West Sussex Catch Report - 3rd May 2026

Report by David Lewis

Good evening, we hope you are enjoying the bank holiday weekend and managing to get some fishing in and pleasingly there does seem to be some decent fish regularly being reported namely Stingers, Hounds and Bream but there are plenty of other species to target locally as well both big and small and certainly enough to keep the rod tips rattling so why not get out and give it ago. 

Here are Worthing high tides times for the week ahead:

• Monday 4th May: 01:18 (5.8m), 13:40 (5.7m)
• Tuesday 5th May: 01:48 (5.7m), 14:13 (5.5m)
• Wednesday 6th May: 02:18 (5.5m), 14:46 (5.3m) 
• Thursday 7th May: 02:51 (5.2m), 15:23 (5.1m)
• Friday 8th May:  03:30 (4.9m), 16:09 (4.8m)
• Saturday 9th May: 04:20 (4.6m), 17:12 (4.6m)

The weather during the past week has been mostly dry, bar Saturday afternoon when it rained, plenty of sunshine and reasonably warm and the brisk north easterlies have finally eased and with this the sea has been calm and become quite clear. 

Stingrays are catching anglers’ attention at the moment, and plenty have been reported over the weekend with usual venues between Climping and Pagham seeing fish taken on baits such as king rag and crab. Other species of Rays are regularly being caught at night including Thornbacks and Undulates with fish to over 9lb possible. 

Some good-sized Black Breams have been caught from Selsey East beach, Pagham, Brighton Marina and a few smaller ones from Shoreham. Fish to over 2lb are not uncommon at this time of year and the beaches can tend to fish better during darkness in calm conditions with clear water although the Marina sees plenty caught in daytime tides. 

Smoothound catches are on the increase with fish reported to around 12lb with the best of the fishing in West Sussex at venues such as Bognor, Pagham and Selsey, plus other spots are seeing plenty of smaller fish, but the big packs as yet have not arrived and should be expected towards the end of the month. 

With good clarity in the water lure fishing for Bass can be worthwhile and dependant on the venue and time of day sometimes low tiding can be more productive than fishing high tides. Worm baits have accounted for more Schoolies lately and crab can still often pick out the better sized Bass especially from the lower stretches of the rivers where the crabs are currently peeling. 

Anglers wishing to target flatfish will find some good Plaice can be caught at Brighton from the beaches and the east arm at the Marina mainly to worm baits. A few Flounders are being caught randomly through the region, and a few Soles are showing between Shoreham and Brighton at night. Dabs are still about but catches dropping off compared to a few months ago. 

Although not around in huge numbers, Cuttlefish and Squid have been caught, mainly from Brighton Marina with the odd Squid from Worthing Pier.

Other species of summer fish are being caught when the water is calm and clear although they are few and far between including odd Mackerel, Garfish, Wrasse and Gurnards. Mullet can be found in the local rivers and likely from structures such as the Marina and harbour. 

Night fishing in the current conditions will also produce a few Congers but now most seem to be small straps, Dogfish are still about but again nothing like the numbers which have shown recently. A few Pout, Silver Eels are occasional catches and Whiting seem to have already moved off. 

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!