Where’s The Fish? Logo for Where's The Fish?
Devon

Parson and Clerk

6.4 · Rocks · Devon

The Parson and Clerk is a tidal rock mark beneath the red sandstone cliffs between Dawlish and Teignmouth (near Holcombe). You fish onto rough, kelpy ground with patches of clean sand in the gullies. It’s a classic summer venue for wrasse, pollack and mackerel/garfish, with pouting and conger after dark; bass show in on a bit of colour and movement. Best on the flood through to high water with a light swell and clear to lightly coloured water. Access is via steep paths and the Smugglers tunnel at Holcombe; expect a scramble over uneven rock—check tides to avoid being cut off and keep well back in swell.

Should you fish Parson and Clerk?

54 Fair

Today · Best available

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

Most likely species: Ballan Wrasse and Pollack

Fair conditions. Best available around 06:00-09:00 around the rising tide, but no window reaches the strong threshold today. Good chance of Ballan Wrasse and Pollack.

NW 4 mph Rain 0% High tide 11:59

Fishable, but pick your timing carefully.

Plan this mark

7-day fishing forecast for Parson and Clerk — 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.

Saturday looks better than today. Unlock the week to see its score and exact window.

· 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.

Now

Tide curve will appear once tide data is available.

All windows will appear once the forecast is loaded.

Premium forecast

Unlock exact best windows, tactics and backup options for this mark.

Trip planner

Find the best time to fish Parson and Clerk

Choose when you're free and what you want to catch. We'll show the best tide, weather window and method for this mark.

Premium unlocks exact windows, tactics and alerts.

Premium Mark Insight

Locked

Parson and Clerk is a tidal, rough-ground rock mark where mobility matters. It usually fishes best when you work the kelp gullies, boulder edges and tide seams on the flood, rather than sitting static with heavy bottom gear. Expect wrasse, pollack, mackerel and garfish in summer daylight, with bass more likely when there is movement and a little colour, and pouting or conger after dark.

  • Know when to fish the flood — and when to leave before the pinch point matters.
  • Pick the right water: kelp gullies for wrasse and pollack, tide seams for bass.
  • Avoid wasting gear with snag-conscious rigs built for Parson and Clerk.
  • See when to abandon the rocks and switch to safer nearby options.

Included with Premium

Cancel anytime · Stripe

Unlock this mark's plan

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

Holcombe (Teignbridge) 0.1 mi Teignmouth 1.5 mi Dawlish 2.0 mi Dawlish Warren 2.7 mi Shaldon 2.8 mi

Explore nearby towns: Holcombe (Teignbridge) · Teignmouth · Dawlish · Dawlish Warren · Shaldon

Zoom and pan to explore access points and nearby marks.

Jump to guide

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

Overall rating

6.4 /10

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

Category scores

Catch Potential 7/10
Species Variety 7/10
Scenery & Comfort 8/10
Safety 3/10
Accessibility 4/10

Pollack 8/10
Tip: Soft plastics or metal jigs worked along kelp gullies at dawn/dusk on a flooding tide; keep lures mid-water and be ready to lift fish clear.
Ballan Wrasse 8/10
Tip: Float-fished crab or rag tight to kelp-covered rock ledges on a flooding tide; daylight, late spring–autumn.
Bass 7/10
Tip: Lures (poppers/pencils/SPs) in onshore swell at dawn/dusk, or freelined peeler crab in surfy pockets; best with movement on the flood.
Pouting 7/10
Tip: After dark, small strips of mackerel/squid on 2-hook flappers dropped into rough ground close in; bites build through the flood.
Mackerel 7/10
Tip: Summer shoals within casting range; small metals or feathers; best at first/last light on a flooding tide.
Scad (Horse Mackerel) 6/10
Tip: Late summer evenings into dark; sabikis or small metals high in the water with a steady retrieve; flood tide best.
Corkwing Wrasse 6/10
Tip: Small hooks, ragworm or prawn lowered into kelp pockets; short snoods; daylight on the flood.
Conger Eel 6/10
Tip: Night; strong mono traces with whole squid/mackerel dropped into gullies; use rotten-bottom to beat snags; slack into first flood can score.
Garfish 6/10
Tip: Float a sliver of mackerel 4–8 ft down along tide lines; summer, bright conditions, flooding tide.
Lesser Spotted Dogfish 5/10
Tip: After dark from mixed ground; small fish/squid baits on a simple ledger; fish settle on the ebb and early flood.

