I’d been battling Southerndown’s long, wide beach for years. Some days I’d put out 140–150g leads and feel like I’d sent the bait into the sea, only to reel back line that had piled up in the spool or tangled at the swivel. Other days my casts would fly true but I’d snap off on hidden...
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How-To Guides
I like winter cod in shallow kelp bays because everything about the session...
How-To Guides
Late-summer bass sessions along the Welsh coast are some of my favourite days:...
How-To Guides
I’ve had a soft spot for rays since my first double-figure thornback took my...
How-To Guides
I’ve had a few sleepless nights and one very wet kitbag when I misjudged the...
I’ve had a soft spot for rays since my first double-figure thornback took my peeler crab off a rough, kelpy ledge at dusk. Getting a big ray from a rocky cove on a light surf setup is all about matching subtlety with brute respect for their size...
I’ve had a few sleepless nights and one very wet kitbag when I misjudged the exit line on a ledge fish. Since then I’ve made spotting the exact cliff edge exit my pre-cast ritual. On Wales’ ledges the tide can run faster than you expect and...
I love a low-tide microsession on sandy flats near estuaries — short, focused, and often deadly for flatfish if you pick the right slot. These sessions are the kind I plan around a coffee, a quick check of the tide app, and the knowledge that...
I always leave the house thinking I’ll only be out for an hour, and come back two tides later with pockets full of bait, a soggy map and — if I’m lucky — a few good photos to show for it. Early on I learned the hard way that lugging big...
Windy nights are part of coastal angling — and so is the frustration when your leader kites and your hard-won hookset turns into a missed opportunity. Over the years fishing Wales’ rugged shores I’ve learned that a lot of kite-tailing and weak...
I’ve had enough scrapes, cold shocks and singed seaweed moments to know a compact, well-thought-out first-aid kit is worth its weight in rigs. On the shore, help can be a long time coming and conditions change fast: a small cut can turn nasty in...
I love fishing bouldered beaches for a reason: the structure concentrates fish, tides push feed into the cracks, and the light can be spectacular at dawn. But lugworm on these spots is a different beast. The combination of heavy surge, jagged rocks...
Picking the right shore reel drag for chasing sea bass from Welsh rocks and beaches has been something I’ve spent a lot of time experimenting with. The mechanics of a drag system matter more than people realise — it’s the difference between a...
I head out for overnight sessions because that sweet window between dusk and dawn often produces the best action on exposed coves — but twelve hours on the bank in open conditions means you need to be organised. Over the years I’ve learned to...
I’ve spent more mornings than I can count standing on rocky points and pebbled coves, watching the water and the birds and waiting for a clue. Learning to identify feeding lanes from shore is one of those skills that transforms aimless casting...