Fish caught off the Sussex coast
47 of the 88 fish in our guide are recorded off the Sussex coast in the sources we used: Kestrel Warrior's own seasons guide and trip reports, the British record lists, Sussex surveys and wildlife groups. Here they are by group, with the months where our sources give them.
Every fish here links to its own page in the UK sea fish guide. For the trips themselves see the fish our trips catch and the month-by-month seasons.
Bass, bream and mullet 5
Kestrel Warrior runs bass trips off Brighton, on reefs and rough ground within a few miles of the marina.
Months off Sussex: Kestrel Warrior lists bass March to October, best late spring to summer, with early bass in March and autumn bass in September and October. Local shore reports also show bass in April, July, September and October.
Source: kestrelwarrior6.co.uk
Black bream Spondyliosoma cantharus
Sussex IFCA says black bream are fished commercially and recreationally in its district, and local reports name Brighton Marina and Shoreham Harbour.
Months off Sussex: Kestrel Warrior lists black bream in summer and August on wrecks, and bream in July and September. Local shore reports mention them in July, September and October.
Source: sussex-ifca.gov.uk
A West Sussex report in October 2025 says gilt head bream were becoming more widespread, with the Marina giving most catches.
Months off Sussex: Local shore reports list gilt head bream in July and October 2025.
Source: primeangling.co.uk
Sussex IFCA says red mullet are caught as bycatch in the Sussex district, and West Sussex shore reports list them too.
Months off Sussex: Local shore reports list red mullet in July, September and October 2025, with numbers up in summer but not large in October.
Source: sussex-ifca.gov.uk
The British boat record John Dory came from off Newhaven, East Sussex, and one was reported from Brighton Marina east arm in autumn 2025 as a rare catch.
Source: anglingtrust.net
Cod family 5
Winter cod are a main target over wrecks and rough ground on trips from Brighton.
Months off Sussex: Best from autumn to early spring; the first cod arrive in autumn. Main target in December, January, February and March.
Source: kestrelwarrior6.co.uk
Whiting are a regular on inshore trips from Brighton and a main target in autumn.
Months off Sussex: Main target in October and November, with whiting possible from December to February.
Source: kestrelwarrior6.co.uk
Pollack are caught most of the year over Sussex wrecks and reefs, with mid January to May the good-numbers window.
Months off Sussex: Arrive off Sussex from mid January and are caught in good numbers to May, then through the season. Winter fishing over wrecks is a main target.
Source: kestrelwarrior6.co.uk
Pouting are listed among regular inshore catches and wreck-trip fish from Brighton.
Months off Sussex: Possible in November and from December to January on Kestrel Warrior's seasonal guide.
Source: kestrelwarrior6.co.uk
Kestrel Warrior names ling among the big wreck predators off Brighton and Newhaven.
Source: kestrelwarrior6.co.uk
Flatfish 6
Plaice are fished throughout the Sussex district, and the Kestrel Warrior site lists them on the sandbanks in spring.
Months off Sussex: Spring, on the sandbanks (Kestrel Warrior charter site).
Source: sussex-ifca.gov.uk
Sole are fished in the spring and autumn off Sussex, mostly by fixed nets and trawls.
Months off Sussex: Fished in spring and autumn (Sussex IFCA, commercial fleet).
Source: sussex-ifca.gov.uk
Turbot are part of a commercial net fishery for large flatfish off Sussex, from late spring to the end of summer.
Months off Sussex: Commercial fishery runs late spring to end of summer, mostly outside 6 nautical miles (Sussex IFCA).
Source: sussex-ifca.gov.uk
Sussex IFCA says brill are present off Sussex all year round.
Months off Sussex: Present off Sussex all year round (Sussex IFCA); the joint commercial net fishery runs late spring and summer.
Source: sussex-ifca.gov.uk
Kestrel Warrior reports dabs of around 1.4 lb on its inshore trips.
Source: kestrelwarrior6.co.uk
Kestrel Warrior's flatfish drift trip targets plaice, dabs, flounder and rays.
