Month by month

Seasons

What's in, month by month, with this month outlined. The two calendars are for the coasts we fish most: the shallow, sandy, tidal Irish Sea, and the colder, rockier North Sea. Every region page lists its own headline fish and months.

North Wales · Mersey · Fylde · Morecambe Bay · Cumbria

West: the Irish Sea

Summer brings the warm-water fish: smoothhound, rays, bass, bream and tope. Winter is whiting, codling and flounder. Many Fylde and Cumbrian marks only fish for a few hours either side of high water.

PeakPresentThis month is outlined.

Species	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Bait · rigs
Cod and codling	peak	peak	present	present					present	peak	peak	peak	Peeler crab, lugworm, mussel (east), squid and lug cocktails Clipped-down, Pulley, Pulley with dropper
Whiting	peak	present							present	peak	peak	peak	Mackerel or sandeel strip, lug, squid Two-hook flapper, Three-hook clipped, Wishbone
Pollack					present	peak	peak	peak	peak	present			Lures, sandeel, prawn or strip under a float Sliding float, Jig-head shad, Weedless swimbait
Coalfish (saithe)	present	present							present	present	present	present	Lures, feathers, float with strip Feathers, Sliding float, Casting metal
Mackerel						present	peak	peak	present				Feathers, small metals, float with strip Feathers, Casting metal, Sliding float
Garfish					present	peak	peak	peak	present				Thin mackerel strip under a float, small metals Sliding float, Controller float, Casting metal
Bass				present	present	peak	peak	peak	peak	peak	present		Peeler crab, ragworm, sandeel, mackerel; surface and shallow lures Pulley, Up-and-over, Stickbait
Ballan wrasse					present	peak	peak	peak	peak	present			Peeler or hard-back crab, ragworm, soft plastics Texas, Paternoster float, Rotten-bottom
Pouting	peak	present	present	present					present	peak	peak	peak	Lug, squid, mackerel strip Two-hook flapper, Pulley with dropper
Rockling	peak	present	present								present	peak	Lug, crab Two-hook flapper
Dab	peak	peak	peak	present	present	present	present	present	present	present	peak	peak	Lug, ragworm, mussel, small fish strip Two-hook flapper, Three-hook clipped, Spreader
Flounder	peak	peak	peak	present	present	present	present	present	present	peak	peak	peak	Peeler crab, ragworm, lug Two-hook flapper, Spreader, Baited spinner
Plaice				present	peak	peak	peak	peak	present				Ragworm, lug, mussel, razorfish; with attractor beads Two-hook flapper, Spreader
Dover sole					present	peak	peak	peak	peak	present			Ragworm, lugworm, small and fresh Two-hook flapper, Running ledger
Thornback ray			present	peak	peak	peak	present	present	present	present	present		Sandeel, mackerel, herring and bluey, squid, crab Clipped-down, Up-and-over, Running ledger
Smoothhound					present	peak	peak	peak	present				Peeler crab, hard-back crab Up-and-over, Pulley, Running ledger
Lesser spotted dogfish	present	present	present	present	present	present	peak	peak	peak	peak	peak	present	Mackerel, squid, almost anything Two-hook flapper, Pulley
Bull huss	present	present	present	peak	peak	present	present	present	peak	peak	present	present	Mackerel, squid, crab Pulley, Rotten-bottom
Conger eel	present	present	present	present	peak	peak	peak	peak	peak	peak	present	present	Mackerel flapper, whole squid Conger trace
Tope					present	peak	peak	peak	present				Half mackerel, small whole flatfish Tope trace
Gurnard					present	peak	peak	peak	present				Mackerel strip, squid, ragworm Two-hook flapper, Bream rig
Black bream						present	peak	peak	present				Thin squid or mackerel strip Bream rig
Ling					present	present	present	present	present				Mackerel, squid, pirks Pirk and muppets, Flowing trace
Thick-lipped mullet					present	peak	peak	peak	peak	present			Bread flake, small ragworm Controller float, Baited spinner

Bridlington · Filey · Scarborough · Whitby · Tees to Tyne · Northumberland

East: the North Sea

Cod are around all year over rough ground. Summer is coalfish, pollack, wrasse and mackerel off the rocks and piers. Rays, hounds and bass are scarcer than in the west.

