EDP report 26/06/13

After the fine fish of the last couple of weeks, the past week seems a little slower. There have been some nice bass caught, occasional smoothounds and some rarer visitors. Paul Turrell did the trick with the rays again, this time he managed a lovely little thornback of around 2lbs at Benacre. I can’t honestly remember the last Norfolk beach caught ray, Paul certainly has the knack for them in Suffolk. Some good anglers have been trying for the sole from Southwold up to Lowestoft without much luck so far, though sole tactics often produce mixed bags of fish. Paul Carter managed dabs, eels, dogfish and whiting whilst fishing for soles at Lowestoft, small hook tactics paying off for the smaller species.

Up the coast to Yarmouth and there have been a few smoothound pups though I haven’t seen anything above 3lbs reported. School bass are the main quarry above Yarmouth and round to the shingle, and I’ve seen a turbot too, which seems to me to prove the season is back a bit. The boats have had some bass and there have been some good tope on the charters out of Brancaster. There are some decent tides coming over the weekend with evening tides and plenty of west in the forecast, it could be this weekend that we see the hounds back on the Norfolk beaches.

EDP report 19/06/13

It’s hard to believe we are approaching the solstice, by now I’m usually talking about catches of sole and the hounds departing, perhaps maybe a few school bass with most of the bigger fish having moved offshore after spawning. This year is different and the long hard winter has impacted our summer sport, sea temperatures are a couple of degrees down on seasonal average, which doesn’t sound like a lot but it’s definitely pushed the season back by a few weeks. Sole are occasional catches, there are still some big bass and smoothounds about, and I’ve even seen sizeable codling in recent catches.

Bill with his 9lb 6oz feathered bass.

Double figure bass are a rarity at the best of times and there had been none that I’d heard of until Henry Randell beached a beauty at about 10.5lb from Norfolk’s sandy beaches. There have been quite a few bass between 2 and 6lb from the shingle right round the coast and down as far as Orford, Bill Durrant from Cromer had a cracker of 9lb 6oz on feathers from Weybourne, light tackle really gets the best out of these hard fighting fish. Ron Mount had a lovely fish of over 5lb from Trimingham and even yours truly managed a couple of scrappy 2.5lb school bass in a mixed bag from Bacton. There’s some May weed about but not too much to spoil your day, the sea has been mostly flat but it’s still coloured and a little bit toppy which seems to be putting the hounds off with only pups reported, again from sandy Norfolk round to the shingle of Suffolk, they can and will turn up anywhere. The weather is set to warm up through the week and I’m hopeful for some soles and a reappearance of the big hounds, building tides and some west in the wind over the weekend will give chances of both right round East Anglia.

EDP report 12/06/13

What a week on the regions beaches! As predicted, or more accurately hoped for, June’s new moon tides produced some frantic sport, particularly along the Norfolk coast. Smoothounds and some quality bass showed from the shingle round to the sandy beaches below Cromer, with some quite stunning catches. Rob Allen led the way with the season’s finest hound so far, a beautiful big girl of 21lb 4oz. Rob also had some superb bass and another double figure hound in his catch from Trimingham. Not to be outdone, Matt Lawes and Shaun Womack fished Mundesley and had several bass from 2.5 to 7lb in another frantic session. The forecast gives a little hope of the sea going flat which should give us some smoothounds to target, if it stays choppy than it seems that good bass will be the target, happy days!

That's how you do it! Rob with a stunning 21lb 4oz starry.

Below Yarmouth and it’s a similar story, smaller hounds and bass generally but still some very nice fish in reports. There have been occasional school bass and codling along Lowestoft north, no sole that I’ve seen yet from the south pier or Pakefield bay but some nice bass to 6lb from round the corner at Kessingland and Dunwich. Lots of school bass and the occasional sole in reports from Southwold, I’m sure the sole will be there if we get a warm settled spell. Night time high waters with the falling tides, and wind off the land through the week, should give excellent chances for some hound fishing, get some crab and get out there and have a go, they’re not here for long!

EDP report 05/06/13

Some superb sport on the regions beaches earlier this week, and with average luck we should see it get better yet. The shingle was the pick of the beaches with smoothounds and bass showing from the rough ground marks. Matt Lawes had some of the first hounds including a cracker of 11lb 9oz. Rob Allen and Paul Coulthurst followed this up with a good half dozen apiece including a few into double figures, all caught in far from ideal conditions for these hard fighting sharks. If we can get some wind off the land for a day or two and a relatively warm and settled spell, they should be widespread around our beaches and provide us with a few tides of incredible sport.

Matt looking cool with his new design ear ring.

The wind didn’t play ball for the hounds over the weekend, swinging from northwest through to east, but this prompted a surf which in turn encouraged the bass to go on a feeding spree. Lots of nice fish between 2 and 5lb have shown from Cley round to Yarmouth, there’s chances pretty much anywhere as long as there’s a surf. I honestly think it will be the same with the hounds when and if the sea goes shear, they could and probably will show up anywhere from Hopton to Cley. Below Yarmouth and there are some school bass, some nice codling have shown to crab along north beach and Ness point. The boats down south have found a few cod and plenty of rays, with some nice double figure specimens showing, it really is worth getting some bait and having a go at the minute, pretty much anything could happen anywhere!