Solent boat marks

[Solent Fisher]

Hi,

can anyone recommend a spot in the solent which might produce decent results this weekend?

Took my boat out last Sunday and fished off of Gosport and Browndown. Caught a plenty of doggies and Pout from both marks but nothing else. The whiting, which I caught by the bucket load a few weeks previous have gone completely. Is that it now species wise, just pout and dogs till spring? What about Rays maybe, again too soon?

I'm not up for fishing the Nab grounds or anything like that, not this time of year anyway, unless by miracle its like a mill pond! Inshore around IOW only for me.

Cheers,
James (Gosport, Hampshire)

[Codfather]

Hi Solent

If you can trail your boat try going out from Lymington, Christchurch/Mudiford into Christchurch bay.

Christchurch Ledge has the usual doggies plus pout, whiting, conger and if you are very lucky a cod!!!

Coddy

[Lookfar]

Hi James,
Difficult time of year, if I were you I'd wait for a small tide and a good high pressure and make the trek to Nab or beyond. Might be rays in Sandown Bay but your best chance of late whiting and cod, maybe even a spurdog, is out deep.

Steve

[Solent Fisher]

Thanks, but what I was afraid of. Today i've come up with a plan anyway assuming the passage to the Nab is less than perfect. ...

...I'm going to drift the Medina in Cowes for flounder using rag baited spoons and some frozen peeler. This will be first thing sat morning for the last hour or two of the flood, over high and a couple into the ebb. With the recent hard frosts the flounder sport should be peaking there at the moment....

...Then I'm going to move around to the west past egypt point into deep water, anchor up and fish the rough ground for conger. Told quite a few are being by caught by chance and last Sunday a couple of guys that i met on the slip came back in having hooked a couple of modest 15lb'ers from the eastern side of the IOW (Dunose)..not big but a welcome change to the pout!

If you think this idea is a waste of time or can suggest anything else I'd appreciate it!

Cheers,
James

P.S Sorry, Don't know what the hell happened but i somehow managed to post the same thread 5 times!! Can one of administrators please delete the others?

[Lookfar]

Hi James,
Flounder plan sounds good. Conger might be there but the cold snap might have moved them on. The open ground conger east and south of the island usually seem to peter out in late December, early January.
You've got a NE 5-7 tomorrow, that's a pretty brutal forecast. Stokes Bay ought to be sheltered, fishing the drop off. Still only pout, dogs and the odd whiting though, unless you get lucky with a late cod.

Steve

If you're still up for a run out together, I'll be back on the water in April?

[Solent Fisher]

NE5-7 oh no thats terrible Thought at worst it would be NE4. Oh well I'll be at the slip regardless but whether or not I actually manage to fish now is looking iffy.

James

P.S Steve, hope to see u in April then.