Ask Arty · 49 terms · 15 questions
Glossary and FAQ
The angling words used across this guide, in plain English, and answers to the questions people ask most when they start sea fishing. Every answer comes from the guide's own pages, with a link to read more.
Ask Arty: the questions people ask most
Do I need a licence to go sea fishing?
You don't need a licence to sea fish from the shore or a boat in England or Wales. You do need an Environment Agency (England) or Natural Resources Wales rod licence if you fish for salmon, sea trout, freshwater fish or eels, including in tidal rivers. In Scotland it is a criminal offence to fish for salmon or sea trout without the rights holder's written permission, even from the shore within 1.5km of low water.
What are the bass rules?
Any bass you keep must be at least 42cm. From 1 April to 31 January you may keep up to 3 bass per angler per day, from shore or boat. From 1 February to 31 March every bass goes back. You may never sell a rod-caught bass. Some estuaries are bass nursery areas with boat restrictions.
Which fish can I keep?
Only fish at or above the legal minimum size for that area, and within any bag limit. Sizes differ between regulators: mackerel is 20cm in the Irish Sea but 30cm in the North Sea. It is illegal to land a rod-caught tope in England, and common skate, white skate and angel shark are protected. Many anglers also return wrasse, smoothhound, big female rays and big bass. Keep only what you'll eat.
When is the best time to go sea fishing?
On most beaches, the two or three hours up to high water fish best, as the flood pushes food and fish towards you. Whiting, cod, conger and sole feed best after dark, while bass, pollack and mackerel come close at dawn and dusk. A settling sea after a blow, with some colour in the water, is classic cod weather. Clear, calm sunny days are the hardest.
What tackle do I need to start?
One outfit covers most beaches and piers: a 10 to 12ft rod rated about 2 to 4oz, a 5000 to 6000 size fixed spool reel, 15lb mono, 2 to 4oz grip leads and a two-hook flapper rig. Add long-nose pliers, a head torch, a bucket, a tape measure and, from a pier, a drop net.
What bait should I use?
Lugworm or ragworm from a tackle shop catch almost everything and are sold all year. Keep them cool in newspaper and use small, neat baits on small hooks. Peeler crab, mackerel strip and squid come into their own as you target particular fish.
Can I go sea fishing at night?
Yes, and many fish feed best after dark, including whiting, cod, conger and sole. Take a head torch, know the time of high water and your way off, and tell someone where you are. Never fish rock alone in the dark, and check a pier's own rules first, because access and opening hours vary.
Is sea fishing good for children?
Yes. Crabbing off a harbour quay with a crab line or drop net is the easiest start, and a pier or harbour wall with a rail is a good first fishing spot. Children should wear a lifejacket on piers, walls and rocks, and stay well back from the edge.
Can I fish from any pier or harbour?
No. Piers, ports and harbours are private property with their own rules. Some need a permit, some are club-only, some close for repairs, and some ban casting in summer. Check with the owner or harbour office before you travel.
Can I sell the fish I catch?
No. Recreational anglers may never sell bass, or any other rod-caught fish, without a commercial licence.
Can I dig my own bait?
You can dig lug and rag and collect crab for your own use on most foreshores. Backfill the holes, put rocks back the way up you found them, and keep clear of signed protected areas and bird roosts.
How do I stay safe on the coast?
Know the time of high water and your way off before you go out. Wear a lifejacket on rocks, piers and walls. Watch the sea for 10 minutes before going down onto rock, because big waves come in sets. In an emergency, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard, and never go in after someone.
What is the difference between springs and neaps?
Spring tides come around full and new moon and are the biggest tides, with the most water movement. Neap tides come around the half moons and are the smallest. Springs are often best on beaches and estuaries but harder and more dangerous on cut-off marks; neaps are gentler.
How do I find a fishing mark near me?
Enter your postcode on the Marks page, or use your location, and the marks are sorted by distance with a rough drive time. Each mark has its own page with the tide it fishes on, the fish, safety notes and the region's rules.
Can I fish for sea trout from the beach?
In England and Wales you need a rod licence to fish for sea trout, even in tidal water. In Scotland it is a criminal offence to fish for them without the rights holder's written permission, in the sea within 1.5km of low water as well as in rivers. If you hook one by accident while sea fishing, return it quickly.
