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Devon

Mount Batten Pier

7.4 · Pier · Devon

Concrete pier and ferry landing on the north side of Mount Batten, projecting into the Cattewater at the mouth of Plymouth Sound. Mixed ground with kelp-fringed rock edges, scoured sand patches and a deep, tide‑scoured channel. Best on the flood up to high water and the first of the ebb; springs run hard. Summer and early autumn see shoals of mackerel, garfish and scad (after dark under lights). Year‑round options include wrasse and pollack tight to structure, with pouting and conger after dark; winter brings whiting. Use float gear or small metals for surface feeders, soft plastics for pollack, and simple two‑hook flappers with rag, squid or mackerel strip for bottom species. A drop net is useful for landing fish due to pier height. Keep clear of the ferry berths and avoid casting when the ferry is approaching. Parking and amenities are close by at Mount Batten, with generally easy, level access.

Should you fish Mount Batten Pier?

57 Fair

Today · Best window

Best window: 03:00-06:00 around the falling tide

Most likely species: Scad (Horse Mackerel) and Pouting

Fair conditions. Best around 03:00-06:00 around the falling tide. Good chance of Scad (Horse Mackerel) and Pouting.

NW 3 mph Rain 0% High tide 11:29

Fishable, but pick your timing carefully.

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7-day fishing forecast for Mount Batten Pier — 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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Mount Batten Pier is a sheltered, mixed-ground pier mark where the main decisions are side, tide strength and whether to fish tight to structure or out into cleaner water. The outer face and deeper end suit flood-tide flow, mackerel, garfish, pollack and general bait fishing, while the inner wall is the better fallback when springs rip or easterly weather pushes chop and weed into the Cattewater. Expect the most consistent window from mid-flood to high water and the first of the ebb.

  • Know when to fish the outer face instead of the inner wall.
  • Pick the flood window that gives the pier its best flow.
  • Target scad, pollack, wrasse and conger with the right wall tactics.
  • Avoid wasting casts when springs rip through the Cattewater.
  • Use the clean patches and rough edges for different species.

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Plymouth 1.2 mi Heybrook Bay 2.7 mi Torpoint 3.3 mi Sherford 3.5 mi Millbrook 3.6 mi

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

Overall rating

7.4 /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 6/10
Accessibility 8/10

Scad (Horse Mackerel) 9/10
Tip: Summer-autumn nights; fish under pier lights with small sabikis or size 6 hooks tipped with bait. Keep baits mid-water on slow retrieve. Best on flooding tide.
Mackerel 8/10
Tip: Late spring-autumn on flood; feather or small metals cast seaward, let sink and retrieve through shoals. Dawn/dusk or when the lights draw baitfish.
Pollack 7/10
Tip: Work soft plastics or metals tight to the pier wall/kelp at dusk into dark on a flooding tide. Use 10-20g jigs.
Pouting 7/10
Tip: Year-round, best at night. Small fish or worm baits on 2-hook flappers dropped under the wall. Mixed rough ground-use 1-2oz leads to hold in tide.
Garfish 7/10
Tip: Float-fish small strips of mackerel with long snoods; keep bait near surface. Best on clear water, flood tide, late spring to early autumn.
Bass 6/10
Tip: Lures or live/whole sandeel along the eddies on a flooding tide; also freelined baits by the steps. Best at dawn/dusk or after a blow.
Whiting 6/10
Tip: Autumn-winter evenings; small fish/squid baits at range on 2-3 hook flappers. Keep hooks size 2-4 and avoid snags by casting to cleaner sand.
Ballan Wrasse 6/10
Tip: Daylight on flooding tide; fish hard crab or ragworm straight down the wall into kelp. Strong tackle and rotten-bottoms.
Conger Eel 6/10
Tip: After dark into the rough; big fish/squid baits tight to the wall. Use heavy gear, wire trace optional, expect snags. Slack to first of flood.
Corkwing Wrasse 5/10
Tip: Small hooks with ragworm close to kelp and boulders by the wall on flood. Keep baits static; expect bites quick.
Mullet (Thick-lipped) 5/10
Tip: Calm, clear days; bread flake or small pieces of prawn under a float near the steps and harbour wall. Little weight, stealth, and chum sparingly.
Golden-grey Mullet 4/10
Tip: Small rag or fish slivers under a float in tide runs on bright days; target shoals near surface. Fine line, size 8-10 hooks.

