The Bexhill Fisherman Showed Me Why I Was Missing Fish (Smooth Hound Caught)

I was getting bites every cast… but nothing was hooking up. So I headed down to Bexhill to fish with the Bexhill fisherman to figure out what was actually going wrong. This session had everything — constant bites, chaos on the rods, and plenty of frustration. I’ve been chasing my first ray for months now, and instead of getting closer, it felt like I was getting everything wrong. Fishing alongside someone who clearly knows what they’re doing made one thing obvious… it’s not always about more bites — it’s about what you do with them. From “disco” tip lights going mad, to learning how to bait peeler crab properly and switching rigs throughout the session, there was loads going on. While the smoothhounds were showing for David, I was dealing with missed chances, tangles, and trying to work out where I’m going wrong. Not the result I wanted… but probably the session I needed. If you’ve ever had one of those nights where you’re getting loads of bites but just can’t hook into fish — you’ll know exactly how this feels. What’s the one thing that helped you stop missing bites? Drop it in the comments — I’d genuinely like to know. --- 🎣 GEAR I USE (Affiliate Links): 👉 🔗 https://amzn.to/3PaVbGm --- 📍 Location: Bexhill, East Sussex 🎣 Target Species: Ray, Smoothhound, Dogfish 🪱 Bait & Rigs: Peeler Crab, Bluey, Dongle Rig, Pulley Panel Rig --- ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 Chaos Starts (Disco Rods & Bites Everywhere) 00:20 The Problem (Missing Bites & Struggling) 00:45 Meeting The Bexhill Fisherman 01:30 Setting Up (Rigs & Bait Choices) 03:30 First Fish & Early Signs 05:30 Constant Bites, No Hook-Ups 07:00 Smoothhound Caught 08:30 Learning Peeler Crab Setup 11:00 Instant Bites & Missed Chances 13:00 Changing Tactics (Dongle vs Pulley) 14:30 Peak Tide Pressure 15:30 Big Hits & Tangles 16:30 Final Attempts 17:30 Session Wrap Up --- #UKFishing #SeaFishing #Bexhill #Smoothhound #BeachFishing