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 or raw king prawns can usually be bought from Tesco in Cardigan, and there is a tackle shop 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

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 succeed 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 float-fishing 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

Poole Harbour, Bramble Bush Bay & Gravel Point

Sunset over Jerry's Point, from Bramble Bush bay.

If you head towards the ferry from the Studland direction then Bramble Bush Bay and Gravel Point are on your left. If coming over on the ferry park soon after passing the toll booth and mini roundabout. There is parking at the side of the road, just be sure to keep clear of the yellow line. Parking is not permitted overnight, if you are fishing a night session use the car park near the toll booth. Walk along one of the many paths through the heather and gorse and you will come onto a narrow beach, well you will if it is not high tide; at big high tides the water will force you back up onto the bank. Make sure you have a line of escape back through the undergrowth or you may have to wait for the tide to drop or get wet feet. Tides are as other Poole harbour, double tides and hard to get your head around; fish most of the tide during neap tides but the water will go a way out on spring tide low. This venue is quite safe for children.... although adders sometimes can be seen in the heather, leave them alone and they will go away, they are unlikely to be found on the beach.

Houseboats at Bramble Bush Bay, Gravel Point behind.

You can use light tackle here as fish are caught very close in, sometimes within five yards. If you cast as far as the houseboats at high tide that will be far enough. Flounder and school bass are caught here on worm baits and worms can be dug in the bay if you are fit enough, otherwise buy them at The Poole Sea Angling Centre near Poole Quay , The Wessex Angling Centre on Wimborne Road in Poole, or at The Swanage Angling Centre

Please observe the fire safety rules, the gorse and heather are often tinder dry and fires here do great damage to the heathland ecosystem.

If the name Bramble Bush Bay seems familiar, it is the name of the chain ferry that works between here and Sandbanks.

Tide Times for the next seven days

Parking warning ! The signs say 'no overnight parking'.... this means you may get a ticket for parking at any time during the 'night', even if you stay just a short time.
Check the signs, I believe it is between 11pm and 06.30 am.

Cornwall, Porthkerris.

Spinning for mackerel or pollack, Porthallow in the distance

Porthkerris is a disused quarry site on the Lizard between Porthoustock and Porthallow, take the B3083 from Helston past RNAS Culdrose then onto the B3293, past the dishes of Goonhilly Down and then onto the B3294 down into the village of St Keverne, turn sharp left after the red telephone box, and head for Porthallow... look out for a sign for Porthkerris, it has a picture of a shark and a big black arrow on it. From here the road narrows, yes narrows even more!, proceed with extreme caution, there are few passing places and driving off the road is not an option. You have to pay to park and to fish here, currently £2 parking and £1 per person fishing.

Rock ledges, Porthkerris.

At the bottom of the hill there are toilets and, in season, a snack bar. You will need to pay here, or if you are an early riser, someone will find you as you fish and collect payment from you. There is a small beach here which is used for other pursuits such as diving and swimming, fishing is done from the rock ledges which are reached by driving out to the left. Fish from any of the accessible ledges but take care when the rocks are wet. this is not a venue for small children but should be suitable for sensible older children. The rocks give access to deep water close in. Mackerel are the main sport here, and the litter left by those 'anglers', whose experience is limited to the slaughter of these fish, spoils a picturesque spot.

The 'disabled' spot.

At the far end of the car park there is a disabled wheelchair sign painted onto a block. Disabled wheelchair users will however be disappointed, access down the slope and across the rocks to a small rough concrete flat area (located behind the concrete pump house*) is not suitable for even a rough terrain chair. It is possible for persons walking with the aid of sticks and or crutches to negotiate the distance by care and patience. This spot is about the only flat spot to stand on, most of the rocks are sloping giving rise to sore ankles by the end of the day. If you are on this spot and able-bodied please give it up to someone who needs it.
Float fished fish strip or sandeel will catch mackerel, gar, pollack, wrasse and maybe a bass; bottom fishing over the rough will get thousands of wrasse, blennies and other small species with a chance of dogfish or gurnard. Congers are sometimes caught on big fish baits at night.

