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Somerset

Stert Point

6.2 · Estuary · Somerset

Exposed estuarine point at the mouth of the River Parrett on Bridgwater Bay. Vast tidal range, very strong currents and extensive mudflats/gutters define the ground. Fishing is focused around the scoured channels and gutter edges on the flood and first of the ebb, with spring tides best for rays and smoothhounds and neaps better for flounder/sole and thin‑lipped mullet in the creeks. Expect heavy silt, mobile sand and a long walk along sea wall tracks. Use 6–8 oz grip leads to hold bottom and present baits at 30–80 m to channel edges. Evening and night tides fish best. Extreme caution required: stick to firm ground/sea wall only, avoid the mud, and leave early ahead of the flooding tide.

Should you fish Stert Point?

65 Good

Today · Best window

Best window: 00:00-03:00 around the falling tide

Most likely species: Lesser Spotted Dogfish and Bass

Good conditions. Best around 00:00-03:00 around the falling tide. Good chance of Lesser Spotted Dogfish and Bass.

N 5 mph Rain 0% High tide 08:05

Worth fishing if you can hit the best window.

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7-day fishing forecast for Stert Point — 7-day forecast

Scores and best windows are weighted for .

Met Office Met Office · Open-Meteo

Where the data comes from. Weather and sea-state readings come from the Met Office and Open-Meteo forecast models, refreshed several times a day. High and low water are taken from tide-station predictions for this stretch of coast.

How the score works. Each window is scored 0–100 from the signals that most reliably move fish inshore: tide movement (a running tide carries food, so the last of the flood and first of the ebb are usually the prime spells), wind speed and direction (onshore wind stirs food into the surf — up to the point it makes fishing hard), sea state (a little wave and swell movement helps, heavy swell hurts), and weather — rain, temperature and light. Behind the headline number we score bite opportunity and comfort separately, and run a separate safety check on wind and swell. The size of the tide counts too: spring tides move more water than neaps, so the tidal range for this stretch of coast is weighed alongside the tide's direction, your target species and this mark — and unusually big springs strengthen the safety check, because the water rises faster and covers more ground.

Your target species counts. Pick a species below and the score also weights what we know about it — its season, preferred sea temperature, tide stage and sea state, and whether it feeds by day or night.

The rating is guidance, not a guarantee — conditions change fast on the coast, so always judge the sea in front of you before you fish.

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· windows & tide

Spring vs neap tides. Spring tides have a larger difference between high and low water, so more water moves on each tide — usually stronger flow that stirs up food and gets fish feeding. Neap tides have a smaller range and generally gentler movement. The range here is compared with what is normal for this stretch of coast, and the cycle swings between springs and neaps roughly every week, following the moon.

Big spring tides: the water rises faster and covers more ground than usual — double-check access routes and cut-off points before you fish.

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Stert Point is a timing-led Bristol Channel estuary mark where the real targets sit around scoured gutters, channel edges and muddy sand on the flood. It can produce bass, rays, smoothhounds, dogfish, whiting and flounder, but the huge tidal range, strong current and dangerous mud mean this is not a mark for casual wandering. Fish it from firm ground, keep to the sea wall/shingle bank, and build the session around the middle flood through high water, with dusk or darkness often giving the best return.

  • Know when Stert Point is a ray mark and when it is a flounder/sole mark.
  • Fish the gutter edges without stepping onto dangerous mud.
  • Time the last flood properly instead of wasting the ebb.
  • Match springs, neaps and grip leads to the species you want.
  • Have a safer backup plan when weed or tide strength ruins the point.

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Bleadon 6.6 mi Hutton (North Somerset) 8.4 mi Weston-super-Mare 9.0 mi Locking 9.2 mi Banwell 10.1 mi

Explore nearby towns: Bleadon · Hutton (North Somerset) · Weston-super-Mare · Locking · Banwell

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Fish forecast key

Excellent (80+) Good (65-79) Fair (50-64) Poor (0-49)

Overall rating

6.2 /10

Blend of catch potential, access, safety, and overall experience.

Category scores

Catch Potential 7/10
Species Variety 7/10
Scenery & Comfort 6/10
Safety 2/10
Accessibility 4/10

