Stokes Bay 17th September

[RichardB]

Fished in front of G.A.F.I.R.S (inshore rescue station) from 8pm to top of tide at 12.30am.

Beautiful night - big moon, flat calm - still quite warm.

One rod with rag/squid cocktail on 4/0 pennel at varying ranges, other with rag on size 2s.

Lost count of the number of small smooth hounds up to about a foot long caught on both rods. The sea bed inshore must have been carpeted with them !

Guy next to me had a better one - looked about 6 lbs and very lively.

Also had a couple of pout that must have just beat the smoothy pups to the bait for a change.

[bryan]

Hi Richardb

 

Sounds like you had a good night there then, may not be for eatin, but sure kept you busy.

 

What are the main species around Stokes bay and what is the truth about the double tide you get there???? :confused:

[squidlips]

bryan try this

www.bartleby.com/30/16.html

regards karl

[RichardB]

Hi Bryan

 

Yes, a nice night but I still haven’t caught that specimen sole I’m after !

 

To your first question, I must qualify my answer by first saying that I’m not exactly an expert on the fishing at Stokes Bay (or anything else for that matter), even though I now live minutes away from it.

The reason is most of my beach fishing till now has been at Lee, Hillhead through to Warsash (Also, I kept a boat in the Hamble). These were much handier to me where I lived when I started out and I found myself doing OK – particularly with Bass and flatfish, in fact I became obsessed with sussing out the Bass at a certain mark for ages. Trips to other beaches locally were only occasional, including Stokes Bay at which results were patchy. Only to be expected when you don’t fish a beach regularly and ‘learn the ropes’.

Now ‘the bay’ is on my doorstep I plan to get to know it much better (it would only be rude not to).

 

As for expected species – this is from a mixture of ‘received wisdom’, information from other local anglers and limited personal experience:

 

Spring can see a run of Plaice including quite decent ones – I have had them to over 2lbs, but in recent times catches have not been brilliant, I suppose due to commercial pressure. Flounders can also be caught.

 

Summer: This is one of those venues that can produce almost anything on its’day – assuming the magic formula of – right bait + right place + right time + right luck.

At the east end of the bay is Gilkicker point and at the west is Browndown point. Both have deep water and especially on springs, pretty fierce tides. Both can produce Bass, dogfish, smooth hounds, rays and now and then conger eels (last week the local papers angling section featured a 30 lb conger caught at Gilkicker – I had an 8lb ‘strap’ last week).

The middle section of the bay has slightly shallower water and less of a tide run and can again produce a few Bass, plaice and sole at marks like the life boat station, in front the paddling pool and the Alverbank wall.

When the mackerel shoals are around they can turn up anywhere along the bay and sometimes come right up to the waters’ edge.

 

Autumn / Winter

 

Always hopeful of a good run of whiting – last year was quite good from late October. Bass still a possibility to late in the year. Plus usual pout, poor cod and sometimes dabs.

Cod are caught from the likes of Gilkicker and Browndown, but as has been expressed on a recent post on the subject, the odds are not high for the individual angler. It is worth sticking it out with a large cocktail bait while fishing for whiting etc. with another rod, as the few that are caught are often of good quality. I know personally of a 17.5 pounder caught last November.

Again flounders can be caught in the day time.

 

I like the info about solent tides on the link from Squidlips :cool: - Its more noticable near Southampton water and it manifests itself as - the tide comes up, and instead of going out again after short bit of 'slack' it seems to hang about where it is for quite a while - sometimes called the 'stand.

[islander]

Hello from across the water (IOW). It's interesting to hear what gets caught the otherside as the closest I generally get to Stokes Bay is zipping over on the Cat from Ryde Pier. Had a Smoothhound (or Smooth Pup in this case)from Sandown Bay last week. Had never caught one until my return to Angling this year and now I've had two from either end of the Island. This one was hooked clean through the lower jaw on a single ragworm which surprised me, although not as much as the Thresher which was caught by a guy fishing next to me back in June!

[RichardB]

Hi there Islander

 

I've spent more time at sea than bloody Admiral Nelson on that Cat! - I lived over there for while and commuted daily to work on the mainland

Lived at Bembridge (on a house boat - converted MFV)and then Ryde (normal house). Used to have lots of family hols at Shanklin as a kid. Fished a bit round the Island - used to get some nice bass at Bonchurch plus some plaice, also used to do well with flounders in Bembridge harbour and the odd decent bass.

 

PS - Did you say Thresher ??!! - Do tell!

 

[ 22. September 2005, 11:33 PM: Message edited by: RichardB ]

[islander]

I travelled daily for 2 years to get to college on the old monohull ships MV Southsea etc. Did my head after a year, thankfully don't have to do that anymore.

 

The Thresher was a baby at 14Lb but a fantastic sight to see from the Pier with it's unmistakeable tail. Caught just after dark in early Summer during a club competition. It seemed to have a purple sheen across it's back in the mixture of headtorches and red navigation lights which shone on it. I guess it must have been about 4 feet long what with the curve of the tail. A magnificent creature which was safely returned.

 

I often wonder how one would feel bumping into the same specimen whilst down the beach, would make you choke on yer snorkel wouldn't it!

[RichardB]

Remember my late dad telling me about a full size one he saw years ago doing it's thing amongst a shoal of mackeral while he was boat fishing in the Eastern Solent - quite a sight !

Of course, Steve Mills got the record Thresher somewhere east of the Island - bloomin' thing was longer than his boat !

[RichardB]

Bryan

If you''re thinking of coming down here sometime, perhaps we could do a meet. PM me if you're up for it. I go most weekends.