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By Vic, 1 June, 2010 14:24

Normally I would avoid Brighton Marina on a bank holiday like the plague but a few guys I know were fishing down there yesterday, so I thought I’d pop down for a few hours. I stopped in at The Tackle Box and picked up some quality lugworm and squid before heading off to the East arm. Just as I was walking onto the arm, my phone went and it was Steve from the shop saying I’d left my squid behind – damn. It was arranged that if possible, one the wardens could bring it out when they next did a ticket round and left it at that.

Got out on the arm about 1.30pm and met up with Danny, Steve and Ant and set up in bay 31 with them. High tide was predicted for about 2.30pm but the current was already pulling hard to the right, the sea was dead calm but looked like soup with all the rot in it.

I set up one rod with a size 4 two hook sole rig and lobbed that out baited with lugworm, the other rod, I rigged with some mackerel feathers as I wanted fresh mackerel for bass bait but this was more in hope than probability looking at the state of the water – but you never know.

My first fish of the day was a bass, or basslet to be more precise, as it was barely bigger than the bait I was using but at least it saved me from a potential blank. As the tide dropped away, things were very slow with no fishy action at all. Not long after this, one of the wardens Frank stopped by for a ticket check; I mentioned the squid I’d left at the shop and just asked if he could pick it up if passing. a short while later, Frank returned with the abandoned squid. Top marks Frank and also well done on getting that bloke to return the undersized bass he was about to pop in his bag.

When the other guys left, they kindly left me the contents of their crab bucket which had a couple of peeler shore crabs and two nice peeler velvet swimmer crabs. I peeled one of the shore crabs but jeez, it stank like a tramp’s shoe, it was very, very off  (cheers Danny). I peeled another shore crab, which this time wasn’t quite so aromatic and stuck half of it on the size 3/0 hook of a running ledger rig which had replaced the mackerel feathers. I slung this out around fifty yards and waited only a short while before the rod tip was bouncing away to indicate fishy action. I struck into a fish and brought in a smooth Hound pup of about 2lbs which was quickly unhooked and returned. There were a few more pups but the really, really small ones.

The next fish was a reasonable eel of about 1½lbs. Things quietened down then with only  a couple of small eels, until just after low water at about 8.30pm when it seemed to go bass mad, when they hurled themselves at the baits as soon as they were in the water and a couple of times, I had double shots on the sole rig. OK they weren’t big, all averaging around 1 – 1½lbs but it was enough to keep me busy and was good fun. At one point, I had a double shot of  a bass and a flounder, which made a change. Although good fun, it didn’t do much for my attempts at more sole! This kept going until 3 hours into the flood tide when someone somewhere suddenly flipped a switch and it it died off, with the odd Pout and of course the obligatory rockling.

I stuck it out until 1am, with bait running out and fishy action sadly lacking, I called it a night and headed off home. The final tally was over a dozen bass, a few smooth Hound pups, one flounder, a few eels, numerous Pout and rockling.

The latter hours of the session were a joy to be out, a quiet, still night with no wind, flat sea and although not good for productive fishing, a bright moon behind scattered clouds – this combined with a few fish reminded me of why I enjoy this so much. I tried to get a decent shot but the camera is a bit limited as to what it can do. Click on the picture for a larger image.

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By Vic, 29 May, 2010 10:41

Yesterday was an early finish at work, which gave me a good opportunity for some extra fishing time. With a good SW breeze blowing, I reckoned on a good chance of bass at Brighton Marina, so armed with all my kit, I headed off onto the East arm, arriving at about 6pm. There was a reasonable swell running and as it was still low water, there were few slaps, where the water hits the marina wall and gushes up the gaps between the caissons.

I only had some lugworm and two packets of frozen sandeels and had hoped to get some some fresh mackerel while fishing. The colour of the water said there was no chance of mackerel, so I had a dilemma – stay and hope, or plan B , fish the low water surf that would be running at Tidemills? In the end I opted to stay where I was and use the lug and sandeel and keep my fingers crossed.

Things started (or not) very slowly, with no interest in the lugworm which was on on a two hook flapper, or  the sandeel on a ledgered pennel rig. It wasn’t until darkness fell, that it livened up a bit. By now the wind had died down, the sea smoothed out a bit and to cap it all, a bright moon  was showing. Anyway, small bites started to come in but turned out to be rockling and the bigger bites were eels that wrecked two rigs and slimed everywhere, the biggest was around the 1½lbs. mark. And that my friends, was the story of the evening – eels and rockling, all falling for the lugworm – not one touch on the sandeel.

