Fishing Report: 4th April 10 - St Osyth, Essex

Like many fishing winters for me this last one has been one that really didn't come together at all. Although I managed a couple of short sessions there really wasn't the time with the tackle business taking off in a big way and a few badly planned hours by the beach, mostly way too tired to be fishing, ended in the expected result ... a few small fish and a loss of my usual enthusiasm. It seems very strange that being surrounded by fishing gear day in day out that I should find myself with even less time to fish, but that's exactly how things have been.

My one outing to the beach with a rod since Christmas has been to test a new product, a custom ABU side plate which performed really well, but it wasn't until the Easter bank Holiday that I had the opportunity to lose the world for a few hours, hook up with fishing mate Stu and head up towards the Bird reserve at St O for a few hours of drowning bait and putting the world to rights - a trip long, long overdue!

As it was a bit between seasons and we were fishing in daylight we weren't expecting that much and we weren't disappointed as all that came out were small Bass, Whiting and even a micro Codling but for all that the day passed with a steady flow of fish and good conversation.   Despite trying a variety of baits such as Ragworm, Lug and squid we just couldn't find anything big enough for tea.  No mind, sometimes its not all about what you catch.

Fishing Report: 2nd October 09 - St Osyth, Essex

I'd originally planned a trip to the Bird Reserve end of the beach on Saturday night but a quick look at the weather forecast Friday evening changed my mind and so I headed off at the last moment to fish the flood on a midnight tide, deciding to fish amongst the rock groynes to maximise my fishing time. As well as my usual Frozen Blacks (which I reckon is a top bait for the Codling) I was also trying a first for me, salted Ragworm. I'd had half a pound or so left over from a previous session and rather than waste them I decided I would try salting them but to be honest I wasn't that hopeful that they would catch.

By the time I arrived at the beach at about 7:30pm things had roughened up a bit with a SW breeze and it was obvious from the off that the Whiting were not anything like as thick on the ground as my previous session; they came out steadily throughout the night though really nothing of any great size with the general stamp of them about 8oz, though it does have to be said that they seemed to really like the salted Ragworm.

The positive side to the reduction in the Whiting hordes is that it does give the other species a chance to go for the baits and it was just as I was resigning myself to a so-so session that one of the rods bent over and I was into something better than a Whiting. I was hoping for a Bass but it wasn't to be, though I was hardly disappointed to see a Codling appear on the beach - it went about 3lb I reckon but was a terrible "stretch", should have gone about 5lb and would normally have gone back to put on some weight. Having taken the hook way, way down there was little point in returning it however and it had to come home for the pot all the same.

Things continued with the odd whiting showing till just on the top of the tide when a good bite on the salted Ragworm turned up a real treat for me, a Sole. I catch them rarely (mostly because I tend to fish for Bass or Cod with big baits and hooks) and this one was well worth catching; it tipped the Avons down to 1lb 8oz at home, not my biggest ever but not far off and certainly a meal to look forward to!

Normally I would have liked to stay for the ebb but with things to do in the morning I couldn't stay and so reluctantly started packing up at midnight. Just by way of bonus as I was packing one rod up the other had a good hit on Black Lug and a very, very lively Eel of 12 oz or a pound hit the beach in a very bad mood. It was entertaining to say the least; the damn thing climbed up my arm, attached itself to my leg and at one point had its tail wrapped round the rod butt! I have never come across such a pissed off Eel and considering that I have been catching the things regularly man and boy for over 30 years and can normally deal with them easily, it made me look like a complete beginner! Having completely failed to get it under control I was relieved when it eventually came off the hook by itself and slithered down the beach back into the water leaving me to scrape off the slime, pack the rest of the gear and head home for a few hours sleep.

Fishing Report: 18th September 09 - St Osyth, Essex

The beach was calling again and with a good tide and an excellent weather forecast for the Friday night I headed, yet again, for the Bird Reserve end of St Osyth, a favourite spot of mine. I decided to be a bit adventurous and walk from home in Jaywick but in hindsight it was probably a tad too adventurous as my feet were just not up to that sort of distance at the moment (I'm showing my age) and I suffered for it terribly the next morning; actually if I'm truthful none of me was up to going that sort of distance with 2 rods and associated kit and it is a lesson very much learnt!

