Known for its spectacular coastline and scenic walks, Devon has its fair share of stunning sea fishing spots. From the rugged, more windswept shoes of North Devon, famed for its huge swells and jagged angling peninsulas to the slightly more serene, but equally sublime southern coastline. Devon’s shores are littered with sea fishing marks.
From gullies and structures rich in specimen bass and pollock to shingle beaches full of flatfish, below are our favourite shore fishing marks in Devon. With family-friendly piers to some mildly treacherous marks, this list has something for seasoned and beginner anglers.
If you’re looking to scout your own mark, then our top sea fishing tips and this guide to finding the best fishing marks is a good place to start.
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Prawle Point
One of our all-time favourite fishing spots Prawle Point has several very accessible marks that you can reach via the South West Coastal Path. The scenery is absolutely stunning and the LRF opportunities are numerous, with a number of points, bays and outcrops that are well worth a fish.
We’ve had sessions where we’ve bumped into schools of both mackerel and bass, with a couple of sessions being well into double figures and a couple of really chunky bass too. We’ve bumped into the occasional pollock too. If you head a little further east from Prawle you’ll bump into Lannacombe Bay which has some excellent beach fishing alongside some solid LRF marks, particularly up around Ballsaddle Rock.
In one of our all-time favourite fishing memories, we saw tuna hunting mackerel just a couple of hundred yards off the Devon coastline at Prawle Point.
Wembury Bay
Wembury Bay sits at the mouth of the River Yealm by Noss Mayo and Newton Ferrers and is a real hotspot for wrasse in particular. Whilst bass and mullet are present in numbers they can be a little tricky to catch and require a blend of local knowledge and experience. But what mark doesn’t?
On the easterly edge of the bay, there’s a rocky outcrop that stretches a couple of hundred metres out to sea which is a fantastic spot to try some LRF. If you go a little bit further west you’ll come across Heybrook Bay and – more importantly for anglers – Wembury Point. A wide-stretching expanse of accessible rock that’s a natural feeding ground for a number of species. If you go even further west you’ll stumble on Renney Point. The wash and swell around the rocks at Renney Point make for some excellent bass fishing conditions.
Wembury Bay is particularly affected by wind, but it is rich in underwater structure and becomes a real feeding round for bass at low tide at the right marks scattered around the bay.
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Salcombe and Kingsbridge Estuary
One of Devon’s most famous towns, Salcombe Bay has some really opportune fishing marks you can take advantage of. The brackish waters around the Kingsbridge Estuary have been known to pick up some really sizeable bass and the mouth of the estuary is more than fishable on the incoming tide.
When It comes to beaches around the area Starehole Bay is arguably the best option for fishing. It is accessible via the coastal path towards Overbecks, just take care as the rocks can be treacherous. Particularly in the wet. There’s an offshore reef that’s rich in rays, bass, wrasse, pollock, mackerel and garfish amongst others.
The western edge of Salcombe Bay can be really tricky to access for fishing purposes as the cliffs are much steeper than the surrounding areas. Whilst there are a number of beaches and bays you can try, be careful when accessing the marks.
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Start Point
Go east from Prawle and you’ll stumble upon Start Point, most notable for its lighthouse. Start Point is a rocky outcrop that is rich in underwater structure, rock features and a couple of slightly offshore marks that – in the right conditions – are a super fishing ground for predators, particularly ballan wrasse.
The marks around Start Point are fantastically accessible. The coastal path runs past Start Point Car Park and an additional path has been built down to the lighthouse that brings dozens of potential marks into play. It is one of the most exposed peninsulas in the southwest and its gullies are rich in bass and wrasse.
There are a number of wartime wrecks offshore from Start Point that is home to some serious congers, ling and pollock and a shingle beach
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Start Bay
Start Bay is home to a number of bays around Start Point – including Slapton Sands, Blackpool Sands Beesands, and Hallsands – that throw up plaice, mackerel, bass, rays and garfish. Even the odd huge cod. The Skerries Banks are particularly renowned for plaice and the shingle dropoff is something of a flatfish mecca. Although you may need a boat to reach them.
As these beaches tend to be quite shallow, shingle banks you’ll need some beach casting gear to reach the required marks. These beaches can get quite busy during the day and tend to be better spots for night fishing, particularly for codling. Whilst Slapton’s biggest ever cod weighed in at 29lb, with a few other 20s on record, most codling are in the 2-3lb bracket. Blackpool is arguably the most sheltered of the three and provides the most ‘pleasant’ angling experience.
As all of these beaches are easterly facing they tend to fish very well after an easterly breeze. Particularly if these conditions tally up with the first couple of hours of the flood, given how shallow the ground can be at low tide.
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Torbay
If you continue east down the South Devon coastline you’ll stumble across Brixham, Paignton, Torquay and – most importantly Torbay. The bay itself is bookended by two fantastic spots to fish at Berry Head and Thatcher Point.
Berry Head is a classic wrasse spot thanks to the wealth of gullies for wrasse to hide and the years of quarrying left behind some accessible, flat fishing marks at the water’s edge. Not quite as accessible as Brixham Harbour, which in itself is a reasonable mark for mackerel. But a much better fishing spot where you’ll find pollock, rays, huss, bass, flatfish (in season) and giant wrasse.
