Sea fishing on the south coast

Scuzi

Scuzi

Scuzi

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I have always been into game fishing but the cost of fishing any decent spots down here in the South of England is prohibitive and the challenge of catching trout isn't really there for me any more.

I did a bit of sea fishing with a friend in the Gulf of Mexico, round the Louisiana coast and around some of the oil rigs. It was awesome! We also did some pier fishing for King Mackerel and that really made fishing exciting for me again.

So now that I'm back in the UK I want to have a go at sea fishing. I know it's not going to be the same experience but I think it'll be more exciting than casting into the rivers around here. I don't have a boat so fishing from the shore or piers is going to be my only option. Does anyone do this and if so can you point me in the right direction for locations, kit, guides, expected catches etc?

I've had a look at some tackle sites but it's all gobbledegook. The choice in reels alone is a bit overwhelming.

Thanks :)
 
You used to be able to go mackeral fishing from Plymouth for £20 for a half day. That was 3 years ago mind and I assume the boat would need more than just you at that price.
 
Not quite the south coast, but the north coast of Devon.

Westward Ho! has a great number of relatively flay rocky outcrops that gets you well out into the sea (they are usable from low-tide right up to about 90% high tide), and down the road in Clovelly, Barnstaple, and even Bideford, there are daily trips out on a number of fishing boats.
 
Fly fishing for Bass in the surf is great fun, but the salt water is murder on your gear. Mackerel will be in soon and they're always fun to drag in 6-8 at a time on spinning gear :D
 
Dungeness is the best but it's not fun or relaxing as theirs so many people there fighting for space and tangled lines. We fish around Eastbourne as it's nice and relaxing with loads of space.

Normans bay
Newhaven
Brighton marina

All good :)
 
paradigm said:
Not quite the south coast, but the north coast of Devon.

Westward Ho! has a great number of relatively flay rocky outcrops that gets you well out into the sea (they are usable from low-tide right up to about 90% high tide), and down the road in Clovelly, Barnstaple, and even Bideford, there are daily trips out on a number of fishing boats.
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I was going to say the same pretty much, there is also the island off the coast (that I can't remember the name of) that does sea fishing trips.

We used to use a boat that came with all the gear as well, it used to be a little bit more expensive but will give you a good idea of what to buy if you want to take it up.
 
the smooth hound fishing is picking up in the solent, Bracklesham bay/selsey/pagham 'should' produce good results to peeler crab
keep an eye on some forums for catch results, http://www.worldseafishing.com/forums/south-coast-catch-reports-advice/
Fishyrob on the above forum is a guide and a good one, he'd be worth going with.. he supply's the tackle and bait so you only need to take yourself.. you will then also gain some knowledge about the tackle required, it'l be a couple of quid very well spent!
 
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I'm currently in the midlands and moving down south next to the sea soon.

Currently I fish for carp and catfish which I really enjoy as many locations to go where I live, but like you seem to be lacking the venues down south so am also gonna take up sea fishing.

Depends how often you plan to go as to what i'd advise you do - if you don't plan to fish a lot or something then your best bet is most certainly going with a captain/boat trip who knows what he's doing. Obviously its a lot more expensive than going by yourself but you would stand the best chance of catching some decent fish with an experienced guide and a boat. I hear reef/wreck fishing is good and english waters produce some good rays and eels and sharks too. For going by yourself you could buy any half decent rod/reel setup and go off piers/rocks with some squid for bait and catch fish. I've done this myself tho and the catches have been pretty meh, I like going after bigger fish personally.

What i'll be doing is buying a fishing kayak. I saw some nice ones for around £400, which i thought was pretty good. They come with a few compartments to store gear and also a nice rod rest/holder in the middle to put your rod in. Obviously the advantage is you can get into deep water without buying a boat and you have the option of going after some big fish with pretty basic gear.
 
maccapacca said:
Dungeness is the best but it's not fun or relaxing as theirs so many people there fighting for space and tangled lines. We fish around Eastbourne as it's nice and relaxing with loads of space.
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That takes me back, used to fish 'the boil' down there. Couple of decades ago now, used to be a few but never that bad.
 
cainer said:
which county are you based in? the south coast is ~390 miles long so we need to find some local spots for you
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I forgot about this thread :D
I'm right in the middle, south Hampshire, and I'm willing to travel a reasonable distance for good fishing.

Are there any tackle shops around the Southampton-ish area where I could go for some good advice and reasonable prices?
 
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