Try out the Club

Unlock the fishing spots of Cowbridge, weather forecasts and many other services with the Premium Club.

10-day free trial

Nouveau : FishAndYou, l'appli des concours de pêche

Avec FishAndYou, vous pouvez créer votre propre concours de pêche, et gagner de l'argent.

Créer mon concours de pêche

Discover everything to fish in Cowbridge

Find the best moment to go fishing in Cowbridge, 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.

Go for it!

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 Halibut fish

The Halibut fish belongs to the Pleuronectidae family. It can measure up to 4 m, weigh more than 100 kg and live to be 50 years old. It breeds from February to May and lays up to one million eggs. the fishing season is open from March to November. Halibut is a flatfish of the Pleuronectidae family. Like all fish in this family, its eyes are both located on the right side of his head (dexter fish), with the left side blind and unpigmented facing the ground. Its body is elongated, its lateral line strongly arched in the pectoral region, its mouth wide, its teeth curved and its tail concave. The color of its right flank (upper flank) varies from greenish grey to dark brown, while its left flank ranges from white to pale grey.

Fishing period : More productive in Spring

Minimum size : 81 cm

Difficulty :

N°3 | 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°4 | 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 :

N°5 | 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°6 | The Bull Huss

The Bull Huss belongs to the Scyliorhinidae family. Small in size, they usually measure 60 to 80 cm, although there are larger ones, since they can reach 1.5 m in the Mediterranean and 2 m in the Atlantic. This fish can live for 75 years. It spawns a hundred eggs all year round, especially in the late winter and in July. It is abundant every day of the year. This fish is not really active but still is hard to catch. The upper part of the Bull Huss is light brown in color, covered with small dark brown spots. Because of this pattern of spots, it is also called spotted cat shark. The part of the flank is white and grey. The mouth and nose holes are below his obtuse head. The particularity of the Bull Huss is that its nostrils are linked to the mouth by a curved line.

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : 58 cm

Difficulty :

N°7 | 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°8 | The Smoothhound fish

The Smoothhound fish belongs to the Triakidae family. In exceptional cases, the emissole can reach a length of 160 cm, but it is common between 60 and 120 cm. He can live for about twenty years. Breeding takes place between June and March. The female can give birth to 10 or 20 young. It is mainly fished in the summer. The Smoothhound fish is a cartilaginous fish (the skeleton is composed of cartilage elements) of medium size. The body is elongated and tapered. The head is compressed in the upper part and the muzzle is long and rounded. The mouth, located at the bottom, is oblique and equipped with a series of small and low teeth, which may be less rounded in young people. The nostrils, in a ventral position, have a large opening, and are closer to the mouth than to the top of the muzzle. The eyes are small, round in young subjects, and horizontal oblong pupil (typical of deep-sea species) in adults. On the muzzle, there are sensory organs for depth detection (hydrostatic). Next to the terminal part of the head, there are five gill cracks. A subtle but distinct fold of the skin is found along the back, from the tail to the gill cracks. The skin (shagreen skin) is almost smooth. The dorsal fins are two, triangular in shape, the second is slightly smaller than the first. The pectoral muscles have a rounded and slightly concave inner top. The caudal fin has two non-symmetrical lobes (the upper part more developed). The anal fin is present. The colouring of the back and sides ar

Fishing period : summer

Minimum size : 60 cm

Difficulty :

N°9 | The Whiting fish

The Whiting fish belongs to the Gadidae family. Whiting grows quite quickly and measures about 30cm at the age of two years. At 5 years old, it measures about 50cm for a weight of about 1kg. Its maximum size reaches 70 cm. its lifespan is 22 years. It reproduces from January to April. A female can lay from 200,000 eggs to 1 million eggs. It is fished in winter. Its color is variable and can be yellowish brown, dark blue or green. Its sides are yellow-grey, white and its belly is silvery. A small dark spot is often present at the upper base of the pectoral fins.

Fishing period : winter

Minimum size : 27 cm

Difficulty :

N°10 | The Flounder Fish

The Flounder Fish belongs to the Pleuronectidae family. It usually reaches a size of 50 cm; the maximum observed size is 60 cm for a weight of 1.5 kg. The maximum lifespan is estimated at 15 years. It reproduces in early spring. The female can lay up to 2 million eggs. The best time to fish it is in spring and autumn. The Flounder fish is a flatfish of general losanitary appearance, taking into account the triangular shape of the head and dorsal and anal fins. Both eyes are on the same side of the head, on the right side, for about 2/3 of the individuals. The mouth is small and terminal, with a slightly tapered snout. The oral commissure is located on the same line as the center of the eye. The lateral line barely curves towards the dorsal edge at the pectoral fins. It has a row of tubers in its front part. Similarly, the base of the dorsal and anal fins is highlighted by a line of tubers, which are clearly palpable. The anal fin has 35 to 46 soft rays. The oculate side has a variable coloring, from olive green to reddish brown, or grey, enhanced by dark green mottling, with small, dull and few orange spots. This helps to give it a "dirty" appearance. The blind side is white.

Fishing period : Spring and Autumn

Minimum size : 25 cm

Difficulty :

7.6

10 am

Take out your rods! The fishes are here.

High

Medium

Low

The best moment to go fishing!

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 .