Full fishing from a harbour wall guide
The original fishing notes continue below, kept for readers who want the deeper detail after the quick confidence guide.
Our Beginners Guide to Buying Fishing Gear.... FISHING FROM A HARBOUR WALL / PIER To make the best choice of rod it helps if you know what the bottom is in your chosen fishing a...
Fishing mark
A practical starting point for reading the mark: where to stand, what to try first, and how to keep the session respectful, safe and enjoyable.
The original fishing notes continue below, kept for readers who want the deeper detail after the quick confidence guide.
Local mark note
A harbour wall can be a brilliant place to learn because there is always something to notice: tide, depth, boats, gulls, weed and small fish moving close in.
Harbour wall fishing is about using safe access and structure. Fish often hold around walls, weed, moorings and changes in depth.
A light or multi-purpose rod, simple float or bottom rig, small hooks and modest weights are usually enough to start.
Mackerel strip, ragworm, lugworm, prawns and small fish baits can all work from harbour walls depending on depth and species.
Stay clear of working areas, watch edges, respect local signs and never fish where lines could interfere with boats or people.
To make the best choice of rod it helps if you know what the bottom is in your chosen fishing area.
If you are not sure, our recommended fishing methods for beginners fishing from a harbour wall arespinningorfloat fishing, both of these can be enjoyed using aspinning rodand the risk of losing fishing gear is then kept to a minimum.
If you would like to target mackerel or bass please see our specific guides for these species...
If the bottom is sandy or fairly rock free then you will have the option to try all fishing methods. You can enjoyspinningorfloat fishingand also, in view of the ground, you will also be able tobottom fishto target the species who are found on the bottom such as all the flatfish species.
When fishing over rocks and weeds you are more likely to catch, for example... wrasse, pollock, bream or conger eel.
The disadvantages of fishing on rough ground is that there is a greater risk of losing your gear such as lures, hooks, weights etc as they get snagged and caught up on the bottom.
Therefore for beginners, bottom fishing is probably only recommended if the ground is sandy.
Our recommendedfishing methodsfor beginners fishing from harbour walls arespinningandfloat fishing. More information can be found on both of these methods by following the links to our guides.
Both spinning and float fishing can be enjoyed using the same fishing rod and reel so please follow our links to browse the options available.
Friendly tackle picks chosen to make the guide easier to put into practice.
