The Unwritten Rules of Sea Fishing: Things Every Angler Should Know

Spend enough time sea fishing and you soon realise there are two sets of rules.

There are the proper ones, obviously. Minimum sizes, protected species, local restrictions and all the sensible things responsible anglers should know before they go fishing.

Then there’s the other set.

Nobody gives you these when you buy your first rod. They’re not printed on the back of a packet of hooks. You mostly pick them up over the years from fishing with other people, making mistakes and occasionally annoying somebody who has been fishing the same rock since approximately 1983.

I’ve been sea fishing for more than 50 years now. Tackle has changed enormously in that time.

Anglers, reassuringly, haven’t.

So, whether you’re new to sea fishing in Cornwall or you’ve been doing it so long your favourite rod has become a member of the family, here are a few of the unwritten rules I’ve picked up along the way.

1. Don’t Crowd Someone Else’s Fishing Spot

Cornwall has hundreds of miles of coastline. There really is no need to stand six feet away from somebody you’ve never met.

If another angler is already fishing a mark, give them a bit of space. Have a chat, ask how they’re getting on and work out where they’re casting before setting up.

Most sea anglers are a friendly bunch. Half the enjoyment is talking to other people, comparing notes and discovering that apparently you should have been there yesterday.

You should always have been there yesterday.

But there’s a difference between sharing a mark and arriving with three rods, a tripod and enough equipment for a minor military operation before squeezing into the exact spot somebody else is fishing.

Give people room. Say hello.

You never know, you might even learn something.

2. Take Your Rubbish Home

This one really shouldn’t need saying.

Fishing line, bait packets, hooks, food wrappers and cans don’t belong on beaches, rocks or harbour walls.

Discarded fishing line is particularly nasty stuff for wildlife, so if you spot some and can safely pick it up, chuck it in with your own rubbish.

We’re incredibly lucky to fish the Cornish coast. Beaches, estuaries, harbour walls, rocky marks – some of the places we get to spend our spare time are pretty special.

Looking after them is part of fishing them.

Leave the place looking as though you were never there.

Apart from perhaps a few crumbs from the emergency pasty.

Nobody’s perfect.

3. Somebody Else’s Fishing Mark Isn’t Yours to Share

Fishing spots can be a sensitive subject.

If somebody takes you to a mark they’ve found, particularly somewhere tucked away, don’t immediately photograph it, stick it online and tell several thousand people exactly where it is.

Your fishing spots are yours to share.

Somebody else’s aren’t.

There are probably very few genuinely secret fishing marks left in Cornwall, but there’s still a difference between knowing somewhere exists and publishing directions, tide times and which particular rock Dave stood on last Thursday.

If another angler trusts you with a spot, respect it.

And if someone tells you their favourite mark is “somewhere down west”, you can probably assume the interview is over.

4. Help the Youngster or Newbie Next to You

Every experienced angler was once the person who couldn’t tie the knot, tangled the rig around the rod tip and cast the bait approximately eleven feet.

I certainly was.

Some days I’m not entirely convinced I’ve progressed as far as I’d hoped.

If you see a youngster or newbie struggling, help them out. Show them a knot. Explain what they’ve caught. Help untangle the line. Give them a bit of encouragement.

It takes five minutes.

You might forget about it by teatime. They might remember it for years.

Sea fishing needs the next generation of anglers, and one of the nicest things about fishing has always been knowledge being passed from one person to another.

Usually accompanied by a story about a bass considerably larger than the one actually caught.

5. If Your Mate Hooks a Monster, Grab the Net

Not your phone.

The net.

There will be plenty of time for photographs once the fish is safely landed.

Standing behind your mate filming while shouting “KEEP THE LINE TIGHT!” does not technically count as assistance.

Neither does quietly hoping it comes off because you’ve blanked for six hours.

Although I think we can all acknowledge that the second one has crossed our minds.

We’re only human.

6. Watch Where Everyone Else Is Casting

You arrive at a beach and three anglers are already fishing.

