West Sussex Fishing Report - 20th July 2025

Report by David Lewis

Good evening, the fishing can best be described as “steady” with some good catches and plenty of species being caught locally despite the conditions regarding weed and unsettled weather recently but hopefully soon the fishing will revert to what is usually expected at this time of year so why not get out and give it a try. 

Here are Worthing high tides times for the week ahead:

• Monday 21st July: 08:32 (5.0m), 21:03 (5.2m)
• Tuesday 22nd July: 09:43 (5.2m), 22:08 (5.4m)
• Wednesday 23rd July: 10:48 (5.5m) 23:07 (5.6m)
• Thursday 24th July: 11:48 (5.7m)
• Friday 25th July:  00:04 (5.8m), 12:42 (5.9m)
• Saturday 26th July: 00:53 (5.9m), 13:29 (6.0m)

The weather during the past week has certainly been mixed, some days warm and sunny with light winds then as usual the weekend the winds tend to pick up along with spells of rain.  The sea is slightly coloured following the brisk winds and seaweed can still be an issue at some venues. 

Anglers specifically fishing for Sole are finding some very nice sized fish, fishing in darkness from the Harbour using worm baits and have had some good fish to 2lb lately plus plenty of sizable as well. There still are quite a few small Plaice, again to worm baits and occasional Flounders. Beaches at Hove, Brighton and Eastbourne could produce decent Sole at night and Plaice and Flounders in the daytime. 

Shoreham Harbour and nearby beaches have seen some Golden Grey Mullet caught to red rag baits when the sea is clear usually caught within 50 yards from the beach just beyond any weed. Other species of Mullet can and have been caught from venues such as the local rivers with varying methods and baits working on different occasions. When the sea clarity is good and calm water often Mullet shoals can be spotted around structures such as Brighton Marina and Worthing Pier. 

Black Bream are still being caught throughout the region although majority are now a lot smaller than previous months and some venues have produced repeated catches of Gilt Head Bream. 

Mackerel which were plentiful the previous week were hard to find this week with very few fish caught but with evening high tides Mackerel could appear at dusk if the conditions are good and early mornings can be worthwhile especially if there are big shoals of whitebait inshore. Scad will also be a likely catch during and around darkness and often caught alongside Mackerel. 

The weed has meant some beaches which are normally worthwhile for targeting Rays are currently best avoided, but a few small Stingrays and the odd Undulate Ray have been caught by anglers battling the weed. Thornbacks have also occasionally shown but expect catches to improve once the weed eases. 

Selsey and Bracklesham are the most likely venues to produce the best of any Smoothound fishing locally although the occasional better fish further east is possible when the sea is choppy and coloured. Most fish around Shoreham and Brighton are small and caught on a variety of baits. Tope is also a possibility mainly from Selsey west beach or Bracklesham. 

There are still Congers to be caught but unfortunately most are extremely small fish with most fish below 2lb in weight yet Brighton Marina this year has produced a steady flow of better sized eels with many doubles caught and in daylight towards the end of the east arm. 

With the unsettled weather targeting Bass is often dependant on the water clarity with lure fishing worthwhile if it is clear but if the water is dirty bait fishing is the way to go and depending on the sea state Bass can be fished for in very shallow water when a surf is running and baits can vary venue to venue. 

Other species occasionally figuring in local catches include Wrasse, Gurnards, Dogfish, Pout and Silver Eels. Within the next few weeks do not be surprised to see the first Codling appear which usually make an appearance early August onwards.

Prime Angling 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!