West Sussex Catch Report - 8th December 2024
Report by David Lews
Good evening, firstly the good news is Worthing Pier finally reopened last week and despite the poor weather recently there are signs that the fishing is slowly improving and after Saturday’s strong winds hopefully anglers should continue to get reasonable catches so why not get the rods out and give it a go.
Here are Worthing high tides times for the week ahead:
- Monday 9th December: 05:04 (5.3m), 17:28 (5.0m)
- Tuesday 10th December: 06:09 (5.4m), 18:33 (5.1m)
- Wednesday 11th December: 07:09 (5.6m), 19:35 (5.3m)
- Thursday 12th December: 08:06 (5.8m), 20:33 (5.6m)
- Friday 13th December: 09:00 (6.0m), 21:28 (5.8m)
- Saturday 14th December: 09:51 (6.2m), 22:22 (6.0m)
Another weekend where we had the presence of a named storm and very strong winds for both Saturday and Sunday with firstly Southwest winds followed by it switching to a northerly direction on the Sunday. The sea at times has been extremely rough with a considerable swell although the strength of the northerlies Sunday did flatten the sea. Again, vast amounts of sand and shingle has been washed away altering the seabed and beaches locally so always worth checking venues before you fish.
Some decent Bass continue to be caught throughout the region and to various baits. Fish up to 7lb have been caught during the last fortnight and a lot of smaller though sizable fish have shown, and Bass can be caught at different stages of the tide depending on venue and often can be found in shallow water in the surf. The lower stretches of the local rivers and from the Harbour and Marina are noted spots for producing regular catches of Bass.
Worthing Pier saw a good Conger of 20lb plus caught on a Whiting bait and this venue should see some more big Congers caught whilst conditions remain ideal. Once the beaches become fishable expect Congers to appear from most of the usual venues although there are still large numbers of small straps.
It is the time of year where often Whiting and Dogfish are prolific and at times there are decent catches made yet other times not many fish show. Coloured water ensures both species can show during daytime and at night. There is also a possibility a Bull huss could also appear in amongst the Dogfish shoals.
Anglers wishing to target flatfish can find good numbers of Flounders in the River Adur and the likelihood is there will be fish in the Arun as well. Red rag or other small worm baits should find a few fish with a mixture of Flounder sizes being caught. Some decent Flounders have been caught from the beaches at times and often with limpets in their mouth at time of capture. Once the sea calms a few small Plaice, occasional Sole and some Dabs are all likely to be caught locally.
Now the unsettled weather seems more regular and continuous coloured water, species which could feature in catches include Codling, Silver Eels, Pout and small Smoothounds.
The Rays fishing during the past month or so has been surprisingly poor although there is still a realistic chance of some appearing. Undulate Ray can often be caught at Selsey east beach this time of year although Pagham, Bognor and Shoreham could produce a fish or two. Thornback could appear from Eastbourne, Seaford, Hove or Pagham.
Prime Angling is open 7 days a week; opening hours are 8am till 5pm – Monday to Saturday and Sunday 8am – 4pm, 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. With Christmas just a month away we have everything Anglers want on their Christmas list so pop in and we have gift vouchers available too. Christmas opening hours can also be found within this week’s pictures as well as some of examples of how rough the sea was locally on Saturday.
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 and Tight Lines!
