We have had some remarkably warm and mostly calm weather throughout July, which has meant many local boat anglers have been out probably more than usual. Calm, settled weather in summer tempts us to head out 15 miles and more to the banks that hold bass. Although we can only bring home two fish per angler, there is still great sport to be had (see gallery below).

Mackerel have as usual continued to tease us with shoals in the usual places one day, then a blank fish-finder screen on other days. The other summer frustration is floating weed. This tends to affect fishing within a few miles of shore which includes all of the Solent. Neap tides aren’t so bad, but some tides can be unfishable unless you drift or head offshore beyond the worst of it.

Species competitions, whether one-day or annual club competitions have become increasingly popular. Our area is well served with probably one of the widest range of species available across the seasons. As the water warms up at the end of summer, some very exotic species can appear. Unfortunately the SMAC Open Species Competition has had to be postponed until 14th August so we hope to bring news of that in the next report.