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Cornwall

Bass Point

6.9 · Rocks · Cornwall

An exposed rock headland on the Lizard peninsula with deep, clear water, kelp-filled gullies and strong tidal movement. Multiple ledges around the NCI lookout give access to depth quickly, making it a prime lure and float-fishing venue in settled seas. Best results typically come at dawn and dusk on a flooding tide from late spring through autumn. Expect pollack and wrasse tight to the kelp, summer mackerel and garfish in the tide run, and bass in white water after a blow. Night sessions can produce conger and occasional huss. Access is via a short walk from the lane to Bass Point with steep, uneven scrambles onto the rock platforms. Swell and surge can be hazardous—fish only in calm conditions and keep well back from the edge.

Should you fish Bass Point?

62 Fair

Today · Best window

Best window: 18:00-21:00 around the rising tide

Most likely species: Ballan Wrasse and Pollack

Fair conditions. Best around 18:00-21:00 around the rising tide. Good chance of Ballan Wrasse and Pollack.

NW 4 mph Rain 16% High tide 10:42

Fishable, but pick your timing carefully.

Plan this mark

7-day fishing forecast for Bass Point — 7-day forecast

Scores and best windows are weighted for .

Met Office Met Office · Open-Meteo

Where the data comes from. Weather and sea-state readings come from the Met Office and Open-Meteo forecast models, refreshed several times a day. High and low water are taken from tide-station predictions for this stretch of coast.

How the score works. Each window is scored 0–100 from the signals that most reliably move fish inshore: tide movement (a running tide carries food, so the last of the flood and first of the ebb are usually the prime spells), wind speed and direction (onshore wind stirs food into the surf — up to the point it makes fishing hard), sea state (a little wave and swell movement helps, heavy swell hurts), and weather — rain, temperature and light. Behind the headline number we score bite opportunity and comfort separately, and run a separate safety check on wind and swell. The size of the tide counts too: spring tides move more water than neaps, so the tidal range for this stretch of coast is weighed alongside the tide's direction, your target species and this mark — and unusually big springs strengthen the safety check, because the water rises faster and covers more ground.

Your target species counts. Pick a species below and the score also weights what we know about it — its season, preferred sea temperature, tide stage and sea state, and whether it feeds by day or night.

The rating is guidance, not a guarantee — conditions change fast on the coast, so always judge the sea in front of you before you fish.

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· windows & tide

Spring vs neap tides. Spring tides have a larger difference between high and low water, so more water moves on each tide — usually stronger flow that stirs up food and gets fish feeding. Neap tides have a smaller range and generally gentler movement. The range here is compared with what is normal for this stretch of coast, and the cycle swings between springs and neaps roughly every week, following the moon.

Big spring tides: the water rises faster and covers more ground than usual — double-check access routes and cut-off points before you fish.

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Bass Point is a high-potential but exposed Lizard rock mark where timing and sea state matter more than distance casting. The best fishing is usually around the deep kelp gullies, tide seams and ledges near the NCI area, especially when the flood is pushing and there is just enough swell or colour to put bass and pollack on the feed. Treat it as a mobile lure and float venue first; bottom tactics can work after dark, but the ground is heavy and the tidal run quickly makes poor timing expensive.

  • Know when the flood turns Bass Point on
  • Fish the tide-race edges, not the full blast
  • Pick the right gullies for wrasse and pollack
  • Avoid the high-water traps and swell windows
  • Have a nearby fallback before you walk in

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Lizard 0.7 mi Ruan Minor 2.1 mi Mullion Cove 3.4 mi Mullion 5.1 mi Coverack 5.9 mi

Explore nearby towns: Lizard · Ruan Minor · Mullion Cove · Mullion · Coverack

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Forecast tuning currently supports Bass and Mackerel — more species are on the way.

Overall rating

6.9 /10

Blend of catch potential, access, safety, and overall experience.

Category scores

Catch Potential 7/10
Species Variety 8/10
Scenery & Comfort 8/10
Safety 4/10
Accessibility 5/10

