Fishing at Brighton Marina West Arm

BreakwaterEast Sussex🐾 Dogs allowed — with rules★★☆ family

A paid-ticket breakwater with numbered bays running out over rough, rocky ground — busy with 'mackerel bashers' in summer, but the lower bays (1-8) give bass, flatties and bream close in without needing to fish the snaggier upper wall.

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What you can catch

Species	Season	Method
Mackerel	Jun–Sep	Float-fished fish strip or feathers from the upper bays when shoals move along the wall in summer.
Bass	Apr–Nov	Float-fished live prawn or peeler crab on a running ledger in the lower bays (1-8), best on a rising tide.
Black bream / wrasse	May–Sep	Ragworm or squid fished hard on the bottom around the rougher mid-wall bays (9-15); expect tackle losses.
Sole	Jul–Oct	Worm or squid tipped with lug fished after dark on cleaner sand patches, mid-to-low bays.
Smoothhound	May–Jul	Peeler crab on a pulley rig, most productive over the summer months on the lower bays.

Tactics

Fish the lower bays (roughly 1-8) for cleaner, less snaggy ground holding bass and flatfish; higher bays get extremely rough and are better suited to float/lure fishing for mackerel and wrasse when the shoals are in. Use 4-5oz grip leads in the tide run and expect to lose end tackle on the rockier sections.

Best tide: Rising tide into high water; big spring tides push bait and predators onto the wall · Best time: Dawn and dusk in summer for bass/hounds; after dark for sole

Dogs

The marina wall itself is a promenade area, so under Brighton & Hove's Dogs on Leads PSPO (2023) dogs must be on a lead at all times when on it, year-round. The wall sits at the boundary between two seasonal 'dog-friendly beach' zones which only affect the sandy beach either side, not the wall/breakwater itself, from 1 May to 30 Sept.

Access & parking

Entry is via the seafront west of the Volks Railway Station car park or through the marina/Asda car park tunnel; a day ticket is required from The Famous TackleBox shop at West Quay before fishing (day session 6am-6pm, night session 6pm-6am). The marina multi-storey car park has free family/disabled parking on level 1. Sat-nav: BN2 5UT.Get directions → Family rating: ★★☆ — A day ticket, warden presence and a locked gate make it more controlled than an open beach, but it's a working breakwater with unguarded drops into deep water and rough underfoot ground in places.

FAQs

Do you need a permit to fish Brighton Marina West Arm?

Yes — a paid day (or night) ticket from The Famous TackleBox shop at West Quay is required for every angler.

Are dogs allowed on Brighton Marina's West Arm?

Dogs are allowed but must be kept on a lead at all times under Brighton & Hove's Dogs on Leads PSPO.

What's the best time to fish the West Arm for bass?

The lower bays (roughly 1-8) on a rising tide, ideally at dawn or dusk through spring and summer.

Nearby marks

Eastbourne Seafront · Hastings Stade

Last updated 7 July 2026 — sources & disclaimer

Compiled from angling guides, forums and the relevant council's dog byelaws, cross-checked where possible.

Rules and conditions change, so always check current signage and tides before you go. We do our best to keep this accurate but can't promise it's error-free.