Before launching your first cast towards France, spend a minute looking at what they’re doing.

Where are their lines? Is there much tide running? Are they fishing straight out or uptide? Are you about to cross all three of them?

Nothing introduces you to your new fishing neighbours quite like winding in four rigs simultaneously.

Busy beaches, harbour walls and popular shore fishing marks need a little awareness and a bit of give and take.

Take your time, have a word and everybody generally gets along nicely.

And if you do accidentally cross someone’s line, apologise.

Preferably before blaming the tide.

7. Respect the Fish

Whether it’s a tiny wrasse, a mackerel, a bass or the fish you’ve been hoping to catch for years, treat it properly.

If you’re returning a fish, handle it carefully, minimise the time it spends out of the water and get it back swimming as quickly as possible.

If you’re keeping fish for the table, know the current rules and only take what you genuinely need.

Over the years I’ve fished with some brilliant anglers, and the best ones have usually had one thing in common: genuine respect for what they catch.

Big or small, it’s still the reason we’re standing there.

Although I admit the bigger ones do tend to get photographed slightly more enthusiastically.

8. Share Fishing Information – Within Reason

Someone walks into the tackle shop and asks if anything’s being caught.

There are several acceptable answers.

“Few bass showing.”

“Some decent mackerel about.”

“Couple of nice fish came from the estuary.”

Perfectly reasonable.

There is no requirement to provide a six-figure grid reference, parking instructions, tide chart and a diagram showing precisely which rock Dave stood on at 6.47pm on Tuesday.

One of the things I love about the fishing community is how much knowledge gets shared. People help each other with rigs, bait, tackle, species and conditions all the time.

Just remember there’s a difference between helping someone and handing over somebody else’s entire fishing life.

9. Blanking Is Still Fishing

Sooner or later, everybody blanks.

Actually, if you go sea fishing regularly, it won’t be sooner or later.

It’ll be fairly often.

You can have the right bait, the right tide, perfect conditions and decades of experience – and catch absolutely nothing.

That’s fishing.

Change your bait. Try another distance. Alter the depth. Move along the beach. Put a lure on. Try something different.

And sometimes, accept that the fish simply haven’t read the plan.

You’ve still spent a few hours beside the sea, probably had a cup of tea, eaten something inappropriate before 9am and talked rubbish with somebody you like.

I’ve had some cracking days fishing where the fish themselves contributed absolutely nothing.

10. All Fish Get Bigger With Time

This is one of the oldest traditions in sea fishing.

A bass caught last weekend might have been 4lb.

Give it five years and it’ll be nudging 6lb.

Another ten years and it was comfortably 9lb, took twenty minutes to land and required the assistance of three grown men and possibly the coastguard.

The ones that get away grow even faster.

I used to think this was something other anglers did.

Then I recently heard myself telling a story about a fish I caught years ago and realised it had somehow put on nearly two pounds since the last time I told it.

So apparently I’m part of the problem.

Give me another ten years and it’ll be a British record.

Look After the Fishing – and Each Other

After more than 50 years of sea fishing, I reckon most of the important stuff has very little to do with how expensive your rod is, what reel you use or how much tackle you’ve managed to sneak into the garage without anyone noticing.

It’s the people as much as anything.

The mate who nets your fish. The stranger who tells you what bait is working. The old hand who shows a youngster a knot. The person in the next swim who lends you something you’ve forgotten.

And, if you’ve been fishing long enough, hopefully you get to return a few of those favours yourself.

Give people some room. Look after the coast. Respect the fish. Share what you know when you can. Have a laugh.

That, to me, is what the sea fishing community has always been about.

Because when you strip away all the rods, reels, rigs, lures and increasingly elaborate excuses for buying more tackle, we’re all essentially doing the same slightly ridiculous thing.

Standing beside a very large body of water hoping something pulls a bit of string.

And if you do lose an absolute monster at the net, don’t worry.

Give it a few years.

It’ll be enormous.

Tony 🎣