West Sussex Catch Report - 1st March 2026

Report by David Lewis

Good evening, as we enter March thankfully both the weather and fishing are showing signs of improvement with yet more good catches reported this week with a good mixture of species both big and small so there is plenty for anglers to target locally and with good weather predicted for next week why not get out and give it ago. 

Here are Worthing high tides times for the week ahead:

• Monday 2nd March: 11:34 (6.0m)
• Tuesday 3rd March: 00:09 (6.2m), 12:20 (6.1m)
• Wednesday 4th March: 00:51 (6.2m), 13:01 (6.1m) 
• Thursday 5th March: 01:29 (6.2m), 13:38 (6.0m)
• Friday 6th March:  02:04 (6.0m), 14:13 (5.8m)
• Saturday 7th March: 02:37 (5.8m), 14:48 (5.5m)

The past week saw some improvement to the weather with even some days having sunshine and light winds although there still has been wet and windy weather on occasions, but next week’s weather forecast is looking good with light winds and yet more sunshine. 
Another week where some decent sized Conger Eels to over 20lb have been caught locally with majority of fish caught from the beaches during darkness. Fish have shown throughout the region with areas around Hove and Brighton producing the larger Eels. 

Next week’s weather forecast and big tides could hopefully see the water calm down and start to clear which could finally give the anglers the chance to realistically target Plaice from beaches such as Shoreham, Hove and Brighton. Plaice have been caught recently but not in the numbers and sizes of fish which can appear this time of year in the right conditions which is calm seas and clear water for a prolonged period whereas this year so far, the sea has mainly been rough and coloured. 

Dabs and Flounders will be caught on worm baits with Dabs showing in better numbers from venues in East Sussex such as Eastbourne and Pevensey whereas Flounders can randomly appear and a likely bycatch when targeting Plaice. Even this week the occasional small Sole have shown as well as a rare catch of a Turbot from a local beach. 

Dogfish have been caught in large numbers from most venues both during the day and at night and they are likely to continue to be caught until the sea clarity improves and water clears out. The Dogfish are seemingly taking most baits cast out at present and can be hard to avoid. 

The last couple of weeks have seen Thornback Rays becoming a more frequent catch mainly from beaches such as Hove, Bognor, Eastbourne etc but they can show randomly at this time of year from any venue. The occasional Undulate Ray has also been caught and best venues to target them seem to from Aldwick to Pagham during darkness. 

Whiting are still being caught but not in the numbers usually expected and will be caught to most baits both during the day and at night whilst the water holds colour. With the number of good-sized Congers about at night a Whiting used either as a live or dead bait can entice a big Eel to your hook. 

Remember for all of February and March the Bass ban is in place and ALL BASS must be returned alive so at present it is catch and release only for Bass. Despite the ban anglers have been catching and releasing plenty of sizable Bass up to 4lb with fish regularly showing especially from the beaches when the surf is running and often caught in very shallow water. 

There are plenty of other species featuring in catches including small Smoothounds, Pout, Rockling and Silver Eels. 

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. 

Good luck & Tight Lines!