*The pump house supplies sea water to the new building within the car park area which processes the water to get sea-salt for the food-faddist; all salt comes from the sea, the supposed inferior salt from Cheshire mines being from the sea millions of years before man polluted it.
For your bait, the nearest place is a large angling shop in Helston, Atlantic Fishing Tackle in Wendron Street (just by a car park), that sells bait including ragworm and lugworm. Tel 01326 561640.

Tide Times for the next seven days

from 'disabled spot', but not for wheelchair users

Poole Harbour, Jerry's Point.

Jerry's Point, looking west back towards Studland Village.

Jerry's Point is a promontory into Poole Harbour of the heathland that forms the Studland Peninsula. Access is via the road from Swanage to the Toll Ferry to Sandbanks. Look for a blue bus stop pole on the south side of the road about half a mile from the ferry; it has Jerry's Point listed as the stop name, opposite is a gated vehicle entrance with pedestrian access to the side. There is free parking alongside the road but keep inside the yellow line and do not park overnight or you will get a ticket. There are toilets back at the Ferry landing near the toll booth. There is a path that runs northwards to Jerry's Point which faces Brownsea Island, to the point is about a four hundred yard level walk but there may be muddy patches after rain . A few safety tips here, do not under any circumstances light a fire because of the risks to the heathland, the area has a big population of deer ( you can see there slot marks in the soil or in the sand on the beach ) so look out for ticks if you have brushed through the heather, also it is not uncommon to see adders here (best not to play with them). On the way out to the point you will pass a well defined path through the heather leading down into Bramble Bush Bay, you can fish along this beach out as far as the houseboats and Gravel Point. The water is shallow and bass and flounder are the targets here. Ragworm is the favoured bait but fish strips, sand eels or slipper limpets can account for the bigger fish.

Bramble Bush Bay with houseboats and Gravel Point in the background.

Fishing at the point is much like fishing other marks in the harbour. Shallow areas hold bass and flounder but little else. From the point you can cast into deeper water in the channel towards Brownsea Island, it is possible to wade out along the shingle spit to spin for bass in the deeper water or into the disturbed water that forms as the tide drops and increases the rate at which water flows around the point.
Generally the fishing is not great but this is compensated by the views and the solitude; it is not a busy mark usually although there are sometimes matches held here. A safe place for children to potter about on the narrow beaches or to paddle in shallow water.

Nearest tackle shops are Swanage Angling , Poole Sea Angling Centre or the shop in Wareham,
Purbeck Angling, 28 South St Wareham Dorset BH20 4LU

Tide Times for the next seven days

Parking warning ! The signs say 'no overnight parking'.... this means you may get a ticket for parking at any time during the 'night', even if you stay just a short time.
check the signs, I believe it is between 11pm and 06.30 am

updated 27:01:12  bus stop details updated

Cornwall, Godrevy Point.

Gwithian Sands and Godrevy Point, north coast.

You will find this venue off the B3301 from Hayle to Portreath, Gwithian Sands can be fished but it is usually swarming with surfers; head east from Gwithian and you will find the entrance to The National Trust property of Godrevy. If you are a member you can park here free, otherwise pay the man on the gate. The car parks are closed at night so check the closing times before heading off. The cars parked in this car park can be seen as white specks above the white building in the middle distance in the photo above. There is a cafe at the entrance and toilets at the car park.

Float fishing from the rocks at Godrevy Point.

You can fish from the beach which should be surfer-free at this point, fishing worm, sandeel or fish baits will give you a chance of bass, rays, turbot, plaice or flounders, closer to the rocks or bottom fishing from the rocks, will get wrasse or pollock. Spinning is another tactic which can work for big pollock.The ground here is sandy when clear of the rocks.

The rocks at Godrevy, looking towards Godrevy Island.

Float fishing from the rocks will get mackerel gar and scad in season, along with pollock, bass and wrasse. The rock platform is fairly easy to negotiate and is safe, in calm weather, for sensible children... but toddler type kids on the beach only. Do not fish here in rough weather, even in calm weather keep an eye out for the swells which can take you unawares especially near high tide.... retreat to a higher perch or to the beach, no fish is worth the risk of being swept away and drowned.
There are tackle shops in Hayle, one is in a market building near where the road doubles back under the railway bridge, near Foundry Square car park, the other in Fore Street as you pass through the town heading eastwards. Look for their sign on the roadside.

