West Sussex Catch Report - 26th January 2025

Report by David Lewis

Good evening, despite the bad weather during the last few days the change in conditions means targeting some of the bigger species could be worthwhile locally with the likelihood of a few Congers appearing and the odd Ray, plus once the weather settles there will be plenty of the usual smaller species to catch so why not get out and give it ago. 

Here are Worthing high tides times for the week ahead:

• Monday 27th January: 09:33 (5.1m), 22:05 (5.3m)
• Tuesday 28th January: 10:18 (5.4m), 22:49 (5.6m)
• Wednesday 29th January: 11:02 (5.7m), 23:33 (5.9m)
• Thursday 30th January: 11:44 (6.0m)
• Friday 31st January:  00:17 (6.1m), 12:29 (6.1m)
• Saturday 1st February: 01:01 (6.2m), 13:11 (6.2m) 

After more than a fortnight of reasonably settled weather and light winds it was all change towards the weekend with another named storm arriving bringing with a spell of very strong winds which turned the sea rough and very coloured. The unsettled weather is due to continue at the beginning of next week before the winds start easing slightly. Again, worth noting these strong winds on very small tides causes even more sand to be stripped from local beaches meaning vast areas of rocks and bedrock exposed so check beaches before you plan to fish. 

The next few days Worthing Pier could be worth trying for a Conger and one of the few venues where you can fish in relative comfort in bad weather although it can close if winds are too strong. Big fish baits or live Whiting offers your best chance of hooking into an Eel and always remember to use suitable gear and to bring a drop net. Once the beaches become fishable, venues such as Shoreham, Selsey and Pagham could be worth trying for Congers although admittedly it’s not the best time of year to target them.  

With coloured water locally expect the Whiting shoals to be present in numbers with a mixture of sizes caught recently. They will be showing during the daytime whilst the water is dirty and are worth using as a live bait for targeting Congers from the Pier or Harbour. 

Dogfish are also likely to return to most venues and will be caught to most baits but prefer fish baits and squid. A Bull huss could be caught in amongst the Dogfish with numbers slowly on the increase locally. 

Just as a few Plaice made an appearance, albeit in small numbers the sea conditions mean at present they are not likely to reappear until the sea calms and water clarity improves. Brighton, Eastbourne, Seaford and Shoreham could see some fish return with bigger high tides and winds easing towards next weekend. Usually casting at range is often an advantage using baits such as black lug or king rag.

For slightly more sheltered fishing, Flounders can still be caught locally with the River Adur producing fish in darkness to baits such as White or Red Rag. Flounders will also be caught on local beaches once the sea state eases.

Dabs continue to be the most frequent flatfish being caught locally especially from East Sussex beaches such as Eastbourne, Pevensey, Seaford etc to bait such as black lug. Hove and Shoreham will see a few Dabs also. 
 
Selsey has seen the odd Undulate show, and the fish landed have been double figures in weight. A few small Thornbacks have come up from Bognor and Pagham. Venues worth targeting them would include Pagham, Eastbourne or Seaford. 

Choppy seas could encourage some Bass inshore and they can be caught in very shallow water and at different stages of the tide depending on the venue. Schoolies have been caught recently but conditions could see a few better sized fish turn up. Some fish still likely to be in the local rivers in the lower stretches.

Other species that could feature in catches will include Rockling to small worm baits, a few Silver Eels, and Pout. Mullet shoals continue to be spotted in the local rivers and seemingly have not left this winter.

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 feel free to 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!