Pollack 9/10
Tip: Weedless soft plastics or metals worked along kelp-fringed ledges; dawn/dusk on a flooding tide. Cast parallel to the rock face and let lures swing in the tide.
Bass 8/10
Tip: Surface/subsurface lures in a swell on the flood, especially at first light or into dusk. After a blow, try white or sandeel-pattern plugs tight to gullies.
Ballan Wrasse 8/10
Tip: Hardback crab or ragworm into kelpy gullies; float or light ledger. Best mid-tide to high over rough ground; keep tackle strong to bully fish from snags.
Mackerel 7/10
Tip: Jun–Sep; small metals or feather rigs cast into tide lines from the point. Dusk often best; let jigs sink and retrieve through the water column.
Pouting 6/10
Tip: After dark over rough ground; two-hook paternoster with worm or squid slivers. Neap tides help reduce drag and snags.
Scad (Horse Mackerel) 6/10
Tip: Late summer–autumn after dark. Sabikis or small metals worked deep; lights attract them to the ledges on the ebb and slack.
Cuckoo Wrasse 6/10
Tip: Small worm/squid strips on size 1–2 hooks; float or light paternoster over rough reef. Summer, daylight; keep gear high to reduce snags.
Conger Eel 6/10
Tip: Night from deeper ledges. Stout gear; whole mackerel/squid on a pulley rig. Last of the ebb through slack often productive.
Garfish 6/10
Tip: Late spring–autumn on float rigs set shallow with thin mackerel strips. Present over clear water on the flood and first of the ebb.
Bull Huss 5/10
Tip: Darkness, large fish/squid baits dropped into kelpy gullies on 4/0 pulley rigs. Better after a blow; expect heavy ground.
Tompot Blenny 5/10
Tip: Tiny hooks and rag/squid scraps; fish tight to rock walls and holes at low to mid tide. Quick bites; keep gear minimal.
Shanny 4/10
Tip: Size 12–8 hooks with bits of worm; drop into rock pools and crevices around low water. Short drops and steady lifts.

Local knowledge

Bass Point fishing guide

Practical access, seasons, methods, tides, safety and facilities for this mark.

Bass Point sits on the eastern flank of the Lizard Peninsula, a short walk east of Lizard Point in Cornwall. It’s a classic rough-ground rock mark with fast tidal run, deep gullies and kelp—prime territory for bass, pollack and big wrasse if you time it right.

Set on the South West Coast Path, Bass Point is reached from Lizard village or the lighthouse area via well-trodden cliff paths. The last approach to fishing ledges involves uneven, sometimes steep goat tracks and is not suitable for those with limited mobility.

  • Approach: Drive to Lizard village and follow signs for Lizard Point; Bass Point lies a 10–20 minute walk east along the coast path past the lighthouse area.
  • Parking: Use the Lizard Point/Lighthouse car parks or Lizard village green (TR12 7NQ area). Very limited roadside spaces near Bass Point/NCI—do not obstruct gates, the watch station, or emergency access.
  • Walk-in: 10–25 minutes depending on car park; final descents are on rock/earth paths that can be slick after rain or sea spray.
  • Terrain: Serpentine and schist rock ledges, kelp-filled gullies and boulders; extremely snaggy ground underfoot and subsurface.
  • Access notes: The National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) station is at Bass Point—be courteous, keep noise down, and don’t block their sightlines or access.

This is an energetic Atlantic-facing mark with seasonal variety. Expect rough-ground specialists and predators that work the tide lines and kelp edges.

  • Spring (Mar–May):
    • European seabass (first pushes on building tides and mild spells)
    • Pollack (in close at dusk/dawn)
    • Ballan and cuckoo wrasse (warming spells)
  • Summer (Jun–Aug):
    • Bass (dawn/evening, around fizz lines and bait)
    • Pollack (all states of tide in colour), mackerel and scad at range
    • Garfish on calm, clear days
    • Ballan wrasse (all sizes; occasional 5lb+)
  • Autumn (Sep–Nov):
    • Peak bass (stormy periods as seas settle)
    • Bigger pollack, scad shoals, late mackerel
    • Conger eel and bull huss after dark
  • Winter (Dec–Feb, weather windows):
    • Pollack on calmer days, conger and huss at night
    • Rockling; odd whiting if you can find cleaner patches
  • Occasional/bonus:
    • Triggerfish in warm late summers, thick-lipped mullet in adjacent calmer coves, very rare spur dogfish in winter blows

Fast water and kelp mean strong, simple gear and presentation that rides the rough. Travel light, fish mobile, and match your method to the water clarity and run.

  • Lure fishing (bass/pollack):
    • Weedless soft plastics (paddle/slug) on Texas/weighted hooks; 20–30 lb braid and 30–40 lb fluoro leader.
    • Shallow divers/topwaters across the fizz lines at dawn/dusk; metals/jigs when birds/whitebait show.
    • Work edges of the tide race rather than the full blast; long pauses on topwaters often trigger takes.
  • Float fishing (wrasse/garfish/pollack):
    • Sliding float, 8–15 g; depth 8–20 ft over kelp skirts.
    • Baits: live or frozen sandeel, prawn, ragworm, mackerel strip; size 1–2/0 strong hooks.
  • Bottom fishing (conger/huss/bass):
    • Pulley or running ledger with a weak-link/rotten-bottom to save leads; 4–6 oz depending on run.
    • 40–60 lb mono traces; big mackerel/squid cocktails for eels/huss after dark, peeler or large crab wraps for bass in a sea.
  • Rigs and tackle notes:
    • Keep leaders abrasion-resistant; use long-nose pliers and a head torch for night unhooking.
    • A drop-net is rarely practical on these ledges; plan safe gaff-free landing or fish barbless and hand-line carefully in calm surges.

