The injury to his leg was severe enough that teams decided the helicopter was the only way to safely extract him from the rocks and transfer him quickly for onward medical care.
Martin Leslie, area commander for Cornwall, said: “Fishing in a quiet spot at the edge of a vast sea is one of life’s greatest joys, but there are things we all need to be aware of to ensure it remains a joy and not a curse.
“Rocks look like the perfect place to set up, there’s a flat spot, it’s remote and people will generally leave you alone – but actually rocks can be very dangerous and slippery when wet, there are unknown dangers lurking at cliff edges so always consider whether there is anywhere safer to fish.
“The sea and our coasts can be dangerous places so make sure you wear a suitable flotation device, especially if you are on a pier, jetty or harbour wall.
“Take a torch, wear suitable footwear and take a mobile phone so if something does go wrong, you can call for help.
“And things go wrong, even when you’ve done everything right, so put safety ahead of these unknown dangers – and remember to call 999 and ask for the Coastguard if you need our help.”
Newquay and Padstow coastguard rescue teams, alongside Fistral RNLI lifeguards, also responded to the 999 call from the member of the public shortly after 3pm, and supported the helicopter in extracting the casualty.
He was then transferred to hospital for onward treatment.
Martin added: “He was lucky the tide was out or it could have been much worse.
“So as the weather starts to get colder and wetter out there, please look after yourselves.”