Axe Cliff Fishing

Last updated: 1 month ago

Axe Cliff Fishing Map

Axe Cliff is a rough-ground rock mark beneath the cliffs east of Axmouth/Seaton. It’s a series of kelp-filled gullies, boulder tongues and small ledges with mixed sand patches just off. Water clarity is strongly influenced by the River Axe; fishing is best after a settled spell with a gentle swell, ideally over the flood into dusk or dawn. Access is by a boulder-hop from Axmouth/Seaton at low tide—there’s no easy cliff descent and parts of the shoreline are cut off by the tide, so timing your exit is essential. Expect heavy snags: use rotten-bottoms for bottom work, wear sturdy footwear or studs, and keep clear of the cliff base because of occasional rockfall. Float-fishing, soft-plastic and metal lures score for summer pelagics and pollack; worm/crab baits find wrasse and pout; large fish baits after dark can draw conger. Long casts aren’t necessary—most fish patrol the edges and gullies when the tide is moving.

Ratings

⭐ 6.8/10 Overall
Catch Potential 7/10
Species Variety 8/10
Scenery & Comfort 8/10
Safety 4/10
Accessibility 4/10

Fish You Can Catch at Axe Cliff

🐟 Pollack 8/10
🎯 Tip: Work metal jigs or soft plastics along kelp-edged ledges at dusk on a flooding tide; short casts. Keep lures high to avoid snags.
🐟 Ballan Wrasse 8/10
🎯 Tip: Hardback crab or ragworm dropped into kelp gullies on the flood. Strong gear and rotten-bottom rigs; best spring–autumn, daylight.
🐟 Bass 7/10
🎯 Tip: Dawn/dusk on a building tide with some surf over the ledges. Shallow plugs or sandeel baits. Focus on first of the flood; avoid slack water.
🐟 Mackerel 7/10
🎯 Tip: Summer shoals pass close; spin small metals or feather from height on the flood, evenings best. Use a drop-net to land safely.
🐟 Pouting 6/10
🎯 Tip: Reliable after dark. Small fish or worm baits on 2-hook paternosters kept just off bottom to avoid kelp. Flooding tide produces.
🐟 Scad (Horse Mackerel) 6/10
🎯 Tip: Late summer–autumn at dusk into dark. Small metals or Sabiki worked mid-water; add a glow bead or light. Keep off bottom to miss kelp.
🐟 Conger Eel 6/10
🎯 Tip: After dark around rough ground on the ebb into first flood. Big fish or squid baits; heavy gear and drop-net for landing.
🐟 Garfish 6/10
🎯 Tip: Calm, clear summer days. Float-fish thin mackerel strip or sandeel at mid-water over cleaner patches on a rising tide.
🐟 Corkwing Wrasse 5/10
🎯 Tip: Small hooks with ragworm or prawn under the rod tip in kelp gullies on the flood. Best spring–autumn; expect small but frequent fish.
🐟 Rock Goby 5/10
🎯 Tip: LRF with isome or tiny rag pieces down the rocks at close range. Fish mid-water to reduce snagging; best on the flood.

Axe Cliff Fishing

Summary

Axe Cliff sits on the east side of Seaton, Devon, overlooking the rough ground and shingle known locally as Haven Cliff beach below Axe Cliff Golf Club. It’s a classic mixed-ground mark with quick depth, tide movement from the River Axe, and a real chance of bass, wrasse, and summer pelagics. Anglers rate it for its tide-run seams, patchy ground that holds food, and productive dusk-and-dark sessions.

Location and Access

This mark refers to the shoreline under the high ground between the River Axe mouth and the base of Axe Cliff/Haven Cliff, east of Seaton. Access is on foot via the Axmouth/harbour side to the eastern beach; expect a shingle slog and some uneven boulders near the cliff base.

  • Drive to Seaton or Axmouth and use pay-and-display parking on Seaton Esplanade or at the Axmouth/harbour car park; then walk to the beach on the east side of the river mouth.
  • From the harbour side, a short path drops to the shingle; allow 5–10 minutes to reach the start of the cliff line and 15–25 minutes to get to quieter ledges and rougher ground.
  • Terrain is mixed: steep shingle grading to rock, reefs and boulders at lower water; expect snags.
  • No direct clifftop descent routes are recommended; the cliffs are unstable and signed as dangerous in places—use beach access only.

Seasons

Axe Cliff offers genuine mixed-ground variety, with bass the headline, plus wrasse and pollack around the reef, and seasonal visitors on the tide lines. Winter brings the usual channel of whiting and pouting with the odd surprise.

  • Spring (Mar–May): school and early bass; wrasse showing on calmer days; pollack off the rough; flounder closer to the estuary influence; occasional thornback ray on sand patches.
  • Summer (Jun–Aug): mackerel and scad shoals, garfish, bass (after a blow or at dusk), ballan wrasse, pollack, conger after dark, little smoothhound runs on warm evenings, dogfish on the clean patches.
  • Autumn (Sep–Nov): peak bass time, especially in lively seas; mackerel linger in Sept; garfish to first frosts; sole and pout after dark; thornback and the odd small-eyed ray possible; strap conger.
  • Winter (Dec–Feb): whiting, pouting, rockling, dogfish; occasional codling in cold snaps (rare in recent years); conger on the rough at night; bonus bass in coloured water after a storm.

