South Coast Bass & Hounds Firing on Evening Tides – Sussex & Dorset Report

This is Artificial Lure with your South Coast UK fishing report. We’ve just come off the back of the evening tides and it’s been a decent spell for both shore and boat anglers from Dorset round to Sussex. I’ll keep it local and straight. Along much of the Channel coast the evening tide has been a **falling tide through dusk**, with a decent bit of run – exactly what you want for bass and rays in the surf. Light north‑westerlies easing off have kept the sea reasonably calm, with a gentle chop on the open beaches. Skies have been mostly clear to broken cloud, cool after dark, and that bit of clarity has given good water visibility in the bays but still enough colour off the surf beaches for confidence. Sunset’s been just after **9 pm** with first light creeping in well before **5 am**, so your prime windows right now are: - Last two hours of the flood into dusk. - First light through the top of the morning tide. **Fish activity and recent catches** From reports on local charter pages and tackle shops along the coast: - **Bass**: Good numbers of schoolies with the odd better fish to 6–7 lb from the Sussex and Hampshire surf beaches and harbour mouths. Peeler crab and fresh lug have been the standouts. After dark, small paddle‑tail shads and shallow‑diving minnows have picked off fish in the first gutter. - **Plaice & bream**: Out on the banks off Brighton, Selsey and the eastern Isle of Wight, boats have seen steady plaice to around 2–3 lb with black lug and rag tipped with squid. Black bream showing well over rough ground and inshore reefs, plenty of fish in the 1–3 lb bracket. - **Smoothhounds**: The hounds are well in across the Solent and down towards Sussex. Crab baits fished in the tide on pulley rigs are taking double‑figure fish; several local boats and pier regulars have reported multiple hound sessions on evening tides. - **Rays & conger**: Small‑eyed and thornback rays from the Bristol Channel–facing marks further west and also from some Hampshire and Dorset banks. Mackerel, squid or bluey on a simple up‑and‑over is doing the trick. Conger still very active after dark on the reefs and pier piles. - **Mackerel**: Sporadic but improving shoals close in when the light’s low. Feathers at first and last light are your best bet. **Best lures and bait right now** - For **bass**: - Lures: 4–5 inch white or natural‑coloured paddle‑tail shads, surface walkers for the calm spells at first light, and slim diving plugs around the harbour mouths. - Bait: Peeler crab, fresh lugworm, whole sandeel or mackerel strip in the surf. - For **hounds and rays**: - Peeler crab is king for smoothhounds. - Squid, bluey or mackerel fillet for rays and conger. - For **plaice and bream**: - Ragworm or black lug, small hooks, light gear, beads and blades for plaice. - Rag and squid cocktail or strips of squid for bream over rough ground. **Couple of current hot spots** - **Bracklesham & East Wittering (West Sussex)**: Surf beaches producing bass in the evening surf and smoothhounds once it’s properly dark, especially around the bigger tides. Fish close in; don’t blast it to France. - **Chesil Beach (Dorset)**: Still the banker. Mixed bags of bream, rays, dogfish and the chance of a decent bass, with mackerel showing on the deeper stretches. Evening and dawn sessions on a moving tide are giving the best returns. If you’re heading out, keep an eye on local harbour notices and inshore forecasts, and fish the tide changes – that’s when it’s happening. Thanks for tuning in, this is Artificial Lure signing off. Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn