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EDP report 30/06/10

Sport has slowed a little as seas have cleared down and high pressure has taken hold. I thought there might well be some smoothounds back again though I don’t think the sea has been quite flat enough, it may be over the next couple of days. The clearing seas seem to have brought a few mackerel inshore though and one or two have started to turn up on the north Norfolk shingle, they should improve as the forecast stays settled too. When the mackerel are in properly it’s a good time to try lure fishing for bass off the shingle, some good specimens fall to artificial lures every year, especially when the mackerel are in full swing, with evening high waters for the next few days lure fishing could well pay dividends in the low light.

Things have been slower in east Norfolk with only school bass being caught with any regularity. Friends tried for some smoothounds over the weekend but only found school bass, the sea probably carrying a little too much of the east from the wind from over the weekend. As beaches get busier and with the water gin clear, low light levels or night fishing is a must, and unless the smoothounds show again it could well be quite tough over the next week. Further down to Yarmouth and Lowestoft catches have consisted mostly of small fish though it’s encouraging to see a few more sole around Lowestoft. Southwold has yet to find any form though odd sole are showing now, again as the summer progresses the sport here should improve, there are some good eels in the river though. This Sunday the 4th of July sees an open on the river Blyth at Southwold, fishing is from 11am to 4pm, booking is essential, please contact Dick on 07941783339 or Tony on 07780793141 for more details. Aldeburgh has produced as many blanks as it has catches, though I wonder how many are trying scratching tactics close in, there are some very large sole caught here most years. There’s not much in the forecast to provide hope for some sport, smoothounds and mackerel aside, so it could well be a tough week. Watch for a change in the weather pattern though, a surf and the addition of colour to the water will encourage the bass to start feeding again.

EDP report 23/06/10

Sport has been hampered by the long spell of northerly airflow, which has only just left the region. Some of the beaches in the north and east of the region have been barely fishable, looking more like October seas than mid summer. In the north, the shingle ridge has yielded a few school bass and occasional better fish, though at times conditions have made it difficult. It’s a similar story round the coast with the beaches from Cromer to Sea Palling unfishable at times, the wall at Walcott topped several times with spray. There have been a few bass about for those brave souls fishing in the wintry conditions but these have been mostly school bass, it will be worth having a go when the sea fines down a bit. The forecast talks of a warm spell with variable winds, I think if we get it warm with the wind off the land for a few days we may see a return of the smoothounds and the first of the mackerel within casting range.

Beaches in the Yarmouth area have produced a few school bass and eels and there are still a few bass in the river at Yarmouth. Lowestoft south pier has produced a few sole but nothing like the numbers you’d expect at this time of the year, again the wind has a lot to answer for. It’s a similar story from Dunwich and Minsmere with school bass dominating catches. The recent weather has meant that the sole haven’t really showed yet, with a more seasonal and settled spell of weather due over the next few days, there’s every chance they will at venues like Sizewell and Southwold and there’s always the chance of a bass too. I’ve not heard of any recent reports from Aldeburgh or Orford, though I think it’s a safe bet the form will be similar to the rest of the region.

EDP report 16/06/10

Recent changeable wind and weather patterns have made for some unpredictable sport on the regions beaches. There are still a few nice bass and school bass being caught, though the smoothounds haven’t showed with any consistency.  The shingle ridge in north Norfolk has probably been the most consistent. There have been quite a few school bass reported with some better fish to 5-6lb. East Norfolk beaches have seen their form dip in the unpredictable weather. Bacton has produced odd school bass, but nothing like the quantity or quality of the previous weeks, surrounding beaches have been little better with only school bass and very occasional better fish reported.

Yarmouth venues have improved a little if anything. There’s been some good catches of bass from Caister down to Hopton, with some good fish around the 5-6lb mark and even the odd smoothound to 5lb, these seem to be the exception rather than the rule. There are still school bass showing in the river as far as Breydon Bridge too. Lowestoft has been producing a few more sole, I still feel as though the sole are yet to get underway properly, they certainly should this month and next. Southwold is still producing a few bits, and I would expect some sole to start showing as soon as the wind is something like.

The Eastern Leisure Sea Anglers Alliance are holding their AGM followed by a show day at Honingham village hall this Saturday the 19th, the AGM starts at 9:30 with the show day following at 11:45. Entry is free, Paul Kerry is doing a talk on shore fishing in our area, there’s a kayak fishing displays, rig clinic and even some tackle bargains to be had. With sport being a little inconsistent at the moment, it sounds like a great opportunity to go and have a chat with some like minded anglers, more details at www.elsaa.co.uk .

High pressure is forecast to take command for the next few days though we also look to be keeping the northerly airflow. This will make things difficult on the northern beaches and we’ll be relying on the bass again for sport, though it will hopefully just colour the water south of Lowestoft and may encourage a few more sole to show.

