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Inshore fishing in January: what species and where to find them?
In winter, the Channel and Atlantic coasts offer a wide variety of opportunities, despite the cold. Here are the key species and techniques:
Bar : king of the Brittany and Normandy coasts, sea bass can be caught with lures, natural bait or surfcasting. Choose beaches and estuaries at rising tide. They have not returned from reproduction in all areas. Select areas with a rich diet (sardines, sand eels, etc.). Beware of regulations.
Pollack and saithe: very active in winter, these fish are mainly caught with a JIG in deep areas. Harbours and rocky areas are ideal. Beware of regulations.
Tacot (pout): small but combative, it can be fished with a light line on the rocky coasts of Normandy, Brittany and Vendée. A delicious fish often forgotten.
Congre: a lover of rocks and wrecks, he bites well in January on heavy line with nice fat baits (mackerel, sardines).
Tip: the hours around slack tide are often the most productive.
Offshore fishing: challenges and rewards
For anglers on board, January also holds some pleasant surprises:
All the fish mentioned above are even more common offshore, and often much larger in size.
Hake : very common in the Atlantic, it is fished with fresh bait (fish, squid).
Monkfish : an emblematic species of the English Channel and Bay of Biscay, it is caught with leaded lines and bait.
Stingray : several species (curly skate, brown skate) are accessible by line. A magical fish, sometimes very heavy and delicious
Advice : in winter, fish are often deeper. Use suitable rigs and oily, fragrant baits to attract them.
Regulations and Safety
Fishing in January implies respecting strict rules to preserve. Refer to the regulations in force and pay attention to the changes that take place on January 1st of each year. The first thing to think about is safety, especially if you're going offshore. An accident in winter can be far more serious. A body in water between 5 and 10° can only resist for a short time before dying from hypothermia.
My advice, which I always follow if I'm going offshore: go out with at least 2 boats. In coastal areas, go out with at least 2 people, and choose warm clothes so you don't freeze when you get home!
