Round fish · Rock, pier and boat
Coalfish (saithe)
Small 'billet' swarm north-east piers and rocks from summer into autumn. Cumbria gets them in winter.
- Know it
- Like a pollack but with a straight, pale lateral line, a dark back and the jaws level.
- Bait
- Lures, feathers, float with strip
- Table
- Good eating Slightly grey raw flesh that whitens when cooked. Fine in fishcakes, pies and curries.
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
Coalfish (saithe)
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.
| Area | Minimum |
|---|---|
| North West England | 35cm |
| North Wales | 35cm |
| Yorkshire to the Tyne | No legal minimum |
| Northumberland | 35cm |
| Cardigan Bay and the Llyn | 35cm |
No size for this fish is listed in the regional rules we checked for Pembrokeshire, Gower and South Wales, Severn estuary, Somerset and North Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. That may mean none is set, or that the national rules apply: check locally.
and 10 other regionsRules change, usually each spring. Check the regulator for the area before you keep a fish.
Tips
Pollack under a float
Prawn out-fished mackerel strip by about twelve to one for small pollack and coalfish, set just above the kelp. Use a hooklength lighter than the leader, so a snag costs only the hook.
Coalfish or pollack?
A coalfish has a straight, pale lateral line, a smaller eye and a level jaw. A pollack's lateral line curves over the pectoral fin and its lower jaw juts out.
A headline fish in
All year, best autumn and winter
Scottish Borders to Aberdeen
Harbours and rock marks after dark. Tough baits like squid or mackerel last longer against small coalies.
All year
Moray Firth, Caithness, Orkney and Shetland
Harbour walls and rock edges everywhere. Small metal lures for coalies, bigger lures over kelp for pollack.
Where to catch it
Regions with marks where coalfish (saithe) is one of the main fish, and how many marks.
How to cook it
Slightly grey raw flesh that whitens when cooked. Fine in fishcakes, pies and curries. Simple ways to cook it at home. More on bleeding, gutting, filleting and freezing in From sea to plate.
Method 1
Fishcakes
Poach fillets in milk, flake, and mix with mashed potato, spring onion and seasoning. Shape, chill for half an hour, then fry until crisp.
Method 2
Fish curry
Soften onion, garlic and ginger, add curry spices and a tin of tomatoes or coconut milk and simmer for 10 minutes. Add chunks of coalfish and simmer gently for 5 minutes until just cooked.