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Discover everything to fish in Merthyr Mawr

Find the best moment to go fishing in Merthyr Mawr, the most caught species, the techniques used, go fish with anglers nearby, find a fishing charter or guide, save your spots and discover new ones.

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N°1 | The Dab fish

The Dab fish belongs to the Pleuronectidae family. It has an average size of 25 to 40 cm with an average weight of 1 kg. It has a lifespan of 12 years. The Dab fish breeds from February to April. The female lay up to 150,000 oocytes. The Dab fishing is open from October to Mars. the minimum catch size is 25 cm. The Dab fish, scientifically named Limanda Limanda, is a teleosteal species that belongs to the pleuronectidae or flatfish family. It has a flattened body with a more or less oval shape. The eyes of this dexterous fish are both generally located on the right side. The animal has a tiny mouth with small teeth. Its lateral line is curved at the pectoral fin. A characteristic feature that allows it to be easily distinguished from other species with similar morphology such as flounder. Thin scales cover the upper surface of the flounder, making its skin rough to the touch. The back is golden or yellowish brown in color and has dark spots. The belly or blind face is white. Varying from beige to light brown, the general color of dab allows it to blend in with the backgrounds.

Fishing period : October to March

Minimum size : 25 cm

Difficulty :

N°2 | The Sole Fish

The sole fish belongs to the Soleidae family. The maximum size can reach 70 cm with a current size of 25 to 35 cm. Its longevity is 27 years. It breeds from January to March depending on the region. It can lay up to 1,300,000 eggs. It can be fished all year round. First of all, we notice in this flatfish its characteristic oval shape, which is not found in the other flatfish most frequently encountered by divers. The adult sole, a right-handed (or dexter) flatfish, rests on its left flank and has its eyes on the right side. The color of this fish is very variable: bluish grey to yellowish brown! The body is often marked with marbling and dark spots. The snout of the soles is rounded and shows a small arched mouth, located before the tip of the head. Her eyes are small and wide apart. The caudal has a rounded edge at the end of which a dark fringe can often be seen. On the seabed is the black spot (sometimes golden or brown) at the back and up of the pectoral fin. The dorsal and anal fins are generally white bordered and joined to the caudal by a thin membrane.

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : 24 cm

Difficulty :

N°3 | The Weever fish

The Weever fish belongs to the Trachinidae family. The Weever fish form a family of perciform marine fish, the Trachinidae, which includes nine species. Their sizes vary from 15 cm to more than 50 cm depending on the species. The Nine species are: The Lesser weever, the Spotted weever, the Guinean weever, the Sailfin weever, the Trachinus cornutus, the Greater weever, the Striped weever, the Cape Verde weever and the Starry weever. It can be fished during the hot seasons. The Weever fish can be classified into two categories, on the one hand the small Vive which measures less than 15 cm, and the large Vive, measuring on average 2 to 30 cm and can reach 50 cm in length. The large weever differs from the small one in that it has four thorns in its orbits. The weever is always dangerous, in that it is endowed with erectile spines are the bite is very toxic, which can have long-term consequences in humans. The weever is yellow on the back, with a whitish belly and yellow or brown streaks. Accidents are much more frequent since the weever is often buried in the sand, so the risk is greater, as you may step on it and get stung.

Fishing period : during hot season

Minimum size : no restriction

Difficulty :

N°4 | The John Dory Fish

The John Dory fish belongs to the Zeidae family. It measures 30 to 50 cm on average and can reach a maximum weight of 8 kg. It can live up to 12 years. This fish is caught all year round but more easily from April to July. This fish has a high body and very strongly compressed laterally. Its head and the base of its fins carry thorns and bone ridges. The filaments carried by the dorsal fin are very long in juveniles and gradually regress until the animal reaches its adult size. Its eyes are high and his protractile mouth is widely split. An arched lateral line can be seen above the pectoral fins. Its color varies from grey-green with silvery to golden yellow reflections, often marked by longitudinal mottling. A large black eye patch surrounded by grey adorns the middle of each flank.

Fishing period : all year

Minimum size : no restriction

Difficulty :

N°5 | The European Eel

The European Eel belongs to the Anguillidae family. The european eel can reach a maximum size of 1.50 m and a weight of 3 kg. However, males rarely exceed 45 cm. The current size is more modest and varies between 40 and 60 cm. Its longevity is 12 to 20 years but in captivity it can reach more than 50 years. They can be fished from June to September. The European eel has a snake-like body, with a circular cross-section and very elongated. The body is covered with smooth, viscous skin, rich in thick mucus-secreting cells. The scales are small, oval and deeply embedded in the skin. It has a small round eye and a terminal mouth. The lower jaw is prominent. The color of the eel varies as it grows. In the yellow eel stage, it has a brownish, greenish or yellowish color depending on its habitat (homochrome). The lateral line is not very visible. In the silver eel stage, the back is dark green, the sides have silvery highlights and the belly is pearly white. The lateral line becomes very visible. The body of the European eel does not have pelvic fins. The pectoral fins, the only even fins, are small. On the other hand, odd fins (dorsal, anal, caudal) are very long and fuse at the tail.

