As we move into August changes are on their way. Cooler nights, shorter days, changeable weather. Plenty to fish for.
The Channel fishing continues to be very respectable although a little tricky at times. On this side of the channel the hounds still show but intermittently on marks, one minute they’re there, the next they are gone. Over the bridge, the fishing for hounds appears to have been a bit more consistent with some lovely reports from famed beaches such as Morfa of late. Occasional tope are also showing for the lucky few who put in the hours, wire or heavy mono traces a must. Plenty of nice mackerel in store if you fancy trying your luck.
The sole fishing has been much the same, patchy but when they do come along they have been good un’s. As the tides start to build, a few anglers have ventured up top today in hope of bumping into one of these premium flatties, perfect for areas such as Aust and Littleton. Ragworm has been a bit tricky to get of late but we are expecting fresh supplies on Tuesday, so get your orders in if you fancy getting out.
The weather has been noticeably changeable of late with some cooler nights and occasional heavy showers chucked in for good measure. Often fish don’t respond well to changes like this but with a warmer more settled outlook on the horizon, combined with building tides, we may well see some significant improvement in fishing locally.
One noticeable change anglers are reporting is that there appears to have been a bit of an explosion in shrimp levels in the channel in the upper reaches in the last week or so with worm baits being stripped quicker than normal. Whilst we would typically encourage worm baits as the main stay for this time of year, consider a larger squid bait or similar if searching for bass. This may put odds in your favour as a bigger more resilient fish bait will often withstand the plague proportions of shrimp and critters, better during these times. Having a bait that is ‘fishing’ is arguably as important as having the preferred bait of choice on. If you do go down the worm route, rebait regularly to give yourself a decent chance of bumping into a fish or two.
The creeks and rivers continue to produce albeit noticeably there’s been some smaller bass around lately including some 8oz-2lb silver bars showing. A positive in measure of future stocks but not always what the average angler wants to catch. There’s also been plenty of silver/green eels around lately. Pictured below, young jack with an eely good catch from the Avon!
On larger fronts, there’s been whispers of some blonde rays showing to boat anglers locally of late, typically August starts to produce blonde rays on our side most notably around the Clevedon area. Cocktailed fish baits fished on large hooks or dongles would put you in good stead for a date with a blonde. We’ve plenty of sand eel, bluey and squid available in store. Layde bay and surrounding areas worth trying, especially the farther end of 2nd point nearest the ‘dead tree’.
Further afield the first reports of squid are coming in, a very worthy quarry if you fancy something different. We’ve been busy stocking up on EGI bits and pieces so take a browse at our selection if you pop in store, we’ve a good range as well as advice that will put you right.
Bream, both giltheads and black, have been showing in good numbers. Giltheads showing in the estuary’s down south, crab, lug and razor being preferred baits. We strongly recommend a serious hook when targeting these powerful fish. Try a Chinu styled hook or similar, don’t go too thin on wire diameter as these fish will bite through weaker styled hooks with ease. Black bream on the other hand are much less ruthless and a smaller more delicate styled hook and bait should work. Try black lug tipped with long thin strips of squid fished on smaller Aberdeen or long shanked hooks. Cubes of mackerel can also work well. Sit on your hands when black bream fishing, allow bites to develop and never strike. They are inquisitive fish and will munch away until they get down onto the hook, hooking themselves more times than not. Make sure you slowly lift and wind when retrieving as they have a habit of coming off if you are too aggressive. Chesil will be worth a shot for these beautiful fish as will areas like Hurst Shingle if you fancy trying further afield. Specimen bream typically come from slightly rougher marks like Portland Bill where a shellfish or squid bait can work well presented on slightly larger hooks.
Mackerel are showing down south too along with scad. Be mindful of local byelaws and minimum sizes when targeting these fish. They have been very patchy so only take what you need/are permitted to take and ensure you look after your catch by keeping cool and cleaning as soon as you can so that they do not spoil.
The shop remains open as usual, 7:30am-5pm Mon-Sat. 7:30am-1pm Sundays and bank holidays. If you need any advice, tackle or bait drop by or give us a call on 01275 848652. We continue to encourage you to book bait in advance, we can never guarantee it will be available on the day if you just show up without booking!
Tight lines, enjoy the sun and fishing safely and responsibly.
The Reel Fun Fishing Team
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