Summary
Blue Anchor Bay sits between Minehead and Watchet on the Somerset coast and faces straight into the turbidity and tide power of the Bristol Channel. It’s a classic West Country open beach with shingle top, sand and clay scars lower down, and a vast tidal range that funnels fish tight to the shore on the flood. Anglers come for smoothhounds and rays in the warmer months, dependable whiting in winter, and the ever-hopeful chance of a codling when the water is cold and coloured.
Location and Access
Set in the village of Blue Anchor, the mark is easy to reach and well-signed from the A39 via minor roads. You can fish from the shingle above the flood line or drop down to sand and clay patches on the ebb, but plan your route with the fast tide in mind.
- Drive: From the A39, follow signs to Blue Anchor (between Minehead and Watchet); seafront parking and lay-bys are adjacent to the beach and heritage railway station.
- Parking: Pay-and-display bays along the promenade and near the railway; arrive early on summer weekends and big tides.
- Walk-in: 1–5 minutes from car to shingle; the lower beach can be a longer, soft-footing walk at low water.
- Terrain: Shingle and cobbles at the top; firm sand, occasional soft mud and clay ledges lower down; sections of seawall/rock armour in places.
- Alternative spots: East towards Dunster for cleaner sand and sole; west towards Watchet for more clay and occasional rougher patches.
Seasons
Blue Anchor fishes year-round, with a solid mixed-bag reputation. Expect rays and hounds on the warmer half of the year, with whiting-heavy sessions when it turns cold.
- Spring (Mar–May): Small-eyed ray, thornback ray, dogfish, early smoothhound, bass on building tides.
- Summer (Jun–Aug): Smoothhound (peak late May–July), small-eyed and thornback rays, bass (dusk/dawn or in a chop), dogfish, sole on cleaner patches at night, thick-lipped/grey mullet in calm seas near stream outflows.
- Autumn (Sep–Nov): Bass, rays linger, conger after dark, sole through early autumn, whiting from October onwards, the odd codling after blows.
- Winter (Dec–Feb): Whiting (often prolific), thornback ray in coloured water, dogfish, pout, occasional codling on a proper northerly chill and muddy swell, flounder on gentle days.
Methods
Standard Bristol Channel beach tactics are king: strong gear, gripper leads, clipped-down rigs and fresh bait that holds in tide. Night tides are often best, especially for rays, bass and whiting.
- Rigs: Pulley pennel (4/0–2/0) for rays/codling; up-and-over for flat presentations at range; 2–3 hook clipped flappers (1/0–2) for whiting/soles; rotten-bottom links if fishing around clay scars.
- Leads: 6–7 oz wired grippers to hold the run; consider heavier on big springs.
- Line: 20–25 lb mono mainline with 60–80 lb shock leader; abrasion-resistant snoods (30–40 lb) for rays/hounds; lighter 15–20 lb snoods for whiting/sole on smaller tides.
- Baits: Fresh lugworm is a staple; peeler crab for smoothhounds; sandeel or squid-and-sandeel wraps for small-eyed rays; squid/mackerel cocktails for thornbacks and winter bites; maddies/black lug for sole and whiting.
- Lures/float: Sporadic; surface or shallow-diving lures for bass in a summer chop at dawn/dusk; bread flake/floating crust for mullet in quiet corners.
- Range and timing: 40–120 yards covers most of it; fish patrol the first bank on the flood, so don’t ignore shorter casts as the tide climbs.
Tides and Conditions
This is a big-tide venue. The Bristol Channel’s range and colour switch the fishing on, with the flood pulling fish tight to the beach.
- Best tide: 2–3 hours up to high water and the first hour of the ebb are prime; big spring tides often out-fish neaps.
- Water colour: Coloured water is generally good; mild chocolatey seas after a blow suit rays, codling chances and bass. Gin-clear summer water can be slow by day but improves at night.
- Wind: W–SW winds add welcome colour and a lift; prolonged easterlies can flatten it and slow bites, though dusk still produces.
- Seasonality: May–Sep for rays/hounds/bass; Oct–Feb for whiting, rays and codling chances.
