EDP report 21/03/12

More of the same on the regions beaches this week with a few more of our spring and summer visitors putting in an appearance. Jamie Bale had a fun trip; he fished Trimingham during daylight and had school bass, dogfish, whiting, codlets and a couple of decent flounders. A nice mixed bag and the rods saw bites all day. Gareth Havens enjoyed a trip to the harbour wall at Gorleston, fishing towards Hopton he landed a nice 4lb 8oz codling amongst whiting and codlets. They’ve been the exception rather than the rule all winter, but it’s still nice to see an occasional nice codling caught. I haven’t heard many boat reports and it doesn’t look likely that we’ll see a meaningful spring run though there will be a few caught when the crabs start to moult and anglers are targeting bass.

The shingle continues to produce flats and occasional whiting though these seem to be thinning as they should. East Norfolk has been the place to go with the variety bags of dogs, school bass, whiting and flats to keep anglers happy. I say it every year but its really worth using fish bait on one rod this time of the year, the Yorkshire and Kent coasts are producing a few rays now and you never know your luck, at worst you should get some action from the dogfish. Yarmouth through to Lowestoft has been a carbon copy of last week pretty much. A few codling scattered around the usual haunts of the wreck, Corton, and Lowestoft North beach, lots of small fish too. Eastern Anglers fished Orford Ness for their “Cod Cup”, Dave Reed took top honours with 13 codlets with most anglers struggling in the rain, I think the winning weight came from the river too. The forecast for this week has plenty of east in it but nothing much in the strength, it’s likely to be wet too but the tides are a decent size and I reckon fishing in darkness must give you decent chances.

EDP report 14/03/12

Some variety noted in the catch reports this week with some spring and summer species mixed in with the traditional winter fish. It is particularly good to see some school bass, dogfish and even eels amongst the whiting and dabs and the east Norfolk beaches have produced most of these. Anywhere from Cromer down to Yarmouth and you’re likely to encounter the lesser spotted dogfish if you use fish baits at night, though not particularly hard fighting they do at least give you a decent bite. The whiting seem to have returned with a bit of a vengeance too, particularly from Palling southwards towards Suffolk, there have been odd codling too from the wreck at Gorleston and Corton though they are the exception rather than the rule, as they have been all winter.

The shingle in the north is producing flats and a few whiting though the bright conditions made it difficult for the latest Holt Sac match at Kelling, John Neave claimed top spot with 1lb 9oz, around half the weight of last week’s winner. Paul Thorburn was only 2/3 of an ounce away in second with Dene Conway and Mike Waters in joint third with 15oz. Pleasure anglers have fared a little better in the evening with plenty of small dabs and flounders and some pin whiting. There have been one or two codling from the rough ground under the cliff at Weybourne. Cromer down to Yarmouth has seen the first school bass and dogfish along with rockling, whiting and flats. The best beaches seem to be from Cromer down to Eccles.

Below Yarmouth and there are whiting about again, I thought they’d gone but something has brought them back in for another feed, unfortunately most are undersized fish and reduce your chances of a codling or a bass. It’s a similar story from Kessingland, Dunwich and Southwold. The deeper water at Aldeburgh and Orford have been quiet though these venues could produce a ray to fish baits, they will almost certainly produce some dogfish. The forecast is for settled and warming weather with winds from the southwest, night tides will give best chances and try with some herring or sand eel, you just never know your luck!

EDP report 07/03/12

Things have been quieter this week, smaller tides and nothing winds haven’t helped though I would expect a few this week on the larger tides after the hooly of a northwest we’ve had. In the north the shingle ridge has produced plenty of dabs along with a few whiting, rockling and founders. Holt SAC’s latest match at Kelling was a tight affair, Bill Beeton just sneaking first from Tony Thomas by a solitary ounce, Bill had a reasonable 19 fish for 3lb 6oz ahead of Tony with 3lb 5oz and Paul Thorburn a further 3oz back with 3lb 2oz. There were weights right through the field and plenty of undersized fish too, once the sea calms down a little those flatties will feed like mad and I should think there will be some nice ones up there this week.

East Norfolk has been largely unfishable with surf breaking hundreds of yards offshore though it does offer promise for when it calms enough to be fishable, with high water into the evening and big tides towards the weekend there could well be a few fish about between Cromer and Sea Palling. Some friends fished Mundesley just before the wind set in hoping for a codling or maybe a few dogfish, unfortunately they struggled only managing rockling and pin whiting, I’m sure it will be different on this week’s tides especially as it warms up again towards the weekend. Rough ground still seems to hold a few and there should be more after the rough up.

Round to Yarmouth and down to Lowestoft and it’s a similar story, better fish a bonus and most of the better ones localised around the features and rough ground. There have been one or two from the Gorleston wreck, Corton and Lowestoft north beach, as there have been most of the winter. Interesting to note that the boat catches off Corton seem to have eased, the hope was those fish would give us a spring run, they may yet and the weather may have just shifted them off a bit. Further south and it does seem to have been quieter this week though I’d expect a few this week on the bigger tides, we should also start to see some variety in the reports. I think east Norfolk will be the place to go given the tides and winds this week, it’s a funny old time of the year and pretty much anything, or nothing, could happen this week.