Sea Fishing in Brighton

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

The main organised venue for fishing in Brighton is Brighton Marina, where anglers fish the East and West Walls on paid day and night tickets collected for the Famous Tackle Box. The open shingle beach and the wider Sussex coast are the free alternatives. Bass rules come from national MMO guidance, with Sussex IFCA byelaws on top.

One phone call saves a wasted trip. The walls open subject to weather and maintenance, and East Wall opening has recently been restricted, so ring the shop before you set off.

Below: where to fish, which wall suits you, tickets, parking, species, the rules and safety.

Where to Fish in Brighton: Marina Walls, Beach and the Sussex Coast

Brighton has miles of seafront, yet most of its organised shore fishing happens on two concrete arms at the east end of town.

Those arms are the breakwaters of Brighton Marina. Construction began in 1971, it opened for use in 1978, and Queen Elizabeth II officially opened it on 31 May 1979. It is a working harbour with about 1,600 berths and an RNLI inshore lifeboat station, which is why the casting and lighting rules covered below exist: they keep boats safe.

The walls also have what the beach lacks: tackle and bait from the Famous Tackle Box at West Quay, and a toilet in the West Wall tower.

Brighton beach fishing is the free option. The open shingle is fished, and sea fishing in Sussex stretches well beyond the marina, but this guide doesn’t map individual beach marks. Ask the tackle shop which spots are producing.

Brighton Palace Pier’s own website doesn’t advertise fishing, so check with the pier operator before you take a rod. For piers that welcome anglers, see our guide to the best fishing piers in the UK, or browse more UK sea fishing marks.

East Wall vs West Wall: Which Brighton Marina Arm to Fish

Turn up at the East Wall planning to fish into the dark and you’ll be packing up at 6pm. Only one arm is open at night, and it isn’t that one.

Brighton Marina fishing splits between the two breakwaters, and access is the biggest difference.

	East Wall	West Wall
Walk and access	Far end of the marina, known as “the long walk”; also the route to the undercliff walk	2 to 5 minutes’ walk from parking
Day fishing	Yes	Yes
Night fishing	No, closed at night	Yes
Notable features	Room to spread out	Extension reached by 8 steep steps; toilet in the tower
Best for	A full day session	Night sessions and a short walk

For the East Wall, drive round to unload at the east car park, then take the car back to the multi-storey. For the West Wall, go through the tunnel by the marina car wash near the Asda car park and turn left, or walk in from the seafront west of the Volks railway station car park.

Both walls have wheelchair access through locked side gates at the start of each arm, and the operator can arrange for a warden to open them. Clearance between the step and the posts is about 60 cm, so measure your chair before you travel.

At the time of writing, East Wall opening has been restricted to certain days. Treat that as live status, not a fixed rule, and check with the Tackle Box (details in the parking and closures section below).

If you want night fishing or a short walk, start on the West Wall. If you want room and a full day, try the East Wall on a day it is open.

Brighton Marina Fishing Tickets, Prices and Wall Rules

You need a ticket on the anglers-only lower levels even if you aren’t fishing. That includes friends and family who come along to watch.

These are the operator’s own figures, checked on 23 October 2026.

Session	Adult	Junior / OAP
Day, 6am to 6pm (8 hours guaranteed), 1 rod	£6	£4
Day, 2 rods	£7	£5
Day, each extra rod	£4	£3
Night, West Wall only, 6pm to 6am	£10 (max 2 rods)	£5

Hand lines cost £3 each.

Duty wardens in green marina jackets collect the fees on the wall. They may also check catches for legal size and can give advice and directions, so ask them if you’re new. Keep your ticket, because it doubles as proof for parking (see the next section).

The wall rules are short and enforced:

No glass, tents, BBQs or open fires
Maximum of 4 anglers per bay
No casting inside the marina, and no pendulum casting
Under-14s must be accompanied at all times
Blue lights only at night
No trolleys or marina barrows

Most of these follow from the marina being a working harbour, where a bright white headtorch or a stray cast is a hazard to boats coming in.

Prices and rules can change, so check with the Tackle Box before you travel.

Parking, Closures and Safety Before You Travel

The marina lets anglers park free, yet some still come back to a private parking ticket. That, and a wall closed on the day, are the two avoidable ways to lose a Brighton session.

Parking

Park in the multi-storey. The operator says it is free while you’re using the marina, despite the 4-hour signs. Avoid the Asda car park, which is chargeable and monitored. The East car park is drop-off and pick-up only, on a one-hour green ticket.

