Summary
Weston Mouth is a secluded shingle beach tucked between Sidmouth and Branscombe on Devon’s Jurassic Coast. The beach shelves quickly into deep water, making it a rewarding but no-frills mark for mobile anglers who don’t mind a steep walk.
- Expect classic open-coast fishing: surf-seeking bass, summer mackerel and scad, and night-time opportunities for rays, huss and smoothhounds.
Location and Access
Access is on foot via steep valley paths, so pack light and expect a climb. There is no road access to the beach itself, and the approach can be slippery in wet weather.
- From Weston: Use the National Trust cliff-top car park signed from Weston village and follow the public footpath down Weston Combe (15–25 minutes down; longer back up). The descent includes steps and steep, uneven sections.
- From Branscombe: Park at Branscombe Beach car park (EX12 3DP) and walk the South West Coast Path westwards to Weston Mouth (around 30–45 minutes, undulating).
- Terrain: Steep shingle/pebble beach backed by high, crumbly cliffs; no structures. Trolleys are impractical—carry gear in a rucksack.
- Lighting: No lighting anywhere—bring a good headlamp for dawn/dusk or night sessions.
- Note: Weston Mouth has a long-standing naturist presence; be respectful and choose your pitch accordingly.
Seasons
This stretch of Lyme Bay offers a mixed-species calendar, with the steep shingle giving quick access to deeper water. Nights often outfish days here.
- Spring: Bass on a building surf; early smoothhounds (late spring), dogfish, pout after dark; odd plaice/dab from any cleaner pockets; wrasse from rocky ends.
- Summer: Mackerel and garfish on calm days; scad at dusk into dark; bass in a light surf; smoothhounds, small-eyed rays on warm evenings; ballan wrasse and pollack near the headlands; occasional black bream in clear, settled spells.
- Autumn: Peak for bass (especially after a blow as the sea eases); mackerel/scad persist into October; small-eyed ray, huss; increasing whiting and pout after dark.
- Winter: Whiting, pout, dogfish; the odd codling in onshore blows (infrequent); conger possible after dark; dabs on cleaner ground.
Methods
Tackle for Weston Mouth should be simple and robust—steep shingle, undertow, and mixed ground near the ends reward sensible rigs and fresh baits.
- Bottom fishing: 4–5 oz leads (more if the sea lifts). Pulley, pulley-dropper or up-and-over rigs for rays/huss with 40–60 lb hooklengths; 2–3 hook flappers for scratching whiting/dabs.
- Baits: For bass—peeler crab (spring), razor, lug/squid cocktails, or whole sandeel in a surf. For rays/huss—sandeel, squid, bluey and mackerel combinations. For scratching—rag/lug/mackerel strip; small fish baits at night draw scad/pout/whiting.
- Lures: Metals or slim spinners for mackerel/scad; shallow-diving minnows, topwaters, or soft plastics for bass at first/last light. Keep moving along the foamy seams.
- Floats/LRF: Float a sliver of mackerel for garfish; small weedless soft plastics or ragworm under a float around rougher ends for wrasse/pollack (only where ground allows safe footing).
- Casting: You don’t always need range—there’s quick depth. Start short for bass on a surf, then step out to medium range for rays/whiting as light fades.
- Terminal tweaks: Use a weak-link/rotten-bottom if you’re near rough patches; clip-down rigs help aerodynamics on the hike and in a headwind.
Tides and Conditions
Like many steep shingle marks, Weston fishes well around the highs, with surf for bass and settled nights for rays and hounds. Water clarity strongly influences summer species.
- Tide: Best 2–3 hours up to high and the first hour of the ebb; neaps can be steady, but spring highs often kick-start bass/ray bites.
- Sea state: A small, building surf with colour is prime for bass; avoid big SW swells that create heavy backwash. Clear, calm water favours mackerel, garfish and the odd bream.
- Wind: Sheltered from northerlies; exposed to southerly quadrants. A gentle onshore ripple is ideal—strong onshores can make it unsafe.