Local knowledge

Mount Batten Pier fishing guide

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

Mount Batten Pier sits on the eastern side of Plymouth Sound, projecting into the Cattewater opposite the Barbican. It’s a sheltered, easily accessed venue that produces fish year‑round with true “all-abilities” appeal. Expect bustling summer sport with mackerel, gar and wrasse, and steady winter action with whiting, pout and conger after dark.

Mount Batten Pier is beside the Mount Batten Watersports & Activities Centre on the Mount Batten peninsula, Plymstock side of Plymouth. Access is simple, flat and short from the car park, making it one of the most convenient city marks in Devon.

  • Postcode for the car park: PL9 9SJ (pay-and-display next to the slipway and centre)
  • Walk: 1–3 minutes on level, paved surfaces to the pier; suitable for trolleys and barrows
  • Terrain: Flat concrete with railings along most of the length; high wall at the end; mixed rough ground and harbour wall below
  • Public transport: Mount Batten–Barbican ferry lands adjacent (check times); local buses run to Plymstock then a short walk
  • Note: Parts of the structure serve as active landing/boarding points; observe on-site signage indicating any no-fishing sections

This is a mixed, urban pier with genuine variety through the seasons. Small species thrive around the wall, with larger predators moving through on the tides.

  • Spring:
    • Pollack, ballan/corkwing wrasse (increasing from April)
    • Thick‑lipped mullet in calm, clear spells on the inner Cattewater
    • Plaice and the odd flounder on the inner edges
  • Summer:
    • Mackerel, garfish, scad (horse mackerel), pollack, wrasse, school bass
    • Mullet (daylight, calm water); smelt and mini species for LRF
    • Occasional squid and cuttlefish under lights at dusk/night
  • Autumn:
    • Peak scad and late mackerel, consistent pollack and wrasse
    • Increasing pouting, poor cod, first whiting after dark
    • Chance of bass in rougher, coloured water
  • Winter:
    • Whiting, pouting, poor cod, conger eel (nights)
    • Flounder inside the Cattewater on smaller tides
    • Very occasional codling in cold snaps (rare)
  • Year‑round minis for LRF: gobies, blennies, short‑spined sea scorpion, rock cook/corkwing wrasse

Both bait and lure tactics score here, with the wall providing classic down‑the‑side fishing and clean water inviting float or spinning. Tackle appropriately for snags at the base of the wall.

  • General bottom fishing:
    • 2‑hook or 3‑hook flapper with size 4–1 hooks for whiting/pout/flatfish
    • Running ledger with 2/0–4/0 for bass/conger; use abrasion‑resistant snoods
    • Leads: 3–5 oz on neaps; up to 6 oz on springs if the tide rips
  • Wall/structure fishing:
    • Fish baits tight to the wall for pollack, wrasse, conger (drop straight down)
    • Use rotten‑bottom links to reduce tackle losses over rough ground
  • Float & lures:
    • Float rigs with mackerel strip, sandeel or rag for gar, mackerel, pollack
    • Metals (20–40 g), sandeel‑style soft plastics and small diving plugs at dawn/dusk
    • LRF: 1–3 g jigheads, isome, shrimp imitations for minis and scad
  • Baits that excel:
    • Ragworm and lug (flatties, wrasse, pollack)
    • Mackerel/squid strips and sandeel (mackerel, gar, pollack, whiting)
    • Crab (peeler/hardback) and prawn tight to the wall (wrasse/bass)
    • Large fish/squid baits after dark for conger
  • Times:
    • Dawn/dusk for mackerel/gar/pollack and bass prowls
    • After dark for whiting, pout and conger; scale down hooks for steady action

Depth increases nicely toward the end and along the outer face, with useful flow lines and eddies. The venue is generally sheltered from prevailing south‑westerlies but can be bleak in an easterly.

