Having spent a number of years travelling down to Cornwall and areas on the south coast, we’ve fished some truly excellent (and truly awful) shore fishing marks. Whilst this isn’t an exhaustive list and doesn’t cover everywhere, these are all Cornish sea fishing spots where we’ve had success on lures.
As one of the UK’s fishing hotspots, England’s most southwesterly point is renowned for its spectacular coastal scenery and marine wildlife. The South West Coastal Path traverses the entire county and makes accessing the majority of these marks easy for the fleet of foot. The rugged cliffs of the north coast contrast nicely with the altogether more serene south where you’ll find some calmer, but equally spectacular marks.
So whether you’re an experienced bass angler or a budding mackerel fisherman these spots are all fantastic places to explore.
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Mawgan Porth
Situated between Padstow and Newquay on Cornwall’s north coast, Mawgan Porth’s beach is one of the most unique in the area. Famed for its surfing thanks to its extraordinarily high water volume that comes in hundreds of metres at high tide.
The steep headland cliffs on the southern tip of the beach are a fantastic shore fishing spot if you can climb up the coastal path and traverse the steep cliffs. Having fished there a couple of times it is a wonderful spot to stand and fish. Particularly at dawn and dusk.
The northern edge of Mawgan Porth pitch has a staircase that reaches down to the foot of the beach and – at high spring tide – there’s plenty of structure rich in crustaceans and baitfish. So it’s an excellent spot for bass fishing from the shore.
Porthcothan
If you travel further up Cornwall’s coastline you’ll stumble across Porthcothan Bay Beach. A smaller beach than Mawgan Porth, the northwest-facing cove opens out at low tide and is a fantastic fishing spot. The underwater rocks are exposed when the tide is low and if you can traverse the coastal path and get down to the headland rocks, the swells are an excellent place to fish for bass.
There are some incredible marks that can be fished at higher tide with longer rods, a net and stronger tackle, particularly on the southern side of the bay where the coastal path runs right to the edge of the headland.
If you’re feeling super adventurous, walk south down the coastal path towards Mawgan Porth and you’ll find some incredible rocky outcrops you can fish for bass and pollock.
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Trevose Head
Trevose Head is a National Trust property that juts into The Atlantic and can be accessed with the Jurassic Coast Path and – unlike a number of more rural marks – has a car park nearby. The key landmark is Trevose Head’s Lighthouse which has spectacular coastal views and is a brilliant mark for Harlyn Bay and Padstow holidayers.
The southern edge of Trevose Head at the fantastically named Stinking Cove is renowned for its swells as the white water crashes onto the rocks, making it an excellent spot to try for bass. On the northern side, Barras Bay and the area around Padstow’s Lifeboat station have some easily accessible marks too.
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Trevone Bay
Just south of Padstow down the Jurassic Coastal Path, Trevone Bay Beach is another beach famed for its surfing. Running down the centre of the beach there’s a small gully rich in underwater rocks and aquatic plants that are worth a fish at high tide.
The headland marks are – like most of the surrounding area – less than 10m deep when fishing from the shore. Fortunately, this doesn’t deter bass, mackerel and the occasional pollock and the northern tip of the bay is worth venturing out to for some shore fishing.
You’ll find Trevone Bay’s Round Hole on the northern side of the bay. A 40m deep blowhole formed when the roof of a sea cave collapsed. It is spectacular and perilous, so please be careful when fishing this headland.
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Godrevy Point
Set at the easterly edge of St. Ives Bay, Godrevy Point is one of the most accessible sea fishing marks. Particularly for St. Ives-based holidaymakers. Godrevy is a small island famed for its lighthouse and seal colony, which you’d think would deter the fish.
Godrevy Point itself is rich in underwater structure and incredibly shallow and is renowned as a bit of a bass fishing hotspot. Bass can be found hunting for baitfish and crustaceans in the shallows and – thanks to the shallowness of the water – are particularly affected by the tidal conditions.
Further north up from Godrevy Point – down to Mutton Cove and beyond – is much trickier to access than Godrevy Point and can be treacherous. Particularly when you leave the coastal path to access the shore fishing marks.
