Axe Cliff Fishing

Last updated: 2 days 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.