Species

European sea bass

A silvery coastal predator that hunts right into the surf and into estuaries in summer; still rare on the German coast, but increasing.

Dicentrarchus labrax

Photo: Hans Hillewaert, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, adjusted to 3:2

Spawning: Winter to spring, mating from January to March (general guide, varies by region)
German Red List: not threatened
Typical method: Lure fishing (spinning) from the shore and groynes
Top bait: Hard lures and surface lures

Plan a day fishing for European sea bass

How to recognise it

Elongated body, dark grey back, silvery flanks and an almost white belly
Clearly visible dark lateral line
Two dorsal fins, the front one with hard spines; gill cover with two flat spines

Easily confused with: Young sea bass have a few dark spots on the upper body (FishBase). Grey mullets are also silvery and have two dorsal fins, but they have a small mouth with thick lips and dark lengthwise stripes instead of a large predator's mouth.

How to catch it

Methods: Lure fishing (spinning) from the shore and groynes, Saltwater fly fishing from the shore, Bottom fishing in the surf and in estuaries

Baits: Hard lures and surface lures, Soft plastic fish, Ragworm, Prawn or crab, Fish strips

Summer to autumn, when the fish hunt close to the coast and in estuaries; especially at dusk and at night.

Habitat and food

Eastern Atlantic from Morocco to Norway, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, most common around the British Isles and in the North Sea. Lives at depths of 10 to 100 m but hunts in water as shallow as knee depth; in summer also in the brackish water of estuaries, in the cold season offshore in deep water (Wikipedia).

Hunts mainly at night for molluscs, crustaceans and fish (Wikipedia); juveniles eat invertebrates and take more and more fish as they grow (FishBase).

Size and age

Up to about 1 m and approx. 12 kg (Wikipedia). FishBase: max. 103 cm, common length 50 cm, max. published weight 12.0 kg, max. reported age 30 years.

Protection and rules

Conservation status: German Red List (marine fish 2025): not threatened, population rare, clear short-term increase. IUCN: Near Threatened (2022). Every year the EU sets special rules for recreational anglers in parts of the North Sea (ICES 4b and 4c, which include the German Bight) and around the British Isles: a catch-and-release-only period, a daily bag limit per angler, a minimum size and a ban on gillnets (2026: Regulation (EU) 2026/249, Article 10). Check the rules for recreational anglers before fishing.

European sea bass: closed season and minimum size by German state

Schleswig-Holsteinminimum size 42 cm (coast)
EU law (coast)minimum size 42 cm · closed season 01.02. to 31.03.

From the official state fisheries regulations, retrieved 2026-10-11. All rules by state

Check the rules

Closed seasons and minimum sizes are set by each German state and can be stricter for single waters. All rules by state, with the legal source

In the kitchen

Fine, white, mild flesh; grilled whole, baked in a salt crust or as a pan-fried fillet (Fisch-Informationszentrum).

Sources (6)

Last checked 2026-10-13. Found a mistake? Write to [email protected].

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