Fishing In Llansteffan

Llansteffan has earned itself a well deserved reputation over the years for being a hot spot for bass and flounder fishing. Every year bass to 12lb and flounder to 2-3 lb are caught at marks around the village at all states of the tide. Many fishermen have their own reasons for picking a particular location but if the truth be told most spots from The Tywi Boat Club and Pilroath down to Werle Pt. have produced remarkable and regular fish throughout the years.Popular spots

Pilroath ledges and Pilglas (The Tywi Boat Club)

Both marks fish well at high and low tides a great number of large bass being taken on spinners and lures at low and high tide. Maddies, lug, and King Rag work well here, but for big bass there’s nothing better than live soft or peeler crab.

Front of Car Park and along the Green

This is the most convenient and therefore most popular mark of all. One can park the car within easy walking distance of a suitable pitch and fish the hours that suit you. Flatfish will be the main catch here although large bass and mullet are regularly caught here also. Fishes particularly well on the back tide. For baits see above. Again spinning for flatties at low tide can be very productive towards late summer and the autumn. Flatfish of 2 – 3lb are relatively common here during the autumn.

Y Gegin Fach or First Steps

There is easy access from the path above but care should be taken on the rocks themselves. Again flatties will be the main catch here with the occasional bass. This is one spot that can be easily fished back from the low water mark to high tide. On these beaches it is not unusual to see anglers taking flounder well into diouble figures especially during autumn and early summer as happened on the day Sea Angler decided to pay us a visit!

Second Steps and Scotts Bay

Very good fishing to be had here from the rocks or the beach with bass very much to the fore. Occasionally towards late summer on the higher tides both bass and mackeral can be caught on lures from the rocks.

Y Werle

There are places one can fish on neap tides to high water but you must get local knowledge to do this. All around Y Werle bass abound and at low tide, if the river Taf has remained on Llansteffan side for this particular year, then the rocks in mid-river on Werle point can yield double figure bass from spinner and lures. Another fish which is found here in their thousands is the grey mullet and fantastic sport can be had here with a fly rod. But a word of warning – be careful and watch the tide! Do not let it get behind you so make your way back towards Scotts Bay as soon as tide makes strongly.

Bait

This is always a matter of personal choice, but for bass soft and peeler crab are king although local stocks are being depleted greatly by commercial pickers. Unfortunately this also appears to be happening with the local lug. At the moment there are plenty on the beach but steps must be taken soon to stop the commercial diggers who are becoming a problem. Of course frozen or fresh mackeral will take fish throughout the year.

Cockles and Mussells

With the re-emergence of the cockle beds in recent years both of these baits are proving especially popular to catch flatties, so if your bait looks like running out make sure you’ve picked a few handfuls of them to keep you going in emergency!!

The Fishing Year

Llansteffan fishes well all year but comes into it’s own during the summer and autumn when the bass arrive well inshore in great numbers and the flatties feed voraciously ready for breeding over winter. The winter months will provide flatties, and since the estuary is a protected bass breeding area, even the occasional bass. Whiting are here in numbers throughout the winter and the occasional codling will always be caught also.

Boat Fishing

Boat Angling is not allowed from boats in the estuary from the Old Lifeboat Station Ferryside to a line drawn from Ginst Pt. to Cefn Sidan. This is to protect the Bass Nursery area within the estuary. It is permissible to fish from boats upriver of Ferryside Lifeboat House. If you own a boat, you can obtain temporary membership of the Tywi Boat Club at Pilglas to launch, which will give you access to the whole of Carnmarthen Bay and the Gower coast. Remember this coastline is tidal and unless you are prepared for being out in Carmarthen Bay then you only have about two and a half hours either side of High Water, giving you a total of 5 hours afloat. Starting in Spring you will find record breaking tope and smooth hound in vast numbers, plenty of bass and flatfish, prodigious numbers of ray and skate, plus in high summer shoals of mackeral. On the very highest of tides you will catch even catch mackeral from the rocks in Scotts Bay.