West Sussex Catch Report - 7th December 2025

Report by David Lewis

Good evening, despite the fact the weather has certainly not been great, thankfully the fishing is considerably better for anglers venturing out and although Whiting are now present in numbers there is still enough species to target including Flounders from the local rivers, Congers from the Pier, so why not get out and try your luck. 

Here are Worthing high tides times for the week ahead:

• Monday 8th December: 01:12 (6.1m), 13:25 (6.0m)
• Tuesday 9th December: 02:06 (5.9m), 14:19 (5.7m)
• Wednesday 10th December: 02:58 (5.7m) 15:12 (5.3m)
• Thursday 11th December: 03:50 (5.4m), 16:10 (5.0m)
• Friday 12th December:  04:46 (5.2m), 17:10 (4.8m)
• Saturday 13th December: 05:46 (5.0m), 18:15 (4.7m)

The past week has mainly consisted of strong winds, plenty of cloud and rain although there has been a rare glimpse of the sun at times, and the sea has remained choppy and coloured all week.
 
Despite being later than usual, Whiting have finally moved in with lots of fish caught locally throughout the region where anglers have managed up to 60 fish in a four-hour session. Majority of the Whiting are sizable and will be caught to most baits and will be present in both the day and at nighttime whilst the sea is coloured. 

Congers have been caught in fairly good numbers with plenty of straps in the 2 to 6lb range but there are certainly some bigger fish about with a superb 27lb Eel caught by Carl Golding and there are some doubles showing and now the Whiting are plentiful there should be some big Eels ready to feed on them as either dead or live baits. Although they could appear anywhere in the current conditions venues that produce most fish include Brighton Marina and Worthing Pier so worth remembering to bring a drop net and use suitable tackle for targeting them when fishing from any structures. 

The recent conditions have been ideal for Dogfish, and they have been caught both during the day and at night when the water is coloured and like Whiting, they can be hard to avoid as they will eat most baits they find. 

The local rivers are producing better numbers of Flounders with Anthony Hocking managing 16 fish in a session midweek and making the effort for baits such as red or white rag can improve your chances and small king rag will also catch a few fish. Flounders will also show from venues such as Shoreham Harbour, Brighton Marina as well as sandy beaches in more settled conditions along with the occasional small Plaice, Dabs and possible Sole. 

Bass will still be a worthwhile target with fish to 6lb a realistic possibility locally with a good number of sizable fish also likely to show and beaches should be worthwhile when it is choppy and worm baits usually find fish below 3lb whereas bigger fish baits account for the better sized Bass.  

Due to the recent winds, there has not been much chance of fishing the beaches but for anglers wishing to target Rays, Thornbacks could be caught with Eastbourne, Hove, Bognor and Pagham venues worth trying. Best chance of an Undulate Ray would probably be the area between Bognor and Selsey although they seem scarce and Brighton could see a Small Eyed Ray caught although they are rare. 

Other fish likely to occasionally be caught in the present conditions include the chance of the odd Codling, Pout, Silver Eels and small Bull Huss.  Once the sea eventually calms and clears there is a possibility of Herring, Shad, Bream and maybe Squid could return. 

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.