Anyway I arrived at my favourite spot about 4 hours before the tide and sent both rods out with a variety of baits. Within 5 minutes both sets of gear had returned to the beach with a fish on every hook and so it pretty much continued throughout the flood. Frozen Blacks, Fresh Lugworm and Frozen Sandeel all accounted for Whiting and in truth it didn't seem to matter what bait you put on the hook or where you cast it. About two hours before the top of the tide I had a flurry of small Bass in amongst the Whiting, all to Ragworm and an Eel of about 8oz (again falling to Ragworm) joined the party just at the top of the tide, as the Whiting action died off a little.

I was hoping that the ebb would maybe bring perhaps a better Bass or maybe a Codling but it wasn't to be. Fishing at range was virtually impossible with a huge upsurge in the amount of weed about and within minutes the gear had to be brought back in with 2 foot or so of that horrible thin weed adorning the mainline by the leader knot - mind you I was still pretty much getting a Whiting a chuck even then. To keep the fishing a little more refined I decided to try for a Bass at close range (away from the dreaded weed) but even here the water was full of Whiting, albeit that the fish here were a much better size than most I had already taken on the flood.

I eventually tired of the Whiting at about 3.30am and headed home. It makes a nice change to be able to say that I really was too busy to count the Whiting. I know I had 5 Bass and the Eel and a conservative estimate (based on some (very) rough calculations) of about 50 Whiting, although most were only about 5 - 7 inches long. The walk home became a bit of a slog and at the end of it I was glad that the streets were deserted and there was nobody around to see me hobble up my driveway like an old man, though I have a theory that it was the extra weight of the 10 million sand hoppers which stowed away in my rucksack for the journey home (the beach was alive with them) and which duly took over the kitchen as i gave my reels a rinse when I got back.

I was not popular with Mrs Blakdog in the morning, she is not a fan of wildlife in her kitchen!!!!!!!!

Fishing Report: 4th April 09 - St Osyth

I'd had a mind to head up the local saltings with some Ragworm this weekend to try for some early Bass in the river but not having time to get the Ragworm I dug a few local lug, put Plan B into operation and headed to St Osyth to see what was about up there instead. The beach has had a tremendous scour of late which seems to have knocked the fishing a bit but with more settled weather recently the foreshore seems to have recovered a little and I was hopeful that the fishing may have improved a little: I was wrong, but you live and learn as they say.

I arrived in glorious spring sunshine at about 5pm in time to fish the last couple of hours of the flood and as much of the ebb as I could manage and much to my surprise, although there were a few weekenders about generally the bird reserve end of the beach was deserted and there was not one nudist up there. I passed only one lone angler fishing right by the first rock groyne, where the recent big tides have formed a high sandbank against the rocks but that was it as far as company was concerned, apart from a local Fox, a vixen in peak condition, who arrived just after darkness fell and came to within 3 or 4 feet of where I was sitting to sample a couple of Calamari Squid.

I had the baits out in the water by about 6pm, fishing Lugworm on one rod and whole squid on the other, but with the poor tide it was not until about 9pm, in the peak of the ebb current (such as it was) that the first bite came to a Lugworm bait and resulted in a small Codling on the beach, which was quickly returned and swam away strongly. Shortly afterwards a strong bite resulted in a good sized Pouting of about a pound and that signalled what turned out to be the end of any chance of a decent Codling for me.

Over the next couple of hours I fished the tide down to the bottom of the beach with a steady stream of tiddler bites, managing to put 4 more Pouting on my scorecard, two of which came in on the same pennel rig very much like "little and large" before finally deciding I'd had enough at just after 11pm. Despite reports of Codling still being caught in good numbers there is no doubt that the season (and therefore the fishing) is beginning to change. Although there are still a few scattered groups of Brent Geese about in the local estuary the bulk have moved on and with the days lengthening and the temperatures starting to rise its very likely that the Bass are on their way; for me that means its time to fill the bait fridge up with Ragworm and to head to the various marks around my local estuaries after the Schoolies.

