Discover fish species commonly targeted while spearfishing in the UK, with advice on identification, habitats, hunting techniques, minimum sizes and regulations.
Planning a spearfishing or coastal foraging trip in the UK? Make sure you know the local rules before heading out. Our 2026 guide covers IFCA regulations, minimum fish and shellfish sizes, catch limits, protected species and regional restrictions, with useful diagrams and links to official guidance across England.
Bass (European Sea Bass): Grey Mullet: Pollack: Bream (Black Bream): Gilthead Bream: Flatfish (e.g., Flounder, Plaice, Sole): Grey triggerfish: Local hotspots for spearfishing these species …
The pollock is a more common member of the Cod family and is a beautiful fish, brownish copper above, with gold and silver sides. Easily …
The Red Mullet is one of the less commonly caught fish. They tend to live near the seabed in small shoals and are easily disturbed. Hunting …
I’ll make no apologies for what I am about to say. The British lobster is superior to its cousins abroad. We may not have Wahoo …
We have several species of flatfish in the UK and most behave in a similar way so we will deal with them in one section. …
The conger is often seen as a bit of a bogeyman underwater, leaving divers fearful of holes under ledges or in wrecks where a conger …
The mullet is a great sporting fish and for most of us represents the first ‘silver’ fish we capture. Plentiful and predictable, mullet grow to …
The Gilthead. NOT guilthead! Named for the gold stripe on the forehead hence ‘gilt’. An infrequent visitor to our waters with an obsessive spearfishing following. Sometimes …
Cod are making a huge comeback. They are more and more common off Portland. Time was when one diver in the club would get one …