Bolt Tail Fishing

Last updated: 1 month ago

Bolt Tail Fishing Map

Exposed rocky headland on the South West Coast Path near Hope Cove with deep, clear water tight to the rocks, heavy kelp beds and strong tidal flow around the point. Best in calm to moderate seas with northerly or easterly winds; avoid big SW swell and spring tides. Summer and early autumn bring mackerel, garfish and scad, with pollack and wrasse resident year-round; bass in rougher white water, and conger/pouting after dark. Access is a 20–30 minute coastal walk with short, steep scrambles to ledges; take stout footwear, a PFD, and a drop net. Limited flat standing and no shelter, but exceptional scenery.

Ratings

⭐ 6.8/10 Overall
Catch Potential 7/10
Species Variety 8/10
Scenery & Comfort 9/10
Safety 4/10
Accessibility 4/10

Fish You Can Catch at Bolt Tail

🐟 Pollack 9/10
🎯 Tip: Work 20–40g metals or weedless shads at dawn/dusk on the flood; retrieve along tide lines beside kelp. Use abrasion-resistant leader. Autumn particularly strong.
🐟 Ballan Wrasse 8/10
🎯 Tip: Crab or limpet baits, or weedless soft plastics, dropped into kelp gullies on the flood. Summer–early autumn. 20–30 lb leader and strong tackle to bully fish clear.
🐟 Bass 7/10
🎯 Tip: Surface/sub-surface lures through white water around points on a rising tide, dawn/dusk or after a blow. Summer–autumn. Freelined crab in calmer pockets can score.
🐟 Mackerel 7/10
🎯 Tip: Summer shoals; cast metals/feathers into the run from higher points on the flood, best at first/last light. Let lures sink to mid-water before a brisk retrieve.
🐟 Pouting 6/10
🎯 Tip: After dark over rough ground; small mackerel/squid strips on a short-snood paternoster. Fish the flood into the first of the ebb; keep leads just clear of kelp.
🐟 Scad (Horse Mackerel) 6/10
🎯 Tip: Late summer nights; small metals or size 6–8 sabikis with a slow, steady retrieve in the tide. Add a glow bead and target mid-water on the flood.
🐟 Corkwing Wrasse 6/10
🎯 Tip: Small crab, prawn or rag under a float tight to kelp edges on the flood. Summer months; scale down hooks (size 2–4) and use abrasion-resistant leader.
🐟 Tompot Blenny 6/10
🎯 Tip: LRF with tiny prawn/worm baits on size 12–16 hooks lowered into holes and ledges at low–mid tide. Quick strike to avoid snagging.
🐟 Conger Eel 6/10
🎯 Tip: After dark with large mackerel/squid baits on a 100 lb mono trace into kelp gullies; neap tides help. Lock up and hold to keep eels from snags.
🐟 Garfish 6/10
🎯 Tip: Calm, clear summer days; float-fish a small sandeel or belly strip at 3–6 ft, drifting along tide lines off the headland. Best late flood.
🐟 Lesser Spotted Dogfish 5/10
🎯 Tip: Night sessions with small oily baits on the edge of nearby sand patches within range; first half of the flood is best. Use boom rigs to keep gear above kelp.
🐟 Long-spined Sea Scorpion 5/10
🎯 Tip: Micro soft plastics or small worm/prawn baits slowly in among stones and kelp fringes; best on slack or start of the flood. Sensitive tip helps.

Bolt Tail Fishing

Summary

Bolt Tail is the rugged headland immediately west of Hope Cove on Devon’s South Hams coast. It offers deep, kelpy rock ledges with quick access to depth, tidal movement, and classic South Devon species. Lure and bait anglers both do well here in the right sea, especially around dawn and dusk.

Location and Access

This is a National Trust headland on the South West Coast Path between Hope Cove and Bolberry Down. Access is on foot over exposed coastal ground; allow time and wear proper footwear.

