Sea Fishing

Sea fishing is an unbelievable experience that should only be undertaken by experts. I have a friend in Spalding Lincolnshire who has a boat that fishes in the Wash near Hunstanton.

Sea Fishing may not always be local since we don’t all live near the coast. When you find saltwater you find an almost limitless variety of fish.

Many of the techniques used in freshwater carry over to saltwater, however, the game changes a bit when you are dealing with the fast, strong fish of the sea.

For this reason, tackling saltwater can be intimidating. But if you limit your initial forays into sea fishing to the inshore waters – places like estuaries, beaches and piers then beginners can find plenty of exciting action.

What Can Be Caught Sea Fishing?

In the case of saltwater fishing the sea’s the limit. Fishing inshore anglers could catch everything from conger eels to plaice. Winter anglers can expect flounder, cod and whiting from beaches.

Spring and Summer see the return of Bass and mackerel to give excellent sport.

Flat sandy beaches and estuaries offer flatfish and Mullet.

For the hardy fisherman rock marks hold wrasse, pollack and various dogfish.

Charter boats and their skippers can lead you to deep sea fishing for powerful congers, rays and other creatures. With sea fishing, you don’t know what you are going to catch next, which is part of the allure.

There are many fish in the sea and this time the saying is true. Saltwater fishing offers anglers the opportunity to fish everything from quiet harbours to rocky beaches and deep water wrecks.

Sea fish tend to be stronger and faster than their freshwater cousins because of their environment. There is also the size to consider.

Common Sea Fish That Can Be Caught

Many seafood are tasty and can be taken to the table. We lack space here to name all the species you may find in the sea but here are a few that you may be able to catch.

Flatfish

This fish is brown on one side and white on the other. This allows the fish to lay on the ocean floor and blend in surroundings.

Flounder – A winter staple.

A common target for anyone even on cold days. They don’t grow very large (2 lbs is a good fish) but are widespread and you don’t need long casts or special equipment.

Plaice – Spotty and highly prized.

Can you imagine eating plaice and chips that you have caught yourself? In Summer can be caught for beaches.

Dab – Small but tasty.

Dabs are one of the smallest flatfishes. What they lack in size they make up for in taste. They can be caught off beaches.

Cod family

Cod seek cold water so for this reason they are prevalent in the North Seas. Cod have huge mouths so the best baits are lugworms and peeler crabs. From the shore smaller codling up to 6 lbs are common and for larger fish, we need to take the boat. Twenty-pound cod used to be common but unfortunately due to overfishing that would be considered a good fish.

Pollack

Pollack is a powerful member of the Cod family. Small pollack are common on rocky shores and sea walls whereas larger ones favour deep reefs and wrecks.

Pouting

Possessing the goatee-like chin barbel the pouting is one of the most common sea fishes. It is related to cod but not highly rated for the table.

Whiting

This fish is a miniature type of cod that will feed on worm or fish bait. Shingle beaches in Winter are favourite for catching whiting

Sea Bass

Best-loved of all sea fish. It is a beautiful fish in appearance and can reach good sizes. Bass can very often be caught close to shore anytime after spring.

Wrasse

These strong fish are common around rough ground, harbours and man-made structures and give anglers good sport.

Mackerel

Mackerel can be caught from a boat but shore anglers should look for deep water. feathers are a good way. Simply move up and down and catch 2-3 every time.

Grey Mullet

These fish are easily spotted around harbours and jetties in the Summer. Mullet are among the strongest of all fish and give good sport

Sea Bream

Sea Bream is one of the most prized catches and provides brilliant sport. Most are caught by boat.

Skate

Boat fishing is best to catch these fighters. Once they take the bait they are gone and provide good sport

Conger eels

These command strong tackle and strong arms. You either love these or hate but they provide brilliant sport and can grow to awesome sizes around wrecks.

The above is a short list of sea fish but should be able to create interest.