Summary
Seatown Beach sits between Eype and Charmouth beneath the dramatic Golden Cap on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast. It’s a steeply shelving shingle beach that offers quick access to deep water, rewarding in the right sea with bass, smoothhounds, summer mackerel and consistent winter species. A quieter alternative to Chesil-style shingle, it fishes well on the flood and into dusk.
Location and Access
This is a small coastal hamlet reached from the A35 at Chideock, down a narrow lane to the beach. Access is straightforward, but space and parking are limited in peak season.
- Parking: pay-and-display by the beach/Anchor Inn; spaces are limited and fill early on fine days (use postcode DT6 6JU for sat nav).
- Approach: from the A35 in Chideock follow signs for Seatown/Beach; the lane is narrow with passing places—go slowly and expect congestion in summer.
- Walk-in: 1–3 minutes from the car park to the shingle; then choose your spot along the beach. Shingle is soft and steep, which is tiring under load.
- Terrain: steep shingle/pebble with sand patches; a small stream crosses the beach. Rougher ground toward the headlands (Golden Cap west; Thorncombe Beacon/Eype east).
- Night access: feasible, but check any car park opening/height restrictions on the day and plan your exit route.
Seasons
Seatown fishes like a classic West Dorset shingle mark, with bass and summer species in fair weather and reliable winter fare after dark.
- Spring: school and early bass; occasional thornback/small-eyed ray; garfish start to show late spring; wrasse near rocky margins.
- Summer: mackerel, scad, garfish; bass in surf; smoothhounds on peeler crab; the odd black bream on clear neaps; sole possible on sandier patches after dark; dogfish and pout are common.
- Autumn: peak bass Sept–Oct on a building sea; mackerel linger in early autumn; increasing whiting and pout after dark; rays occasional.
- Winter: whiting, pouting, dogfish reliable; the odd conger or bull huss from mixed/rough ground; very occasional Channel codling in a big, coloured sea.
- Year-round notes: flounder around the stream in calmer conditions; wrasse and pollack near the rockier ends in settled, clear water.
Methods
Bottom fishing covers most bases here, with lure and float tactics adding summer sport. The steep bank and lateral drift favour tidy rigs and good grip leads.
- Bottom: pulley or pulley-pennel (3/0–4/0) with squid, cuttle or peeler crab for bass; up-and-over or long flowing trace with sandeel/squid for rays; two-hook flapper (size 1–2) for whiting and general scratching.
- Smoothhound: fresh peeler or hermit crab on strong pulley rigs; evening flood tides are prime in midsummer.
- Lures: 20–40 g metals for mackerel/scad; soft plastics (paddle-tails 10–14 cm) and surface lures for bass at dawn/dusk in light surf, especially near the stream outflow and in tide seams.
- Float: garfish and pollack with mackerel strip or ragworm 6–10 ft under a float around rocky ends in clear water.
- Leads: 5–6 oz wired/grip leads often needed to hold on the steep face, particularly on springs; use a shockleader (at least 60 lb) for safe casting.
- Snag management: include a weak-link (rotten-bottom) on ray/sandeel rigs to recover tackle if you drop into rough patches.
- Timing: dawn, dusk and after dark are best; avoid feathering when swimmers are present and keep casting angles wide of any bathing area.
Tides and Conditions
Seatown is forgiving on state but the flood and the hour or two after high often produce best. Water colour and wind direction strongly influence bass sport.
- Tide: fish the flooding tide into and over high water; it can still produce on the ebb, but the flood brings fish tight in on this steep shingle.
- Bass: shine in a building SW–W sea with some colour; 24–48 hours after a blow can be excellent.
- Summer species: mackerel/garfish prefer settled, clear water and neap tides, especially late afternoons/evenings.
- Smoothhound: warm settled spells on evening floods in June–August.
- Winter: whiting and pout stack up after dark on floods; a heavy, coloured sea on a big tide offers the slim chance of a codling.
