Where I fish: Hillhead

My favorite fishing marks - particularly through the summer and early autumn months are at Hillhead. More specifically - Brownwich beach, known to some as 'Hillhead cliffs'. This is the long stretch of shingle beach, backed by orange coloured cliffs and forming a very gently curving bay between the spit at Hillhead and and the point where the Brownwich stream cuts through the cliffs and spills onto the beach.
Access is via parking behind the Meon sea wall. Then hiking west along the beach past the chalets (Shanty town). The sea wall itself is well known for its' quality smoothhound fishing in spring and early summer and can get pretty crowded at these times.
Not being one for crowds I prefer to press on to Brownwich - even at the height of summer, if you walk far enough you can find a quiet spot. At night and in other seasons I've often had the lot to myself !
The gently shelving shingle gives way to miles of seemingly featureless, undulating sand and mud at low water. The spit can be fished at low tide but further along the beach itself, fishable times are from about 3 and a half hours before high water, over high (you tend get a 'stand' here - the effects of tidal flow into and out of Southampton Water - prolongs the apparent time the tide stays in), and 3 hours of the ebb.
I've got to know this beach particularly well over the years - initially because as a teenager (a long time ago now I fear), I lived with my parents in Brownwich Lane - basically a gravel road across farmland from Common Lane, Titchfield, that terminates just before a footpath that leads on to beach. It was easy to walk down and my explorations began from there.

Brownwich has thrown up some nice fish over the years. I would say the only really bad time is around February and early March - which holds true for a lot of the Hampshire coast.
Spring time can see some reasonable flounder catches and school bass, then from late April, May and June, thornback rays and decent smoothhound can feature. From July into late autumn is when I seriously fish for bass - which can be good quality (if not quantity) for the area, my best there so far being 7lb 10oz. Stingrays are there in high summer.

A 6 lb 8 oz bass












August, September and October are worth night fishing for sole.
The end of the year and January can see some decent flounders - again not always in huge numbers but good average sizes.

Where I fish: Gilkicker, Stokes Bay and Browndown

I now live 10 minutes walk from Stokes Bay and although most of my fishing has been done at the Hillhead area I am trying to get to know the bay more intimately. It would be rude not to !
Here's a rough guide to seasons and species as I see it:

Spring: Can see a run of Plaice including quite decent ones – I have had them to over 2lbs 8oz, but in recent times catches have not been brilliant, I suppose due to commercial pressure. As the season advances both spotted and thornback rays can be caught at Gilkicker or Browndown. Flounders can also be caught.

Summer: This is one of those venues that can produce almost anything on its’ day – assuming the magic formula of – right bait + right place + right time + right luck.



A surprise brill of approx 2lb 8oz - Oct 2005

At the east end of the bay is Gilkicker point and at the west is Browndown point. Both have deep water and especially on springs, pretty fierce tides - when weed can be a problem. Both can produce Bass, dogfish, smooth hounds, rays and now and then conger eels (last year the local papers' angling section featured a 30 lb conger caught at Gilkicker – I had an 8lb ‘strap’ last September).
The middle section of the bay has slightly shallower water and less of a tide run and can again produce a few Bass, plaice and sole at marks like the Inshore rescue station, in front the paddling pool and the Alverbank wall.
When the mackerel shoals are around they can turn up anywhere along the bay and sometimes chase whitebait right up to the waters’ edge.



A 4lb bass hits the beach - Sept 2005

Autumn /Winter: Always hopeful of a good run of whiting – last year was quite good from late October. Bass still a possibility to late in the year. Plus usual pout, poor cod and sometimes dabs. Cod are caught from the likes of Gilkicker and Browndown, but, the odds are not high for the individual angler. It is worth sticking it out with a large cocktail bait while fishing for whiting etc. with another rod, as the few that are caught are often of good quality and a big bass is always on the cards. Again flounders can be caught.