🏞️ Fishing River Mouths

Where a river meets the sea is one of the most productive places to fish on the whole coast — a natural funnel of food and predators.

Why they're so good: the tidal flow pushes baitfish, prawns and food between the river and the sea, and predators like kob, garrick and grunter gather to ambush it. The deep channel scoured by the current holds fish through the tide.

Reading the mouth: find the main channel (the deepest, calmest water flowing out), the sandbanks either side, and the seam where river current meets the incoming waves. Garrick patrol the channel on the pushing tide; kob hold in the deeper holes and feed after dark; grunter work the prawn banks inside.

Best tides: the incoming (pushing) tide brings fish and clean water into the mouth — often the prime window. The first of the ebb, as water starts pulling out with disoriented bait, can also be excellent for kob.

Watch the conditions: after rain, a river mouth can fire (see our fishing-after-rain guide), but a mouth pumping mud may be off. Mouths also change shape constantly — read it fresh each visit, and mind the strong currents when wading.