Local knowledge

Parson and Clerk fishing guide

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

Parson and Clerk is the dramatic red sandstone rock formation between Dawlish and Teignmouth, off Holcombe on Devon’s south coast. It’s a classic rough-ground mark with kelp-lined gullies, boulder patches and tide-race seams that draw wrasse, pollack and bass, with summer visitors like mackerel and garfish. Scenic, exposed and very tidal, it rewards mobile, lure-and-float tactics when fished with care.

Access is via Holcombe, using the signed beach access beside Smugglers Lane to reach the shore through the pedestrian tunnel under the railway. From the beach, you can walk to ledges and bouldery ground near the Parson and Clerk stacks; the towers themselves are offshore and not generally climbed or fished from.

  • Parking: Limited on-street in Holcombe near Smugglers Lane (TQ14 area); be considerate and avoid obstructing residents. Larger pay-and-display options exist in Dawlish and Teignmouth if village parking is full.
  • Walk-in: 5–15 minutes from the village to the beach; then a short, uneven beach/rock walk to chosen ledges. Expect shingle, sand, slippery weeded rocks and occasional scrambling.
  • Tidal cut-off: Much of the beach pinches out at higher states; plan arrival/exit around the tide. Do not attempt to reach or cross railway structures—use the official beach tunnel only.
  • Terrain: Red sandstone ledges, boulder fields and kelp gullies; very snaggy underfoot and under the waterline.

This is a mixed rough-ground venue with a strong summer profile. Year-round residents are joined by migratory fish as the water warms.

  • Spring (Apr–May):
    • Pollack (inshore kelp lines on lures/float)
    • Ballan and corkwing wrasse (first push onto the reef)
    • Early bass on a building sea
  • Summer (Jun–Aug):
    • Wrasse (ballan dominant, occasional corkwing)
    • Pollack (dawn/dusk best)
    • Mackerel and garfish (shoals on calm, clear days)
    • Scad at dusk into dark
    • School bass in fizzing surf or over flood tide
  • Autumn (Sep–Oct):
    • Bigger wrasse and better pollack
    • Bass in lively water, especially after an easterly blows through
    • Conger eel after dark from deeper gullets
  • Winter (Nov–Feb):
    • Pouting, poor cod and rockling in close at night
    • Conger possible on settled nights
    • Whiting are more reliable from nearby beaches than on the rough reef itself

Rough ground means strong, abrasion-resistant tackle and snag-conscious rigs. Mobile fishing with lures and floats outfishes static bottom rigs most days.

  • Lure fishing (HRF/LRF):
    • 7–9 ft lure rods, 10–30 g rating; 0.8–1.2 PE braid with 20–30 lb fluorocarbon leader.
    • Weedless soft plastics (paddletails/creatures 2.5–4 in) on Texas/Chebs for wrasse; slim softs and metals (20–40 g) for pollack/mackerel.
    • Shallow-diving/sub-surface plugs for bass/pollack at first and last light along tide seams.
  • Float fishing:
    • Sliding floats set 2–5 m over ragworm, prawn or sandeel strips for wrasse, pollack and garfish.
    • Small mackerel strips and size 4–6 hooks for garfish; keep baits moving in the drift.
  • Bottom fishing (selective, snag-aware):
    • One-up paternoster or long flowing trace with a weak-link/rotten-bottom to the lead.
    • 40–60 lb leader, 3/0–5/0 strong hooks for conger with mackerel/squid cocktails; fish dusk into dark.
    • Use just enough lead to hold in the gullies (2–4 oz often sufficient) and cast short; most fish are under 40 m.
  • General:
    • Polarised glasses to read gullies and weed lines.
    • Long-nose pliers/disgorger; barbless or crushed barbs help with wrasse releases.