Source: kestrelwarrior6.co.uk
Rays and skates 6
Kestrel Warrior catches thornback rays over the wrecks and grounds, usually on whole mackerel, and returns them unharmed.
Months off Sussex: Kestrel Warrior's seasons page lists rays from spring (March to June) and again in September. A West Sussex report of 27 April 2025 had double-figure thornbacks.
Source: kestrelwarrior6.co.uk
Kestrel Warrior lists blonde rays among its catches over wrecks.
Months off Sussex: Kestrel Warrior's seasons page lists rays from spring (March to June) and again in September; it does not split out blonde rays.
Source: kestrelwarrior6.co.uk
The Kestrel Warrior species page carries a photo of a spotted ray caught on the boat.
Months off Sussex: Kestrel Warrior's seasons page lists rays from spring (March to June) and again in September; it does not split out spotted rays.
Source: kestrelwarrior6.co.uk
Small-eyed ray Raja microocellata
Kestrel Warrior names small-eyed ray among the rays that matter most to anglers off Sussex.
Source: kestrelwarrior6.co.uk
Arun District Council says Sussex has a healthy undulate population that has grown over ten years.
Months off Sussex: Egg-laying runs from March to September (Arun District Council). More undulates appeared in West Sussex catches in April 2025.
Source: arun.gov.uk
Common stingray Dasyatis pastinaca
A West Sussex shore report from April 2025 said only odd stingrays had been seen, so it is rare off Sussex.
Source: primeangling.co.uk
Sharks and dogfish 8
Tope are a summer offshore fish off Sussex, with June to August the best months on the Kestrel Warrior seasons guide.
Months off Sussex: June, July and August are the best months (Kestrel Warrior seasons guide; fished offshore).
Source: kestrelwarrior6.co.uk
Starry smoothhound Mustelus asterias
The Shark Trust hears of starry smoothhounds on the Sussex coast, usually single fish in harbours or taken by anglers.
Months off Sussex: Smoothhounds are a summer fish; July is the best month, June also possible (Kestrel Warrior seasons guide, smoothhound not split by species).
Source: kestrelwarrior6.co.uk
Common smoothhound Mustelus mustelus
Kestrel Warrior lists smoothhound among its catches over wrecks, though it does not split them by species.
Source: kestrelwarrior6.co.uk
The British boat record spurdog came from Hastings, Sussex, in 2017.
Source: britishseafishing.co.uk
Lesser spotted dogfish Scyliorhinus canicula
A catshark appears in the University of Sussex 2024 survey, which ran from Shoreham to Selsey.
Source: kestrelwarrior6.co.uk
Bull huss Scyliorhinus stellaris
Kestrel Warrior lists bull huss among its catches over wrecks.
Source: kestrelwarrior6.co.uk
One porbeagle of about 30 lb was caught and released about 10 miles off Brighton on 22 August 2023.
Months off Sussex: One fish of about 30 lb was caught and released about 10 miles off Brighton on 22 August 2023.
Source: kestrelwarrior6.co.uk
The British boat record angel shark was caught off Shoreham, Sussex, in 1965, and the species is now very rare off Sussex.
Source: anglingtrust.net
Shoal and open-water fish 7
Kestrel Warrior runs short mackerel trips off Brighton, within about a mile of shore, typically over sand.
Months off Sussex: Summer is the peak, with shoals close in (Kestrel Warrior). Small numbers reported from Brighton Marina and Shoreham in May and September 2025 (Prime Angling).
Source: kestrelwarrior6.co.uk
Horse mackerel Trachurus trachurus
A few scad were caught in the dark at Sussex venues in late September 2025, and Kestrel Warrior lists them among fish taken on its mackerel trips.
Months off Sussex: A few caught at night in late September 2025 (Prime Angling). Kestrel Warrior lists scad among fish caught on its mackerel trips.
Source: kestrelwarrior6.co.uk
The British boat record herring was caught off Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex, in 1973.
Months off Sussex: Sussex IFCA says herring are taken in the district only commercially, between October and December.
