South Parade Pier, Southsea, Hants

SPECIES
Mackerel, garfish, pollack, bass, mullet, ballan and corkwing wrasse, scad, smoothounds and bream can all show through the summer. Autumn time offers whiting, dabs and flounders.

BAITS
For the smoothound you need fresh peeler or soft back crab. Ragworm works best for the bream, bass and wrasse, but these will also take mackerel strips. Either float fish a mackerel strip or fish feathers for the mackerel, scad and garfish. The mullet take tiny bits of rag, mackerel flesh or bread under a loaded waggler float. Mackerel strip also works well in the autumn.

TACKLE & TACTICS
Fishing is allowed from the very end of the pier and gives easy access and safe fishing for younger and older anglers. It is a popular summer venue with local matches held on the pier regularly.

It produces fish any time of day and night and in any weather conditions. Tide size doesn't matter either, but the mark does produce most fish during the flood tide. There is a fast tidal pull either side of high water.

A spinning rod or purpose built mullet rod is ideal for all float fishing here matched to a fixed spool reel and 10lb line.

A 4-8oz uptide rod or proper pier rod is ideal here with a reel carrying 20 to 25lb and a 50lb shock leader for ledger fishing. Fish this tight down the side of the pier on a two-boom rig with short 10-inch hook snoods and vary your size of hooks from 2 Aberdeen's right down to size 10 hooks, as there are numerous mini species caught here too.

The smoothound tend to be a good 50-yard cast out from the end of the pier, so for this a 5-6oz beachcaster and a reel loaded with 25lb line and 60lb shock leader is needed. Use a pulley rig made from 60lb mono ending in a single size 3/0 to 4/0 hook.

Carry 5 and 6ozs grip leads to combat the tide. A drop net is also useful.

LOCATION
The best access is off the M27 following the signs for Southsea seafront. Parking is by pay metre on the roadside some 150-yards west of the pier. It gets busy in summer and parking can be difficult. There is also a charge to fish the pier based on a per rod basis.