first paddle solent

[mikeb]

picked up my first yak yesterday and been out off calshot today having a paddle, really enjoyed it, will have another play tomorrow before thinking bout fishing, anyone been fishing the solent area much recently, any ideas of where to try?

 

cheers, hope to see some of you out and about

[spuds]

Well done mike b.It's great just to be out on the water is'nt it.

[richi]

fished calshot myself last year and caught some smoothounds from the yak.Tend to fish the Christchurch ledge mostly myself mikey--caught all sorts of species there too including Tope!The ledge fishes really good over the next month or so.Wherever you fish mikey stay safe!

[darnsarf]

Welcome to the Solent crew. Keep an eye out on here for posts and feel free to join us whenever. Good thing about the Solent is there is always somewhere to fish despite the weather, fom Mullet (allegedly) to Tope and Smoothound.

[mikeb]

Welcome to the Solent crew. Keep an eye out on here for posts and feel free to join us whenever. Good thing about the Solent is there is always somewhere to fish despite the weather, fom Mullet (allegedly) to Tope and Smoothound.

[SpeciMan]

Hi Mike

 

When I fish the Solent it tends to be the central to western side. For more marks try outside the Keyhaven entrance and near Hurst Castle, Pennington Marsh and Lymington and also Lepe heading up towards Beaulei River and Sowley. Generally for that area bass bream and smoothhounds are the main culprits with summer species like mackeral and garfish being taken in some spots too. Bear in mind once you get about 400yards or so out in the Solent the current picks up quite a bit taking you east(incoming) or west(ebbing) depending on tide.

[SpeciMan]

Forgot to mention that close inshore around the sandbanks and small mudflat islands near Lymington and Pennington there are eddies with the current running in the opposite direction to the main tide flow.

Edited August 5, 2006 by SpeciMan

[mikeb]

been out again practicing getting back on and anchoring, all went well, might try off lepe on monday,fancy a crack at the smouthounds.is it best to the east of lepe towards calshot of the west of the beaulieu river? any advice appreciated, would be great to meet wiv some of you guys on a trip if no one minds a newbie. dont know what went wrong with my earlier post!

 

good luck to all those out fishing this weekend, hope to see some catch reports on monday!!!!

[SpeciMan]

Hi Mike

 

Haven't fished Calshot way before so can't comment although I would have thought an evening high tide along most inshore stretches of the Solent in that area could produce smoothhound. If you launch from Lepe you can fish near the mouth of the Beaulieu river for bass; theres also some sandbars out there which I've heard are good for stingray for the lucky angler. If you paddle further along heading west its not too far to Park Shore and Sowley which could produce smoothhound, bass and stingray if the fish are in.

 

Tackle wise I'd keep it simple fishing using a 1ounce ball weight, a 2ft hooklength with kingragworm as bait. If there are a lot of school bass around take the barb off the hook to avoid deep hooking.

 

I haven't fished there but if it were me I'd try targetting fish in the channel marked by Needs Ore Point on that map... looks like a good area to ambush them as they pass through with the current.

[mikeb]

thank you speciman, i will give it ago somewhere!!! more interested in the smoothound tho wouldnt say no to a big bass! think ill prob dig my bait then launch from lepe at low tide and fish the flood.ill let u know how i get on!