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Devon

Challaborough

7.3 · Beach · Devon

Small south-facing sandy bay just west of Burgh Island with mixed clean sand and kelpy rocks on both flanks. Suits surf and light-rock fishing: bass patrol the gutters in a swell; the ledges produce wrasse, pollack and summer mackerel/garfish. Winter brings dogfish, pouting and rockling, with dabs and the odd plaice/sole over the clean patches. Best on a flooding tide into dusk or dawn. Access is easy via the holiday park/slip, but take care of swell wrapping into the bay, slippery weeded rocks and the rising tide that can cut off the ends of the ledges.

Should you fish Challaborough?

58 Fair

Today · Best window

Best window: 06:00-09:00 around the rising tide

Most likely species: Ballan Wrasse and Mackerel

Fair conditions. Best around 06:00-09:00 around the rising tide. Good chance of Ballan Wrasse and Mackerel.

NW 4 mph Rain 4% High tide 11:40

Fishable, but pick your timing carefully.

Plan this mark

7-day fishing forecast for Challaborough — 7-day forecast

Scores and best windows are weighted for .

Met Office Met Office · Open-Meteo

Where the data comes from. Weather and sea-state readings come from the Met Office and Open-Meteo forecast models, refreshed several times a day. High and low water are taken from tide-station predictions for this stretch of coast.

How the score works. Each window is scored 0–100 from the signals that most reliably move fish inshore: tide movement (a running tide carries food, so the last of the flood and first of the ebb are usually the prime spells), wind speed and direction (onshore wind stirs food into the surf — up to the point it makes fishing hard), sea state (a little wave and swell movement helps, heavy swell hurts), and weather — rain, temperature and light. Behind the headline number we score bite opportunity and comfort separately, and run a separate safety check on wind and swell. The size of the tide counts too: spring tides move more water than neaps, so the tidal range for this stretch of coast is weighed alongside the tide's direction, your target species and this mark — and unusually big springs strengthen the safety check, because the water rises faster and covers more ground.

Your target species counts. Pick a species below and the score also weights what we know about it — its season, preferred sea temperature, tide stage and sea state, and whether it feeds by day or night.

The rating is guidance, not a guarantee — conditions change fast on the coast, so always judge the sea in front of you before you fish.

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· windows & tide

Spring vs neap tides. Spring tides have a larger difference between high and low water, so more water moves on each tide — usually stronger flow that stirs up food and gets fish feeding. Neap tides have a smaller range and generally gentler movement. The range here is compared with what is normal for this stretch of coast, and the cycle swings between springs and neaps roughly every week, following the moon.

Big spring tides: the water rises faster and covers more ground than usual — double-check access routes and cut-off points before you fish.

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Challaborough is a compact south-facing surf cove with clean sand through the middle and kelpy rock ledges on both flanks. Fish it as two different marks: the beach for surf bass, dogs, whiting and occasional flats over cleaner patches; the rocky bookends for wrasse, pollack, mackerel, gar, scad and after-dark rough-ground species. The best sessions are usually short, tide-timed windows on a flooding tide, especially around dawn, dusk or into darkness.

  • Know when the beach beats the rocks at Challaborough
  • Target the first gutter instead of casting past the bass
  • Pick the right tide window for wrasse, pollack and surf bass
  • Avoid the swell and tide traps that spoil the rocky flanks
  • Have a nearby backup plan before the beach weeds up

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Jump to towns around this mark for more marks and guides.

Bigbury-on-Sea 0.3 mi Thurlestone 2.1 mi Aveton Gifford 3.3 mi South Milton 3.5 mi Inner Hope 3.7 mi

Explore nearby towns: Bigbury-on-Sea · Thurlestone · Aveton Gifford · South Milton · Inner Hope

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Forecast tuning currently supports Bass and Mackerel — more species are on the way.

Overall rating

7.3 /10

Blend of catch potential, access, safety, and overall experience.

