Fishing Report: 23rd December 08 - Clacton on sea, Essex

I'd had a previous trip to the Gunfleet on the 12th December but to be quite honest it was such a waste of time due to rough weather caused by an onshore gale, that I hadn't bothered to post a report. However, after this last disaster of a session the fishing could hardly be any worse and I decided to have a last go after the Codling at my favourite spot tucked right in by the slipway before I turn my attentions towards the Flounders that will hopefully be gathering to feed in the local estuaries over the next couple of weeks.

It wasn't a particularly good tide with the high at about 9pm and so I decided to fish over the top, hoping to make the most of whatever run there would be to hopefully pick up a hungry Codling or two. I arrived at about 7pm to find my favourite spot vacant and a flat sea and had a large Black Lug and Squid bait out and fishing within 15 minutes of my arrival. Although there was some light drizzle as forecast by the weathermen it was hardly enough to wet the ground (certainly not enough to dampen my enthusiasm) and the mild night made it feel more like a mid-September session rather than one in December; not surprisingly having kitted myself out with full winter gear I had to lose the jacket fairly soon after I arrived.

I had hoped to pick up one or two fish on the flood but by high tide the fishing had been a complete let down with baits coming back untouched and not a single bite to my credit. The turn of the tide signalled a change however and as the run of tide strengthened about an hour after the top the Codling came on the feed, albeit that the bites were a lot more timid than usual and not the standard steamroller affairs that we associate with the species. Having had a steady rattle of a bite indicating a small Whiting on the end of the line I tightened into the first Codling of the night which measured in at about 48cm and this first fish was followed by a further two Codling over the course of the next hour, both of them also sizable although the last (which was just on the limit) was returned. Over the next couple of hours I was kept entertained by tiddler bites, hoping each one would develop into something more exciting but it was not to be and the only other fish of the night were the 3 or 4 Whiting that managed to take the 4/0 hook intended for much bigger gobs.

By 12:30am the water was disappearing fast as is normal on the mid-evening neap tides and with no run in the water and things to do the next day I decided it was time to call it quits and head for home, finishing the night very contented with two sizable Codling and a reasonable Whiting for my efforts.

Fishing Report: 6th December 2008 - Bateman's Tower, Brightlingsea

I didn't really have the time to spare for a proper session this weekend but on the spur of the moment decided to have a few hours on Bateman's Tower once it got dark. Given that it was a neap tide (which traditionally have not given me good results in the river at this time of the year) and there was likely to be an awful lot of freshwater in the river, courtesy of all the rain we have had lately I wasn't expecting to catch too much and ultimately my hunch was right.

Things were much as I expected. I fished two rods reasonably hard for about 3 hours (1 hour of the flood, about 2 of the ebb) with Frozen Blacks, Squid and Ragworm and struggled for a bite in stark contrast to more recent results at Clacton. Despite the lack of action I stuck at it and eventually, about an hour on the ebb managed to take two fish in quick succession to save my pride, 1 small Whiting about 2 inches long and an equally small Flounder of about 4 inches. Despite having already replaced the camera that died on me during my previous session I was feeling the cold to the point that I really couldn't be bothered to take photos of my minuscule specimens and by 9pm, quite frankly, I'd had enough and headed home to warm up.

On the plus side the session did give me the chance to try out an old 1990 Black ABU 6500CT Ultracast that I have recently added a mag brake upgrade to. Its an old favourite that I've hardly used of late simply because I've got used to the ease of use of my Mag Elites which give you the opportunity to adjust the braking to suit the conditions, something that centrifugal brakes don't offer unless you fancy taking the reel apart on the beach. The reel behaved impeccably and the single magnet of the upgrade and two small centrifugal blocks gave me just the right amount of flexibility I needed. Despite having cold hands I had absolutely no problems casting it all night and if the reel is usable in the cold and the wet then I'm unlikely to have problems with it in the warmer weather.

As a footnote to this post, a few pals fished a match held at Brightlingsea (in freezing fog!) the following night. Results were similar to mine with only small stuff coming out and I wouldn't really expect this to change until better tides appear with the freshwater out of the river. If anybody is intending fishing this side of the river over the next week or two I'd suggest targeting the Flatties which should be just starting to gather up now for their pre-spawning feed up - they are probably going to be the only thing of any consequence feeding in the current levels of freshwater with the best bait for them being a good sized bunch of Maddies. Fish in the daylight to target the bigger fish.

Fishing Report: 22nd November 08 - Clacton on sea, Essex

Initially this weekend I hadn't planned to fish but I'd been working my butt off on the online store and really needed a break. The strong winds had dropped off steadily during the day but were likely to have left a good bit of colour in the water which I reckoned would bring the Codling on the feed and so, although the weather front had turned round to come in from the north (bringing with it a sudden drop in the temperature) I decided on a spur of the moment trip to try a few hours at the Gunfleet Sailing Club yet again in the hope of adding a few more Codling to my tally.

I arrived at about 6pm with the tide almost finished with the flood expecting to see the seafront scattered with angler's lights but to my surprise things were relatively quiet (perhaps because of the weather forecaster's promise of snow) and yet again I managed to get into my favourite little corner, right by the Sailing Club slipway as I have done on so many winter sessions in the past. Further up the promenade there were other angler's lights but for some unknown reason the Gunfleet stretch was very quiet and so it was that I set up my single rod and flung my first Cod bait out over the large swells that were pushing into my little corner of the seafront and sat back to enjoy the solitude that as little as a decade ago would have been impossible on a winter Cod session.

The last hour of the flood was very uneventful and at the top of the tide I had only two average sized Whiting to show for my efforts with the large baits of Frozen Black and Squid. I took the opportunity for a break in concentrating on the rod for a drink and a bite to eat over the slack period at the top of the tide and then, as I watched a shooting star (or more likely a bit of space rubbish re-entering the atmosphere) flash down to the horizon a decent rattle on the rod followed by a slack line signalled that the ebb tide had started and that the Codling were, at last, on the feed. Although sizable the 42cm Codling that resulted from the take didn't take long to get in and a minute or so later I slid it up the slipway on a convenient swell and it was mine; a nice fit little Codling with an unusually pale colouration was destined for the frying pan.

Things then went quiet for a little while and apart from the odd bite which I presume were probably small Whiting the rod didn't move. As the tide started to fall away I began to think that was going to be it for the night then two Whiting turned up in quick succession, followed a couple of casts later by another Codling, just undersized. Half a dozen casts after the Codling I lifted the rod into what I thought would be another Whiting and was surprised to find myself attached to something that was tugging back and a couple of minutes later was pleasantly surprised to see the best fish of the night slide up the beach, a very clean, plump Codling of 55cm which had obviously just taken the bait and sat there in the now weakening current. It makes you wonder how many Codling we miss simply because we expect a furious bite from them every time.

I had another cast after I had sorted the Codling out but by now I was beginning to feel the cold a bit. I hadn't expected it to be quite as cold as it was and so hadn't put my thermals on under the waterproofs; now I was beginning to suffer for it! As usual towards the end of a session I got the digital camera out to take a quick few pictures of the fish and it soon became evident that the camera was feeling the cold as well; I managed four frames and then the screen went black (which turned out to be the CCD dying) and with that final bit of encouragement I decided it was time to pack up and head for home.

Fishing Report: 14th November 08 - Clacton on sea, Essex

After having a decent session last weekend at the Gunfleet Sailing Club at Clacton over the ebb I thought I would try the same spot again, but this time on the flood. The weather was reasonably calm and with the south westerly wind it was really mild for the time of the year. Although I generally prefer to fish this spot when its rough we'd had some high winds during the week and there was plenty of colour in the water and, along with a reasonable tide, I thought there was no reason why it would not produce some decent fishing again.