Cornwall, Porthleven Harbour.

Porthleven Harbour, lots of walls to fish from.

Porthleven is just west of Helston on the B3304, it is a convenient fishing spot for children and wheelchair users with easy access to many walls for fishing into the harbour. Fishing is best for three hours over high tide for the inner part of the harbour although you can fish from the long pier on the left at low tide, fishing into the harbour entrance. Parking is free alongside the harbour if you can find a spot, there is also a pay and display car park. 

The nearest tackle shop is on the road towards Penzance at Germoe, TR20 9AE, Newtown Angling Centre, which sells bait including ragworm and lugworm. 

Toilets are up a side road to your left as you walk as you walk along the village side of the harbour passing shops,a pub and cafés, others at the base of the church seen in the picture below near the start of the breakwater.

Porthleven, the inner harbour.

Float fishing along the weedy and rocky fringes of the harbour walls will get you wrasse, there are some big wrasse in here especially from the end of the long pier. Wrasse are thugs, they are strong fighters and will dive for cover when hooked, if they get into the rocks and weed you will most likely lose them.... so hold onto the rod at all times and get ready to keep the fishes head up out of the rough. If they get jammed in the rough it is worthwhile giving them a bit of slack line; they will sometimes swim out of the snag.
Small pollack are also caught, if you are prepared to lose a few weights, drop a bait straight down the wall on a simple paternoster rig, the hook length should be short and a foot or so above the weight to keep the bait up out of the weed. Keep hold of the rod ! Fish such as pout, scorpion fish and others skulk along the wall so keep your hooks small (size 2 or less) and see what is down there. Flatfish such as flounder and turbot can be caught by casting out onto the cleaner ground out in the harbour entrance. Rockling and eels, silver and conger, can be caught. Baits are ragworm for the wrasse or flounder, fish bait of any kind seems to catch anything else. Float fishing for mackerel and gar in season is popular all around the harbour. Be aware of boat traffic, they have right of way so reel in when boats need to pass. The seaward side of the long arm is very rocky and is not good for fishing, leave that area for the kids who surf the breakers that form as the swell passes over the rock table here.

The long arm of the harbour wall at low tide, note the rocky weedy fringe.

There is a long beach to the left which runs to Loe Bar, bass are the quarry along this section but fishing is only possible when the other beach users leave in the evening. Loe Bar is a fishy spot but a cliff walk/scramble is required to get there.

Angling shops nearby, 

Last Stop Tackle Shop, Haelarcher Farmyard, Lizard Head Ln, The Lizard 

TR12 7NN Tel  07896 290869

Bait available from Lizard Rigs who are on the A3083 at Trevelyan Holiday Homes 

TR12 7AS (look for BAIT sign on rhs when heading south.)

                             Newtown Angling Centre Newtown, Penzance TR20 9AE

not Loe Bar !

Cornwall, Mullion Cove.

Mullion Harbour, looking out to Mullion Island.

Mullion Cove is on the Lizard Peninsula, take the A3083 south from Helston. It is reached through the village of Mullion which has shops and places to eat. The Happy Shopper Store as you enter the village stocks some fishing equipment and frozen bait. Parking near the Harbour is possible out of season but from 1st June to 1st October you will have to use the car park and walk about six hundred yards. There are toilets on the route to the harbour, about two hundred yards away. There is a cafe at the head of the harbour. Opposite the cafe is a path down to the inner arm of the harbour wall. This offers comfortable fishing from a wide stone platform into a good depth of water at high tide, at low tide the rocks are exposed and fishing can be difficult; this venue is best fished about three hours each side of high tide. It is safe for older children but is unguarded. The rocky areas are visible in the clear water and, after the rocks there is clean ground until the taller rocks which are visible at high tide. Fishing on the bottom here produces bass, pollock, wrasse, turbot, dogfish, rockling and other bottom feeders. Float fishing will get mackerel, gar and scad in season, use a sandeel or strip of mackerel or squid. At night try float fishing with a starlight on a float or just hold the rod and feel for a bite from pollock which come close in to the wall. If you set the depth to just drag the bottom of the clean ground area you can catch turbot and other bottom feeders also. The path down is steep in parts and uneven but should be accessible to wheelchair users; access to the outer arm is more straightforward.

