[jpb68]

IDLIKE TO KNOW WHATS GETTING CAUGHT JUST AT THE MOMENT. IF YOU THINKABOUT IT WHAT TIME OF THE YEAR IS IT AND THINK BACK TO LAST YEAR, AND WHAT WAS GETTING CAUGHT. I CANT SEE THAT IN TEN YEARS FROM NOW WE WILL HAVE ANY FISH LEFT IN OUR SEAS TO CATCH. ITS GETTING EVEN HARDER TO CATCH MACKEREL. THEY JUST AINT THERE.

I LIVE IN HOVE AND I CAN TELL YOU FISHING IS DEAD, EVEN AT THE MARINA

 

[medwaydave]

fished gillingham pier today as usuall, guess what,only pouting again.
dont know what to do.dozen rods out and only pouting caught.
is it the same all over?

 

[Angleman]

Pollock and wrasse mainly down in devon. Only really at high tide and a couple hours before. Mackerel when tides in using spinners. Bass coming in when the tides been going out for an hour and loads of sand eel.

 

[fishyrob]

I fished Brighton marina on Saturday for three bass, a dozen pollock and a couple of wrasse. I think that is quite good fishing for five hours in not ideal conditions. I also think that to blame the ever shrinking trawler fleet for the state of the fishing around the shore at the moment isnt accurate. I would suggest that the mackerel WERE around the marina in huge numbers towards the end of April, but with an unusually blowy may, and coloured seas, plus the anual may bloom, it is only about now that conditions in the Brighton are are right for them to return. If I am correct, the next set of big tides will see the mackerel returning in big numbers, as long as the sea isnt too coloured. But if it is, change to bottom baits for bass and flatties. In addition, when the mackerel were there at the end of april, so were the usual procession of anglers struggling to push asda trolleys full of mackerel back to their cars. If anglers are happy to decimate the mackerel population, why should we have any right to abuse the trawler fleet. At least they are feeding their families through licenced and legitimate means, unlike the rod and line opportunists.

 

[john-boy]

I think FishyRob makes a very good point, about the finger pointing, we see the same whoelsale slaughter of Mackerel with certain sections of the community down at Admiralty pier in Dover every summer, I'm afraid.

From a personal perspective, I think the coast around SE Kent fishes much better in the Summer than it ever did in the past, I'm sure it can't be that different in Sussex. There's far more Bass and Smoothies etc around than there were 10-15 years ago, when the only summer species we used to catch regularly were Mackerel.

I've caught more Bass already this summer than I have in my entire angling career. To be fair, I haven't fished a summer for a good few years, but it's definitely better than it used to be!!

Granted, Cod seem to be virtually extinct, which is nothing short of a tragedy, but keep trying and you'll be able to bag up on other fish, I'm sure. Just concentrate on those Summer species and be realistic about the fact that Winter Cod action will be few and far between, I think.

Cheers,
JB.