I arrived at about 7pm to a deserted beach, set up in my favourite spot with a single rod and Frozen Blacks and Cuttlefish as bait and then sat back to wait for the action to start. Although the water was still quite shallow there is a definite area of deeper water at this spot and it seems to act to hold fish at low tide. The Whiting were on the baits from the minute the first cast hit the water and the first cast resulted in an average sized Whiting with things continuing along the same lines for the next couple of hours, sometimes with the fish just hanging themselves without any indication whatsoever. A decent bite finally signalled a change in the shape of my first Codling of the night, a nice clean little fish just short of the line at about 33cm and then, for a while, it all went very quiet and even the Whiting seemed to disappear.

A chat with a WSF forum member (who was having a bike ride along the front) broke the monotony of the quiet spell in the fishing for a time and then, just as the Whiting started on the baits again, I was joined by two of the drunkest anglers I think I have ever seen, who decided to fish on the raised point by the Sailing Club much to my annoyance. It has to be said that I am not the most sociable angler known and the two of them made me feel a bit uneasy for a while but they eventually came across for a quick chat and seemed pleasant enough, despite being pretty much pickled and so I settled down and got back to concentrating on the fishing. After a short lull in the action the Codling turned up about two hours before the top of the 12:30 tide and a "steam train" bite signalled the first of what was to be a quick run of Codling which left me with three sizable fish on the beach, the biggest going about 1.75lbs.

I fished on till about an hour after the top of the tide but the fishing died, as it normally does, over the top of the tide and the only other takers on the short bit of the ebb tide I fished were a steady stream of Whiting with the final fish of the night turning out to be a very respectable specimen. I headed for home at about 1:45am reasonably happy and with fresh Codling in my bucket despite the added annoyance of a flat battery on my camera, hence the lower quality than usual phone camera picture of the Codling for this post.

On a final note large shoals of Sprats and herrings are being reported close inshore now so its likely that the fishing bubble may burst over the next few weeks unless we have some rough weather to break up the bait fish shoals.

Fishing Report: 07th November 08 - Clacton on sea, Essex

Although the Codling have been around for a number of weeks now it's only just lately that its actually felt much like the autumn really. The last of the trees are starting to lose their leaves and the changing of the clocks along with the drawing in of the nights have finally got me programmed in to giving up on the chance of Bass and succumbing totally to thoughts of chasing Codling from a windswept shore. It's true enough that it doesn't need to be rough to catch Codling but to me when I dream of Cod, I dream of big surf, strong winds and water with lots of colour in it and its that kind of weather that has generally brought with it better sport for me.

With reports of the fishing finally hotting up and a good weather forecast with a stiff onshore breeze on the cards I had been itching to get on the beach all week for a proper session after the Codling and after much deliberation I decided to try my luck at Clacton's Gunfleet Sailing Club. After skipping work early and quickly getting my gear together I arrived at the mark a little later than planned but just in time to fish the last hour of the flood on the 7pm tide and a few hours of the ebb at my favoured spot here, right by the Sailing Club slipway. Here both the Sailing Club's slip and the nearby land drain pipe way disrupt the tide, providing a patch of shore with slightly deeper water and with some rough ground which seems to attract the Codling and bring them in closer than other parts of the beach. It is however a difficult spot to fish and accurate casting is a necessity here if you want to avoid heavy tackle losses.

By the time I had got fishing the flood tide had eased and it was no surprise really that only a couple of average sized Whiting and a Pouting of about 12oz came to the rods. However, once the ebb started to move though it all changed and, pretty much as I expected, about 40 minutes into the ebb the Codling started to play, although they were being a bit finicky hitting the Frozen Black baits and then dropping them almost immediately. I missed about 3 or 4 of these finicky takes before finally I connected with a fish that had slack-lined the TT Sport and after it had tugged a bit in the surf I finally had a sizable Codling of about 45cm on the promenade.

The fish continued to play awkward for the rest of the ebb but despite this, by the time the water had dropped enough to allow me to get down off the promenade and onto the beach I had three sizable Codling in the bag and had lost another in the backwash on the concrete slipway. By now most of the other anglers on this stretch (most of whom were already fishing when I arrived) had disappeared but I stuck at it for another hour as past sessions at this mark have shown that a bonus fish or two can be had by fishing at range, late in the tide. My persistence paid off and by the time I packed up at around 10:30pm, having run out of bait, I had managed another couple of Whiting, A Pouting roughly the same size as the first, a Rockling and the best Codling of the night, which took a large bait of frozen Black Lugworm fished right by the end of the land drain pipe. All in all a thoroughly enjoyable few hours at a mark that has been a favourite of mine for 20 years or more and rarely disappoints when the Codling are around in force.

On a final note I should add a word of caution for anybody intending to fish this spot. During easterly and northerly blows this spot is an exceptionally safe mark to fish and offers good shelter from the wind, although you should watch out for sudden swells if you are casting or landing fish off the concrete slipway. The mark can however become very dangerous during southerly gales, particularly those from the south west, as the waves are forced by the wind into the corner of the promenade and up the slipway often washing along the promenade at some force. The recent addition of metal railings along this stretch have improved safety in rough weather (despite being a pain in the bum for casting) but in very heavy southerly winds you should stay off the slipway itself.

Fishing Report: 25th October 08 - St Osyth, Essex

I'd had such a busy night on my last session at St Osyth I was itching to get back at the place and see if the whispers of a few bigger Codling showing were for real. If I'm being honest I really had too much to do at home but there are times when you just have to satisfy the need for a few hours on the beach and so in the end I decided on the compromise of one rod and a short session amongst the rock groynes just over the wall from the car park.

I arrived at about 7pm and was surprised to find that I wasn't the only angler with the same plan and that my favourite spot was already taken so in the end, after a short walk towards the Martello Tower, I had to settle for the last available bay where I quickly got myself sorted behind the brolly and got a 150 gram DVice, loaded with two good sized baits, out in search of some fish. In sharp contrast to my previous session here, the weather was definitely a bit more like Cod fishing weather and I was glad of the shelter of the brolly to escape what could best be described as "a bit of a blow"!

It was pretty obvious from the start that the recent rough weather had broken up the Whiting shoals that had been here previously so it was never going to be a repeat of my last session, where Whiting were on the baits as they settled on the bottom, but I consoled myself that the lack of Whiting and the rough water might provide a better chance of Codling and stuck to it, chucking out decent sized Black Lugworm baits as far as I could manage into the wind every twenty minutes or so.

The flood was uneventful except for one missed slack-line bite (it always happens when you pour a coffee!) and a couple of smallish Whiting, but I soldiered on in the now strengthening wind, and as soon as the tide turned at about 10:30pm a bit of current appeared and at last I started to get a few bites. A couple of sizable Whiting showed up and eventually a good bite about an hour on the ebb finally produced the sizable Codling I'd come looking for, which came in with a pair of reasonable Whiting attached as well, one hooked on the top trace and the other connected to the top hook of the same Pennel trace as the Codling.

By now I'd had enough of being sandblasted and after a couple more unsuccessful casts in the hope of turning my solitary Codling into a brace I finally decided discretion was the better part of valour and headed back past the now pretty much empty beach towards the car park to meet my lift home, with a final tally of six Whiting (four sizable) and one Codling of about 45cm.

