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| I decided to put this page up after realising how little info on seafishing around Anglesey there is on the web. Again as with my knowledge on history I do not claim to being an "expert" fisherman, Nor do I think I know more than others. I am just an average joe who fishes the shores of Anglesey as much as possible, and being fortunate enough to be a "local" fisherman can hopefully help those who are unsure of where to fish, and how. If you wish more expert help, then I will put up the web addys I know about for this area, whether you find them useful or not who knows. |
| I have spent many many years fishing Anglesey, and have learned that there is no such thing as a "reliable" fishing spot, but being fishermen yourselves you will no doubt already have found that out. But not living on the island your time is probably short, you may only have chance for maybe one day or night, and obviously you want it to count. so with that in mind I will attempt to point you in the right direction. |
| The places I mention I can only vouch for in relation to night fishing, Very rarely do I fish during the day unless I am after wrasse,Firstly my "reliable" spots. Bearing in mind I have already said there is no such thing as reliable I have three places I am confident of catching, no matter how the rest of the island is fishing. The first has got to be the "St Georges pier" on the Menai. This is best fished at night. Unfortunately the scientific survey vessel "Prince Madog" is often tied up here which makes fishing into the main deep areas of the straits difficult. Give the Holyhead Lifeboat station a call for info on whether it is in dock, It is always wise to ring them for info on weather and tide times anyway, I have found them always ready to help. It is still possible to fish deep water by climbing the ladders on the left and right stancions and fishing from there,but only really feasable at high tide, It is a long way up if you are fortunate enough to hook a big one. If the ship is out and you are able to fish deep water, then big baits are best, as there are some big cod and conger out there. I fish worm and squid cocktail, but always take the usual makerel and sandeel baits just incase. If you are fortunte enough to have a long cast then bigger fish tend to be found,but even those with a short cast can get good results, as the fast water cod love is fairly easy to reach, but be aware, this location can be a tackle stealer, as is the case with all good fishing spots. All is not lost if the ship is in however, Due to the all night lighting on the pier it is a haven for all sort of "bait fish" and those fish that love hunting them follow behind. I have found lures are a better bet fishing the inside facing back up the pier. Any small white or silverish lure, will catch fish. Myself and my fishing buddy were on the pier one night, the ship was out, but it seems all the locals were out that night, and there were that many lines out that we decided to fish the inside using small lures. The locals said it was very quiet, but we decided not to waste the night, and cast out, On our first casts we were into fish, of one and a half pound to two pounds, and for the next few hours we just kept catching, much to the friendly annoyance of a few fishing the deeper water. And even more annoyance when we kept throwing them back! If you decide to try this spot, then my advice is to fish the left hand side, facing the pier, and cast to the left and slightly away from the pier legs, varying the speed of your retrieve will usualy bring results. Do not under any curcumstances attempt to fish from the back of the Prince Madog, the watchman can get very annoyed. Location; Come onto the island via the old bridge from Bangor, As you come off the bridge onto Anglesey take a right off the roundabout into the village. As you come into the village down the hill you will pass a chippy on your left hand side, coming to a crossroads take a right and follow the road a short way until you come to the Liverpool Arms, take a left and you will see park gates in front of you. Go through the gates and the pier is at the end of the drive. Footnote; Please dont leave old bait wrappings, fishing line etc as the pier is used daily by the public. |
