Last updated: 2 weeks ago
A west-facing surf beach between Baggy Point and Downend with shifting sandbars and gutters. Best after a blow as the swell eases, on a flooding tide into dusk or dawn. Target close-in gutters for bass; long casts to the outer bar produce rays and winter whiting. Summer brings weever fish...
Daddyhole (Daddyhole Cove/Plain, Torquay) is a steep, rocky cliff mark with deep water close in and kelp-filled gullies. It fishes best on a flooding tide into dusk and after dark. Summer brings mackerel, garfish and scad to floats and lures; pollack patrol the edges of the kelp; wrasse are reliable...
A long, sandy town beach backed by the sea wall and railway, offering easy year-round access and mostly clean ground. Best results come at dawn/dusk and into darkness, especially on a flooding tide with light surf for bass. Summer brings mackerel, garfish and scad close to the wall; autumn–winter sees...
A long sandy spit and nature reserve forming the south side of the Exe Estuary mouth. The seaward face is open beach with groynes and shifting sandbars; the inner face borders fast-moving estuary channels. Productive after a blow for surf bass and in calmer periods for flatfish and rays. Best...
Rocky headland at the entrance to the Hamoaze, west side of Plymouth Hoe, with immediate deep water and a powerful tidal run. Productive year-round: summer brings mackerel, scad and garfish in the tide lines; dusk and night produce pouting, poor cod and conger; pollack and bass work the rips on...
Downend Point is the rocky headland at the southern end of Croyde Bay, facing the Atlantic. It’s a classic North Devon rock mark with broken ground, kelp-filled gullies and ledges dropping into mixed sand and rock. Expect good summer sport on wrasse and pollack, with mackerel and garfish passing close...
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 |