés etc. are a short walk away.

Butlers Horse Rocks

If you walk around to the right as you walk down the slope towards the harbour wall, following the sign for The Lifeboat station, you will see some stone steps leading down to a small rock platform. This goes by the quaint local name of Butlers Horse. Why I don't know. There is only room for three or four people to fish from here and you will be fishing over clean sand for the same species as from the harbour wall.. The current can pull quite hard around this point so grip leads will be needed at some states of the tide.

Rocket Rocks or 'The Bandstand' at low tide.

Further around the headland, it's quicker to approach from the other side past the Museum and Gallery, you will come to 'The Bandstand' mark which the old local I was chatting to called Rocket Rock..... and just as he didn't know who Butler or his horse were, he didn't offer an explanation for this name. From the path you will need to carefully climb, slide, tumble or fall headlong onto the rocks below. Fishing is said to be good from here at night, I haven't personally fished here, I'm too old for this climb, slide, tumble or fall headlong business.

There is a tackle shop close to the harbour but you may have to travel to Pembroke Dock, Raven Trading on the small industrial estate before entering the town, to get livebait of any sort.

Tide times for the next 7 days

Harbour Wall only

Pembrokeshire, Newport, The Slipway

The Slipway, at the old lifeboat house.

If you take the footpath from The Parrog car park, you can walk alongside the estuary in front of the cottages; if the tide is in you may have to take the upper path which is signposted where a detour is required. Eventually you will come to the little bay and the slipway, locally this is known as Cwm. Fishing here is onto fairly clean ground. The fishing is not great but the location is. Pollack, bass, whiting, eels or mini species are possible using worm or fish baits. Children like this spot as there are rock pools to explore at low tide; a toddler friendly spot.

The Steps, past the Slipway.

Past the slipway the coast path splits, take the lower route and you will come to some rocks with concrete steps. There is very limited room here so only a few people can fish. Spinning or float fishing may intercept fish moving in or out of the estuary. Pollack and wrasse lurk along the rocks edges among the weed and mackerel can come within range in summer. Not a place for toddler type children.

Rock ledge, room for three or four to fish here.

A little way further on from the steps there is fairly easy access down to a flat rock platform. A place to try to intercept fish as they move in or out with the tide, try spinning for bass or cast a big bait into the tideway; you will need a heavy grip weight at certain periods during the tide as the current will be strong and sometimes there is a lot of weed in the water.

Approximate Tide Times for the next seven days

Pembrokeshire, Newport, The Parrog

Behind the Boat Club, on The Parrog.

This is a popular spot for crabbing from the wall; the car park and toilets are a short walk away. The tidal pull is very strong through here and it is fishable only at high slack water if using legering techniques. Spinning is possible, casting into the main tideway although weed in the water can make this method tiresome. Bass, mullet and flounder make their way in and out of the estuary through this narrow channel.

You can get frozen bait for crabbing from a shop by the garage workshop in the village. At low tide you may find peeler crabs in the weed at the base of the wall. Lugworm can be dug out on the flats but do not dig near boat moorings and backfill any holes.

.Evening on The Parrog with tide tide creeping in.

Pembrokeshire, Fishguard Inner Breakwater.

The inner Breakwater, Goodwick, Fishguard

If you drive along the M4 and then the A40 to the very end you will be at the Ireland ferry terminal at Goodwick but which is referred to as Fishguard. Pass the filling station and turn right at two mini roundabouts into the car park. There is a slip road that is marked no through road, 'slipway only', that takes you to a further parking area at the end of the breakwater. There is disabled parking here and there is a café and toilets in the large building adjacent, there are other toilets in the building at the top of the slipway.
The breakwater has rock armour to the sides which make retrieval of a fish difficult but the right hand side for the first third of the breakwater is steeper than the rest so is more fishable. On the left side there are several basic platform areas that make fishing easier. The end of the breakwater has concrete and stone aprons which makes for better access as it is possible to stand on these to spin for fish.

The end of the Inner Breakwater.

Fish caught here are dogfish, pouting, flatfish, whiting, wrasse, bass and mackerel in season. In autumn and winter cod are also taken. The water is fairly shallow until you reach the end, although this does not mean the fish are not there; flounders and bass do not mind shallow water; float fishing is possible from the end of the breakwater although keep an eye out for lobster pot markers and ropes. Worm is favourite bait if you can obtain any locally but squid or fishbait will take fish. Frozen bait, for example frozen raw prawns, may be available at the Tesco store which is located by the roundabout. Bait is a problem in this area, tackle shops come and go., it will probably be a case of driving to Pembroke Dock, 

Lugworm can be dug at low tide, look for the worm casts; please backfill any holes you dig as they can be a danger to other beach users. On low spring tides you may be able to get some razorfish and it may be worth looking for peeler crabs among the weed and rocks at the south end of the beach, to the right of the breakwater.

In parts, with able-bodied help for retrieving.

Pembrokeshire, St Dogmaels

Teifi estuary, St Dogmaels low tide looking seaward.

Take the road from Cardigan to Poppit Sands, the B4536, in the village of St Dogmaels turn right and at the bottom of the hill there is a low sea wall. There is a small amount of roadside parking at the far end of the wall towards a new boat park. You can get access to the beach near the small pumping station or via the slipway further up the road. There are boat moorings here which make fishing difficult except at low tide, the beach here is muddy. Walk to the left towards the sea, past the boat moorings and where the estuary narrows a little and where the rocky bank starts, two channels of the estuary meet. The beach is firmer sandy silt here.This is a good mark for flounder fishing, my only ever near 3lb fish came from here to a soft crab bait tipped with mackerel. If you look you may find soft or peeler crab bait nearby although flounder will take fish baits, especially the larger fish. Locals used to use earthworms here with great success.
On big tides there is a lot of water moving in the estuary and the current is too strong for easy fishing at maximum flow, especially if the river is in spate. You will need to fish over low or high water slack times or when the flow abates. On very high tides it is possible to get cut off at this mark so consult tide tables before heading out there.
Bait is a problem in West Wales. Mackerel or frozen raw prawns can usually be bought from Tesco in Cardigan, there is a tackle shop in Cardigan (Castaway Tackle Shop in College Row 01239 621856 ) which sells frozen bait and very expensive farmed, boxed ragworm. As you go through the High Street on the one-way system you will notice a small square with what used to be Woolworths to the right, immediately turn left down the hill, this is College Row, there is a car park about 50 yards further on.

Approximate Tide Times at St Dogmaels for the next 7 days