Glossary
- Aberdeen hook
- A long-shanked, fine-wire hook. The long shank makes it easy to thread a worm on and to unhook small fish. Sizes 1 to 1/0 suit most shore fishing. More
- Bag limit
- The most fish of one species you may keep in a day. For bass it is 3 per angler per day from 1 April to 31 January. More
- Bait clip
- A small plastic clip on the rig that holds the hook and bait tight to the line during the cast, then releases on impact. It helps the bait fly further and stay on. More
- Bait elastic
- Very fine stretchy thread wound round a soft bait, such as worm or peeler crab, to keep it on the hook through the cast. More
- Braid
- Line woven from many fine fibres. It has almost no stretch, so you feel every bite, and it is thinner than mono for its strength. It cuts easily on rock, so it is used with a leader. More
- Breakaway lead
- Another name for a grip lead whose wires fold back when you pull hard, so it holds in the tide but comes free when you wind in. More
- Casting weight
- The range of lead or lure weights a rod is built to cast, printed on the rod, such as 2 to 4oz. Casting much heavier than the rating can break it. More
- Catch and release
- Returning a fish alive, quickly and carefully, instead of keeping it. Bass are catch and release only from 1 February to 31 March, and tope always go back in England. More
- Clean ground
- Sand, shingle or mud with few snags. You can fish grip leads and long casts without losing much tackle.
- Clip-down rig
- A rig where the hooks are clipped up near the lead for the cast so the baits fly neatly and further. Used for distance on clean beaches. More
- Codling
- A young cod, usually up to a few pounds. Winter shore fishing in the north is often for codling. More
- Fixed spool reel
- A reel where the spool stays still and line spills off the front when you cast. Easier to learn than a multiplier. A 5000 to 6000 size suits beach and pier fishing. More
- Flapper
- The flapper rig: one, two or three short hook lengths on a trace above a fixed lead, so the baits flutter in the tide just off the bottom. The best all-round rig for a first trip. More
- Flood
- The rising tide, from low water up to high water. On many beaches the two or three hours up to high water fish best. More
- Fluorocarbon
- A dense, hard-wearing line that is hard for fish to see in clear water. Often used for hook lengths and lure leaders. More
- High water
- The top of the tide. Tide tables give the time and height of high water for each port. Many marks fish best either side of it. More
- Hook length
- Another name for a snood: the short line between the rig body and the hook.
- IFCA
- Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority. The ten IFCAs set and enforce local sea fishing rules, such as minimum sizes, around the English coast. More
- Leader
- A length of stronger or tougher line tied to the end of the main line. It takes the wear from rocks, teeth and the cast. More
- LRF
- Light rock fishing: tiny lures and baits on very light rods for small fish around harbours, piers and rocks. Great fun, and many species. More
- Lugworm
- A fat worm dug from sand and mud flats at low water. One of the best all-round sea baits, especially for cod, whiting and flatfish. More
- Mark
- A place to fish: a beach, pier, rock ledge, harbour wall or estuary bank. More
- Minimum size
- The smallest length at which you may keep a fish, measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail (rays: wing tip to wing tip). It varies by species and by regulator. More
- Mono
- Monofilament: single-strand nylon line. Cheap, forgiving and slightly stretchy. The usual main line for beginners, often 15lb on a beach rod. More
- Multiplier
- A reel with a revolving drum that sits on top of the rod. It casts far and is strong, but takes practice to cast without tangles. More
- Peeler
- A shore crab about to shed its shell. Peeled and tied on with elastic, it is one of the best baits for cod, bass, flounder and smoothhound. More
- Pennel
- Two hooks on one snood, one above the other, to hold a big bait such as a worm bunch or a fish fillet and hook the fish whichever end it takes. More
- PFD
- Personal flotation device: a lifejacket. Wear one on rocks, piers and walls, with the crotch strap fastened. More
- Plain lead
- A smooth lead with no grip wires. It rolls in the tide but snags less over weed and kelp. More
- Pulley rig
- A rig where the line runs through a bead so a hooked fish pulls the lead up behind it, clear of snags. Popular on rough ground for big fish. More
- Ragworm
- A worm with many legs dug from muddy gravel and sold in tackle shops. A great bait for bass, flatfish, pollack and wrasse. More
- Rotten bottom
- A short, weaker length of line holding the lead. On rough ground the lead snags and the weak link breaks, so you lose the lead but keep the rig and the fish. More
- Rough ground
- Seabed of rock, boulders or kelp. It holds lots of fish but snags tackle, so fish strong rigs with a rotten bottom.
- Running ledger
- A rig where the lead slides on the line, so a fish can take the bait without feeling its weight. Good in strong tide and muddy estuaries. More
- Shock leader
- A length of thick line between the main line and the rig that takes the strain of a hard cast. A common guide is 10lb of breaking strain for every ounce of lead, so 40lb for 4oz. More
- Slack water
- The short spell at high or low water when the tide stops running before it turns. More
- Snood
- The short line from the rig body to the hook. On a flapper they are typically 30 to 40cm of 25lb line. More
- Springs
- Spring tides: the biggest tides, around full and new moon, with the most water movement. Often best on beaches and estuaries, but harder to hold bottom and dangerous on cut-off marks. More
- Swivel
- A small metal link that turns freely, joining line to rig or lure so the line does not twist. More
- Uptide
- Casting a grip lead up the tide from an anchored boat so the bait holds away from the boat. Uptide rods are also handy from piers. More
- Weak link
- Any part of a rig made deliberately weaker than the rest so it breaks first when snagged, such as a rotten bottom. More
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