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EDP report 28/09/11

I half expected the Indian summer to slow things on the regions beaches but it’s been pretty much more of the same, though evening tides are better all round. Whiting seem to be on every beach between Aldeburgh and Yarmouth, there are still a few school bass from Yarmouth to the shingle with a few more flatfish showing around the coast too.

Aldeburgh has been the pick of the venues, particularly at night. Plenty of whiting, a few dogfish and a meagre sprinkling of codling around the 2lb mark have been taken from the Brudenell to the dirty wall. Almost identical reports from Orford as you’d expect, I think Aldeburgh benefits with the reports as more people are fishing the stretch. Southwold, Dunwich, Kessingland and round to Lowestoft have given similar as far as the whiting are concerned. The south pier has given similar catches and there’s still good chances of a sole off there. The north beach usually holds a few codling in the old defences from Ness point to Corton, be prepared to lose some kit though. Hopton has produced whiting with some smoothound pups though I haven’t heard of any hounds bigger than a few ounces, Gorleston has whiting too and again the wreck provides a feature that usually attracts a codling or two.

Above Caister and round to Cromer and the story has been a weedy one, unfortunately it’s often the case with persistent south westerly winds. Red weed has been thick from Sea Palling up, and particularly bad from Walcott through to Cromer, some beats are thick with it on the strand line. It’s not been too bad on the shingle though and several reports mentioned school bass and flatfish. Light southerly winds, warm days and high pressure have to make a difference heading into the weekend and I would imagine that unless you’re fishing at night around Yarmouth or southwards, it could be quite tough going this week.

EDP report 21/09/11

Whether low pressure made a difference, as it often does or not, sport definitely improved over the last week. There were fish reported right round the coast and although nothing really big was reported, the volume of decent fish in catches certainly has increased. The whiting present in most catch reports in the deep south have increased in size it would seem and some nice ones to 40cm have been reported.
Amongst the whiting are still a few sole, pouts and dogfish and a sprinkling of small codling from Orford up to Lowestoft. Above Lowestof to Yarmouth and it’s a similar story with plenty of whiting in catches with one or two better ones amongst them. The smoothounds from Pakefield bay to Hopton seem to have cleared off now, aside a few pups, the catches have mainly been of whiting, pouts and odd codling. Boat reports have been few and far between but those boats out of Lowestoft have found a few decent smoothounds and rays not too far offshore, only a matter of time before codling are figuring in their catches.
The stretch from Yarmouth up to Cromer has produced a few bass with fish of 1.5-2lb caught while there was some colour in the sea, not so many whiting here and I noted a few eels in reports probably heading off with the bass. The north Norfolk shingle has produced a few fish too with school bass and flats on the cards, bass have been reported from Cley to Weybourne. South and Westerly airflow over the coming weekend may bring some weed to the north but should provide some colour, and your best chances, down south. The whiting will like the colour and I reckon there’ll be a chance of an early codling amongst them.

EDP report 14/09/11

It’s been a similar story this week on the regions beaches, there seems to be something worth a cast at on most of East Anglia’s beaches right now. Last week’s predictions of early codling seem to have been a tad optimistic though I note they figured in catches at Gorleston and Orford. In the north of the patch mackerel and bass have been the main targets and both kayakers and beach rods have managed to find a few of each. A mate rang to tell me he’d had some nice bass on the lure, his best a cracker at 6lb that grabbed the lure only a foot or two from the tideline, that’s the way to get the most out of these great sport fish. While the wind stays off the land there’s a good chance the mackerel will hang on a bit from Sheringham to Cley and the plug anglers may get a few more tides worth of action, the same wind will put a nice colour in the water From Cromer down to Yarmouth for anglers using bait.

Whiting seem to be about on most of the beaches and this coloured water will keep them feeding though the better fish are likely to show into dark. There have still been a few small hounds around Yarmouth if you can keep a bait intended for them away from marauding whiting. Gorleston down to Lowestoft and it’s more whiting to go with the 2lb codling from the wreck at Gorleston and chances of codling amongst the old sea wall debris of Lowestoft north beach. The south pier continues to produce whiting and smoothound pups with an occasional dogfish and it’s a similar story round to Southwold. There have been one or two better bass around Aldeburgh and Orford reported with the whiting and dogfish and I would expect the next couple of weeks to produce a few more as these fish seem to be migrating again. I still think Aldeburgh and Orford could produce an early codling as this wind is bound to have stirred some colour down there too, the wind in the week ahead looks to give us another mixed bag and with a bit of luck we’ll have more of the same with maybe a few more bass, here’s hoping!

EDP report 07/09/11

Seems there’s been a bit going on right round the patch this week, a very welcome change indeed. Starting in the deep south and whiting are showing with some consistency now. I’ve seen reports of whiting from Shingle Street up to Southwold with Aldeburgh seeing plenty of them. In the Lowestoft area there are still some sole and a smoothound pups but again it’s the whiting that are often first to the bait. Paul Turrel had some eels with whiting at Benacre, seems the eels are on the move again. Odd small codling have come out along the north beach stretch up to Corton along with a few whiting; the fish aren’t huge but as big as you’d expect early season fish to be.

East Norfolk has seen some mixed bags, there were some mackerel and a few bass off Cromer pier last week and a few wrasse were reported around the pier legs too. The east Norfolk beaches have produced a few school bass and there’s a bit of sea on right now which should give chances of a few feeding as they start to think about migrating back to the Bay of Biscay or wherever they’re heading. Kayakers have had better luck than the beach rods, the advantage of fishing directly over features giving them the edge. Pouts, wrasse and some nice codling all were being landed a few hundred yards beyond casting range through the week.

Matt Lawes and a friend enjoyed a tidy little session on the north Norfolk shingle with a nice haul of bass, nothing huge but some lovely conditioned fish in the 3lb+ bracket. I haven’t heard of any mackerel off the shingle but if they were at Cromer this week I imagine there were a few about further up too, at least for the kayakers if not the beach rods. The forecast for the week ahead is a typical autumnal mixed bag, there’s some stiff southerly winds forecast which could give some colour and movement in the south, if it does there should be plenty of whiting and the chance of an early codling down Aldeburgh way.