The 10 Best Sea Fishing Spots in Sussex

With some of the best ground for bass fishing on the south coast and some truly spectacular scenery, the Sussex coastline has some excellent sea fishing marks. With annual reports of big bass, chunky rays and, of course, mackerel, Sussex has some fantastic beach, estuary and harbour fishing options.

From the verdant, estuary-rich Chichester Harbour to the rough ground around Seaford Nature Reserve backed by some spectacular cliff faces, Sussex has some truly special marks. You’d be forgiven for thinking you were walking around Devon or Cornwall in some places.

Below we’ve broken down the best sea fishing marks in Sussex ranging from Pevensey Bay in the east right the way down to Chichester Harbour in the west.

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Pevensey Bay

A few miles to the east of Hastings and St. Leonards at the east end of the Sussex coast you’ll find Pevensey Bay. A shallow, shingle that runs into sand mark that fishes pretty well for all species that like that sort of ground. Bass, flatfish, plaice, whiting (which can be a bit of a problem in summer) and dogfish to name a few.

Visit the beach at low tide to find the best marks, as bass tend to run through the area at low, so scout for some underwater features that look bassy. Like most of these shallow shingle venues, the beach is Best fished with some lugworms, clams, squid or peeler crab and can fish pretty well at night.

Holywell

To the west of Eastbourne, you’ll find Holywell. A reasonably steep shingle beach with a variety of rocky features and a number of groynes that run the whole way along the beach. If you continue walking around towards Beachy Head, you’ll find the ground much rougher, which is a renowned Sussex bass mark. The other edge of the beach towards Eastbourne still has some rough ground, but tends to be less prolific.

The area of the beach that runs from Beachy Head Ringing Station right around to Cow Gap has some super ground for bass fishing with lures and has also been known to throw up some very good wrasse. Of course, shoals of mackerel, whiting and baitfish are common in the area too. If you reach the beach at low tide, you’ll notice the rocky reef at the westerly edge that fishes really well despite the gear loss.

To reach the area you can follow the coastal road west until you reach a block of flats called South Cliff Tower, where you can park the car. Otherwise, you can traverse the beach at low tide.

Birling Gap

If you follow Beachy Head Road west from Beachy Head from Holywell and Cow Gap you’ll find Birling Gap. Another renowned Sussex fishing mark for bass, mackerel, whiting, flatfish, chunky rays and the occasional codling. The rough ground on this stretch of beach is exposed at low tide and highlights exactly why these marks attract bass. Rich in baitfish, crab, and lugworms Birling fishes well on lures and bait at the right mark.

These steep-ish shingle beaches are very weather-dependent when it comes to fishing. Rough seas and a strong southwesterly breeze make fishing with bait a real challenge and lures impossible. So make sure you check the weather and tide times before you go.

Seaford Head Nature Reserve

Seaford Head Nature Reserve is a spectacular mark on the Sussex coast just to the west of the mouth of the Cuckmere River. You’d be forgiven for thinking you were walking around the South West Coastal Path, as this nature reserve is so rich in wildlife, flora and fauna. To reach this mark you can park at South Hill Barn Car Park and walk down for about 15 minutes to reach the mark. Once you reach the ground, you’ll find you can walk all the way around to the mouth of the Cuckmere River, where the rough ground still fishes well on either side of high tide.

The mark itself is a rough ground spot renowned for its bass fishing. If you visit the area at low tide (see above), you’ll find a number of gullies and slightly lower marks that look suspiciously like areas bass would use to access the rockpools and bait-rich areas close to the shore. You’ll lose lots of fantastic sea fishing lures in this area and the water can be very silty close to shore after some strong southwesterly breeze, so pick your time carefully.

Peacehaven

Peacehaven is well worth a visit at low tide so you can see how rich in features the beach and surrounding area is. With an easily accessible promenade that runs alongside the easterly edge that can be reached via a steep-ish staircase. This area (Friars’ Bay) is rich in rough ground, groynes, and seals (both a good and a bad sign) and has been known to throw up some very good bass over the years.

The gullies that run along the reef by the undercliff fish really well, even when the water is low and fishes fantastically with lures when the water is clear. If the water is a little murkier, try using strong bait and rotten bottom rigs. Further around the beach to the west, you’ll find some other very good rough-ground fishing marks that can be accessed from the stairs in front of The Smuggler’s Rest pub. Again this area is snaggy and weedy, so be prepared to lose tackle.

