Batten down the hatches they say. A storm is brewing! 
The weather has been pretty abysmal of late with strong winds and intermittent downpours. That being said, the fishing seems to have responded positivity and really switched on! It’s common knowledge that fish often respond to changing conditions, but not always positively. Thankfully the local fishing has seemingly picked up and for those brave few, rewards have been there for the taking.
In short, this past week has produced some of the very best fish we’ve see this season including some specimen Dover sole and some nice huss, blonde rays and bass to boot.
Stamping its place as a top BC venue, Layde bay has consistently thrown up the goods showing just how versatile and productive a mark it can be with blonde rays and a nice sprinkling of huss showing. The latter, a generally rare occurrence up this end of the channel and a welcome quarry for those who have found one or two. Fish baits are a good choice when targeting blondes and huss. With the new season pilchards just starting to show, along the south coast, give them a try as part of a cocktailed bait with squid. They can be deadly in the right hands, having such a high oil content and consequently leaving a strong scent trail for fish to zone in on. We recommend trying to keep them as frozen as possible using them either whole or in strips bound on by elastic. A good quality cool box is essential for keeping baits in pristine order, we’ve recently topped up our Seadra cool box supplies and highly recommend.
As for pilchards, the belly section is often favoured being full of fat and oil. They are a great cheap and effective bait. Get the best quality ones you can, some of the poorer imported pilchards are nowhere near as effective. Pop in and check out our range of SouthWestSeaBaits pilchards which are priced competitively at just £3.50 per pack!
Dover sole fishing has been exceptionally rewarding for those who have managed to find one. They are still relatively thin on the ground in comparison to previous seasons but having said this, the ones that are being caught are of real specimen size. Steve Liddle, to name just one person who has caught specimen sole of late, found a couple beauties further down the channel a week of so ago. Possibly the biggest brace of sole seen for many years in a single session. The low water reef marks down around Minehead area will be worth a look but tread carefully, as with all channel marks some can be dangerous on their day. Speak to our team for advice.
More locally, famed spots such as Battery point will be worth a look, the area down near the ‘woods’, nearest the first house is usually a good area to have a search for a nice sole. Being a little shallower and set back from the tide, fishing in and around low or high water in this area can prove productive not just for sole but also for bass. Try fishing a couple hours either side of low as we drop down onto this smaller set of tides in coming days, take your wellies as it can be muddy! The ground can be a bit naughty underfoot so studded boots are advised too. We recommend Rockhoppers which have recently come back in stock. Safety first!
As with all of the recommendations given, be very mindful of the changeable weather we are having at present. Strong winds, heavy rain and potential thunder and lightning all pose a threat alongside the, never to be underestimated, tide of the BC. Try to take advantage of windows of opportunity. A few hours fishing ‘properly’ often reaps better rewards than several hours fishing poorly.
Alongside the blonde rays there have been some nice thorny’s showing. Some of the boat anglers venturing out have found some specimen sized thornbacks of late both up around Avonmouth but also down and around the Clevedon area.
Bass have seemingly spread now with them becoming a little harder to find but generally being of a better size with reports of 5-6lb fish being pretty common. Lugworm locally has been spawning, ragworm may be a better option if you are looking to target a bass. We’ve some nice spider peelers in stock at present, stock up before they disappear. A great bait for bass but other species too as we approach the colder months when peeler becomes increasingly hard to source.
As the tides start to build again later in the week, have a look at spots like Kingston Seymour which can be great on their day, look for a 11-13m tide if visiting this venue, fishing a couple hours either side of HW. Please, always be respectful of landowners and passers by as this area is often walked by dogwalkers and cyclists too. Keep your fishing area clean and tidy with baits and hooks away from any animals that may stray near. The area directly behind black rock, can be productive having patches of mixed ground interspersed across the moonlike mud flats. Consider shorter casts here, often some of the best fish can be found under your feet.
There have been quite a few reports of pin whiting showing in the channel now, this often brings some large conger inshore, and dare we say it…..possibly cod, so if you fancy targeting one of these larger sea serpents try a fish bait mounted on some strong hooks such as Sakuma Manta Extras or Varivas Big Mouth Extras. Heavier snood materials are also essential, we recommend Asso Classic in 100lb or Maxima Chameleon. The rougher ground marks are obviously favoured for targeting a big conger but often the low water reef marks can chuck up some nice surprises. Try Sand point or the MOD if wanting to stay local.
Further afield, Chesil has been producing some nice fish although be very mindful of the conditions on this beach as they can be treacherous. Swells are not to be underestimated on Chesil beach, straying that little to close can be life taking. Many anglers don’t recognise that swells can take days to reduce/disappear and rogue waves are always a threat. Codling have started to show along with bream etc but no fish is worth your life so please take care when fishing. Sadly, we get a lot of customers popping in for bait on their way down to this eminent beach completely unaware that conditions will be unfishable or too dangerous. Please monitor conditions carefully before making a wasted journey or speak to our team for advice if you are unsure on whether it’ll be fishable.
If you do venture down, codling can show all along the beach. Bream tend to favour the deeper Portland end whilst sole, plaice and bass tend to be caught in better numbers towards the western end. Black lug, either frozen or fresh can be a great bait at this time of year. Despite the chances of codling and bass being good, we would still advise fishing generally small hooks to really give you the chance of a variety of species. Don’t limit your chances of finding that stray specimen sole, bream or similar by fishing too big.
Finally, give the shop a call on 01275 848652 for all of your tackle and bait needs. Open daily from 7:30am.
Tight lines and stay safe, the Reel Fun Fishing Team 
Find us:
Reel Fun Fishing,
Unit 3 Harbourmead,
Harbour Road,
Portishead,
BS20 7AY.
01275 848652
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