South Beach, Aberaeron, Ceridigion, Wales

This is as good all year round mark for a variety of fish. Mainly clean sand beyond the shingle with patches of broken ground, and you can lose tackle here. There is a left to right tide run on big spring flood tides and occasionally heavy weed after a gale. Bass and codling show best in south-westerly 2 to 5 winds over low water. High water is best for the dabs, coalies and whiting.

SPECIES
Bass, codling, whiting, dabs, dogfish, flounder, coalfish, eels, thornback rays, garfish and mackerel.

BEST BAITS
Mackerel and sandeel baits take dogfish, rays, dabs and whiting. Crab is the best summer and autumn bait for bass, but black lug also scores well after a rough sea. Dabs, flounders, coalfish, whiting and codling take lug and rag. Eels go for crab, with spring tide high water bringing in the mackerel and garfish.

TACKLE
Beachcasters and 5 oz grip leads are best with 18lb main line when ledgering. One-hook rigs and 3/0 pennel rigs at long-range during the flood tide account for both codling and rays, and the bass closer in. Two-hook rigs and size 1 Aberdeen hooks is a good all round rig on the ebb tide for dabs and dogfish. Flounder work around the ends of the wooden groynes on the beach, with coalfish and garfish close to the breakwater by the river mouth. Plenty of whiting here from September through to Christmas fishing worm tipped with mackerel or sandeel on three-hook rigs. Work feathers over high water in July and August for mackerel, with spinners cast close to the breakwater taking garfish and bass.

GETTING THERE
Access is off the main A487 from Aberystwyth passing through Aberaeron's main street. Just past the bridge take the first right hand road for the Yacht Club. There is parking right on the beach front, with a fee payable in the summer. From the south approach on the A487 it's the first left turn has you enter the town before the bridge.