| My second "reliable" spot is on the opposite end of the island and is Porth Dafarch. Although this is my second reliable spot it has to be my first favourite. It is one of the most peaceful fishing venues I have fished, mainly due to its hard to reach location. It can only be safely approached in daylight as it is a rocky outcrop and it is very unwise to attempt climbing this sort of venue in the dark, however well you know it. This spot has deep water at all times, and although it is a "clean" area it has always been a good area for holding fish. From here I have had fish not usualy caught by the "once a month" shore fisherman, such as Gurnard, Skate, Ray, and Black Bream.In the summer months this area is renowned for its Mackerel fishing and the apt named "Mackerel point" is just along the road from here. I use a sliding ledger rig with various mixtures of worm, sandeel, peeler crab and mackerel strip, but this is my own personal preference and in no way infer it is the best. If you fish this venue then make sure you check the weather, especialy wind direction, this is not the sort of place you want to be at night if the wind suddenly changes onshore and you have a high tide. I can advise that safety is paramount here, Good storm lamps, warm clothing etc. Although not impossible, climbing up from here at night is not recommended. There is room on this outcrop for three, maybe four fishermen, and long casts seem to do best, although those with a shorter cast can still reach fish due to the deep water. I find that it fishes best an hour before high tide, slack tide, and an hour out, but this seems to change greatly if we have had a high wind or storm a few days before, when the fishing is good right the way through. Can be plagued by doggies on occasion, but Pollack, Whiting, Coalies, Bull huss, Plaice, Dab, Flounder and Bass can all be caught from here. I must say I have never caught Cod from here, but thats not to say they cant, just that I personally havent. If catching the odd "suprise" is to your liking, then a second rod with a big bait and float fished under your feet has got to be worth a try here. I have had quite a few 3lb-5lb fish caught on a "lazy rod". but make sure its well rooted. when this rod is hit, it usualy goes with a vengeance. Another method of catching decent sized fish is with spinner and many a lost night has been saved by fishing a spinner or lure. The bigger spinners seem to do well here, and makes a nice change when things go quiet. Location; Coming into Holyhead on the new dual carriageway, As you come to the end of the carriageway just before the town, you will approach a roundabout. take the first exit off and then immediately take a right onto a narrow road with houses on both sides. Keep ahead until you leave the housing area and follow it to the end. At the end turn left and you will have Porth Dafarch on your right hand side. As you reach the bottom of the hill, level with the toilets take the right into the toilet area. Park up. Looking out to sea, you take a narrow pathway to the left of the bay onto the headland, over a stile, and follow the footpath up. As you reach the top look for the second headland along. This can be climed down with care, and the fishing spot is at the bottom. Most of these headlands are fishable, but I have found over the years due to snags, ease of access, and amount of fish caught the second outcrop seems to fish best. |
| My third spot is just up the road a bit from Porth Dafarch and is Treaddur Bay. Although very busy with holiday makers in the summer, night time brings peace and quiet. Maybe thats why I have the habit of only fishing nights. Treaddur bay can be fished both sides, visitors tend to fish on the right hand side because its easy to get to, you dont have to walk far from the car, and it seems the most obvious. But locals, myself included tend to fish the left hand side, known as "the flagpole". so called because of the flagpole out on the headland duh!. Anyway you can either find a parking spot on the left near the flagpole, or park in the parking area near the lifeboat station. and walk the beach to the flagpole. The fishing is the same for both sides, but better, bigger fish tend to be caught on the left. This again is a location that tends to fish better after a big blow onshore. The rocky outcrops all along here are well worth trying, I have no personal preference because they have all given fish at one time or another, my choice is usualy down to how much time I have, how lazy I am feeling, or if I have a youngster with me that I feel safer staying nearer the beach. I have given the actual beach a try in the past, but have since given that up due to its poor performance. if you want fish from here, then stick to the rocks. Wrasse, Pollack, Whiting, Cod, Bull huss, Bass and Coalies can all be caught from these marks and fresh bait works best, Sand eel, Lug, Rag, Peeler and fresh Mackerel fillets and casts of 50-100 yards will find fish. Can be a tackle stealer if you hit a "wrong spot". Location; Coming from Porth Dafarch keep the sea to your right, follow the coastal road along for about 2 miles and Treaddur bay is the next big bay along. |
