Finnygook Beach Fishing

Last updated: 1 week ago

Finnygook Beach Fishing Map

Finnygook Beach sits just east of Portwrinkle on Whitsand Bay. It’s a wide sandy beach with rocky margins and gullies that fish well on a flooding tide, especially into dusk and after dark. Expect surf tables and occasional strong rips; the beach can become cut off at higher states in swell, so plan an exit. Access is from the cliff-top parking via a steep path/steps. Fish the clean sand for flatfish, rays and hounds, and work the rocky ends for wrasse, pollack and summer pelagics.

Ratings

⭐ 6.1/10 Overall
Catch Potential 6/10
Species Variety 7/10
Scenery & Comfort 8/10
Safety 4/10
Accessibility 5/10

Fish You Can Catch at Finnygook Beach

🐟 Bass 9/10
🎯 Tip: Work the surf gutters on a flooding tide at dawn/dusk. Peeler crab or sandeel; metals or surface lures in calmer seas. After a blow, fish the first settled tides.
🐟 Small-eyed Ray 8/10
🎯 Tip: Cast long onto clean sand at evening into dark on neap–mid tides. Sandeel or launce on pulley rigs; calm to slight swell. Spring–autumn.
🐟 Starry Smoothhound 8/10
🎯 Tip: Summer evenings on the flood. Peeler crab on light pulley/flowing traces; target crab-rich sand bars. Clear water and neaps help.
🐟 Whiting 7/10
🎯 Tip: Autumn–winter nights. 2–3 hook flappers with lug or squid strip at range over sand. Best on the flood in calm/slight seas.
🐟 Lesser Spotted Dogfish 7/10
🎯 Tip: All year, best after dark on the clean patches. Mackerel or squid on simple flap/pulley rigs. Any stage of tide in small surf.
🐟 Mackerel 6/10
🎯 Tip: June–Sept in clear, calm seas. Small metals or feathers at dawn/dusk around mid–high water; keep mobile to find shoals.
🐟 Scad (Horse Mackerel) 6/10
🎯 Tip: Late summer nights. Small metals or Sabikis with a glow bead worked in the first gutter at mid–high; clear water and gentle surf.
🐟 Ballan Wrasse 6/10
🎯 Tip: Fish the rocky ends on the flood. Weedless soft plastics or crab baits tight to kelp; daylight sessions. Mind swell and ledges.
🐟 Bull Huss 5/10
🎯 Tip: Dusk into dark near the rockier margins. Big mackerel/squid baits on strong traces dropped short into gullies. Year-round.
🐟 Plaice 4/10
🎯 Tip: Settled seas; daylight into dusk on neaps. Rag or sandeel with beads/spoons cast to clean sand at range; fan casts to find patches.

Finnygook Beach Fishing

Summary

Finnygook Beach sits on the eastern end of Whitsand Bay by Portwrinkle, in southeast Cornwall. It’s a broad, tide-washed sandy surf beach with rocky fringes, offering classic bass ground and the chance of rays and the odd turbot when the sandbanks line up.

Location and Access

Set just below the village of Portwrinkle, Finnygook is reached via the coast road from Crafthole. Access is straightforward for fit walkers, but expect a descent to the sand and a climb back out, with steps that can be testing when carrying gear. Parking is in pay-and-display car parks in Portwrinkle; follow local signage in the village rather than relying solely on postcodes.

Seasons

This is a surf beach with clean sand and rock tongues at either end, so species change with season, swell and sandbars. Expect reliable summer bass and small-eyed ray, plus winter whiting on dark nights.

Methods

Surf tactics dominate on the open sand, with lure fishing viable in the right swell and light. The rough ground fingers at either end reward wrasse and pollack tactics when the sea allows.

Tides and Conditions

Finnygook fishes around the movement of water over its bars and gutters. Night tides are reliably better for rays and whiting; bass are best when the surf is lively but manageable.

Safety

This is an exposed Atlantic-facing beach: conditions can change quickly and the shore can dump hard on springs. Access involves steps and steep paths, so plan your load and exit route.

Facilities

Portwrinkle is a small village with basic amenities; plan self-sufficiency for longer sessions. Services improve if you drive to Torpoint, Looe or Plymouth.

Tips

Finnygook’s bars and gutters shift with storms, so success comes from reading the beach on the day. Roaming and recasting to new seams often outfishes sitting still.

Regulations

Recreational sea angling is permitted at Finnygook Beach. Normal national and local rules apply—always verify current notices before your trip.