St Catherine’s Point, Fowey Fishing

Last updated: 6 days ago

St Catherine’s Point, Fowey Fishing Map

Rocky headland directly below St Catherine’s Castle at the mouth of Fowey Harbour. Deep water tight to the rocks with kelp, boulders and ledges, and a strong tidal run across the harbour mouth. Best on neap to mid tides or the first/last couple of hours of the flood/ebb in settled seas. Access is via the coast path from Readymoney Cove with steep steps; final footing is uneven rock platforms. Float or lure fishing scores for summer pelagics and pollack, while bottom fishing into the gullies finds wrasse, pouting and nocturnal conger/whiting. Beware swell, height and passing harbour traffic.

Ratings

⭐ 7.1/10 Overall
Catch Potential 7/10
Species Variety 8/10
Scenery & Comfort 9/10
Safety 5/10
Accessibility 6/10

Fish You Can Catch at St Catherine’s Point, Fowey

🐟 Pollack 9/10
🎯 Tip: Work metal jigs or soft plastics parallel to the kelpy rock edges at dawn/dusk on the flood. Deep water; keep lures mid-water to avoid snags.
🐟 Ballan Wrasse 8/10
🎯 Tip: Crab or ragworm tight to kelp/ledges over rough ground on the mid–flood. Summer–autumn. Use strong gear and a rotten-bottom link.
🐟 Bass 7/10
🎯 Tip: Surface or soft lures through tide runs on the flood at first/last light; after a SW swell. Also try live sandeel under a float close to the point.
🐟 Mackerel 7/10
🎯 Tip: Summer shoals on calm evenings. Cast spinners/feathers into the deeper water at the point; best around flood. Keep retrieves brisk to avoid kelp.
🐟 Scad (Horse Mackerel) 7/10
🎯 Tip: Dusk into dark in late summer. Small metals or sabikis with a glow bead, fished mid-water in the tide run. Steady retrieve.
🐟 Pouting 6/10
🎯 Tip: After dark over rough ground. Small mackerel/squid strips on a 2‑hook paternoster, baits just off the bottom. Flooding tide fishes best.
🐟 Corkwing Wrasse 6/10
🎯 Tip: Small rag/prawn under a float beside weeded rock faces on the flood. Summer. Light gear, keep baits tight to structure.
🐟 Conger Eel 6/10
🎯 Tip: After dark around HW. Large mackerel/squid baits dropped into gullies; heavy traces and rotten-bottom recommended.
🐟 Garfish 6/10
🎯 Tip: Float-fish a sliver of mackerel or small sandeel shallow over clear water on the flood, late spring to autumn. Keep baits moving.
🐟 Long-spined Sea Scorpion 5/10
🎯 Tip: LRF with isome/shrimp on size 10–14 hooks, probing kelp edges and rock pools at mid tide. Year-round.

St Catherine’s Point, Fowey Fishing

Summary

St Catherine’s Point (by St Catherine’s Castle), Fowey sits on the western side of the Fowey estuary mouth and gives you instant access to deep, tide-swept water. It’s a classic Cornish rock mark for wrasse, pollack and bass, with summer pelagics passing close when conditions line up.

Location and Access

This headland is reached via Readymoney Cove at the southern end of Fowey. Expect a scenic walk with some steep sections and steps around the castle. Travel light and wear decent footwear.

Seasons

The mark fishes like a proper South Coast rock ledge: rough ground, kelp beds and fast-moving, clean water. Species change with the seasons.

Methods

You’re fishing mixed-to-rough ground with tide. Strong, simple rigs, abrasion-resistant leaders and sensible lure/bait choices catch most fish here.

Tides and Conditions

Tide movement is the trigger, but excessive flow can make it unfishable from some perches. Work with the contours and choose your ledge to match the state of tide.

Safety

This is an exposed rock mark beneath a historic headland. Treat it with full rock-fishing caution and respect the scheduled monument and public paths.

Facilities

You’re close to Fowey, so amenities are within a short walk or drive, but nothing is on the ledges themselves.

Tips

This mark rewards tidy presentation and mobility. Watch the water for bait and work short windows when the tide lines form off the point.

Regulations

Rules here are a mix of national sea angling measures and local harbour/heritage constraints. Always check current notices on site and official sources before fishing.