Black Ven Fishing

Last updated: 2 days ago

Black Ven Fishing Map

A sprawling landslip and reef system between Lyme Regis and Charmouth, with boulder fields, clay ledges and interspersed sand gullies. Best fished over low to mid tide when the clean patches are exposed; the first push of the flood is prime for bass and wrasse, while the sand runs hold flatfish and the odd ray. Access is on foot from either Lyme Regis or Charmouth with a 20–35 minute walk over shingle and uneven rocks—plan strictly around tide times as the flood will cut you off against unstable cliffs. Ground is very mixed and snaggy: use rotten-bottom/weak links, tough leaders and abrasion-resistant mainline. Summer and early autumn bring bass, wrasse, mackerel, garfish and scad; spring sees plaice on the sand; winter nights can produce pouting and dabs, with occasional bull huss, conger and rays from the gullies. Swell from southerlies, deep mud patches and frequent cliff falls are real hazards—keep clear of the undercliff and allow plenty of time to exit.

Ratings

⭐ 6.2/10 Overall
Catch Potential 6/10
Species Variety 8/10
Scenery & Comfort 8/10
Safety 3/10
Accessibility 4/10

Fish You Can Catch at Black Ven

🐟 Bass 9/10
🎯 Tip: Work shallow reef gullies with weedless soft plastics or peeler crab. Best on a flooding tide at dawn/dusk, with some colour in the water after a blow.
🐟 Ballan Wrasse 8/10
🎯 Tip: Float or light ledger with crab/rag tight to boulders and kelp. Last 3 hours of flood over rough ground; calm, clear seas late spring–autumn.
🐟 Lesser Spotted Dogfish 7/10
🎯 Tip: Squid or mackerel strips on 2-hook flappers to mixed ground at night. Reliable year-round; aim for sand patches seaward of the boulders.
🐟 Pollack 6/10
🎯 Tip: Lure fish along the reef edge at dawn/dusk on the flood; small metals or soft shads. Retrieve high to avoid kelp.
🐟 Pouting 6/10
🎯 Tip: Small fish baits or rag on 1/0 flappers over rough ground from dusk into dark; concentrate around kelp scars on the flood.
🐟 Mackerel 6/10
🎯 Tip: Summer evenings on calm seas; cast small feathers or a single metal to shoals on the flooding tide.
🐟 Whiting 5/10
🎯 Tip: Winter nights; small fish baits to cleaner ground. Use 2–3 hook flappers and keep baits popping with gentle recasts.
🐟 Corkwing Wrasse 5/10
🎯 Tip: Tiny hooks with rag or prawn under a float among rocks and weed; mid-tide to high in clear water, summer.
🐟 Conger Eel 5/10
🎯 Tip: After dark into the first of the ebb; big fish baits just beyond the kelp line. Use strong mono traces and rotten-bottoms to beat snags.
🐟 Garfish 5/10
🎯 Tip: Late spring–autumn; drift a sliver of mackerel under a float near the surface over sand tongues on the flood.
🐟 Flounder 4/10
🎯 Tip: Autumn–winter; light ledger with rag or lug to sandy gutters as the tide floods. Slow retrieves and long soaks.
🐟 Starry Smoothhound 4/10
🎯 Tip: Warm months; peeler crab to clean sand beyond the boulders an hour before high. Best on gentle seas and neap tides.

Black Ven Fishing

Summary

Black Ven, Dorset sits between Lyme Regis and Charmouth on the Jurassic Coast and is best known for its dramatic landslips and fossil-rich clays. For sea anglers it offers a wild, mixed-ground beach with genuine chances of bass, smoothhounds and flats, plus the odd ray when conditions line up. It’s a rewarding but committing mark that demands careful tide planning and respect for the terrain.

Location and Access

This mark is only reached along the foreshore from either Lyme Regis (to the west) or Charmouth (to the east), and access is tide-dependent. There are no safe cliff paths down; you must walk the beach and time your trip around low water.

Seasons

Black Ven fishes as a mixed-ground surf mark with sandy runs between clay and boulders. Expect typical Lyme Bay species with seasonal shifts.

Methods

Treat Black Ven as a short-to-medium range mixed-ground venue, fishing into seams of cleaner sand between rougher patches. Night sessions are particularly effective for flats and bass.

Tides and Conditions

Tides and sea state dictate both access and success here. Plan around low water, and match methods to water colour and swell.

Safety

This is a serious landslip coast with very limited escape routes. Treat it as a committing shore mark and plan conservatively.

Facilities

Facilities are concentrated in Lyme Regis and Charmouth; there are none on the Black Ven foreshore itself.

Tips

Think like a beachcomber: read the ground at low tide, mark the sand tongues and gullies, then fish them on the flood with the right bait.

Regulations

Black Ven lies on the Dorset coast within the Southern IFCA district and the Jurassic Coast SSSI/World Heritage Site. Shore angling is permitted, but there are important rules and codes to follow.