Mullion Harbour,The outer arm viewed from the comfort of the inner arm.

The outer arm of the harbour has a high wall which makes fishing impossible apart from a short section at the end. There are some steps at the start of the wall which allow access onto the broad sloping top of the wall from where you can cast out onto clean ground or fish the weedy gully; most definitely not for children or the faint-hearted.
Do not even consider fishing this harbour in bad weather, waves can break over the pier and recently two lives were lost to large waves. 'Freak waves' is a term used by reporters who know no better; large waves can, and do, spring up at any time in any weather, nothing freak about them at all. Be safe, be aware of danger. In storms it is known for waves to break right over Mullion Island.

Angling shops nearby, 

Last Stop Tackle Shop, Haelarcher Farmyard, Lizard Head Ln, The Lizard 
TR12 7NN Tel  07896 290869
Bait available from Lizard Rigs who are on the A3083 at Trevelyan Holiday Homes 
TR12 7AS look for BAIT sign on rhs when heading south

Tide Times for the next seven days

Cardiganshire, Cardigan to Aberaeron.

Low tide at The Patch, Cardigan.

This section of coast includes Cardigan Town, the northern side of the Tivy Estuary, The Patch, The Cliff Hotel at Gwbert , Mwnt, Aberporth, Tresaith, Llangranog, New Quay, Cei Bach and Aberaeron. There are plenty of other marks that can be found by hiking off along the coastal paths but these are, in the main, not suited to beginners or children. Rock marks, especially those to the north of the little bay at Mwnt, can be very dangerous places even for the experienced rock angler.

Cornwall, Lizard to Portreath.

Gwithian Beach, looking towards Godrevy.

Cornwall has a great many places to fish but many of them are on exposed rocky coasts and are dangerous places to be for novices and children. Many of the easy places to fish will be very crowded in the holiday season. Beaches are invaded by the surf gremmies during the day so beach angling is best done after dark.
In this section details are given for Porthkerris, Coverack Harbour, Mullion Cove, Porthleven Harbour, Praa Sands, Mousehole, Godrevy Point, and Portreath Beach, more will be added in due course after my next trip.

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, 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, Ceibwr, Moylegrove

Ceibwr, looking east.

Ceibwr is a small bay and headland at Moylegrove which is signposted from Newport or Cardigan via St Dogmaels. It is a beautiful spot and the fishing can be good. There are no facilities at Ceibwr, there are toilets back in the village in the car park; the nearest place to eat and drink is the Pavilion Cafe at the garden centre, Penrallt Ceibwr, which is a turning on the left as you leave Moylegrove towards St Dogmaels up a very steep hill.

At Ceibwr you can walk along the rock ledges to find a spot; long casting is not required as the fish are in the gully between you and the rock reefs which rise only yards away. Float fishing is fun and wrasse, pollack and even dogfish can be caught this way. There is kelp in the gully so fish will try to dive into it to escape; keep hold of the rod and react quickly and you should not loose too much tackle. Bottom fishing picks up the same species plus some mini-species but tackle loss can be high. Use old nuts, bolts, spark plugs etc to keep costs down you will not need a lot of weight to find bottom.

Casting into the rough ground in the cove entrance can provide sport with dogfish, bull huss, conger eel or even tope on rare occasions.

Do not go down onto the ledges if there is rough weather or a big swell running, wear sensible footwear the rock edges are sharp and slanted. Barefoot or flip-flops are not an option.

Ceibwr, looking west low tide.

The water is usually much clearer than it is in this photograph. Spinning in the gulley can get pollack,bass and, in season, mackerel. Please keep this lovely spot clear of litter, old line and bait. There are no bins.... take it home.

