{"id":576,"date":"2026-10-09T02:33:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T02:33:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reelzy.co\/blog\/first-sea-fishing-trip-ramsgate-what-to-expect\/"},"modified":"2026-10-13T20:57:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T20:57:13","slug":"first-sea-fishing-trip-ramsgate-what-to-expect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reelzy.co\/blog\/first-sea-fishing-trip-ramsgate-what-to-expect\/","title":{"rendered":"First Sea Fishing Trip from Ramsgate: What to Expect"},"content":{"rendered":"

A first sea fishing trip from Ramsgate is easier than most people expect. You do not need a licence, you do not need to own a rod, and on most charter boats the skipper supplies the tackle and bait, shows you how to drop a rig to the bottom and helps you land and unhook what you catch. Your job is to turn up on time, dressed for a colder sea than the beach suggests, with food, a drink and a cool box for the fish you keep.<\/p>\n

The short answer<\/h2>\n

Book a half day or short trip for your first time out, check the forecast and the skipper’s weather policy the day before, and ask what is biting that month.<\/strong> Ramsgate boats fish two kinds of ground: inshore banks and rough ground for bass, rays, smoothound and mackerel, and the wrecks and sandbanks further out, around the Goodwin Sands, for the bigger bottom fish. A shorter trip usually stays on one area. A full day can cover several, which is great if you love it and a long day if you find out you get seasick.<\/p>\n

What happens on the day<\/h2>\n

Most trips leave from the pontoons of Ramsgate Royal Harbour marina. Some boats, such as Hussler of Ramsgate<\/a>, board from the pontoon and can leave and return at any state of the tide, which matters because a few harbours on this coast can only be used for part of the tide. Your skipper will tell you the meeting time; be there ten or fifteen minutes before it.<\/p>\n

A typical first trip runs like this:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Briefing at the boat.<\/strong> Where the life jackets are, where to stand, how the toilet works if there is one, and what the plan is for the day.<\/li>\n
  2. The run out.<\/strong> Anything from a short hop to an inshore mark to a longer steam out to a wreck. This is when you will feel the swell for the first time.<\/li>\n
  3. Learning the rig.<\/strong> On most Kent boats you will be bottom fishing<\/a>: a lead weight takes baited hooks down to the seabed and you wait for the rod tip to knock. The skipper or crew will bait up for you at the start and show you how to do it yourself.<\/li>\n
  4. Drifts or anchoring.<\/strong> The boat either drifts over a mark or anchors up on it. On a drift you reel up and drop again each time the skipper moves; at anchor you settle in.<\/li>\n
  5. Landing and keeping fish.<\/strong> The skipper will tell you what is legal to keep and what goes back. Many boats will gut or fillet what you keep before you get off.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    What you might catch, season by season<\/h2>\n

    What comes over the side depends far more on the month than on your skill. As a rough guide for charter boats out of Ramsgate and the rest of Thanet:<\/p>\n

    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Season<\/th>\nWhat Ramsgate boats usually target<\/th>\nWhat it feels like<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    Spring (April to June)<\/td>\nThornback ray, smoothound, the first bass and black bream<\/td>\nWaking up, mixed bags, still cold on the water<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Summer (July to September)<\/td>\nBass, black bream, smoothound, mackerel, tope and rays<\/td>\nThe busiest and most forgiving time for beginners<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Autumn (October to November)<\/td>\nBass, rays and the first whiting and codling<\/td>\nOften the best mixed fishing of the year, weather permitting<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Winter (December to March)<\/td>\nWhiting, cod and codling on the wrecks and banks, dogfish<\/td>\nHardier days, shorter light, more weather cancellations<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

    Hussler lists bass, smoothound, mackerel, skate and tope among its targets through the year. Lady Ann<\/a>, a family run boat that has fished out of Ramsgate for eleven years, lists conger eel, bass, dogfish, whiting and skate. If you want one species in particular, say so when you book. A skipper who knows you are after a cod<\/a> in December will plan a very different day from one taking a family out in August.<\/p>\n

    Catches are never guaranteed. A good skipper will tell you honestly what the boats have been catching that week, and that is worth more than any table, including this one.<\/p>\n

    Do you need a licence?<\/h2>\n

    No. In England you do not need a fishing licence to fish in the sea, from a boat or from the shore. The rod licence you may have heard about covers freshwater fishing for salmon, trout, coarse fish and eels, not sea angling. There is more on this in our guide to whether you need a fishing licence on a UK charter boat<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    What does apply are the rules on what you keep. For European sea bass<\/a> in 2026 that means three fish a day per angler, a minimum size of 42 cm, and catch and release only in February and March. Your skipper will know the current rules, and our article on the 2026 bass and pollack rules<\/a> explains them in full.<\/p>\n

    What to bring<\/h2>\n

    Most Ramsgate charters supply rods, reels, terminal tackle and bait, so the list is short. Check the listing first, because inclusions vary from boat to boat.<\/p>\n