Where’s The Fish? Logo for Where's The Fish?
Gloucestershire

Sharpness

6.1 · Estuary · Gloucestershire

A productive Severn Estuary mark along the sea wall by Sharpness Docks/Marina. Expect a huge tidal range and powerful currents; most fishing is done around the last of the flood and first of the ebb or on neap tides. The bottom is predominantly soft mud with the main channel close in, plus scattered debris near the wall, so strong gripper leads (6–8 oz) and rotten-bottom setups are recommended. Access is via public paths around the marina/sea wall, but observe signage—no fishing inside the working dock/lock gates and give shipping a wide berth. Best periods are spring–autumn for bass and mullet, with winter bringing codling and whiting; flounder and eels show year-round. Safety is critical: unstable mud, fast tides (including the Severn bore), steep revetments and ship wash—stay on firm ground, avoid the foreshore, keep well back from the edge, and use a PFD in rough conditions. Industrial scenery, exposed to wind, but strong tidal funnels make it a consistent estuary venue.

Should you fish Sharpness?

59 Fair

Today · Best available

Best available: 21:00-00:00 around the rising tide

Most likely species: Bass and European Eel

Fair conditions. Best available around 21:00-00:00 around the rising tide, but no window reaches the strong threshold today. Good chance of Bass and European Eel.

NW 3 mph Rain 0% High tide 01:08

Fishable, but pick your timing carefully.

Plan this mark

7-day fishing forecast for Sharpness — 7-day forecast

Scores and best windows are weighted for .

Met Office Met Office · Open-Meteo

Where the data comes from. Weather and sea-state readings come from the Met Office and Open-Meteo forecast models, refreshed several times a day. High and low water are taken from tide-station predictions for this stretch of coast.

How the score works. Each window is scored 0–100 from the signals that most reliably move fish inshore: tide movement (a running tide carries food, so the last of the flood and first of the ebb are usually the prime spells), wind speed and direction (onshore wind stirs food into the surf — up to the point it makes fishing hard), sea state (a little wave and swell movement helps, heavy swell hurts), and weather — rain, temperature and light. Behind the headline number we score bite opportunity and comfort separately, and run a separate safety check on wind and swell. The size of the tide counts too: spring tides move more water than neaps, so the tidal range for this stretch of coast is weighed alongside the tide's direction, your target species and this mark — and unusually big springs strengthen the safety check, because the water rises faster and covers more ground.

Your target species counts. Pick a species below and the score also weights what we know about it — its season, preferred sea temperature, tide stage and sea state, and whether it feeds by day or night.

The rating is guidance, not a guarantee — conditions change fast on the coast, so always judge the sea in front of you before you fish.

Stop guessing when to fish this mark. Unlock the week to see every score and exact window.

· windows & tide

Spring vs neap tides. Spring tides have a larger difference between high and low water, so more water moves on each tide — usually stronger flow that stirs up food and gets fish feeding. Neap tides have a smaller range and generally gentler movement. The range here is compared with what is normal for this stretch of coast, and the cycle swings between springs and neaps roughly every week, following the moon.

Big spring tides: the water rises faster and covers more ground than usual — double-check access routes and cut-off points before you fish.

Now

Tide curve will appear once tide data is available.

All windows will appear once the forecast is loaded.

Premium forecast

Unlock exact best windows, tactics and backup options for this mark.

Trip planner

Find the best time to fish Sharpness

Choose when you're free and what you want to catch. We'll show the best tide, weather window and method for this mark.

Premium unlocks exact windows, tactics and alerts.

Premium Mark Insight

Locked

Sharpness is a tide-timing venue more than a distance-casting venue. The main channel runs close to the sea wall, the bottom is mostly soft mud, and the Severn’s flow can be fierce, so short, focused sessions around manageable movement usually give the best chance. Fish from safe public floodbank/sea-wall sections outside the working dock estate, use strong grippers, and keep rigs simple and robust.

  • Know when Sharpness is worth fishing — and when the tide will beat you.
  • Pick the floodbank water that suits the close-in channel edge.
  • Use the right grip-lead and rotten-bottom approach for this mud-and-debris mark.
  • Time bass, flounder and eel sessions to the correct part of the tide.
  • Avoid the off-limits dock areas and unsafe mud before you even set up.

Included with Premium

Cancel anytime · Stripe

Unlock this mark's plan

Jump to towns around this mark for more marks and guides.

