Winter shore fishing round the Island is mostly about whiting, rays, conger and dogfish, with cod the prize: only a handful are caught from the shore each year, according to a guide written by local anglers for Red Funnel. You need no rod licence to fish for sea fish, but Southern IFCA’s minimum sizes and this year’s bass rules still apply, and the tide and the cliffs deserve as much attention as the bait.
Where to cast
Start with Yarmouth Pier. The Yarmouth Harbour Commissioners’ website calls it a notable cod venue in late autumn and winter, with whiting and flatfish too, and asks anglers to buy a daily or weekly permit from the Harbour Office first. The tide there can be strong enough to need grip leads.
Elsewhere, the Red Funnel guide picks out Cowes seafront from Egypt Light to the Parade, with deep water and a strong tidal flow; Fort Victoria, one of the deepest shore marks on the Island, where the ebb runs very hard; and Sandown Bay, from the pier up to Culver Cliff. Visit Isle of Wight adds the beaches at Atherfield, Chale and Rocken End in the south-west, though the Red Funnel guide warns that cliff erosion has made the deeper marks along that stretch harder to reach. Use public access points only.
What’s about in winter
From October to December, the guide says, shore anglers go after thornback and undulate rays, conger eels and dogfish, along with smaller species such as pouting and whiting. It reckons this can be the prime time for cod, though few come from the shore. Visit Isle of Wight says winter anglers may even catch a cod or a blonde ray.
From January to March the colder water makes for harder fishing. For those months the guide points to the Medina, Yarmouth Harbour, Bembridge Harbour and St Helens for a chance of flounder or bass.
No licence, but there are rules
The Environment Agency’s rod licence covers salmon, trout, freshwater fish, smelt and eels, not sea fish. Southern IFCA, the inshore fisheries authority for the Island’s waters, says no permit is needed to fish recreationally, but recreational anglers must follow its byelaws on closed areas, minimum sizes and gear.
Its minimum sizes apply to everyone, recreational or commercial. Measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail, cod must be at least 35cm, whiting, plaice and flounder 27cm, dab 23cm and conger 58cm. Whole skates and rays must measure 40cm from wingtip to wingtip. Anything smaller must go straight back into the sea. Southern IFCA also gives out a minimum-size fish sticker, one per person, from its officers on patrol or its office by appointment. A separate byelaw bans using any device to foul-hook bass or mullet.
Bass in 2026
Bass have their own national rules, which apply from the shore as well as from boats. Under the Marine Management Organisation’s guidance for 2026, anglers were limited to catch and release from 1 February to 31 March. For the rest of the year each angler may keep up to three bass a day, and every bass kept must be at least 42cm. The limits are agreed each year in negotiations with the EU, so check the guidance again in the new year.
Tides and cliffs
HM Coastguard’s advice is to check the weather forecast and tide times before you head out, because a rising tide can cut off your way back; to keep clear of cliff edges and bases; to take a fully charged phone; and to tell someone at home where you are going and when you expect to be back. The Isle of Wight Council has likewise urged people to stay away from the edge and base of cliffs and to heed warning signs. In an emergency at the coast, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
The theme on screen
The angling theme turns up in some unlikely places, games for adults among them. Fortune Games has a page of guides to the Fishin’ Frenzy games, a fishing-themed slot series from Blueprint Gaming, explaining how each one plays. They are for adults aged 18 and over only; every spin is random, and the odds favour the house.
On the shore, the tide table is still the thing to check twice.
18+ only. Treat any game as paid entertainment, never a way to make money. Free, confidential help 24/7: National Gambling Helpline, 0808 8020 133.
