Dave Lewis focuses on the excellent roughground summer bass fishing to be had in the western end of Swansea Bay
South Wales has some of the finest rough ground bass fishing you’ll find anywhere in the UK, and the south Gower coast to the west of Swansea Bay is right up there with the best of the best. Mumbles Head, with its iconic white lighthouse, marks the beginning of this hugely productive area. Mumbles Head actually consists of two islands, accessible for a short period over low water but which are cut off over high tide. It’s a favourite venue with shore anglers targeting bass, which can be caught on a wide variety of different techniques ranging from lures to fishing a live sandeel or prawn in conjunction with a float and, of course, ledgering peeler crab.
TACTICS
The sound between the outer island, which has the lighthouse on it, and the middle island is regarded by many as the hotspot. The optimum time to fish here is from about an hour after low water as the making tide first floods through the sound, to about three to three-and-a-half hours after low water, ideally on neap to mid-range tides. For some reason fishing the inner sound between the mainland and the middle island is usually unproductive.
BAIT
One of the best things about this venue is that when the crab are peeling this is an excellent area to collect fresh bait. This means you can arrive just before low water, pick your crab and be in position in time to intercept the foraging bass that arrive pretty much as soon as there is sufficient depth of water to cover their backs. Common green crabs work very well, but edible and velvet swimming crabs, if you can get them, are even better.
TACKLE
Given the rough nature of the ground a simple straight forward running ledger rig is perfect. A 2-4oz plain lead attached to a free running swivel by about 6in of light, 10lb line to create a rotten bottom that breaks away easily when, not ‘if’, the lead snags in the rocks is ideal. A 3ft hook length terminating in a single size 2/0-4/0 completes the rig. Another excellent rig is the running paternoster which has a long rotten bottom to attach the
