Round fish · Boat and beach

Gurnard

Summer boat fishing off Cumbria and North Wales; tub gurnard have bright blue-edged fins.

Gurnard
Image: Jonathan Couch, A History of the Fishes of the British Islands (1862–65), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Know it
Armour-plated head, finger-like rays under the pectoral fins. Grunts when landed.
Bait
Mackerel strip, squid, ragworm
Rigs
Two-hook flapperBream rig
Table
Good eating Firm, white and excellent. Mind the spines when filleting.

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.

Irish Sea
North Sea
PeakPresentRareIrish Sea = North Wales to Cumbria · North Sea = Yorkshire to Northumberland

Legal minimum size

Gurnard

Last checked 18 October 2026

Measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail (rays: wing tip to wing tip). Each region links to its regulator.

AreaMinimum
North West EnglandNo legal minimum
North WalesNo legal minimum
Yorkshire to the TyneNo legal minimum
NorthumberlandNo legal minimum

No size for this fish is listed in the regional rules we checked for Cardigan Bay and the Llyn, Pembrokeshire, Gower and South Wales, Severn estuary, Somerset and North Devon. That may mean none is set, or that the national rules apply: check locally.

and 11 other regions

Rules change, usually each spring. Check the regulator for the area before you keep a fish.

How to cook it

Firm, white and excellent. Mind the spines when filleting. Simple ways to cook it at home. More on bleeding, gutting, filleting and freezing in From sea to plate.

Method 1

Roasted whole

Mind the spines. Gut and scale, then roast whole in an oiled tin with lemon and herbs at 200C (fan 180C) for 15 to 20 minutes.

Method 2

Pan-fried fillets

Fry seasoned fillets skin side down in hot oil for 2 to 3 minutes, turn for a minute, and serve with lemon.