Round fish · Beach, rock and estuary
Bass
Surf and estuary mouths at dawn and dusk from June to October. North-east bass are rarer, but the numbers are rising.
- Know it
- Silver with a dark back, two dorsal fins (the first very spiny) and a sharp spine on the gill cover. Mind your hands.
- Bait
- Peeler crab, ragworm, sandeel, mackerel; surface and shallow lures
- Table
- Excellent eating One of the best fish in the sea. Most anglers keep one for the table and return the rest, especially big breeding females.
Season
Typical months on the North West and North East coasts, with this month ringed. Seasons shift a few weeks with water temperature and run differently around the coast: see each region's headline fish below.
Legal minimum size
Bass
Last checked 18 October 2026Measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail (rays: wing tip to wing tip). Each region links to its regulator.
3 per angler per day. Catch and release only, 1 Feb to 31 Mar.
Rules change, usually each spring. Check the regulator for the area before you keep a fish.
A headline fish in
May to October
Cardigan Bay and the Llyn
Surf beaches from Borth to Hell's Mouth. Ragworm or peeler crab close in, often in the first gully at the top of the tide.
April to November
Pembrokeshire, Gower and South Wales
Gower surf beaches and rocks. Small sandeel-style soft lures over high water, or peeler crab and ragworm on the beaches.
April to November
Severn estuary, Somerset and North Devon
Peeler crab on a short ledger, flicked just off the rocks as the flood arrives, or surf beaches in North Devon.
April to December
Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
Surf beaches in a small breaking surf, or rock and reef at dusk on lures. Release fish under 42cm.
April to December
South Devon
Estuary mouths at dusk on surface lures, or shingle beaches on crab. Release fish under 42cm.
May to November
Suffolk, Norfolk and the Wash
Wash beaches over high water on big tides, Shingle Street at dusk, and live or fresh mackerel when bait fish push close at Cley.
June to October
Lincolnshire and the Humber
Lincolnshire gullies over high after dark, ragworm in the gully mouth.
May to October
Ayrshire, Galloway and the Scottish Solway
Luce Bay, Southerness and Heads of Ayr. Crab or rag on the flood. Release fish under 42cm.
Where to catch it
Regions with marks where bass is one of the main fish, and how many marks.
How to cook it
One of the best fish in the sea. Most anglers keep one for the table and return the rest, especially big breeding females. Simple ways to cook it at home. More on bleeding, gutting, filleting and freezing in From sea to plate.
Method 1
Baked whole
Scale and gut the fish, stuff the belly with lemon slices and herbs such as parsley or fennel, brush with oil and season. Bake at 200C (fan 180C) for about 20 to 25 minutes for a fish of around 1kg, until the flesh lifts from the bone.
Method 2
Crisp-skinned fillet
Score the skin of each fillet lightly, season, and fry skin side down in hot oil, pressing gently so it stays flat, for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn for a final minute and serve straight away.