Fishing Holidays in Cornwall

From beach fishing at Praa Sands, to cliff fishing at Penberth Cove, and crabbing off St Ives Pier,  you can be sure to find something to take your fancy. With plenty of tackle shops dotted around too, you won’t be far from finding somewhere to stock up on supplies.

Sea Fishing

With such a selection of sea fishing locations around Cornwall, you'll be spoilt for choice when deciding where to try your luck. Whether it's beach casting from one of the many sandy beaches, or fishing off the rocks of Cornwall's rugged coastline, you can be sure to find a perfect place to enjoy a day's fishing.

Boat fishing is also popular in Cornwall, with many commercial fishing vessels operating here, along with fishing excursions for the public, guided by experienced skippers and expert fishermen.  Boat fishing trips are available from popular destinations including St Ives, (where you can also take a trip to seal island!), Penzance, Falmouth and Newquay. If you’re lucky enough, you may even catch a glimpse of dolphins and basking sharks too.

For an adrenaline filled day out, why not try your hand at shark fishing! Shark fishing excursions from Falmouth run from May to November and offer an exciting day out for beginners to experts, which target Blue sharks and Porbeagle sharks. If you’re extremely lucky, you may even catch sight of a great white which are rumoured to be roaming Britain’s coastline.

Many chartered boats provide all equipment and bait, so all you need to bring along is your enthusiasm, and you’ll be catching dinner in no time.

If you don’t manage to catch anything, a trip to a local fishmonger will ensure you can have a taste of the freshest fish in the UK.  For an interesting day out, visit Newlyn Fish Market, the UK’s largest fishing port, where you can see fishermen landing their catches.  Please note though, the market opens at 6am Monday-Friday, so it's not ideal if you fancy a lie in! If you decide to go fishing in Newlyn, it’s worth noting that fishing from Newlyn pier requires a permit which can be obtained from the harbour master. 

Crabbing

For a more relaxing activity, the many beaches in Cornwall provide the perfect place to take the kids rock pool fishing and crabbing. The many piers found in Cornwall’s coastal towns offer an ideal place to fish from.  From a harbour wall, simply tie some bacon rind to a line, lower it in to the water, and wait!

Top tip: Crabbing is best done as the tide begins to come back in when the crabs are most active. Crabbing provides a fun activity for the whole family; it’s great fun to see who can catch the most!

Coarse Fishing

Although sea fishing is most popular, if coarse fishing is your thing, Cornwall offers a great selection of lake fishing near St Ives, Penzance & Newquay and river fishing in one of Cornwall’s many rivers.  Many of our properties are well situated allowing you to take advantage of these renowned fishing spots.

The Drift Reservoir near Penzance is a popular fly fishing spot, stocked with brown trout and rainbow trout and available to fish from April to October. Boscathnoe reservoir near Penzance offers 4 acres of carp fishing.

Penzance also has two bait shops,  where you can stock up before exploring the miles of coastline, and where you can also book daily fishing trips that run from Penzance Harbour.

To really immerse yourself in the fishing culture, why not stay in an old Fisherman’s cottage in Porthleven, where you’ll perfectly situated to experience lake fishing at Loe Pool; Cornwall's largest natural freshwater lake, or beach fishing at Porthleven beach, which is just 200 yards from the lake.  Porthleven angling centre is also closeby.

Another popular fishing location sis Stithians Lake Country Park near Redruth which is open to fly fishing from March to October and has its own Angling centre too.

Bussow Reservoir and Nance Fishing lakes In St Ives are both popular for carp fishing, and are ideally situated when enjoying a fishing holiday in St Ives.

With so much choice in accessible locations, there’s nothing stopping you from enjoying an angling holiday in Cornwall. Why not stay at one of our specially selected properties, which are perfect for a fishing holiday.  Many of our properties have outside areas too,  which are perfect for BBQing your catch of the day!

View all of our fishing cottages >