Brighton Inshore Fishing - Catch report 23rd September 2025

First session, and I was playing host to regular Martin, and three of his international angler buddies. The last time Stuart, Neil and Rob fished together it was int the balmy waters of Gibraltar nailing giant blue fin tuna. But, us all rounders are very flexible, and there was as much excited chatter about the prospective bass trip as any oversized pelagic ever got. Always a challenge in the strong Northerly winds, the guys had the option on the second session if they wanted it, with zero penalty if they did not .

The Achilles heel was I did not have a clue what was happening. The first proper bass trip since August 23rd due to wind. Thats a very long time to be out of touch. I stayed with a couple of reliable spots for the first hour, although restricted to in tight, and found four fish. Two for the table including a first ever for Stuart which is always a good thing. But the rest of the trip I went on the hunt and failed miserably. As it was such hard fishing, the guys declined the next trip, which I suspect was the best option.

Then. literally by popular demand, another squid trip. David, Paul, Richard and Adam being the lucky guys on this one. And a good trip, demonstrating that numbers inshore are on the up. However, it is a much more normal season. They aren't everywhere and they are showing preferences for certain ground and certain tide states that need to be combined to get a result. It will be interesting to see if this changes, and the glut that we had last year returns. But if not, It doesnt matter. I have got to know squid quite well.

Indeed, I started the All England, later renamed WORLD, squid championships way back in 2006 to raise awareness of them. Back then, it was just Farmer George and a few other regulars enjoying them on the float, April and May. Happy times, but now, they are much more in demand. One customer last week told me he paid £30 for just two mediums off a London fresh fish counter recently. I guess thats likely part of the reason. Plus the average English person has definitely got more adventurous with gastronomy in this time. It all contributes to demand for fresh squid. Which personally, I feel is a very good thing...

Techniques, and the kit available, has also evolved in this time. Mostly back then, we float fished the jigs. And this produced. But working a jig properly, does produce more from the shore. Strangely, afloat, the least you do, the more you catch. I wonder if the commercials just towed strings of jigs with downriggers, instead of auto jiggers, if their catches would fall, or increase... food for thought if you are an auto-jigger...

3 bass trips tomorrow. 1 space on the 1100, 2 spaces on the 1500... 07970 112774 And if you wish to be added to the Whatsapp group where squid sessions are assigned, text YOUR FULL NAME and SQUID to the same number.