Clodgy Point
Clodgy Point sits at the other end of St. Ives Bay, just around the point from Porthmeor Beach (see below), accessible fairly easily from the coastal path. Clodgy Point has a long-ish sheet of rock that makes fishing the area and – crucially – landing fish simple. Particularly when it comes to shore fishing.
If you have a long enough rod and lures capable of casting 60m or more, then you should be able to reach the tip of the point where the waves crash. The white water is an excellent place to try for bass hunting in the waves and has been known to throw up the odd mackerel and pollock.
The easterly edge of Clodgy Point has a long, shallow shelf that runs perpendicular to the headland and is famed as an area bass run and hunt at medium-high tide.
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Gurnard’s Head Beach
Next to one of the all-time great Cornish pubs (the aptly named Gurnards Head), Gurnard’s Head Beach has some spectacular fishing marks. The beach itself has some accessible spots running down either side and the prominent headland is a really excellent fishing spot. You can walk right out to the very tip where there is a substantial amount of underwater structure and rocky outcrops that create excellent bass fishing conditions.
The headland is named Gurnard’s Head because the rocky peninsula resembles the head of the gurnard fish. Albeit very vaguely.
Prussia Cove
Down towards Cornwall’s southern coast, the area around Prussia Cove – particularly Cudden Point and Piskies Cove – has some really worthwhile fishing spots. With similar underwater topography to Cornwall’s north coast with the same coastal path, you can reach the very tip of the headland at low tide. With a longer, whippier rod you can cast a serious distance in the right conditions.
Porthcew (Rinsey Cove)
When the onshore wind is picking up and there’s a spring tide, the National Trust-owned Rinsey Cove on Cornwall’s south coast is a sight to behold. A small beach rich in underwater structure, the west-facing beach has rocky ledges on either side at low tide which is a popular angling spot. With bass feeding in the shallows when the tidal conditions are right, Porthcew is a tiny beach well worth a visit for budding sea anglers.
Be wary of the tide at Rinsey Cove. Whilst low tide opens the beach out substantially and you’ll find a number of marks to either side, the beach isn’t visible at high tide and can be ferocious.
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Loe Bar
Loe Bar beach is a half-mile-long shingle beach situated on Cornwall’s south coast just north of Lizard Point. The beach separates the Loe – Cornwall’s largest freshwater lake – from the sea. Loe itself is from the old Cornish word logh which means ‘deep water inlet.’
The steep shingle bank can become a real haven for fish and the shingle bank means it fishes like a smaller version of Chesil Beach. All species of fish swim through and around Loe Bar, from bull huss to mackerel and rays. Whilst lure fishing can be very effective, a beach casting rod means you can target deeper areas and the bar fishes particularly well at night.
Over the years Loe Bar has earned a reputation for being treacherous thanks to the combination of strong currents, a steep shingle bank and powerful waves that crash over the bank.
Lizard Peninsula
The Lizard Peninsula, particularly the areas around Lizard Point and Kynance Cove, have some spectacular shore fishing marks. The entirety of the peninsula is littered with structures, underwater holes and gullies that make the lizard famed for its bass fishing.
Lizard Point has some jaw-dropping cliffs that have been shaped by The Atlantic and – thanks to the prevalence of bait – the area is rich in dolphins and seals. Both a good and bad sign for anglers. As one of the most southerly points of the UK, Lizard Point is exposed to large swells and tidal conditions and can be very productive for bass.
Kynance Cove is a tidal beach that has earned somewhat of a reputation for its crystal clear water, strong currents and picturesque scenery. It’s rich in underwater structure and provides something of a haven for baitfish, crustaceans and – obviously – predators. It is not the most accessible mark thanks to the steep, slippery scramble down the rocks.
There are a few beaches that run between Lizard Point and Kynance Cove, many of which are accessible and fishy. There are some historic wrecks and natural structures that create some exceptional fishing marks. One of those beaches is called Pentreath and is a good spot for bass fishing with the spring tide and onshore wind.
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FAQs
Cornwall is rich in sea fishing marks on both its north coast up in Padstow and the surrounding areas like Mawgan Porth and Trevose Head and its south coast around Prussia Cove and in the Lizard Peninsula.
