A morning session of tidal river fishing for me today. This was a new mark on the River Usk in Newport. It’s my first time fishing from Monkey Island in the Usk Estuary.
A cold and blustery morning in Wales but I chucked on a few layers, filled up my flask, and headed out on the eBike for a session of fishing. The tide was set to reach 9.8m at 11.48 am and I arrived about an hour before high tide with plans for a session of 2 hours before heading back home for work.
Monkey Island is a new mark for me. But I really enjoyed my time there and it is definitely going to become a regular fishing spot in Newport while Coronation Park is closed for the tidal defense work.
Access to Monkey Island is from a path at the westerly side of the A48 City Bridge. The island is a spit of lane that juts out between the River Usk and Liswerry Pill. There is a footpath that runs down the spine of the spit and at the end a bit of a scramble down to the river bank. Access to the bank is not suitable for wheelchairs or those with mobility issues.
The length of the bank from the tip of the spit down to the bridge itself has room for between 6 and 10 anglers that are well spread out. So it’s a fairly good option for a bit of sea or estuary fishing in Newport. Car parking is about 15 minutes walk away.
With a 9.8m tide, I enjoyed my fishing experience here, though I would probably suggest that it is best fished on a 10.5m tide or above. It’s a clean stretch of the riverbed and I had no snagging while fishing there.
Fish-wise there was not much activity but this is the end of February and the quietest time of year for both numbers of fish and the range of species. Mid-March should see the fishing pick back up with the good potential for bass and whiting as the Spring arrives.
It’s not as nice as Coronation Park but it does offer a more rural feel than fishing off the river walkway. Being much further downstream and close to the mouth of the Usk estuary than Shaftsbury Park means there should be better fishing with greater numbers of fish and a range of species than much further upstream.
Overall, I think it is a great alternative sea fishing location in Newport to Coronation Park. It will be a regular place for me over the next 18 months until Coronation Park reopens after all the construction work.