Fishing Report: 11th October 08 - St Osyth, Essex

I've spent a lot of time fishing on my own this year so it was quite a welcome change to join a couple of friends for a reunion trek up towards the Bird Reserve end of Hutley's Beach at St Osyth. I met Stuart and Paul (aka Stuartdv and Bread in fishing forum world) at Hutley's car park at about 6pm on Saturday night and after a brief chat and gathering together of the gear we headed up towards the bird reserve end of the beach on what turned out to be an absolutely cracking night both in terms of the fishing and the weather.

We were set up in time to enjoy what is probably the best sunset I've seen all year and, as usual at this spot, got the baits out and waited for the light to fade in hope that the fish would show us the usual courtesy of "switching on" as it got dark. We didn't have too long to wait and the first few small fish started to show up as the sun dropped, the odd Whiting, a couple of undersized Bass, a Pouting and then, as darkness fell, the Whiting arrived in force and what was to be a busy night started in earnest.

Throughout the flood tide the Whiting were on the baits almost as soon as they hit the water with regular doubles coming out (and a good few trebles to Stu and Paul) and at one point I was even getting double shots in on a Pennel rig fished with a DVice. As well as the Whiting there was the occasional undersize Bass and Pouting putting in an appearance just to make life a little more interesting and, as the tide neared the high mark with the resultant increase in the current the small Codling decided it was their turn. Ultimately that was what we had come for but although they did tug noticably better than the Whiting the bulk were too small and by about midnight (when we decided we were too knackered to fish any more) the only taker Codling had come to Paul, a fish of about 45cm, which he kindly donated to me.

The general size of the Whiting seemed to be a bit bigger than of late and my tally by the end of the night was 2 Codling (approximately 32 and 34 cm), about 20 Whiting and 2 small Bass. To be honest it was a struggle keeping tabs on my own tally so I really couldn't say what Paul and Stuart’s totals were for the night but I would lay money that they both did at least as well as me and Stuart seemed to be scoring regular treble shots in true matchman style. The fish may not be particularly large at the moment but I'm loath to complain as they are at least plentiful and it was a thoroughly enjoyable night of non-stop bites spent with very good company; there's not that many times over the year that you get a night where you don't get time to eat a sandwich.

Fishing Report: 26th September 08 - St Osyth, Essex

I was finally getting my new online tackle store near completion and it had been a long slog. Most of the summer had been lost either to working on the store, family stuff or to the weather, which this summer has been completely naff and I was keen not to totally lose the autumn season. I'd been contemplating fishing the flood tide at St Osyth all week and after a report from pal Stuart of sizable Codling being caught during a weekday match I decided to give it a go amongst the rock groins on what was a really pleasant late September evening.

I was on the beach and set up with two rods by 7pm, surprised that despite the reports of Codling, the only company I had was two other anglers fishing in the next bay along and a coughing cat that was scavenging along the beach. As is usual for me at this time of year, although my target was Codling, I still had not completely given up the hope of a late Bass so with one rod sent out with frozen Blacks (for the Codling) I set up the second to fish for Bass with some very generous Ragworm baits which I hoped would attract something a bit more glamorous than the expected Whiting.

Things were slow to start but as usual, after an absolutely fantastic sunset, darkness set in the fish switched on and things began to liven up; though not with the Bass it has to be said. From that point on the Ragworm rod didn't stop all night and it was "a bite a chuck" with the Whiting, although because of my optimistic habit of using decent size hooks there were a lot I didn't hook. Not that it was a problem. To be quite honest I see no point in destroying the mini Whiting population and I'd much rather lose a few tiddlers, hook the slightly better ones and have a decent size hook on to cope for that fish of a lifetime when it appears.

About 3 hours before the top of the 11:30pm tide I finally had a break from the Whiting in the shape of a Codling of about 1.5lbs, which took the Ragworm rather than the Black Lugworm I had laid on specially for him and I was hopeful that more might show as the tide increased but that was it on the Codling front for the night. Despite the lack of further Codling it certainly wasn't quiet and the action continued with the Whiting for the rest of the night.

By the time I packed up at about 11pm I was knackered. The end result for a very pleasant evenings fishing was a nice round figure of 20 Whiting (most of which were sizable) and the solitary Codling, with all but a couple of the Whiting being taken on Ragworm. As I packed up I was relieved that I hadn't pushed up to the Bird Reserve end of the beach for a change as although I enjoy the solitude of being up there at night, I really wasn't up for the long walk back. No such problems amongst the groins though and a 50 yard trot with my gear saw me being picked up at the car park and on my way home with half a dozen Whiting and a Codling for the family pot. Time to stock up on chips, my Cod season has started!

Fishing Report: 13th September 08 - Bateman's Tower, Brightlingsea

Although I hadn't originally planned to go fishing again this weekend last night was one of those beautifully mild, calm evenings that I just can't resist at this time of the year. As a young lad, myself and the gang of friends I fished with would eagerly await the first run of Whiting in the river and to us (in our early teens) there was no greater adventure than to be allowed to fish a night tide on our own down the Tower. Perhaps its those childhood memories that make me a fan of the Whiting or perhaps its because they are so obliging; I don't know but I am definitely a fan of what I think is a very underrated fish.

When the Whiting are in the river (and they most certainly are at the moment) this weather gets them shoaling up tight to chase the local Brown Shrimps and some really good catches can be had. Life is also made that bit easier, so far as Whiting are concerned, because Mackerel strip is the number one bait when they have just arrived and so a couple of quids worth of fish from the Tesco fish counter will often provide for a good nights fishing without the major expense or hassle of getting a supply of fresh worm.

I arrived at the Tower at about 10pm to fish the midnight(ish) tide and had my two rods set up within about fifteen minutes; one rod to fish Ragworm out in the tide in the hope of an autumn Bass and the other, the Whiting rod, sporting a clipped-down three hook paternoster baited with Mackerel. The general idea with the three-hook rig is that it allows you to fish at a variety of distances so you can experiment to find the fish, though to be honest when the Whiting are hungry and about in good numbers you will get them whatever.

The flood tide started off very slow with not a single fish, maybe due to the Seal that put in an appearance, but on the turn of the tide the Whiting appeared in force and it was pretty much a bite a chuck on both rods, which on a couple of occasions led to a treble-shot of Whiting on the three-hook rig. The rod fished at range with large Ragworm baits didn't fare quite so well and Bass were definitely not on the menu on this occasion. I have no doubt that the Bass were there but to be honest on a night like that they just won't be able to get to the bait because of the Whiting which are quite partial to a large King Ragworm, though really catching Whiting from range is just making things hard work for yourself; why bother when there are loads of them 40 yards out?

A very pleasant nights fishing ended at about 2am when I ran out of bait just as the water was starting to get too low to fish because of the wooden breakwater in front of the Tower. I hadn't managed any Bass on the long-range rod but total for the night was nineteen Whiting, with the bulk of the fish probably between 6 - 10 oz, pretty much the average size for the Colne and I was more than happy with that. A lot of anglers knock the Whiting and turn their nose up at them but to me they are a very welcome, easy to catch fish that signal the change of the seasons and set you up for the rest of the winter.

Fishing Report: 11th September 08 - St Osyth, Essex

After a reasonably enjoyable night at Brightlingsea the previous night I decided to take a hike to a favourite spot up towards the Bird Reserve at St Osyth. Although there was a fairly stiff south westerly breeze the weather wasn't cold, though I did take my brolly (a fairly serious decision given the extra weight this involves and the distance this spot is from the car) just in case the light showers forecast by the weatherman turned into something more serious. With high tide at about 10:20pm and a neap tide I wasn't expecting a record-breaking catch but was hoping, if nothing else, that there would be a few Whiting around.