Fishing Report: 21st March 09 - St Osyth

Although I'd had an hours spinning on the Colne the day before (tempted by the illusion of a bit of sunshine and a longing for the Bass season to return) I really was in the mood for another spell on the beach. As I had a bit of bait left from the last session and the weather forecast seemed so good I thought I would finish it off by throwing it at a few hours of the ebb tide at my favourite spot at St Osyth again.

With the tide at about 8pm I arrived in time to be set up and fishing for the last hour of the flood on what was a really nice, calm night, passing only one other lone angler (fishing by what is left of the turn of the old beach road onto the dunes) on the way up to the far end of the beach. I settling back to watch the rod tip in the beam of the headlamp with only the occasional visitation from a patrolling Fox behind me in the dunes and the calls of the waders flying overhead for company and waited patiently for the first bite to come. To some it may seem like a very lonely way to spend a Saturday night but in truth this is the fishing I tend to prefer with nothing to distract me from my purpose and nobody to break the peace and quiet, away from the weekend revellers and the telly.

My previous session here a few days before had seen me manage a brace of Codling but tonight was a very different night. There was absolutely no tide run to speak of and the seabed in front of me seemed to be crawling with bait robbing crabs; to be blunt the fishing was crap. Apart from the odd tiddler bite, the only thing to save me from a blank was probably the best Whiting I have had for a few years, which slack lined a large Lugworm bait fished at range and went a good 14 inches. This time of the year I generally don't take Whiting home and such a nice specimen would have gone back had it not have taken the hook about 10 inches down!

Hopeful that the Whiting was a prelude to a Codling or two I fished on but by 11pm the water had all but disappeared and the air was getting decidedly chilly and so at 11.30pm after finishing off the last of the Lugworm on one last ditch bait I left the dunes to the birds and the leftover bits and bobs of bait to the Fox and headed home.

Fishing Report: 18th March 09 - St Osyth

A break in the cold weather had me itching to get on the beach as other than for a few casting sessions, I'd not wet a line for a while. The forecast was for a bright, sunny spring day and there were reports of good numbers of Codling still about so it really had to be done. I opted to fish towards the bird reserve at St Osyth with a high tide at about 5 ish, getting on the beach and set up by about 1pm, just in time to fish the beginning of the flood and enjoy the warm afternoon sunshine. Despite the chilly wind the sunshine had brought out the more hardy of the "gentlemen nudists" and there were half a dozen or so lurking amongst the dunes behind me as I fished through the afternoon, though nothing like the number that appear in the summer months.

I fished through the bright sunshine of the afternoon, one rod out with chunks of Herring (in the hope of a Thornie) and the other with freshly dug Lugworm without so much of a twitch on either rod and it was not until pal Stuart joined me at about 5pm and the sun had started to drop in the sky that the first signs of life started to show with the odd tiddler bite on the Lugworm. I managed my first fish, an undersized Codling, about 45 minutes later and that was shortly followed by another Codling to the Lugworm, this time sizable and weighing about 1.5lb.

As the sun finally sunk below the horizon the temperature dropped sharply and I noticed that the Skylarks (which had been singing over the saltmarsh behind me all day in true spring fashion) had stopped singing. Stuart had managed a couple of small fish but it was only now, just as things started to feel decidedly more like traditional chilly Codling weather, that he pulled out a small Bass, prompting discussions of many more sunsets at this favourite spot of mine. We fished on through the first hour or so of darkness without much more action and so with the tide disappearing fast we decided at about 8pm to call it a night. It was as I was packing up my first rod that the session was really topped off. A full blown slack liner on the remaining rod ended with me slipping a second codling of about 2lb up the beach and finishing off the session quite nicely thank you very much!

As good as the Codling fishing is at the moment it has to be expected that the season will come to a close soon. The recent warm weather has seen the trees and hedgerows start to bud and bloom and on the estuary the Brent Geese are beginning to gather in large numbers, ready for their great journey north to breed. No doubt a cold snap or two will still come but there's no mistaking that feeling of spring and hopefully the impending arrival of my favourite quarry, the Bass.

