For the first time in living memory Eastbourne has enjoyed a spring run of cod. Not the ones 20 miles out on the wrecks but on the inshore marks from 4 to 6 miles out. Harwell Charters self-drive fishing boat has managed to get amongst them despite being out of the water for some time getting updated for coding.
The fish run from 3lbs to 8lbs and are falling to artificial such as Sidewinders and Eddystone evolutions. White and pearl lures have proved very successful along with imitation mackerel and blue backed with white body. Best time is on the ebbing tide and the lures can be worked on the drift using a four foot trace of 25lb fluorocarbon line. Weights of 4oz to 8 oz are all that’s needed.
Nearly all the reef marks have been producing so try the horse, long shoal, sovereign shoal and the head ledge. On Friday morning (13th May ) I was out with Graham Bird and his father Geoff. Despite being on the wrong side of 80 years Geoff ended up with a 6lb cod, a bass and 7 pollack and these all fell to a 3 muppet paternoster with the red and black lures working best. We rigged him up with this as he was losing rather a lot of lures on the bottom but it certainly worked for him. Graham and I landed four more cod to the box plus a few pollack but it was Geoff who had the biggest smile at the end of the day.
A note for anyone thinking of booking the Raider we only used £16 worth of fuel despite dashing around several marks up to 6 miles offshore.
Jim Whippy
Geoff Bird with two of his catch
