1) Climping Beacn (nr littlehampton) - My top place to fish in May is Climping Beach, this is a proper big fish venue with double figure bass, smoothounds and stingrays caught frequently during the summer months. In May your will also catch golden grey mullet, flounders, plaice, eels and dogfish. I find that you have to fish Climping in one of two ways. 1) You stick to smallish hooks and 15lb line to target golden grey mullet, eels and flatfish or 2) You use size 3/0 hooks with 25lb line to target the bigger species such as Stingrays and Smoothounds. The best baits at Climping are fresh peeler crab, mackerel and red rag for the mullet. Distance casting is not essential, but a you need a fair cast to clear the weed which often gathers close to the shore. The upward tide is the best time to fish but i'd stay clear of Climping on a really rough day because of the weed.

At this time of year theres normally lots of sunbathers on the beaches so when you reach the car park at Climping walk as far to the right as possible you will get away from the sunbathers and also find the best fishing spot. Remember if you catch a Stingray be very careful as the sting is in there tails, hold them by the wings and please put them back carefully as you cant eat them!

 

2) East Pier Newhaven - During the summer months this can be a very productive venue especially when the sea is calm and clear. I would suggest getting the float fishing gear out and try for some garfish and mackerel. Use a 2 hook float trace at around 8ft deep with some thinly cut mackerel strips, although these fish may not be huge they are great fun on light gear. If you do find yourself catching lots of mackerel there could well be some big bass about, so pack in some big hooks and some 25lb line and try live baiting a joey mackerel close to the pier but dont forget a drop net. In May you will also catch golden grey mullet, thick lipped mullet, flounders, sole, wrasse and pollack. Baits such as live prawns, red rag and king rag are best.

 

3) Langney Point- Eastbourne - Head down to Langney Point for a evening session. Situated at the far end of Eastbourne before you reach Pevensey, Langney Point is a very good summer venue. In May you can catch Bream, Flounders, Pout, Plaice, Dogfish and a good chance of a huge sole! The best time to fish is on the upward tide and a couple of hours back down, you will catch fish here at all casting ranges but make sure you have some nice fresh bait. Normally im not a fan of black lug or blow lug as summer baits but if there fresh and you use them in the dark they will do you well at Langney Point along with king rag, peeler crab and mackerel.

 

4) Brighton Marina (east arm) - Probably my favourite place to fish during the summertime although feathering for mackerel doesnt interest me in the slightest! Like at Newhaven float fishing for mackerel and garfish is very productive during May but you tend to catch mackerel deeper at around 12-16ft, you might also catch a few pollack at 16ft on mackerel strips but live prawns are alot better. Down the walls you will catch pout, wrasse, bream and pollack to king rag and casting out you will flounders and plaice along with eels, bass, rockling and pout if the sea is dirty. Best baits are peeler crab, king rag and black lug in rough seas. Be sure to fish from long tide through to high tide, after high tide the fishing really does die off.

 

5) Worthing Pier - Ive added Worthing Pier after hearing about the recent catches in competitions, there has been lots of garfish caught on floats along with flounders, sole and plaice to red rag, king rag and white rag. What has interested me most is the catches of dogfish, plenty being caught after dark on peeler crab. Another thing is that there have been plenty of smoothounds popping up along the south coast and its only a matter of time before some big ones are caught from the pier, and in years gone by competitons have been won with over 100lb of smoothounds during early summer, so get down and give it a go.

 

I must apologise for the lateness of my "5 to fish", i have been very busy of late but please if you want to know anymore information about any venues featured or you want to organise a fishing trip with myself and craig then dont be afraid to email me at Glenn260783@aol.com. Tight lines!