Source: sussex-ifca.gov.uk
Kestrel Warrior describes enormous shoals of mackerel and sprats on the Sussex coast.
Source: kestrelwarrior6.co.uk
The only Sussex record in our article is a dead fish of about 2 m and 180 kg found in Chichester Harbour in early September 2020, not a catch.
Source: kestrelwarrior6.co.uk
Kestrel Warrior lists garfish among the fish caught on its mackerel trips, and they were back in good numbers at Worthing and Shoreham in late September 2025.
Months off Sussex: Reported from Worthing Pier and Shoreham in autumn 2025 (Prime Angling).
Source: kestrelwarrior6.co.uk
European anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus
The British mini-species record anchovy was taken off Hastings, East Sussex, in 2003.
Source: anglingtrust.net
Reef, wreck and bottom fish 5
Congers live in wrecks off the Sussex coast and are a target of the 10-hour wreck trip from Brighton.
Months off Sussex: Kestrel Warrior's seasons guide lists Jan, Feb, Aug, Nov and Dec, and says conger can be caught all year.
Source: kestrelwarrior6.co.uk
A ballan wrasse was landed on a deep-water wreck trip out of Brighton Marina, in an August report.
Months off Sussex: Kestrel Warrior's seasons guide lists April and August; one was landed on a wreck trip in August.
Source: kestrelwarrior6.co.uk
The cuckoo wrasse is named as a colourful fish of the Beachy Head East Marine Conservation Zone off East Sussex.
Source: wildlifetrusts.org
Corkwing wrasse Symphodus melops
Sussex Wildlife Trust shows a female corkwing wrasse photographed at Worthing Beach.
Source: sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk
Red gurnard Chelidonichthys cuculus
The Kestrel Warrior gallery shows a red gurnard caught from Kestrel Warrior 7, though the date and spot are not stated.
Months off Sussex: Kestrel Warrior's seasons guide lists gurnard (species not named) in May, August and September.
Source: kestrelwarrior6.co.uk
Rarer visitors and others 5
Grey triggerfish Balistes capriscus
Grey triggerfish have been recorded off Sussex since 1967, including a catch off Littlehampton on 7 November 1999.
Months off Sussex: Sussex records on the Glaucus page include September, November and July sightings and catches (for example 7 Nov 1999 off Littlehampton). No single season is stated for Sussex.
Source: glaucus.org.uk
Two sunfish were seen in the shipping lanes off Brighton in July 2026, by charter skipper Kurt Lander of Yellowfin while drifting a wreck for bass and bream.
Months off Sussex: A July 2026 report has two sunfish seen over a weekend in the shipping lanes off Brighton. No wider Sussex season is stated.
Source: discoverwildlife.com
Short-spined sea scorpion Myoxocephalus scorpius
The Glaucus page shows a fish caught in deep water off Shoreham, Sussex, though no date is given.
Source: glaucus.org.uk
Snake pipefish Entelurus aequoreus
The only Sussex record on the Glaucus page is off Worthing Pier in June 2000, marked as a rare record.
Source: glaucus.org.uk
Tompot blenny Parablennius gattorugine
Common year-round in Sussex waters, on marine and chalk reefs, according to Sussex Wildlife Trust.
Months off Sussex: Common all year round in Sussex waters (Sussex Wildlife Trust).
Source: sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk
Sussex fish questions
How many sea fish species are caught off Sussex?
This guide marks 47 species as recorded off the Sussex coast, out of the 88 UK sea fish it covers. The list is only as complete as the sources behind it.
Which Sussex fish can I catch on a Kestrel Warrior trip?
The trip pages name bass, black bream, cod, pollack, whiting, conger, plaice, dabs, flounder, rays, tope, smoothhound, mackerel, scad, herring and garfish, among others. Each species page links to the trips that mention it.
Are any Sussex fish protected?
Yes. Tope must be released under the Tope (Prohibition of Fishing) Order 2008, and the angel shark is fully protected. Each species page has a care and rules section. Rules change: check the current rules before you fish.