portland bill help and suggestions

[craig_salisbury]

Hi all, im new to the forum and to shore fishing, and am looking for some general advice. im not too bothered about targeting specific species or specimen sizes, i just want to get started with some basics and some fish to chuck on the bbq!
ive done a bit of research and portland bill seems to be a good spot to start some rock fishing, but becuase im a novice to this type of fishing im not too sure about a number of things, some general advice and tips on :

-time of day/tides and the effects
-distances to cast out
-rigs
-float fishing depths and or fishing on the bottom
-baits
-good marks

sorry if some points sound stupid or obvious but would realy appreciate some help.. cheers!

[scottish_and_mental]

Hi Craig ,
Portland is not the place for a novice - i've been fishing the ledges for years and it still scares the crap out of me !
Chesil beach will get you some nice mackerel for the bbq and try the town quay is Southampton for a mixed bag with really easy fishing ..
If you need any more specific advice gimme a shout
( I live in Old Sarum btw )
Steve

[craig_salisbury]

cheers for the advice steeve, small world ay i live just down the road from old sarum.
ive looked and some info for stone pier in weymouth which i think looks more suitable, i was wondering if you or anyone else could tell me if its fishing well at the moment, and what method and distance and time of day i should fish at.

il probably try southampton at some point, what landmark ect should i look for i havnt been down there before.

cheeers

[scottish_and_mental]

The stone pier fishes well with float fished ragworm for all manner of summer species but is mobbed this time of year with hoards of holiday makers . i would look to fish it about 2 hours either side of high water and a scratching rig over the side will get you numerous wrasse and mini species plus pout and small pollack.
Big squid are hooked off here in the winter too and just about anything could come off here ...
Remember the angling centre has moved now and is on the opposite side of the harbour near the spar shop and toilets !
For town Quay - a mark that takes me 30 minutes to get to , and one that produces loads of species including some hefty bass you need to go out past big tesco and onto the motorway for Southampton / Portsmouth ..
Come off at first junction and follow signs for west quay / ferry terminals .. go past Ikea and follow the road to the end .. you will see a big club/casino building on your right which is at the entrance to the isle of white ferry terminal ..drive on ,go to the end round the one way circuit and fish on the seaward side ..
Gimme a shout when your looking at getting out - the quay is a great midweek evening mark and one we fish almost weekly !
Steve

[craig_salisbury]

cheers steve i showed my mate this and he likes the sound of the southampton mark so were gona give it ago tomorow evening.
do you know if there are any good tackle stores close to the mark?
also what methods are effective float and ledgering?