A Sea Angler's Notebook

Fishing Report: 2nd October 09 - St Osyth, Essex

2009-10-16T01:36:00.024+02:00

I'd originally planned a trip to the Bird Reserve end of the beach on Saturday night but a quick look at the weather forecast Friday evening changed my mind and so I headed off at the last moment to fish the flood on a midnight tide, deciding to fish amongst the rock groynes to maximise my fishing time. As well as my usual Frozen Blacks (which I reckon is a top bait for the Codling) I was also trying a first for me, salted Ragworm. I'd had half a pound or so left over from a previous session and rather than waste them I decided I would try salting them but to be honest I wasn't that hopeful that they would catch.

By the time I arrived at the beach at about 7:30pm things had roughened up a bit with a SW breeze and it was obvious from the off that the Whiting were not anything like as thick on the ground as my previous session; they came out steadily throughout the night though really nothing of any great size with the general stamp of them about 8oz, though it does have to be said that they seemed to really like the salted Ragworm.

The positive side to the reduction in the Whiting hordes is that it does give the other species a chance to go for the baits and it was just as I was resigning myself to a so-so session that one of the rods bent over and I was into something better than a Whiting. I was hoping for a Bass but it wasn't to be, though I was hardly disappointed to see a Codling appear on the beach - it went about 3lb I reckon but was a terrible "stretch", should have gone about 5lb and would normally have gone back to put on some weight. Having taken the hook way, way down there was little point in returning it however and it had to come home for the pot all the same.

Things continued with the odd whiting showing till just on the top of the tide when a good bite on the salted Ragworm turned up a real treat for me, a Sole. I catch them rarely (mostly because I tend to fish for Bass or Cod with big baits and hooks) and this one was well worth catching; it tipped the Avons down to 1lb 8oz at home, not my biggest ever but not far off and certainly a meal to look forward to!

Normally I would have liked to stay for the ebb but with things to do in the morning I couldn't stay and so reluctantly started packing up at midnight. Just by way of bonus as I was packing one rod up the other had a good hit on Black Lug and a very, very lively Eel of 12 oz or a pound hit the beach in a very bad mood. It was entertaining to say the least; the damn thing climbed up my arm, attached itself to my leg and at one point had its tail wrapped round the rod butt! I have never come across such a pissed off Eel and considering that I have been catching the things regularly man and boy for over 30 years and can normally deal with them easily, it made me look like a complete beginner! Having completely failed to get it under control I was relieved when it eventually came off the hook by itself and slithered down the beach back into the water leaving me to scrape off the slime, pack the rest of the gear and head home for a few hours sleep.

Fishing Report: 18th September 09 - St Osyth, Essex

2009-10-02T11:35:00.008+02:00

The beach was calling again and with a good tide and an excellent weather forecast for the Friday night I headed, yet again, for the Bird Reserve end of St Osyth, a favourite spot of mine. I decided to be a bit adventurous and walk from home in Jaywick but in hindsight it was probably a tad too adventurous as my feet were just not up to that sort of distance at the moment (I'm showing my age) and I suffered for it terribly the next morning; actually if I'm truthful none of me was up to going that sort of distance with 2 rods and associated kit and it is a lesson very much learnt!

Anyway I arrived at my favourite spot about 4 hours before the tide and sent both rods out with a variety of baits. Within 5 minutes both sets of gear had returned to the beach with a fish on every hook and so it pretty much continued throughout the flood. Frozen Blacks, Fresh Lugworm and Frozen Sandeel all accounted for Whiting and in truth it didn't seem to matter what bait you put on the hook or where you cast it. About two hours before the top of the tide I had a flurry of small Bass in amongst the Whiting, all to Ragworm and an Eel of about 8oz (again falling to Ragworm) joined the party just at the top of the tide, as the Whiting action died off a little.

I was hoping that the ebb would maybe bring perhaps a better Bass or maybe a Codling but it wasn't to be. Fishing at range was virtually impossible with a huge upsurge in the amount of weed about and within minutes the gear had to be brought back in with 2 foot or so of that horrible thin weed adorning the mainline by the leader knot - mind you I was still pretty much getting a Whiting a chuck even then. To keep the fishing a little more refined I decided to try for a Bass at close range (away from the dreaded weed) but even here the water was full of Whiting, albeit that the fish here were a much better size than most I had already taken on the flood.

I eventually tired of the Whiting at about 3.30am and headed home. It makes a nice change to be able to say that I really was too busy to count the Whiting. I know I had 5 Bass and the Eel and a conservative estimate (based on some (very) rough calculations) of about 50 Whiting, although most were only about 5 - 7 inches long. The walk home became a bit of a slog and at the end of it I was glad that the streets were deserted and there was nobody around to see me hobble up my driveway like an old man, though I have a theory that it was the extra weight of the 10 million sand hoppers which stowed away in my rucksack for the journey home (the beach was alive with them) and which duly took over the kitchen as i gave my reels a rinse when I got back.

I was not popular with Mrs Blakdog in the morning, she is not a fan of wildlife in her kitchen!!!!!!!!