- Time: Dusk into dark is consistently productive year-round, especially for scad, whiting, rays and huss.
- Seasonality: Late spring through autumn gives the widest species range; winter becomes a night-time scratching game unless a mild spell encourages bass.
Safety
This is a serious walk-in beach with a steep shingle face and no lifeguards. Plan conservatively and fish within your limits.
- Steep access: The descent/ascent is strenuous and muddy after rain—unsuitable for those with limited mobility.
- Backwash: The beach shelves sharply; heavy undertow on swells can knock you off balance. Fish well back from the swash and avoid wading.
- Cliffs: Keep clear of the cliff base due to frequent rockfalls and landslips, especially after wet weather or hard frosts.
- Tide awareness: On big spring highs the shingle can become narrow—do not let the sea push you toward the cliffs. Identify escape routes in daylight.
- Footing: Wear grippy boots; shingle shifts underfoot. Headlamp, spare batteries, warm layers and a drybag are sensible.
- Safety gear: A modern waist or manual-inflation lifejacket is strongly recommended on steep shingle marks.
- Communications: Mobile signal can be patchy; tell someone your plan and expected return time.
Facilities
There are no facilities on the beach itself—treat Weston as a remote mark and go self-sufficient.
- Parking: National Trust car park above Weston (pay-and-display) or Branscombe Beach car park (EX12 3DP). Limited roadside space elsewhere—be considerate and avoid blocking lanes.
- Toilets/food: Toilets and cafés at Branscombe Beach; full services in Sidmouth and Beer. Nothing at Weston Mouth.
- Tackle/bait: Tackle and bait available in nearby towns such as Sidmouth, Seaton, Beer, Honiton and Exmouth—ring ahead for fresh bait.
- Bins: Very limited—pack out all litter and spent line.
- Phone signal: Variable; better on higher ground than at the beach.
Tips
Weston rewards anglers who travel light, read the water and keep moving until they find fish. Treat it like a back-to-basics, no-fuss shingle session.
- Pack lean: One rod, minimal leads/rigs, headlamp and a small cool bag. The climb back up feels twice as long when overloaded.
- Read the line: Bass often patrol the first breaker and any longshore rip. Put fresh crab/sandeel just beyond the dump line on a building tide.
- Night game: Clip a small fish bait onto a single hook rig and fish medium range for scad/whiting early, then switch to bigger squid/sandeel for rays/huss after full dark.
- Ground check: There are rougher patches near the rocky flanks—use a rotten-bottom clip if you stray that way; look for cleaner shingle lanes for rays/flatfish.
- Stream trickle: In calm, clear conditions, mullet sometimes nose around the small stream outflow—freeline crust or fish a tiny float with bread flake.
- Naturist beach: Parts of Weston Mouth are popular with naturists; pick your pitch with courtesy and avoid pointing bright lamps at others.
- Summer nuisances: Crabs and small fish can strip baits quickly—elastic and tougher cocktails (squid/bluey) help keep something fishing between checks.
Regulations
Shore angling is generally permitted at Weston Mouth. It lies within the wider Lyme Bay and Torbay marine protected area network, which limits certain commercial gears offshore but does not prohibit lawful shore fishing.
- Bass (2024): Recreational limit was 2 fish per angler per day, 42 cm minimum size, retention permitted March 1–Nov 30; catch-and-release only outside those dates. Always check for updates before your trip.
- Sharks/rays: Spurdog are protected for recreational anglers—release alive. Tope are protected from sale and are best photographed and returned promptly.
- Shellfish: Berried lobsters and all undersize crabs/lobsters must be returned. Local minimum sizes and potting permits are enforced by Devon & Severn IFCA.
- General: Observe any National Trust notices (fire risk, cliff safety); keep to marked paths; no camping or fires on the beach. Night fishing is customary but carry ID and cooperate with wardens if approached.
- Check current rules: Review the latest Devon & Severn IFCA byelaws and MMO recreational fishing guidance before targeting size/bag-limited species.