- Drift/weed: strong lateral drift on springs—angle casts up-tide and step with your line; kelp and loose weed can be heavy after onshore blows.
- Clarity: in gin-clear conditions, scale down hooks and switch to fresh worm/small crab baits; in murk, use bigger, scent-rich baits.
Safety
This is an exposed steep shingle beach below unstable cliffs. Treat backwash and cliff faces with respect and avoid wading.
- Surf/backwash: powerful on the steep bank—keep rod pods high up the beach; never turn your back on the sea and avoid wading.
- Cliffs: do not fish or sit directly beneath Golden Cap or other cliff faces; rockfalls are common, especially after heavy rain or frost.
- Cut-off/stream: minimal cut-off risk on the open beach, but avoid setting up in the stream line during spate or high surf.
- Footing: shingle is loose and tiring—wear supportive, cleated footwear; headtorch and spare batteries for night sessions.
- PFD: a lifejacket is strongly recommended if you must get near the wash; keep kids and dogs well back from the waterline.
- Mobility: the distance is short but the soft shingle is challenging; not ideal for wheelchairs or limited mobility.
- Comms: mobile signal can be patchy in the hollow; let someone know your plans and where you’re parked.
- Etiquette: give wide berth to bathers and water users; avoid high casting arcs over people; mind noise/light near nearby cottages at night.
Facilities
Facilities are modest but handy, with parking, a pub and seasonal services right by the beach. For tackle and bait, head to nearby towns.
- Parking: pay-and-display next to the beach/Anchor Inn; limited spaces—arrive early or fish evenings.
- Toilets: public toilets by the car park (typically daytime/seasonal opening—check on arrival).
- Food and drink: Anchor Inn overlooks the beach; seasonal kiosks/ice-cream in peak months; more options in Chideock and Bridport.
- Tackle/bait: shops in Bridport/West Bay and Lyme Regis; call ahead for fresh lug/rag and crab in summer.
- Bins/water: a few bins near the car park; bring water and take all litter and line home.
- Phone signal: variable; usually better on higher ground or away from the valley.
Tips
Small tweaks make a big difference here: manage the backwash, pick your ground and let conditions choose your approach.
- Walk 200–400 m east or west to find space and cleaner ground; west towards Golden Cap can be quieter but snaggy near rocks.
- Keep traces fairly short (60–80 cm) on steep shingle to pin baits and reduce spin in tide; crimped pulley rigs present well.
- Use a weak-link on leads when targeting rays or casting long into mixed ground—saves gear when the lead wedges.
- For bass in colour, big squid wraps or whole joey mackerel heads can sort out better fish; in clear water, fresh lug/peeler scores.
- Set your tripod high and rods at 45–60° to beat backwash; keep lines tight and drop grips early on the retrieve.
- Have a light lure rod rigged—shoals often push bait tight to the stones around dusk in summer.
- If the beach is busy with swimmers, simply walk a little—safety improves and so does your fishing.
- After a blow, give it a day for the weed to clear but don’t wait for gin-clear water—bass often want a bit of colour here.
Regulations
There is no blanket ban on angling at Seatown, but you must follow national and local sea fisheries rules and respect any on-the-day beach signage.
- Rod licence: not required for sea angling from the shore in England. A licence is needed only for salmon/sea trout in certain waters.
- Bass: rules change annually; expect a minimum size of 42 cm and seasonal bag/retain periods. Check current MMO/Southern IFCA guidance before keeping any bass.
- Sizes/limits: comply with Southern IFCA minimum conservation reference sizes for finfish and shellfish; return undersized fish carefully.
- Protected areas: the wider Lyme Bay includes marine protected features; shore angling is allowed, but do not damage reefs or collect from protected features.
- Beach use: obey any seasonal bathing zones, dog restrictions, and car park opening/overnight rules as posted on local signage.
- General: take litter and waste line home; do not light fires on the shingle; be considerate to residents and other beach users.