Category scores

Catch Potential 7/10
Species Variety 8/10
Scenery & Comfort 8/10
Safety 5/10
Accessibility 8/10

Bass 8/10
Tip: Surf beach; dawn/dusk on a flooding tide. Shallow-running plugs or crab/sandeel baits in the gutters, especially after a bit of swell or colour.
Ballan Wrasse 8/10
Tip: Rocky headlands either side; 1–2 hrs either side of low in clear water. Float or freelined crab/worm tight to kelp and boulders. Strong gear—snaggy.
Pollack 7/10
Tip: Work metals/soft plastics along kelp edges at dusk from the outer rocks, or float sandeel/mackerel strip on the flood with tide run.
Lesser Spotted Dogfish 7/10
Tip: Night from the beach over sand/rough patches. Small fish or squid baits on simple ledger. Best on the flood to high water year-round.
Mackerel 7/10
Tip: Summer to early autumn. Feathers or small metals from the headlands at first/last light on the flood; stay mobile to track shoals.
Pouting 6/10
Tip: Dusk into dark around kelp and broken ground. Small worm/fish baits on 1–2 hook paternosters. Lively in autumn/winter on the flood.
Scad (Horse Mackerel) 6/10
Tip: Aug–Oct evenings. Small sabikis or metals worked mid-water off the rocks at dusk into dark, best on the flood.
Conger Eel 6/10
Tip: After dark from rough ground on the points; large mackerel/squid baits with rotten-bottom leads. Fish last of the flood into slack. Heavy tackle.
Garfish 6/10
Tip: Late spring–autumn. Float small strip/sandeel 3–6 ft deep off the points on a flooding tide; keep baits moving.
Whiting 5/10
Tip: Winter nights from the beach. Small fish/squid baits at range on 2–3 hook flappers. Best on the flood into high water.
Mullet (Thick-lipped) 5/10
Tip: Calm, clear days in the cove. Breadcrumb/mash to draw fish; present bread flake or small harbour rag under a float along rock edges on neap floods.

Local knowledge

Challaborough fishing guide

Practical access, seasons, methods, tides, safety and facilities for this mark.

Challaborough (South Hams, Devon) is a small, surf-facing cove tucked between rocky headlands just west of Bigbury-on-Sea. It offers a neat mix of clean sand and wrassey rock ledges, making it a reliable all-round shore mark. Bass in a rolling surf, summer mackerel and gar, and wrasse from the rocks are the headline draws.

This is an easily reached South Devon beach with short walks to the sand and slightly more effort for the rock ledges on either side. Access is via the A379 and B3392 through St Ann’s Chapel, dropping down the steep lane into the bay.

  • Parking: Small pay-and-display by the beach and limited roadside spaces; arrive early in summer. Holiday park parking is for guests. Postcode: TQ7 4HU.
  • Terrain: Clean sand in the centre; boulder and ledge ground on both flanks. The rock platforms are uneven, kelpy and can be steep in places.
  • Approach: The beach is an easy stroll; the rock marks require careful footing and short scrambles. Use the South West Coast Path to reach safer, flatter ledges.
  • Notes: The causeway to Burgh Island is nearby but not part of this mark. Do not rely on crossing sand at low water to shortcut access—tides flood quickly.

Challaborough produces a classic South Devon mix, with bass and wrasse as staples and seasonal pelagics in summer. Winter brings the usual channels species on night tides.

  • Spring (Mar–May): School and occasional better bass, ballan and corkwing wrasse, pollack from the headlands; early smoothhound possible in settled spells.
  • Summer (Jun–Aug): Mackerel, garfish, scad, pollack, ballan/corkwing wrasse, school bass, dogfish; plaice/dabs/sole on the cleaner patches; occasional gurnard, triggers in warm late summers.
  • Autumn (Sep–Nov): Peak bass, mackerel/scad late evenings, wrasse still strong until the first big blows; increasing whiting and pouting after dark; chance of small-eyed or blonde ray on the sand in calm seas.
  • Winter (Dec–Feb): Whiting, pouting, dogfish, dabs, the odd codling on a cold northerly; conger from the rocks on big baits after dark.

Both bait and lure tactics work here; fish the sand for bass/flatfish and the rocks for wrasse, pollack and summer pelagics. Scale rigs to the ground—lighter over clean patches, stronger over kelp and ledge.

  • Beach (cleaner sand): 2-hook flapper with size 2–1 hooks for whiting/dabs; long pulley/dropper with size 1/0–3/0 for bass/ray. Rolling leads and short traces help find surf-lane bass.
  • Rock marks: Float-fish rag/crab/mackerel strip for wrasse, gar and mackerel; simple running ledger with rotten-bottom for wrasse/conger; LRF metals and isome for mini species.
  • Lures: Surface and sub-surface hard baits or 12–20 g soft plastics for bass in clear, gentle surf; 20–40 g metals/needle jigs for mackerel/scad; weedless paddletails on the headlands for pollack at dusk.
  • Baits: Peeler or soft crab, ragworm, lug, sandeel, squid and mackerel strip cover most bases. Crab is king for wrasse and smoothhound; lug/sandeel for bass; squid/mackerel cocktail for dogs/whiting/rays.
  • Times: Dawn and dusk are prime, especially for bass and pollack. Night fishing improves whiting, dogfish and the chance of a ray.

