Whiting species guide • Sea fish • Very easy (2/10)

Whiting junior fishing guide

Merlangius merlangus

A clear, plain-English guide to whiting for parents, coaches and juniors. See where they live, the best starter tackle, simple bait choices and a three-step plan to help young anglers catch their first one safely.

🎣 View starter tackle setups 📋 Log a Whiting catch
Junior-first & welfare-aware • 3-step beginner plan • UK venues & seasons
Skill & size • Seasons • Beginner baits

Skill level

Very easy (2/10)

Perfect for first-ever fishing trips with young juniors.

Best time

Spring–Autumn

Pick mild, settled days for junior sessions.

Typical size

8 oz – 2 lb common from shore.

Always match hooks, nets & lines to expected fish size.

🐟

Beginner baits

Black lugworm, Blow lugworm, Cockles …

Keep it simple — small hook baits, little-and-often feeding.

Typical venues: Clean to mixed sand and mud beaches, piers and inshore banks.
Scroll down for detailed tackle setups, methods and parent-friendly guidance.
Catch your first whiting with confidence

Catch your first Whiting in 3 steps

A simple, repeatable plan juniors can follow with help from a parent, coach or older angler.

  1. Step 1

    Great for winter beach sessions

    Whiting are ideal for junior winter trips on safe, sandy beaches or piers with rails. They often arrive in big numbers, keeping rods busy.

  2. Step 2

    Use small hooks and worm or fish strips

    Two- or three-hook rigs with size 2–4 hooks baited with lugworm, ragworm or fish strips work perfectly. Moderate casts will usually find fish.

  3. Step 3

    Encourage careful unhooking and ID

    Show juniors how to spot the small chin barbel and compare Whiting with codling. Return smaller fish promptly and follow size limits for any kept.

Tackle setups that work

Designed with juniors and fish welfare in mind. Start with an IDEAL or GOOD setup for easier casting and safe unhooking.

👉 Swipe sideways to view different setups.

Beachcaster

Beginner tip: Teach safe casting with no one behind, and keep juniors away from the waterline in rough conditions.

IDEAL

Rod: 12–13 ft beachcaster or surf rod (4–6 oz rating).

Reel: 6000–8000 size fixed spool reel or medium multiplier.

Line: 15–18 lb mono with 40–60 lb shockleader.

Terminal tackle

  • ["Two-hook flapper or clipped-down rig"
  • "Size 1–2/0 hooks depending on target"
  • "Grip leads in strong tide"]

Extras

  • ["Rod rest"
  • "Headtorch"
  • "Disgorger and long-nose pliers"]

Standard beach / surf setup for flatfish, whiting and general shore fishing.

Surf Rod

Beginner tip: Teach safe casting with no one behind, and keep juniors away from the waterline in rough conditions.

IDEAL

Rod: 12–13 ft beachcaster or surf rod (4–6 oz rating).

Reel: 6000–8000 size fixed spool reel or medium multiplier.

Line: 15–18 lb mono with 40–60 lb shockleader.

Terminal tackle

  • ["Two-hook flapper or clipped-down rig"
  • "Size 1–2/0 hooks depending on target"
  • "Grip leads in strong tide"]

Extras

  • ["Rod rest"
  • "Headtorch"
  • "Disgorger and long-nose pliers"]

Standard beach / surf setup for flatfish, whiting and general shore fishing.

About the Whiting

Whiting are slim, silver members of the cod family that feed in shoals. They give rapid bites and are a classic winter shore species.

Junior tip

Use small hooks with worm or fish strip baits on flapper rigs. Expect lots of quick bites when whiting shoals move in.

Logged a Whiting recently?

Add a catch report so juniors can see where they’re being caught, which baits work and how your tackle was set up.

Submit a catch report

Want to discover more species? Browse the full species guide.

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