Last Night

[BigMac]

With a hundred freshly dug ragworm in the bucket a crack at a sole was on the cards, so taking Cam and Si as Crew we set out at 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon and went and spent an hour in front of the coastguard lookout feathering. 20 in the baitwell, we headed for the ledge.

 

First drift Si,s float buried and he quickly landed a bass of 3 1/2lb. A couple of drifts later its Cam turn and he slowly (he likes to milk it!) lands one of 4lb. A phone call from Rob (Shogun) reports that there's been a few caught today from the bridge, including a possible 15 1/2. We head over there and try a couple of drifts, but with the tide pushing us at nearly 4 knots its not long before we head for our chosen mark off Barton for the night.

 

Dropping the anchor in 8 feet of water leaves me with most of the chain still left in my hand, but the last of the ebb soon moves us a respectable distance from the hook. With the cloud cover, darkness comes early, about 7.30, and the first signs of life register on the rod tips. A just sizeable whiting to Si is quickley followed by a double shot of similar size fish to Cam. Cams rod nearly goes over the side resulting in a 2lb bass. I, in the meantime, was still wrestling my morning dug ragworm on to the hooks (bit big methinks).

 

The bites continued steadily and at 9 o,clock Cam reeled in a sole of about a pound on my rod while I had a snooze. A bream on the next cast then a starry smooth hound of about 2lb. Si had a dab, Cam had a sole and I had a flounder. During another of my snoozes I hear Si whooping, he's had a 2lb codling. Only his second ever!!

 

By 1 am the bites had dried up considerably and Cam and Si had only 1 pout and 1 bream during the 4 and a half hours that I grabbed forty winks

 

We were too late for the tide at Christchurh by the time I wake up so it's 9 am before we return this morning. A really great session during which we caught mackerel(20), bass(7 to 4lb), sole(3 to about a pound), Bream(7 to 1 1/2lb), smooth hound(4 to 4lb), codling(2 of 2lb each), whiting(10 to about 12oz), pout(10ish), dogfish(3), a dab and a flounder

 

11 species of fish and all bar the mackerel and 2 of the bass caught in 8 feet of water within casting range of the beach. Amazing!!!!!

 

Al

 

[Paul D]

Nice trip Al, I have still to register my first ever sole. Maybe this year could be the one.

 

Good to see the codling showing up as well. There have been a few reports around of codling showing.

 

 

[alun j.]

Hi Al,

 

It was me that came and said 'Hello', just about 12.30, on our way back in.

 

We didn't fare as well as you, though some of the boats around us did have a few sole. Soon after we started, about 12 or 13 boats [mostly from Lymington end] all homed in on a patch 50 - 100 m from us.

 

Sport for us was slow and all fish on the small side, gurnard, whiting, bream, bass, dab and then a flurry of pout..........none of the target sole. Disappointing, as I've had consistent success in past years when the conditions were as good as last night.

 

Tried a bit of exploring a bit further to the west; on finding a bit of bottom with some 'features', dicovered this was snaggy ground and lost a few sets of gear.

 

Will definitely have another go before it gets cold.

 

Alun.

[JIMBOB]

about 12 or 13 boats [mostly from Lymington end] all homed in on a patch 50 - 100 m from us.

 

 

no wonder you didn't get any sole!

I'm surprised there are any there at all with that kind of pressure on such a localised mark ...there not the sort of fish that get returned very often

 

great haul of fish there Al

 

better luck next time Alun

 

 

James

 

[Sinbad]

Thanks to Alun for skippering.. the sole didnt show for us, but it was a perfect evening after that early rain shower passed over.

Was more like p*ssed over actually, then a cold SE breeze sprung up first of the flood holding us uncomfortably across the tide and I thought it was set in for the evening.

However the forecast was right for once, and the breeze quickly died away and the millpond resumed, so it was really idyllic conditions for Sole.

Alun even had time to cast a plug or two before darkness, at some rises chasing the fry- probably small bass... but no takers unfortunately.

 

We started downtide of our own groyne - all eleven boats we could see were huddled together literally 50yds apart but further to the west, so I suppose the sole were feeling pressurised up that end...

 

From what I saw, there were few obvious features to fish to - not like previous years - alot of the sand seems to have gone. This may make them more spread out and less concentrated in one spot. Anyway, with all the other boats at anchor and so densely packed, it wasnt the done thing to use them like slalom posts on the downhill whilst watching the sounder...

 

Would have been fun though!!!

 

Paul