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.