Celtic Sea and Bristol Channel · Wales

Pembrokeshire, Gower and South Wales

Clear water, deep rock marks and surf beaches in Pembrokeshire, the sheltered Milford Haven, the limestone coves of the Gower, then the big tides of the Bristol Channel from Swansea to Cardiff. It is one of the best bass coasts in Britain, with huss, conger and rays after dark and cod and whiting in winter.

12 shore marks · Rules from Welsh Government, checked 18 October 2026

Stay safe on this coast

  • Tides. Know the time of high water and your way off before you go out. Marks that fish around high water or on the flood can cut you off.
  • Cut-offs. Sandbanks, causeways and headlands flood from behind. After storms, re-walk even a familiar beach in daylight.
  • Rock. Watch the sea for 10 minutes before you go down: big waves come in sets. Wet weed is like ice. Never fish rock alone in the dark.
  • Lifejacket. Wear a lifejacket (PFD) on rocks, piers and walls, with the crotch strap fastened.
  • Emergency. Call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard. Never go in after someone: call, and throw something that floats.

More in Rules and safety.

Rules

Rules in Pembrokeshire, Gower and South Wales

Last checked 18 October 2026

Regulator: Welsh Government. Always check its own page before you keep a fish.

  • Bass: minimum size 42cm. Catch and release only from 1 February to 31 March. From 1 April to 31 January you may keep up to 3 bass per angler per day, from shore or boat. The limit rose from 2 to 3 under UK regulations in force from 27 February 2026, so 3 a day applied from 1 April 2026. The Welsh Government's January 2026 guidance still says 2 because it was written before that law.
  • Bass nursery areas here: Milford Haven (east of the Texaco jetty and Pennar line, up to the Cleddau Bridge), the Burry Inlet (inside a line from Whiteford Lighthouse to Llanelli Docks), and the Taf, Tywi and Gwendraeth estuary. From 30 April to 1 November you may not fish for bass from any boat, or fish for anything from a boat using sandeel bait. Shore fishing is allowed.
  • Aberthaw: within 1 nautical mile of Breaksea Point, the bass nursery rules apply all year.
  • The old South Wales byelaws go further: from 1 May to 31 October you may not fish for any sea fish from a boat in Milford Haven, the Burry Inlet or the Taf, Tywi and Gwendraeth estuary, and never within 1 nautical mile of Breaksea Point. Small crab and lobster pots and mollusc dredges are exempt.
  • Minimum sizes: the old South Wales Sea Fisheries Committee byelaws still apply out to 6 miles and ban anyone, anglers included, from taking undersized lobster (90mm carapace), edible crab (140mm across the back), crawfish (110mm), scallop (110mm), thick-lipped grey mullet (35cm) and skate or ray (45cm wingtip to wingtip). Return any V-notched or tail-clipped lobster. The byelaw size for bass is 37.5cm, but the 42cm UK rule is the one to follow.
  • These byelaws set no angler minimum size for cod, whiting, pollack or most other sea fish, and we found no other Welsh law that does. Many anglers use the English sizes as a voluntary guide.
  • Pollack: the Welsh Government says a recreational bag limit of 3 pollack was agreed for 2026, but we found no law bringing it in yet. Check locally before keeping more than 3.
  • The Welsh Government notes that its published byelaw text does not include later amendments, so check locally for recent changes.
  • You don't need a licence to sea fish. You do need an England and Wales rod fishing licence to fish for salmon, sea trout, trout, freshwater fish, smelt or eel, including in tidal rivers.

Rules change, usually each spring. Where a rule says check locally, ask the regulator or harbour office before you fish.

Minimum sizes

Last checked 18 October 2026

Regulator: Welsh Government. Always check its own page before you keep a fish.

Minimum sizes
SpeciesLegal minimum
Bass42cm
Lobster (carapace)90mm
Edible crab (across the back)140mm
Crawfish110mm
Thick-lipped grey mullet35cm
Skate and ray (wingtip to wingtip)45cm
CodNone set
WhitingNone set
PollackNone set

Tip of the snout to the end of the tail. Use the strictest figure you know as your own minimum.

Rules change, usually each spring. Where a rule says check locally, ask the regulator or harbour office before you fish.

Headline fish

April to November

Bass

Season

Gower surf beaches and rocks. Small sandeel-style soft lures over high water, or peeler crab and ragworm on the beaches.

Species guide: Bass

All year, best June to November

Bull huss

Season

Milford Haven and St Justinians after dark. A whole small mackerel closer in once the daytime dogfish ease off.

Species guide: Bull huss

June to October

Gilthead bream

Season

Pembrokeshire estuaries towards low water. Ragworm on a running ledger and a size 1 hook. Release them quickly, as they tire badly.

February to May

Plaice and dab

Season

Pembrokeshire sandy beaches in early spring. Ragworm and black lug on a three-hook flapper with beads, twitched back now and then.

Species guide: Plaice Dab

October to February

Cod and whiting

Season

Vale of Glamorgan beaches and ledges at Llantwit Major and Barry. Lug and squid on a pulley rig on night tides.

Species guide: Cod and codling Whiting

Marks

The marks below are researched from public sources and local anglers' videos. We haven't fished them yet, so each is labelled Not yet visited by us. Drive times from your postcode are on the Marks page.

Local tips

On Milford Haven ray and huss marks, daylight brings a steady stream of dogfish. After dark, put a whole small mackerel closer in for bull huss.

Test hook points on your thumbnail. If the point skids instead of catching, sharpen it or change the hook.

St Justinians stays deep at low tide. Herring or mackerel after dark for huss, conger and spurdog, and spun lures for pollack by day. Set your ratchet, as the tide in Ramsey Sound pulls hard.

The Pembrokeshire creeks give flounder on the flood, but they fill fast and can cut you off. Watch your way back.

Off the rocks near Worms Head over high water, small sandeel-style lures, jigged back like an injured fish, catch school bass steadily.

Pwll Du shelves steeply into deep water. Plain ragworm on a flapper adds whiting and small huss among the dogfish. Use a rotten bottom near the rocky ends.

Return dogfish by wading out a little. Fish dropped in the shallows tend to wash back up the beach.

At Llantwit Major, the west side is cleaner ground but busy with surfers. Crabs strip sprat baits quickly.

In our own words, cross-checked against local anglers. Rules always come from the regulator, not a video.

Crabbing on this coast: family spots, and the crab and lobster rules for every regulator, are on Crabbing.

Local tackle and bait shops, charter boats and clubs: we're building these lists. Run one? Add it free.

Before you go

  • Tide times for the nearest port: EasyTide (UK Hydrographic Office).
  • Wind and sea state: Met Office inshore waters forecast.
  • Access to piers, harbours and ports changes. Check with the owner or harbour office before your first visit.

Sources