Watcombe Beach Fishing

Last updated: 1 week ago

Watcombe Beach Fishing Map

A secluded red-sand cove between Babbacombe and Maidencombe on the Torbay coast. The small beach fronts mixed ground with patches of clean sand, while the rocky points on either side give better depth and tide run. Expect kelp, boulders and snags—use rotten-bottom rigs. Best in settled weather and clear water; evenings into dusk on a flooding tide are productive. Access is via a long, steep woodland path that is sometimes closed after landslips—check status and travel light. Limited shelter and swell can rebound off the cliffs.

Ratings

⭐ 6.3/10 Overall
Catch Potential 6/10
Species Variety 8/10
Scenery & Comfort 9/10
Safety 4/10
Accessibility 3/10

Fish You Can Catch at Watcombe Beach

🐟 Ballan Wrasse 8/10
🎯 Tip: Rough ground and boulders at both ends; fish the flood to high. Float fish ragworm or hardback crabs, or weedless soft plastics tight to kelp. Best in daylight, spring–autumn.
🐟 Rock Goby 8/10
🎯 Tip: Abundant around rock edges; use tiny hooks (12–16) with small worm or prawn pieces on light gear. Drop straight down beside boulders on a flooding tide in calm seas.
🐟 Bass 7/10
🎯 Tip: Work surface lures or white soft plastics in onshore chop or after a blow; also peeler crab/sandeel baits into gullies on the flood at dusk or first light. Autumn strongest.
🐟 Pollack 7/10
🎯 Tip: Lures or float-fished sandeel along reef edges at dawn/dusk, especially on a flooding tide. Retrieve midwater to avoid snags.
🐟 Mackerel 7/10
🎯 Tip: Summer shoals in settled weather; cast metals/feathers at first and last light on the flood from the rock ends. Keep mobile to find fish.
🐟 Corkwing Wrasse 7/10
🎯 Tip: Kelp gullies on the flood; small hooks, ragworm or crab under a float. Clear summer water best; keep baits close to structure.
🐟 Lesser Spotted Dogfish 6/10
🎯 Tip: Night sessions from the beach into mixed ground; small mackerel or squid baits on a simple paternoster. Often show on the first of the ebb and around high water.
🐟 Tompot Blenny 6/10
🎯 Tip: Common in rock holes; drop small hooks with worm or shrimp tight to structure on the flood. Daylight in clear water works well.
🐟 Garfish 6/10
🎯 Tip: Slim metals or float-fished fish strips near the surface on clear summer days; prime at dawn/dusk over the flood.
🐟 Mullet (Thick-lipped) 6/10
🎯 Tip: Cruise the calm cove; present bread flake under a float or freelined. Stealth, light lines. Neap tides and sunny summer afternoons are best.
🐟 Whiting 5/10
🎯 Tip: Winter evenings; small strips of mackerel/squid on size 2–4 hooks, cast to cleaner patches. Best on the flood into high.
🐟 Conger Eel 5/10
🎯 Tip: After dark from the rock ends; strong gear, large mackerel baits into rough ground on the flood. Mind swells and snags.

Watcombe Beach Fishing

Summary

Watcombe Beach is a small, secluded cove on the north side of Torquay, tucked between Babbacombe and Maidencombe. It’s a classic South Devon mixed-ground mark with kelp-fringed rock ledges and small sand patches that attract bass, wrasse, pollack, and summer pelagics. Sheltered from prevailing south-westerlies, it rewards mobile, lure-first anglers and careful bait fishing in settled seas.

Location and Access

Watcombe sits below wooded red-clay cliffs at the end of Watcombe Beach Road, just off the A379 (Teignmouth Road). Access is via a steep woodland path and steps from the council car park area near TQ1 4SH.

Seasons

This is mixed, rough-to-clean ground that fishes differently through the year. Expect wrasse and pollack on the rocks, with bass and summer pelagics in settled conditions.

Methods

Mobile lure fishing and targeted rock fishing shine here; ledgering from the beach works in calmer seas. Kelp and boulders demand abrasion-resistant gear and weak links.

Tides and Conditions

Watcombe faces broadly east into Lyme Bay, which makes it a good bet in prevailing south-westerlies but vulnerable to onshore easterlies. Water clarity dictates approach.

Safety

This is a steep, natural cove beneath unstable cliffs. Treat it as a remote rock mark and plan accordingly.

Facilities

Watcombe is a natural, undeveloped cove with no on-site amenities. Plan to be self-sufficient.

Tips

Locals fish this mark lightly and time sessions to conditions rather than the calendar. Travel light and think like a rock angler.

Regulations

This shoreline sits within the Devon & Severn IFCA district and the Torbay Marine Conservation Zone, where recreational rod-and-line angling is permitted. Rules do change—always check official sources before you go.