Fishing Report: 13th September 09 - Jaywick Beach

Its a sign of how busy I've been when I say I have lived 400 yards from Jaywick beach for nearly two months and not even had time to take a look at it yet. I decided it was time to put that right and so on the spur of the moment headed to the Golf Club end on Sunday night for a few hours worm drowning. As usual on these kind of trips something is always forgotten and on this occasion the camera was left sitting in the kitchen - with hindsight I have to say this was no great loss.

Usually I would have liked to have some Ragworm with me but the impromptu nature of the trip meant I had to settle for some of my winter stock up of frozen Black Lugworm and so in all honesty I wasn't expecting any Bass to fall victim (spot on with that call). Instead I decided to try for a variety of target fish, fishing at range (with larger baits) and then close in with three small baits (for Flatties) every other cast, in the hope of just gleaning a little clue as to what might be on the offing for a more serious session.

My first pitch was a bad move and although it was no surprise that it was relatively shallow the lack of current at the peak of the flood wasn't really encouraging; in fact I think its finding a spot with a good flow of tide which will prove to be the difference between success and failure at this beach amongst the rock breakwaters (not that I'm an expert this being my first visit in nearly 20 years) and so I moved to another spot, where at least the water was moving.

The move paid off in some respects, though it wasn't what you would call exciting. As the ebb started top flow a few small bites started to show to the rig fished close and I ended the night having at least scored a first blood on my new home patch having managed two small whiting of about 8 ounces tops. Not any kind of early glory but it can only get better - I hope!

Fishing Report: 8th August 09 - Bateman's Tower, Brightlingsea

As we are about to complete on our new bungalow on Monday I decided it was time for a last fishing session on Bateman's Tower as a Brightlingsea resident - I was hoping for better results than my last few sessions which have, quite frankly, been crap.

In an adventurous mood, I dug a couple of pounds of Ragworm in the evening and then, after a bite to eat and a couple of hours sit-down headed off with the gear, arriving eagerly at the Tower at about 12.15am; not surprisingly I had the place to myself. It was a fairly big tide (3am ish) and an absolutely flat calm night and the first cast opened my innings with small Bass falling to a big Ragworm bait at range. I thought it might turn into one of those nights when the rods don't stop nodding after the second chuck produced an Eel of about half a pound but then it all went quiet.

About an hour from the top of the tide a good bite resulted in a big Eel thrashing just out in front of me as I cleared a weed jam in the tip ring. I got rid of the weed just in time to see the fish climb up the line and shake free of the hook as they quite often do ... but the next cast my luck improved and an Eel (a very green one as you can see from the picture) of about a pound duly surrendered and was returned after a quick picture.

Encouraged by a few fish on the flood I was hopeful of a Bass or two on the ebb (by far your best chance here) and sure enough, the best fish of the night came about 2 hours on the turn, just as the run started to ease. At 45cm it wasn't the biggest Bass in the world but nice to see given how scarce sizable Bass have been from the river this year. Within an hour the tide had completely died and I decided it was time to head home, not least because I was bloody knackered. Although not the best ever session I've had on the river it did at least turn up a couple of fish that put a bend in the rod and ended my recent fish drought .... a pleasant way to say goodbye to the town really. Mind you, having used a pound and a half of Ragworm up on one rod some might say I deserved a couple of fish!

Fishing Report: River Colne - 25 July 09, Essex

Having not fished together for some time it was a really pleasant change to spend a few hours fishing way upriver on Saturday afternoon with Geordie pal Stu. It was a stretch of river that can sometimes produce but to be honest I hadn't fished it for years and wasn't really expecting to catch much; neither of us were disappointed on that score. It wasn't that we had crap bait it was just that there is much too much going on up here in the summer and while the boats passing up the river and the piss-heads in the riverside pubs give you something to watch when the rods aren't busy, they don't do a hell of a lot of good to the prospects of a Bass.

Saying that it was a beautiful spot and with lovely sunshine our tans were topped up well. Those boats that passed by didn't cause too much bother and it was generally a very relaxing afternoon, though apparently Stu was struggling a bit with the shakes as we were way too close to a pub for him to ignore .... he promises me he isn't physically an alcoholic and that its all just in his head.

To cut it short the fishing was crap but that was of secondary importance to me as I just wanted a few hours by the river chewing the fat with a buddy after a few months of non-stop work and very little fishing. As for the fish, both myself and Stu managed a couple of bites each but Stu took the prize on the day for the only fish of the session; a sizable Eel.

Fishing Report: 04 July 2009 - River Colne, Essex

With an impending move coming ever close I've been keen to get a few sessions in on the river but to be honest its not been the greatest of seasons so far and I've really been way too busy to fish. Its not that I'm moving that far away (only Jaywick) but it does feel like a major step after 45 years by the Colne and the river seems to be making me pay for deserting her.

I spent an absolutely beautiful few hours today (weather-wise) on an upriver mark that hardly ever fails to produce even if only small fry but unfortunately spent the evening looking at two motionless rod tips for the whole session as not a fish fancied my Ragworm baits, which is rare up here indeed. It has to be said that the recent hot snap does suddenly seemed to have produced an awful lot of weed growth and the river seems very much out of sorts, certainly if the smell (probably of rotting Oysters which seem to be dying from the heat on the foreshore in their droves) is anything to go by.

Anyway nothing much to report really although the river didn't let me at the fish she did give me another sunset for the collection .... for those that are interested, home and family will be heading a few miles up the coast to Jaywick in a few weeks so if I'm honest I'm feeling a bit of a lump in the throat about leaving "my patch", though its only a 20 minute drive back to fish - on the plus side the new pad will be 400 yards from Jaywick Beach and a 20 minute walk from St Osyth.