| Ok, those then are my three instant "reliable" fishing spots. Obviously its never a certainty, but if I had only one night to fish, and wanted a fair chance at "getting something", then those are the places I would go. Those of you who are after a certain type of fish will want to go to places where those fish are known to be caught, for example if you want Conger, then Holyhead breakwater would be choice, Bass would be Penmon Point or Dinas Dinlle, Cod from the Menai etc. But for those just wanting a "spot of fishing" and want quantity rather than quality, then you could do much worse than the three I have mentioned. |
| I started this fishing page with no idea of where to go with it, or what people would want, so I have written what I think might be wanted by the "once a month" fisherman. But I realise there are those of you who would like a more broader based idea of places to fish etc, so the following is my attempt to give you more on fishing the Anglesey area as a whole. |
| Anglesey has over 125 miles of fishing coastline ranging from sandy beaches which fish well in a storm, piers and jettys, which hold the smaller fish but in greater number and the deepwater rock marks which can give up specimens from time to time. The following are a few; Ravens point, at low water can produce thornback,wrasse, pollock, coalfish, bull huss, dogfish, bass, cod and whiting. Penmon, can produce Bass and mackerel late into the year. Bangor pier, Plaice, flounders, also good size cod 2-3lb and Pollock. Newborough beach, Excellent fishing for bass, mainly schoolies, but lots of them, Try blowlug tipped with razorfish on a running ledger. Holyhead breakwater, good fishing on any tide, bigger fish to be caught on the seaward side with a chance of catching most fish, but be prepared to lose tackle, rotten bottoms a must. Stanley embankment, Bull huss, dogfish, pollack, wrasse, mullet, cod, plaice, dab, flounder, conger, whiting, codling, thornback and bass all can be caught in season. Cymyran, Porth dafarch, Trearddur bay, Rhoscolyn, all take wrasse, pollock, thornback, smooth hound, mackerel, herring and bull huss. Ty Croes, Many types of fish, bass, cod, whiting, coalfish, pollock, conger, bull huss, thornback, all flatfish and mackerel. Casts of 50-100 yards will find fish. Any fresh bait such as sand eel, lug, rag or peeler. Cable bay, Same as Ty Croes, using same baits, fish below burial ground, You can also fish from some ledges casting 100 yards + Broad beach, Storm beach with ideal fishing low and high water. All baits work here but peeler best. Turbot, flounder and bass. Cast 50-100 yards. These are just a few marks, and the advantage to fishing the island is the ability to find a sheltered area, no matter what the weather. Hopefully I have covered things you find useful, if there is anything else you would like me to add to this area then let me know when you sign my guestbook, and I will see what I can do. maybe a monthly fishing report? let me know ok. Tight lines. |
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| Misc |
| Fishing report for October; Dabs are starting to arrive in the estuaries and anglers fishing the Dee will shortly be into the great Dab invasion. Plaice and flounder are still about, but getting fewer. Talacre get dabs first followed by Mostyn, then working along the estuary. Lugworm and fishbaits best for these. Whiting are begining to appear with the larger ones coming in this month around the mainland venues, and piers should do well, Best fished at night, either by bottom fishing or if quiet coalies and pollack under the lights around the first few hours of an ebb tide.Decent codling also arriving inshore. The Menai Straits comes into its own around October, Large bass are on their way back into the swellies and a large heavy lure fished deep works well. Bangor pier and the stone circle giving good whiting and pollack in medium sized tides, also Gallows point. Beaumaris pier has lots of whiting, but always seem to be a bit on the small side, with the odd exception. Whiting are arriving at most rock marks around Anglesey now with whitebeach fishing really well. Pollack are small but in large quantities. October is the month for big Conger around Holyhead, with small tides and slack water being best. Best bait is fresh herring followed by mackerel and squid. Give the fish quay or the breakwater a try. Daylight on the end of the breakwater can produce pollack, ling and of coarse doggies, while night should be good for whiting and codling.......and doggies. Fishing the inner wall should produce dabs and whiting. Best baits; Fishing the winter on Anglesey requires lugworm or rag tipped with sandeel, Thornback seem to prefer peeler or fresh mackerel, and spotted ray will fall to sandeel. Bass can be taken with lug, rag, peeler or sandeel. Bait can be obtained from Anglesey boat Co, at Beaumaris and Malcolm the owner is quite helpful with out of normal hours requirements. He can be reached on 01248-810359. This is the report for October, If you find this useful, then let me know, and I will update it every month. |
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