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By Vic, 27 May, 2010 09:57

At some stage last Sunday 23.5, I stupidly left my old and trusted green ABU 6500 mag elite on the wall at Brighton Marina, East arm around bay 28. In a vain hope of recovery, I’m asking if anyone saw it or knows of anyone who has found it to let me know please.

I’ve tried the Tackle box and marina security with no luck.

Many thanks

Comments (4)

By Vic, 26 May, 2010 16:21

Wanted to have another crack at the sole down at Brighton Marina, so yesterday I shot off to there from work and arrived at the East arm about 8.30pm. Met up with Mike (mr codling), another member of the WSF forums and another site, the Sporting Fish Community, who was already unpacking his car. Once all the gear was sorted, we walked out onto the arm and headed for the far end where I thought it might be a bit more sheltered and also offered the best chance of a sole. Conditions were a bit uncomfortable, with a brisk North East wind which was gusting quite hard along the arm but at least it was dry with just a threat of rain from the cloudy sky.

We set up in bays 55 and 56 respectively and started tackling up. I opted to start with one rod rigged with a size 4 two hook sole rig baited with lugworm and ragworm and chucked about 50 yards out. I set up the other rod with a string of 4 feathers, hoping for a few mackerel or two with dusk approaching. As it happens, the mackerel were either pre-occupied or didn’t care for my offerings, as I had no interest shown in them at all. The feathers came of and another sole rig put on, baited and cast out.

As darkness came, Mike was first in with a Pout. I was next in with a Co-Op carrier bag which appeared under-conditioned, scrawny and tattered although it did put up quite a fight in the tidal current and then in the air with that bloody wind. My next retrieve was a double shot of Pout which is how the rest of the evening went with more Pout for us both and only broken by a ‘snotty’ eel for Mike which wrecked his rig and a small schoolie bass for me. The only highlight being the non-appearance of any rockling. Mike also had ‘half’ a Pout which had been attacked  and partly scoffed by a squid whilst on the hook (Pictured right. Click for a larger image).

In between fish, tangles and carrier bags, Mike made regular updates of our ‘Live fish’ event on DannyC’s blog just to keep them amused while sat at home in the warm.

By 1am, the best of the tide had passed and the fishing had ground to a halt with no more fish coming to either of us. We packed up the gear and took the long walk back which was made worse by that bloody wind straight in our faces. I still had plenty of worm left, so will try and get out in the next few days and not put it to waste.

Comments (4)

By Vic, 23 May, 2010 16:30

I had an early session down at Brighton Marina this morning, arriving on the east arm at about 4.30am in order to catch first light and with the intention of getting a few mackerel on feathers and then float fishing fish strip for garfish and anything else that happened to be around.

Two things struck me arrival, the first was the amount of noise coming from what appeared to a rave over on the beach at Ovingdean Gap. I may be getting on a bit and my hearing isn’t what it used to be but bloody hell, I’m surprised my ears didn’t bleed from the ‘musical’ onslaught that was drifting in my direction. Don’t get me wrong, I love loud music but this was, well, to put it bluntly – crap, truly crap.

The second thing that got me was still the amount of May rot in the water, it was as thick as soup close in to the wall and still cloudy at about fifty yards out. with only small patches of clear water. It didn’t look good for anything to be honest and I was quite prepared for a fishless session.

Anyway, not to be beaten, I set up a float outfit and had that ready and waiting should I get anything on the feathers that could be used for bait (I hadn’t brought any with me). After a number of casts, I was feeling more and more like packing in and saving my energy but things perked up a bit when a guy further along brought in a solitary mackerel. It wasn’t until about 6am that I had my first hit and one mackerel in the bucket and then a short while later hit another two and then a single. Mission accomplished – bait and lunch.

Swapping over to float gear, I baited the hook with a piece of belly strip and cast out into some relatively clear patches and  then again and again. This went on for several hours with not a single hint of anything remotely fishy taking the bait. As high tide came and went, the ebb dropping away, it became apparent that there was going to be no action in these conditions. I eventually packed up content to take three fish home for lunch but a tad disappointed that nothing showed up. As I left, the ‘rave’ was still in full swing; I expect there will be an upsurge in alcohol/drug related injuries and deafness at A&E today – best of luck.

Once I got home, the mackerel were prepared and bunged in the fish smoker and not long later – voilà – lovely smoked mackerel with Bill’s wonderful ‘chewy’ bread. This time we added some Bay leaves and dried Taragon to the wood dust and the result was marvellous, a really rich smokey and arromatic taste to the fish.