Fishing

jcmmarine

jcmmarine

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Why don't I catch anything in the Solent.
No expert answers please. I am not an avid fisherman nor do I want to be. Neither do I plan to fish by getting live bait when I go out.
I just like to drop a line over the side when at anchor to relax and as a defence againt my wife saying 'if you are not doing anything could you'
But it would be nice to catch something occasionaly.
So please - What size line? what size hook? what depth? and most importantly what bait works - but can also be kept onboard without going off?

John
 
Do you know what you are trying to catch?

To make it a little easier for yourself try feathering for mackerel. Let out enough line to put your hooks mid-water and move your rod up and down until you get bored or catch something.
 
yes - mackerel is the non angler's fish. Just do what magnum suggests and in the summer months you can't go wrong, especially off headlands. great eating too. Once you have caught more than you need chop one of them up for bait and see what else is around.
 
Agree with the above...but you could also try fishing on the bottom with enough weight to hold in the tide, 3 ft hooklength of say 10lb line, size 1 or 1/0 hooks and prawns or mussels as bait - you can eat the surplas before it goes off!!
Bread also works suprisingly well when in and around pontoons - mullet are frustrating but fun to try for.
 
I also do a lot of spinning, requires a little more energy, but I have caught some good fish (including a Sea Trout) using nothing more than a cheap spinner. (in the UK that is) If you are really lazy, you can just let the boat potter along at pretty slow revs, and trawl the spinner behind the boat, also pretty good for catching mackerel. You can get cheap spinners from a pound or two, or some pretty clever ones for a bit more.

As Magnum says, mackerel feathers are fun, and if you can put up with cleaning them (the mackerel not the feathers) , they make pretty good Bar bq food, wrapped in foil with lemon etc..

As an observation, since we moved the boat to warmer climes, I havent caught a bleeding thing, despite many hours of sitting on the passerelle and casting out. Perhaps there are no fish left, or they turn their nose up at british spinners...

Martyn
 
I've caught nothing in Palma too. Then again I look upon the fish as my friends now and feed them leftover bread after lunch /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Mackerel on feathers is certainly easiest, even easier if you trundle along at a couple of knots with the feathers out the back and a fairly sizeable weight on the end of the line. I guarantee you will catch plenty.

Once you've caught 'em, try cutting some mackerel slices for bait and anchoring on the sand banks SW of the Needles. You should be able to catch Bream in the summer when there is a tide running

Most fun is to anchor up in Studland, preferably next to one of the shallow reefs, and use a spinning rod with a lure (small silver sandeel and a bullet weight works well), and you should be able to pick up some school Bass. On a clear water day you can see the fish shoot up from the bottom to take your lure, which is quite a buzz.

Best thing is, all of the above look even better on a plate than they do in the sea.
 
Minimum size

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To qualify the above, the 37.5 is subject to a Cornish byelaw, so where the byelaw does not apply, the current minimum is 36cm, although many angling clubs ask for members not to land anything less than 41cm.

Defra is currently considering changing the minimum to 45cm.

<span style="color:blue">"The department is asking commercial and recreational fishermen, conservationists, and industry for their views on moves to increase the minimum landing size (MLS) of bass from 36cm to 45cm. The MLS would apply to bass caught by English fishing vessels wherever they may be, and other UK registered fishing vessels when in the English part of UK fishery limits." </span>
 
If the Bass is less than 36cm (14.2 inches) it must be returned, therefore the school bass should never be "on a plate". The fine for taking undersize bass can be up to £5000, with the confiscation of equipment. So it's not worth it.
 
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