West Sussex Catch Report - 26th July 2026

Good evening, admittedly the fishing locally has not been great for a while mainly due to the constant hot weather and clear seas but with a brisk wind this weekend and evening tides this coming week hopefully the fishing should show signs of livening up. There have still been plenty of fish caught mainly small Bream and Bass but sometimes putting the effort in and targeting other species which thrive in these conditions such as Mullet which can offer great sport on light tackle from the rivers or beaches can be rewarding. As we all know in sea fishing it can be unpredictable so why not get your rods out and try your luck.

Here are Worthing high tides times for the week ahead:

• Monday 27th July: 10:51 (5.1m), 23:03 (5.2m)
• Tuesday 28th July: 11:33 (5.4m), 23:43 (5.4m)
• Wednesday 29th July: 12:13 (5.6m) 
• Thursday 30th July: 00:21 (5.6m), 12:50 (5.7m)
• Friday 31st July:  00:56 (5.7m), 13:24 (5.8m)
• Saturday 1st August: 01:31 (5.8m), 13:59 (5.9m)

Again, another week with dry and warm weather with plenty of sunshine and little change is predicted for next week. The sea has been calm and clear for much of the week although through the weekend the winds did pick up colouring the water up inshore. 

Black Bream have been the most prolific species recently and have been caught throughout the region both during the day and at night. Most of the fish are small but some venues do produce the occasional better sized fish such as from Brighton Marina, Shoreham Harbour or beaches including Widewater and Selsey. 

Bass are another species which seem to show regardless of the conditions and getting the right tactics or baits for the venue is key to catching them. Worm baits will generally catch the smaller fish with lure fishing catching a mixture of undersized and sizable fish whereas baits such as peeler crab or live baiting can pick out the better fish. Lure fishing tends to produce best results at dawn and dusk either over high tides or wading out at low water. 

A fish often overlooked are Mullet and this summer there have been plenty of fish from the shore and in the local rivers. Calm conditions and good clarity water has meant vast shoals can be spotted cruising in shallow water. Golden Grey Mullet have been caught to red rag baits from Tide Mills at Newhaven and occasionally from Shoreham and Lancing beaches. Thin and Thick Lipped Mullet can and have been caught from the rivers with the Ouse at Newhaven often producing good reports. 

The bigger summer species are most likely to be caught in darkness or if the water is dirty with Smoothounds a possibility with Selsey or Bracklesham spots worth trying with the chance of a Tope turning up. Best chance of a Ray again would be in darkness from venues such as Hove, Bognor or Pagham with Undulates and Thornbacks of mixed sizes showing recently and although Stingers have not been caught lately the beaches in West Sussex could still see a few fish appear in daytime tides. Vast numbers of straps turn up in darkness but there is always a chance of bigger fish being caught. 

Brighton Marina has seen Scads caught in darkness and occasional daytime catches of Mackerel. Both species could make an appearance from Shoreham Harbour and Worthing Pier in the next few weeks but generally Mackerel catches are very poor this summer. 

There is a mixture of flatfish that can be targeted locally with Plaice, Flounders and Sole all possible catches with Shoreham, Hove and Brighton venues worth trying with worm baits. Sole are most likely in darkness with the Harbour and Marina often seeing good fish reported. 

Featuring regularly in local catches lately although not in numbers include the following species: Gilt Head Bream, Red Mullet, Gurnards, Wrasse and Pollock. As we enter August it would not be a surprise to see a Codling turn up with fish reported from inshore boats this past week.

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 which will include plenty of new items from Japan. 

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!