jigging for fish at anchor on on the morring - advice please

Burnham Bob

Burnham Bob

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I have a swinging mooring in the Crouch. I fish off the boat using a rod and reel but rather than get the whole kit out I know some people have success jigging off the pontoons so I thought I'd try off the boat. Any advice on what lures I should use? I have some spoons for bass and could easily make up a 'string' of them with a weight on the end. Or would I be better with feathers - either the traditional type or silver 'flashers'? Or a mix? I'm only thinking of killing some time and seeing if I catch anything rather than attempting to empty the Crouch of fish.
 
Burnham Bob said:
I have a swinging mooring in the Crouch. I fish off the boat using a rod and reel but rather than get the whole kit out I know some people have success jigging off the pontoons so I thought I'd try off the boat. Any advice on what lures I should use? I have some spoons for bass and could easily make up a 'string' of them with a weight on the end. Or would I be better with feathers - either the traditional type or silver 'flashers'? Or a mix? I'm only thinking of killing some time and seeing if I catch anything rather than attempting to empty the Crouch of fish.
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Best luck I have had in Portsmouth Harbour was with baited feathers.

Catch something with your feathers, cut it up and bait the feathers with strips of fish.

Got Bass, Pollack, Wrasse and Plaice with this method-one Wrasse went about 4lbs. Bloody near pulled the rod in!

Seems to work best in dirty water-not a tip for the west country.

Good Luck.
 
I thought jigging was normally done with feathers or shiny bits to catch visual predators like mackerel. It surprises me that people are catching fish of the pontoon in the Crouch that way as I'd have though the water wasn't clear enough for the fish to see the lures. Those with more knowledge than me will correct. I also have the impression that the ideal situation for a mooring and the ideal situation for fish are a bit incompatible. Don't fish like bottom features, old piers and rocky ledges as well as currents? I think you are supposed to use smelly bait (not jigged) in manky water - not that I'm insulting your river. However, I'm hoping the sea anglers will come in with some tips.
 
Sorry to be a dampner on your fun but fishing in a marina/mooring/jetty can be a no-no in some circles. Any stray line might wrap around a shaft and damage the prop seal. It is banned in some marinas for that reason. That said, I'm not going to stop you. Andrew
 
Andrew G said:
Sorry to be a dampner on your fun but fishing in a marina/mooring/jetty can be a no-no in some circles. Any stray line might wrap around a shaft and damage the prop seal. It is banned in some marinas for that reason. That said, I'm not going to stop you. Andrew
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I think he's on a mooring out in the river. Nothing to stop him fishing off his boat there...
 
Feathers are your best bet in the river if you just want to jig them up and down. However, I doubt you'll catch much, particularly at this time of year. Jigging with feathers is more a spring/summer open water thing. Better to use a light baited rig with ragworm and try to catch some flatties from the bottom.
 
I know lug worm ledger fished catches codling and bass. My question was based on the fact that I know someone was successful pulling out bass using a lure in a jigging fashion off the side of the pontoon (its a boatyard pontoon not a finger pontoon in the marina). I just wanted to know if I should use normal feathers, silver 'tinsel' feathers or spoons.
 
For mackerel you can have success using feathers with a 1 lb weight on the end. Drop to the bottom, lift up a couple of feet and jig up and down. Easier using a boat rod. For bass you need to check what bait the locals are using at the time you fish. In Falmouth for example, I had some success using live prawn when the water became warm enough because thats what the bass were feeding on. Lures are always second best.
 
