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Discover everything to fish in Highcliffe

Find the best moment to go fishing in Highcliffe, the most caught species, the techniques used, go fish with anglers nearby, find a fishing charter or guide, save your spots and discover new ones.

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N°1 | The Thornback Ray

The Thornback Ray belongs to the Rajidae family. The size of this line can reach 1.20 m long for females, 70 cm for males, and 60 cm wide. Its lifespan is estimated at about fifteen years. It reproduces in the spring. The female lays between 70 and 140 young each year. It can be fished all year round. The looped line has the flattened shape of a narrow, diamond-shaped disc, sometimes wavy at the back. The pectoral fins are large, triangular in shape. They are welded to the head and to the whole body. The tail is long and thin, with a triangular pelvic fin on either side. The snout and rostrum are short and pointed. The eyes are close together, in front of the spiracles. The color of its back is greyish or light brown, sometimes solid, but usually marked by dark spots assembled or in sinuous lines. This drawing is completed with large yellowish, irregular spots. These are then surrounded by black in young people. An adult individual may also be adorned with grey-bordered eye-spots. The belly is whitish, underlined with grey on the periphery. The mouth and 2 series of 5 gill slits are located on the ventral side. The upper jaw is armed with powerful teeth, pointed in males and flattened in females. Finally, the tail is adorned with a series of dark or light, uneven rings. The skin is rough. In adults, the dorsal surface of the disc includes a few large curls (curved horny spines with an oval base) arranged irregularly. The young have a very pronounced median line, up to the t

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : 36 cm

Difficulty :

N°2 | The Haddock fish

The Haddock fish belongs to the Gadidae family. The average size of haddock is 30 to 50 cm. It can measure up to 1.20 m and weigh up to 14 Kg and can live until the age of 20 years. It reproduces in spring. The female can respond to up to 3,000,000 eggs. This fish can be caught all year round outside of spawning periods. Like all coastal fish of which it is a part, haddock has three dorsal fins and two anal fins. Its body is more or less dark, crossed by a black lateral line and characterized by its silvery reflections. Its belly has a lighter shade on its back, it can be olive green and sometimes black. Two distinctive features for this fish: the black spot at the base of its pectoral fin and a small barbel on its lower jaw.

Fishing period : July to February

Minimum size : 30 cm

Difficulty :

N°3 | The Plaice fish

The Plaice fish belongs to the Pleuronectidae family. it does not usually exceed 61 cm. Growth is slow and the average lifespan is between 12 and 15 years. Reproduction takes place between February and May. Fertility is 125,000 eggs on average. It can be fished all year round. The plaice fish is a dexterous flat asymmetric fish: its two eyes are located on the right flank. Its body is thick. The ocular side is generally uniform, ranging from reddish to dark beige and spotted, while the blind side is white. His mouth is big. Its caudal is rounded and of moderate size. The lateral line is almost straight, except for a slight arc above the pectoral muscles. The dorsal fin has 76 to 101 rays, it originates in front of the left eye and ends on the caudal peduncle. The anal has 60 to 79 rays, it begins just below the operculum and ends under the posterior end of the dorsal fin. The head and body are covered with small ctenoid scales, they are rough on the ocular side; those on the blind side are mainly smooth and cycloid.

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : 30 cm

Difficulty :

N°4 | Seabass

The Seabass belongs to the Moronidae family. Its size is usually between 70 and 80 cm (1.10 m maximum). The life expectancy of the seabass is variable: about thirty years in an aquarium, 24 years in Ireland, 6 years maximum most often in the Mediterranean. Breeding takes place between December and March or January to May depending on the location. The female lays 200,000 eggs at once. The body of this fish is elongated and slightly compressed. The two dorsal fins (the first thorny and the second soft) are well separated and have almost the same length and height. The anal fin is composed of 10 soft rays preceded by 3 thorny rays. The caudal peduncle is quite elongated and the caudal fin is indented, with an upper lobe often slightly longer than the lower lobe. The pectoral fins are short. The upper part of the head is quite straight, the upper jaw is a little shorter than the lower jaw. The operculum may have a more or less visible black spot in its posterior upper part. The scales are small in size but clearly visible. The lateral line is slightly arched in the front part of the body. The back is grey in color, the sides are lighter, with yellowish or silvery reflections. The pectoral and ventral fins are yellowish white; the others are darker. Mostly in young individuals, black spots may be present in the dorso-ventral region.

Fishing period : Refer to section below

Minimum size : 40 cm

Difficulty :

N°5 | The Sting Ray fish

The Sting Ray fish belongs to the Dasyatidae family. The total length of this line is generally greater than 1 m, with a weight of 15 to 20 kg. The maximum known length is 2.50 m. The maximum lifespan is 20 years. Breeding usually takes place in summer. The female gives birth to 4 to 9 young. It can be fished all year round. The body of the sting ray is flattened, diamond-shaped, pointed at the front, with large pectoral fins: it is as wide as it is long. The tail, representing 60% of the total length, looks like a whip and, at one third of its base, it has a serrated spine, connected to venomous glands under the skin. The dorsal surface is bluish grey or reddish-grey in color, sometimes with white spots. This back is smooth, without tubers. The ventral side is clear. The sting ray has no dorsal fin or caudal fin and its pelvic fins are very small. The eyes are located on the dorsal surface while the mouth, nostrils and gill slits (five slits on each side) are on the ventral surface. The eyes are prominent, which gives him a very wide field of vision. Next to the eyes, an inhalant valve, called a spiracle, carries water into the gills. The mouth is located quite far back. Teeth are numerous and small, pointed in males and molar-shaped in females. The tail acts as a simple rudder and is not used for movement. It is done by the large pectoral fins, by beating. These fins are also used for burying in sand.

