Mackerel fishing off Brighton: when the shoals arrive

By the Kestrel Warrior team · 10 November 2026 · Seasons

When is mackerel season off Brighton?

The short answer: summer, with June and September usually the best months. Our own month-by-month guide puts mackerel among the best targets in June and September, and as a likely extra in May and July. Summer is when the shoals come in close to the Sussex coast, following the bait fish they feed on.

That is a guide, not a timetable. Mackerel move with the water temperature, the weather and the bait, and one year is never quite the same as the next. If you have a date in mind, ask us what the shoals are doing that week. Our month-by-month fishing calendar shows the other fish that are about at the same time.

Where do the shoals feed?

Close in. Our mackerel trip fishes no more than about a mile offshore, usually over sand, which is why it only needs 90 minutes. Mackerel travel in shoals, so once you find one fish the rest of its family is close by.

The hard part is finding the shoal, and that is the skipper's job. The classic sign is sea birds diving and feeding on the surface, because the mackerel drive the small bait fish up to where the birds can reach them. The electronics on board help too. Newhaven is another mackerel hotspot along this stretch of coast.

How do you catch mackerel from a boat?

The favourite method for beginners is a string of 4 to 6 feathers or small silver lures, lowered over the side and worked between about 8 and 20 feet down. They look like the bait fish mackerel hunt. When the boat is on top of a shoal every hook can be taken at once, and a string of 4 to 6 mackerel coming up together is the sight everyone remembers.

A mackerel on light tackle fights well for its size, and fish of up to about 2.5 lb are possible. You do not need any experience: the crew give step-by-step tuition, and rods and rigs are on board. Other fish turn up on the same feathers, including scad, herring and garfish, and now and then a bass that was following the shoal.

What is the minimum size for mackerel?

The UK minimum conservation reference size for mackerel is 20 cm outside the North Sea, on the gov.uk list updated on 3 February 2026. Sussex IFCA's Minimum Size Byelaw 2021, confirmed by the Secretary of State on 11 December 2024, also gives 200 millimetres for mackerel, measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail fin.

The same byelaw allows mackerel below that size to be used as live bait, as long as they are kept alive and released when no longer needed. Rules change, so check the current position before you fish. In practice most fish on a summer shoal are well over the size, and the crew will help you measure anything that looks close.

Why do bass and sharks follow the mackerel?

Because mackerel are food. They are fast predators of small bait fish, and in turn bigger fish follow them. It is not unusual to catch a bass that has been feeding on a mackerel shoal, and mackerel are the bait that works on almost every other trip we run.

On a shark day, a live joey mackerel is the favourite bait for tope, which is why the first stop on that trip is always to catch fresh baits. Read what happens on a tope day to see how the mackerel you catch in the morning become the bait in the afternoon.

Is a mackerel trip good for children?

Yes, it is the usual first trip for families. It is short, the action is fast when the shoal is under the boat, and there is plenty to see. Children under 16 must be with an adult, a safety brief is given before we leave, and the skipper can ask anyone to wear a life jacket at any time.

You keep what you catch, and the crew will gut and fillet it for you. If it is your first time on a boat, our first-timer's guide to the day covers what to wear, when to arrive and how to avoid feeling queasy. Book through the 90-minute Brighton mackerel trip page, see how we look after families and young anglers, or ask about a Newhaven departure when you enquire.

Fish in this article

• Mackerel Scomber scombrus
• Horse mackerel Trachurus trachurus
• Garfish Belone belone
• Herring Clupea harengus

= caught off the Sussex coast. More species in our UK sea fish guide.

Sources and further reading

• Minimum conservation reference size for mackerel: 20 cm (whole area except the North Sea), page updated 3 February 2026: gov.uk/government/publications/minimum-conservation-reference-sizes-mc
• Sussex IFCA Minimum Size (Fish, Crustacea and Mollusc) Byelaw 2021: mackerel 200 mm, measured snout to tail fin; undersized mackerel may be used as live bait; confirmed 11 December 2024: secure.toolkitfiles.co.uk/clients/34087/sitedata/files/Byelaws/Minimum

Fancy a day on the water? See the Prices 2027, or get in touch and we will find the right trip for you.