After the long walk to the spot I was sorted and fishing with my two rods by 7pm; one rod fished at range with large Ragworm baits and the other fished at long and short range alternatively with two hooks, one baited with Ragworm the other with frozen Black Lugworm. As usual things were slow to start but about half an hour after the absolutely amazing sunset the beach started to live up to its reputation for switching on at night and I reeled in the first fish, a Whiting of about 10oz which fell to a large Ragworm bait fished at range. From that point on the bites came fairly steadily throughout the tide particularly to the Ragworm, though as I was fishing larger baits in the hope of an autumn Bass I missed a great deal of them. Its most likely, given this spot's past performance, that a great deal of the bites were from Whiting and had I fished accordingly with a three hook rig baited with Mackerel strip I could have had a good haul of them but to be quite frank they are still a bit thin and in any case what I really wanted was a Bass.

By the top of the tide I'd been kept busy with a slow but steady stream of fish. The first Whiting had been joined by three others as well as a Codling just 2cm below the minimum size and I had at least managed one Bass, although at about 20cm long it was a lot smaller than I really wanted. As things quietened down over the top of the tide I took the opportunity to have a drink and eat my grub and then just as the tide started ebb the fish started again and I set to work to attempt to land a few more fairly quickly as I had to leave at 11:30pm. By 11pm I was wondering if my hooks had gone blunt as I hadn't managed another fish but a classic slack-line bite (which I was expecting to be a much better fish) saw the twin of the earlier Codling coming up the beach. I returned the Codling, which swam off strongly, and mindful of the long walk back decided to call it a night, reeling in the second rod to find another two Whiting of about 8 to 10oz hanging on it.

As usual the walk back to Hutley's car park seemed about twice the distance of the walk there, not helped by the added weight of the brolly. Overall not a bad night, though only the Whiting were really sizable and then I kept only two fish (because they had been deep-hooked and it seems a complete waste to throw back dead fish) as at this time of the year they are definitely a bit thin and not in their peak. Hopefully as the autumn progresses the Whiting will fatten up on the local shrimps and some better Codling will appear, particularly as there have been so many small ones around over the last couple of years.

Fishing Report: 10th September 08 - Bateman's Tower, Brightlingsea

Apart from a couple of (very) short and unproductive spinning sessions the latter part of my summer has passed by all too quickly. As is so often the case, even amongst the keenest of us, other factors in life take over and fishing reluctantly has to take a back seat. I had been toying with the idea of starting up an online business for some time and finally decided to bite the bullet and go for it; just as I was starting my mother fell ill and died shortly after and that was effectively the end of my fishing this summer to all intents and purposes!

By the beginning of last week I had finally got on top of things and was itching to fish the big tides on the Colne(a favourite time for Bass) but ended up giving it a miss due to crap weather and the amount of rain that had fallen which was no doubt going to mess up the fishing. But with the tides fast coming round to mid-evening and a good southerly blow to liven up the fishing I could resist no more and so I headed to the Tower tonight, bucket loaded with some freshly dug King Ragworm, in order to get my long awaited fix.

I started fishing at about 7:30pm with a single rod and as it was a neap tide put my two large Ragworm baits out as far as I could in an attempt to find as much flow of water as possible and hopefully a nice early autumn Bass. Things were very quiet until just after the top of the 9:20pm high tide but then as the ebb started to flow I began to get the occasional bite, probably from small stuff, which needless to say didn't connect to the 3/0 hooks I was using. An hour later and a missed bite resulted in a well-slimed and tangled rig but it was not until the last hour of the session that I finally connected to a bite, not the small Bass I had expected to see but a sizable Whiting (already!) and actually not a bad sized one for the river at that. While the Whiting wasn't really what I had come for, after so long away from the beach I was glad to see anything, particularly anything sizable and so I fished on a little longer in the hope of catching more and, in the back of my mind, still hoping for a Bass.

By 11pm I had seen very little else in the way of bites although I had managed to retrieve a lost rig. As the water was disappearing fast and the current hardly running I decided enough was enough for one night and that it was time to head for home but as I was just about to pick up the rod to reel in the tip hit round and the line went slack. It took a few seconds to make contact with the fish and although I knew it was no monster I was sure that the fish on the end was no Whiting; after a quick tussle I was proved right and swung a sizable Bass over the railings of the Tower. At around 40cm the Bass wasn't going to be breaking any records but was a pleasant end to the night and was at least some consolation for the summer I missed: as if I needed a bonus, there was also another sizable Whiting on the trace!

Fishing Report: 4th July 08 - Sandgate Beach, Kent

I had been trying to get down to Sandgate for a session with the Mackerel feathers for some time and at last the plan came together, although it had a somewhat protracted format in that we would make a detour on our way to pick up a friend of my wife's from Ramsgate and then head for the south Kent coast. Even with the detour the clear roads and fairly light traffic (by motorway standards) meant that we were at Sandgate by noon but again, it seems, the Mackerel curse struck again.

Although the water down there is generally much clearer than my local Essex beaches the recent strong winds (which were very evident on the day of our visit) had stirred the water and left it very coloured and I knew as soon as we arrived that the Mackerel were going to be a difficult proposition; I wasn't wrong. Although I worked hard with the feathers all day I had not a sniff of any Mackerel and it was all a bit disheartening really, as normally they surrender quite readily from this beach. There was a good spattering of other anglers along the beach as well, some fishing lures, some feathers and some bottom fishing, but all seemed to fare as well as me fish-wise.

As the tide dropped away towards late afternoon so the wind dropped with it but unfortunately the rough weather had left so much colour in the water the fishing was not going to liven up in time for me and so it was that we headed back to Ramsgate at about 6pm to drop my wife's friend back home without a fish putting in an appearance. On the plus side it was a nice afternoon to be on the beach and we did at least catch a glimpse of the local Dolphin (the locals call him "Dave") about 500 yards off the beach; no doubt that was where the Mackerel were, way beyond my casting range.

The journey home was pretty much problem free except for two lanes through the Dartford tunnel being shut, with a resultant scrummage of cars, bikes and lorrys trying to filter from the tollgates into the remaining two lanes. It was as we were getting involved in this scrummage that I noticed a Fox walking calmly along the pavement beside all the chaos of the traffic, occasionally stopping to sniff around the roadside bushes and seemingly totally oblivious to the melee that was going on at the tunnel. Foxes and cars generally don't go well together but this streetwise old Fox was obviously at home here and was thriving. It was a reminder that nature has a way of sticking two fingers up at you just as you think you've got it sussed, very much like the Sandgate Mackerel had done earlier in the day.

Fishing Report: 1st July 08 - Wet Docks, Ipswich

I had planned a day at Sandgate in Kent but the Mackerel fishing curse struck again, the plans all went to pot and so I settled for a couple of hours on the Wet Dock after the "townie" Mullet. On my last visit I had enjoyed a cracking evening of sport but had lost three out of the five fish I hooked at the net, not least because the landing net I generally use is quite small; this time I brought along a specimen size landing net (a remnant from my Carp fishing days) to make netting a little bit easier. I also tend to "bully" fish a bit and this may well have been a factor in the lost fish so I decided to leave the 3lb Rogue Carp rod behind in favour of my Drennan Spinflex which, being a lot lighter, would mean I would be less likely to rush in a fish before it was ready.

