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EDP report 27/06/12

The Wash beaches and the shingle held the edge over the rest of the region this last week. Smoothounds have been reported along with flounders, eels and mackerel. There are still some bass showing too and I think if we can just have a settled warm spell of a couple of days we’ll see the hounds run in properly, they’re showing in good numbers across the Wash in Lincolnshire. There have been a few hounds to 8lb but most I’ve seen reported have been in the 2-5lb range. The shingle has been the consistent spot, in low light if you want a good chance of a decent hound and for mackerel during flat conditions.

The eastern beaches have been a little less consistent though there are still plenty of bass about, particularly on evening tides. I tried myself last week on an evening tide at Bacton, and although that little bit of easterly put too much on the sea for the hounds, I still managed a bite a chuck from school bass to around 1.5lb. Holt SAC didn’t fare too well at Bacton on their match last Sunday, fishing during daylight in ropey conditions; Henry Randell showed some class with 9 fish for 4lb 6oz, including the prizes for heaviest flat and heaviest round with a 32cm flounder and a bass of 42cm. Ivan Allison came second with 1lb 4oz with Tony Thomas a further ounce away in third.

Boat reports have quite a few hounds not too far off Yarmouth and Lowestoft; watch out for that settled spell as I’m sure those better fish will be in on the back of it. Stephen Boyce managed some small hounds along with some school bass at Hopton, they’ll hang about round here if the conditions are right. There have been odd codling with some whiting and eels along the north beach at Lowestoft down to Ness point though I haven’t heard of any sole reported off the south pier yet. From Lowestoft down to Southwold it’s a similar story of smoothound pups and school bass with even chances on most beaches. Still no reports I’ve heard of sole from Southwold yet, though again a warm settled spell wouldn’t hurt them either. South and West in the wind this week should keep the shingle flat and the mackerel inshore, try a crab bait in dark for the hard fighting hounds and good luck!

EDP report 20/06/12

Despite the weather’s best attempts at spoiling, the beaches have been pretty consistent this week; there seem to be fish about on most of the regions beaches at the minute. The mackerel have moved in a bit onto the shingle too, there have been plenty showing from the usual haunts, good news for those wanting to target bass with lures. The Rite Gear sponsored Estuary Championship continued in fine style last Sunday with 30 anglers taking part just over the border at Sutton Bridge, flatties and eels were the order of the day. Jeff Stannard took top spot from Robert Tuck in second and Andrew Dawkins in third, it’s a pretty strong field attracting to rods from East Anglia and further abroad, it’s also great to see local tackle businesses putting something back into the sport, well done Rite Gear.

There will be some lure caught bass this week along the shingle, as long as the water stays clear and calm. Mackerel are showing and the bass will be chasing these sporty critters too. Bait anglers will still find a few bass in the North and East though with waters clearing night tides will be best. The hounds are showing on the Lincolnshire beaches and I think there’s a chance this week on our beaches too as long as we can lose this scruffy top to the water. Sea Palling down to Lowestoft and it’s a similar tale with school bass, whiting and odd codling being caught. The smoothound pups are still about here and there too and there are good chances their bigger brethren will pitch up on beaches like Caister before too long. They could turn up on any of our beaches, and with evening high water in the east of the patch, the weather warming and the wind going west, this could be the week we see some proper hounds.

EDP report 13/06/12

There are still plenty of bass showing with fish reported from most beaches from Southwold up. The unseasonal lows brought a wind that certainly gave the south of the region a good old stir up, this brought a few codling in to feed with the bass too and several were reported along with a few dogfish and the ever present whiting. Unfortunately the swell put the smoothounds off and I haven’t seen a single one reported this week though I’m still hopeful there’ll be a few when the sea finally flattens off a bit.

Holt SAC’s latest match was fished at Salthouse last Sunday; a superb bass of 5lb 13oz caught first cast by John Carter obliterated the field, Henry Randell a further 4lb odd away in second with 1lb 3oz of flatties. Dene “Birthday Boy” Conway came in third with 15oz, seems most of the flatties were in the gulley though I am surprised there were not more bass caught. The east beaches continue to produce plenty of school bass with occasional better fish and I’ve heard the first reports of mackerel off Cromer Pier, the conditions aren’t right for the mackerel yet and I’ve only heard of odd ones caught coming to bait rather than lures. Weed has been a problem at times but is rarely there for the full tide.

The wind goes through all four points this week with a sustained south based blow later in the week. This will keep surf on in the south of the patch that will likely see more bass and occasional codling caught below Yarmouth, the wind earlier in the week favouring the eastern and northern beaches, hopefully a bit of a lift will encourage some fish to feed despite the neaps.

EDP report 06/06/12

There are still plenty of fish being caught on the regions beaches with the north and east the hot spots again. Sam Attew was nearly 2lb better than the field in Holt Sac’s 6th leg of their summer accumulator at Kelling last Sunday, a 3.5lb bass making the telling difference in his 6lb 10oz catch. Ivan Allison was second with a level 5lb and Pete Morse third with 4lb 8oz. It’s a similar story all along the shingle with flats and school bass, there have been some hounds too but we need to lose the north and east in the wind for them to come back, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some mackerel when it does go flat either. Weed has been a pain from Cromer down to Bacton; there are some reasonable bass to be caught in between the weed.

Bacton down to Gorleston has seen some hounds around Bacton and some pups down around Yarmouth, plenty of bass too above Yarmouth and some eels in the river. When the sea clears a bit we should see some bass coming to lures in the river and hopefully some better hounds. Lowestoft has produced a few smoothound pups and dogfish and the obligatory whiting, sole will only be a flat warm spell away I’m sure. Kessingland has produced a few bass along with the hound pups and dogfish. Paul Turrell returned for another bash at the rays around Orford and was rewarded with fish of 9lb 8oz and 7lb 13oz. The ness itself has produced smoothound pups, dogfish and school bass with an occasional better hound too. I saw some cracking shots of a sting ray landed at St Osyth’s in Essex, a beach famous for them and thornbacks produced one of each for some lucky locals. The forecast has the wind going south-westerly which I don’t think will be good news for those trying to avoid the weed in the east though it will perhaps encourage the hounds to feed and maybe the first of this summer’s mackerel on the shingle.