St. Davids Head, Pembrokeshire

Access from both north and south is via the A487 to St David's, then the B4583 to Whitesand Bay (Porth-Mawr). There is a car park at Whitesand Bay. Take the coastal path north along the cliffs towards St David's Head. Takes about 20 minutes.

GROUND
Access is not easy and care needs to be shown, but several marks around the headland can be reached. You're fishing from rocky ledges into heavy rough ground with kelp beds. Tackle losses will be heavy.

PROSPECTS
A good wrasse venue from May through until late November. Fish average between 1 and 2lbs, but fish over 5lbs are possible. Conger to 15, occasionally more can show along with huss well into double figures. The best of the huss fishing is in April, May and June, then again in October and November. Odd huss will show every month of the year though.

Pollack can run to 6lbs, though the average is nearer 2lbs. Spinning is the best method for these and for the mackerel which shoal close to the cliffs during the summer and early autumn.

Small cuckoo wrasse, hordes of dogfish, three bearded rockling, coalfish and codling all show in season. Sharks can sometimes move in close here too after the mackerel shoals.

TIME AND TIDES
The spring tides flow strongly around the head causing upwells of water and boils. The low water period of neaps fishes well for the wrasse and conger, but the pollack and huss prefer some run in the water. Big springs in June, July and August give the best of the mackerel. These marks can be plagued by dogfish in the autumn.

Night tides fish best, though you have to be sure of a settled forecast. This is no place to be caught out on in the face of an imminent storm.

BAITS AND RIGS
Crab is obviously the best wrasse bait, though lugworm when float-fished also scores. For the huss and conger, use a small pout or poor cod, maybe a chunk of fresh mackerel. Shoals of launce pass within casting range of the rock and can be feathered. Use one of these as a huss bait too. You can float fish small strips of mackerel for the pollack, but small rubber eels, Mr Twisters, and silver spinners like Tobies, Dexter Wedge's etc, are the best.

Worm baits can fish well towards the winter for dogfish and some codling. Squid also takes conger.

Ground fishing rigs should be simple single hook paternosters with a rotten bottom link to the lead. A two hook rig with tiny size 4 hooks and mackerel strip baits will catch a variety of the more unusual species like blennies, rocklings, shannies and corkwing wrasse.

WEATHER
Needs to be fished in calm seas and high pressure spells only. Winds from any western quarter can bring big swells onto the cliffs, especially towards the latter end of the year. The paths and access can be treacherous in wet weather.

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