South Coast Spring Bass Bonanza: April 5th Fishing Report

G'day, mates, this is Artificial Lure, your South Coast angling mate from the salty shores of Sussex. It's Sunday evening, 5th April 2026, and the UK's South Coast is prime for a cast or two before dark. Weather's holding steady—mild with a touch of spring chill, light westerlies around 10 knots easing off, and patchy clouds from the Met Office forecast. Sunrise kicked off at 6:30am, sunset's wrapping at 7:45pm, giving us a solid 13 hours of daylight. Tides are running low coefficient today, around 44-48 per Tides4Fishing charts—high water mid-morning near 10ft at Brighton, low slack around 4pm, perfect for bass prowling the edges. Fish activity's picking up with that very high solunar rating—moonrise southeast late afternoon, setting late night, pulling 'em in. Recent catches? Local lads report cracking sessions: pollack to 5lb on plugs off Selsey Bill, mackerel shoals thick in 20-30ft from Worthing reefs, and smoothhounds hitting 10lb+ on peeler crab baits in Langstone Harbour. Bass are showing too, with a few 4-6 pounders nabbed on sandeel imitations last week amid the spring warming. Best lures right now? Ragworm-pattern soft plastics or jelly eels on 1/2oz heads for pollack and wrasse—twitch 'em slow over kelp. For bass, silver spoons or shallow divers like the Fox Racer in mackerel finish. Live baits? Fresh ragworm or mackerel strip rules the day, fished on a three-hook flapper rig. Peeler crab for rays and hounds if you're bottom-bashing. Hot spots: Hit Selsey Bill at first light for drifting lures—bass and pollack galore. Or try the Needles off the Isle of Wight, where currents concentrate the baitfish. Tight lines, stay safe out there. 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.