Brighton Inshore Fishing - Catch report 25th July 2025

If ever there was a tale to tell, about how chalk and cheese two sailings can be, this is the day to tell it. So, I will... I awoke to chill. Well, as close to chill as we have experienced these last couple of weeks. Enough to close the bathroom window. Winter is coming, as confirmed by the black headed gulls now being patchy chocolate headed gulls. August is a week away. I emerged from fishyrob HQ to cloud, with a stiff northerly wind. These conditions, combined with the session being around the low tide, meant just one thing to me... Topwaters.

With me, Ian, Jude, David and Derek. Derek's first time on topwaters, and he did enjoy. The misses are exciting, and when a fish is determined, often there are several misses before connection on the size 1 inline singles, attached to Axia Glide lures. But to cut a long story much shorter, as I have to go pick up 2 weeks worth of horse poo shortly, as a favour to a friend, we landed 10 bass and a chunker mackerel. Yes, mackerel do hit surface lures. I think maybe 4 of the bass were on shads, but surface lures won the session. Only 2 fish were smalls, so maximum kill was employed. A very fun morning.

Next session, the sun had battered back the clouds. Surface no more. Shads. With me Miles, returning, Nilesh, new to BIF1 and finding his fishing mojo after a very lengthy departure (although I really feel it in him. He is very much about the fish) and Jack and Yichen, visiting from that there London town. Yichen being totally new to fishing, so a full instruction was given on things like casting. During which, she caught the ONLY fish from the 2 hour session. She also caught a cuttle, the only other living thing hooked. Amazing. Tide dying part of the problem. Wind increasing ahead of schedule also not helping. Literally, just two creatures caught. Plenty of fish marked, and a small porpoise sighted. But no BBQ bass for anyone.