Summary
Polkerris Harbour Wall is a small, sheltered granite pier guarding a sandy cove on Cornwall’s south coast between Par and Fowey. It is a friendly, comfortable mark with summer sport for mackerel, garfish, wrasse and mullet, plus scad and conger after dark when the crowds thin.
Location and Access
Tucked in St Austell Bay, Polkerris is reached on narrow lanes and has a pay-and-display car park above the village. The harbour wall sits at the western side of the cove and is reached via the beach and slipway. In peak season the beach is busy and access space on the wall can be limited.
- Driving: From the A390 near St Blazey, take the A3082 towards Fowey, then follow signs for Polkerris on minor lanes.
- Parking: Main car park above the village (pay and display; fills early on sunny days). Limited drop-off near the beach for permit/disabled access only. Village postcode: PL24 2TL (for sat nav to the area).
- Walk-in: 5–10 minutes on a fairly steep lane; final approach is over sand/cobbles via the slipway.
- Terrain: Granite blocks and low wall coping stones; uneven underfoot and can be weedy/slippery. Not suitable for wheelchairs or very limited mobility.
Seasons
A compact harbour that fishes like a classic south-coast pier: wrasse and pollack around structure, mackerel and garfish in summer, and mullet mooching the inner water. After dark, scad and conger become realistic targets.
- Spring (Mar–May): Ballan and corkwing wrasse, pollack, school bass, flounder/plaice on the adjacent beach, early garfish late in spring.
- Summer (Jun–Aug): Mackerel, garfish, scad (horse mackerel) at dusk, pollack, ballan/corkwing wrasse, thick- and thin-lipped mullet in the inner harbour, dogfish after dark. Occasional black bream.
- Autumn (Sep–Nov): Scad peaks at dusk into full dark, late mackerel, pollack, conger eel from the outer end, mullet still present in mild spells. Odd squid possible in calm, clear water.
- Winter (Dec–Feb): Whiting, pouting/poor cod, rockling and the odd flounder in settled conditions. Conger and dogfish on the right night.
- By-catch/occasional: Small gurnards, spider crabs in spring, small-eyed ray further out on the bay sands (rare from the wall).
Methods
Simple, efficient approaches score best here; travel light and adapt to the tide and footfall on the wall. LRF and float tactics shine in daylight; bait and metals cover dusk into darkness.
- Float fishing: Ragworm or prawn for wrasse and pollack tight to the wall; mackerel strip for garfish in summer. Set depth 6–12 ft, adjust until you find them.
- Spinning/lures: Small metals (10–20 g), casting jigs and slim spoons for mackerel/garfish; 5–10 cm soft plastics on 5–10 g heads for pollack. Slow retrieve at dawn/dusk.
- LRF/HRF: 1–3 g jigheads with small creature baits for corkwing/wrasse; tiny metals or isome for scad and pout in the dark.
- Ledger/bottom: 1–2 hook flapper, size 2–4 hooks; ragworm, lugworm, mackerel or squid strip for pout/whiting/dogfish. Use a weak link (rotten bottom) to cope with snags near the base of the wall.
- Mullet: Bread mash to pre-bait inside the harbour; free-line bread flake or fish tiny size 10–14 hooks under a small float with light fluorocarbon.
- Conger: After dark from the outer end; strong mono/fluoro trace (80 lb), 5/0 hook and fish baits (mackerel head/fillet). Bring a drop-net for safe landing.
- Squid (occasional): Egi 2.5–3.0 jigs on calm, clear September–November evenings; work the outer face if space allows.
Tides and Conditions
The cove is sheltered from prevailing westerlies, making it a good option in breezy weather. Easterly winds and swell push into the bay and can make the wall unfishable.
- Tide: Flood to high water fishes best; two hours either side of high often prime. Neaps give pleasant presentation for float/LRF; springs pull harder along the outer face.
- Time of day: Dawn for mackerel/gar; dusk into darkness for scad, pollack, whiting and conger. Daytime suits wrasse and mullet.
