SEA FISHING 

 the usual " coarse " fishing. At Hastings, there is summer bass fishing 

 from the beach, with herring or mackerel bait, and from the piers and 

 harbour works anglers catch conger, whiting and flatfish. There is also 

 good " coarse " fishing, baiting with herring, lugworm or mussel, off 

 both Fairlight and Bopeep. At Eastbourne, on the rough ground off Beachy 

 Head, bass are caught by railing with rubber baits and flies, and conger 

 at night, baiting with squid. Bass are caught at Newhaven from the break- 

 water, the bait being a live prawn, and at Brighton from the beach or 

 the piers, with squid or herring bait. Bream fishing has a great vogue 

 on the outer grounds at Brighton, baiting with herring or mackerel, 

 and there is good " coarse " fishing nearer the land. At Shoreham, bass 

 are caught in the harbour, with live sand-eel, and at Worthing these 

 fish are taken off the parade, with a wrasse for bait. The harbour works 

 at Littlehampton give both bass (with green crab bait) and grey mullet 

 (with ragworm), and the bass are fished for in the Arun as far up as 

 Arundel, baiting with a live roach. Selsey is one of the best spots on the 

 coast for beach fishing, and a live prawn is the favourite bait for bass 

 and pollack. Chichester Harbour used to have a great reputation for bass 

 and grey mullet, but, like other spots once famous, it has fallen away of 

 late years. 



THE SOLENT TO PLYMOUTH SOUND. Some of the best bass fishing 

 on the coast is to be had in this district, notably almost anywhere between 

 Weymouth and Brixham. Grey mullet are caught at Southampton, Wey- 

 mouth and Plymouth; large tope off Christchurch; and there is fair autumn 

 and winter fishing, with abundance of large mackerel, all along the south 

 Devon coast. The Isle of Wight has been much spoilt from the angler's 

 standpoint, and notably on the north side, by the great increase of traffic 

 in the Solent, so that the once famous bass fishing round the Spithead 

 forts is old history. Bass are still, however, caught at Ventnor, by railing 

 with artificial baits over the rough ground opposite St Catherine's Light- 

 house, and grey mullet are taken from the pier, baiting with bread paste 

 or ragworms. The bass caught from the slip at Cowes are very small, 

 and small bass, as well as grey mullet, are taken in the docks at South- 

 ampton. Passing over the tope fishing off Christchurch Harbour, and 

 the very moderate sport nowadays obtainable at Bournemouth, we next 

 find bass at Poole, where they are caught from Hamworthy Bridge on 

 summer nights, baiting with live shrimps. At Lulworth there is fair 

 pollack fishing, railing close inshore with rubber baits, and Weymouth 



395 



