East Quantoxhead Fishing

Last updated: 1 week ago

East Quantoxhead Fishing Map

Expansive intertidal rock platforms and kelp-filled gullies between St Audries and Kilve on the fast-tidal Bristol Channel. Best fished on the flooding tide as water pushes over the reef edges. Rough ground demands strong tackle and rotten-bottom rigs. Peeler crab and fish baits score for bass, huss and smoothhound; worm/crab under a float finds wrasse in summer. Night sessions produce pouting, dogfish, conger and occasional better fish. Watch for rapid tide rise, swell on onshore winds and slippery weeded ledges.

Ratings

⭐ 6.4/10 Overall
Catch Potential 7/10
Species Variety 7/10
Scenery & Comfort 7/10
Safety 4/10
Accessibility 4/10

Fish You Can Catch at East Quantoxhead

🐟 Lesser Spotted Dogfish 8/10
🎯 Tip: After dark on most tides; fish/squid baits on pulley or 2-hook flappers. Cast onto sand runs between kelp; use rotten-bottom to beat snags.
🐟 Starry Smoothhound 8/10
🎯 Tip: May–Sep on peeler crab. Fish the flood into dusk over rough–sand seams; 30–80 m casts. Light grip leads on neaps help hold.
🐟 Bass 7/10
🎯 Tip: Dawn/dusk on a flooding tide; fish crab/worm in gullies or try shallow lures if clarity allows. Target broken ground and surfy edges.
🐟 Small-eyed Ray 7/10
🎯 Tip: Night, last of flood/first ebb to distant sand patches beyond ledges. Pulley pennel with sandeel/bluey; use rotten-bottom to avoid losses.
🐟 Pouting 6/10
🎯 Tip: Small mackerel or worm strips on size 2 hooks tight to rock/kelp; steady bites through the flood, especially after dark.
🐟 Bull Huss 6/10
🎯 Tip: Rough ground at night; fish or squid strip baits. Short casts to kelp channels; neaps safer. 80 lb mono trace, no wire needed.
🐟 Conger Eel 6/10
🎯 Tip: After dark into kelp gullies; whole fish or squid. Heavy mono trace, short lob; neaps or slack water make control easier.
🐟 Whiting 5/10
🎯 Tip: Winter nights; lug/squid cocktails at range on clipped rigs. Fish the flood on neaps to hold bottom.
🐟 Thornback Ray 5/10
🎯 Tip: Occasional on mixed ground; sandeel/squid on pulley at range to sand tongues. Best on last of flood/first ebb; night helps.
🐟 Ballan Wrasse 5/10
🎯 Tip: Summer daylight; hardback crab or rag tight to rocks and kelp. Short casts or float; last of ebb/first flood is safest.
🐟 Three-bearded Rockling 4/10
🎯 Tip: Winter low light; small worm or fish baits in gullies and pools. Keep mobile and lob short between snags.

East Quantoxhead Fishing

Summary

East Quantoxhead sits between Kilve and St Audries Bay on Somerset’s dramatic Bristol Channel coast. Expect wide rock platforms, kelp-strewn gullies and a colossal tide that exposes acres of fishable ground. It’s a classic rough-ground mark for rays, smoothhounds, bass and conger, rewarding careful timing and stout tackle.

Location and Access

This stretch is reached most easily via Kilve or St Audries, with a walk across cobbles and bedrock to the ledges in front of East Quantoxhead. Allow extra time for the return on a flooding tide and plan your exit route before you start fishing.

Seasons

There’s year-round sport if you match tactics to the seasons and tide. Expect mixed rough-ground species with better fish at dusk and after dark.

Methods

Heavy shore gear and sensible rigs are key to beating tide and snags. Big, scented baits score well in the naturally turbid water.

Tides and Conditions

The Bristol Channel’s range and flow dominate this mark. Success comes from matching tide size and state to your swim and target species.

Safety

This is an exposed, fast-flooding rock mark with unstable cliffs behind. Treat it with respect and avoid fishing it for the first time on big springs or in heavy swell.

Facilities

Facilities are minimal at the shoreline; plan to be self-sufficient. Nearby villages offer basics, with fuller services a short drive away.

Tips

Regulars fish this mark around the tide windows, travelling light enough to move but heavy enough to anchor solidly when it matters.

Regulations

Angling is generally permitted here from the public foreshore and public rights of way. The coastline is environmentally protected, and there are important seasonal rules for certain species.