South Coast Bass and Mackerel Fire Up as Herring Runs Peak Thursday Evening

Alright, lads and lasses, this is Artificial Lure here with your South Coast UK fishing report for Thursday evening, 23rd April 2026. Been a proper mixed bag down here on the Sussex and Hampshire stretches—chilly winds from the east at 10-15 knots, skies mostly grey with a few sunny spells, temps hovering 11-13°C. Met Office says light showers possible overnight, but sea state calm at 1-2 foot swells. Sunrise kicked off at 5:50am, sunset wrapped at 8:10pm—plenty of daylight for a session. Tides looking prime per BBC Weather and Nautide charts: high water hit 2:45pm around Brighton, next low at 9pm, then rising to high around 3am Friday. Fish activity's high on the solunar tables—major bites around dusk and dawn, with herring runs firing up the predators. Recent catches? Bass are pushing in strong, 4-8lb schoolies common off shorelines, some 10-15lbers boated from charters like those outta Southampton. Mackerel shoals thick from the Needles to Selsey Bill, pollock hitting 5lbs on wrecks, and early pollack flounder from beaches. Tautog-like wrasse and black bream picking up on rocky marks, per local tackle shops like those in Eastbourne reporting 20+ fish limits last weekend. River herring everywhere, waking the bass—On The Water notes similar runs juicing action up the coast. Best lures: soft plastics like 4-5 inch paddletails or Big Hammer swimmers on 1oz jigheads for bass in the washes—mimic those herring perfect. Bucktails, SP minnows, or slim DRT plugs for shallow bays on the fall tide. Jerkbaits and chatterbaits crushing largemouth inshore ponds if you fancy freshwater. Live bait? Mackerel strips or sandeel for bass and pollack, green crabs or seaworms for wrasse on the rocks. Ragworm's gold for flounder from the shingle. Hot spots: Hit the chalk reefs off Beachy Head at last light—bass smashing bait balls. Or try Langstone Harbour mouths for resident stripers on the incoming. Shore chuck from Newhaven breakwater too. Bundle up, check your regs, and tight lines! Thanks for tuning in—subscribe for more! This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.