Summary
Porthcurnick Beach sits on the Roseland Peninsula just north of Portscatho, opening into Gerrans Bay. It’s a pretty, sandy cove with rocky fingers at either end, offering mixed ground that rewards thoughtful tactics.
On its day it produces quality bass, summer garfish and wrasse, with winter whiting and the odd ray or strap conger after dark.
Location and Access
This is an easily reached mark for most anglers, with short walks from nearby parking and a firm, sandy foreshore. The ends of the beach are rockier and suit mobile, light-tackle work.
- Approach via the B3287 to Portscatho, then follow signs toward Rosevine/Portscatho.
- Parking options: small National Trust/roadside parking near Rosevine and the beach path; larger village car parks in Portscatho. A useful postcode to aim for is TR2 5EW (Hidden Hut/Rosevine area).
- From Rosevine, it’s typically a 5–10 minute walk on the South West Coast Path and beach access steps/ramps; from Portscatho village add another 10–15 minutes around the headland.
- Terrain: wide sand at mid–low, shingle pockets, and kelp-covered rock platforms at both ends. Trainers are fine for the sand; wear boots with grip for the rocks.
- Popular spot year-round; arrive early in summer to secure parking and space, especially around café event evenings.
Seasons
A mixed-ground beach with reefy margins, Porthcurnick can fish well through three seasons. Expect clean-ground species in the middle and rock specialists around the points.
- Spring (Mar–May): school and early bass; flounder; ballan wrasse starting as water warms; occasional gurnard.
- Summer (Jun–Aug): bass (including better fish at dawn/dusk), garfish, mackerel in clear water, pollack from the rocky ends, wrasse, scad (horse mackerel) after dark, dogfish on baits.
- Autumn (Sep–Nov): peak bass time; garfish linger into October; mixed bags of gurnard, pout and mackerel; chance of a small thornback ray on settled seas.
- Winter (Dec–Feb): whiting and pout on blowy easterlies; flounder on smaller tides; strap conger from the rocks after dark; the odd bonus bass in coloured water.
- Occasional visitors: tub gurnard, painted ray (rare), smoothhound in warm spells (late spring into summer) if crabs are plentiful.
Methods
Both bait and lure tactics work well here; choose the middle of the bay for clean-ground work and the ends for reef edges and ambush points.
- Surf and bait fishing (beach middle):
- Rigs: 1- or 2-hook clipped-down for distance; long-snood flapper for flatties/gurnard.
- Hooks: size 1–2/0 for general work; 3/0 pennel for bigger bass baits.
- Baits: lugworm, rag, peeler crab (top for bass/wrasse in spring), sandeel, mackerel or squid strips (dogs/whiting/gurnard).
- Best times: flooding tide into dusk; first hour of the ebb can also be good on colour.
- Lure fishing (rocky ends and along the edge):
- Rods: 7–9 ft, 10–35 g rated; 20–30 lb braid leader 20–25 lb fluoro.
- Lures: surface walkers and shallow divers at dawn/dusk; 12–20 g metals for mackerel/scad; weedless soft plastics over kelp for bass and wrasse; small paddletails for pollack.
- Work parallel to the reef edges and over gullies on a rising tide.
- Float fishing (summer):
- Garfish and mackerel with small size 6–8 hooks, sliver of mackerel belly, shallow-set 2–6 ft.
- Fish over clean sand or the shoulders of the reef on calm, clear days.
- After-dark ledgering:
- Light surf gear with sandeel/squid cocktails for bass/dogfish; stronger gear near the rocks for strap conger (wire not essential—80 lb mono trace is fine).
Tides and Conditions
Tide state and wind direction greatly influence this beach. It’s often sheltered from prevailing south-westerlies but livens up with an easterly push.
- Best tide windows: flood from mid to high is consistent for bass; the first hour of the ebb can continue the run. Wrasse/pollack favour a flooding tide washing over the reef edges.
- Conditions for bass: a light to moderate onshore easterly with 1–3 ft of surf and a hint of colour. In clear, calm spells, scale down lines/lures and fish low light.