Fishing Report: 7th February 09 - St Osyth, Essex

As seems to be the norm in recent years my Christmas Flattie crusade went completely down the pan. The fluctuating temperatures, way too much rain and the sharp bouts of frosty weather have either confused the Flatties or the fish are just not there any more. I tried one daylight session at Brightlingsea with Stuart a few days after Christmas, when the prom front should have seen us take at least a few fish, but it just didn't happen and we managed not even a bite between the two of us; the only action of the day was watching a huge scrap boat coming into the river.

A lonely night session a few days later produced nothing more spectacular than a small Whiting and the first week of January saw my first Cod session of 2009 turn into yet another depressing blank, so it wasn't exactly the most exiting start to the fishing year. Thirty years plus throwing bait at the sea teaches you that these bad spells come every now and again and that things will look up in good time if you persevere, but when the weather is cold, the nights black and the wind blows right through you from the north a few naff sessions can dampen the enthusiasm of even the keenest angler amongst us, myself included.

With a never ending list of things to do on the website I decided to have a rest for a while and set to sorting out some more suppliers and getting the online cart in order; it took me a lot longer than I expected and in the end it was a good month before I had the site where I wanted and decided on the spur of the moment to fish a few hours over the top of the tide amongst the rock groins at St Osyth.

Starting at about 6.30pm on a freezing cold day I originally intending to walk up to the bird reserve end but with temperatures dropping decided that it would be a bit foolhardy, not to mention hard graft in all the cold gear required for the nights fishing and a change of heart saw me setting up two rods in amongst the rock groins in the hope of better results than my first session of the year.

Fishing both rods with frozen Black Lug and Cuttlefish baits I started the night off well landing a Codling of about 1.75 lb on the second cast but that was pretty much the end of my luck for the night the only other action being just on the turn of the tide when I hit a slack line bite which saw me connected to another fish for 30 seconds or so before it swam straight in towards me and dropped the hook. I spent the rest of the night without so much as a bite until my last cast when I managed to contact another fish and thought for one foolish moment that I would be heading home with a brace of fish to my score, but it just wasn't to be. This fish again swam straight in towards me and about 20 yards short of the beach stuck me into an immovable snag which resulted in a lost fish and rig. Such is life and as it was now midnight and the cold had started to get to me I decided to take the hint the fish were giving me and headed for home and a warm bed.

Quite clearly the fish are still feeding on the sprats as the fish I did land coughed a few up on the beach. If anybody is thinking of fishing at St Osyth in the near future I'd suggest using a lead lift as the beach as obviously had a good scour lately and this has left quite a number of small snags showing close in which tend to catch you out when you least expect it.

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: 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: 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: 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.

Fishing Report: 20th October 07 - St Osyth, Essex

Having persuaded mate Stuart to join me for a disastrous nights fishing in the rain recently at Brightlingsea it was his turn for choice of venue and, after a few emails back and forth during the week, we finally decided to see if the good fishing I'd had at St Osyth a couple of weeks back was continuing. As it turned out, it wasn't a bad choice of marks at all. The weather forecast was for bright sunshine which didn't bode well for fishing prospects during the daylight hours (St Osyth is notorious for "switching on" as the light fades) so we arranged to meet at 2:30pm in Hutley's car park and take a walk towards the bird reserve end. As high tide was at about 7pm, the intention was to fish a few hours of the flood in the daylight, with the hope that the fishing would pick up as the light began to fade towards the top of the tide and on the ebb.

By the time we had met, walked to our chosen spot and got baits in the water it was way past 3pm. As usual the beach was pretty much deserted except for the odd walker and one other angler (who we assumed was fishing with light gear for Bass) and we sat back to watch the rod tops for a couple of hours, waiting for the action to start. As we expected, it wasn't until the sun began to drop in the sky (by which time the other angler had disappeared) that the fish began to make their presence felt, however, once the bites had started they came steadily throughout the rest of the flood and the ebb, with only a slight break in the action over the top of the tide.

