MARK DESCRIPTION
Best fished by walking along the breakwater path and fishing off the shingle bank back in to the harbour amongst the boat moorings. An easy but productive mark ideal for a couple of hours at the end of the day and suitable for taking the kids too.

The seabed is clean muddy sand and gravel with smaller, deeper run off channels, but the inside edge near the breakwater is rougher and some tackle may be lost here.

METHODS
Spinning rods or bass rods are ideal with 12lb line when bottom fishing for the bass, flats and eels, with weights no more than 2ozs.

Keep casts to no more than 40yds and pick a lead light enough to be occasionally moved by the tide. A simple sliding ledger rig and flowing trace some 18ins long is the best rig here for all species bar mullet. Alternatively, in autumn and winter, try a two hook rig and combination baits

Tiny Mepps bar spoons tipped with harbour rag can induce mullet to take, but fine and far off float fishing with mackerel flesh baits is more likely to succeed, especially at first light with the tide half in on the flood. The latter tactic also takes garfish.

BEST TIMES
Flounders, dogfish and school bass are all year round residents, but expect the bigger bass and mullet to be inshore by mid May staying until October. May also sees eels appear in droves, and occasional plaice can be contacted though these are small. Autumn and winter sees whiting, flounders and dabs.

Fishes best during neaps when there is constant water in the harbour. It dries out on spring tide low waters, but produces good bass then over high water.

Being on the Mawddach Estuary, the mark is prone to poor fishing at times of heavy rain when flood water pours through, and after rough weather expect plenty of weed.

BAITS
Crab is obviously first choice for the bass, flounders and eels, though worm is also good. Fish baits pick up dogfish, whiting and dabs, but winter flounders go for lug and razorfish cocktails. Mussel is also a good bait for the flounders, plaice and dabs.

GETTING THERE
Enter Barmouth on the A496 and follow the promenade road to access the car park on the beach front. Walk towards the boat compound at the eastern end of the car park and you'll see the footpath along the breakwater on the right-hand side. Walk to where the actual concrete breakwater starts and the sand dunes end and you'll see the shingle bank where you fish below you facing in to the harbour.

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