Fishes most states of tide Beach Not yet visited by us
Fierce tide on the point. Car access needs a key; otherwise walk the path. Watch for weever.
Strait of Dover, Thames Estuary and southern North Sea · England
Kent, the Thames and Essex
Dungeness and the Kent shingle are famous for winter cod, whiting and dabs. The Thames walls and Essex foreshore are mud and estuary, good for flounder, bass, smoothhound and rays. Piers at Deal, Southend and Walton give safe, all-tide fishing.
11 shore marks · Rules from Kent and Essex 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 Kent, the Thames and Essex
Last checked 18 October 2026Regulator: Kent and Essex 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.
- Kent and Essex IFCA has a Minimum Sizes Byelaw that applies to anglers. Its website could not be reached for this check, so the sizes in the table other than bass are marked check locally.
- The byelaw is reported to let some undersized bait fish, such as mackerel, be kept alive for use as live bait. Check the byelaw for the exact species.
- Bass nursery areas: the national order (1999 version) lists four here, all closed all year to fishing for bass from a boat and to using sandeel bait from a boat. They are Dungeness power station, Grain power station (bounded by the Isle of Grain and Sheerness foreshores), Kingsnorth power station on the Medway, and Bradwell power station on the Blackwater. The order still names these areas, even though some of the stations have closed. Shore fishing is not covered.
- Sizes not shown in the table, and any local bait digging or access rules, check locally with Kent and Essex IFCA.
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: Kent and Essex IFCA. Always check its own page before you keep a fish.
| Species | Legal minimum |
|---|---|
| Bass | 42cm |
| Cod | 35cm (check locally) |
| Whiting | 27cm (check locally) |
| Plaice | 27cm (check locally) |
| Sole | 24cm (check locally) |
| Flounder | Check locally |
| Dab | Check locally |
| Skates and rays | Check locally |
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
Dungeness and the deep Kent beaches after a blow. Big lug baits, or a banded lug sausage just past the shelf.
Species guide: Cod and codling
October to February
Whiting
Season
Everywhere in Kent, best at night. Lug or squid strips on two-hook rigs.
Species guide: Whiting
November to March
Dab
Season
Dungeness and Deal. Small hooks with lug at 30 to 40 yards.
Species guide: Dab
October to March
Flounder
Season
Thames and Medway walls. Rag or peeler crab on a dragged rig in the early flood.
Species guide: Flounder
May to September
Smoothhound
Season
Sheppey, Whitstable and the Essex shore. Peeler crab on a long trace.
Species guide: Smoothhound
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 Sea wall Not yet visited by us
Paid parking and gates that close at set times. Check opening hours.
Fishes most states of tide Pier Not yet visited by us
Deep water at all states of tide. Check the sea before using the lower deck.
Fishes most states of tide Beach Not yet visited by us
Free parking by the beach. Steep shingle, so take care in a swell.
Flood tide only Beach Not yet visited by us
Shallow ground with clay and mud. The tide comes in fast over the flats.
Flood tide only Beach Not yet visited by us
Soft mud and a shingle spit that floods. Do not walk out on a rising tide.
Flood tide only Sea wall Not yet visited by us
Faces Sheerness. Fish the early flood. Deep mud below the wall, so never climb down.
Around high water only Sea wall Not yet visited by us
Mud and clay foreshore. Fish from the wall either side of high water.
Fishes most states of tide Pier Not yet visited by us
Long pier with a train. Check opening hours and the angling permit.
Around high water only Beach Not yet visited by us
Arrive an hour before high and fish the drop. The mud flats run out a long way at low water.
Fishes most states of tide Pier Not yet visited by us
Check opening times and fees at the pier.
Local tips
Dungeness fishes best when a south-westerly has stirred the sea and then turned northerly. You get coloured water and a calmer beach.
After a blow at Dungeness, walk the tideline first. Washed-up cockles, clams and slipper limpets are great for tipping off lug.
On the point, use 6 to 8oz leads, cast up-tide and leave a bow in the line. Put the longest caster at the down-tide end of a group.
In a Kent autumn, dabs took small hooks at 30 to 40 yards. A banded lug sausage just past the shelf was kept for cod.
Line up the two Dungeness lighthouses to know you are on the point. Many anglers prefer either side of low water there.
On Grain sea wall, slow the lead before it lands and lift it free so it does not sink into the mud. Braid shows bites well, so strike early.
At Shoebury Garrison, most bites come as the tide drops. Arrive an hour before high and fish it down, with long snoods.
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. Squid: autumn, with low to medium confidence (one video title). See Squid and cuttlefish.
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.