help for fishing the witterings

I've recently moved down to the witterings and i need some advice on how to catch fish from a small boat. I don't have an engine, so will be rowing and thus not able to go very far out or up and down the coast, but are there fish to be caught anyway? If so what bait should i use? What are the best techniques?

I've tried already with mackerel feathers with no success, so need a little help in getting those scaly little critters into the boat...
any advice gratefully received

[steve devon]

should be able to catch things like ray, bass, mackerel etc

welcome to the forum btw

[devondave]

erm excuse my ignorance but where is witterings? lol
i was never good at geography but if you have a row boat type thing get out around a rock mark or small island and drift with live sandeel or even live prawn,
if you use live prawn i would float fish them with a 6-8 ft trace and it would be an idea to try and work out the depth of water your fishing first if you fish too deep with a prawn over the rocks you will get pestered with wrasse but if you get the depths right then a nice bass is always on the menu

the witterings are on the south coast near the isle of wight.

the problem i have is that the bottom is basically just sand, as far as I can tell for as far as I can row. there aren't any rocks for miles! I guess that means i'll be wating a long time for any fish to show up.

ah well, thanks for the tips!

[steve devon]

should get flats, rays and dogs still at least

[devondave]

yeah and they catch bass almost everywhere in and around the solent you should be able to catch fish around that area even if its only peskey dogs