A reliable port situated on the Bristol Channel that rarely gets the limelight that it deserves. The charter fleet sports modern craft with full facilities and can look back on an impressive list of specimen fish.

WHERE TO FISH
The boats have a choice of sandbank, reefs, rocky ground and wrecks to choose from. Inshore marks are reefy ground with sandbank areas further offshore towards mid channel, as are the wrecks. Noted marks are inside Blue Anchor Bay, Hurlestone Point, the Ivy Stone, and occasionally the mid channel islands of Grass Holm and Steep Holm.

Occasional trips out to Lundy Island laying to the west have produced excellent pollack fishing.

SPECIES
A little bit of everything here. Thornbacks and small eyed rays turn up in late May from the cleaner ground, with conger coming from the reefs and rock areas. Tope appear in May and tend to be the bigger female fish. Mackerel show during June staying until August, with trigger fish resident along the reefs and rough ground. June sees smoothound too. Some good bass work over the inshore grounds during the summer, though it's September and October when the best fish are taken. Blonde rays are caught in the early autumn with codling and then cod following September and October. Whiting also move inshore. Codling, odd bigger cod, conger and some rays make up catches in the early part of the year.

Offshore wrecks hold quality pollack, conger, ling and cod, plus bull huss, as do the mid channel gutters. Some turbot are taken too, when drift fishing with mackerel close to the wrecks. Porbeagle shark have been spotted out in middle channel and are responsible for the loss of hooked wreck fish from time to time. Usually in the months of July and August. Spurdog to 16lbs move in during November, though numbers have fallen over the last decade.

During November to January a period of easterly winds can bring huge shoals of sprat close inshore that dominate the cod's feeding habits and reduce catches.

Some skippers and anglers know that massive conger inhabit the many wrecks, but fear that those fast tides protect the monsters by keeping fishing time over the wrecks to a minimum. Conger over 50lbs have been caught, but the average is nearer 30lbs.

TIDES
This is the Bristol Channel with it's often quoted second highest tides in the world. Spring tides are horrificly fast and means most fishing is done closer to shore. Slower moving neap tides allow access to the offshore sandbanks and the wrecks. Channel water always carries heavy colour brought down from the Severn river and it's feeders, however, once out in mid channel clarity improves and allows artificial eels to be used over the wrecks with some success.

TACKLE
A range of tackle is needed. Uptiders are very popular for sandbanks and close to shore work, but the fast tides offshore demand heavier tackle with anglers choosing standard 30lb to 50lb class boat rods and multipliers. Lead weights upto 2lbs should be carried for downtide techniques, though 8oz fixed grip leads will handle almost all uptide fishing.

BAITS
Cod baits are always large helpings of rag or lug, sometimes tipped off with squid on pennel rigs. Some of the biggest cod fall to whole squid baits. The conger, huss, ling etc, go for mackerel, though fresh pouting is another favourite. Wreck pollack can be attacked with redgills.

Frozen sandeel and squid and mackerel cocktails work well for the rays and the huss. Inshore bass take rag baits.

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