South Coast Fishing Report: Bass Rising, Tides Running Strong

Artificial Lure here with your South Coast fishing report. On the English Channel today the barometer’s steady and the weather’s fairly settled: light to moderate westerlies, cooler air pushing through after recent warmth, with a mix of cloud and brighter spells. Along much of the Dorset and Hampshire stretch you’re looking at 12–16°C through the morning, nudging up later with clearer skies and a bit of chop on open beaches. Further east towards Sussex and Kent, winds ease slightly but there’s still just enough ripple to keep predators hunting close in. Sunrise came early over the Solent around twenty past four, with sunset heading for just after nine this evening, giving a decent window for low‑light sessions at dawn and dusk. Those shoulder hours are fishing best: the water’s come alive then, especially on the flooding tide. Tides along the South Coast are on a decent mid‑range cycle right now, neither tiny nor spring‑big, which suits lure work. Around Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight you’ve got strong but manageable flow over the banks and reefs; in Lyme Bay and around Portland Bill that tide races hard over structure, kicking baitfish up into the water column. Plan to fish the last two hours of the flood and first of the ebb for most inshore marks, and the very top of the tide inside harbours and estuaries. Bass activity has picked up nicely. Local charter skippers from Chichester and Hayling report schoolies in good numbers with the odd 4–6lb fish off rough ground and surf beaches. Shore lads on the Brighton and Seaford stretches have been picking bass from the shingle in the evening surf, mostly on lures. Pollack and wrasse are showing on the Dorset rock marks, particularly around Portland and the Purbeck coast, with mackerel shoals starting to push tight in whenever the light drops and the tide runs. Recent catches have been mixed but encouraging: plenty of school bass, mackerel in ones and twos from piers and headlands, some tidy wrasse to 3lb on the rough stuff, and a few rays and smoothhounds for those soaking baits on the sandier Hampshire and Sussex beaches. Inside the harbours, school bass and flounder are keeping light‑tackle anglers busy. For lures, keep it simple. Slim white or olive **soft plastics** on a light jig head are doing damage for bass around structure and current seams. Smaller **surface walkers** and **pencils** are working at dawn over shallow reefs and surf tables; when the sun gets up, switch to **sub‑surface minnows** or paddletails. Pollack and wrasse are taking **weedless soft plastics** in darker colours bounced close to the rocks. For mackerel, small **metal jigs** or **feathers** still rule – cast long, let them sink, and work them back through the water. If you’re bait‑fishing, fresh **ragworm and lugworm** are top for bass, flatties, and general scratching on the beaches and harbour walls. **Peeler crab** is dynamite for better bass and smoothhounds where you can get it. A strip of fresh **mackerel** or **sandeel** on a simple running ledger will pick up rays and hounds over clean ground, and will still tempt a passing bass. A couple of hot spots to think about: - The **Solent and surrounding marks** – places like Hayling, Hill Head, and the deeper channels off Gilkicker – are fishing well for school bass, rays, and hounds on the making tide, with good lure sport over the rough patches and along the harbour mouths. - The **Portland and Purbeck coast** in Dorset – working lures around the rock ledges and tide runs is turning up bass, wrasse, and pollack, especially where the tide funnels hard over broken ground. Fish safely, watch that swell on exposed rock marks, and keep an eye on the tide behind you. Thanks for tuning in, and 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