Hordle Cliffs and Milford Shingle Bank reports.

andy colmer · #1 10-15-2008, 02:50 PM

A bit of a catch up post/reports. I have been away and have managed a few sessions over the weekend; so in the spirit of sharing…..here are the reports! There are three sessions included, so I will try and avoid all my usual waffle and try to stick to the facts (yeah right!).

Friday 10th Oct.

Robin (fishyrob) joined me for the first two sessions as he wanted to give the new DGripper a try in the nasty tides that can be found along Milford Shingle Bank; as it turned out, due to technical difficulties, (Robin not arriving until 9.00pm!), we decided on Hordle Cliffs for the first session, for comfort and ease and hoped to get amongst some sole, or possibly a small-eyed ray or three.

Typically, the conditions were far better for codling off the bank, rather than flat things at the cliffs; a clear bright night with quite a decent S to SW blow, making for a good surf. We really should have bitten the bullet and gone to the bank, but the added possibility of a half decent bass, saw us fishing at all ranges.

We had some fresh blow lug that Robin had dug on his way along the coast, some rag, mackerel and squid; I fished one rod with whole squid (and then later whole mackie fillet) at 20 yards in the first deep gully, one rod on the first sandbank with squid tipped worm and a cheeky third in the second gully, also with squid tipped worm. (2 lug and 1 rag on each hook). Rob will be able to tell you his baits….but I do know he stuck it out with big baits, in the hope of a better stamp of fish.

We struggled with the weed from the outset; it didn’t make it unfishable, but did make it uncomfortable and it was a pain in the ar*e, to be fair. We stuck it out until about 3.30am and nothing showed to the big baits at all; all very disappointing. I did manage several basslets and a reasonable whiting…..but that was it unfortunately.

Saturday 11th Oct.

This was to be our main event of the weekend and certainly the session we were both looking forward to the most; to see if the DGrippers would hold throughout the tide on the shingle bank……and for us to get amongst the codling! Typically enough, sod’s law applied and this time, conditions were more suited to fishing for the sole and rays at Hordle Cliffs!!! A still night, without a breath of wind and flat calm conditions.

The bank was heaving with anglers, but we managed to get a decent spot about 150 yards left of the New Lane rocks, an 80 yard chuck here, gets you on a mussel bed that can be very productive. We were there and set up by 6.30pm and for a couple of hours there was a constant stream of anglers passing behind us, heading further and further up the bank to fish; I have rarely seen the venue that crowded.

Once again, we had the same baits, although this time I was fishing two rods, both with pennels in a DGripper and lug and rag tipped with squid heads was my weapon of choice. Also, once again, the weed was a complete pain in the t*ts! It was soon building up on our lines and although mercifully avoiding hookbaits, it had rods bent double after about 20 minutes or so. Aggravating though that was, it did provide a stern test of the Dgrippers, with so much weed in a serious tide.

Things started very slowly, before Rob started to get a few pout; eventually, I started to catch up and we both ended up with a reasonable total of pout and whiting (about a dozen each) and as some of the whiting were of a good size, I even managed enough for a decent feed.

The codling evaded my rods skilfully, while Rob stole the show with a plump codling of 2 1/2lb (ish…..weighed at exactly 2lb by me after being gutted). This fish came right on the high tide slack water.

Again we persevered until the early hours, catching yet more whiting and pout. A quite eerie and impressive fog had enveloped the bank and at one point, I couldn’t even see Rob, 30 yards away! Having left our food at the chalet (like a couple of complete tools!), we gave way to hunger and as the bites had almost completely dried up, we sacked it at about 1.30am.

Was anyone else from the forum on the bank on Saturday night….It would be really interesting to know how you got on?

For the record, the DGripper only ‘broke out’ once……when Rob had his codling; we both had our rods flattened once due to the pull of tide and weed, but the DGripper still held. Next test on the shingle bank, will be for the whole of a big spring tide, if they hold through that, it will open up a multitude of opportunities to put extra fish on the bank.

Tuesday 14th Oct.

For those that are still awake….this is the last one!! I took the opportunity after work, last night, to fish over high water at Hordle Cliffs, just to use up the spare bait from the weekend, you understand?! Arrived at 9.00pm to a stiff S to SW wind, occasional ‘refreshing’ showers and………..yep, you guessed it, more bl**dy weed!

I changed tactics slightly, as this targeting certain species lark, was clearly getting the better of me! Two rods, two hook flappers with size 1 hooks and ‘cocktail’ baits on each hook…..and I was after ANYTHING that might swim by!

The fishing wasn’t frantic by any means and with the wind and weed doing their damnedest, bite detection was difficult; but a large pout, a good whiting and then a schoolie, kept me interested until Midnight, when I started to pack up (needed to be up at 6.00am for work today……lightweight, I know!). As I packed my first rod away, the other one pulled down sharply and bounced back, a classic codling bite under normal circumstances, but the weed had been impersonating codling bites most of the evening, so I wasn’t too confident. However, a codling of a shade over 1 1/2lb was the result and I headed for bed happy enough that I had bothered to get out.
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A.C.

Species so far 2008:- Plaice, Flounder, Pout, Rockling, Bass, Brill, Turbot, Tope, Pollack, Thick Lipped Mullet, Silver Eel, Whiting, Black Bream, Ballan Wrasse, Cod, Poor Cod, Common Smoothhound, Starry Smoothhound, L S Dogfish, 1st ever Blonde Ray (17 1/2lb PB!), Golden Grey Mullet, Tub Gurnard, Tompot Blenny, Scorpion Fish.