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 and power. Over the years I’ve learned how to...
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How-To Guides
I’ve had a few sleepless nights and one very wet kitbag when I misjudged the...
How-To Guides
I love a low-tide microsession on sandy flats near estuaries — short,...
How-To Guides
I always leave the house thinking I’ll only be out for an hour, and come back...
How-To Guides
Windy nights are part of coastal angling — and so is the frustration when...
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...
Winter cod in shallow Welsh bays have become some of my favourite early-morning prizes — slow, methodical fish that turn a quiet tide into a proper chase. One of the techniques that consistently helps me get more bites during the colder months is...
I fish a lot of different beaches around Wales, and over the years I’ve learned the hard way that local rules and simple common sense make the difference between a great day’s angling and a trip that upsets landowners, wildlife or other beach...
I can tell you a lot about a mark before I even put a lure in the water — sometimes just by the colour of the weed and the foam sitting on the tide. Pollack aren’t random predators; they follow food and structure, and the visual cues left on the...