I arrived at the dock at 6pm to find that a large sailing boat was docked right where I intended to fish, however, there was plenty of room so I simply fished a bit further up. Although there were no fish showing on the surface within ten minutes of starting (with my usual 1oz wedge fished as a baited spoon) I had a pair of Mullet follow the lure in, though neither could be persuaded to take the Ragworm on the hook. I continued to be frustrated by the fish for some time. Maybe there was too much disturbance or maybe they just weren't in mood but for whatever reason they would follow the bait in, they would mouth the very end of the worm, they would even nip off the tail of the bait right under my nose but no matter what depth or speed I fished the baited lure, they simply would not take the hook.

An hour later, just as I was thinking I was heading for a blank, a decent fish hit the bait hard about 30 yards out and promptly headed in the opposite direction. The Spinflex bent double and the reel screamed on the fishes initial run and then, as I find most decent fish do on light tackle, begrudgingly the Mullet allowed itself to be guided gently back towards me. Within a couple of minutes or so I had managed to get it about ten yards out from the dock wall but at that point it saw me and then the fireworks really started! It lunged, it rolled, it splashed, it bored down to the bottom and it even leapt clear of the water once or twice but eventually it was in the net and up on the dock. It was at that point I realised I had an audience of about a dozen onlookers, most of them amazed to discover that there were actually fish in the dock. It dragged the scales down to 2lb 14oz and after a few photographs (by the wife) and a very brief question and answer session with the audience it was lowered back into the dock with the landing net and shot off across the dock.

For the next 45 minutes or so things went very quiet on the Mullet front, perhaps because of the commotion of landing the first fish. I did see a shoal of a dozen or so fish pass right beneath me, hugging the side of the dock, but apart from hooking three small Bass I had not a sniff of further action from the fish until I managed to persuade a follower to take the bait at the last minute just under the rod top. This fish was noticeably smaller than the first but it didn't seem to stop it putting up a fight. It chose to fight at close quarters, preferring to go round in circles under the rod tip rolling and thrashing as it went rather than run as such and although less of a spectacle than the fight with the first fish it still wasn't ready for the net for a good few minutes. As with the first fish, I had attracted an audience and again I answered questions as I unhooked, weighed and returned the fish, which tipped the scales to 2lb 4oz exactly.

By now the sun was getting low in the sky and the air temperature was starting to drop, both of which do nothing to improve the Mullet fishing here and so, after a few more casts just for the hell of it, I decided to call it a day. The bigger net had made all the difference as netting the fish was certainly made easier (though not exactly easy) and the lighter Spinflex rod had forced me to play the fish out properly, rather than use the brute force of the Carp rod to get them to the net. Weather and time permitting I will be back to fish the dock very soon and to be honest, if it wasn't such a journey for me to get to, I would most probably fish the place every week; Mullet are one of those fish that never become boring.

Fishing Report: 29th June 08 - River Colne, Essex

Spurred on by my recent good session with Ipswich's "townie" Mullet and with a week off work to play with I decided that it was high time I got back to the river to see if the local Bass were ready to play. With little rainfall of late the freshwater levels seemed to be getting back to normal and I was hankering to get to my favourite upriver Bass marks for a bit of peace and solitude; just me, the river and of course the fish. Rather than fish one of my regular marks I decided to chance a session at a mark I had been eying up for a couple of years now but had never got round to actually trying, hoping that this new mark (much further upriver than I usually fish) would provide better sport than my more usual ones had of late.

The main problem with these upriver marks is the short period you are able to fish (unless you want to be fishing up to your thighs in mud!) which is made even more difficult by the way the tide disappears on the ebb about 3 times faster than it rises; in fact on many upriver marks you are only able in practice to fish for about 2 hours. I was hoping that this new spot would overcome a lot of these problems as it offered fairly firm ground underfoot allowing you to fish much earlier in the tide and is in casting range of the main channel, where hopefully the Bass would be following the first influx of salt water upriver to feed.

With the tide at 9.15 pm I arrived on the mark in bright sunshine and was set up and chucking out my first baits by six, whole squid on one rod and the hot favourite, Ragworm, on the other; both fished out in the deep water of the main channel. For the first hour things were very quiet except for the odd passing yacht and a period of pandemonium amongst the wading birds as a Sparrowhawk shot across the salt marsh, but then the first bite came to the Ragworm and a little schoolie came up the beach. Two more small Bass followed on consecutive casts to Ragworm but just as things were starting to liven up three idiot jet skiers came through close in at a good few more knots than the 8 knot limit, heading upriver. They passed back down the way they'd come a few minutes later even closer in than the first time, typical of the selfish attitude of the people that ride these bloody things and that seemed to put pay to the fishing for a while.

The tide was well and truly on the ebb before the next bite came, again to Ragworm. This time a slightly better Schoolie of about 30cm came up the beach, accompanied by the calling of nearby Owl, which seemed to be having a duet with another one across the other side of the river. Another Bass of about 30cm came out next cast just as the main run of the ebb had started to ease and then all seemed to go quiet on the fishing front.

I fished on for another hour but by now the water was disappearing fast and the crabs were stripping the baits clean in about ten minutes and so at about 11pm I decided to call it a night, but not before putting out one last cast on the Ragworm rod as I packed up the one that had fished whole squid all night (without so much as a nibble). That decision turned out to be a wise one as, just as I was packing up the first rod, I had the best knock of the night to the Ragworm. A very brief scrap in the shallows saw my last and best fish of the night on the bank, a 45cm Bass; my first sizable Colne Bass of the year.

Fishing Report: 25th June 08 - Wet Docks, Ipswich

It had been way too long since I last fished. Late May and early June sessions on the river had not lived up to expectations and the seemingly endless supply of rain had filled the estuary with freshwater, killing off the local Bass fishing for a while. Rather than making life hard for myself with the Wife for little return fish-wise I concentrated my efforts on jobs at home in the hope of earning some brownie points which could be cashed in for sessions when the fishing improved. The recent dryer, settled weather and rumours of Schoolies starting to show in the estuaries finally persuaded me to venture out onto the mud to dig a couple of pound of Ragworm for the bait tanks the previous weekend but as yet hadn't had a chance to drown any of them and with the tides not late enough for me to fish the local marks after work I decided on a spur of the moment visit to the Wet Dock at Ipswich to try for some of the "townie" Mullet with a baited spoon.

I arrived at about 6.30pm to find the dock was very busy with a RN fast patrol craft at the dockside (with visiting Air Cadets) and the Fire Brigade practising their hose drills on the dock so I wasn't expecting to do very well even though the humid, sunny conditions seemed perfect for a session with the spoon. Despite this I set to it eagerly and was pleasantly surprised when the first cast produced a good size follower. Although the fish could not tempted to take the 3 inch Ragworm on the hook, it was sign enough that I might be in with a chance of a fish and I carried on fishing the spoon at various ranges, speeds and depths until fifteen minutes later I was rewarded with the slow steady take of a Mullet (as apposed to the "smash" of a Bass take). After a 5 minute tussle, during which it went in and then out of the landing net about half a dozen times, I had my first fish on the dockside, a nice Thin-Lipped Mullet of 2lb 12oz, though it has to be said that had I not had help with the net from one of the spectators that had gathered to watch the fight I doubt I would have got it in.

As I fished on there were occasional swirls on the surface of the water and numerous followers and it wasn't too long before I had another fish on. A little bigger than the first it put up an absolutely tremendous scrap, finally slipping the hook right by the net just as I thought I had it beaten. One of the firemen that had been practising nearby came over for a chat (perhaps a bit puzzled as to why I was still so cheerful, having just lost a fish) and by now I had attracted a bit of an audience, a mixture of pedestrians, firemen and Air Cadets. As the spectators began to lose interest and filter off I hooked, played and then lost another (slightly smaller) fish, again right by the net and then, as the sun dropped behind the nearby buildings, everything went quiet on the Mullet front and the little Bass that frequent the dock came out to play, hitting the baits on pretty much every retrieve.

