Deep Water Section, Lepe, Hampshire

SPECIES
Smoothound, rays, bass and flounder show through the spring and summer, with rays, bass, codling, whiting, dogfish and flounder in the winter.

BAITS
Mackerel or frozen sandeel works best for the rays, with black lug tipped with squid best for the cod. Crab baits are essential to target the occasional smoothound, but also for the better bass. Rag is used for the pouting and the flatfish, with lug tipped with mackerel ideal for the winter whiting.

TACKLE & TACTICS
The area favoured here is about 100yds east of the derelict piles which sees you casting on to fairly clean ground.

It fishes best through the flood during the bigger spring tides, but there is a strong left to right tide pull on the ebb and its just as this starts after high water that the bass and codling come on.

A 5-6oz beachcaster and reel holding 15lb to 18lb line and 60lb shock leader is perfect here, but carry some heavier 6oz grip leads to give you that little bit longer on the ebb before the tide run makes fishing just about impossible.

Good rigs for the general species are three-hook clipped down flappers with size 2 Kamasan B940 Aberdeen hooks. For the smoothound, rays and bass fish a one-hook clipped down rig with a size 4/0 Viking hook.

The bass can often be tight in here and just a 20yd lob at night with peeler crab or a whole squid can produce some good fish.

The rays are not common here, but tend to show early in the tide and at night.

LOCATION
From Totton take the A326 to Holbury and Lepe. The mark is just to the west side of the main car park and you walk beyond the piles in the water to fish between the groynes.