Dogfish Dominate Our Hythe Beach Fishing Trip
Our latest fishing trip to Hythe’s West Parade Beach in Kent nearly didn’t happen—but sometimes, the best sessions come from the most unexpected starts.
A Rocky Beginning
The day began with a bit of a disaster. After missing the alarm, we arrived at the beach far too late to dig for lugworm at low tide. At that point, we were seriously considering calling it off altogether.
That’s when the fishing community came through.
One of our subscribers, Anthony, kindly offered us some lugworm he had dug a few days earlier but wasn’t going to use. I headed over to meet him, collect the bait, and finally put a face to the name. It was great to meet Anthony and have a quick chat with him —top bloke, and we’re looking forward to getting them out on a session with us soon.
Heading to Hythe Beach
With bait sorted, me and Connor made our way to Hythe Beach later that day. We were also joined by our good friend Aaron, who brought along his daughter Lillie for the session.
The conditions were spot on—clear skies, calm sea, and just a perfect setting for a relaxed day of fishing.
Watch the YouTube Video Below
A Promising Start… or So We Thought
Things kicked off brilliantly with a fish on the first cast. Unfortunately, that fish turned out to be a dogfish—and that pretty much set the tone for the rest of the session.
From that point on, it was dogfish after dogfish.
We genuinely lost count of how many we caught. While dogfish are usually expected, this year they seem to be out in force more than ever, completely dominating our sessions.
Connor did manage to pull in the odd whiting, but aside from that, it was relentless.
Fishing Setup
We were fishing with:
3-hook flapper rigs
Size 2 hooks
Lugworm bait and a bit of squid
The plan was to target plaice and other flatfish, but the sheer number of dogfish made it nearly impossible to get through to anything else.
Interestingly, a local Hythe angler fishing further down near the boats managed to land a decent plaice for dinner, proving they are around if you can get past the dogfish.
The Best Part of the Day
Despite the dogfish takeover, the trip was far from a disappointment.
For me, the highlight is always the time spent fishing with my son. Those moments out on the beach, enjoying the fresh air and just being together, are what it’s all about.
It was also brilliant to see Lillie getting involved. She handled and returned several dogfish (even if she wasn’t too impressed with them!), her smile said it all. Getting kids engaged in fishing is something I’m really passionate about, and hopefully, we’ve helped spark that interest in her.
I even gave her a couple of casting attempts—though I’ll admit, my own casting skills aren’t exactly textbook!
Final Thoughts
While the session didn’t produce any standout catches, it was still a fantastic day overall:
Beautiful weather
Great company
Plenty of action (even if it was all dogfish!)
And sometimes, that’s more important than anything else.
A massive thank you again to Anthony for the bait—absolute lifesaver. We’re looking forward to sharing a session together soon.
Until next time, tight lines! 🎣
Help us build a picture of what's being caught around the UK. Send us your latest catch report and photo — big or small, we'd love to see it.