Tide strength and water clarity dictate tactics here. Plan around the flood, and match methods to visibility and swell.

  • Tide state:
    • Best 2–3 hours flooding to high water and the first hour of the ebb.
    • Neaps give manageable flow and clearer water for lure/float work; springs can be excellent for bass but increase hazard and snags.
  • Sea and wind:
    • Light northerly/westerly winds = clearer water and good for pollack, garfish and wrasse.
    • Easterly onshore winds raise surf and surge; dangerous at height but can switch on bass as the sea eases.
    • Avoid big swell (>0.8–1.0 m) on the ledges—wash and back-surge are severe.
  • Time of day/season:
    • Dawn/dusk consistently better for pollack, bass and scad.
    • Peak wrasse period May–October; mackerel/garfish are most reliable June–September.

This is a committing rough-ground rock mark beneath unstable cliffs with a tidal pinch point. Treat it as an exposed venue and plan conservatively.

  • Hazards:
    • Risk of being cut off by the flood—know your exits and set an alarm for the turn of the tide.
    • Slippery, weeded rocks and uneven boulders; wear studded boots or cleats.
    • Cliff fall danger; do not stand or stash gear directly beneath overhangs.
    • Strong back-surge on swells; a PFD/lifejacket and a buddy are strongly recommended.
  • Access notes:
    • Use only the official beach tunnel/steps; do not trespass on or near the railway or sea wall structures if signage prohibits access.
    • Not suitable for wheelchairs or prams; hands-free rucksacks and light gear advised.
    • Mobile reception can be patchy under the cliffs; tell someone your plan and carry a charged phone.
  • Weather/timing:
    • Avoid easterly storm days and big spring tides if you’re unfamiliar with the mark.
    • Head torch with spare batteries for any session that might run into dusk.

There are no facilities on the rocks or immediate beach. Treat it as a remote session even though it’s near towns.

  • Toilets: Public conveniences on Dawlish and Teignmouth seafronts; none at Holcombe beach access.
  • Food and drink: Pubs and cafés in Holcombe, Dawlish and Teignmouth (the Smugglers Inn is up the hill from the beach access).
  • Tackle and bait: Tackle shops in Teignmouth and other nearby towns; ring ahead for fresh worm/crab in summer.
  • Parking: Limited on-street near Smugglers Lane; larger car parks in Dawlish/Teignmouth.
  • Phone signal: Variable/weak under the cliffs; better on open beach or higher ground.

Little adjustments make a big difference on this snaggly, tidal mark. Travel light, keep moving and fish the water in front of you properly.

  • A weak-link (lighter mono to your lead) saves rigs—expect snags and plan to lose some gear.
  • Work lures down-swell along the kelp edge; most takes come as the lure swings and rises.
  • On clear, bright days, drop leader diameter and lengthen traces; on coloured seas, go bigger and slower.
  • Chum lightly with mashed mackerel when float-fishing for garfish; keep the float creeping, not static.
  • Respect wrasse—unhook in the water where possible and release larger fish to protect the stock.
  • If a seal or dolphins move through, bites often switch off; take a breather and reset when they pass.
  • When the easterly swell looks marginal, switch to the Teign estuary or local beaches rather than forcing the rocks.

Shore angling is generally permitted here, but always follow posted signage around the railway, sea wall works and beach access—temporary closures do occur in bad weather. For fishery rules, check the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and Devon & Severn IFCA before you go.

  • Bass: Seasonal bag limits and a 42 cm minimum size apply to recreational anglers—regulations are reviewed periodically; check current MMO notices for dates and daily limits.
  • Minimum sizes and byelaws: Observe UK minimum conservation reference sizes and any Devon & Severn IFCA byelaws for species like wrasse, pollack, rays and invertebrates.
  • Bait collection: Only collect where allowed and in moderation; return turned stones and avoid protected areas or nursery zones.
  • Protected areas: This shoreline is not within a no-take zone, but nearby estuaries have nursery protections—netting restrictions do not usually affect rod-and-line anglers.
  • Access: Do not fish from railway property or construction zones; comply with any local council or Network Rail restrictions in force at the time.