Sharpness 0.4 mi Lydney 1.6 mi Clapton 2.1 mi Clapton 2.1 mi Berkeley 2.3 mi

Explore nearby towns: Sharpness · Lydney · Clapton · Clapton · Berkeley

Zoom and pan to explore access points and nearby marks.

Jump to guide

Forecast tuning currently supports Bass and Mackerel — more species are on the way.

Overall rating

6.1 /10

Blend of catch potential, access, safety, and overall experience.

Category scores

Catch Potential 6/10
Species Variety 7/10
Scenery & Comfort 5/10
Safety 4/10
Accessibility 6/10

Bass 8/10
Tip: Peeler crab or lug on pulley/paternoster; fish the flood to high water along channel edges and dock pilings. Use 6–8oz grip leads for tide. Best May–Oct, dusk/night, after fresh water.
European Eel 7/10
Tip: Night fishing with rag/lug or fish strips cast downtide; target slacks around high to avoid debris. Summer–early autumn; barbless/wire-free rigs and prompt release.
Flounder 6/10
Tip: Ragworm or maddies on 2-hook flapper, close-in over mud margins. Neap tides fish best; last of the ebb into first of the flood. Autumn–winter.
Mullet (Thick-lipped) 6/10
Tip: Float or freelined bread/mussel along quay walls and canal entrance on neaps and slack water. Prebait with bread mash. Clearer summer mornings are best.
Common Goby 5/10
Tip: Size 14–18 hooks with tiny worm/prawn pieces right against quay walls at slack water. Best on neaps in summer; keep baits static.
Mullet (Thin-lipped) 5/10
Tip: Small spoon/spinner tipped with rag worked through eddies on the flood; long fluorocarbon leaders. Late spring to early autumn on clearer neaps.
European Smelt 4/10
Tip: Tiny sabikis or size 10–12 hooks with fish sliver by dock lights on evening tides Feb–Mar. Fish midwater on the ebb.
Starry Smoothhound 3/10
Tip: Peeler or soft crab on fixed-wire grip leads; first of the flood May–Aug along crab-rich seams. Occasional this far upriver—handle and release carefully.
Sprat 3/10
Tip: Mini feathers or sabikis around dock/quay lights on calm winter evenings; keep lures shallow and retrieve slowly with the tide.

Local knowledge

Sharpness fishing guide

Practical access, seasons, methods, tides, safety and facilities for this mark.

Sharpness sits on the upper Severn Estuary in Gloucestershire, beside the working docks and the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal. It’s a classic mud-and-tide venue where huge tidal range, fierce currents and coloured water funnel migratory fish along the bank. For anglers who time it right, it offers rewarding winter codling and year‑round flounder with a real estuary atmosphere.

Access is straightforward via the village of Sharpness, but remember the commercial dock estate itself is off‑limits to fishing. Most anglers use the Severn Way floodbank north and south of the docks to reach safe, public stretches of riverbank.

  • Winter (Nov–Feb): Codling (best chance on bigger tides and after blows), flounder, occasional whiting; expect fewer but better fish after dark.
  • Early spring (Mar–Apr): Flounder remain the banker; increasing chance of schoolie bass on mild spells.
  • Late spring to summer (May–Aug): Schoolie bass present; flounder; European eels are common by-catch (protected—release immediately).
  • Autumn (Sep–Oct): Bass at their peak on springs and coloured water; first codling show late October into November.
  • Occasional/less common: Pouting, small thornback rays are more frequent further down-estuary than at Sharpness, but the odd stray can appear in warm summers.

This is a heavy-tide, muddy estuary mark, so think strong tackle, gripper leads and clipped-down rigs to punch baits and hold bottom. Most fishing is bottom work from a tall tripod on the floodbank.

Sharpness is all about timing the tide. The estuary here has one of the largest tidal ranges in the world; plan short, focused sessions around the best movement and manageable flow.

The Severn at Sharpness is powerful, fast and unforgiving. You fish safely from the floodbank—never venture onto the exposed mud or down the revetment.

Sharpness village has limited amenities and the docks are operational, so services are sporadic right on the waterfront. Plan to be self‑sufficient on the bank.

This is a mark where tide craft beats brute casting distance. Short to medium casts into the channel edge out-fish baits blasted to midstream that will never hold.

This is a working port area within protected estuary designations, so a few extra rules and good practice points apply. Always check current byelaws before you go.