Fishing Report: 13th September 09 - Jaywick Beach

2009-09-17T21:11:00.007+02:00

Its a sign of how busy I've been when I say I have lived 400 yards from Jaywick beach for nearly two months and not even had time to take a look at it yet. I decided it was time to put that right and so on the spur of the moment headed to the Golf Club end on Sunday night for a few hours worm drowning. As usual on these kind of trips something is always forgotten and on this occasion the camera was left sitting in the kitchen - with hindsight I have to say this was no great loss.

Usually I would have liked to have some Ragworm with me but the impromptu nature of the trip meant I had to settle for some of my winter stock up of frozen Black Lugworm and so in all honesty I wasn't expecting any Bass to fall victim (spot on with that call). Instead I decided to try for a variety of target fish, fishing at range (with larger baits) and then close in with three small baits (for Flatties) every other cast, in the hope of just gleaning a little clue as to what might be on the offing for a more serious session.

My first pitch was a bad move and although it was no surprise that it was relatively shallow the lack of current at the peak of the flood wasn't really encouraging; in fact I think its finding a spot with a good flow of tide which will prove to be the difference between success and failure at this beach amongst the rock breakwaters (not that I'm an expert this being my first visit in nearly 20 years) and so I moved to another spot, where at least the water was moving.

The move paid off in some respects, though it wasn't what you would call exciting. As the ebb started top flow a few small bites started to show to the rig fished close and I ended the night having at least scored a first blood on my new home patch having managed two small whiting of about 8 ounces tops. Not any kind of early glory but it can only get better - I hope!

Fishing Report: 8th August 09 - Bateman's Tower, Brightlingsea

2009-09-17T20:53:00.014+02:00

As we are about to complete on our new bungalow on Monday I decided it was time for a last fishing session on Bateman's Tower as a Brightlingsea resident - I was hoping for better results than my last few sessions which have, quite frankly, been crap.

In an adventurous mood, I dug a couple of pounds of Ragworm in the evening and then, after a bite to eat and a couple of hours sit-down headed off with the gear, arriving eagerly at the Tower at about 12.15am; not surprisingly I had the place to myself. It was a fairly big tide (3am ish) and an absolutely flat calm night and the first cast opened my innings with small Bass falling to a big Ragworm bait at range. I thought it might turn into one of those nights when the rods don't stop nodding after the second chuck produced an Eel of about half a pound but then it all went quiet.

About an hour from the top of the tide a good bite resulted in a big Eel thrashing just out in front of me as I cleared a weed jam in the tip ring. I got rid of the weed just in time to see the fish climb up the line and shake free of the hook as they quite often do ... but the next cast my luck improved and an Eel (a very green one as you can see from the picture) of about a pound duly surrendered and was returned after a quick picture.

Encouraged by a few fish on the flood I was hopeful of a Bass or two on the ebb (by far your best chance here) and sure enough, the best fish of the night came about 2 hours on the turn, just as the run started to ease. At 45cm it wasn't the biggest Bass in the world but nice to see given how scarce sizable Bass have been from the river this year. Within an hour the tide had completely died and I decided it was time to head home, not least because I was bloody knackered. Although not the best ever session I've had on the river it did at least turn up a couple of fish that put a bend in the rod and ended my recent fish drought .... a pleasant way to say goodbye to the town really. Mind you, having used a pound and a half of Ragworm up on one rod some might say I deserved a couple of fish!

Fishing Report: River Colne - 25 July 09, Essex

2009-09-17T20:36:00.008+02:00

Having not fished together for some time it was a really pleasant change to spend a few hours fishing way upriver on Saturday afternoon with Geordie pal Stu. It was a stretch of river that can sometimes produce but to be honest I hadn't fished it for years and wasn't really expecting to catch much; neither of us were disappointed on that score. It wasn't that we had crap bait it was just that there is much too much going on up here in the summer and while the boats passing up the river and the piss-heads in the riverside pubs give you something to watch when the rods aren't busy, they don't do a hell of a lot of good to the prospects of a Bass.

Saying that it was a beautiful spot and with lovely sunshine our tans were topped up well. Those boats that passed by didn't cause too much bother and it was generally a very relaxing afternoon, though apparently Stu was struggling a bit with the shakes as we were way too close to a pub for him to ignore .... he promises me he isn't physically an alcoholic and that its all just in his head.

To cut it short the fishing was crap but that was of secondary importance to me as I just wanted a few hours by the river chewing the fat with a buddy after a few months of non-stop work and very little fishing. As for the fish, both myself and Stu managed a couple of bites each but Stu took the prize on the day for the only fish of the session; a sizable Eel.

Fishing Report: 04 July 2009 - River Colne, Essex

2009-09-17T20:26:00.003+02:00

With an impending move coming ever close I've been keen to get a few sessions in on the river but to be honest its not been the greatest of seasons so far and I've really been way too busy to fish. Its not that I'm moving that far away (only Jaywick) but it does feel like a major step after 45 years by the Colne and the river seems to be making me pay for deserting her.