My night was completely overwhelmed by the Whiting and it seemed no matter what distance I cast I always seemed to end up catching one. In the end I managed about 15 of them to Black Lugworm, Blow Lug or Mackerel strip, with only one or two undersized; the rest ranged in size, I would say, from 8 to 12oz. Stuart's night was just as busy with him managing a steady stream of the ever-present Whiting plus a couple of undersized Pouting and one Codling. Not surprisingly, with some Ragworm in his bait-bucket, he also managed a few Bass, the biggest of which went about 1.5lb and came on the ebb.

While the catch may not seem astounding we were kept busy with fish and bites throughout the evening and ended up calling time at 9:30pm with both of us completely knackered. The only mishap of the night was when a loud ripping noise echoed across the beach. I looked round to see Stuart killing himself laughing as he inspected his trousers which had turned themselves into a skirt as he bent down to bait up; I suppose you have to expect these kind of things if your favourite food is kebab. All in all it was a very enjoyable session. Although the walking involved to reach this venue is a bit of a pain, especially when you start to have to take the warm gear with you in the autumn, it does at least guarantee that you won't suffer from crowding problems and crossed lines as you do at some venues and we couldn't knock the weather or the fishing.

Fishing Report: 6th October 07 - St Osyth, Essex

With high tide at St Osyth of about 9:30pm it was an ideal night to fish over the tide at my usual spot up towards the nudist beach. Although generally fairly happy this time of the year with Frozen Blacks and Mackerel as bait (which I keep stocked up in my freezer), as I had time, I also dug some Lugworm from an upriver bed on the Colne around mid afternoon, then packed my Rucksack light and rushed my dinner down before heading off to arrive at Hutley's Caravan Park at about 6pm. On the way there in the car I had wondered if perhaps I might save myself the walk and fish amongst the groynes to the left of the car park, but by the time I got there the decision had already been made for me; every bay was being fished already and so my usual hike towards the nudist beach was the order of the evening if I wanted any space or solitude.

By the time I had walked the mile or so to my spot and got my gear set up it was about 7pm and the light had started to drop, the time when the fishing normally "switches on" at this spot. The first rod went out with three hooks baited with Mackerel strip and almost immediately I got my first bite, before I'd even had a chance to get the second rod baited up. Having baited up the second rod with Black Lugworm and Fresh Lugworm on a Bomber Rig and cast out I then reeled in my first fish of the night on the Mackerel Strip, a nice little Whiting of about 12oz. As a bonus when I reeled in the fish I discovered that I also had a lost set of gear attached which turned out to be one that I had lost on my Bass Rod some weeks back; one of the benefits of fishing the same venues regularly I suppose.

Sport with one species of fish or another continued pretty much constantly through the remainder of the flood with either Whiting or Pouting falling to the Mackerel Strip and both types of Lugworm but it was at the top of the tide that the fishing really took off. The Tip Tornado was very nearly dragged down the beach but on reeling in everything felt very light and it seemed as though I had missed the fish. It was only when it reached the surf line that I realised the fish was still on and after a short tussle at very close range I was very pleased with the result; a Bass of 2lb 2oz which had taken a Frozen Black Lugworm. Not big by any standards but much better than a Whiting. The next cast was almost like a repeat performance but this time the Bass was smaller (about 1lb 8oz) and seemed a bit of a strange shape, almost as if it had the head of a bigger fish.

The ebb tide saw the sport tail off a bit. The fishing slowed down, although there was the odd bite to keep me busy, but the weed became an awful pain with the leader knot totally coated in huge amounts of thin, tightly bound weed on every retrieve. Finally at midnight with the tide starting to disappear I decided enough was enough, packed up and headed for home. Final score for the night was ten Whiting (between 6-12oz), two undersized Pouting and three Bass, only one of which was undersized. Currently this spot seems to be producing some reasonable fishing for me and has the added advantage of plenty of room (most anglers can't be bothered with the walk) and less snags than the rock-groin end of the beach. It will be interesting to see if perhaps a bigger tide later in the season will produce any sizable Codling.