  • Easiest approach is from Hope Cove: follow the Coast Path west uphill to Bolt Tail (roughly 15–30 minutes depending on your pace).
  • Alternative approach from Bolberry Down National Trust car park: follow the Coast Path east towards the headland (similar walking time).
  • Terrain is undulating with sections of narrow, exposed path; final access to fishing ledges may involve short scrambles over sloping rock and grass.
  • Parking: pay-and-display in Hope Cove, and a National Trust car park at Bolberry Down (seasonal charges apply).
  • No facilities at the mark itself; plan to arrive in daylight to pick a safe ledge and your exit route.
  • The best ledges are low to mid-level rock platforms on the Hope Cove side of the headland; some require confident footing and dry conditions.

Seasons

This is classic mixed rough-ground fishing with depth close in. Expect wrasse and pollack in clear water, with bass in a bit of fizz and nocturnal predators on big baits after dark.

  • Spring (Mar–May): pollack, ballan wrasse (from April in settled clear water), early mackerel, garfish, occasional bass.
  • Summer (Jun–Aug): mackerel, scad (horse mackerel) at dusk/night, pollack, ballan and corkwing wrasse, bass on lures or crab baits, garfish; occasional conger and bull huss after dark.
  • Autumn (Sep–Nov): larger pollack at dusk, bass in onshore stir, scad at night, wrasse (until cold snaps), pout, conger, bull huss; occasional late mackerel.
  • Winter (Dec–Feb): pouting, whiting (on calmer nights), pollack on lures in clear settled spells, conger and huss on big baits, rockling.
  • Occasional visitors: triggerfish in warm late summers, launce (greater sandeel) around tide-lines, very occasional ling from deeper fringes.

Methods

Both lure and bait tactics score, with lure fishing shining in clear water and baiting excelling after dark or in a slight swell. The ground is rough and kelpy, so plan for abrasion and snags.

  • Lure fishing: 7–9 ft rod, 20–30 lb braid and 20–30 lb fluorocarbon leader. Weedless soft plastics (12–20 g heads), weighted Texas rigs, or 20–40 g metal jigs for pollack and mackerel. Surface/sub-surface minnows and weedless paddletails for bass along the tide lines at dawn/dusk.
  • Float fishing: set 6–15 ft over depth with ragworm, prawn, mackerel strip or sandeel for garfish, mackerel and wrasse when the sea is calm and clear.
  • Bottom fishing: strong gear with rotten-bottom (weak link) leads; 4–6 oz typically sufficient. Pulley or pulley-pennel with 3/0–5/0 hooks for huss/conger using whole squid, cuttle, mackerel flapper or bluey. Short snoods with 1/0–2/0 for pout/whiting.
  • Wrasse: short, abrasion-resistant traces (30–40 lb mono), size 1–2/0 hooks; baits include hardback or peeler crab, prawn, mussel or limpet. Strike positively and bully fish from kelp.
  • Night tactics: fish big, oily baits on strong mono (60–80 lb rubbing leaders) for conger/huss. Keep rigs simple and expect powerful runs.
  • Spare gear: bring spare leads, hooks and soft plastics; a drop net can help on some ledges but many are too exposed—plan to handline fish to a safe landing spot.

Tides and Conditions

Bolt Tail fishes on most tide states thanks to close-in depth, but movement is key. Safety trumps everything—the mark is exposed to long-period swell.

  • Tide: last three hours of the flood into high and first of the ebb are reliable for predators; neaps are comfortable for wrasse mooching; springs give stronger runs and can be hectic at dusk.
  • Wind/sea: light northerly/easterly winds give clear, settled water for wrasse and pollack on lures. A gentle onshore roll (SW–W) can switch on bass; heavy swell makes it dangerous—do not attempt.
  • Water clarity: clearer water favours lures and wrasse; a little colour benefits bait fishing for bass/pout/huss.
  • Time of day: dawn and dusk are prime for pollack, bass and scad; after dark brings conger/huss and better pout/whiting.
  • Seasonality: April–November is the most consistent window; winter requires calmer, high-pressure spells.