I spent an absolutely beautiful few hours today (weather-wise) on an upriver mark that hardly ever fails to produce even if only small fry but unfortunately spent the evening looking at two motionless rod tips for the whole session as not a fish fancied my Ragworm baits, which is rare up here indeed. It has to be said that the recent hot snap does suddenly seemed to have produced an awful lot of weed growth and the river seems very much out of sorts, certainly if the smell (probably of rotting Oysters which seem to be dying from the heat on the foreshore in their droves) is anything to go by.

Anyway nothing much to report really although the river didn't let me at the fish she did give me another sunset for the collection .... for those that are interested, home and family will be heading a few miles up the coast to Jaywick in a few weeks so if I'm honest I'm feeling a bit of a lump in the throat about leaving "my patch", though its only a 20 minute drive back to fish - on the plus side the new pad will be 400 yards from Jaywick Beach and a 20 minute walk from St Osyth.

Fishing Report: 4th June 09 - A Crap Week!

2009-06-28T15:26:00.008+02:00

There are times in all our lives when work and life (in my case house hunting) conspire to ruin a good days fishing. For me, recent weeks and probably the rest of the summer are to fall to those evil "important matters" that really we could just do without. Anyway, aware that my fishing passes are likely to be severely curtailed in the very near future I made the effort to make the best of what time I have before life gets really complicated.

Saturday 30th May 09

I decided to try the Wet Dock at Ipswich for a few Mullet as it was so nice , perfect in my opinion weather wise. Unfortunately the heat of the afternoon (when I prefer to fish) coincided with the high tide in the river, when the boats move about and with at least a dozen boats an hour moving through it turned out to be a really quiet session with not even one follower to show for 4 hours chucking a baited spoon at the opposite side of the dock. I did see a swirl off one small fish close in and a jumper further out but that was it ..... best bit of the day was chilling out watching the world go by with an ice cream with my 2-year old.

Sunday 31st May 09

Not to be defeated after the previous days lack of success I decided to use the leftover Ragworm and some frozen Sandeel on the Colne. It was a cracking afternoon and although the prom front was busy it was fairly quiet past the end of the prom. I fished the bulk of the flood at a favourite spot not too far along but the NE wind and small tides meant that the colour was dropping out of the water and things were quiet - I managed one bite to rag which resulted in a 3 inch long Bass but at the top I decided enough was enough and I headed up on to the saltmarsh.

I passed a couple of anglers (seemed quiet for them too) and headed further up having noticed that the gulls were working on the tideline at which point I thought my luck might change but rather than being fish the gulls were chasing it was a black fly hatch, with the gulls picking off the ditched flies for most of the afternoon. By about three hours down I hadn't had a bite and packed up to what has to be the most glorious sunset I've seen for a long time ... and headed home for my Sunday dinner.

Thursday 4th June 09

Still smarting from 2 really quiet sessions I decided to try a spinning session upriver, despite it being a bit early in the season. The North easterly winds had dropped a bit and stayed pretty constant direction-wise and that generally means clear water in my part of the river ... and true enough the water was much clearer than usual, however still a bit too milky to ever be that successful. Although there were a few (very) small schoolies hitting shrimp on the surface there seemed a distinct lack of better fish and I didn't have a single strike in 3 hours of trying. One surprise of the night was a little strike at the end of one retrieve turning out to be a small shore crab - very impressive really when you consider I was bringing the lure in quite quickly.

So there it is really ...... about 11 hours fishing for one micro Bass and a crab; so much for the summer fishing so far!

Fishing Report: 21st May 09 - River Colne, Essex

2009-06-28T15:22:00.007+02:00

After my last session on the river I took a long walk again in the hope of a good night with the local schoolies. With bright sunshine and the winds dropping I was hoping for some fair weather sport, arriving at the spot about 3 hrs before the 10:30pm tide armed with a pound of ragworm. It was the sort of night that you spend the winter looking forward to and to be honest it was just nice being there, which was a good job as the fishing was generally naff and not at all as lively as my previous session.

I started the night off well by blowing up the 5500 on the first cast (must remember to set the mags to full when I've done oiling it just in case I forget to set the brakes on the first cast) but after a bit of cursing and a new set of gear I was back on the go. I spent the bulk of the early flood in the (very pleasant) company of an old fishing friend from school who stopped by for a chat on his way back from crabbing and managed 3 small schoolies while we chatted. When he left just before dark he must have taken the luck with him as I struggled for a bite, finally managing to bring the tally up to 6 small Bass by the top of the tide, but that was it for the night.

I would usually have expected a few fish on the ebb here but sport was out of character for this spot and it produced only one bite which turned out to be a crab. Though I continued on, I finally got the hint at about half past midnight and set off on the long walk home. At least on the last cast I did manage to reel in the rig I lost on the first cast so I didn't have to return to retrieve the rig and line the next day.

A cracking night and a vast improvement on sitting in front of the telly but not too much to shout about on the fishing front .... such is summer on the Colne .... you have to learn to take the rough with the smooth.