Catch Reports and Gossip: Latest Reports

This page is the most popular of all the pages on the whole site (according to my Web Stats), and it will be as good as local anglers make it - so please send in your own reports and photos to share with us. No catch is too small or too boring, we know a PB doesn't arrive on every trip!

Scroll down for the latest catch reports as usual..                                              Link: Eastern Solent Chart

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March 2010

This is the month we have been waiting for since about Christmas. Snowdrops are out, crocuses are budding and plaice are beginning to be caught off The Blocks. Not in huge numbers yet, and the early ones will be very thin, but they are here. Wayne proved it:

"Had a spin to the Blocks on Friday 5th March. Not really expecting much as the water was a bit too coloured but the one bite of the day produced a Plaice. Needs a few days of settled weather before another trip. "

February 2010

The general run of reports is that if you go out, expect to catch a few pout, dogfish, small ray and maybe a late whiting, but not much else. Most charter skippers do their annual refits in February, although it is always worth a try. Jon sent me this report for his boat The F.O.E:

"Well once again we left Portsmouth harbour at 06.40 with great expectations on Sun 7th Feb. Hardly a breath of wind, no short chop inbetween the forts, 23knots @ 3600rpm. What could be better. Dropped the hook on a spot just north of the tower in the hope of the last big cod that have missed the commercial nets and us anglers. 3 rods each, triple squid.etc,etc.

2HRS Later... 3 lbs spotted ray, and NO other bites AT ALL ! We moved. Now 2 miles south of the tower on a great looking rock ledge. 3 lbs thornback, NO other bites AT ALL. Tackle loss and snagging a pain in the bum. We moved. New spot back near the tower again. A doggie. NO other bites AT ALL. By now we were both hacked off, but what a great day to be on the water, the engine now behaving well after sorting out a problem with air getting in the fuel line. Hopefully the plaice won't be long now then TOPE. Anyway tight lines all. From JON on THE F.O.E.

P.S. Steve the skipper of Kittiwake 3,we should have listened to your advice and stayed in bed this day !!!!!!! TILL NEXT TIME..........."

Sunday 21st... there have been reports of the first plaice off The Blocks, very early yet and only appearing in ones and twos. Last year was much better than previous years, let's hope the trend continues.

January 2010

A few folk with more flexibility around their social calendars managed to use the calmer days over Christmas and the New Year to do a bit of fishing. There was the usual mix caught of dogfish, pout, whiting, strap conger and for the lucky ones, a cod or two. Cod are unpredictable: some caught none, others caught several, and Glen fished all day and his crew landed eight in the last half hour!

Local marks producing a few cod are Culver, around the Nab area and Nab Channel.

George sent me this report for 2nd January from Ruby Scrumptious:

" Went out yesterday for the first time in about 6 weeks or so, so for a start it was just great to be out. Fished out by the Nab Tower and caught the usual suspects - conger about 20lb, various skate under 10lb, pout, loads of dogfish and a cod of about 15lb. Not a brilliant haul, but thoroughly enjoyable nonetheless."

From Jon on The F.O.E.:

Got out on Jan 2nd,left the slip in Portsmouth at 07.20 cruised out to the Nab at a nice 19-21 knots, still darkish at 07.55 when we put the pick over the side on a spot near the tower. The first 2 hours produced the odd dog and a couple of small whiting. Decided a move was in order,so got the pick up and with a bit of farting about,due to a dragging anchor and a concrete like bottom to get a hold in ,ended up fishing along side the charter boat Valkerie. Within the first 10 mins of being there a nice 16lbs cod came to the net. (Sorry to the skipper on Valkerie,your punters must have been pissed off seeing us land that one with lots of happy shouting, and so close as well ). Carried on till gone 13.00 when Valkerie upped anchor and left the mark. Oh dear , just as well as another thump on the Zzipplex and in came # 2 Cod weighing a tad over 9lbs. Went on to fish till 15.00 and then off back to Pompey. The main engine playing up with what we think is fuel starvation or air getting in . Something to investigate before our next trip.

And a snippet from Wayne - anyone got any photos?

Saturday 2nd Jan an ECA member caught a 32lb Cod on the Foul Grounds. Weighed on the club scales - it's the best I have heard about this season.

Sunday  17th, XC-Weather was forecasting F3 westerly, which meant fishing would be possible in the right place. Arron and I nipped out for a few hours and fished just outside Sandown Bay. However, between the two of us we managed a whiting, a pout and two dogfish. If you think that was bad two other boats blanked, so I guess that was a successful trip by comparison.

Sunday 31st January. I think we'll draw a discreet line under January and look forward to better months. Most boats seem to be reporting just the odd pout, whiting and dogfish. I went out for a look-around today and found a massive flock of gulls over the Horse Elbow, and the fish finder was alive with images - all mid water. I guess "something" was mopping up the sprat shoals. I tried the usual methods, and even a cast net in the hope of a pan-full of sprats, but no joy.