Bait is a problem in West Wales. Mackerel 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 ragworm, best to phone to check they have some in stock or to order some in advance. As you go through the High Street on the one-way system you will notice a small square with what was Woolworths to the right, immediately turn left down the hill, this is College Row, there is a car park about 50 yards further at the bottom of the hill. Soft or peeler crabs can be found at St Dogmaels along the waters edge where the boats are moored.

Approximate Tide Times for the next 7 days

Pembrokeshire, Newport Beach

Newport Beach, mid tide looking north.

Newport is east of Fishguard on the A487, the beach is reached by car by turning off as you are leaving the village on the Cardigan side. The turn is signposted Moylegrove and Golf Course. You will cross the river and head uphill, left turn at a cottage and follow the golf course signs, you will find the car park just past the Golf Club. Pay the attendants in season, free out of season. There is a snack bar/shop in season and toilets nearby.

This is a venue where you can take your vehicle down onto the firm sand beach. Be aware of the tides if you do go onto the sand make sure you have a look at the "strand line" which will show where the last tide reached.The beach is shallow and the tide races in. Species that are caught here are dogfish, bass, flatfish and rays. Other species turn up but bass and dogfish are the usual catch. A cast of fifty yards or so will get fish, sometimes less. Worm baits will catch most fish but squid, sandeel and mackerel will take fish and are cheap and easily obtained. Wading here will enable you to get your baits further out.

The beach is popular with tourists so most angling is done to the rightin front of the rocks, check tide times and make sure you are not cut off, otherwise you may have a long wait to get back. The other spot to fish is to the left, at the end of the spit at the river entrance, this is a spot for light tackle fishing on the move because you will need to move frequently as the tide changes. You can reach the main beach by paddling/wading across the river at low tide but you will have a long walk around the estuary footpath if you get your timings wrong.

Bait is a problem in West Wales. Frozen bait is sold at the garage in Newport. Mackerel can usually be bought from Tesco in Cardigan and 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 Woolworths to the right, immediately turn left down the hill, this is College Row, there is a car park about 50 yards further on.

Bait can be collected in the estuary at The Parrog; soft or peeler crabs will be lurking under weed and rocks, mussels and limpets on the rocks and lugworm can be found in the sand/mudflats behind the boat club building but they are not found in great numbers and it is hard work to get enough for a session. If you look for crabs please put the stones back exactly as you find them, if you roll the stones over trapping the weed underneath you do great harm to the marine environment and spoil the chances of anyone else finding bait.

Oddities are washed up onto the beach, dead whales have been found and recently a dead trigger fish.

Dolphins and porpoises can be seen from here quite often in summer.

Tide Times for the next 7 days

Park on beach, sand firm when damp.

Weymouth, Church Ope Cove Portland

Church Ope Cove, Portland

.

Portland has a rugged coastline and there are not many marks that can be recommended for beginners or children, access can be difficult and rock marks can prove fatal for those not familiar with the dangers. There is one mark with safe but strenuous access; Church Ope Cove is reached from the village of Easton on the top of the Island, take the A354 and at the exit from the village you will see a stone arch ahead as the roads swings right. There is car park parking at the roadside near The Mermaid or a car park around the corner. Walk towards the stone arch and take the lane to the left which is signposted coast path and Church Ope.There are 153 steps down to the beach and it seems like many more on the way back; travel light but take drinks etc with you, there will not be any "running back to the car" from here! Small children of the ankle-biter kind will not find the going very easy. The beach is safe enough when you get there. Fishing is varied, sandy clean ground in the centre giving way to rocky ground at the edges. Be careful when fishing from the rocks, the walk back up is bad enough without sprained limbs.Many species of fish can be caught here with flatfish, pouting and dogfish providing most of the sport. Wrasse can be caught from the rockier fringes and float-fishing a mackerel strip can catch gar, mackerel, scad and pollock, sole are caught here in the autumn to ragworm bait.
Fishing at night can be interesting, flies hatching out from eggs laid in seaweed on the beach are attracted to the light you need for fishing; bats which live in vast numbers in the old quarries and caves come to feast on the flies.
Portland is a good place for birdwatching as migrating birds stop off for a rest here.

The nearest tackle shops are here

There are toilets on the beach but little else.

For more on fishing Portland have a look at this site.

