help needed in pompy!

[showmethefishy]

hiya people!
ive been shore fishing around portsmouth for the past 3-4 months with out much luck. being new to the sport i dont know if im doing something wrong of if its just bad luck. ive had a few very small bass and wrasse in eastney and the same from hayling, nothing from buds farm and not alot from selsey so any help on rigs to use , bait and tactics would be much aprieciated!
thanx in advance Mark
[e-mail]

[brmbrmbrm]

Had a walk along Stokes bay/Gilkicjer point this morning. Some witing cought, a doggie, plus someone had a nice bass. try there, turn of light, especially if there is some tide running. mackerel bait,plus maybe worms? Dunno

[TJ]

whats your casting like. when I first started out 50 80 yards was my maximum with the wind offshore. My fishing marks were very limited.I made a point of improving my casting and my fishing improved no end. qauntity and size of fish went right up. I also took more trouble with bait presentation. don't kill the worm by shoving a hook down its mouth hook it an inch behind the head then thread it up the more it can wriggle the better.

[danangling]

Gilkicker can be very good fishing at times but the tide does run very fast and weed can be a big problem in the summer months.

[MurphyAtkins]

Hi fella,
A couple of good marks when I were a kid in Gosport....

As previously stated Gilkicker point in the winter, where the occasional Cod is caught or in my case lost (one event that I am still not over at the age of 40+). It will also produce lots of pouting, small/medium bass and in the summer plenty of Dab.

Also try the little island off Priddys hard (?) in Gosport. As kids we called it Rat Island, but I don¡¦t know its real name. You have to get to it at low tide and then fish the incoming and out going tide. Use Ragworm on light gear in the channel leading from where the Fleet Auxiliary ships are moored. As kids we loved it there, loads of flatties, small Bass, Pouting and some big eels.

In the summer I personally would get myself a freshwater float rig and learn how to catch grey mullet, the hardest fighting fish pound-for-pound in our seas or any river/lake fish. They can totally out-perform a trout or a bass and I mean totally. If you have never caught one then don't be put off by the old-wives-tales you will hear about them having soft lips, its a fallacy, they are told by people who were not fishing correctly.
My only request would be please please catch and return as the gill nets have decimated our UK Mullet stock in their quest for Bass. When I was young Portsmouth Harbour used to hold 10-12 pound Thick Lipped Grey Mullet, real clunkers that were grand queens of the sea, wise and shy and to my everlasting regret I wished that I had the shills that I have now, because I clumsily never got close to one ļ

Still a respectable fish these days will go to 6 pound and there are lots of 4 pounders in your area.

I would happily impart my mulleting skills and experience if you are interested¡Klet me know. But be warned that it is very hard not to become HOOKED on this wonderful fighting fish !!!

[Ken Dee]

Mullet either hook people to angling or put them off for months. Drive you nuts with all that sucking the bait off your hook without touching it but once you've caught one it's a great feeling especialy on light gear.

[MurphyAtkins]

ken,
Personally I prefer not to put a bait near the water until the fish are visibly feeding; either off the surface or watching them take slow sinking baits.
There are exceptions, where the water is very deep and the fish are down low, such as Gosport harbour wall next to Camper & Nicholsons Marina or if you are after them on a sliding ledger at slipways.
I know its hard not to put a line in the water, but I recommend resisting the temptation and just keep feeding the surface with flaoting crust misxed in with the occasional slow sinking bit of bread; then phase out the sinking stuff. That should bring them up to the surface after the floating pieces (no bigger than a 10p coin). They become extremely confident after taking the first couple of pieces off the surface and are then easy to hook on your introduced piece of floating crust. That way you have no floats or other pieces of tackle in the chain and a better fight from the fish. personally I just love that moment when the fish crashes the surface at your bit of bait and the battle begins....
I used to spend hours watching floats, missing slow takes and getting fish spook until I swiched to floating crust and I now don't have sessions without at least one fish being landed.

Hope this helps - Murph