Round fish · Shore and boat
Pouting
Over rough ground after dark. They strip baits meant for cod.
- Know it
- Deep, copper-barred body, a chin barbel and a dark spot at the pectoral fin base.
- Bait
- Lug, squid, mackerel strip
- Table
- Fair eating Edible only very fresh: gut on the beach and cook the same day. Otherwise use it as bait.
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
Pouting
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 | No legal minimum |
| North Wales | No legal minimum |
| Yorkshire to the Tyne | No legal minimum |
| Northumberland | No 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.
Where to catch it
Regions with marks where pouting is one of the main fish, and how many marks.