Methods

Mixed ground means you should tailor tactics to where you stand: clean pockets call for lighter ledgering, while the reef edges demand strong gear and rotten-bottoms. Lure and float fishing can be superb in settled water with movement along the cliff line.

  • Bottom fishing: pulley or pulley–dropper rigs (3/0–5/0) with a weak/rotten-bottom link; 4–5 oz leads usually hold; 20–30 lb mainline with 60 lb leader on the rough.
  • Baits: peeler or hard crab, ragworm and lug cocktails, squid strip, sandeel, mackerel strip; for rays try sandeel or bluey; for hounds use crab or squid.
  • Lures: 20–40 g metal jigs, sandeels, or soft plastics (weighted paddletails) for bass and pollack worked along the reef edges and tide seams.
  • Float fishing: depth-set to just clear the kelp for wrasse and pollack; baits include prawn, ragworm, and small crab baits.
  • Night sessions: single strong hook pennel or 3/0 single for bass, or whole squid/large worm baits for conger and rays; keep casts controlled to avoid deep kelp heads.

Tides and Conditions

The mark fishes best when the tide is moving and there’s some colour from the River Axe or after a south-westerly blow. High water pushes fish tight to the cliff line; low water reveals ledges and gullies worth targeting if the swell allows.

  • Productive states: last two hours of the flood and first two of the ebb; LW–mid flood for lure/float work over exposed reef.
  • Wind/sea: SW–W winds add welcome colour and surf for bass; prolonged easterlies flatten and clear the water, improving wrasse/pollack but reducing bait fishing for bass.
  • Light: dawn and dusk are prime; after-dark ledgering picks up bass, conger, sole, and pout.
  • Seasonality: late spring through autumn for lure and wrasse work; autumn gales for bass; winter neaps are steady for whiting/pout on the clean pockets.
  • Water clarity: a slight tea-stain from the Axe can switch on bass; heavy floodwater can kill the bite—push farther along the cliff toward clearer water.

Safety

This is an exposed cliff-base venue with unstable faces and bouldery foreshore—treat it with respect. Plan your route on a falling tide and your exit on a rising one, and avoid standing directly beneath overhangs or fresh slips.

  • Risk of cut-off on spring highs where the beach narrows against the cliff; know the tide tables and keep a retreat line.
  • Rockweed and kelp make ledges slick; wear cleated boots or spiked soles, and consider a waist- or auto-inflating lifejacket.
  • Do not attempt clifftop descents; use the harbour/east-beach access only. Landslip danger is real, especially after heavy rain.
  • Swell rebounds off the cliff—rogue waves can surge up the shingle; keep bags high and clipped in.
  • Night access over shingle is tiring; carry a headlamp with spare batteries and keep loads light.
  • Mobile signal is generally fair near Seaton/Axmouth but can drop right under the cliff; tell someone your plan.

Facilities

You’re close to Seaton and Axmouth, so amenities are better than many rough-ground marks, but there’s nothing right on the ledges themselves. Stock up before committing to the walk.

  • Parking: pay-and-display on Seaton Esplanade and at Axmouth/harbour side; short walk to the east beach access.
  • Toilets: on Seaton seafront (seasonal opening hours); limited or seasonal facilities by the harbour.
  • Food/drink: cafés and takeaways on Seaton seafront; pubs in Axmouth village.
  • Tackle/bait: tackle and bait available in Seaton/nearby towns; phone ahead in winter for fresh worm/crab.
  • Phone signal: reasonable in town; can be patchy at the base of the cliff.

Tips

Think in lanes: clean patches for rays/whiting, reef edges for bass/wrasse, and the tide seam for pelagics. Walk a little farther from the access point to escape pressure and find more defined ground.

  • Use a rotten-bottom clip or light snood to sacrifice the lead and save fish/rigs when fishing the rough.
  • After a blow, start with crab or big worm baits for bass; when it settles, switch to lures at first light.
  • On neaps, cover ground with metals for garfish and mackerel riding the cliff line; add a small assist hook or a teaser fly ahead of the lure.
  • If the Axe is pumping chocolate water, walk along the cliff toward clearer edges before setting up.
  • Keep terminal gear compact; long snoods tangle in kelp here—shorten for better presentation.
  • Wrasse often sit tight under your feet; drop a float down the face rather than casting long.

Regulations

Shore angling is permitted at Axe Cliff/Haven Cliff, but you are within Devon & Severn IFCA’s district and near protected designations offshore. Regulations change—check them before you go rather than relying on hearsay.

  • Bass management measures apply to recreational anglers in the Channel; seasonal restrictions and minimum sizes are enforced—check current dates, bag limits, and size (MMO/IFCA guidance) before retaining any bass.
  • National and IFCA minimum conservation reference sizes (MCRS) apply to species such as bass, wrasse (where applicable), pollack, rays, and flatfish; measure your catch.
  • Berried (egg-bearing) lobsters and crabs are a no-take; v-notched lobsters must not be retained.
  • Lyme Bay has protected-site measures for certain commercial gears offshore; shore angling from the beach/rocks is allowed but avoid disturbing the SSSI/NNR cliff habitats above the foreshore.
  • Local bylaws may restrict netting close to river mouths; do not set any nets or pots without the appropriate authorisation.
  • Always take litter and line home; leaving tackle waste can lead to local restrictions.