Around high water only Beach Not yet visited by us
Rough single-file track, keep the emergency bay clear. Cliffs slip, so fish near a gap in the defences.
North Sea · England
Suffolk, Norfolk and the Wash
A long, low coast of shingle banks, sandy beaches and soft cliffs, with Victorian piers and the vast tidal flats of the Wash. Winter brings cod and whiting to the steep Norfolk and Suffolk shingle. Summer brings bass, smoothhound, sole and rays, with the Wash beaches best on big tides.
12 shore marks · Rules from Eastern IFCA, checked 18 October 2026
Stay safe on this coast
- Tides. Know the time of high water and your way off before you go out. Marks that fish around high water or on the flood can cut you off.
- Cut-offs. Sandbanks, causeways and headlands flood from behind. After storms, re-walk even a familiar beach in daylight.
- Rock. Watch the sea for 10 minutes before you go down: big waves come in sets. Wet weed is like ice. Never fish rock alone in the dark.
- Lifejacket. Wear a lifejacket (PFD) on rocks, piers and walls, with the crotch strap fastened.
- Emergency. Call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard. Never go in after someone: call, and throw something that floats.
More in Rules and safety.
Rules
Rules in Suffolk, Norfolk and the Wash
Last checked 18 October 2026Regulator: Eastern IFCA. Always check its own page before you keep a fish.
- Bass: minimum size 42cm. Catch and release only from 1 February to 31 March. In January and from 1 April to 31 December you may keep 3 bass per angler per day. No bass may be taken with fixed or drift nets. These rules apply from the shore and from boats.
- Minimum sizes come from the Eastern IFCA Minimum Sizes Byelaw 2019, confirmed in February 2021. It applies to anyone not fishing under a commercial licence: you must not keep or take away undersized fish or shellfish, and must return them to the sea straight away.
- Mackerel caught in the North Sea, which includes this coast, have a 30cm minimum, not the 20cm used in other sea areas.
- Undersized mackerel and horse mackerel may be used as live bait, but only if kept in a container, released alive when no longer needed, and never landed.
- Lobster minimum is 87mm in the Eastern IFCA byelaw. Defra is raising the national lobster size to 88mm from March 2026, 89mm from January 2027 and 90mm from January 2029, applied first through commercial licence conditions.
- Bass nursery areas: none on this coast. The national order (1999 version) lists none between the Humber and the Stour. The 'Blyth' site in it is Blyth power station in Northumberland.
- The Wash and the North Norfolk coast: Eastern IFCA regulatory notices ban bottom towed gear on reef and eelgrass areas. They do not restrict angling or bait digging, but harbour, reserve or landowner rules may, so check locally before digging bait at Blakeney or Brancaster.
- Wash cockles and mussels: the Wash Cockle and Mussel Byelaw 2021 has applied since 1 May 2025. You need a permit unless you take no more than 5kg of cockles or mussels for recreational use. The byelaw does not cover the le Strange Estate area.
- The Eastern IFCA district runs from Haile Sand Fort in Lincolnshire to halfway across the River Stour at Harwich.
Rules change, usually each spring. Where a rule says check locally, ask the regulator or harbour office before you fish.
Minimum sizes
Last checked 18 October 2026Regulator: Eastern IFCA. Always check its own page before you keep a fish.
| Species | Legal minimum |
|---|---|
| Bass | 42cm |
| Cod | 35cm |
| Haddock | 30cm |
| Hake | 27cm |
| Herring | 20cm |
| Horse mackerel | 15cm |
| Ling | 63cm |
| Mackerel (North Sea) | 30cm |
| Megrim | 20cm |
| Plaice | 27cm |
| Pollack | 30cm |
| Sole | 24cm |
| Whiting | 27cm |
| Edible crab (width) | 115mm |
| Velvet crab (width) | 65mm |
| Lobster (carapace) | 87mm |
| Mussel (outside the Wash) | 50mm |
| Razor clam | 100mm |
Tip of the snout to the end of the tail. Use the strictest figure you know as your own minimum.
Rules change, usually each spring. Where a rule says check locally, ask the regulator or harbour office before you fish.
Headline fish
November to February
Cod
Season
Steep shingle at Cley, Sizewell and Cromer pier after a blow. Lug and squid cocktails on a pulley pennel, fished in the dark.
Species guide: Cod and codling
October to March
Whiting
Season
The bread and butter of winter. Two-hook flapper with lug or mackerel strip from any pier or beach after dark.