Bass 8/10
Tip: Crab baits into estuary channels on the flood; dawn/dusk best May–Oct. Short to mid casts to banks/eddies. Use 6–7oz grip leads for tide.
Lesser Spotted Dogfish 8/10
Tip: After dark over muddy sand, 1–2 hrs either side of high on neaps. Sandeel or mackerel strip on 2-hook clip-down. 6–7oz grip leads to hold.
Thornback Ray 7/10
Tip: Flooding tide into sand channels; peeler crab or bluey/squid on pulley pennel. Best Mar–Jun and Sep–Nov. 5–7oz grips; avoid big springs due to fierce tide.
Starry Smoothhound 7/10
Tip: Evening floods late spring–autumn. Peeler/hardback crab, 60–90 m into gutters. Pulley rig with strong snood; neap tides give better hold.
Whiting 6/10
Tip: Nov–Feb after dark. Worm baits tipped with mackerel on size 2–1 hooks. Cast mid-range into channels on last of the flood and first of the ebb.
Flounder 6/10
Tip: Winter–early spring along muddy edges. Small rag/lug or worm-tipped spoon, short casts. First hours of flood best; use watch leads to slowly trot.
Small-eyed Ray 6/10
Tip: Settled seas over clean sand on dusk floods. Sandeel or launce on pulley pennel, 80–100 m. Best May–Sep; fish neaps for holding bottom.
Mullet (Thick-lipped) 5/10
Tip: Calm neaps in creek mouths and outfalls. Bread flake or harbour rag under a float; stealthy approach. Best Jun–Sep around high water.
Dover Sole 4/10
Tip: Warm, calm nights Jun–Sep. Short lob with rag/lug to muddy sand close in. Light hooklengths, watch lead to grip in flow. First two hours of flood.
Cod 3/10
Tip: Occasional winter codling in coloured seas. Large lug/squid cocktails on clipped-down pulley. Fish over high water on neaps to keep gear down.

Local knowledge

Stert Point fishing guide

Practical access, seasons, methods, tides, safety and facilities for this mark.

Stert Point sits on the tip of the Steart (Stert) Peninsula on the east side of Bridgwater Bay, Somerset, looking across to Hinkley Point and Burnham-on-Sea. It’s a big-tide Bristol Channel venue with wild estuarine scenery, fast-moving water, and productive fishing when you time it right. Expect rays, bass, whiting and smoothhounds, with classic flood-tide action along gullies and the bank.

Access is via the lanes to the village of Steart, then out to the sea wall and beach. Much of the surrounding land is part of the WWT Steart Marshes and the Bridgwater Bay National Nature Reserve—keep to the signed paths and the shingle/sea wall.

  • Drive via Cannington/Combwich or Stockland Bristol to Steart; follow signs for Steart Marshes/Steart Gate. A common sat-nav target people use for the general area is around TA5 (Steart/Combwich); confirm locally before travel.
  • Park at Steart Gate or the reserve car parks (daytime gates/height barriers may apply). Parking is usually free but can be busy in holidays and on big tides.
  • The walk to the point is flat but can be 15–30 minutes along the sea wall/shingle bank depending on where you start. Travel light; a trolley with wide wheels helps on shingle.
  • Ground is mixed: shingle bank, firm paths, saltmarsh edges, and extensive mudflats at low water. Do not leave the sea wall/shingle to cross mud.
  • No lighting; bring a good headtorch for night sessions.

Stert Point fishes like a classic upper Bristol Channel estuary mark, with different species drifting in on the seasons and the flood.

  • Spring (Mar–May): thornback ray, school bass, dogfish; early smoothhound from late May; flounder in the channels.
  • Summer (Jun–Aug): bass (including better fish after blows), smoothhound, thornback ray, mullet around outfalls, eels; odd sole at night on small tides.
  • Autumn (Sep–Oct): bass, thornback ray, whiting building, late smoothhound, flounder; chance conger after dark.
  • Winter (Nov–Feb): whiting, dogfish, thornback ray in mild spells, codling in some winters (numbers vary year to year), flounder in the creeks and gutters.
  • Occasional: small-eyed ray (less frequent this far up-estuary), silver eels (handle carefully; best returned), mullet on calm, clear neaps.

This is predominantly a bottom-fishing venue with strong tides; present streamlined baits on gripped leads and fish the gullies on the flood. Lure fishing is limited by turbidity but can produce bass on rare calm, clear neaps.

  • Rigs: pulley pennel (4/0–5/0) for rays/bass/codling; pulley dropper for distance; 2-hook flapper (1/0–2/0) for whiting/flounder; single 3/0 for smoothhound with crab.
  • Leads: 5–7 oz breakout grippers are standard; step up on big springs. Use clip-down components for clean flight and presentation.
  • Lines: 0.35–0.40 mm mono or 30–40 lb braid with a 60–80 lb shock leader. Long rotten-bottom links if you’re casting towards rougher patches.
  • Baits: peeler/soft crab (top for bass and smoothhound), blow/black lug and ragworm (generalist, codling/whiting/flounder), squid or squid/mackerel wrap (thornbacks), sandeel if you can source it, mackerel head/section after dark for a bonus conger.
  • Tactics: fish the first push of the flood into the gutters, then the last two hours to high water for rays/whiting. After-dark sessions are very productive in autumn/winter; bass like coloured water and a bit of movement.
  • Extras: bait elastic to streamline offerings; keep baits neat and no bigger than needed—hydrodynamics matter in this tide.