Tide and surf shape this venue. A modest, milky surf and a flooding tide often bring fish right into the first gutter.

  • Best tide: Mid-flood to the first of the ebb on the beach; flood to high around the rocks for wrasse. Big springs open up extra gullies at low water but increase lateral flow near the points.
  • Sea state: Light to moderate SW/W swell is excellent for bass; too big and the kelp/weeds make it unfishable. Clear, gentle seas favour lures and float-fishing.
  • Wind: Easterlies flatten and clear the bay—great for lures. Strong onshore SW winds produce surf but can be dangerous on the rocks.
  • Light: First and last light for bass/pollack; full dark for whiting/dogs and the chance of a ray or conger.
  • Water clarity: After heavy seas the bay colours for 24–48 hours; headlands may clear quicker than the central surf line.

Treat Challaborough as a surf beach with rocky bookends: shifting rips, surges and weeded ledges are the main hazards. Rock marks can be committing—pick stable platforms and watch the swell set for a full 10 minutes.

  • Slippery weeded rocks, undercut ledges and sudden surges—wear studs or boots with good grip and a personal flotation device when fishing the rocks.
  • Tidal cut-off risk on the flanks at mid-to-high water; plan an escape route and avoid low ledges in building swell.
  • RNLI lifeguarded in season: do not fish within or across the red/yellow bathing flags or in crowded water. Dawn, dusk or after lifeguard hours are best in summer.
  • Strong rips can form at either end of the bay on bigger tides—keep clear, especially when wading.
  • Headtorch, spare light and a charged phone are essential after dark; mobile signal can dip close under the cliffs.

This is a holiday-bay setup with seasonal amenities right by the sand; expect it to be busy in peak summer.

  • Toilets: Public facilities near the beach (seasonal opening hours).
  • Food/drink: Café and takeaway in season; small shop within the holiday park.
  • Parking: Small beach car park; spaces fill early on fair-weather days.
  • Lifeguards: Typically present late spring to early autumn—observe flagged zones.
  • Tackle/bait: Nearest shops are in Kingsbridge, Ivybridge and Plymouth; pick up bait en route.
  • Phone signal: Generally fair on higher ground; can be patchy beside the cliffs.

Think small windows and moving water: short, well-timed sessions around tide push often out-fish long soaks. The rock fringes hide productive gullies that many overlook.

  • Work a surface lure across the first gutter on an early flood for cruising bass, especially after a small, dying swell.
  • Float-fish rag or small crab tight to kelp fringes for wrasse; release big ballans—these are slow-growing, resident fish.
  • On summer evenings, metals in the 20–30 g range cast from the points often find mackerel/scad beyond the surf line.
  • Use a weak link/rotten-bottom over mixed ground to save leads.
  • If weed is sweeping the beach, try the headlands or step up to heavier grip leads and shorter snoods.
  • After storms, look for newly formed gutters—bass patrol these seams on the next set of calmer tides.

Challaborough sits within the Devon & Severn IFCA district, and general MMO and national sea angling rules apply. Regulations change—always check the current official guidance before your trip.

  • Bass: Recreational bass rules (bag limits, minimum size and potential closed months) change periodically in ICES area 7—check the latest MMO/DEFRA notice before retaining any fish.
  • Size/bag limits: Observe national minimum conservation reference sizes for species like bass, rays, wrasse (where applicable), pollack, etc. When in doubt, return the fish.
  • Lifeguarded beach rules: In season, do not fish within or across RNLI flagged bathing/surf zones or where local signage prohibits it.
  • Bait collection: Follow local byelaws for hand gathering; avoid SSSI-dune/estuary areas and take only small, personal quantities below the high-water mark.
  • Protected/berried crustaceans: Do not retain berried or v-notched lobsters; adhere to size limits for edible crab/lobster.
  • Nets and pots: Shore anglers should not set unpermitted nets/pots—IFCA permit byelaws apply.
  • Litter and fish welfare: No discarding of line/hooks; dispatch and store any retained catch humanely.