  • Tide state:
    • Best from mid‑flood to high water and the first of the ebb; inner wall can fish on lower states
    • Neaps are easier for bottom fishing; springs can rip — fish the lee side or step up leads
  • Conditions:
    • Light W–NW winds give shelter and good clarity for lures/float
    • E/NE winds push chop and weed into the Cattewater; favour bait tight to the wall
    • A little colour helps whiting/pout; clear water favours mackerel/gar
  • Time of day/season:
    • Summer dawn/dusk for surface feeders; autumn nights for scad/whiting
    • Winter nights for whiting/pout/conger; daytime for mullet on calm, bright spells

This is a public working pier next to active ferry, dive and boating operations. Treat it as a high, hard-edged structure with variable boat wash and snags.

  • High walls and drops: use a drop‑net or long‑handled net; avoid leaning/climbing railings
  • Surfaces can be slippery (algae/weed, especially on lower steps) — grippy footwear is essential
  • Boat traffic/ferry: never cast while the ferry is approaching/docking; keep lines clear of channels
  • Divers frequently use the slip and nearby water; watch for flags/bubbles
  • Tidal pull can be strong on springs; secure tripods; don’t fish low platforms in swell
  • Night fishing: bring headtorch, reflective gear; consider a PFD/lifejacket
  • Accessibility: flat, paved approach and railings along much of the pier make it mobility‑friendly compared with rocky marks

Urban convenience is a major draw here, with parking, toilets and refreshments a short walk away. Phone signal is generally strong.

  • Parking: Pay‑and‑display by the Mount Batten Centre (PL9 9SJ)
  • Toilets: At/near the Watersports Centre and slipway (check opening hours/season)
  • Food & drink: Café/bar at the centre and nearby venues on the peninsula; ferry to the Barbican for additional options
  • Tackle: Multiple shops in Plymouth city (e.g., established sea angling retailers a short drive away)
  • Lighting: Pier and car park are lit, but carry a headtorch for fishing
  • Bins: Provided near the car park — take all line and bait waste away if full

The pier rewards tidy presentation, fishing tight to structure and adapting to flow. Treat it as an LRF playground in the day and a conger/whiting venue after dark.

  • Bring a drop‑net: the wall height makes hand‑lining or swinging fish risky
  • Keep rigs short and fish tight to the wall for wrasse/pollack; use abrasion‑resistant snoods
  • Use a rotten‑bottom clip over rough ground to save leads
  • For gar/mackerel, a small float with sliver of mackerel belly out‑fishes heavy sabikis when fish are wary
  • Bread flake or tiny crusts free‑lined along the inner wall can tempt mullet on still, clear days
  • Autumn evenings: try egi (squid jigs) around lights for squid/cuttle
  • If crabs are rife, switch to squid/mackerel wraps with elastic or fish hard baits
  • When the tide rips, fish the lee (inner) side or step up to 5–6 oz leads and keep casts short

Fishing is generally permitted on Mount Batten Pier, but parts are working areas. Always follow on‑site signage and harbour instructions.

  • Do not fish from or obstruct the ferry landing/steps, pontoons or clearly signed no‑fishing areas (Cattewater Harbour jurisdiction)
  • Keep clear of navigational channels; no casting while vessels are maneuvering alongside
  • Catch limits and sizes: National and Devon & Severn IFCA rules apply (e.g., bass seasonal measures, MLS for common species). Check current MMO/IFCA notices before your trip
  • Shellfish/crustacea: Local minimum landing sizes and some no‑take protections apply in parts of Plymouth Sound; verify current byelaws
  • Plymouth Sound is covered by designated conservation areas; follow local Angling Codes of Conduct (avoid litter, respect wildlife and divers)
  • Parking/venue rules: pay‑and‑display hours enforced; no camping or fires on the pier; keep access clear for emergency and harbour operations