West Sussex Fishing Report - 31st August 2025

Good evening, as often is the case with fishing locally, when the weather is not that great – the fishing usually is and there has been increased catch reports of species such as Codling, Rays and Bass and with some of the smallest tides of the year this coming week coupled with onshore winds the fishing should hopefully remain good for the days ahead and certainly worth getting the rods out and giving it a try. 

Here are Worthing high tides times for the week ahead:

• Monday 1st September: 05:25 (4.3m), 17:54 (4.3m)
• Tuesday 2nd September: 06:49 (4.1m), 19:27 (4.1m)
• Wednesday 3rd September: 08:30 (4.2m) 20:59 (4.4m)
• Thursday 4th September: 09:38 (4.7m), 21:55 (4.9m)
• Friday 5th September:  10:26 (5.3m), 22:40 (5.4m)
• Saturday 6th September: 11:08 (5.7m), 23:21 (5.8m)

During the past week the weather has been fairly unsettled with plenty of cloud, rain and even sunshine along with brisk winds which has meant the sea has been coloured for most of the week and in places the weed has returned. Next week the weather is predicted to be similar as last and with very small tides the water should remain dirty and choppy. 

Conditions have been ideal for targeting Codling locally and fish have shown both the day and at night when the water has been coloured mainly from Worthing or Shoreham, but the occasional fish has been caught throughout the region. A few better sized Codling to just over 4lb have made an appearance along with a few smaller fish. Baits to use when targeting Codling include blacks, lugworm and squid. 

Undulate Ray catches have increased during the past week with catches made from Worthing, Shoreham, Bognor and Pagham. Fish range from small up to about 9lb. Thornbacks although mostly small are possible with fish often caught from Shoreham, Hove, Bognor, Seaford and Eastbourne and there still is a chance of late Stinger appearing from East Preston or Climping. 

There continues to be good reports of Bass with very nice fish caught locally especially from the Marina, Harbour and Pier. Small tides with coloured and choppy seas often sees Bass in very shallow water and they can be caught often in better numbers at low tide rather than high but will be worth targeting throughout the tide. 

Dogfish have been caught in small numbers and the odd Bull huss could randomly show locally and other species which could appear include Whiting, Pouting, Silver Eels and a chance of a late Smoothound. 

Due to the unsettled weather and the water being dirty for much of the week a lot of the smaller summer species do not feature in catches although from deeper water venues where there is better clarity there are still species such as Mackerel, Gurnards, Mullet, Black Bream, Scads, Red Mullet etc likely to be caught and they will return to most venues once the water calms and clears out. The Squid which moved in the previous week in numbers are likely to reappear in the next prolonged settled period. 

Flatfish are most likely to be caught from around Shoreham Harbour and Brighton Marina when the sea eases with small Plaice, Flounders and Sole all possible catches to worm baits. The marina and harbour can see Sole caught in the day whilst the water is coloured. 

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.