Fishing Report: 22nd September 07 - St Osyth, Essex

With a new Zziplex Bass Rod and 6500 Mag Elite to test out I was desperate to get on the beach this weekend. With the weather forecast to be nice I decided to fish a 9:20pm tide at St Osyth, as usual deciding to pack light and fish the bird reserve end of the beach. I arrived at about 5:30pm (just as the last of the nudists were leaving, thank god) and set up two rods with the intention of fishing one at range and one short for anything that should take a fancy to the bait. It was pretty obvious that the spot had been fished very recently by the angling litter left behind; there was a good selection of bait wrappers and Gemini rig packets (see photo) and quite frankly the muppets who left them should be ashamed of themselves.

As I was setting up, occasionally watching the Terns that work along the shore, I noticed something in the water about 200 yards off the beach and was encouraged to see a Seal was feeding right in front of me. I always find it strange that many anglers moan about the Seals; they might put fish off the feed for a while, but they generally don't linger and if they are feeding close in it is a sign that the fish are too. Personally, I have no problem sharing a swim with a Seal.

Despite the Seal the bites started as soon as the sun started to drop. Nothing frenetic, you understand, just a steady trickle of bites to one rod or another and the occasional fish. The pace continued over the tide, and by the time I packed up at 11pm I had four sizable Whiting to take home (nice when they're really fresh) and had returned another five undersized fish, two Whiting, two Pouting and a tiny Bass. The bulk of the fish were taken at short range on Mackerel, Lugworm or a combination of both, with only a pair of the Whiting (both at the same time on a Pennel rig, one on each hook) and the Bass being taken on the long range rod baited with Ragworm.

The new rod and reel behaved impeccably. The Zziplex, which I built myself, is light and really nicely balanced and with good weather will probably see a lot of Estuary and neep tide work over the winter. The Mag Elite (the 2007 Gun-Metal Grey model) also lived up to expectations, with a couple of minor criticisms. Firstly, ABU seem to have removed the numbered gauge on the mag settings which means you have to count the clicks as you set the brakes and, as with all ABU CTs these days, the handle is more suited to a cement mixer than a fishing reel; both niggles really but ABU do seem to have gone backwards slightly from the Green Mag Elite.

Fishing Report: 8th September 07 - St Osyth, Essex

Having had a week of fishing in the river (not with resounding success I hasten to add) I decided that I needed a change from the spinning gear and with the tides coming back round to late evening I decided to try conventional tactics at a spot I used to regularly fish along towards the bird reserve at St Osyth.

I arrived at late afternoon and set up in glorious sunshine and light offshore winds, fishing the tide from the bottom up, as I generally prefer to do at this venue. As always I was, in the back of mind, hoping for a sizable Bass so I set up one rod with a 4/0 Pennel Rig, fished at range with Ragworm bait. The other rod I set up with a three hook clipped down rig and small hooks to fish close in, hoping to find maybe a Sole perhaps or more likely anything that happened along. I baited the second rod with Ragworm, Peeler Crab and Lugworm baits, the idea being to hedge my bets for any fish that might come along.

The daylight hours were very quiet fishing-wise and it was not until the light had begun to fade and the last of the nudists had disappeared that I started to get any bites. For the last few hours the fishing was fairly busy and the time flew by. Although none of the fish caught were of any size, there was a selection of species and the nice weather and peaceful surroundings made it a very enjoyable evening. I finally packed up at about midnight having managed a solitary Bass of about 20cm, six undersized Codling (biggest just 1cm under the size limit), one Pouting, 1 Whiting (sizable) and an Eel of about 8oz; all but the Bass and two undersized Codling came to the close in gear.

Fishing Report: 2nd September 07 - St Osyth, Essex

Fished at the bird reserve end of St Osyth with Stuart, hoping yet again for a decent Bass or two. Although it was a nice day there were hardly any Jet Skis about and we fished from about 11:30am through to 7pm with so much as one passing us by. Unfortunately the sizable Bass were equally as thin on the ground and although we fished hard with Ragworm, Peeler Crab, frozen Sandeel and Calamari Squid over the top of the early-afternoon tide we didn't have much to show for it other than the odd Eel and a few undersized Bass; my biggest went about 25cm.

Quite frankly the only things out in force were the dune-muppet-nudists, who again were doing their best to outrage public decency and spread as much litter around as possible!