Species guide: Whiting
May to September
Smoothhound
Season
North Norfolk beaches such as Trimingham, on the ebb after high. Peeler crab first, squid will do. Have spare baited traces ready when a pack arrives.
Species guide: Smoothhound
May to November
Bass
Season
Wash beaches over high water on big tides, Shingle Street at dusk, and live or fresh mackerel when bait fish push close at Cley.
Species guide: Bass
May to September
Dover sole
Season
Calm, warm nights over high on the Suffolk beaches. Small size 4 hooks with a scrap of ragworm or lug.
Species guide: Dover sole
April to October
Thornback ray
Season
Shingle Street, Felixstowe and Landguard. Sandeel, sardine or mackerel on a pennel, fished long over high.
Species guide: Thornback ray
Marks
The marks below are researched from public sources and local anglers' videos. We haven't fished them yet, so each is labelled Not yet visited by us. Drive times from your postcode are on the Marks page.
Fishes most states of tide Pier Not yet visited by us
Easy access and lit at night. Check the pier's current angling rules and fees before you go.
Fishes most states of tide Beach Not yet visited by us
Steep shingle that drops off fast. Big surf runs up the bank, so stand well back in a blow.
Around high water only Beach Not yet visited by us
West-facing Wash beach. Fish two hours either side of high, as the tide floods fast across the mud.
Around high water only Beach Not yet visited by us
Only a few feet of water at high. Never walk out on the flats, the tide comes in faster than you can walk.
Flood tide only Estuary Not yet visited by us
Fish from beside the car. Rock armour is slippery; stand by your rods when boats pass.
Fishes most states of tide Pier Not yet visited by us
Harbour mouth with strong tide. Keep clear of shipping and check access on the day.
Fishes most states of tide Sea wall Not yet visited by us
Britain's most easterly point. Rough ground off the wall, so use a rotten bottom.
Fishes most states of tide Beach Not yet visited by us
Groyned beach north of the harbour. Fish between groynes and watch the tide around them.
Fishes most states of tide Beach Not yet visited by us
Popular shingle near the power station rigs. Follow any signs about restricted areas.
Around high water only Beach Not yet visited by us
Fish between the Martello tower and the last house. Strong tide off the Ore mouth, no swimming.
Fishes most states of tide Beach Not yet visited by us
Ships pass close on the Harwich channel and their wash runs up the beach. Keep gear back.
Local tips
At Trimingham the hounds tended to show 90 minutes to two hours after high. Squid caught them when there was no peeler crab. Let them go back through the surf.
The North Norfolk cliffs keep falling. Pick a spot near a gap in the sea defences so you can get off the beach, and don't fish under the cliffs alone at night.
Light green weed you can fish through. Thick brown weed usually means pack up and try elsewhere.
When mackerel are herding bait fish in close at Cley, try a lively small mackerel under a pike float, held in place by a lead on a short link. It found a good bass fast.
The Wash beaches give you about two hours either side of high in shallow water. A big bunch of lug on a pennel, cast as far as you can, did the job, and a 6oz lead held.
On the Nene at Sutton Bridge cast about a third of the way across on the strong flood. Hold the rod high over the rocks and swap crab baits every 15 minutes, as crabs strip them.
Heacham, just south of Hunstanton, fished better for bass than Hunstanton's old pier wall.
At Shingle Street the last light over high water can turn a dead session round. Rag and sardine took a good bass and two small rays.
In our own words, cross-checked against local anglers. Rules always come from the regulator, not a video.
Crabbing on this coast: family spots, and the crab and lobster rules for every regulator, are on Crabbing.
Local tackle and bait shops, charter boats and clubs: we're building these lists. Run one? Add it free.
Before you go
- Tide times for the nearest port: EasyTide (UK Hydrographic Office).
- Wind and sea state: Met Office inshore waters forecast.
- Access to piers, harbours and ports changes. Check with the owner or harbour office before your first visit.
Sources
- Eastern IFCA: minimum sizes
- Eastern IFCA: Minimum Sizes Byelaw 2019 (approved text, PDF)
- Eastern IFCA: 2026 bass regulations, commercial and recreational
- Eastern IFCA: district limits
- Eastern IFCA: Wash Cockle and Mussel Byelaw 2021
- Eastern IFCA: fisheries measures in marine protected areas
- North Eastern IFCA: Defra decision on lobster size increase to 90mm (December 2025)
- Bass (Specified Areas) (Prohibition of Fishing) (Variation) Order 1999, current schedule of nursery areas
- MMO: bass fishing guidance 2026