PeakPresentThis month is outlined.

Species	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Bait · rigs
Cod and codling	peak	peak	peak	present	present	present	present	present	peak	peak	peak	peak	Peeler crab, lugworm, mussel (east), squid and lug cocktails Clipped-down, Pulley, Pulley with dropper
Whiting	peak	present							present	peak	peak	peak	Mackerel or sandeel strip, lug, squid Two-hook flapper, Three-hook clipped, Wishbone
Pollack					present	peak	peak	peak	peak	present			Lures, sandeel, prawn or strip under a float Sliding float, Jig-head shad, Weedless swimbait
Coalfish (saithe)	present	present	present	present	present	present	peak	peak	peak	peak	present	present	Lures, feathers, float with strip Feathers, Sliding float, Casting metal
Mackerel							peak	peak	peak				Feathers, small metals, float with strip Feathers, Casting metal, Sliding float
Garfish						present	present	present					Thin mackerel strip under a float, small metals Sliding float, Controller float, Casting metal
Bass						present	present	present	present				Peeler crab, ragworm, sandeel, mackerel; surface and shallow lures Pulley, Up-and-over, Stickbait
Ballan wrasse						peak	peak	peak	present				Peeler or hard-back crab, ragworm, soft plastics Texas, Paternoster float, Rotten-bottom
Pouting	peak	present	present	present					present	peak	peak	peak	Lug, squid, mackerel strip Two-hook flapper, Pulley with dropper
Rockling	peak	peak	present	present							present	peak	Lug, crab Two-hook flapper
Dab	peak	peak	peak	present	present	present	present	present	present	present	peak	peak	Lug, ragworm, mussel, small fish strip Two-hook flapper, Three-hook clipped, Spreader
Flounder	peak	peak	peak	present	present	present	present	present	present	peak	peak	peak	Peeler crab, ragworm, lug Two-hook flapper, Spreader, Baited spinner
Plaice				present	peak	peak	peak	peak	present				Ragworm, lug, mussel, razorfish; with attractor beads Two-hook flapper, Spreader
Dover sole					present	present	present	present					Ragworm, lugworm, small and fresh Two-hook flapper, Running ledger
Thornback ray					present	present	present						Sandeel, mackerel, herring and bluey, squid, crab Clipped-down, Up-and-over, Running ledger
Lesser spotted dogfish					present	present	present	present	present	present			Mackerel, squid, almost anything Two-hook flapper, Pulley
Conger eel						present	present	present	present	present			Mackerel flapper, whole squid Conger trace
Tope							present	present					Half mackerel, small whole flatfish Tope trace
Gurnard					present	present	present	present	present				Mackerel strip, squid, ragworm Two-hook flapper, Bream rig
Ling	present	present	present	present	peak	peak	peak	peak	peak	present	present	present	Mackerel, squid, pirks Pirk and muppets, Flowing trace
Haddock	present	present	present	present	present	present	present	present	present	present	present	present	Mussel, lug, squid on small hooks; muppets Two-hook flapper, Pirk and muppets
Thick-lipped mullet						present	present	present					Bread flake, small ragworm Controller float, Baited spinner

Bait calendar

When each bait is at its best. Gather and freeze in a glut so you have it in the lean months.

PeakPresentThis month is outlined.

Bait	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Notes
Peeler crab (west)													Collect or buy. Moulting starts as the water warms.
Peeler crab (east)													Later moult on the colder North Sea coast.
Lug and rag													All year. Black lug, blow lug and king rag.
Mussel													Classic winter cod and dab bait on the east coast.
Razorfish													Washes up after winter storms. Collect and freeze.
Fresh mackerel													Catch on feathers and freeze for winter. Best bait for conger, tope and rays.
Squid and sandeel													Frozen, all year. Squid tips go on cocktails.

Bait tips

How to get the best from the baits in the calendar.

Cart and crab wings for NE cod

Cart is the brown meat inside a female edible crab, blended and frozen in small bags. Crab wings are the legs and claws. Bound onto lug or squid, both are deadly for winter cod.

