Towan Beach, Newquay Fishing

Last updated: 1 week ago

Towan Beach, Newquay Fishing Map

Sheltered town beach inside Newquay Bay with clean sand and rocky margins around Towan Island and the aquarium. Fishes best on a flooding tide and at dawn/dusk. Surf or coloured water draws bass; calm, clear nights suit rays and flatfish. Summer brings mackerel, garfish and scad; the rocks produce wrasse, pollack and mini-species. Easy access from the promenade with facilities close by, but expect crowds in summer and observe lifeguard bathing zones. Watch shore dump in swell and avoid getting cut off around the Island rocks on the push.

Ratings

⭐ 7.5/10 Overall
Catch Potential 7/10
Species Variety 8/10
Scenery & Comfort 9/10
Safety 6/10
Accessibility 9/10

Fish You Can Catch at Towan Beach, Newquay

🐟 Bass 8/10
🎯 Tip: Dawn/dusk and after a blow; work lures or sandeel/peeler in the surf gutters and around the Island rocks. Best on a flooding tide with a light swell.
🐟 Pollack 7/10
🎯 Tip: Work soft plastics or metal jigs tight to the rocky corners/kelp at either end of the beach. Dusk into dark on the flood and first of the ebb.
🐟 Lesser Spotted Dogfish 7/10
🎯 Tip: Night over clean sand; 2-hook flappers with mackerel or squid. Cast just beyond the breakers. Mid-flood to high. Peak summer–autumn but present year-round.
🐟 Whiting 6/10
🎯 Tip: Autumn–winter nights; small fish/worm baits on size 2–4 flappers. Cast 40–80 m over clean sand. Best on the flood to high water.
🐟 Mackerel 6/10
🎯 Tip: Late spring–autumn, especially evenings; feathers or small metals when shoals show. Try near the harbour side or at high water when depth improves.
🐟 Ballan Wrasse 6/10
🎯 Tip: Fish crab or ragworm on a running ledger along the rocky edges and gullies. Daytime on the flood; keep tackle strong to steer fish from kelp.
🐟 Mullet (Thick-lipped) 6/10
🎯 Tip: Clear, calm days in summer; bread or weed under a float by the harbour wall/outflows. Stealth and light gear. Best on a making tide.
🐟 Scad (Horse Mackerel) 5/10
🎯 Tip: Aug–Oct evenings into dark; small sabikis or size 6 hooks with slivers, slow retrieve under the surface near harbour lights on the flood/high.
🐟 Garfish 5/10
🎯 Tip: Summer, calm clear water; float fish thin mackerel strips or small sandeel near the surface at dusk. Best on a rising tide.
🐟 Golden-grey Mullet 5/10
🎯 Tip: Warm months in gentle surf; small rag or sandeel strips on size 6–8 below a clear float, worked across the surf line on a flooding tide.
🐟 Dab 4/10
🎯 Tip: Late autumn–winter over clean sand; small worm/squid baits on 2–3 hook flappers. Gentle lob casts. Best from mid to high tide.
🐟 Weever Fish (Lesser) 4/10
🎯 Tip: Summer over clean sand; small worm baits on short snoods, size 4–6 hooks. Keep baits static in the surf line. Handle with care due to spines.

Towan Beach, Newquay Fishing

Summary

Towan Beach, Newquay sits right in the centre of town, tucked inside Newquay Bay beneath the Blue Reef Aquarium and Towan Island. Sheltered compared to the open coast, it offers easy, family‑friendly access with genuinely mixed fishing on sand and fringing rock. It’s a handy all‑round mark for bass, summer mackerel and garfish, winter whiting, and the odd small‑eyed ray on quiet nights.

Location and Access

This is one of Newquay’s most accessible shore marks, ideal if you want minimal walking and maximum fishing time. You’re aiming for Newquay town centre and the signed route to the Blue Reef Aquarium/Town (Towan) Beach.

Seasons

Towan produces a classic Cornish town‑beach species mix. Expect sand‑loving fish on the open beach and wrasse/pollack around the rough ground edges.

Methods

Both simple beach tactics and light rock approaches work here. Match your method to where you stand: clean sand for surf species; rocky seams for rough‑ground fish.

Tides and Conditions

Towan is comparatively sheltered, making it fishable when other Newquay marks are blown out. Fish movement tracks the flooding tide and evening light levels.

Safety

It’s a popular bathing/surfing beach with seasonal lifeguards—fish with consideration and give the flagged zones a wide berth. Rock fringes can be slippery and the beach backs right up to the wall at big highs.

Facilities

This is a town‑centre venue with everything close by. You won’t struggle for food, loos, or tackle.

Tips

Read the beach like a surfer—fish the edges of the rips and the first bar where food funnels. Keep mobile and treat Towan as a series of short spots rather than one static mark.

Regulations

Recreational sea angling from the shore does not require a rod licence in England. However, you must follow national and local rules and any on‑site signage.