To find truly excellent marks at Berry Head you may need to use the pre-existing rope and steel pegs attached to the rocks. This is not for inexperienced anglers to attempt. Particularly alone, so tread carefully.
East Shag
At the eastern edge of the bay next to Torquay, you’ll find Thatcher Point. A largely accessible, rocky outcrop with a number of different marks that all look over Thatcher Rock. An island 100m or so offshore with views all the way around to Hope Nose. Another excellent angling peninsula that has some truly excellent underwater structure for wrasse, bass and pollock in particular.
Hopes Nose has become a little too popular in recent times and can be a challenging climb down. Fishing in less popular times of year is probably a sensible starting point to fish Hope Nose at least. Pack light for LRF fishing here.
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Dawlish Warren Beach
Nestled between Dawlish and Exmouth you’ll find Dawlish Warren Beach. A long beach situated on the mouth of the River Exe, where mackerel, garfish, bass, whiting, pouting, dogfish, rays and flatfish are found regularly.
You can spin off the spit opposite the main beach with good effect or beach fish from the main beach (although that isn’t personally recommended). Red Rock Beach or off the footpath that connects Dawlish to Warren Beach tend to be much more fruitful and a little quieter. There’s some clambering involved here, but the boulders around the sea wall are a tried and trusted spot.
Whilst the main southerly-facing beach can be fished all year round, Warren Point (the easterly side of the main beach and head to the river’s mouth) can be fished at any time between April – August. However, from September – March, everyone must avoid the beach for three hours on either side of all tides above 3.1m.
Saunton Rocks and River Torridge
Situated on the northern edge of Saunton Sands, Saunton Rocks are a popular spot for anglers targeting dogfish and bass, particularly on bait. The rocks themselves are long, and jagged and can be severely treacherous, particularly when wet.
Whilst Saunton Sands is fishable and you can pick up similar-sized dogfish, the beach is nationally renowned as a surfing beach and is incredibly busy in the daytime. The high tidal range of 8.5m exposes a lot of the beach and the surrounding area to high and low water levels, creating super conditions for larger fish to hunt. Particularly at night. Hence why Saunton Rocks are our preferred fishing mark.
Do be careful getting down to Saunton Rocks. There’s a rope attached to the rocks anglers use to scale down to the water’s edge.
At the southern edge of Saunton Sands, you’ll come across the mouth of the River Torridge. A real hotspot for bass fishing on the incoming tide thanks to the abundance of underwater rock features and high tidal range. Whilst the upper stretches of the river are notorious for salmon fishing, the brackish waters at its mouth throw up some great bass and doggies.
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Morte Point
As you head north from Saunton Sands and past the National trust’s Baggy Point (another solid fishing mark) you’ll stumble past Woolacombe Beach and eventually reach Morte Point. A long, jagged rockface that is – largely – accessible from the southwest coastal path. A really superb spot for some LRF, its far-reaching tip is submitted to some pretty powerful tides and swells.
Morte Point is a spectacular fishing mark. Particularly as the tide runs around the headland. offers some good bass and pollock, but only if you can avoid the snags for long enough. The gullies are rich in specimen wrasse and the sea floor is rich in kelp, which makes for some excellent pollock when you find the deeper pockets.
Whilst there are some excellent ledges to fish from around Morte Point if there’s a swell the rocks can be particularly dangerous. Especially around the far-reaching tips.
Hartland
Walk south down the southwest coastal path from Saunton Sands, Westward Ho! and Peppercombe Beaches and you’ll find Blackchurch Rock and – more importantly for anglers – Hartland Point. With some of the most stunning scenery on the coastal path, the stunning outcrops, ledges and underwater structure make for some spectacular fishing.
If you start at Hartland Point and work your way down to Hartland Quay there are a number of shore fishing marks to try. Hartland Point is on the tip of a pretty spectacular peninsula loaded with marks. You just need to find the safest spots to get down.
Hartland Quay offers some of the most accessible fishing spots on this stretch of the North Devon coast, throwing up some chunky bass hunting for crustaceans and baitfish in the shallows.
Ilfracombe
Fishing at Ilfracombe is one of the more family-friendly options on the list. The harbour and pier have been known to throw up some sizeable dogfish, rays, bass, flatfish, pollock, pouting et al over the years. And like any pier, it is suitable for all angling abilities and has some of the best-disabled access in Devon.
If you’re in the mood for something a little more adventurous than pier fishing (can’t say we blame you!), then Ilfracombe still has something to offer. To the north of Ilfracombe Beach lies Capstone Point, a rough-ground mark that throws up some decent pollock, wrasse and coalfish. Further round still and you’ll find Samson’s Bay and Watermouth Cove. Both of which have some very good shore fishing marks from the rocks.
Lundy Island can be accessed from Ilfracombe on MS Oldenburg Ferry, which sails to the island regularly. Whilst Lundy is most famous for its puffin and seal colonies, angling is permitted everywhere apart from its east coast. A designated ‘no-take’ zone.
FAQs
South Devon’s rocky, beautiful coastline is one of our favourite places to fish in the UK. Right the way round from Wembury all the way to Torquay there are a number of fishing hotspots including Wembury Bay, Prawle Point, Salcombe, Start Bay, Torbay, East Shag and Dawlish Warren Beach.
Rich in predatory fish like bass and pollock, the area is brimming with angling hotspots for beginners and experienced anglers alike.