 

Glenn (aka CompAngler83)

1. Southease- get down to the river ouse and do a spot of fishing at Southease. Southease is situated between Lewes and Newhaven on the river ouse and in April the flounders and mullet will be well settled up river. Theres a few important things to remember when fishing at Southease. 1. you need a digging fork- to dig red rag as no other bait (except crab) will catch you fish. 2. and this is IMPORTANT, there are signs near the bridge saying bait digging is prohibited so make sure you try to keep your fork semi concealed and walk away from the bridge some distance (preferably round the first bend) before you bait dig. 3. you need to make sure the tide is right to fish at Southease. The best times to fish are an hour after high tide down to an hour after low tide, because the tide will run too hard and it seems to scare off the fish. The high tide at Southease is around 2-3 hours after the high tide on a normal tide chart. Try to use light gear, a 2 to 4oz lead will suffice, you will also need a small rod rest. Best rigs are 2 hook paternosters, with size 4 or 6 hooks with red rag. You can also use a float slid down the line with brightly coloured beads to catch mullet and you will also catch on small spinners or lures. In April you will catch mullet, flounders, eels, bass and possibly sea trout although i suggest if you do catch a sea trout to return it.

If you have any questions on how to get there, or what gear to take etc, email me on Glenn260783@aol.com or craigide@hotmail.co.uk and we will give you pointers or possible meet you there for a good fishing session.

 

2. Goring- Although it is a bit of a hit and miss venue, i'd suggest taking a trip to Goring in April. Now that the peeler crabs are back on our shores the eels, flounders and Bass will be waiting. Get down to Goring at low tide and have a walk around in the rock pools turning over rocks and sliding your hands through the mud as you will find some big juicy peelers just waiting to be mounted on your hook, you can also dig some fresh blow lug which will save you money on bait. With the warmer weather kicking in the whiting and pout will eventually disappear, so the best baits will be blow lug, red rag, king rag and peeler crab to target flounders, eels, bass, plaice, rockling and dogfish. Probably best to fish in coloured waters and on the upward tide. You'll need a beachcaster that can cast a 4-6oz lead and generally fish with a 60lb shockleader and 15lb mainline. Give Goring a miss if the sea is really rough as you will catch alot of weed.

 

3. Brighton Marina- This is not usually a place i'd tell people to fish during April but each year the sea seems to get warmer and the summer fish move in earlier and earlier thus meaning you should grab some king rag and mackerel strips and head down to the marina. If the sea continues to stay calm and clear then you will catch mackerel in April, the garfish are already here in small numbers are a good fun to catch on a float. I would suggest fishing deep at around 14-18ft that way you could pick up a garfish, mackerel or even a pollack, they will all take mackerel strips on size 4 hooks. After years of fishing on the marina i can tell you that you will catch more fish down the side than casting out, but if you like to practice your casting arm you will catch plaice and flounders at distance on king rag. Now although its not alot of peoples cup of tea, (purely because there not great to eat) you can have alot of fun catching wrasse down the side, there have already been some big wrasse just under 2lb caught on the marina and these fish are easy to catch and put up a good scrap again you will catch them on king rag although you will catch alot of other unwanted species, like gobies, blennys, bull heads and pouts at the same time.

 

4. Pevensey Bay- Once again Pevensey Bay is on my top 5 list, and this is because it is the most productive beach mark at this stage in the year. During April you will catch flounders, plaice, eels, dabs, sole, rockling and school bass- clipped up rigs should be used to get maximum distance although this is not always essential. Best baits are white rag, red rag and fresh black lug, which can be dug or pumped at low tide. A good source of information to what is being caught can be found at the local tackle shop the 'Anglers Den', it is situated close to the seafront and is run by top anglers that will give you hints about where the fish are being caught. Pevensey generally stays calm during rough periods so you can fish here with a 4-8oz lead again for 50/60lb shockleader and 15-18lb mainline as there arent too many snags.

 

5. Tidemills- Tidemills is the beach situated between the East Pier at newhaven and the Buckle Car Park at Seaford. Is it a pretty shallow area to fish and there are quite frequentually good bass caught along with some good flounders. In April you will catch Rockling, flounders, sole, plaice, bass, mackerel, garfish and even an early season mullet. The best bait here is red rag, although white rag, king rag, peeler crab and mackerel will all catch fish. A simple 3 hook paternoster is the best rig to use and i would suggest varying your casting distance. Tidemills is very well sheltered by the pier at Newhaven and you can get away with using a lightish rod and a 4oz lead.

 

If you have any questions about any of the places mentioned in my "5 to fish" or you need directions or even help getting the right bait then you can email me at Glenn260783@aol.com or craigide@hotmail.co.uk. Also if your a beginner and you want some advice or want to try out one of the destinations then feel free to contact me.

 

Tight lines