Almost the weekend, or is for those that now seem to regard Friday as now part of the weekend ! So, whats happening on the marina ?. In all honesty much like the rest of Sussex, “not a lot” Fishing this year is starting to feel like an utter and total bust. So many of us keep saying it’s gonna get better but so far it doesn’t look that way. Yes there are signs of recovery from when the trawlers would double team the coast line but its not just those that have added to what seems like a pass time that is sliding into decline. The quality of fishing seems yearly to get worse.
Yes I have high hopes for the wind farm to generate a recovery but I doubt that the wind farm on its own will be enough. Mass fishing by commercial vessels that need not come too shore are putting dents into various fish stocks that seem unable to recover as the rate of carnage at sea continues, I just hope it isnt too late too stop the slide. Its a global problem that is driven by greed rather than conservation and change is needed fast. Anyway, enough of the conservation bit, whats going on on the marina… oh yea, not a lot.

I gather the day or morning started off quite busy but by time I trundled down there things were slow and people were heading for home (as is often the way that late in the afternoon.) As always I do try and have a chat with most down there even if the cynic would say I do it to flog a few things but thats not strictly true as I actually do enjoy the chats and is often the way a catch up with a few older or familiar faces as well as the new.

Its quite refreshing also to see new youngsters getting into fishing, at one time I was starting to wonder (a few years ago) if we were seeing a decline in youth joining the ranks of anglers on the marina. About 15 years back it felt like I had watched one generation grow up fishing there, many of who still do occasionally who were of a similar age to my eldest 2 (now not so much kids) children and there seemed a gap where hardly any new kids were visiting the walls and it felt like the new kids were missing. In an age of fast growing digital and online interest fishing had become or at least felt had become a thing for oldies. Perhaps I was feeling my age perhaps it was just part of the natural cycle of change but then my youngest often felt like the youngest i’d see fishing the wall.
And then suddenly jnr hit 14/15 & old enough to fish on his own and hit a cycle of beach going with mates and taking an interest in females and for a little while it was all change as I watched him on the beach from a distance wondering when he would join in with the yoikes that loved jumping from the walls into the sea.
That was when I realised I was getting old and had almost forgotten what it was like as a kid jumping from structures and rocks into the sea in the summer.! I guess its one of those things that only kids that grew up close to water can explain and understand. I remember the almost permanent rope swings over the brook in Haywards heath between Oathall school and Lindfield Even as far as where the Brook as we knew it, The Scrase stream/river as its properly called went on to join with the River Ouze.

I’m pleased too say that JNR while he did from time too time jump of the west wall when he thought he wasn’t being observed generally did his best to discourage marina wall jumping. Part I guess was from me being down there so often, part because many of the security team and wardens knew exactly who he was so wouldnt get away with it if caught but also part because he was very aware of the risks jumping from the marina walls was. Thankfully the beach visit element of his life wasn’t as strong as his love of fishing and still is a regular face down there.
Forgive the ramble around part of the near distant past but it was such thoughts ticking over in my head this week as events carried on rolling around my family and I seemingly stuck on our own personal Island but it had reminded myself of my own age and that my kids we from two different generations and my youngest has in the past been mistaken & asked if I was his grandfather ! yup I am that old.
And yes the ramble is about younger generations fishing on the wall and its quite refreshing to again see new numbers of children fishing the walls and not only children of already established anglers. perhaps it has again become trendy or perhaps cool to be out of the house and catching fish, It makes me wonder if climbing trees is still a thing in this seemingly technical age :).😊

By now most will realise Im rambling due to not having much to say about catches on the wall, mostly as I earlier said things do seem to be a bit of a struggle for having fish too report on. On the up side I did hear of 3 more decent bass caught Sun & Monday and one dude even sent me a pic of a double had that I will, as soon as I get around to sorting will get it up on the gallery as well as a bream pic I took 2 days ago that I forgot to post at the time too fb and here. Yes there were bream yesterday, numbers down on the averages for them but they are still scattered along the wall even out over the sand. There were also a few mackerel had but I fear that when they show up they are gone just as fast it seem. Gurnard catches also seem too be more noticeable as the summer rolls on and the low few bays are still popular with the bass anglers and those looking for bream and wrasse.
The high bays are slowly picking up also with more plaice being had, many at distance, mullet, bream, wrasse bass and congers are also common catches although when I visited the upper bays were unusually lacking in people. On the straight bit, as said there are still bream being caught although plaice do seem somewhat thin on the ground and often quite small so please keep an eye on the take sizes.
Crabs are still very evident in their lack of numbers and as yet the hoards of spider crabs so common over the last few years are very evident in their absence. Ive no explanation for it other than perhaps like the bream the buggers are all hiding on the west wall and laughing at us and how flipping clever they are this year.

You will be pleased to hear that for today i have almost run out of things to waffle about so for those that look to my visits to the wall I wont likely be down there today or tomorrow. Today I have to check in with the HHeath anaesthetist to make sure he is happy with my health levels and assuming all is good I will then get my gall bladder removed on Monday which means for the following few days I wont be on the wall Today as said, Tomorrow is BHAFC’s first home home of the season so I will be at the AmEx annoying anyone in ear shot of my air horn. I will be on the wall on Sunday and then Mon I will be in hosp and expected out somewhen on Wednesday. Thus bar this Sun im not overly sure when I will be on the wall but may be depending how I feel next weekend, time will tell eh.
And thus we come to the end of todays sermon 🤣🤣honest 😉 and, until the next one, I will bid you all ADIEU
F