European Seabass Fishing Charters in United Kingdom

Bass fishing from a charter boat in England

Bass are the fish many English sea anglers rate above all others: hard fighting for their size, wary, and excellent to eat. They feed close to the coast over rough ground, reefs, sandbanks and in the tide races off headlands, which is why short inshore trips suit them so well. You do not need a long run offshore. A half day off Ramsgate or along the Sussex coast puts you over the marks where bass hunt sandeels, crabs and small fish.

On a charter boat there are two ways to fish for them. Most general boats drift or anchor over reefs and banks with bait, live bait or lures, and bass come up alongside smoothhounds, rays, mackerel and gurnard. A specialist bass guide fishes lures on light tackle, moving fast between marks and casting into the white water and the edges of the tide. The second style catches fewer fish of other kinds and is the one to choose if bass are the whole point of the day.

The boats here are honest about the mix. In early October 2026 Hussler reported a busy few days on short trips out of Ramsgate, with bass to 5lb, a skate, plenty of smoothhounds and the first gurnard of the autumn.

The rules: three a day, 42 cm, nothing kept in February and March

In 2026 a recreational angler in English waters may keep three bass a day. The minimum size is 42 cm, measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail with the mouth closed. From 1 February to 31 March bass are catch and release only: you can still fish for them, but every fish goes back. In January and from 1 April to 31 December you may keep up to your three.

The limit is per person. On a charter boat the skipper cannot pool the group's allowance or keep extra fish for a friend who caught nothing, and a skipper who knows the water will expect you to release anything under size without being asked. Many crews encourage keeping one good fish and putting the rest back, because bass grow slowly. Our guide to bass and pollack rules for UK charter anglers explains where the numbers come from, and the rules are reviewed every year, so check again before a trip.

If you keep a fish, look after it from the moment it comes aboard. Our guide on what to do after catching a sea bass covers dispatching, bleeding and icing it so it tastes as it should.

The boats that fish for bass

• Topspotfishing is the specialist: bass guiding on the Kent and Sussex coast for up to 4 anglers, with tuition and guidance on lure fishing. Places can be booked one at a time, so a single angler can join. The same guide also organises bass fishing trips to Morocco and Portugal.
• Hussler is a 26 foot charter boat in Ramsgate Marina for up to 6, on 4 or 6 hour trips that can leave and return at any state of the tide. Skipper Bob supplies tackle, lures and a choice of live bait; bring drinks, snacks and a cool box. Bass are one of its main targets alongside smoothhound, mackerel, skate and tope.
• Lady Ann fishes from Kent for up to 10, with bait and tackle supplied, a range of local marks through the day and your fish prepared for the table before you step ashore. Tea and coffee all day. The relaxed choice for a family or a mixed group.
• Kestrel Warrior runs short trips on the south-east coast in East Sussex for up to 10, with rod hire, a small tackle shop on board, free tuition from a trained fishing coach and free gutting and cleaning. A good first trip.
• Fishing with Andy works out of Plymouth in the western Channel on full days, roughly 07:15 to 17:00, for up to 8. Book a single place or the whole boat; ask how much of the day goes to bass and how much to wrecks.

When to go

Bass carry the summer and autumn fishing on this coast. From late spring the inshore water warms, smoothhound and rays come in, and bass follow the bait onto the reefs and banks; the fishing usually holds through September and October and into the first weeks of winter, until the water cools and the boats turn to cod, whiting and conger over the wrecks. February and March are release only by law, so a trip to keep a fish is an April to January plan.

Tides and weather decide each day more than the calendar. Bass feed hardest on moving water, so a skipper will often plan the trip around the tide rather than the clock, and a strong onshore wind colours the water and slows lure fishing. If a bass trip matters to you, ask about the tide on your date and keep a spare day in case the weather turns.

Before you book

• Choose the style. A lure guide for bass only, or a general boat for bass with smoothhounds, rays and mackerel. Both are good days; they are different days.
• Agree what you keep. Three bass at 42 cm each is the legal ceiling, not a target. Ask the skipper how they like to handle releases.
• Gear is supplied. All five boats provide tackle or bait, and Kestrel Warrior hires rods. Bring warm layers, waterproofs and a cool box.
• New to it? Our guide to your first sea fishing trip from Ramsgate walks through a day on board, and all boats in the United Kingdom are on one page.