Aberthaw Beach

West on M4 motorway to Junction 33 turning left onto A4232 towards Barry. Turn right onto A48, then left onto A4426 towards St Athan. Aberthaw sing posted from St Athan. Parking available above beach.

PROSPECTS
Beach immediately in front of where you park fishes over both high and low water for bass, rays and smoothound in summer. Codling and cod, plus whiting and pout are winter targets. Some good bass and conger come from the right hand side of the beach which gives way to boulders and rock ledges. Smoothound and conger are also caught here.

Follow the concrete footpath leftward skirting round the front of the Aberthaw Power Station, a distance of about half a mile, brings you to some groynes. The beach here is rough boulders and pebble at high water, but is less rough around the low water line. Cod, whiting and pout, plus occasional big winter bass fall to medium and short casts here. Summer months give smoothound, odd rays, conger and good bass to ledgered baits. Mullet shoal here too.

TIMES AND TIDES
Smoothound can be caught in daylight, as can bass if there is a good surf. Night tides produce the best action, though, for cod, rays and conger. A shallowish area in parts, so spring tides fish best, but some good fish show on the smaller neaps around low water.

BAITS AND RIGS
Crab is the best summer bait for bass, smoothound and even conger. Rays take fish, squid or sandeel in cocktails. Black lug or ragworm is the best choice for winter cod. Harbour rag fished on float tackle is good for the mullet.

Most anglers fish a standard fixed paternoster for all the species with a weak link attachment to the weight. In the rough ground areas, a pulley rig may be the better choice.

Hooks should be Mustad Viking 4/0's or the Mustad Bass hook for all species, and use two hook pennel rigs for cod in winter.

WEATHER
Takes a good surf in south and southwesterly winds, these being best for bass. Calmer conditions suit the smoothound. Southeasterly winds are poor.