For an hour I had the company of a local angler who had stopped off on his way home from work to spin for the Bass and by the time he left at about 9pm I'd had four little Bass and had lost another very big Mullet that had leapt clear of the water as I hooked it and had snapped the hook-length. Just as the light started to fade and thoughts turned to home I hooked the last fish of the night, a smaller Mullet than the first, which again put up a brilliant fight and gave me lots of problems at the net before it finally came in. It nudged the scales to 2lb exactly and was the perfect finish to a brilliant evenings fishing.

The docks may not be the scenic and peaceful surroundings of the deserted upriver marks that I usually like to fish on the Colne in the summer and you won't see a Marsh Harrier soaring on the evening thermals above it, but it's one of those places that is very easy to like, even with the sound of the town centre traffic, police sirens and the comings and goings of the boats in the dock. It's the Mullet that make this venue, plain and simple, and if you like catching fish that put up a fight, then the docks (and the Mullet) won't disappoint!

Fishing Report: 1st June 08 - River Colne, Essex

I had planned a few hours lure fishing the previous evening but as is so often the case family commitments made me late and I'd only managed about an hours plugging amongst rock groins without any success. Despite that I had seen a Bass of about 2lb hitting Sandeel on the surface and that (along with a good weather forecast for the next day) was enough to encourage me to try an early morning session on the Colne.

As promised the rain had held off overnight although it was still quite cloudy when I reached the first spot I wanted to try, the end of the local Sailing Club's slipway, about 5 hours before high tide. The slipway allows you to get right out to the low tide line and fish a narrow gulley, a natural fish gateway, as the water just starts to flood in and I'd hoped to maybe pick up an early Bass or two but after an hour it became clear that it just wasn't going to happen.

There may have been a lack of Bass at this spot, but there was certainly no shortage whatsoever of Mullet and I watched fish after fish, some of them a good size, work their way into the pool then following the tide as it advanced over the mudflats. Had I have had some Ragworm I would have tried a baited spoon but it was sod's law that I hadn't bothered this morning so that was that, the Mullet would have to wait for another day.

Once the tide was high enough I moved to Westmarsh Point (known locally as "Splash Point) which often turns up a Bass or two. You could see the bottom in three feet of water and I set to work with a white Redgill but after an hour with no takes or followers I realised that I was flogging a dead horse here too and set off for the sea defences further upriver, where I spent the rest of the morning till the top of the tide.

The whole foreshore along the rock sea defences was alive with huge shoals of bait fish which could be seen dappling on the flat calm surface and the Terns were having a field day. There was also a Seal and a Cormorant fishing and both of them seemed to be doing well but surprisingly there didn't seem to be any Bass cashing in. I fished various spots till the top of the tide at about 11am and tried Redgills, Plugs and Poppers but all to no avail. The river seem to be deserted Bass-wise, perhaps because of too much fresh water in the river which was evident from the clear scum line through the main channel which is caused by the mixing of large amounts of fresh river water with the incoming tide.

So, yet another lure fishing blank on the Colne. I did however have the opportunity to briefly meet and chat with another Bass fishing hopeful, Andy, who has recently moved to the area and contacted me via this site for some local information. He was heading up onto the salt marsh for some light ledgering, float fishing and some peace and quiet - he ended up with nought just the same as me but did report that there were masses of small fish "bothering" his float fished baits so it seems that the river is full of fish food and the Bass will have plenty to eat when the salinity levels get back to normal. Obviously that assumes that the rain will ever stop!

Fishing Report: 30th May 08 - River Colne, Essex

Plan A

A planned trip to Wales to combine a family holiday with a bit of fishing had gone terribly wrong this week due to car troubles and with the absolutely atrocious weather putting a further mocker on things I was well overdue for my fishing fix. The forecast for the day was the first rain-free one for over a week but the high winds of the week I thought would have left too much colour in the water for lures so I opted for a short early morning session with beachcasting gear and frozen sandeel and peeler as bait.

As it was, it was the wrong decision. Although there had been some reasonable winds during the week, because of the wind direction (mostly northerly) and probably the high amounts of rainwater in the river, the colour had dropped and I realised pretty much as soon as I arrived that I should have tried spinning after all. However, rather than abort I set to making the best of a bad lot and just as I sent the first baits out was surprised to have company in the shape of another guy using up some left-over bait from the previous day on a boat trip. I usually prefer to have the river to myself but on this occasion I was glad of the company as it turned out to be a very quiet session fish-wise.

Despite bashing away at it till high tide I managed not even a bite but there were small Bass everywhere forcing shrimps and bait-fish out of the water in front of me. The local Terns were also very busy fishing along the shoreline so quite obviously the bait-fish were up in the water, closely followed by the Bass. In the end I called time at the top of the tide and left the other guy (who up till then had only a missed bite for his troubles) to it, handing him my remaining three frozen sandeel as I went.

Plan B

Not put off by the poor result of the morning session, after a few hours kip and something to eat I was back again with the lures for the early flood of the evening 8:30pm tide. The rain had held off and we had even seen the sunshine a few times during the day but the breeze had got up a bit so I wasn't surprised to see a little more colour in the water than during my earlier session. The local promenade was way too busy and so I worked my way up the river, stopping here and there and trying various lures in the hope of some Bass but it was slow progress. Eventually I ended up on the salt-marsh with not a sniff of any action and then after a brief rest retraced my steps in the hope of catching up with some fish on my way back.

The bait-fish were obviously still about as the Terns were very busy working along the stretch I was fishing but it was only when I was halfway back towards the promenade that I found some Bass striking on the surface. Finally after ten minutes of trying this lure and that I had some success in the shape of a 34 cm Bass which took my faithful old white Redgill fished behind a wedge and despite being undersized (and quite thin) the little fish made a very reasonable show of it. In truth I was unlikely to ever lose it but the sight of a fish leaping clear of the water as it takes the bait is exciting, no matter how big it is! Unfortunately that was the only real excitement of the night. Once I had put the little Schoolie back for another day I continued to work back towards the promenade but although I saw the odd small fish on the surface I had no more takes and headed home just before dark.

Fishing Report: 17th May 08 - River Colne, Essex

With a few Ragworm left in the fridge from the previous evening session in Ipswich I decided it was too nice an evening to waste and headed once again for my favourite stretch of the local estuary. The tide was perfect to fish the early flood at one of my favourite spots and the slight northerly had, as it usually does, allowed the colour to drop out of the water a little. As I arrived I was quite encouraged to see two or three different shoals of baby Bass raking the surface, sending showers of the local Brown Shrimp jumping out of the water in their efforts to escape so I decided to try a bit of spinning first, hoping to take advantage of the unusually clear water for this time of the year.

After an hour of fruitlessly throwing a 4 inch Redgill at the river with no return I took the hint and changed over to the light ledger gear and settled down amongst the weed covered rocks to await my first bite on the bunch of Ragworm bait fished about 50 yards out. It took three casts before I had a sniff of a fish, a small Schoolie of about 4 oz but to be honest after a week stuck in the office it really didn't matter what size of fish I was catching or even whether I was catching for that matter; sometimes its just about being on the river for a couple of hours and away from the normal madness of life.

