Light Rock Fishing Anglesey

Just back from a few days visiting Anglesey. Did manage to get a few hours fishing in, here and there.

We visited at the end of May and I didn’t really have any expectations, other than there may be the odd Northern species about. Coalfish and Tadpole Fish came to mind, without any serious expectation. Was happy to fish with blind luck.

First observation, it was cold! As a southern-softie I don’t tend to follow the weather North of the South Coast. I can’t tell you if it’s always this cold at the end of May, and it’s fair to say it has been below par everywhere this year. But I can tell you that the fish – the mini species at least – seemed to behave more akin to what I would expect on the South Coast in late April to early May. It was hard going!

It was probably a decent time to be bait fishing but as ever I approached the handful of marks I fished with LRF gear. Metals, plastic and flavoured lures.

I didn’t get off to the greatest of starts. A three hour long blank on Holyhead Breakwater did nothing for my enthusiasm. I saw only a single fish, right at the base of the breakwater, in a foot of water. I didn’t manage to identify it, such was the days gloom. The one and a half mile long breakwater provided exactly zero bites. But of course I am certain that there were a host of fish species present. I just failed to crack the code on a cold, dark day, with no visual cues to help me. However, I did enjoy the impressive views and structure. It reminded me greatly of Alderney Breakwater. I would gladly fish there again in warmer months.

Next venue was one that I already knew had form for LRF – Amlwch Harbour. This was another venue that instantly reminded me of somewhere else. I was getting Charlestown vibes from this ultra picturesque fishing harbour. Although the fishing was entirely different.

The LRF Pollack fishing at Amlwch was fantastic with plenty of obliging fish up to about a pound and a half. I think if I lived in the area I would really enjoy dialling this in. Nobody talks about ‘pollacking’, but I have said before that Pollack offer a similar challenge to the Japanese Mebaru. ‘Mebaring’ is a popular style of light lure fishing in Japan. You could use all manner of lures and techniques to catch these fish and they offer good sport on light gear. The only negative is the huge tidal range that graces Anglesey. It’s a long drop to the water at certain stages of tide and a long, telescopic net would prove useful.

At Amlwch I also found a solitary Mackerel, much to the frustration of the anglers who had been chucking feathers all morning. And a single Long-spined Sea Scorpion on dropshot Gulp while I was looking for demersal species. I didn’t find any Coalfish, although it felt like I had every chance while throwing metals.

The last spot that I fished was the rockpools at Penmon Point. Again, my enthusiasm to get out in the pouring rain was mainly driven by the outside chance of bumping into something unfamiliar. Utilising an ultralight jig head I walked around the rock and quickly found Shanny and more sea scorpions, although I couldn’t get the latter to bite. It was interesting to watch them react in clear water all the same.

No doubt, I’ll be back. Would like to have a proper fishing focused visit in the future. For the Ballan Wrasse especially.