Summary
Trevone Bay sits just south of Padstow on Cornwall’s exposed north coast, offering a sandy beach flanked by fishy rock ledges. It’s a versatile mark where you can surf-cast for bass on the sand or roam the rocks for wrasse, pollack and mackerel in season. The setting is stunning, but Atlantic swell and the famous Round Hole blowhole demand respect.
Location and Access
Trevone is reached from the B3276 between Padstow and Harlyn, with the village and beach clearly signposted. Access to the sand is easy; accessing the rock marks on either side involves uneven, sometimes slippery ground and short scrambles.
- Parking: Pay-and-display beach car park in Trevone (village is in the PL28 area); it fills quickly in summer and on surf days
- Approach: From the car park, the sandy beach is a few steps away; the rocky “Newtrain” side and the western ledges are 5–15 minutes on foot over boulders and algae-covered slabs
- Terrain: Clean sand in the bay; rough, kelp-fringed ledges and gullies on both flanks with mixed broken ground beyond the surf line
- Public transport: Limited local bus services; most anglers drive
- Night access: Straightforward to the beach; the ledges are best recced in daylight first so you know safe routes and exit points
- Seasonal beach zones: Lifeguards operate in peak season with flagged swim/surf areas; avoid casting across these zones
Seasons
This is an all-round venue with classic north-coast surf species on the sand and rock-dwellers around the ledges. Expect summer variety, with autumn often the most consistent for quality bass and rays.
- Spring: Schoolie to mid-size bass, turbot (small to modest fish on sandeel), occasional plaice and gurnard on calm days; wrasse pick up as the water warms
- Summer: Bass (daybreak/dusk), mackerel and garfish in shoals, ballan and corkwing wrasse, pollack (check retention rules), scad at dusk, dogfish; occasional smoothhound and small-eyed ray on the sand
- Autumn: Peak for bigger bass, scad, mackerel (early autumn), small-eyed ray, turbot; wrasse and pollack still good in settled water
- Winter: Whiting, dogfish, the odd codling after prolonged westerlies and colour, conger and bull huss from rough ground at night
- Bonus targets: Thick- and thin-lipped mullet in calm corners and around rock outflows; occasional spotted ray on very clean patches
Methods
Two contrasting approaches shine here: surf tactics on the clean beach and rock-fishing methods on the flanks. Travel light, adapt to the swell, and match your rigs to the ground in front of you.
- Surf bassing: 4–5 oz grip leads with pulley dropper or up-and-over rigs; peeler crab, fresh lug/rag, whole sandeel or razorfish; fish the first push of flood and into dusk
- Small-eyed ray and turbot: Long snood pulley or wishbone rigs; small-eyed ray love sandeel and launce, turbot take small whole sandeels or strips retrieved slowly across the sand
- Rock wrasse: Float fish ragworm, hardback crab or limpet tight to kelpy edges; 20–30 lb mono leader, size 1/0–2 hooks, steady pressure to keep them out of weed
- Pollack and mackerel/gar: Lure fish with 20–40 g metals, slim sandeels and soft plastics; dawn/evening best; count down and retrieve over clean water margins to avoid snags
- Night rough-ground: Big fish baits (mackerel/squid cocktails) on 80 lb traces for huss/conger from deeper gullies; rotten-bottom links recommended
- Mullet: Bread flake under a small float or freelined in calm back-eddies; steady bread mash to draw fish from the edges
Tides and Conditions
Tide and swell dictate your options: modest surf and some water movement suits the beach, while settled, clearer seas favour the rocks. Dawn and dusk reliably lift your odds for bass and pelagics.
- Best tide (beach): Mid-flood through high and the first of the ebb; a building push puts bass on the move along the gutters
- Best tide (rocks): Flooding tide that lifts fish onto ledges and across weed edges; avoid being cut off
- Swell: 1–3 ft W–NW swell with a little colour is superb for surf bass; big groundswell makes rock marks dangerous and unproductive
- Wind: Onshore W/NW churn brings bass after it eases; light offshore or cross-shore helps lure control on the rocks
- Water clarity: Wrasse and gar prefer clearer water; bass forgive colour and churn
- Seasonality: Summer–autumn for variety; after autumn gales ease, rays and better bass show on cleaner evening tides
- Night fishing: Excellent for rays, huss and bass on settled, mild nights with a gentle roll
Safety
This is an exposed Atlantic venue with cliff edges, slippery weeded rock and a notorious blowhole (the Round Hole) near the rocky beach. Take sea safety seriously and plan your exit with the tide in mind.