There's always plenty to keep you interested here if you can be bothered to look and listen and as I sat awaiting the next bite I could hear a Cuckoo in the distance, calling out across the marsh. If that wasn't sign enough that spring is here then the Common Terns fishing along the shore confirmed it, although as the light started to fade and the temperature started to drop it didn't really feel much like spring.

By 9pm the only other action I'd seen was another small Bass about the same size as the first as well as a couple of crabs and so I decided it was time to head off for some food. It had got decidedly chilly as well and I wasn't kitted out for the cold. Not a great night fishing-wise by any standards but as I headed for home the river had one last treat for me; my first sighting this year of the local Marsh Harriers working their way across the marshes behind the sea defences, probably heading towards their usual nesting site in some woods overlooking the valley.

Fishing Report: 16th May 08 - Wet Docks, Ipswich

I've heard so much about this venue over the years as a good spot for Mullet but to be honest had never got round to taking a look at the place for one reason or another. Every year I would tell myself I was going to pay the docks a visit and every summer would end before I had time to get there but this week, as I had reason to visit Ipswich, I decided to put that situation right and carry out a bit of a recce.

The venue itself was pretty easy to find (once you work out the diabolical one-way system through the centre of Ipswich) and there is a long stretch of the dock which is accessible to the public and offers the ability to fish right beside the car. This fact alone makes this venue amazingly convenient but it has an added bonus which really appeals to me. As the water level in the dock is controlled by a lock linking it to the River Orwell itself there are no tides, which means you can fish whenever you want, making it an ideal summer evening venue to head to when the tides are not right.

My recce consisted of only a couple of hours spinning with a Ragworm baited spoon and despite trying my luck along a couple of hundred yards of the dockside I didn't even get so much as one follower, although I did see a couple of small fish on the surface. The only other angler I saw on the venue was a Cormorant and he was most certainly doing much better than I was; perhaps it was too early in the year or perhaps the place was just too busy, I'll never know. What I do know is I will be back later in the summer for another try at those Mullet.

Fishing Report: 5th May 08 - River Colne, Essex

Undaunted by the disappointing catches over the last couple of sessions I decided to give the fishing one last go and make the most of the cracking bank holiday weather. As I had a few Ragworm left in the fridge from the last session at St Osyth I opted to try a local spot on the River Colne with a mixture of bait fishing and spinning, sure that there must be the odd decent Bass to be had if I just stuck at it, particularly as this patch of the river has given consistent catches in past years.

With high tide at about 1pm I opted to fish the very early flood and started off fishing the Ragworm under a float, using the current to trot the bait 50 yards or so down tide at a time in 18 inches of water. It was clear from the word go that there were a lot of tiddlers about as the float continually wobbled and bobbed but try as I might I seemed unable to hook anything and as the water deepened I decided that float fishing was getting me nowhere and opted to try a baited spoon for a while in an attempt to hook whatever was there. The water was definitely clear enough to catch on lures but unfortunately nobody had told the Bass and after an hour of hard work chucking a Bass Wedge at the sea with no return I decided it was time for yet another change of tactics.

Within 5 minutes of my first chuck with a ledgered Ragworm bait (fished "popped up" to avoid the crabs) I had my first fish of the session on the bank, a baby Bass of about 4oz. I had hoped that this first little fish would herald a short spell of action with the tiddlers which would at least have provided a little bit of fun, but unfortunately it was not to be. My first fish of the session also turned out to be my last despite me sticking to it till the top of the tide when my bait ran out. All in all not one of my best sessions, but it could have been worse; I could have been stuck at the local supermarket doing the weekly shop like Stu was!

Fishing Report: 3rd May 08 - St Osyth, Essex

I hadn't fished with pal Stuart since last Autumn so when he invited me for a session at a favourite spot towards the bird reserve end of St Osyth beach I jumped at the chance, not least because there might be the chance of a Bass or two to be had. With both of us having family commitments over the bank holiday we opted for the only night convenient for the both of us and chose to fish the flood into darkness on an 11pm tide.

Another winter has seen a lot of change at this beach with much more of the old sea wall and road losing its battle with the sea and more and more of the natural saltings beginning to show. While the loss of the road may make this once very convenient fishing mark a lot more difficult to get to it has, in my opinion anyway, made for a vast improvement with a much more natural coastline, a lot more wildlife (particularly the dune plants) and a lot less competition for fishing space. I've always liked this beach but now that it is slowly turning back into the wild and desolate place that it should be it has become all the more attractive to me as I'm not a particular fan of the shoulder to shoulder type of fishing to be found on the more popular and convenient beaches.

After the long walk from the car park we managed to get ourselves to the mark and fishing by about 6:30pm. There was very little depth of water in front of us but it had been stirred up well and was the right colour for a good session at least, although the south easterly wind that had done the "stirring" was pretty chilly. Keen to make the most of the session we both set to it with two rods and a variety of baits. We hadn't expected much to come out on the early part of the flood as this beach is notorious for fishing better in the dark, and we weren't disappointed on that front. Regardless of what bait we tried (and we had a fair selection) there seemed to be very little in the way of fish to be had, although Stuart did manage a couple of very small Codling. As darkness fell the only action I had seen was one small Codling to Ragworm and having to save my rod from a flight down the beach as Stu managed to catch my line whilst back-casting, but we both kept at it sure that something better might show as the night progressed.

Despite bashing on with Peeler Crab, Ragworm, Squid and Sandeel baits till the top of tide the fishing didn't improve at all with only more small Codling falling to Stu's rods and two further Pouting (including one that took a whole squid!) falling to mine. At the top of the tide I had my best bite of the night, a slack-liner, which took me straight into a snag and with the chilly breeze getting stronger and little improvement in sport we decided enough was enough and called it a night.

Although this session had not been a particularly good one we consoled ourselves with the thought that every angler, no matter how good (or lucky) they are, has to suffer a few duff sessions every now and again. And so it was, that by the time we were half way back to the car we were already deep in conversation about summer Bass sessions to come, float fishing, spinning and the dream fish that would possibly come our way, the only interruption being a chance encounter with another beach regular, a Fox; working his way across the dunes in search of his supper.

Fishing Report: 2nd May 08 - River Colne, Essex

It had been such a nice day that I couldn't resist spending a couple of hours on the river with the spinning gear again, even though I wasn't confident of getting much. As it turned out I wasn't to be disappointed because although I worked hard with a Rapala X-Walk for the whole session, the fish just weren't playing. Such is life!

Despite the lack of fish it was a truly nice evening and it was promising to see the water so clear this early in the summer season, so some action on the lures should only be a matter of time. I am reliably informed that some small Bass have been caught at Bateman's Tower and I've now seen the Bass working across the river twice, so things are hopefully soon to improve in the river, fishing wise.

Fishing Report: 27th April 08 - River Colne, Essex

It had been a crap week as I had unfortunately lost my long time fishing and digging companion Jack, my Black Labrador from whom my online nickname comes. At just short of fourteen years old he'd had a good innings for a Lab, but all the same it was a choker and I needed a couple of hours by myself for some quiet contemplation; just me and the river. As the weather was beginning to warm up and the water clarity was looking reasonable I opted to try a couple of hours spinning further upriver hoping to maybe hook up with an early Bass. If all else failed it would give me a chance to try out the new Okuma reel purchased for the forthcoming summer season.

As it turned out the Bass were in no mood to play, but then nor was I. However a couple of hours by the beach on my own did the trick and it cheered me up a bit. The new Okuma Interceptor Pro seemed to perform well and felt smooth on the retrieve with a very reasonable line lay considering its low price tag and I'm hopeful that it will last a damn sight longer than the Cardinal Freerunner it replaced, which lasted only one season. ABU should hang their heads in shame, particularly as spares are not available! If all else fails at least the Okuma has a five year warranty!

