Summary
St Mawes Castle Rocks sit beneath the English Heritage fortress at the mouth of the Carrick Roads, opposite Falmouth, on Cornwall’s south coast. This tidy set of granite ledges and kelpy gullies offers surprisingly deep water close in, shelter in many wind directions, and a genuine mixed bag.
It’s a classic, accessible rock mark for wrasse and pollack by day, with bass, scad and conger possibilities at dusk and into darkness in the right conditions.
Location and Access
Access is via the St Mawes headland on the Roseland Peninsula, using the road up to St Mawes Castle and the South West Coast Path around the seaward side. Most anglers fish the natural rock platforms and boulder edges below and beyond the castle perimeter fences.
- Parking: English Heritage St Mawes Castle car park (pay-and-display; seasonal opening hours; typical postcode TR2 5DE). When closed or full, use village car parks and walk 10–15 minutes up to the headland.
- Approach: Follow the South West Coast Path around the outside of the castle grounds. Short, worn paths lead down to rock platforms; expect a steep, uneven descent in places.
- Terrain: Solid granite ledges, uneven boulders and kelp fringes with immediate depth in places. Space narrows at high water.
- Public transport: Summer ferries link Falmouth and St Mawes; from the quay it’s a brisk uphill walk. Buses serve the village from Truro/St Just in Roseland.
- Note: Do not attempt to fish from castle walls or inside fenced/paid areas—stick to the public path and foreshore.
Seasons
This mark fishes as a sheltered, rocky estuary-mouth venue with proper reef life and tide. Expect a core of wrasse and pollack, with seasonal pelagics and night-time visitors.
- Spring (Apr–May): Ballan and corkwing wrasse, pollack, early garfish, thick‑lipped mullet on calm days, chance of schoolie bass on the flood.
- Summer (Jun–Aug): Peak wrasse sport; pollack; mackerel shoals; garfish; scad (horse mackerel) at dusk; bass in the rips; occasional black bream and rare gilthead bream on cleaner patches; mini species (blennies, gobies) for LRF.
- Autumn (Sep–Nov): Bass before the first big blows; scad in numbers after dark; mackerel early autumn; pollack; increasing conger interest; squid possible in clear, still evenings.
- Winter (Dec–Mar): Whiting and pouting on calm nights; pollack at dusk; rockling in the rough; resident conger.
- Always possible by-catch: Poor cod, small codling-like pout (don’t confuse), shore crabs, sandeels around the kelp.
Methods
Natural structure, kelp and quick drop-offs suit float tactics, soft plastics and robust bottom gear with a weak link. Lures excel in clear water and moving tide.
- Wrasse: Float-fish ragworm or soft crab over kelp (size 1–1/0 hooks) or a running ledger with a rotten-bottom (6–12 lb weak link). Mainline 20–30 lb braid, 20 lb mono/fluoro leader.
- Pollack: Weedless soft plastics (4–5 inch paddletails or eels) on 10–20 g heads; count down and sweep retrieve along kelp edges. Float-fished sandeel/mackerel strip set 10–15 ft can be deadly at dusk.
- Bass: Surface and subsurface lures (walkers, small metal subsurface, 4–6 inch white/olive SPs rigged weedless). Target the first two hours of the flood at dawn/dusk along tide lines.
- Mackerel/Garfish/Scad: 15–28 g metals; small sabikis under a 1–2 oz casting float; for gar, a slim mackerel strip fished shallow over the kelp.
- LRF/HRF: Isome/worm imitations and tiny metals on size 10–14 hooks for blennies, gobies and micro-pollack around low water.
- Conger/night ledgering: 30–50 lb mono/80 lb trace, pulley pennel (4/0–5/0) with fish baits. Drop straight down the rock faces; hold the rod to beat the snags.
Tides and Conditions
Tide flow at the mouth of the Carrick Roads creates defined rips and eddies off the point. Aim for moving water but keep an eye on spring tide strength.
- Tide stage: Flooding tide is most consistent for bass and pollack; mid-tide over kelp for wrasse. The last hour of ebb can also switch on when bait is moving.
- Range: Neaps are comfortable and productive; on big springs, tuck in close and shorten casts to avoid brutal cross-tide.
- Wind/swell: Sheltered in northerly and easterly winds; often fishable in moderate westerlies. Strong southerly swell can wrap into the point—avoid if there’s any surge.