- Swell and rogue waves: Never fish low, wave-washed ledges in any swell; face the sea and keep kit leashed
- Round Hole blowhole: Stay well back from fences and soft cliff edges; keep children/dogs under close control
- Cut-off risk: Some ledges flood early on the push; note escape routes and timings on a daytime recce
- Footing: Studded boots or rock boots, headtorch with spare batteries, and a wading jacket help; use a rotten-bottom on rough ground
- Lifejacket: Strongly recommended on the rocks; fish with a partner where possible
- Accessibility: Beach is easy; rock marks are not suitable for limited mobility
- Summer lifeguards: Respect flagged zones and instructions—move if asked; do not cast across swimmers or surfers
Facilities
Trevone Bay has decent amenities by Cornish standards, with more options a short drive away in Padstow. Expect seasonal variations.
- Toilets: Public toilets by the beach car park (seasonal hours may apply)
- Food/drink: Beach café and seasonal kiosks; wider choice in Padstow
- Lifeguards: Typically present on the main sandy beach in peak season (check dates/times locally)
- Tackle and bait: Tackle shops and fresh bait in Padstow and Wadebridge; bring peeler crab/sandeel if you rely on them in summer
- Bins: Provided at the car park; take all line and litter home if full
- Mobile signal: Generally good on higher ground; can dip in coves and under cliffs
- Lighting: No floodlighting—bring a proper headtorch for any session near dusk or after dark
Tips
Local patterns reward a mobile, observant approach—watch the water before committing. A light lure rod and a surf outfit cover most bases here.
- Read the beach: Fish the seams where white water meets green water along the edges of sandbars and gutters; bass run those lines at first light
- Western and eastern flanks: Work lures along the gully mouths on a flooding tide; a shallow-diving plug or weedless soft plastic keeps you over the rough safely
- Sandeel sign: Shoaling sandeels at dusk often bring garfish and schoolie bass tight in—switch to small metals or slim soft sandeels
- Turbot trick: A slow, steady retrieve of a sandeel-baited rig across the sand often beats a static bait
- Wrasse bait: Limpets prised from the rocks are a killer standby when worm and crab are scarce
- Mullet moments: Calm evenings see mullet nose around the rocky pool and outflows—prime time for bread flake and patience
- Weed seasons: Expect floating ‘may-rot’ weed in late spring/early summer on some tides; go weedless or time changes of tide to dodge it
- Etiquette: Summer parking is tight—arrive early, avoid resident spaces, and keep noise/light to a minimum after dark
Regulations
Angling is permitted at Trevone Bay, but respect lifeguarded swim/surf zones and any local signage. Regulations change—check current rules with Cornwall IFCA and the UK Government before your trip.
- Bass: Minimum size 42 cm; seasonal bag and retention rules apply—verify current daily limits and open/closed periods before retaining any fish
- Pollack: Recent years have seen zero-retention rules for recreational anglers in ICES Area 7—check the latest status before keeping any
- Rays, huss, conger: No specific bag limits locally, but handle and release larger breeders with care; consider catch-and-release for big females
- Protected species: Spurdog and shad must be released; tope cannot be sold and are best returned quickly
- Shellfish/crustaceans: Observe minimum landing sizes and return all berried (egg-bearing) lobsters and crabs; check Cornwall IFCA byelaws
- Bass nursery areas: The nearby Camel Estuary has designated nursery restrictions—Trevone is outside, but ensure you are not within any boundary where extra limits apply
- Designations: The coastline sits within protected landscapes (e.g., SSSI/MCZ). Shore angling is allowed, but avoid damaging reef, seagrass and intertidal features
- Beach management: Do not fish across flagged swimming/surfing zones or cast where you endanger water users; lifeguard instructions take precedence