Keep your fishing ticket as proof and photograph your parked car. If there’s a problem, marina security is on 01273 693636.

Closures

The walls open subject to weather and maintenance, and East Wall opening has been restricted recently. The shop’s website lists two different sets of opening hours, so phone rather than relying on either: the Famous Tackle Box, West Quay, Brighton Marina BN2 5UT, 01273 696477.

Safety

Breakwaters take the full force of swell and spray. Never fish a wall that has been closed for weather, and check a tide table and the marine forecast before you go. Our guide to tides for sea fishing explains what to look for.

Before you leave home:

Phone the Tackle Box to confirm which wall is open
Check the tide table and marine forecast
Park in the multi-storey and keep your ticket

What You Can Catch at Brighton Marina and When

A working harbour wall isn’t where most people expect red mullet or gilthead bream. Yet both appear in anglers’ reported catches from Brighton Marina.

The operator’s catch photos show this mix of species reported by anglers on the walls:

Bass
Sole, plaice and flounder
Thornback, undulate and small-eyed rays
Red mullet and gilthead bream
Cuttlefish and squid
Conger and mackerel

That list shows what the walls can produce, not what will be feeding on the day, and there’s no reliable month-by-month calendar for the marina. The one seasonal pointer: the Tackle Box runs an autumn squid competition and posts squid updates, so ask the shop for this year’s dates.

Return what you don’t intend to keep, carefully and quickly. If you’re keeping bass, read the rules in the next section first.

Best for: anglers who enjoy variety. Skip if: you want a guaranteed single-species session.

Ask the shop what’s being caught that week before you choose a bait. Planning further afield? Compare Brighton with shore fishing on the Isle of Wight, Southend Pier, sea fishing marks in Wales or the Norfolk coast.

Bass Rules, Size Limits and the Beachy Head West MCZ

The bass rules on some local pages don’t match the 2026 government guidance. If you’re fishing in Brighton, follow GOV.UK and the Sussex IFCA, not an old notice.

Bass rules (MMO guidance, updated 27 February 2026)

1 February to 31 March: catch and release only, rod and handline (see fishing seasons)
Rest of the year: three bass per angler per day, as amended by The Sea Fisheries (Amendment) Regulations 2026
Minimum size: 42 cm; release anything smaller

The rules are reviewed regularly, so check the GOV.UK bass fishing guidance before each season. Our bass fishing regulations page covers the background.

Sussex IFCA byelaws

The Sussex IFCA Minimum Size (Fish, Crustacea and Mollusc) Byelaw 2021 applies to recreational anglers as well as commercial fishers. The species table is in the byelaw and the Recreational Fishers factsheet on the Sussex IFCA regulations page, or call Sussex IFCA on 01273 454407.

Digging your own bait? The Hand Gathering (Restrictions and Permitting) Byelaw 2021 sets bag limits for specified species in Sussex intertidal areas, so check the factsheet first.

Beachy Head West MCZ

The Beachy Head West Marine Conservation Zone runs from Brighton Marina to Beachy Head, with a gap at Newhaven, covering about 24 km² out to half a nautical mile seaward of mean high water. It protects chalk habitats, blue mussels, native oysters and short-snouted seahorses through a voluntary code of conduct plus regulation of recreational and commercial fishing. Check the IFCA pages before fishing east of the marina.

On licences, GOV.UK describes the rod licence as covering salmon, trout, freshwater fish, smelt and eels. Our fishing licence guide explains who needs one.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to fish at Brighton Marina?

An adult day ticket costs £6 for one rod or £7 for two, and an adult night ticket costs £10 on the West Wall only (operator figures, checked October 2026). Junior and OAP tickets are cheaper. Check with the Tackle Box before you travel.

Can you night fish at Brighton Marina?

Yes, on the West Wall only, from 6pm to 6am, with blue lights only. The East Wall is closed at night. Night tickets cost £10 for adults and £5 for children and OAPs.

Can you fish off Brighton Palace Pier?

The pier's own website doesn't mention fishing, so ask the pier operator before you take a rod. For piers that welcome anglers, see our guide to the best fishing piers in the UK.

What is the bass limit in Sussex?

Bass are catch and release only from 1 February to 31 March. Outside that period you can keep three a day, with a 42 cm minimum size (MMO 2026 guidance). Check GOV.UK before each season, as the rules are reviewed.