Fishing

Dawn and dusk are favourite times for the Sound.

Try float fishing a mackerel strip, belly is best, 2 or 3 foot down with a 3 foot trace.

Reel in slowly to use it as a spinner, Pollack, Garfish , Mackerel.

Even after dark Mackerel strip is best.

Iv'e been itching to get fishing again for ages. My last expedition was in Gairloch Scotland where I got eaten alive by midges 1 year ago.

Got 3 sea trout let 2 of them back but kept the one that taken the fly too deep.

Definately been a change at Bovisand fishing off the rocks this last 10 years. As kids from the late 60's myself and brother (and we were very young) used to astonish the elders down the Diving pier area at the Fort catching pollack mackerel and wrasse by the bucketful
When it became more hard to get over there (divers were pretty difficult) we came around to the 1st beach area where catches again were enormous in quantity. We used to put a sign in the Paiges Field main toliet block for the Chalets (there were no toilets in chalets back then) that we had fish for sale virtually daily in the summer months in our teens. Lot of money we had for our ages we could do no wrong

Around 10 years ago all the white rag that we always dug from the first beach literally disappeared overnight......and so did the fish !!
We were going Steere Point to dig mud worms still excellent bait albeit not as lethal as the white rag but we'd come back from the rocks with maybe 2 fish instead of 20.
My cousin whose family own the chalet beside ours goes out in his boat around the bay with identical results. Aunty said Steve came back weekend before last not even a bite in the boat

Something happened in the waters around that area around 2008/2009 and all the fishing guys say the same

Really weird

Mackerel are moving to Scotland, Bass are moving into the North Sea and there are loads of Cod down around here now which forty years ago were really rare. The lack of Wrasse is down to the fishermen potting for them and selling them to Scottish Salmon farms to keep the lice off the battery reared fish. Our waters are overfished as well.

The three mile limit needs to be reintroduced.

Had 3 mackerel and a gar spinning off the rocks around harlyn and constantine bay.

Caught a stone of Mackerel last night in Poole, two Bass and a couple of Pout here in Pompey today.

Had eighteen bass up to about 2.5lb plugging off rocks on north coast about a week ago, off to Cawsands early tomorrow, my mate who lives the says the bay is full of Garfish with loads of sizeable Mackerel off Penlee, he reckons he had a three foot gar which he barbed the other night, he didn't weigh it which is a shame as the record is only about 2lbs! I'll probably take the fly rod with me tomorrow fishing off kayaks should be some good sport.

Kinel! Saw a beast of a Gar amongst the mackerel the other night, plenty of Scad too.

Gar record is now 3lb 9ozs must be all the nuclear sub waste paying dividends at last! Had a nice Bass, some Gars and a few small Pollock spinning and plugging between Cawsands and Penlee couple of weeks ago. No Mackerel at all but a few years ago on a high spring at this time of year would be loads. mate says plenty off Penlee but not in the bay. Had a couple smallish Bass dodging all the monster waves and weed on the north coast, will be on it this week as the swell has settled down.

Anchored half a mile south of the Breakwater tonight for an hour or two. Two Doggies 50cm, nowt else.

I used to catch loads of Red Gurnard around there years ago on feathers on the bottom, not seen one in eons. I'm off plugging tomorrow morning north coast.

Earwegoagain wrote:

I used to catch loads of Red Gurnard around there years ago on feathers on the bottom, not seen one in eons. I'm off plugging tomorrow morning north coast.

North Devon or Cornwall Ears?

Aye, Gurnard are few and far between now

Les Miserable wrote:

Earwegoagain wrote:

I used to catch loads of Red Gurnard around there years ago on feathers on the bottom, not seen one in eons. I'm off plugging tomorrow morning north coast.

North Devon or Cornwall Ears?

On the reefs around Widemouth area, any tides over 6m (Bude) and usually fishes best two hours before and up to high tide.

Earwegoagain wrote:

Les Miserable wrote:

Earwegoagain wrote:

I used to catch loads of Red Gurnard around there years ago on feathers on the bottom, not seen one in eons. I'm off plugging tomorrow morning north coast.

North Devon or Cornwall Ears?

On the reefs around Widemouth area, any tides over 6m (Bude) and usually fishes best two hours before and up to high tide.

Looking at dipping the tip on the stretch between rame and penlee point, not fished there since I was a nipple(sorry Ian, nipper) and can't remember how safe/difficult it is to get down onto the rocks along there. Would and old cnut with a slightly gammy knee struggle in those parts?

Earwig would know.

Indeed I do. Go to Rame Curch and turn left for Penlee Battery you then have two options, either go to the end where the gate now is park there and meander through all the paths and you'll find a path heading south down through the woods to a style in a field and you can walk down to the Grotto and Penlee point. From there you can walk along the bottom of the cliffs towards Rame but it is a bit scambly but I do it alright, probably a mile walk. Or you can stop half way to the battery and you'll see a footpath that crosses a field then joins the actual coast path, turn towards Penlee and there are some tracks down through the Holm Oak (evergreen oak) woods in one place the is a rope to aid you, this track is pretty steep and knarly but leads to a few good reedy bits. It's all hard work along there and gets very inaccessible the further you get towards Rame.
I went down to Queeners point on Tuesday, lovely evening but at least twelve other fishermen there and no one caught feck all. I mainly sat watching the sunset having a bottle of beer. My mate who I met lives in Cawsands and he was a told by his pro fisherman neighbour that he's been getting some good channel mackerel off Rame. Another guy told us he had a seven pound Bass in the corner by Polhawn with a speargun and he said loads of school bass feeding on bottom.

Cheers Ears, a decent bass would be nice. Tried a few other marks around the sound over the last couple weeks with a very poor return, the mackerel and bass seem non existent at the mo and a couple others I spoke too said the same so was thinking about a try over the other side in that there kernow.

Les Miserable wrote:

Cheers Ears, a decent bass would be nice. Tried a few other marks around the sound over the last couple weeks with a very poor return, the mackerel and bass seem non existent at the mo and a couple others I spoke too said the same so was thinking about a try over the other side in that there kernow.

Thanks Las, was just about to ask if there was any activity around the sound as I’ve just got the boat back in the water but you’ve answered my question.

Your best bet for a Bass right now in my opinion would be a bait on the bottom especially evening night fishing. Tregantle fishes well late evening and nighttime. Big bury is always a good bet, you can dig Lug at low tide but weed can be a problem after hot weather like this.

A boat Les!!

seadog wrote:

A boat Les!!

My boat is laid up because he trailer is fooked and unroadworthy if anybody knows of a decent trailer that will take a lightweight sixteen footer give me a shout something decent up to about £500.

Lord Melbury wrote:

Les Miserable wrote:

Cheers Ears, a decent bass would be nice. Tried a few other marks around the sound over the last couple weeks with a very poor return, the mackerel and bass seem non existent at the mo and a couple others I spoke too said the same so was thinking about a try over the other side in that there kernow.

Thanks Las, was just about to ask if there was any activity around the sound as I’ve just got the boat back in the water but you’ve answered my question.

Get out and give it a go M'Lud, I could be using the wrong gear, fishing the wrong tides, or just be feckin useless although the general consensus is that it's quiet ftom those I've chatted too.