Ray Fishing from the Shore around Eastbourne

Ray Fishing from the Shore around Eastbourne

By Ollie Franks

March 2026

Times of Year

Thornback ray fishing in Eastbourne and Pevensey Bay normally begins late winter/early spring. Late February into March are peak months for catching from the shore, when rays move into shallower inshore waters, likely following food sources. This prime time offers anglers the best chance of both numbers and decent sized thornbacks. April and May are still productive but catches of thornback can be a little patchier, as the fishing begins to slow heading into the summer months.

In the autumn, we typically find ourselves with a second run of fish, usually late August through to November, depending on the weather.

 

Ollie Franks (left) and Harvey Shelley (right) with thornback rays from Eastbourne Beaches.

Around Eastbourne and Pevensey Bay, this later run of fish they are now often accompanied by different ray species including small eyed rays that sometimes reach double figure weights, and even the occasional blonde ray falling at the deeper water marks. This makes it a brilliant time to get out and target a real specimen fish.

Tactics, Rigs and Bait

Ray fishing tactics are quite straightforward, with baits of choice usually being blueys, squid and sandeels. However, these fish will take most fish baits when they arrive in numbers. Click Here for information about our fresh and frozen bait available instore, subject to availability.

For rigs we recommend using a Pulley Rig or Dongle Rig, anywhere between 4ft and 6ft in total length, to ensure good bait presentation. These rigs can be used with traditional pennel hooks; however this can increase the chance of deep hooking fish.

To fix this many anglers now use the dongle rig presentation. This setup incorporates circle hooks and presents the bait in a hair rig style below the hook. This significantly reduces the risk of deep hooked fish and almost always results in a secure hook hold in the corner of the mouth. This is excellent for fishing catch and release when targeting any species of ray.

Experienced anglers find that distance is not critical when ray fishing, with casts of 40yds or more being ample, especially at night. In fact, big rays have been caught from almost all distances!

  

Rob Channon with a blonde ray (left) from Pevensey Bay Jamie Austen with a small eyed ray (right) from Eastbourne.

Tackle

For ray fishing we recommend slightly heavier continental style beachcasters which can handle bigger baits. We have rod and reel combinations instore to suit all budgets that, when matched with the right end tackle, are suitable for ray fishing. For example the 14ft Twin Tip Rod and Reel Beach Combo, where the heavier tip is ideal for ray fishing.

The heavier continental style beachcasters are ideal for fishing for rays. For example, the Blackrock Competition Surf 14ft 10in 2G Edition, the Blackrock Rock N Roll 4300 2G Heavy Surf or the Penn Tidal XT 453 K-Hybrid Sensitip 4.5m (TOP 20 DEAL) – the heavier 300g version. These rods could ideally be combined with reels like the Penn Surfblaster III 7000 (TOP 20 DEAL) or 8000 (TOP 20 DEAL), or the Penn Tidal XT 7000 (TOP 20 DEAL) or 8000 (TOP 20 DEAL).

Times and Tides

When it comes to timing and tides, night sessions are generally the most productive as rays tend to move closer to shore under the cover of darkness making them much easier to target. While these fish can be caught at any stage of the tide, the most productive times to fish are during the final stages of the flood and into the ebb, so up and over high tide, as this is when the tide is running at its hardest and when rays are actively feeding.

Tide height is also important, as rays often prefer stronger tides for feeding. We generally target tides with a range of 6.7m or more to give the best chances of success.

Weather tends to have less influence, although easterly winds often produce fewer ray catches—possibly due to the higher air pressure they bring. 

Fishing Marks

Several marks in our local area produce these rays, with a few being considered ‘hot spots’. By far the most popular venue would have to be the Splash Point/ Cambridge Road area along Eastbourne seafront, with this deeper water mark consistently producing good numbers and sizes of fish.

Other productive spots to try are the skate park by the Sovereign Centre (BN22 7LQ) near Langley Point which again is another deep water mark that can deliver good sized fish in numbers, along with the occasional chance of hooking a blonde ray.

Later in the year, rays tend to move eastward to Pevensey Bay with fish being caught throughout the bay down into Normans Bay, and all the way to Cooden and Bexhill. This really gives you lots of options to try, and the confidence to know you’ll never be too far from the fish.