Saltdean

Comprising a relatively shallow shingle beach on the easterly end and some very rough ground in front of Saltdean Cliffs to the west, Saltdean throws up some very good bass. Much like Peacehaven, the rough ground in front of the cliffs is easily accessible via an undercliff walk that runs all the way to Rottingdean Beach. Whilst the ground is very bassy and fishes well at high, you should access the mark at low to scout the area and be prepared to lose a significant amount of tackle – particularly if you’re lure fishing. If you’re bait fishing, try a rotten bottom rig again.

Saltdean’s Beach fishes pretty well for the traditional species associated with shallow-shingle beaches. Bass, rays, whiting, eels and mackerel when the time’s right. If you scout the area at low you’ll see just how many gullies and rocky areas there are that bass come in to feed on peeler crabs, lugworms and small bait fish.

Rottingdean Beach

Much like Saltdean, Rottingdean Beach is a shallow-ish shingle beach with rough ground that’s exposed when the tide is low. Another beach that is well worth visiting at low tide because it’s an excellent bass fishing mark that fishes well with lures and traditional bait. The rough ground does mean tackle losses are inevitable, particularly just to the east of the marina. Weather-wise, almost all the Sussex beaches and marks are difficult to fish after some strong south-westerly winds, so look for calmer days or northerlies so the cliffs provide protection.

Once you’ve scouted the area at low tide, look to fish a couple of hours either side of high tide if you’re lure fishing. If you’re bait fishing, try to get out past the rough ground with lugworms, ragworms, squid and mackerel for some rays and flatfish. The sea walls and groynes have traditionally been used by mullet and bass around high tide to come in and feed on algae or to use them as channels to reach the very rocky ground.

Rustington Beach

If you head past Brighton and Shoreham you’ll find Rustington Beach, a very flat, long, deep beach with rough ground exposed at low tide. More of a bait-fishing beach that tends to fish best if you can cast over 100 yards out with squid, ragworms, lugworms and mackerel. Here you’ll find rays, flatfish, eel, whiting, smoothhounds and the occasional codling and bass.

During rougher conditions, the sand and shingle get churned up and the landscape can change from storm to storm. So not only does water clarity make lure fishing nigh on impossible during stormy conditions (although Rustington isn’t brilliant on lures), but the sea floor changes enough that consistency of marks makes fishing this beach challenging.

Selsey

Selsey is Sussex’s most southerly point and juts out into the channel just to the east of the Isle of Wight. With a long stretch of shingle beach broken up with groynes and stone sea walls that runs the entire length of the headland, Selsey is a challenging, but – on its day – fantastic beach fishing spot in Sussex.

East Beach is Selsey’s most versatile beach when it comes to fishing. Home to bass, bream, eels, smoothhounds, whiting, garfish amongst other traditional shingle beach fish. Selsey Bill is Selsey’s most southerly tip and is a slightly deeper beach that throws up some decent bass and bream that is best fished a couple of hours on either side of high tide. However, be wary of strong and high tides around here. West Beach is a larger, more featureless expanse of sandy beach that tends to fish well for flatfish, rays, pouting and smoothhounds, with the occasional bass.

Chichester Harbour

Arguably the creme-de-la-creme of the Sussex coastline when it comes to fishing, Chichester Harbour has some of the most interesting and unique fishing marks accessible by boat, foot and waders. One of the South Coast’s premier bass fishing hotspots, the variety of estuaries that flow up and around Thorney Island on the east side of the harbour are fantastic spots to explore on foot. Just make sure you bring a pair of fishing waders or the best fishing boots.

With estuaries reaching miles inland with a wide variety of marinas, nature reserves and bays, the sheer variety of fishing marks makes Chichester such a good fishing location. School bass are prevalent throughout the spring, summer and autumn, with larger bass not at all uncommon, coming in and out on the tide. The ever-elusive mullet shoal throughout the harbour feeding on algae and insects – a great option for the fly and float fishing enthusiasts.

But for us, the harbour is about lure fishing for bass. You’ll notice lots of anglers out there in waders with surface lures trying for some real specimens. But don’t be surprised to see mackerel, gilthead bream, black bream, eels, wrasse, dogfish and tope.