Chesil Beach, Masonic Car Park

Chesil Beach, looking west from Portland.

The 'Masonic' is a car park at the end of the causeway to the Isle of Portland. You will notice a blue painted shed which is the first building on the right hand side; go around both roundabouts and double back to get to the entrance. You will be confronted with a massive bank of shingle to climb up and over. If this looks bad just wait to you see it on the seaward side. The steep bank of rounded cobbles makes for an interesting lung bursting climb back up, taking one step forward and sliding half a step back. The beach profile changes after each big storm. Do not even think about going onto the beach with a big sea running, the waves sometimes overtop this bank. The nearest tackle shop is Weymouth Angling near the Town Bridge.
Shops, cafe and toilets are just along the road in the village of Chiswell,

Weights for beach fishing.

Weights for beach fishing.

The size and type of weight to use is determined by quite a few factors;

The weight should anchor the tackle to the sea bed against the force of the current to stop it drifting off down the beach to the annoyance of others fishing nearby or dragging into snags. If there is little or no current such as in Poole Harbour or at Swanage then a small smooth weight will do the job. If the smooth lead is moved by the current then a watch lead (the circular lead with bumps on it ) will give a bit more holding power. In strong currents the grip lead is used, these have grip wires which are held in place by the springiness of the wire. A strong pull on the line will pull the grip wires out of the grooves that hold them and the weight can be reeled in.
The size of the weight will also be determined by the type of fishing you are doing and the safe casting weight of your fishing rod and of the line you are using. For fishing light tackle around piers and jetties you can use small smooth leads, for open beaches in rough weather you would have to use five or six ounce leads to get any hold in the sea bed. The flow of water and wind acts on the line and tries to move the weight, the finer the line the better in this respect and allows the use of lighter weights. Lighter weights are good for at least two reasons, you will be able to feel what the fish is doing as you reel in and a small lead is cheaper to loose than a heavy one.
Sometimes when trying to cast a big bait into the wind you will need to step up the weight to overcome the wind resistance. If there are big waves you may need a bigger weight as you can then tighten the line up more to stop the rod tip moving about as much, making it easier to spot a bite.On some sandy beaches you may get good results by using a ball weight and letting the current wash the lead around to attract fish such as flounder and plaice which are attracted by movement.
Lead is not the deadly poison that environmental fascists say it is; it has been used for millennia for fishing weights. To swallow lead is not a good idea, but then neither fish nor the angler is stupid enough to do that.... especially with the sizes of weights used in sea angling. Washing your hands before eating is a good idea, but as you have been handling smelly worms and fish you would do anyway.
I have fished a few times over rough snaggy ground with a character who, when waiting for a bite, looks around the beach for stones with a hole in them. He ties on a loop of line and uses them as weights, if he loses one, it's just going back to where it came from.
Weights are marked with a number of ounces or grammes, there are about twenty five grammes to an ounce for rough calculation, or about a hundred grammes to four ounces.

update Sept 2011

If you fancy making your own leads I have added a post here

Tor Bay, Berry Head.

Berry Head, old quarry and stone loading jetty.

Berry Head lies to the west of Brixham, access is by foot only unless you are registered disabled in which case you may drive down. It surprises me how many disabled people can walk briskly down to the plarform from the lower car park after parking and spend all day at the strenuous activity of feathering for mackerel; perhaps the sea air does them some good. This is not a venue for small children, the water is deep and help a long way off. There is a car park at the top of the headland from which you can walk although it is an easier walk from the car park by Shoalstone outdoor swimming pool; go past the hotel and take a pleasant walk along the footpath up through the trees until you neet the tarmac road which leads down to the base of the old quarry and the fishing platform. Travel light, it is a bit of a slog back up this hill. Most people will be feathering for mackerel which they keep, ungutted, in a plastic bag, in the sun, for hours. Most of them will be thrown away later, what a waste. Float fish with light tackle or flick a single lure around and you will have great sport with mackerel, gar. pollock and scad. The bottom here is patchy sand rocks and weed, cod, whiting, dabs, dogfish etc are caught here in winter. Fishing a worm bait or a small sliver of mackerel on the bottom close in can get all sorts of fish but there are quite a few snags and you will loose tackle.
Please take your litter home, and if you can manage it, some that others have not taken home. This venue becomes a stinking hell hole because people discard cans, bottles, wrappers, disposable barbecues, old bait and fish.
Tip for hot days, take plenty of frozen squash or juice drinks in a cool box. This keeps you and the fish you retain cool..

