Fishing in Torbay
Some flatfish, gurnard, the occasional bass, mullet or mackerel.
- Broadsands Beach, Marks out of 10: 4, Status: Not recommended
Although Sugar Loaf, a small headland and beach which can be accessed by walking down Saltern Road and following the trail at the end, lies between Goodrington Sands and Broadsands Beach, it is the latter which draws the most anglers. Whereas Sugar Loaf is small and not particularly comfortable to fish, Broadsands is an open beach with plenty of room and a reasonably clean bottom. You can catch flatfish, gurnard and bass here on occasion but I would stress the 'on occasion' part of that sentence.
Some people have started mullet fishing near the rocks, going in with chest waders and offering bread to bubble float at distance, and this is probably worth exploring.
- Elbury Cove, Marks out of 10: 7, Status: Worth a go
To reach Elbury, you need to walk over the golf course on the right of Broadsands Beach. When you get there, you will see an old, ruined boat house on the right of the cove and rocks to both sides. This is where I tend to fish, casting with float along the edges of the rocks rather than with beachcaster off the middle of the cove.
For bait, I would stick to live prawns or sandeels with bass being the main target and make sure that my trip coincided with an early morning high tide. You can fish, quite successfully, for mackerel, wrasse or garfish but be aware that this is one of the areas designated for speedboats and skiers, limiting the time available. Think short, high and early morning and you wont go too far wrong.
- Churston Cove, Marks out of 10: 3, Status: Not recommended
After you have reached Elbury Cove, go up through the woods and follow the trail/footpath round to reach Churston Cove. It is quite a way from the car park at Broadsands, so be prepared to travel light, carrying the minimum of gear. When you get there, you will find a small, mediocre beach offering mediocre fishing for species that you can catch virtually anywhere else in the bay. Personally, I would not bother.
Bass, wrasse, mackerel, flounders, garfish and pollack.
Some occasional surprises during the Summer.
Bass on occasion, mackerel, garfish, wrasse and mullet.
- Fishcombe Cove, Marks out of 10: 6, Status: Worth a go
The jury's out on Fishcombe, at the moment, since the fishing can be good but is often erratic. There are plenty of wrasse around the rocks - although often they are very small - and you can reach mackerel, garfish, mullet and bass at the high tide. Personally, I reckon the best time to hit Fishcombe would be early morning, in the middle of the summer, on a big tide. Stick to the rocks at either side and fish live prawns or sandeels at close range on a deep float then, if there is no action, switch to mackerel strip and distance float tackle for the mackerel.
Some people try for congers around the rocks but I haven't heard of a huge amount of success in this direction. (Please feel free to correct me if you know anything different.)
It is also worth having a go off the left hand rocks with bread and bubble float for mullet. A lot of yachts use this area for swimming and I suspect a fair number of half chewed sandwiches could provide some groundbait for anglers.