Tidal pools

[T7]

Anyone have experience of night fishing on pools where the tide reaches? I've fished a few and had some fish but never confident about when to fish them. One in particular I was told doesn't fish if there is any tide on but on others I've had fish just before high tide.

Any previous experience of similar locations?

[laffingravy]

Personally I have always found larger flies to be more successful on tidal pieces of water. I also feel that blue is more relevant the nearer to the coast that you are fishing. One really, really, really, really, really important point which I am sure you have already closely considered is your own personal safety. It is too easy to get bypassed by tidal water. The best you are looking at is a long time marooned until the tide runs back. The worst is very dangerous indeed. A bit of sea trout fishing is not worth losing your life for. It tends to be worse on water that you are very familiar with as you become complacent. Or at least I do.

[T7]

Thanks Geoff. There's one beat I fish where there is a good pool that floods with the tide and you have to fish low tide or you're up to your neck. I don't particularly like fishing it at night as I get paranoid that I'll get a soaking or worse.

The 'tidal' pools o. 2 other rivers don't really change depth but the flow backs right up at high tide. They do get a bit salty but not a lot of depth change. They're interesting places to fish as fish hold in them all season but seem to be affected by the tide/new fish disrupting them etc...

[Sawyer]

On larger tides the water reaches a couple of the lower pools on the bottom stretches of the Dwyfor. Never had much success as it floods or over its highest point, but had plenty of fish as the tide ebbs. I think as the tide rises the fish are too concerned about pushing through with the flood, but as the water drops off I think some hold up a while as they go back to sea. At that point they seem to be interested, occasionally!! The only caveat to the above is that once or twice I have had fish over slack water at the top of the tide when the flow stops totally, all on a surface lure. I reckon these are resident fish that have been disturbed by the new arrivals entering the pool maybe leading to an aggressive/territorial response.

[T7]

Thanks sawyer. I fish the dwyfor and last season had a couple of fish about half an hour before the top of the tide on the concrete pool, which I think must have been running just ahead of the tide. In previous years I've caught fish in low water on the same pool but only small fish

[Richard]

Tidal Dwyfor

T7
I only managed a fortnight, last year and it looks like it will be a fortnight this year in September, I will be meeting up as usual with a pal who was local.
I love the tidal stretch, mainly walking the dog, very little fishing. The stretch from the junction pool down used to be very productive. I have seen large fish jump below the railway bridge, by the overhanging trees on the left hand bank, impossible to fish to. When I first started to visit I regularly used to see good sized brown trout cruising about in the pool where the harbour was but not now! Also not the large shoals of mullet that used to be. The river mouth has changed in the last 2 or 3 years, deeper channel across the beach.
Always fancy the stretch to the sea to the beach to practice casting with a double hander, it's certainly wide enough!
Cheers
Richard

[Sawyer]

Hi T7, unfortunately I am old enough (just) to remember the weir that gave its name to the Concrete! There used to be a ledge that runs where the water deepens at the top of the pool, was amazing watching it with Polaroids on a sunny day as the fish mooched in & out. The numbers of fish that used to stack up in there was ridiculous, one of the few pools where I saw the bottom literally black with fish.

[Richard]

The Angle of The Cast By Gwylim Hughes gives a good insight into how fishing the Dwyfawr used to be!
Richard