Disabled allowed to drive down ( a facility much abused ), from car park a fairly steep rough track to the concrete platform.

Tor Bay, Brixham.

Brixham Harbour, loosing the light.

Brixham was at one time the most important fishing port in England. Trawlers from here went under sail to the cod fishing grounds off Newfoundland, The Grand Banks. There is still a fishing fleet based here; to the visiting angler it would appear that the purpose of the fleet is to make a lot of noise and spill diesel fuel into the harbour. Most fishing here is done on the breakwater, fishing the outside of the wall is mainly by float. The bottom is snaggy and a lot of tackle will be lost. If bottom fishing, bass, conger, wrasse, dogfish, pouting and pollack can be expected. Most people are content to floatfish for mackerel and garfish. If you are prepared to experiment on float depth ( up to thirty feet or so) you can amuse yourself species hunting; ballan, corkwing, goldsinney and rockcook wrasse can all be caught here. Fishing on the inside of the breakwater is limited by access over the rocks, if you can find a spot, summer evenings are productive for mackerel and scad on floatfished mackerel strip. Children can catch small gobies, wrasse,blennies and rockling from the stone jetty at the start of the breakwater by the lifeboat mooring. This is also a good spot for mackerel and scad. The scad tend to turn up as the light is fading.

From the rocks.

If you park in the car park in Blackball Lane you will find a few spots along the harbourside where you can fish. If you head out past the research lab buildings you will find the coast path which leads up through the trees to a grassed area; there is fairly easy access down onto the rocks here for a bit of float fishing or fishing a worm bait among the rock gullies for wrasse. The rocks can be slippery when wet. If you continue around the path you will come to a pretty little cove with a cafe and public toilets.

Brixham Harbour and breakwater, the holiday flat was clean but the window wasn't.

Fishing is not allowed in the inner harbour area but the walls will have a population of keen young crab catchers. On the seaward side of the breakwater is Breakwater beach, when the swimmers and divers have gone home this can be a sheltered and quite productive place to fish.

Brixham Bait and Tackle are on The Quay, just across the road from the replica of The Golden Hind at the innermost corner of the harbour.

from stone jetty near the lifeboat mooring

Lyme Bay, Lyme Regis beaches.

The Beach, Marine Parade, Lyme Regis. The Cobb in the distance.

This beach is shingle giving way to sand weed and rocks to the east while to the western end by The Cobb, sand is imported for the anklebiters to play in. Most species can be caught here. The rocky parts are home to blennies, little wrasse and other small species to add to your list. Very busy in the summer months. Plenty of facilities nearby. This beach is less 'tackle hungry' than the other beach to the west of The Cobb.

Monmouth Beach to the west of The Cobb.

Monmouth Beach can be a tackle graveyard, be prepared to loose weights. The loss will be worth it if you can connect with a Bull Huss. The Huss is the grumpy cousin of the humble and gentle dogfish, you can tell the difference by looking for the seperated nose flaps and more visible teeth of the Huss but the fact that it tries to bite your arm off is a more obvious clue. A dogfish grows to a couple of pounds, a ten pound Bull Huss would not be rare from this beach. Baits used are squid and ragworm... lots of it for big fish.
If you are a mullet or bass specialist then the junction of this beach and The Cobb will be of interest to you. At times in the summer great piles of seaweed form here. Maggots emerging from the decaying weed are the preferred food of mullet and bass at this time and sport can be good. You should not have too much trouble with holiday makers, the smell of the decaying seaweed will drive them far away.
Shops and facilities are available by The Cobb. There is a tackle shop nearby but it is open only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at weekends. Fossils can be found on the beach and in the cliffs.
The cliffs are soft and are prone to landslips, be careful, do not climb on the cliffs they really are unstable.