Safety

This is a serious rock mark with sheer drops, sloping grass, and kelp-covered ledges. Treat it with full respect, especially in swell or strong winds.

  • Wear a personal flotation device, grippy boots/cleats, and carry a headtorch with spare batteries if there’s any chance of finishing in low light.
  • Check swell period and height as well as wind; long-period groundswell can wash platforms that look safe. If in doubt, don’t go.
  • Recces in daylight only; agree an exit route before setting up. Many ledges are not suitable for night fishing unless you already know them well.
  • Expect snags and sudden drop-offs; keep rods leashed and bags secured. Rogue waves can and do occur.
  • The Coast Path is exposed with unfenced edges; not suitable for those with limited mobility. Avoid when wet or very windy.
  • Beware fulmars on nest ledges (spring/summer)—they can spit oil; keep distance and do not climb to bird ledges.
  • Mobile reception can be patchy; tell someone your plan and carry a charged phone.
  • Respect National Trust land: stick to paths, leave gates as found, no fires or camping.

Facilities

There are no facilities at the headland itself, so go self-sufficient. Nearby villages cover the basics.

  • Hope Cove: seasonal public toilets, pubs/cafés, small shops, and pay-and-display parking.
  • Bolberry Down: National Trust car park; seasonal catering nearby at peak times.
  • Tackle and bait: head to Kingsbridge or Salcombe for tackle shops and fresh/frozen bait.
  • Lifesaving: Hope Cove has an independent lifeboat; dial 999 and ask for Coastguard in an emergency.
  • Phone signal: variable—usually better on higher ground, worse on lower ledges.

Tips

Travel light, think abrasion-resistant, and expect to lose some tackle. Timing your session around dusk with a making tide often makes the difference.

  • Use rotten-bottom links and heavy rubbing leaders to counter kelp and barnacles.
  • If mackerel are scarce, pollack still hit weedless soft plastics worked parallel to the kelp lines.
  • After a modest blow, fish the first clear window as the colour drops out—the bass bites can be brief but frantic.
  • For wrasse, fresh hardback crab is king; failing that, limpet or prawn works—present tight to rock edges.
  • Scad gather at dusk in late summer; small metals or sabikis under a 1–2 oz bomb pay dividends.
  • Don’t over-gun the cast: depth is close in; a controlled, 20–40 m chuck often fishes better and snags less.
  • Keep what you need: mackerel and scad shoals can be thick—return the rest quickly.
  • Watch for gannets and slicks; if birds are working along a tide line off the point, get a lure under them quickly.

Regulations

Bolt Tail is open to recreational sea angling, but it sits within sensitive coastal habitats. Know and follow current national and local rules.

  • Bass (England, 2024 rules as a guide): minimum size 42 cm; recreational bag limit typically 2 fish per angler per day during the open season (commonly 1 Mar–30 Nov) and catch-and-release outside of it. Always check the latest MMO/IFCA notice before you go, as rules can change.
  • Minimum Conservation Reference Sizes (MCRS) apply to many species (e.g., mackerel 30 cm in many advisories, various for flatfish); consult current DEFRA/MMO tables.
  • Devon & Severn IFCA byelaws apply: no permit needed to rod-and-line fish, but permits are required for setting pots or nets; berried lobsters/crabs must be returned; do not retain undersized shellfish.
  • Marine Protected Areas: parts of the South Hams coast fall within designated SAC/MCZ zones where angling is generally allowed, but some activities (e.g., bait digging, potting) may be restricted—check D&S IFCA maps for any local prohibitions.
  • National Trust land: follow onsite signage, keep to paths, and avoid disturbing archaeology (Bolt Tail is an Iron Age promontory fort).
  • General: no littering, no fires/camping, respect seasonal bird nesting areas and any temporary path diversions.
  • In an emergency at sea or on the coast, dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.