Although for this session I opted to stick with the faithful 3 inch white Redgill fished behind a Bass Wedge (I wasn't really in the mood to get too technical) I've also been making some additions to my plug collection, adding a number of new patterns which I intend to try out this year. As I've rarely done well in the estuary on any of my current plugs I'm hoping a move to some different patterns will bring better luck, basing my choices more accurately on the bait fish and fry that I see in the river year after year.

Top of the list has to be two new X-Rap Rapalas, both of which are reputed to have a fantastic action and I'm hoping that the X-Rap Subwalk, which walks the dog a few inches below the surface will finally bring some success with the local Schoolies as I often see them feeding on bait fish just below the surface. I added the Luck Craft 11cm Flash Minnow to my lure box quite simply because of its scale pattern, which realistically resembles the local Mullet fry on which the River Colne Bass often prey and an Owner Tango Dancer joined it on the recommendation of a fishing pal who fishes the West Country estuaries. To be quite honest the Tango looks like no fish I've ever seen so we'll have to see how that one does.

Last on the list was an unusual lure. Although I've caught very few Bass on the surface in the past, I've always enjoyed fishing with surface lures simply because watching a fish hit the lure right in front of you is the biggest rush there is. The Maria Bull Chop is unusual in that it is a surface popper that sinks (they normally float) and planes to the surface as it is reeled in. Weighing in at 40 grams means it will get out there, allowing me to cover more ground and I'm hoping it will allow me to fish a surface lure slowly in the hard current of the bigger tides by allowing the current to plane it to the surface rather than the retrieve, but only time will tell.

Anyway, plenty of new stuff to try out this year, and a lot of creeping to do with the "Fishing Permissions Officer", she that must be obeyed. Unfortunately I will be doing it all without my old friend.

Fishing Report: 17th April 08 - St Osyth, Essex

It had been a good while (over five months!) since I last fished and having just finished building myself a new Tip Tornado Sport, I was itching to get back in the swing of things fishing-wise and give the new pole a try-out. With the tide at 11pm and work the next morning it was never going to be the most adventurous session of my fishing career, so rather than travel any distance to fish I opted to minimise travelling time and make the best of the extra time on the beach by heading for nearby St Osyth, hoping that the reports of Codling still showing along this part of the coast were not just another fisherman's tale.

I arrived at 6.30pm to find that I had the beach to myself (excellent!) which meant I could fish in the third bay from the ramp, my favoured spot at this end of the beach and with the forecast 3-4 cold easterly wind putting plenty of colour in the water, I tackled up quite confident that I might just be in with a chance of a spring Codling or two. After a few practice casts with the rod (just to remind myself how to cast) I set up a bomber rig, piled on some big Lugworm baits and sent the whole lot out as best I could given that I have not cast a rod since last November (Note to self: I must practice my casting more often). Now anyone who fishes this beach regularly will no doubt tell you that it is one of those venues that 'switches on' after dark and my experience of the place is no different. Normally I find myself effectively killing time while it is light, waiting for darkness to fall and the action to start but this session was to be the complete opposite and so it was that shortly after the arrival of fishing pal Stuart (who had popped down for a chat) at 7pm I got my first decent bite which turned out to be a small Codling of about 25cm.

Despite this early fish I was still convinced that things would only liven up after dark so it was a complete surprise when about forty minutes later (while I was still putting the world to rights with Stu and not concentrating) the rod 'knocked' and then sat back with a classic 'slack-liner'. The fish continued to swim right into the beach and only really started to fight about 20 yards out and after a brief tussle in the surf a nice plump spring Codling of about two pounds sat on the beach. Granted it was nothing tremendous but it wasn't even dark yet and after five months off anything sizable will raise a smile; if the beach was up to its usual standards I was in for a very good night once it got dark I thought. As the light started to fade another rattle provided fish number three, not the second Codling I was hoping for but a good sized Pouting all the same of about three-quarters of a pound. At that point Stu decided he was heading off home and seemingly took my luck with him. As darkness set in the expected run of bites that usually come never appeared and I fished on till about 10pm taking only one other fish, an undersized Whiting, which hung itself on a huge Lugworm bait on a 3/0 hook.

Despite it not being the most exciting session I've ever had (or the warmest - that easterly was damned cold) I can think of a lot worse ways to kill a Thursday night. The new rod lived up to expectations and behaved impeccably, providing good bite indication in the wind. Despite being a powerful rod it also cast very smoothly and didn't feel at all top heavy as a lot of 13ft rods do. Add to that the bonus of a nice bit of fresh Cod for my tea and it was, when all is said and done, a very nice way to get myself back into practice ready for the forthcoming Bass season.

A Time Away From Fishing

Assuming that I have any regular readers they will, no doubt, be wondering where I've been since November when I last posted. Perhaps some thought I had got bored with posting or maybe some were of the opinion that I was too much of a girl to brave the winter weather but in actual fact my absence was for much more dire reasons than either of these. A serious family crisis hit me in November, just after my last post, and I was forced to forget the fishing for a while and concentrate on other things much more important. That crisis, compounded with about five years of what was probably excessive work stress, took its toll on me and although things began to get back to normal in the new year it was too late to save me from a fall and I found myself in what I can only describe as a very dark and lonely place, accompanied only by a box of anti-depressants and a sick note, somewhere I never want to go again.

So why am I posting now? Well its not a fishing report because although some time off work has brought me slowly and steadily back into the light, to put it bluntly I haven't been fishing. But while I may have been in no state to fish, part of my therapy has still been fishing or rather thinking, planning and writing about fishing. Having taken the opportunity of three months off work to sort all my gear, fix rods and tie new rigs I then decided that this site needed a twin. Enter 'A Sea Angler's Reference Book', designed to provide a host of information that anglers from this part of the country will find useful. I eventually intend to provide step-by-step instructions in everything from rod building to reading tides but currently I only have the Galleries and the Minimum Fish Sizes up and running. Keep an eye on it though as I'm keeping up a steady pace and I have an awful lot of material for the site - another 6 to 9 months should have it finished!

At the same time I was asked to look into setting up a Sea Fishing forum for a number of my old friends from the Seafishing.org website as they had been the victims of a round of banning by the administrator. After a little work 'The Sea Angler's Clubroom' went live on February 3rd and has been busy ever since. Anybody that fancies a chat can register for free and currently myself and my pal Stuartdv (who helps with the moderation) haven't needed to pass more than an occasional eye over it due to the fact that it seems to have nurtured a friendly atmosphere. Long may it stay that way.

One final part of my therapy was to do something I have been doing since I was a lad and have never grown out of; go tackle recovering at a local mark. As lads myself and my schoolmates would trudge about in the mud around a local mark to recover leads and tackle that we simply couldn't afford to buy but these days I really just do it for the fun of getting something for free. A couple of hours of slipping about in the mud gained me a good pile of leads (I have never paid money for a sea fishing lead in my life) and did the environment and the reputation of our pastime a favour by removing hundreds of yards of lost line. If you look at the picture to the left you can see the complete haul.

So that's it really, probably not what anyone was expecting. I suppose what I am trying to get across is that actually fishing is not by any means the be all and end all of this pastime, there is so much enjoyment to be had from the activities surrounding it and those activities in themselves can almost become pastimes in their own right. Roll on the Bass Season ...... the dog is back!