Overview: The Brighton marina provides great all year round sport on either arm. The west arm is often very busy in the summer months with tourists and mackerel feather fishermen if you’re after less hassle but similar catches then I would recommend the east arm. Both arms fish well and catch similar fish with each having their day.

 

In general there are a couple of different ways to fish either arm if you are pleasure fishing. Firstly if you are fishing the bottom, the best all round rig is the 2 hook Paternoster fished with king rag. Put a few beads on the snood nearest the bottom and this may increase your chances of catching flounders and plaice although other fish seem to like them as well. Most people make the mistake of casting too far out! The best way to catch fish is to only cast either down the side (near the rounded bits that come out of the marina wall, you will know what I mean when you see it) or a maximum of 20 yrds away from the marina wall i usually fish within 10 yards. This is because in general all the fish big or small stay close to the structure. So many people come down and cast as far as they can and catch nothing and I really can’t emphasise how much better your day will be if you fish in close. The only advice would be to bring a few rigs and weights as some bits are snaggy. The above methods work in summer and winter. The only other advice would be that if the water is choppy fish towards 20 yards out as the fish stay a little further from the wall in rough conditions. The best all round hook size would be a size 4 as this can catch big fish and small ones and increases your chance of having fun. The Second method is summer only and that is Float fishing with 1 or 2 hooks. Use a light rod, mackerel strips and fish at about 8-15ft deep and vary your depth to find the fish. Again us size 4 hooks and you should catch plenty of mackerel and garfish.

 

 

Summer: In the summer months the marina is probably one of the best all round spots in Sussex with species including: Mackerel, Garfish, Bream, Bass, Pollack, Mullet, Wrasse, Flounders, Plaice, Smoothounds, Doggies, Pout, Eels, Gurnard, red mullet, and even Trigger Fish. And there are probably more. Obviously you won’t catch every species in one session but dependant on the month, weather, bait and tackle you can catch any of these species at some point. Methods and dates to catch the species can be found on the fish guide.

 

West Arm (short one): During summer months you are guaranteed Mackerel and Garfish. There are also a few very good Bass caught each year and some near the British record. The problem with the west arm in summer months is that you get a lot of the Mackerel masochists who just use feathers for 3 hours catch about 50 Mackerel each, which they kill and then don’t know what to do with, they also tend to be the people that leave litter everywhere. You also find that it becomes very busy on there and if you are float fishing you get bullied off or cast over left right and centre. Don’t get me wrong as it is a good place to fish and you have a 99% chance of catching if the weather is ok but it seems to attract a lot of idiots and after a few sessions like it you soon get annoyed. For example I was in the float fishing only bay and basically got crowded by a group of idiots who made it so difficult to fish that I left and used the other arm. I know that’s a one off but i have heard similar reports and after fishing it a few times in mid summer you will understand where I’m coming from. If you want to fish it I would suggest early morning or midweek sessions and these can be really good and highly productive.

 

East Arm (long one): This arm is often perceived as being in the shadow of the west arm for catches in the summer, however this in fact is very untrue and i prefer to fish it as you get more space and a better days fishing. There are two main areas for maximum productivity regardng catches. These are pegs 20-30 (first bend) and 45+ (near rocks at end). The pegs can be identified by a yellow number on the wall at each fishiong bay. These areas produce the most catches of all the species mentioned above. You will catch Mackerel and gars all along the arm but from years of competition fishing on there, these seem to be the hotspots. You will catch Mackerel and Gars on most methods but float fishing (Rigs page) is the best. There is no specific distance for float fishing but i would cast out and let it drift right in. I often tend to catch them only a few yards from the wall. Use thin Mackerel strips for bait on size 4 hooks. Start float fishing at about 15ft deep and then get shallower if your not catching. A general rule is that fish deeper early in the year and shallower in summer. You will often catch pollack in close when fishing deep and the mackerel also prefer to stay deeper throughout the year with Garfish prefering shallow. 10-12ft is the best all round depth. If you fish a 2 hook rig down the side you can really catch anything and always keep an eye on your rod as there are always reports of someones rod being pulled in each year. After dark in the summer often sees plenty of smoothhound on the east arm most commonly taken on peeler crab baits, fished at about 60+ yards on a 1/0-3/0 hook. When i target them i tend to use a 1/0 on a clipped down 1 hook rig fished at 8oyards baited with peeler crab. i fish the east arm pegs 17 and upwards. if youy are fishing for these then be near your rod as they will pull it in. you must take a drop net for landing them and i would advise taking a picture, weighing them and returning them as they are not much good to eat. the smoothys are best fished for when the spider crabs are about and often may to july proves best numbers. you will also get pout and the other mentioned fish. In latter summer you will catch Sole after dark on worm baits. If its rough and the water is dirty you can get some very big eels with 2lb+ fish often caught. these are best fished for at distance on simialr set up to the smoothys with a 1/0 hook. when it is rough on the arms you are generally better off casting further out to avoid as this is where the fish tend to be, i think its to avoid the crashing waves on the arm.

 

 

Winter: In the winter months the marina tends to be closed more often for safety reasons due to high winds. When fishable there are fish a plenty with Whiting, Pout, Codling, Dabs, Rockling and many more. Believe it or not but mackerel were still being caught in December and there were also Herring caught in Feb and March on feathers from both arms.

 

East Arm (long one): The best area to fish is anywhere between peg 16 and 30 on this arm. You will catch any of the above mentioned fish on baits such as King rag, black lug, blow lug tipped with a strip of mackerel or squid. Peeler crabs are also an effective bait for codling so if you manage to get any and freeze them this could be a good time to use them. In the day it can be hit and miss but you will prbably be most likely to catch pout, whiting and dabs. After dark the fishing will often pick up with the sane fish showing up and often bigger in size, you also have the chance of picking up a codling. The above fish will be caught from anytime between Oct and Feb with Rockling showing up in Nov/Dec-April, between Feb-April the flounders and plaice will also begin to show in numbers. Due to the warmer southern waters you also have the chance of catching Bass throughout the year. I would suggest using a 2 or 3 hook paternoster (available on rig page or shop) for catching whiting, pout, dab and rockling, you also have the chance of catching codling on this rig. If your specifically after Codling then try a Pennel rig with a big bait on. make sure the hooks are bigger then 1/0 as whiting will take anything up to this. I have caught whiting smaller then the hook bait before. You only need a short cast (max 50yrds) as most of the fish stay near the marina wall as its a sorce of protection and food. You dont need to cast out too far as you are already fishing deep water and its not like you are fishing from the shore. If the water on the arm is choppy and coming over then i would recommend leaving as it can become dangerous but if it is only a little uncomfortable then try the very very end of the east arm  past the rocks, there is only enough room for 2 people but you can fish into the harbour entrance and it can be fairly productive at times.  

 

 

West Arm (short one): I have little fished the west arm in the winter but I am assured it can be highly productive for all the same species mentioned above. The benefit of the west arm is that it is mostly sandy and has less snags. The sandy bottom will attract fish feeding on worms and the shell fish disturbed in the rough waters. I would recommend targeting Dabs flounders and Plaice from this arm as they will often prefer this type of sea bed. you will also catch the other species as well. Another benefit of this arm is that nearer the begginning you get a bit of surf which some of the fish like to feed in. If you are after plaice in the early part of the year i would advise fishing the very end of the west arm if its open and safe to do so as over the last few years I have heard many reports of people fishing for Plaice from here.