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.
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!
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.
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