Burnham Bob said:
I have a swinging mooring in the Crouch. I fish off the boat using a rod and reel but rather than get the whole kit out I know some people have success jigging off the pontoons so I thought I'd try off the boat. Any advice on what lures I should use? I have some spoons for bass and could easily make up a 'string' of them with a weight on the end. Or would I be better with feathers - either the traditional type or silver 'flashers'? Or a mix? I'm only thinking of killing some time and seeing if I catch anything rather than attempting to empty the Crouch of fish.
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Water in the Crouch is mainly a brown soup so I feel you may have little success with mackerel feathers etc. There are occasions when the silt drops out and so may be worth a try. I hear herring is a possibility this time of year when there are plenty around. Spinning with a single bright lure may be best for the school bass. I find a paternoster with two or three booms loaded with ragworm works well for bass. Make sure you keep it just bouncing the bottom so the bait is kept up and away from the millions of crabs.
Were I am in North Essex I just drop it over the back of the boat while I'm doing some chores. I've had bass to 2lb, mainly on flood tide towards high-water.
 
eggagent said:
Water in the Crouch is mainly a brown soup so I feel you may have little success with mackerel feathers etc. There are occasions when the silt drops out and so may be worth a try. I hear herring is a possibility this time of year when there are plenty around. Spinning with a single bright lure may be best for the school bass. I find a paternoster with two or three booms loaded with ragworm works well for bass. Make sure you keep it just bouncing the bottom so the bait is kept up and away from the millions of crabs.
Were I am in North Essex I just drop it over the back of the boat while I'm doing some chores. I've had bass to 2lb, mainly on flood tide towards high-water.
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Thats why I suggested baited feathers-the bait has smell and the feathers colour. Portsmouth Harbour water is usually murky, and I have caught plenty this way.
 
Buy a small onion bag, have a few tins of dog food onboard. Put dog food in Onion bag, tie a line and weight it somehow put over the side either, baited or un baited feathers, jig gently up and down from boat
Dog food draws in fish.
 
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You need to be careful fishing for bass off a boat! If you are in a designated bass nursery area your fishing equipment AND YOUR BOAT can be confiscated! Obviously that is meant to be to deter people using small skiffs and the like in river estuaries, but it's not beyond imagination to think some jobsworth official might try to take possession of a yacht, is it? I have no idea if this applies where you are but it would be wise to check. If you are in a river you also need to make sure you aren't far enough up it to require a Environment Agency licence.
 
I have tried this on a number of occassions in the Crouch when we used to moor there, mid river opposite Burnham Sailing Club. Never caught anything with lures, but managed several bass, whiting, pouting when we added a bit of squid to the lure.

There are several spots up river, just around the first bend after Bridgemarsh springs to mind, where if we were anchored then fishing could be more productive.
 
CreakyDecks said:
You need to be careful fishing for bass off a boat! If you are in a designated bass nursery area your fishing equipment AND YOUR BOAT can be confiscated! Obviously that is meant to be to deter people using small skiffs and the like in river estuaries, but it's not beyond imagination to think some jobsworth official might try to take possession of a yacht, is it? I have no idea if this applies where you are but it would be wise to check. If you are in a river you also need to make sure you aren't far enough up it to require a Environment Agency licence.
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This is as good a place as any to check http://www.ukbass.com/inshore-rules/. It looks as though the River Crouch is OK. However, a minimum size limit of 36cm is nationwide (37.5cm in Cornwall).
 
You are allowed to fish for bass but not to take any. I have caught bass in a nursery area fishing for mackerel and returned them.

CreakyDecks said:
You need to be careful fishing for bass off a boat! If you are in a designated bass nursery area your fishing equipment AND YOUR BOAT can be confiscated! Obviously that is meant to be to deter people using small skiffs and the like in river estuaries, but it's not beyond imagination to think some jobsworth official might try to take possession of a yacht, is it? I have no idea if this applies where you are but it would be wise to check. If you are in a river you also need to make sure you aren't far enough up it to require a Environment Agency licence.
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How can anybody be absolutely clear what they are fishing for, I would always want to catch a nice 5kg Bass, but more often end up with a few whiting and some smallish, 25cm, schoolie bass that get thrown back in to fight another day. When I chuck a hook and line over the back of my boat I am always suprised when anything gets caught. (although to be fair to my fishing mates we do have our good days)
 
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