Summary
Millendreath Beach sits just east of Looe on Cornwall’s south coast, a small sandy cove framed by fishy rock ledges. It’s a quietly productive mark with options for surf species on the sand and wrasse, pollack, and bass around the rocks. Evening and night tides avoid daytime beach crowds and regularly produce the better fish.
Location and Access
Set in a sheltered cove below the Millendreath/Black Rock holiday village, access is straightforward but steep. It’s close to Looe, making it a handy venue when the bigger surf beaches are blown out.
- Drive from Looe via the B3253 and follow signs for Millendreath; the final lane is narrow and steep with passing places.
- Pay-and-display/ANPR parking by the beach associated with the holiday complex; charges/operating hours can vary seasonally. Nearest area postcode: PL13 (check resort info before travelling).
- The walk from the car park to the sand is short and on hard surfaces; returning to the car involves a noticeable uphill.
- The South West Coast Path crosses the cove, with additional foot access from Looe (longer, undulating).
Seasons
This mark offers a genuine mixed-bag across the year, with sandy ground in the middle and rougher rock on either side.
- Spring: bass (building from April/May), plaice and dabs on clean patches, early small-eyed/spotted rays on settled seas, wrasse waking on the rocks.
- Summer: bass (dawn/dusk and rougher days), mackerel and garfish in calm clear spells, scad at dusk, pollack and wrasse from the ledges, bull huss at night, occasional smoothhound, plaice/turbot oddities on the sand, thick-lipped mullet in the cove.
- Autumn: peak bass, late mackerel/gar runs, gurnard on worm baits, rays continue, conger from the rocks after dark, huss.
- Winter: whiting, pouting, dogfish, dab, rockling; the odd codling not impossible on big easterlies, plus conger from the rough ground.
Methods
Both the clean sand and the rocky flanks fish well with appropriate tactics. Scale your approach to water clarity and tide strength.
- Bottom fishing on sand: 2-hook flappers (size 1–2) with ragworm/squid for plaice/dabs/whiting; pulley or pulley-pennel (3/0–4/0) with sandeel/squid/bluey for bass and rays.
- Rock ledges: simple running ledger or short pulley with abrasion-resistant leaders for wrasse, huss, and conger; crab, rag, squid or fish baits.
- Lures: shallow divers, sandeel-pattern soft plastics and surface walkers for bass at dawn/dusk; 20–40 g metals for mackerel/scad; LRF micro-softies for mini species in gullies.
- Float fishing: rag/lug/crab for wrasse and pollack along the ledges; tiny slivers of fish for garfish in summer.
- Mullet: breadflake under a light float with a steady bread-mash trickle in calm, clear conditions.
Tides and Conditions
Tide and sea state drive results here. Use smaller neaps for finesse work and bigger springs or building surf for bass and rays.
- Best tide windows: the flood from half-tide to high, especially into dusk/dark; first of the ebb can also fish on the rocks.
- Bass: a bit of colour and onshore push from S/SE often helps; work the flooding water over newly covered sand gullies.
- Rays: settled, long-period swells and cleaner water; present good scent trails (sandeel/squid/bluey cocktails).
- Clear, calm days: lure or float-fish the ledges for wrasse/pollack/gar; evenings are markedly better when the beach is quieter.
- Winter: after-dark highs with modest swell for whiting/dogs/huss; avoid heavy weed on big springs if it’s rolling in.
Safety
This is a small, enclosed cove with steep approaches and tide-affected rock platforms. Plan your session around space and exits.
- Rock caution: both flanks are weeded and slippy; ledges can be cut off by the flood. Identify safe retreat routes in daylight.
- Swell: surges wrap into the cove on easterlies/SE; keep clear of the water’s edge, especially on the rocks.
- Headtorch/PFD: carry a good headtorch for any low-light session and consider a lifejacket on ledges.
- Crowds: in summer the sand is busy; fish very early/late or after dark to avoid casting near swimmers and watercraft.
- Mobility: once down, the beach frontage is fairly level, but the access lane is steep and may challenge those with limited mobility.
Facilities
Being tied to a holiday village, facilities are better than many coves, albeit seasonal.
- Parking: pay-and-display/ANPR near the beachfront; limited overspill when busy.
- Toilets and café: typically available seasonally by the beach (hours vary outside peak months).
- Tackle/bait: multiple tackle shops in Looe (short drive) for fresh/frozen bait and end gear.
- Phone signal: generally decent for major networks, though can vary behind the cliffs.
- Waste: bins may be seasonal—pack out line and litter if facilities are closed.
Tips
A few small tweaks turn Millendreath from ‘quiet’ to ‘consistent’. Focus on timing, presentation, and positioning.
- Work the left- or right-hand gullies on a flooding evening tide with sandeel—prime for small-eyed ray and bass.
- Keep beach baits neat and aerodynamic; long, flowing snoods with beads/spoons lift plaice odds in clear water.
- Float a whole prawn or crab for wrasse tight to kelp edges; re-bait often and don’t ignore shallow water.
- For mullet, start a bread trail 20–30 minutes before fishing and step back from the waterline.
- Late summer sometimes shows phosphorescence—spectacular, but tone down luminous beads if fish seem wary.
- If weed is heavy on springs, shift to the rocks with float or lures rather than battling with bottom gear on the sand.
Regulations
Rules change—always check official sources before you go. This coast also has various local and national protections.
- Bass: recreational bass fishing has monthly/seasonal catch-and-release and retention rules plus a 42 cm minimum size; confirm current dates and bag limits with the UK MMO before retaining any bass.
- Size/bag limits: observe UK national and Cornwall IFCA minimum sizes and any species-specific restrictions (e.g., rays, mullet). When in doubt, release.
- Marine designations: parts of the Looe area fall within marine protected sites; angling from shore is generally allowed, but avoid damaging features and adhere to any local notices.
- Bait collection: intertidal gathering is regulated; check Cornwall IFCA byelaws before taking crabs, shellfish, or worms.
- Beach management: respect any onsite signage from the holiday village, lifeguard/warden advice, and avoid fishing among bathers or watercraft during busy daylight hours.
