Last updated: 2 weeks ago
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,...
A small, sheltered sandy cove on Torbay’s east-facing coast in Devon, UK. Maidencombe Beach offers mixed ground: clean sand in the centre with rocky/kelpy headlands on both sides. Access is via steep steps from the village, with limited parking. Fish the flood to high, especially around dusk. Clear water in...
Secluded National Trust shingle beach with rocky headlands at both ends between Brixham and Kingswear. Mixed rough-to-sandy ground offers wrasse and pollack off the rocks, with bass, mackerel and garfish working the shingle line in season. Best results on a flooding tide around dawn or dusk; nights can produce pouting,...
A secluded east-facing sand-and-shingle cove beneath Start Point with kelp-fringed rocks at both ends and clean sand tongues in the middle. The mixed ground gives reliable wrasse and pollack from the rocky flanks, with mackerel, scad and garfish passing in summer; bass show when there’s some surf or colour, and...
Pebble-and-shingle cove on Torquay’s east side with rocky ledges and kelp beds at both ends. It shelves fairly quickly with pockets of clean sand between rough ground, giving close-range depth and year-round options. Best results come on a flooding tide into dusk; summer brings consistent wrasse, garfish and mackerel, with...
Morte Point is a rugged rocky headland near Mortehoe with steep slate ledges, deep gullies and a powerful tide race around the Morte Stone. It offers deep water within casting range and prolific rough-ground habitat for wrasse and pollack, with summer pelagics moving through the rips. It is exposed to...
Devon’s coast runs from the high-energy Bristol Channel cliffs and surf beaches of the north to the more sheltered, rocky bays and shingle strands of Lyme Bay and the South Hams. It offers a mix of headlands, reefs, piers, long beaches, and productive estuaries (Taw-Torridge, Exe, Teign, Dart, Salcombe). The variety of ground and conditions makes it one of England’s most versatile sea-angling counties, with year-round opportunities for bass, rays, smoothhound, wrasse, and seasonal mackerel.
| Season | Likely species (shore) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Spring (Mar–May) | Bass, rays (thornback/small-eyed, early blondes), smoothhound (late), plaice (East Devon), wrasse, pollack, mullet | Bass pick up from April. Plaice show on shingle/sand when crabs start peeling. Crab baits excel late spring. |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | Mackerel, garfish, scad, bass, black bream (Torbay/Lyme Bay), gilthead bream (estuaries), wrasse, pollack, smoothhound, rays, sole | Peak variety. Lures shine in clear water; nights for rays/sole/conger. |
| Autumn (Sep–Nov) | Larger bass, rays, smoothhound (early), bream (to Oct), mackerel (to early Oct), whiting, conger, mullet | Great for big bass after blows; mixed bags from shingle beaches. |
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | Whiting, conger, rockling, dogfish, dab, flounder (estuaries), occasional codling (north/east coasts) | Estuaries produce flounder; rough ground for conger and huss. Catch-and-release often for bass under seasonal rules. |
| Area | Coast character & access | Best species | Prime season | Go-to methods | Key safety notes | Facilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Devon (Bristol Channel) | Cliffs, gullies, surf beaches; mixed access via coast path and beaches | Bass, small-eyed/thornback ray, smoothhound, huss, conger; estuary flounder/mullet | May–Oct (summer variety); Oct–Jan (winter mixed) | Pulley pennel with crab/fish baits; surf bassing; estuary running ledgers | Huge tides, fast floods, swell on ledges; cut-off risk | Town car parks (Ilfracombe, Woolacombe), tackle shops Barnstaple/Ilfracombe |
| South Hams & Plymouth | Shingle beaches, rocky headlands, deep water close in; good parking | Bass, blonde/thornback ray, smoothhound, wrasse, pollack, conger, mullet | Apr–Nov (peak Jun–Oct) | Ledgering on shingle; lure/float from rocks; estuary crab tactics | Swell/undertow on Slapton; tide races at Start/Bolt | Multiple shops in Plymouth/Dartmouth; ample car parks |
| Torbay | Sheltered bays, breakwaters, reefs; very accessible | Mackerel, gar, scad, black bream, bass, wrasse, pollack | May–Oct | Feathers/metals; light rigs for bream; lures/float fishing | Busy promenades; watch swell at Berry Head | Piers, breakwater, cafés, toilets, parking |
| East Devon (Lyme Bay) | Steep shingle/pebble beaches, cliffs; Exe/Teign estuaries | Bass, rays, sole/plaice, mackerel/gar, wrasse/pollack, whiting (winter) | Apr–Nov; winter for whiting/flounder | Clipped rigs for distance; crab/sandeel for bass/rays; lures in clear water | Steep shingle backwash; landslip/undercliff hazards | Car parks at Seaton/Budleigh/Exmouth; local tackle shops |