Westbay in September, Bass, Mullet, Mackerel and Garfish
This was one of the best days Sea fishing at Westbay, on the old pier before the new work had been carried out. My brother and I caught Bass, Mullet, Mackerel and Garfish on light gear and we had fantastic sport.
Westbay was a popular venue for us when we went on a spur of the moment fishing trip. It was local, there was a good tackle shop for bait and tackle and it was very convenient.
We never had huge fish from the mark but we never blanked and we got a whole range of species including all the above and Ray, Pollock, Plaice and Whiting in season.
Balanced fishing tackle
We mainly fished light, using 10lb main line and spinning rods. On the odd occasion we would use light beach casters (Bass rods 1-3 oz casting weight) but the rigs would be basic,including using floats.
As a side note I remember fishing here once and running out of bait, On my last cast I caught a rig complete with live worms, God was watching us that day!!
Great Sea fishing
The day in question was a hot calm September day. We started float fishing using a small fillet from a sand eel about 4 foot below the float. This technique produced Gar and Mackerel which fought like demons on the balanced tackle. A few small Bass also were caught using this method. But better Bass were taken on small lures flicked out from the spinning rods.
Mullet were swimming out of the harbor and with a little ground baiting they came on the feed and using the same float but small hooks we started to connect with 2 - 3 lb Mullet. Anyone who has caught these fish will know full well how hard they fight, taking line of the reel and making 3 -4 good runs.
As evening fell, small red gill type lures fished from the bottom up, close to the side of the wall produced some 3/4 to 1 1/2 Pollock.
Adapting our fishing
The day was amazing with fish being hooked all the time. The secret was that we were adaptable and changed our technique to suite the changing day. Having a small tackle bag full of light fishing gear allows you to do this and move quickly if needed to where the fish are feeding.
If you enjoyed this post subscribe for free Posted on on September 8th, 2007
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Comments
Comment from roy
Time: September 9, 2007, 2:00 pm
i would like to know if it is still possible to fish from the old harbour piers. the last time i saw west bay was three years ago and they were working on the new slip way. I am wheelchair bound and would like to go sea fishing again. What do you think?
cheers roy
Comment from Fishing Blog
Time: September 10, 2007, 12:01 am
Roy
I have emailed my brother who still lives close to Westbay, to get his opinion on your question. He’s not an email addict like me so it might be a few days until you here from him.
I, and I am sure the readers here would love to hear about the challenges that face you sea angling from a wheelchair and how you get around the challenges it creates.
Kind regards and respect to you
Jamie (fishing-blog.co.uk)
Comment from Karl
Time: September 13, 2007, 9:48 am
Hi Roy , the east pier remains unchanged, but has reduced water depth since the work on the harbour, as the shingle seems to collect here now. Easy access from the harbourside car park. Get there early as youll need a position very near the end to have any water under you !
The west pier has huge boulders placed on its seaward side , I dont think you could fish any of it from a wheelchair. The east pier usually produced the best sport in the autumn . Best months september , october , early november. Try ragworm and frozen sandeel, both available from the local tackle shops. Best time is a big tide around high water when there is some colour in the water. Or evening if you want pollack . Casting not required, except for the ray, just a couple of feet off the wall is fine !
Comment from roy
Time: September 14, 2007, 12:17 pm
hi,
thank you both for your help regarding fishing at the west bay pier. I do have a small mobility scooter which i carry in the back of my car. I will certainly give it a go. I have a rod holder fitted to the steering tiller and a basket to carry bait and such so i think i should be ok.
Regarding fishing from a wheelchair i have not had much luck.
i have been in contact with a boat in weymouth that is supposed to take disabled anglers but although he promised to give me a trip it never materialised so i have given up.
i have had one trip out in a boat and that was from Swansea on a small charter boat named Dominator and i arranged the trip with three fishing friends. We had a good day catching all sorts. we were pleased to release all bass which were just about in size and just keeping 2fish each which were well in size.
The boat skipper was very good and he backed the boat right into the mooring so that i had access through the transom door. He could not take my wheelchair but there was a seat at the stern end which i used all day. bit damp at the end of the day but i was really pleased to get out to sea again.
Just to give you a resume of myself, I got the fishing bug after taking over a rod on holiday with my sons when one of them became bored. I was hooked! i progressed to beach and pier fishing and then to wreck fishing back in the 1970s with the old two fish limit out of Plymouth.i then moved on to small boat fishing owning a icelander fast fishing boat which was very stable but slapped a bit at anchor. i went up north to visit the warrior outfit and i bought a warrior 150 which was easy to tow and launch from beaches. i think this was a great fishing boat and was ideal for two people.
Unfortunately after a routine operation i became paralysed from the wast down to the right side of my body.
The boats gone now and my shoguns gone.
Im still clinging on and even though im nearing 69 the bug is still in me.
tight lines
Roy
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