Girvan has a small but active fleet of sea-angling charter boats working from the harbour — in most cases the same skippers who run the Ailsa Craig trips, which is why the same phone numbers come up for both. See the boat operators page for who sails.
Charters
Full and half-day trips fish the reefs and wrecks of the outer Firth of Clyde and the ground around Ailsa Craig. The Clyde is not the fishery it was — decades of trawling saw to that — but there is still cod, pollack, coalfish, ling, whiting, mackerel, dogfish and the occasional tope, and the wrecks hold fish.
Tackle and bait are usually provided, so you do not need your own gear, though most skippers are happy if you bring it. Trips are for small numbers and go when the weather allows.
Off the wall, for nothing
Mackerel from the harbour wall in summer is the cheap and reliable option, and it is a genuinely good way to spend an evening with children. When the mackerel are in, a string of feathers and almost no skill will catch supper. Late June to September is the window.
Shore marks along the coast south towards Kennedy's Pass and Lendalfoot hold pollack and wrasse over the rocky ground. Take care on wet rock and watch the tide.
Practical notes
Book charters ahead — the boats are small and the places few — and expect weather cancellations, which are common and non-negotiable on this coast.
Take far more warm and waterproof clothing than the forecast suggests, plus food and drink. Even in July, several hours sitting still on open water off Ailsa Craig is cold.
There are catch limits and conservation measures on some species, and skippers will explain what can be kept. If you are fishing from the shore, take your line and hooks home with you — discarded tackle kills seabirds.
For freshwater, see salmon and trout fishing on the Girvan and Stinchar.