- Water clarity: Lures need clarity; after blows, give it 24–48 hours to settle. Night sessions bring scad, conger and whiting even in slight colour.
- Time of day: Dawn and dusk are prime for bass/pollack; bright midday is fine for wrasse under a float tight to the weed line.
- Seasonality: May–October is peak variety; winter windows on calm nights still produce whiting/pout and resident pollack.
Safety
These are natural rock ledges with kelp, weed and tide—treat them with respect. Plan exits with the tide and never fish alone in heavy swell.
- Footing: Very slippery when damp or weedy; wear cleated boots or rock spikes and take a wading staff if unsure.
- Tide cut-off: Some lower ledges pinch out at mid-high water—recon at low and keep clear routes up-slope.
- Swell/surge: Even small long‑period swell can surge onto ledges; keep well back and watch for wrap-around from the south.
- Traffic: Ferries and small craft pass close by—don’t cast across channels or moorings; retrieve if a vessel is approaching.
- Boundaries: Do not fish from castle walls or inside fenced grounds; use only the public path and foreshore below the high‑water mark.
- Emergency: Mobile signal is generally good. In an emergency, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
- Accessibility: Not suitable for wheelchairs or buggies; steep, uneven paths and stepped rocks.
Facilities
You’re close to St Mawes village, so amenities are decent, but there’s nothing on the rocks themselves. Stock up before you descend.
- Parking: English Heritage car park by the castle (fees/hours apply); additional village car parks down the hill.
- Toilets: Public toilets in the village near the harbour/car parks; none at the mark.
- Food and drink: Cafés, pubs and a small supermarket in St Mawes; more choice in Falmouth (ferry/road).
- Tackle/bait: Best sourced in Falmouth or Truro; limited options in St Mawes—bring bait and spares.
- Connectivity: Generally good 4G/5G coverage on major networks along the headland.
- Seasonal: Area is busy in summer; early/late sessions avoid crowds and water users.
Tips
Local patterns revolve around tide lines and kelp edges—fish tight, fish tidy, and use weak links to beat the rough ground. Recon at low water pays dividends.
- Rotten-bottom essential: A 6–12 lb sacrificial link beneath your lead will save rigs in kelp-stuffed gullies.
- Depth control: For float work, start at 10–15 ft and adjust until you graze the weed tops without snagging.
- Lure choice: Olive/white paddletails and needlefish profiles shine in clear water; swap to darker silhouettes in evening light.
- Chum smart: A small mesh bag of mashed mackerel or a trickle of bread crumbs draws in gar, scad and mullet—use sparingly in tide.
- Bass tells: Watch for bait dimpling and converging rip lines off the point on the first of the flood—work surface lures across the seams.
- Crowds and craft: Summer afternoons bring swimmers, SUPs and ferries—fish dawn/dusk or neaps for a calmer window.
- Fish care: Big wrasse fight hard—use barbless or crushed barbs, unhook in the water where possible, and consider a drop‑net for safe releases.
Regulations
Rules here are a mix of general sea angling law, local conservation designations and site-specific access. Always check current notices on-site and online before you go.
- Access/fishing: Shore angling from the public foreshore is generally permitted. Do not fish from within English Heritage castle grounds or over railings if signage prohibits access—stay outside fences and use the coastal path/foreshore only.
- Marine designations: The Fal and Helford is a Special Area of Conservation; shore angling with rod and line is allowed. Avoid damaging eelgrass/maerl beds and respect any local restrictions on bait digging where signposted.
- Bass regulations: At time of writing, recreational bass limits are typically 2 fish per angler per day at or above 42 cm between 1 March and 30 November, with catch‑and‑release only outside those months. Check the latest MMO/DEFRA/Cornwall IFCA updates before fishing.
- Bass nursery area: Much of the Fal/Carrick Roads is a designated bass nursery area; restrictions mainly apply to fishing for bass from boats between 1 May and 31 December. Shore angling from the rocks is permitted—verify exact boundaries if launching any craft.
- Shellfish/foraging: If collecting crab/lobster or setting any pots, Cornwall IFCA byelaws apply, including minimum sizes and a ban on taking berried females. Recreational pots must be correctly marked; see Cornwall IFCA for current requirements.
- General: Observe harbour byelaws and any temporary no‑fishing zones near moorings/slipways. There are no universal bag limits for most finfish, so practice selective harvest and release large, slow‑growing wrasse and bass.