Fishing period : June to September

Minimum size : 38 cm

Difficulty :

N°6 | Seabass

The Seabass belongs to the Moronidae family. Its size is usually between 70 and 80 cm (1.10 m maximum). The life expectancy of the seabass is variable: about thirty years in an aquarium, 24 years in Ireland, 6 years maximum most often in the Mediterranean. Breeding takes place between December and March or January to May depending on the location. The female lays 200,000 eggs at once. The body of this fish is elongated and slightly compressed. The two dorsal fins (the first thorny and the second soft) are well separated and have almost the same length and height. The anal fin is composed of 10 soft rays preceded by 3 thorny rays. The caudal peduncle is quite elongated and the caudal fin is indented, with an upper lobe often slightly longer than the lower lobe. The pectoral fins are short. The upper part of the head is quite straight, the upper jaw is a little shorter than the lower jaw. The operculum may have a more or less visible black spot in its posterior upper part. The scales are small in size but clearly visible. The lateral line is slightly arched in the front part of the body. The back is grey in color, the sides are lighter, with yellowish or silvery reflections. The pectoral and ventral fins are yellowish white; the others are darker. Mostly in young individuals, black spots may be present in the dorso-ventral region.

Fishing period : Refer to section below

Minimum size : 40 cm

Difficulty :

N°7 | The Pollack fish

The Pollack fish belongs to the Gadidae family. Its size can reach 1.40 m for an average of 60 to 80 cm. The Pollack grows very quickly and lives between 8 and 10 years, while most pelagic fish have a lifespan of more than 20 years. Reproduction takes place in February March. Fertility can reach 4 million eggs. It can be fished all year round. Elongated body, covered with small scales, orange-yellow color, darker on the back, marbled in young individuals, bright yellowish white in adults. Prominent lower jaw, big eye. The dark-colored lateral line is curved at the pectoral fins, which makes it easily distinguishable from the black locus (Pollachius virens) in which it is straight. The Pollack, like many Gadidae, has three clearly triangular dorsal fins and two anal fins. It is one of the few Gadidae that does not have chin barbells. Juveniles are rather reddish brown with longitudinal stripes of blue-grey.

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : 30 cm

Difficulty :

N°8 | The Sting Ray fish

The Sting Ray fish belongs to the Dasyatidae family. The total length of this line is generally greater than 1 m, with a weight of 15 to 20 kg. The maximum known length is 2.50 m. The maximum lifespan is 20 years. Breeding usually takes place in summer. The female gives birth to 4 to 9 young. It can be fished all year round. The body of the sting ray is flattened, diamond-shaped, pointed at the front, with large pectoral fins: it is as wide as it is long. The tail, representing 60% of the total length, looks like a whip and, at one third of its base, it has a serrated spine, connected to venomous glands under the skin. The dorsal surface is bluish grey or reddish-grey in color, sometimes with white spots. This back is smooth, without tubers. The ventral side is clear. The sting ray has no dorsal fin or caudal fin and its pelvic fins are very small. The eyes are located on the dorsal surface while the mouth, nostrils and gill slits (five slits on each side) are on the ventral surface. The eyes are prominent, which gives him a very wide field of vision. Next to the eyes, an inhalant valve, called a spiracle, carries water into the gills. The mouth is located quite far back. Teeth are numerous and small, pointed in males and molar-shaped in females. The tail acts as a simple rudder and is not used for movement. It is done by the large pectoral fins, by beating. These fins are also used for burying in sand.

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : 36 cm

Difficulty :

N°9 | The Mackerel fish

The Mackerel fish belongs to the Scombridae family. The average size of adult mackerel is 30 to 40 cm and its weight ranges from 500 g to exceptionally 1.5 kg. It can live up to 17 years. It reproduces from March to September. The female can lay 450000 eggs. It can be fished all year round. The streamlined body and pointed head of the mackerel, give it an excellent swimming quality (up to 10 km/h). The characteristic feature of mackerel is its blue-green back zebra with more or less oblique and parallel dark lines, while the sides and belly are silvery white. There are 23 to 33 dark chevrons depending on the individual and include the forehead between the two eyes. The fins of mackerel are grey. It has two widely spaced dorsal fins, the first being characterized by 10 to 13 thorny rays. In addition, it also has two pectoral fins (dark based), two ventral, one anal and one caudal. The caudal is preceded by 5 small feathered fins on the dorsal and ventral sides called pinnules. The tail is very indented.

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : 20 cm

Difficulty :

N°10 | The Mullet fish

The Mullet fish belongs to the Mugilidae family. It can measure up to 75 cm and weigh 2.5 kg. A 16-year-old individual holds the observed longevity record. Breeding generally takes place from July to October. The female can lay up to 2.6 million eggs. It is fished from April to August. The mullet has an elongated body of about 35-50 cm or even 70 cm, with an oval cross-section and a robust appearance. Its color is generally silvery grey, bluish (sometimes more or less white, olive or brown), lightening on the sides and light belly. Sometimes grey longitudinal lines and golden reflections are present on the dorsal part. The lateral line is rarely visible. A small black spot is often present in the armpits of the pectoral muscles. The flattened head is wide, fat eyelids are well developed (but not always visible underwater because of their transparency) and protect the eyes near the snout. Its mouth has straight, dense and thin teeth, usually in several rows. The commissure ends below the posterior level of the nostril. Its upper lip is thin and smooth. It has two dorsal fins: the first with four spines and the second with 8-9 soft rays. The yellowish anal fin has 8 soft rays and 3 spines; pectoral fins have 16-19 rays; the pectoral axillary scale is well developed and about one-third the length of the fin. The ventral, anal and lower lobe of the caudal fins are sometimes yellow (but not necessarily yellow). The scales, arranged in lateral series (36-45), are cycloid (smooth

Fishing period : April to August

Minimum size : 20 cm

Difficulty :

7.6

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The fishing forecast allows you to forecast your fishing trips and always go at the right time to the right place!

How it works

This is a score of 1 to 10 calculated city by city according to some forty criteria affecting fishing: moon, weather conditions, atmospheric pressure, sunrise / sunset. sun, tides, swell etc .