- Sea state: Clear, calm water benefits lure/float work; a little colour helps bottom fishing for dogfish/whiting. Avoid on strong easterlies or large swells overtopping the wall.
- Seasonality: Jun–Sep for surface-feeding pelagics; Oct–Feb for night fishing with bait. Warm, settled spells keep mullet active inside the harbour.
Safety
This is a family beach and watersports venue; be courteous and fish only where and when it is safe to cast. The wall can be slippery and waves can overtop on big easterly swells.
- Slips and trips: Weed-covered granite and wet coping stones are slick; wear non-slip footwear and keep kit tidy.
- Swell: Do not fish the seaward edge in easterly swell or during overtopping; step back from the edge.
- Crowds: In peak season/daylight there are swimmers, paddleboards and moorings; never cast across the bathing or boat lanes.
- Restrictions: Local signage often restricts fishing from parts of the wall and beach during bathing hours; check and comply. If staff ask you to move, do so.
- Access: Narrow, steep lane; uneven surface on the wall; not wheelchair friendly. A lifejacket is strongly recommended on all piers and harbour structures.
- Night fishing: Minimal lighting; bring a headtorch, spare batteries and avoid leaving tackle as trip hazards.
Facilities
For a small cove, facilities are excellent, especially in summer. Expect crowds on fine days, with quieter evenings outside school holidays.
- Toilets: Public facilities by the beach (seasonal opening).
- Food and drink: Beach café/restaurant and a pub in the village, typically open most of the year.
- Tackle/bait: No tackle shop in the village; options in St Austell and Fowey/Par for bait and end tackle.
- Parking: Pay-and-display above the village; limited spaces nearer the beach. Arrive early in summer.
- Phone signal: Generally workable on the hill; can be patchy down in the cove.
- Other: Watersports centre on the beach; expect buoys and activity zones in front of the harbour.
Tips
Treat it like a small, busy pier: fish light, be mobile, and time your sessions to avoid beach traffic. Evenings are often when the mark comes alive.
- Evening switch-on: Scad and pollack often arrive right on dusk; scale down to small metals or size 6–8 sabiki tied as single droppers for fewer tangles.
- Garfish finesse: Float fish mackerel belly strip on a long (4–6 ft) fluorocarbon trace with a slow, steady wind; add a tiny bead above the hook to reduce tangles.
- Wrasse tactics: Ragworm or hardback/shell-on prawn tight to the wall; short lifts to tease bites. Use abrasion-resistant leaders and expect surging runs.
- Mullet prep: Trickle in mashed bread for 20–30 minutes before presenting a free-lined flake; keep line off the water and use light fluorocarbon.
- Landing fish: Bring a drop-net; the wall height and weeded lower stones make hand-lining risky for fish and angler.
- Snag management: Fish just off bottom with a rotten-bottom link and keep gear minimal; move a few yards if you find a snaggy pocket.
- Quiet windows: Outside school holidays or after 6–7 pm the beach calms down and fishing from the outer face becomes much more practical.
Regulations
Harbour use and inshore fisheries rules apply here; always check the latest signage on site and current IFCA/MMO notices before you retain fish.
- Local access: Obey any no fishing signs on the harbour wall and within designated bathing zones; seasonal/daytime restrictions commonly apply in summer. Do not obstruct the slipway or emergency access.
- Methods: Rod-and-line only from the wall; no nets, set-lines or dropping pots from harbour structures.
- Bass: Minimum size 42 cm for retention. Seasonal recreational bass bag limits and closed periods change periodically; check current MMO/Defra guidance before keeping any bass.
- Conservation: Consider catch-and-release for wrasse and mullet; larger ballan wrasse are valuable brood stock on Cornish reefs.
- Protected areas: The Fowey Estuary upstream has bass nursery restrictions for boats; while Polkerris sits outside, be aware if you plan to roam by boat.
- Litter and end tackle: Use line recycling points if present and take all waste home; hooks and line are a hazard on a busy family beach.
