West Sussex Catch Report - 18th January 2026

Report by David Lewis

Good evening, usually during January the fishing can be tough, and at times this year is no different although this week there are certainly signs of improvement with some very good fish reported plus there is plenty of smaller fish keeping the rod tips rattling so why not get out and give it ago.

Here are Worthing high tides times for the week ahead:

• Monday 19th January: 11:33 (5.7m)
• Tuesday 20th January: 00:02 (5.8m), 12:09 (5.8m)
• Wednesday 21st January: 00:39 (5.9m) 12:45 (5.8m)
• Thursday 22nd January: 01:15 (5.9m), 13:23 (5.9m)
• Friday 23rd January:  01:52 (5.9m), 14:00 (5.8m)
• Saturday 24th January: 02:29 (5.8m), 14:40 (5.7m)

The sea conditions this week have been rough at times mainly when there have been strong onshore winds, but the sea has calmed during the weekend as the winds dropped. The sea is coloured but at some deeper venues the water has cleared slightly.

A few Thornback Rays have been caught lately with Dean Martin Adams catching two superb fish this weekend with the best going 13lb 4oz and catching another one of 9lb plus. Undulate Rays are extremely scarce at moment with Bognor, Aldwick or Pagham a spot where one could appear as well as Thornbacks. Eastbourne, Hove and Seaford are other venues which could produce a few Thornbacks. 

Despite perfect conditions recently there has been a lack of Conger Eels but odd ones were caught from Shoreham Arm to around 10lb using Whiting as bait. They are still a possible catch the West Arm and Worthing Pier venues worth targeting them from. 

Whiting are still showing from most venues although there does seem to be less than previous years and they will be caught in the daytime as well as during the night whilst the water is coloured. Whiting will be caught on most baits and they themselves can make good baits either dead or alive when targeting Congers. 

A nice sized Plaice was caught locally from the beach and hopefully they should start to appear in better numbers once we get a settled period allowing the sea to calm and clear for a reasonable amount of time, the clearer water is needed as this tends to reduce the amount of competition of other species finding the baits and encourages the Plaice to move inshore in numbers. Venues worth trying will include Shoreham, Hove, Brighton, Seaford and Eastbourne. The odd fish have been caught but generally small at present. 

Dabs catches are certainly increasing, and East Sussex beaches tend to see more fish showing with Pevensey, Eastbourne and Seaford worth targeting them with ideally black lug and venues further east such as Brighton, Hove and Shoreham will also see a few caught in settled conditions. 

The local Flounder fishing seems hit and miss now with the best chance of catching would be from the River Adur with ideally baits such as red or white rag. Darkness increases your chances and some spots can fish better than others depending on the tide. Flounders will also be caught on the beaches with fish often caught to worm baits by anglers targeting Plaice or Dabs. 

Dogfish are showing but not in numbers and fish are a mixture of sizes with some very small Dogs caught recently along with the odd normal sized ones. They will eat most baits and can be caught in dirty water both in the day and at night. 

Very few Bass have been reported this week other than a few schoolies although this does not mean that some decent fish could be caught. The local rivers have produced a few fish in the lower stretches with crab baits picking out the better fish whereas worms tend to find small fish. 

Other species likely to feature in catches include Rocklings, the odd Silver Eel, and some Jumbo Pouts can randomly show up. If the water does clear within the next few weeks Herring are likely to return. 

Prime Angling usual opening times are 8am till 5pm Monday to Saturday and 8am till 4pm Sundays. We are located at 26 Marine Parade, Worthing, BN11 3PT, just to the east of Worthing Pier with limited customer parking available at the front of the shop. For bait availability it is advisable to phone us on 01903 821594. We also stock a large variety of frozen sea baits as well as a wide range of freshwater baits and tackle. 

Visit our online website at primeangling.co.uk with plenty of new stock regularly added so keep an eye on our Facebook page for updates. 

Please send us pictures of your recent local catches via our Facebook page messenger or email and we will aim to publish them for you in the weekly report. Please note we DO NOT claim ANY FISH used and mentioned in our reports are caught on our baits or tackle, it is a report to show what has and is likely to be caught locally.