Movement is everything here. You’re fishing rips, eddies and seams created by the headland—hit them when they’re forming and breaking.

  • Tide state:
    • Best: last 2 hours of flood and first 2 of ebb for bass and pollack.
    • Wrasse often feed well mid-tide as the run steadies along kelp edges.
  • Springs vs neaps:
    • Springs create strong rips—great for lures on the edges, tough for bottom gear.
    • Neaps are kinder for float/bottom presentations but can be slower for bass without wind/swell.
  • Sea and clarity:
    • A 0.5–1.5 m rolling swell with some colour is ideal for bass; crystal-clear, calm seas suit topwater and surface garfish work.
    • After big storms, give it 24–48 hours for swell to drop and colour to fine down.
  • Time of day/seasonality:
    • Dawn/dusk are prime year-round; night ledgering produces conger/huss.
    • Peak bass: late spring and again Sept–Oct, especially on building pressure and a bit of fizz.

This is a committing rock mark on an exposed headland. Treat all ledges as wave-washed, plan exits, and wear the right kit.

  • Key hazards:
    • Atlantic swell wrap and rogue waves; surges rebound off the cliffs—stay well back and never turn your back on the sea.
    • Slippery serpentine rock and weed; studs or cleats and gloves recommended.
    • Some ledges become cut off around high water—know your route and timings.
  • Personal safety:
    • Wear a modern auto-inflating lifejacket and carry a head torch and phone in a waterproof pouch.
    • Fish with a partner; tell someone your plan and exit time.
    • Use a weak-link for leads to avoid over-leaning on the edge when snagged.
  • Accessibility:
    • Not suitable for wheelchairs, pushchairs, or those with limited mobility.
    • Keep clear of the NCI station compound and any rescue access paths.

Facilities are concentrated around Lizard Point and in Lizard village; there’s nothing on the ledges themselves. Plan to be self-sufficient and pack out all litter.

  • Toilets: At Lizard Point car park and seasonally at the Lighthouse visitor area; more in Lizard village.
  • Food and drink: Cafés and kiosks at Lizard Point in season; pubs/shops in the village (pasties, coffee, basics).
  • Tackle/bait: Nearest shops typically in Helston and Porthleven; limited options on the peninsula—bring what you need.
  • Emergency services: RNLI lifeboat station at Kilcobben Cove to the east; do not obstruct access roads.
  • Connectivity: Mobile signal is generally fair on headlands but patchy in coves.
  • Parking: Pay-and-display at Lizard Point/village green; no facilities at the ledges.

Think like a hunter: read the water for rips, seams, and bait, and keep moving until you find life. Subtle presentation and abrasion-resistant end tackle pay dividends here.

  • On a gentle swell, work topwaters across the fizz lines at first light—pause near seams where bait stacks.
  • In weed, go weedless with a slow, sinking soft plastic and count it down to just tick the kelp tops.
  • For wrasse, prawn or rag on a strong size 1 hook under a float outfishes hard crab many days; strike positively and bully them clear of weed.
  • Use a short, sacrificial weak link for leads (6–10 lb mono) to beat the snags without losing the whole rig.
  • Polarised glasses help spot bait and scum lines; if seals start shadowing you, move marks.
  • Handle wrasse carefully—barbless hooks and quick release; they’re slow-growing and local stocks benefit from C&R.
  • The green/red mottled serpentine can be like ice when damp—test every step and avoid grassy, undercut lips.

Cornwall’s south coast includes several protected areas and local byelaws. Shore angling is generally permitted at Bass Point, but you must follow national and Cornwall IFCA rules and any on-site signage.

  • European seabass: Recreational bass fishing has strict seasonal/bag/size limits. Check the latest MMO/DEFRA notice before you go; when retention is permitted it is commonly limited to a small daily bag with a 42 cm minimum size, with catch-and-release only outside the retention period.
  • Cornwall IFCA byelaws: It is illegal for recreational fishers to take/spinylobster (crawfish) within the Cornwall IFCA district; berried or v‑notched lobsters/crabs must not be retained. Observe all local minimum conservation sizes for crustaceans and finfish—check CIFCA’s current tables.
  • Marine Protected Areas: The Lizard coastline includes designated sites (SAC/MCZ). Angling from shore is allowed, but the collection of certain species/habitats (e.g., seagrass, maerl, some invertebrates) may be restricted. Do not remove living reef life or seaweeds.
  • Night fishing/lighting: No specific curfew, but avoid dazzling shipping/shore stations and keep clear of NCI/RNLI access.
  • General: Use barbless or crushed barbs where possible, return undersized fish immediately, and dispose of line/weights responsibly.

Always verify up-to-date rules with the MMO and Cornwall IFCA before your session, as regulations can change during the year.