Sea fishing in the Bournemouth area

[JohnClarke]

Hi

I'm a coarse angler thinking of having a try at some sea fishing. The bad news (for me) is that I know almost nothing about it, but the good news is that almost any fish is a first and so I'm easily pleased!

I'm going on a fishing break to the Bournemouth/ Christchurch area in July, and as well as coarse fishing I was thinking of having a crack at sea fishing, but would welcome some advice on what might be achievable and where to try. Just having coarse tackle I couldn't cope with strong currents.

The places I've unearthed on the web are: Bournemouth and Boscombe piers, Mudeford Quay, and Christchurch harbour. Which of these would be the best bet for a beginner, where I could expect to catch a fish or two over , say, half a pound? Or maybe you will suggest somewhere else? For health reasons I'd need to park nearby.

Thanks for your help

 

[theartist]

Catching sea fish on coarse gear is super fun, just remember to wash down your gear afterwards, using old gear is a good idea. I'd revise the half pound size as anything can come along and the micro species a both fun and plentiful.

Mudeford can be busy and the tide really pushes through that narrow gap, I wouldn't discount Poole Harbour but not sure about where to park, it's shallow in many places and full of wrasse where there's rocks and mullet where there's mud. If you can travel for a trip Weymouth is a mecca parking near Nothe fort of the pleasure pier car park, everything that swims is in there

Wareham down the road is good for coarse plus you can get sea species and you can park on the quay, some massive roach there along with the odd chance of mullet, bass and even rogue grayling although the chances are it will mainly be dace. It's also a lovely town with good pubs if you have family in tow.

 

[no-one in particular]

I don't know the sea very well around Bournemouth but I think the currents will not be that strong compared to say the English channel. A carp type rod and about a 2oz weight and a well loaded up reel will allow you to cast far enough and might hold bottom. The same could be used for dropping off a pier or jetty or for float fishing. It should handle most fish your likely to catch as well

 

[103841]

Do a search for archived posts by the member neil1970, he is one of my favourite contributors to this forum but sadly seems to have lost interest here as so many good anglers have recently.

He has posted short videos and reports of his LRF and drop shot fishing in and around Poole.

 

[108831]

As John says Neil1970 knows an awful lot about lrf at Poole harbour,I holiday at Christchurch two weeks around mid-August and one week in October,I play at lrf(as does my wife and 18 year old son,we all catch wrasse,blennies and gobies,we fish for two or three hours and park just behind the harbour front in a multi-story,we use Marykyu artificial ragworm in small and medium sizes,cutting into lengths of three quarters of an inch or so,using short light spinning rods and 5/6lb mono(Neil uses braid,but I'm too tight for that),great fun....

 

[JohnClarke]

Interesting to hear about artificial ragworm. Keeping stuff fresh is a problem on hols in a B&B with no fridge. But I think you are saying you jigged it, so it's more like an artificial lure. Does it work as a static bait? Or do you need some real ragworm, maybe in a feeder, to get the fish interested? Forgive me if this is rubbish, I know almost noting about sea angling.

 

[108831]

Live ragworm is generally available in tackle shops in Christchurch,Boscome,Bournmouth and Poole,the stuff I used supposedly catches fish static,I fish it with shot(as Neil told me),or dropshot weights dependant on tidal flow,with small lifts down the side,or gentle twitches across the bottom,using the weight to disturb the sand,which attracts this fish to grab the bait...

 

[mikench]

You won’t catch one of these.

Fish with 'human' teeth caught in North Carolina

The creature, caught in North Carolina, is believed to be a sheepshead fish.

www.bbc.co.uk