Big baits for cod, small for the rest

In coloured winter water, cod hunt by smell, so build big baits up the back of the hook and keep the point clear. Whiting, dabs and dogfish come to small baits on small hooks. Fish a rod of each.

A baiting needle

Thread soft baits onto a baiting needle (or a barbecue skewer), bind with elastic, then slide them onto the hook in one go. Bind lightly: tight elastic cuts a worm in half.

Free bait from the rocks

Knock limpets off with a sharp tap before they clamp down. Mussels work best fresh; frozen ones go soft. Gaper clams washed up after storms are top cod bait. Sandeels can be jigged on tiny feathers under some piers.

Keeping ragworm

Keep them cool and steady, in newspaper. Pick out dead or broken worms and change the paper before it goes slimy. Most anglers use dry paper for a day or two; a tray under paper damped with seawater keeps them longer.

Peeler crab: check and prepare

To check, twist off the last joint of a back leg: soft new shell underneath means a peeler. To use, take off the legs and claws, peel the body and side plates, and cut it in half. Lay the legs over the cut body before binding, so the juice leaks slowly.

Freezing peeler

Remove the gills (they rot even frozen), pat dry without rinsing in fresh water, wrap tightly in cling film and freeze fast on a metal tray.

Peeler isn't essential everywhere

It's the top bait for smoothhound and great for most fish, but NE cod also take cart, squid, lug and bluey. Hardback crab is a cheaper backup that works.

Hook the tough end

Cut mackerel fillets on the slant and finish threading with the hook through the skin, the toughest part. Hook sandeel through both eye sockets.

Ragworm and squid against crabs

Lay a strip of squid along the shank and thread the rag over it. Crabs strip the worm but struggle with squid. Floating beads above the hook help too.

Two-stage salted mackerel

Bury fillets in table salt on a tilted tray for about 4 hours, wipe off, re-salt in a lined tub and leave in the fridge overnight. Cut into small cubes for flatfish. It stays on the hook and keeps for weeks.

Use every scrap

Roll leftover rag in salt, wrap each worm separately and freeze, away from squid, whose juice turns worms to mush. Part-thaw a block of squid, split it into portions and refreeze them in bags.

Tides and timing

Springs and neaps

Springs (around full and new moon) bring the biggest tides and the most movement. They're best on most beaches and estuaries, but hard to hold bottom on and dangerous on cut-off marks. Neaps are gentler: better for boats, piers and fast-flowing straits.

The Irish Sea range

Liverpool Bay and Morecambe Bay see spring ranges of around 8–10m, among the biggest in Britain. On the Fylde and in Cumbria, the water comes in a long way, fast. Fish the flood and the top of the tide.

North-east rock

The tidal range is smaller (around 4–5m), and the rock edges fish over most states of tide. The sea state matters more than the tide: a settling sea after a north-easterly blow is classic cod weather.

Light

Winter whiting, cod, conger and sole feed best after dark. Bass, pollack and mackerel come close at dawn and dusk. Clear, calm sunny days are the hardest.

West: conditions

Onshore westerlies colour the water and switch on winter whiting and cod, especially once it settles for a day or two after a blow. Calm, clear summer evenings suit bass, smoothhound and rays on the flood.

East: conditions

Fish the coloured water as it clears, with crab and mussel. In a big swell, the rock edges and Marine Drive are no place to be, so switch to sheltered harbours and piers.

Conditions

Winter cod and a dying sea

NE cod come on as a big sea dies off and the water is still coloured, and fishing is much better after dark. In winter, flat, gin-clear water is the hardest. In summer, clear calm water suits rock cod and wrasse.

The harbour seam

Where fresh water from a river or harbour mouth meets the sea, food collects along the seam, and codling often sit along its edge.

Rivers after rain

The River Tyne and other estuaries fish badly after heavy rain or in a strong westerly, because the fresh surface water bows the line. Point rods straight into or away from the wind, never side-on.

Read the birds

Gulls working offshore mean bait fish, and often mackerel or bass under them. Gulls sitting idle on the beach are a bad sign.

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.

Seasons shift a few weeks with water temperature, so treat the edges as soft. Local tackle shops and club results are the best guide to what's showing right now.