Fishing last week in the Solent

[Coxy]

Had a couple of long term fishing chums down last week (Wed- Fri) for a 3 day fishing trip on my ORKNEY PH20 out of Chichester Harbour.

Day 1 - restricted to harbour which usually fishes really well but plagued with weed that covers everything. Only way to fish is on the drift. Had loads of small black bream on the drift on the hole opposite Haying Yacht club with the odd decent one plus a few bass. Then had a dozen or so small bass along the sand banks (cannot keep any in the harbour anyway). All on rag worm. Passed the time before getting ready for the next day.
Day 2 - Targetting bass went out 14 miles to the Overfalls (big banks that hold bass). Could not get a single mackerel for live bait & struggled to find the fish but when I did we had a great time for 2 hours especially once we got the right lures which in this case were Sidewinder dark green with either a yellow or orange belly. Every fish of keeper size but having kept our 6 bit gutted to get 2 better fish straight after. 2 charter boats out there just after us fbut they seemed to be struggling and disappeared further out.
Day 3 - could have gone back out for the bass but we had decided to target Smoothounds & Tope . Went towards Selsey Bill having only caught one Shad & no mackerel. Straight into the Smoothies on frozen velvets with several each with my best at 15lb. Rest were between 5 & 11lb. One Tope run which was lost. Having used up our velvets we decided to drift for Plaice but drifts too slow & we caught more smoothound on the rag/ squid . Had another go for mackerel which resulted in zero!

3 great weather days especially the last two which were F3s .

Each day ending with a pint or two at the Ship Inn at Itchenor. "Je suis complit".

 

[Trampster]

Great report Coxy - well done! ????

 

[John Mitchell]

Great report mate , sounds like a shortage of mackerel up your way

 

[Coxy]

We seem to be a mackerel desert surrounded by abundant waters to the south, east & west !

 

[glandyman]

Had a couple of long term fishing chums down last week (Wed- Fri) for a 3 day fishing trip on my ORKNEY PH20 out of Chichester Harbour.

Day 1 - restricted to harbour which usually fishes really well but plagued with weed that covers everything. Only way to fish is on the drift. Had loads of small black bream on the drift on the hole opposite Haying Yacht club with the odd decent one plus a few bass. Then had a dozen or so small bass along the sand banks (cannot keep any in the harbour anyway). All on rag worm. Passed the time before getting ready for the next day.
Day 2 - Targetting bass went out 14 miles to the Overfalls (big banks that hold bass). Could not get a single mackerel for live bait & struggled to find the fish but when I did we had a great time for 2 hours especially once we got the right lures which in this case were Sidewinder dark green with either a yellow or orange belly. Every fish of keeper size but having kept our 6 bit gutted to get 2 better fish straight after. 2 charter boats out there just after us fbut they seemed to be struggling and disappeared further out.
Day 3 - could have gone back out for the bass but we had decided to target Smoothounds & Tope . Went towards Selsey Bill having only caught one Shad & no mackerel. Straight into the Smoothies on frozen velvets with several each with my best at 15lb. Rest were between 5 & 11lb. One Tope run which was lost. Having used up our velvets we decided to drift for Plaice but drifts too slow & we caught more smoothound on the rag/ squid . Had another go for mackerel which resulted in zero!

3 great weather days especially the last two which were F3s .

Each day ending with a pint or two at the Ship Inn at Itchenor. "Je suis complit".

Tricky with bass catch limits when everyone gets their quota. If I fish a stillwater for trout and I am one short of limit I will return them until I get a cracker and if I don't tough luck on me but that is a limit of four.

 

[Wolf]

Nice one mate great catches, write up made good reading ??? I ain't had a single mackerel this year !!

 

[Trampster]

Nice one mate great catches, write up made good reading ??? I ain't had a single mackerel this year !!

?? Only managed to get out a few times this year - caught 4 and was donated another 4!

 

[Coxy]

Having just posted that we are in a mackerel desert - we have just been inundated with them !

Should have posted that earlier in the year.

All in harbour and chasing bait fish up the shingle on the beaches and onto shoreline in harbour. 2 of us had 80 plus off the boat in less than an hour. Stopped as needed no more. Apart from those donated to friends etc and kept for BBQ - vacuum sealed & frozen the rest for bait for the winter & start of next year's season.