The Bristol Channel’s range is huge here and the flood runs hard. Timing and positioning relative to gullies is everything.

  • Best tide states: middle of the flood to high water; last 2 hours of the flood often prime. Short slack at top; ebb quickly exposes mud and can be unfishable from the foreshore.
  • Springs vs neaps: springs push fish tight to the bank and wake up the rays/bass; neaps suit flounder/sole and quieter, more controlled sessions.
  • Wind/sea: a gentle onshore/westerly ripple helps bass; big SW blows create weed and debris but can spark bass as the sea settles. Flat calm nights are great for whiting/rays.
  • Time of day: dusk into dark boosts catch rates year-round; daytime is fine on coloured water, especially for bass and rays.
  • Seasonality: Apr–Oct for bass/smoothhound/rays; Nov–Feb for whiting/codling chances. After prolonged floods from the rivers, expect extra colour and drift weed.

Safety comes first at Stert Point. The mud here is treacherous and the tide races; treat it like quicksand and moving water—that’s exactly what it can be.

  • Stay on the sea wall/shingle bank and clearly firm ground; do not step onto exposed mudflats or soft saltmarsh edges at any state of tide.
  • The flood and ebb run fast; avoid wading. Big spring tides can creep behind you—always leave a retreat route.
  • Wear a PFD/lifejacket on the open bank, especially when fishing alone or at night. Use non-slip boots; take a fully charged phone and a headtorch with spare batteries.
  • Be aware of the Severn/Parrett bore on big springs—water rises rapidly and unpredictably in channels.
  • Weather can be wild and exposed; pack warm, windproof layers. In summer, bring insect repellent—midges can be fierce at dusk near the marsh.
  • Accessibility: paths are flat but uneven shingle in places; not ideal for wheelchairs or those with limited mobility. No handrails, no lighting.
  • Nature reserve: much of the area is Bridgwater Bay NNR/WWT Steart Marshes. Keep to marked paths, obey seasonal bird protection signage, and avoid disturbance.

It’s a remote, nature-first venue with limited amenities; plan to be self-sufficient.

  • Parking at Steart Gate/WWT car parks; height barriers/daytime opening may apply.
  • Toilets: limited—check WWT Steart Marshes information for any compost toilets; otherwise nearest public toilets are in nearby villages/towns (Combwich, Cannington, Burnham/Highbridge).
  • No shelter, no lighting, no water; bring everything you need and take all litter home.
  • Tackle/bait: options in Burnham-on-Sea/Highbridge and Bridgwater—phone ahead for lugworm/crab availability and opening hours.
  • Mobile signal is patchy but usually workable on higher ground; don’t rely on it for safety.

This mark rewards patience, tidy baiting, and reading water on the flood. Little tweaks make a big difference in heavy tide.

  • Walk light and set up well back at first; step forward as the flood fills the gullies, keeping rods high to clear weed.
  • Use fresh peeler or softies for smoothhound; for rays, a neat squid or squid/bluey wrap on a pulley pennel is hard to beat.
  • Clip-down, aerodynamic baits turn an average cast into a fish-finding one; the fish are often just beyond the first gutter.
  • Weed can be brutal after blows—fish shorter, keep line angles steep, and don’t be afraid to move along the bank to find clearer water.
  • Mullet often work along outfalls on quiet neap evenings; a small float and bread flake can save a slow session.
  • Share the space with birdwatchers and walkers; keep noise down in roosting periods and you’ll see more wildlife—and often more fish.

Rules here are a mix of national sea fisheries, IFCA byelaws, and nature reserve restrictions. Always check the latest official sources before you go.

  • Nature reserve: much of the foreshore forms part of Bridgwater Bay National Nature Reserve and WWT Steart Marshes. Expect restrictions on accessing mudflats/saltmarsh, disturbance to birds, and activities like bait digging—obey on-site signage and published byelaws.
  • Bass: recreational bass rules change periodically. In recent years the season for retaining bass has been limited (typically Mar–Nov) with a 42 cm minimum and a small daily bag; outside that, catch-and-release only. Check current UK government guidance before retaining any bass.
  • IFCA: this coast falls under Devon & Severn IFCA. Review their byelaws on bait collection, netting, and any local nursery area restrictions affecting the Parrett/Brue estuaries.
  • Size/bag limits: follow current UK/IFCA minimum conservation reference sizes for species like rays, cod, bass, smoothhound, and sole. Many anglers return all rays and smoothhound as best practice.
  • Eels: European eel is critically endangered—release any eels promptly.
  • General: no fires, no vehicles on the sea wall, keep dogs under close control or on leads where signed, and remove all litter including line and bait packaging.