Summary
Croyde Bay is a classic North Devon surf beach between Baggy Point and Downend, famed for rolling sand bars, fast rips and clear Atlantic water. It’s a lively venue in summer with surfers by day, but it can fish superbly for bass, small‑eyed rays and turbot in the right conditions, especially at dusk and after dark.
Location and Access
Set on the B3231 between Braunton and Croyde village, the bay has multiple parking options and straightforward beach access, with rockier options at both ends. Plan your approach around the tide—at low water the walk across soft sand is longer and energy‑sapping.
- Approach via A361 to Braunton, then B3231 to Croyde; clear tourist signage in season.
- Main parking: National Trust car park at Baggy Point (often signed Croyde/Baggy; postcode commonly given as EX33 1PA). Pay‑and‑display beach car parks also operate near the dunes and at Downend (seasonal).
- From car parks it’s a short walk to the sand; allow 10–20 minutes to reach chosen bars/gutters at mid–low tide.
- Terrain: wide sandy beach; rocky ledges and gullies at Baggy Point (north) and Downend (south). Rocks are uneven with weed and can be slippery when swell is running.
- Public transport: seasonal bus services connect Braunton–Croyde–Ilfracombe; stops are a short walk from the beach.
Seasons
This is a clean-to-mixed ground venue: the beach is mainly sand, while the headlands hold wrasse and pollack territory. Species shift with water temperature and swell.
- Spring: school and early bass, dogfish, the first small‑eyed rays late spring; wrasse and pollack start showing on the rocky points.
- Summer: bass (all sizes), small‑eyed ray, turbot (occasional but worthwhile), sole at night, smoothhound (odd fish), gurnard, garfish and mackerel in calm/clear spells; wrasse and pollack off the ends.
- Autumn: peak bass fishing, consistent small‑eyed ray, better chance of turbot and sole, scad and late mackerel, bull huss from the rock fringes after dark.
- Winter: whiting and dogfish on the sand, chance of a storm bass in big onshore blows; odd codling some winters, bull huss from rougher patches, dabs over the cleaner areas.
- Year‑round bycatch: spider and shore crab activity can be heavy on warm tides; expect bait theft.
Methods
Match your approach to the surf: clean sand calls for clipped distance rigs and grip leads; the ends reward more tactile fishing in gutters and gullies.
- Beach (clean sand): 2‑ or 3‑hook clipped flappers for whiting/dabs; pulley or up‑and‑over for rays and bass; long snood wishbones for turbot/sole. 5–6 oz grip leads are standard in swell.
- Baits: fresh peeler crab (top for bass), lugworm and ragworm, sandeel (whole or sections) for small‑eyed ray/turbot, squid or squid/sandeel cocktails at night; mackerel strips for gurnard/gar.
- Lures: in calmer, clearer water, fish metal spoons, surface walkers and diving plugs along the first/second gutters and around the ledges at either end. Soft plastics on 10–30 g heads for bass/pollack in the rocks.
- Float fishing (rock ends): rag or prawn for wrasse; slivers of mackerel for garfish when the sun is up and the sea is clear.
- Timing: dawn, dusk and the first few hours of darkness are most productive. Daytime is feasible outside the peak bathing/surfing footprint or in unsettled weather.
Tides and Conditions
Croyde is bar‑and‑gutter country; shifting sandbanks mean the best spots move through the season. Read the water when you arrive.
- Tide: productive windows are the last 2 hours of the flood and first hour of the ebb, especially into dusk. Low‑to‑mid states help you reach outer bars; on springs the flood races—set back early.
- Swell: bass like a moderate, milky surf with a defined first gutter; rays prefer more settled seas. Very heavy swell buries baits and makes holding bottom tough.
- Wind: W–SW winds raise surf and colour; light E or NE flattens the bay for rays, turbot and lure work around the ends.
- Neaps vs springs: neaps at night often suit small‑eyed rays on sandeel launched to the second bar. Springs open up storm‑bass chances tight to the shore with crab or big worm baits.
- Water clarity: clearer water improves wrasse, gar, mackerel and lure fishing at the ends; a touch of colour benefits daytime bassing on the sand.
Safety
Treat Croyde with respect: strong rips, fast‑flooding tides and heavy shore break are common. Rock marks are hazardous in swell and darkness.
- Powerful rips along bar edges; avoid wading deep and never fish between RNLI bathing/surf flags in season.
- Fast flooding on springs; plan an exit, especially near the headlands where cut‑off risk exists.
- Slippery, kelp‑covered rock at Baggy Point and Downend; wear studs/felts and carry a headtorch if staying after dark.
- Big sets can surge far up the beach—keep kit high; use a rod spike with a lanyard.
- Lifejacket recommended for rock work; fish with a partner where possible.
- Accessibility: beach access is via ramps/paths but soft sand makes wheelchair access difficult beyond the top of the beach; rock marks are not suitable for limited mobility.
Facilities
It’s a well‑served holiday beach with seasonal amenities, plus year‑round village services nearby.
- Toilets: seasonal facilities by the beach car parks; public toilets in Croyde village and at Baggy Point car park (check opening times).
- Food/drink: beach cafés operate in season; village pubs and takeaways a short drive/walk away.
- Tackle and bait: nearest dedicated sea tackle shops include High Street Tackle (Braunton) and options in Barnstaple; limited seasonal bait locally—ring ahead.
- Lifeguards: RNLI patrolled zones in main holiday season—observe flagged areas.
- Mobile signal: generally good on the beach; can dip around the cliffs at the ends.
- Bins: seasonal bins by beach access; take all litter and line home if in doubt.
Tips
Think mobile and read the bars: the fish use rips and gutters like highways. A short move can transform a session.
- For bass in surf, start at first light: short casts into foamy first gutter with peeler crab or lug often beat blasting to the horizon.
- Small‑eyed ray respond to whole sandeel on long snoods; hit the second bar on neaps after a settled, warm day.
- Turbot are edge hunters: daylight, neap tides, long‑trace wishbone with small sandeel or launce strip fished along the face of the bar.
- Weed can be brutal after big swells—fish the up‑tide shoulder of rips where it thins, or switch to the ends where kelp rafts bypass you.
- In summer crowds, fish very early/late or work the rocky margins outside flagged zones; winter nights offer the quietest, most productive windows.
- Elastic all soft baits generously; crabs are relentless on warm floods.
- Keep moving: if no bites in 30–40 minutes, slide 30–50 m along a gutter and re‑find the feed line.
Regulations
Angling is generally allowed at Croyde Bay, but seasonal beach management and national rules apply. Always follow on‑site signage and the latest notices.
- Bathing/surf zones: do not fish between RNLI red/yellow or black/white flags when lifeguards are on duty. Wardens may ask anglers to move during busy periods.
- Bass: minimum size 42 cm and seasonal bag limits apply to recreational anglers; rules are updated periodically—check current MMO guidance before retaining fish.
- Local byelaws: this coast is within the Devon & Severn IFCA district; review their byelaws for any netting/bait collection or protected area restrictions, and note nearby estuarine nursery areas (Taw/Torridge) have tighter rules.
- Conservation: dunes behind Croyde are protected—no digging in vegetated dunes, use marked paths only. Respect SSSI/Biosphere designations.
- General: use barbless or de‑barbed hooks for easy release, especially with bass and rays; know and follow national MCRS/size limits; take litter and end tackle home.
- Night fishing is commonly practiced and tolerated; avoid fires on dunes and be considerate of residents and wildlife.