EDP report 09/06/10

Not surprisingly the neap tides of last week didn’t produce much in the way of sport for many of the regions beaches. School bass have been caught from the Wash right the way round the coast, but fish over 2lb seem to be at a premium. I was hopeful that we might see a return of some smoothounds, particularly on the shingle as they’ve shown there for the last few years on these tides. Odd ones have been caught but on the whole I think the little bit of east we’ve had in the wind has put them off and scruffied the water up a bit too. It’s interesting to note that they are being caught consistently in similar conditions next door in Lincolnshire, they seem to be a bit fussier this side of the Wash and really want the sea mirror flat.

Mat Lawes returned from a holiday in the northeast to find a few school bass at Cley, a catch report that seems fairly typical for the shingle and east Norfolk beaches at the minute. One or two good fish have come off Cromer pier as they do every year, the structure of the pier and lifeboat shed providing some refuge for the fish. Down the coast to Yarmouth and a few fish have fallen to lures in the river whilst the beaches are yielding smoothound pups, pouts and whiting. It’s a slightly better story at Lowestoft with some soles starting to show on the south pier along with smoothound pups, pouts and dogfish. The beaches in that area are all producing a few school bass, though fish of any reasonable size seem to be at a premium here too.

The southern beats have been consistent with the rest of the region. Lure fishing has produced one or two school bass in the Blyth, though sole are still conspicuous by the absence on Southwold’s beaches, they can’t be far away. Aldeburgh and Orford can often produce some large bass at this time of the year, again it seems to be mostly school bass showing along with a few dogfish and pouts. With some north in the wind forecast for this week and the tides building away from the neaps, I think there could be some better bass on the north and east Norfolk beaches, it should also shift the May weed a bit and put some colour in the water in the south of the patch. The colour may well encourage the sole at Lowestoft and Southwold as long as it doesn’t rough the sea too much, though lure anglers and those looking for smoothounds will have to wait until it fines off again.

Bacton 05/06/10

Me and Geno had a couple of hours over low water, never had a bit between us, add to that the misery of losing a couple of sets of gear and we were in the Ship byb half 8. It's going to rain hard to I reckon, overnight or tomorrow, the air was damp all night so it's coming. Saw a couple of schoolies caught by holidaymakers fishing with worm.

EDP report 02/06/10

After some of the most dramatic fishing I can remember last weekend, things inevitably calmed down and despite some top rods fishing, catches didn’t quite hit the peaks of the week before. There’s still plenty of school bass  and some better ones in amongst them on all the beaches in our area, again those venues with a bit more consistency seem to be in north and east Norfolk. The shingle ridge is still producing quite a few school bass and if you can time your trip with a bit of surf there’s every chance you’ll find a few better bass, catches of fish to 4lb are quite common. Following some superb smoothound sport, east Norfolk and particularly Bacton has been very busy. Unfortunately the changing weather on Monday put paid to anymore smoothound action but there have been some very nice bass caught. Local ace Frank Minster fished at Bacton with Tony Allen last Thursday and had a cracking bass of 11lb 3oz second chuck, unfortunately Tony could only manage a school bass this trip. There have been fish to 8lb reported from Trimingham and Mundesley and any of the beaches from Sheringham to Sea Palling will give you the chance of a good bass. Jamie Bale didn’t fair too well when he fished at Ostend. It was a new venue for Jamie, no stranger to big bass himself, though on this trip a whiting saved a blank. I’ve seen some excellent satellite images of the May weed bloom that effects our coast around this time every year. There seems to be a heavy concentration at Yarmouth, whether this has anything to do with the river or not I don’t know but may be the reason behind some relatively meagre returns from the beaches in that area. There was some heavy weed reported at Caister though there’s school bass falling to lures and baits fished in the river up as far as Breydon bridge.

It’s a little better further south to Lowestoft with one or two sole starting to show on the south pier. Paul Blyth managed a nice one around 28cm, hopefully there’ll be a few more with an improving forecast as we go through the week. Smoothound pups and dogfish can be a pain when fishing small baits for soles, but we should start to see better numbers of sole showing over the coming weeks. There have been some school bass at Kessingland,  Benacre and round to Dunwich too. Southwold hasn’t started to produce any sole with any consistency yet though it should over this set of tides assuming we have some wind off the land and the temperatures go up a bit, the forecast for the week ahead should help. Aldeburgh and Orford have produced mainly dogfish, though both venues are capable of turning up some impressive bass and boat anglers in that general area have found some cod to 10lb. The forecast and tides look favourable for some sole and a possible return of the smoothounds, we have winds off the land later in the week and an increase in temperature combined with evening high waters. All things being equal we have an opportunity of some halfway decent sport later this week.