- Swell and weed: After storms, expect floating weed and clay lumps; keep rigs streamlined and check baits frequently on heavy runs.
Safety
Treat Blue Anchor with respect: the tide floods fast, gullies fill behind you, and some lower areas are soft. Sensible positioning and simple precautions make it a safe, enjoyable beach.
- Tidal risk: Do not wander too far on big ebbs; note your retreat line and avoid being cut off by filling gutters.
- Footing: Soft mud and greasy clay ledges are common; wear studded boots or cleats and avoid visibly soft patches.
- Seawall overtopping: On springs with onshore wind, waves can slap the wall and overtop; step back and don’t fish right on the edge.
- Cliffs and slips: The nearby cliffs are erosion-prone; avoid sitting directly beneath them and don’t hammer or dig into exposures.
- Night fishing: Carry two headlamps, spare batteries, and a whistle; a well-fitted PFD is recommended on all open coast marks.
- Mobility: From car to top-of-beach is short and relatively flat, but the cobbles are awkward for wheelchairs; accessible viewing/fishing from the promenade is possible in calm conditions at higher water.
- Weather/railway: The heritage railway runs seasonally behind the beach; take care crossing access points and mind traffic on narrow seafront roads.
Facilities
Blue Anchor village has decent amenities for a small, seasonal resort. Minehead and Watchet are minutes away for top-ups and tackle.
- Parking: Seafront pay-and-display and roadside bays; busiest on fair-weather days.
- Toilets: Public toilets near the seafront/railway (seasonal hours may apply).
- Food and drink: Cafés and pubs along the front operate seasonally; hot food is a short walk in peak months.
- Tackle and bait: Tackle shops in Minehead and Watchet for fresh/frozen bait and end gear; phone ahead in winter for bait availability.
- Phone signal: Generally good 4G on major networks, but can be patchy at low-water stretches.
- Accommodation: Holiday parks, B&Bs and campsites local to the bay; plenty more in Minehead.
Tips
Blue Anchor rewards homework. Read the beach on the ebb, note the features, then fish them on the flood with tidy, aerodynamic rigs and the freshest bait you can carry.
- Map the ground: At low water, mark seams, gutters and clay patches; those lanes funnel rays and hounds when the tide climbs.
- Keep it neat: Compact bait wraps (lug/squid or sandeel/squid) fly better and resist the tide, improving presentation.
- Short vs long: On the last hour of flood, drop a bait shorter for bass nosing the first bank while keeping a long rod out for rays.
- Hounds run: When crab peel is on the shore and weed rafts are present, have peeler or hardback crab ready—May to July can be hectic.
- Whiting filter: Upsize hooks and baits if you’re plagued by pins; a bigger pennel with squid/bluey will find rays amid the chatter.
- Weed watch: After blows, step up leader knots and check them often—floating weed and clay lumps can stress gear.
- Bait collecting: Blow lug can be pumped on nearby sandy stretches on the ebb; take only what you need and avoid SSSI cliff faces and vegetated areas.
Regulations
Recreational sea angling is permitted at Blue Anchor Bay. Normal national and local rules apply—always check the latest MMO and Devon & Severn IFCA notices before you go.
- Bass: Recreational rod-and-line fishing typically has a 42 cm minimum size and a limited retention season and bag (commonly 2 fish per angler per day within the open season, catch-and-release outside it). Confirm current dates before your session.
- Minimum sizes: Observe UK minimum conservation reference sizes for species you intend to retain (e.g., codling, bass, sole). When in doubt, return fish.
- Eels: European eel retention is prohibited; release immediately.
- Rays: No statutory MLS for common inshore rays here; practice catch-and-release for larger breeders and support them properly for photographs.
- SSSI/heritage coast: Parts of this shoreline fall within protected geological designations—do not hammer or remove material from cliffs; keep bait digging to the intertidal sand, avoid vegetated dunes, and fill holes.
- Litter and bycatch: Take all litter and line home; return undersize or out-of-season fish promptly and with care.
- Netting/permits: Shore angling with rod and line is fine; separate byelaws apply to fixed nets and hand-gathering for some shellfish—consult Devon & Severn IFCA for any permit requirements or closed areas.
