Maer Rocks Fishing

Last updated: 1 week ago

Maer Rocks Fishing Map

A gently sloping rock and reef platform on Exmouth’s seafront, exposed from mid-to-low tide and flooding quickly on the push. The ground is kelp- and boulder-strewn with sand patches, making it ideal for light lure and LRF tactics. Best from mid tide up into dusk in calm to moderate seas, especially late spring through early autumn. Expect wrasse, pollack, garfish and summer mackerel, with plentiful minis (gobies/blennies) for species hunts. Watch for slippery weed, fast-flooding tide and swell on easterlies.

Ratings

⭐ 6.7/10 Overall
Catch Potential 6/10
Species Variety 8/10
Scenery & Comfort 8/10
Safety 5/10
Accessibility 7/10

Fish You Can Catch at Maer Rocks

🐟 Pollack 8/10
🎯 Tip: Small sandeels/soft plastics or metal jigs worked along weed edges and drop-offs at dawn/dusk on a flooding tide; clear water best, spring to autumn.
🐟 Ballan Wrasse 8/10
🎯 Tip: Crab or rag tight to kelp gullies; fish the flood; 1-2 hrs either side of high. Weedless soft plastics also score. Summer to early autumn.
🐟 Tompot Blenny 8/10
🎯 Tip: LRF with small hooks/Isome around rock pools and crevices at low to mid tide; plentiful year-round in calm seas.
🐟 Shanny 8/10
🎯 Tip: Tiny baits under a split-shot or LRF micro lures in shallow holes and weedy ledges at low water; very common year-round.
🐟 Bass 7/10
🎯 Tip: Shallow diving or surface lures over rough ground on the flood with some surf; also peeler crab in gullies; best May-Oct, low light.
🐟 Mackerel 7/10
🎯 Tip: Metals or feathers cast from the headland into deeper water on the flood; best in clear, settled seas Jun-Sep, evenings.
🐟 Corkwing Wrasse 7/10
🎯 Tip: Ragworm or small crab under a float set just off bottom beside kelp boulders; flood to high; late spring to autumn.
🐟 Long-spined Sea Scorpion 7/10
🎯 Tip: Small strips of fish or prawn tight to the bottom in rocky holes; slow retrieve LRF works; fish mid to high tide; year-round.
🐟 Scad (Horse Mackerel) 6/10
🎯 Tip: Small metal jigs or sabikis at dusk into darkness around high water; keep gear small; late summer to autumn.
🐟 Garfish 6/10
🎯 Tip: Float fish small strips of mackerel or sandeel 4-6 ft deep over kelp edges on a flooding tide; late spring to autumn, bright days.

Maer Rocks Fishing

Summary

Maer Rocks sits at the eastern end of Exmouth’s seafront in East Devon, a low reef of red sandstone ledges, gullies and kelp beds that fishes very differently to the adjacent sandy beach. It’s a compact, characterful mark that rewards careful tide timing and stealth, producing wrasse, bass and summer pelagics in settled weather and obliging night species on rougher days. For visiting anglers, it’s one of the easiest rock marks in the area to sample proper ‘reef’ fishing without a long hike.

Location and Access

Set between Exmouth’s promenade and Orcombe Point, Maer Rocks is reached across firm sand and shallow rock shelves at lower states of tide. Access is straightforward in good conditions, but you must time your arrival and exit with the tide to avoid being cut off on the outer ledges.

Seasons

This reef fishes like a classic South Devon wrasse and bass spot in summer, with a sprinkling of pelagics in clear water and scratchy mixed fishing in winter. Presence and size of fish are strongly tide and clarity dependent.

Methods

Natural structure and kelp favour close‑quarters tactics. Fish light and accurate where possible, but step up abrasion resistance and use weak links when ledgering over the rough stuff.

Tides and Conditions

Depth is limited at low water, so tide height and sea state are everything here. Aim to fish when water is pushing over the reef, with clarity guiding your method choice.

Safety

These are low, weeded rocks with tidal gullies; they are slippery and can be cut off by a fast‑rising sea. Treat it as a proper rock mark: plan, gear up, and leave if the swell builds.

Facilities

Exmouth is a well‑served resort town, so you’re rarely far from essentials. In peak season it’s busy, with lifeguarded bathing zones along parts of the beach.

Tips

Think small, accurate and stealthy rather than long and heavy. The fish hold tight to structure and often sit under the white water lip where the flood first licks over the ledges.

Regulations

Rules are a mix of national measures and local byelaws. Always check the latest guidance from the UK government/MMO and Devon & Severn IFCA before retaining fish or collecting bait.