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : 36 cm

Difficulty :

N°6 | The Monkfish

The Monkfish belongs to the Lophiidae Family. The height, in adults, is between 70 and 200 cm. The weight of large individuals is around 40 kg, with a maximum of 58 kg recorded. The longevity is about twenty years. It breeds in winter. The female can lay millions of eggs at once. It is fished in abundance from December to March. With its enormous head (it constitutes 60% of the animal's weight), its widely split mouth and highly developed pectoral fins, anglerfish cannot be confused with any other fish. The body has a round section at the level of the tail, flattened towards the head. The first three rays of the dorsal fin are placed very far forward; the first, located in front of the eyes, carries a flap of bifid skin that the animal uses as bait. The skin is smooth, flake-free and slightly viscous. A row of branched appendages, more developed around the head, borders the median part of the body. The gill holes in the highest position are protected by two bony caps inserted under the skin. The teeth are strong, pointed and curved backwards. The general color is a light brown marbled with darker areas, which may vary according to the environment. Despite their large size, anglerfish are quite good at camouflage.

Fishing period : in winter

Minimum size : 50 cm

Difficulty :

N°7 | The Garfish

The Garfish belongs the Belonidae family. It measures from 30 cm to more than one meter and can weigh up to 5 kg, the average weight being around 400 g. It has a lifespan of about 10 years. It breeds from Mai to June. The female lays thousands of eggs. The Garfish is a fish with a very tapered body of oval cross-section. The head extends into a long beak formed by two thin jaws armed with sharp teeth. The lower jaw is slightly longer than the upper jaw. The nostrils are located in a depression in front of the eyes. The ventral fins are located approximately in the middle of the body, the caudal fin is very indented, the dorsal and anal fins are very far back, at the same level. The back of the dorsal fin is the same height as the back of the anal fin. The caudal peduncle has a strong hull. The very low lateral line is on the belly and not on the sides like other fish. The back is a dark blue-green, the sides are silvery, the belly white, the edges green.

Fishing period : Spring and summer

Minimum size : 30 cm

Difficulty :

N°8 | The Ling fish

The Ling fish belongs to the Lotidae family. It generally measures 1.60 m in adulthood, but can reach a height of 2 meters and weigh up to 45 kg. Its longevity is estimated at 10 years for males and 14 years for females. Breeding takes place from March to July. The female can lay up to 60 million eggs. It can be fished all year round except in winter. The Ling has a cylindrical and very elongated body. The head is flattened with a prominent upper jaw. The fairly long chin barbell is larger than the diameter of the eye. This species has two dorsal fins and one anal fin. The first dorsal fin is shorter and often shows a black spot on the back, the second one runs the rest of the body to the tail. The black caudal fin has a white border on the tip. It is uniformly greenish brown in color, but slightly darker dorsally in adults. The young are often lighter, with its coloring more or less marbled orange.

Fishing period : all year except in winter

Minimum size : no restriction

Difficulty :

N°9 | The Sole Fish

The sole fish belongs to the Soleidae family. The maximum size can reach 70 cm with a current size of 25 to 35 cm. Its longevity is 27 years. It breeds from January to March depending on the region. It can lay up to 1,300,000 eggs. It can be fished all year round. First of all, we notice in this flatfish its characteristic oval shape, which is not found in the other flatfish most frequently encountered by divers. The adult sole, a right-handed (or dexter) flatfish, rests on its left flank and has its eyes on the right side. The color of this fish is very variable: bluish grey to yellowish brown! The body is often marked with marbling and dark spots. The snout of the soles is rounded and shows a small arched mouth, located before the tip of the head. Her eyes are small and wide apart. The caudal has a rounded edge at the end of which a dark fringe can often be seen. On the seabed is the black spot (sometimes golden or brown) at the back and up of the pectoral fin. The dorsal and anal fins are generally white bordered and joined to the caudal by a thin membrane.

Fishing period : All year

Minimum size : 24 cm

Difficulty :

N°10 | The John Dory Fish

The John Dory fish belongs to the Zeidae family. It measures 30 to 50 cm on average and can reach a maximum weight of 8 kg. It can live up to 12 years. This fish is caught all year round but more easily from April to July. This fish has a high body and very strongly compressed laterally. Its head and the base of its fins carry thorns and bone ridges. The filaments carried by the dorsal fin are very long in juveniles and gradually regress until the animal reaches its adult size. Its eyes are high and his protractile mouth is widely split. An arched lateral line can be seen above the pectoral fins. Its color varies from grey-green with silvery to golden yellow reflections, often marked by longitudinal mottling. A large black eye patch surrounded by grey adorns the middle of each flank.

Fishing period : all year

Minimum size : no restriction

Difficulty :

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The best moment to go fishing!

The fishing forecast allows you to forecast your fishing trips and always go at the right time to the right place!

How it works

This is a score of 1 to 10 calculated city by city according to some forty criteria affecting fishing: moon, weather conditions, atmospheric pressure, sunrise / sunset. sun, tides, swell etc .