Custom House Quay, Greenock – Scotland

The Clyde is a shadow of its former self, with huge bags of cod a thing of the past. But there are signs that the fishing is improving. Fishing on the Clyde nowadays is very much a hit or miss but hit it right and good mixed bags are to be had.

Custom House is probably one of the most commonly known marks on the Clyde, offering a variety of species with comfortable fishing stances. The ground here is mixed with rough ground interspersed with clean patches at varying distances. Though the fish here tend not to run big, they make up for it with their numbers!

Most species will show along this stretch with coalfish, wrasse, dogfish and flounder making most of the bag up with codling and dab appearing as well. Getting here isn’t that hard either! From Glasgow, follow the A8 into Greenock until you see the supermarket at a roundabout. Turn right here and follow the signs for the leisure centre, park in the car park and choose where you want to fish.

1 Custom House
This is the furthest east mark on the promenade and it’s quite unmistakable. All the aforementioned species can be found here as well as some notable catches of dab when fishing at distance.
Use either two or three-hook rigs armed with size 2 hooks to cover most species. Baits can either be worm tipped with fish or fresh peeler crab. Rough ground can be found close in here with cleaner ground at distance. It doesn’t really matter what state the tide is when you fish but larger tides do favour the better catches.

2 The Prom
This mark is noticeable, as you will walk through it to get to Custom House. Anywhere here will produce fish but some areas are better than others, so move around a bit until you find the fish.
Again, use two or three-hook rigs armed with size 2 hooks to do the business. Bait choice is the same as for the Custom House mark. The promenade will also fish during all states of the tide but the larger tides generally give better bags.

3 The Swimming Pool
As you leave the car park you will see the glass windows of the pool on your right, with a little pond behind it. The fishing is from the comfort of the promenade. This area can be quite rough close in, so carry rotten bottom rigs with you just in case. Generally, the fish are found close in here, at the bottom of the rocks and sometimes right under your feet. At other times it pays to scale your hook size right down to size 6 to target some of the smaller species.

4 The Life Buoy
This mark is directly behind the car park and is probably the most widely fished. The point is a noted hotspot with local anglers. The fish here are usually found in the first 10 to 20 yards among the rocks. Several of the species are present here.
Use either crab or worm baits tipped with fish for the best results. Make sure you carry some rotten bottoms with you for this venue and arm some rigs with size 6 hooks. This area can be a tackle graveyard – you have been warned.

5 First Pier
Look to the left from the life buoy and you will see the first small pier jutting into the estuary. The ground here is mixed with patches of clean sand throughout the rough ground.
All the species expected can show here to either crab or worm tipped with fish. Again, don’t be afraid to drop hook sizes in order to catch. Varying your casting distance will help you to locate the fish.

6 Second Pier
The second pier sits just 50 yards or so to the left of the first. Use two or three-hook rigs armed with size 2 hooks but as in all the other marks it pays to carry smaller hook sizes with you, just in case. The baits to use here are the standard ones, with either fresh crab or worm tipped with fish the norm.
Try dropping a second rod down the side of the pier, where you can expect anything from coalfish and wrasse to big flatties to take your bait.