- Clear-water days: ideal for lures, garfish and sight-fishing along the reef seams; expect spooky fish in bright sun.
- Spring tides: uncover more reef at low giving access to gullies; watch for stronger rips at the points on the flood/ebb turns.
- Weed: string weed and kelp strands can be troublesome in late spring/early summer and after onshore blows.
- Time of day: dawn/dusk reliably out-fishes the middle of the day; night sessions bring whiting, pout and the chance of a better bass in coloured seas.
Safety
It’s a friendly beach, but the rocky ends and easterly swells demand respect. Think tides, footing and crowds.
- Slippery rocks and kelp: wear boots with good grip; avoid green, weed-slick ledges.
- Cut-off risk: the rocky ends can be pinched by tide—plan an exit route and avoid being trapped at high water.
- Swell and shore-dump: an easterly can produce punchy surf; keep rods high and don’t turn your back on waves.
- Rips: expect push/pull near the points on bigger tides—cast uptide and angle fish away from reef snags.
- Crowds and swimmers: in summer, fish early/late or stick to the ends; do not cast over bathers, paddleboarders or dogs.
- Lighting and paths: no lighting—bring a headtorch for dawn/dusk; paths can be muddy/slippy after rain.
- Mobility: access involves steps/uneven paths; not wheelchair-friendly. Consider the central ramped access when sand levels are kind.
- PPE: a slimline inflatable lifejacket is strongly advised when working the rocky margins.
Facilities
You’re close to village amenities, but there’s very little on the beach itself. Plan bait and tackle in advance.
- Food/drink: The Hidden Hut (seasonal) above the beach; more cafés, a pub and a shop in Portscatho.
- Toilets: public toilets in Portscatho village (short walk via coast path). None on the beach itself.
- Tackle/bait: limited locally; head to Truro for full-service tackle shops. Some chandlers/shops carry basics in St Mawes/Portscatho.
- Parking: small car park/roadside at Rosevine; larger pay-and-display in Portscatho. NT parking free for members where signed.
- Lifeguards: typically not lifeguarded—treat as a wild beach.
- Phone signal: generally fair on the cliffs; can dip on the sand and in coves.
Tips
Little tweaks make a big difference here—mobility and timing are key.
- Travel light and keep moving: fan casts along the reef edges, then shift 20–30 m to find the highway fish use.
- Crab is king in late spring: peeler or softies will out-fish worm/sandeel when shore crabs are moulting.
- Match the hatch on calm days: small, translucent soft plastics and subtle topwaters beat big, noisy lures in clear water.
- Watch the birds: terns picking just offshore often mean sandeels—be ready with a 15–20 g metal for mackerel/gar.
- Weed check: if the surf is carrying string weed, switch to a single-hook clipped rig and streamline baits to shed debris.
- Hidden Hut feast nights can pack the area—fish very early/late or choose the opposite end to avoid casting near crowds.
- Late-summer phosphorescence sometimes lights your footprints and line—magical, but it can make fish lure-shy; go natural and slow.
Regulations
Recreational rod fishing is generally permitted at Porthcurnick Beach. Always check the latest Cornwall IFCA and MMO notices before you go, as rules can change.
- European seabass: minimum size 42 cm. Recent rules have allowed retention of up to two fish per angler per day during the main season (typically Mar–Nov) with catch-and-release outside that window—check current year specifics before retaining any bass.
- Rays, flatfish and general species: observe best-practice size limits and release undersized fish promptly; identify ray species carefully.
- Tope and spurdog: protected for recreational anglers—catch and release only.
- Wrasse: no statutory MLS for anglers, but local best practice is catch-and-release for larger ballan wrasse, especially from reef habitat.
- No fires or bait digging in vegetated dunes/cliff SSSI margins; use formal beach access paths and respect any local signage.
- Marine protected areas: this mark is outside the Fal estuary nursery area, but if you fish nearby estuaries, be aware of bass nursery restrictions and seasonal closures.
- Litter and fish waste: pack out all line, hooks and bait packaging; dispose of fish remains off the beach and away from public areas.
