To talk

Ya know it makes sense and yesterday was a good case in point. Why ? read on coz I’m gonna pad this one out a bit…. Are you all sitting comfy ?, if no naff off as you most likely are in the wrong place and don’t realise i’m about too start waffling and perhaps mention a fish on the bottom line of this yarn 🙂 but, more seriously you may save time if like some (I suspect) simply jump too the last three paragaph sections too save time and being bored sh1tless!

So where too start. Night opening.
As some should now be aware especially if you check the home page rather than just hit the blog and disappear after reading the blog that, we have had a couple of nights fishing on the west with last night being the second and the west will again be open tonight all night as well as Sunday night(tomorrow).
I believe the plan is too open most weekend nights if the trade is there. it would be nice for some of the regulars if mark opened every night straight off but obviously costs need factoring in and lets face it if only 3 people fished each night Mon to Thurs that has too have a warden working (all night) and somehow said warden will want paying and I doubt 3 ppl would want too cover the wardens dosh each night . Thus, we are , or should I say Mark is opening at weekends when he would at least expect too cover the cost of staffing the wall each night.
So what’s been happening(resisted the Marvin Gaye reference this time;) ) ?well the biggest feature this week hasn’t been a fish its been tht flippin wind. It seems too have started blowing last weekend and simply not giving up trying too chill the brass balls off them three monkeys everyone talks about.

I’m gonna put the somewhat crap fishing last weekend and the main chunk of the week down too this wind that has either howled a fairly strong easterly or its sat north too north east making things unpleasant for most especially as the sun has been out and the air without that wind has been t-shirt weather. The one real benefit of the winds being mostly north have been that the water is clearing out v fast and depth visibility is very good. thankfully that wind is fading off and its almost feeling like the summer is on its way fast-ish.

so, yes Im getting too the report bit, all two lines of it 😂😂
Mon too thursday there has not been much too report, mostly due too the lack of people fishing when I have been down thus accurate info has been a bit hard. ironic that many who have had a go have caught even on the east in the face of mother nature.
So, tough going the last week on the east shaken up with a few fish of the usual suspects of mostly plaice, a bream or two and a giant sea slug aka conger here n there. it truly hasn’t been great although it has been nice out in the sunshine. Yesterday there were a few more on the east but catch rates were very slow and is a bit hard too big up other than saying today as I look out the window the tree tops are still and its sunny out. its gonna be a warm day now that the wind has all but beggar’d off.

Over on the west things have been a bit more sheltered and is beginning too show signs of “almost summer” and yesterday there were a few more fishing than the prior five days & possibly more there yesterday than those five combined. Now I realise that makes the west sound rammed but hardly the case and reality is that the wind and slowed up catch reports have likely as not put people having a go.

Has anyone started too wonder when I’m gonna get too the title of todays yarn ? well hang in there as Im almost there.
Catch wise on the west things have picked up having had the first squid of the year a few days ago someone else had another yesterday of decent size. Now I realise two swallows does’nt make a summer or so the saying goes and I know 2 squid have happened in the past and then crash, no more until the Autumn but looking around the walls over the last ten days and picking bits of news up from other anglers and boat skippers this year is starting too look at least promising, that or its just being cruel with an early teaser followed by …pfffft… but lets face it last year was dire, id use other words but I believe some younger ppl read here also, so best keep it cleanish tho I know many U15’s that swear like sergeant majors!

So how is it picking up IMO ?
As already said in other blogs, this year we have seen at least three types of Ray in undulates, thornbacks and at least one small eyed (according too general ID)ray. Last year rays were almost non existant. Again as said we have had squid and cuttle fish caught on the walls. granted only a couple of each confirmed but I think or can only recal one squid last year so already an improvement. Bream have been scattered along the higher bays of the east and while plaice numbers arn’t that great they are ticking things over on the EAST wall and on the WEST they are also a regular catch at the moment. Add too the above and we have DAB making itself seen again in a decent number for the marina and frequent catches have been on the east wall.
John H had a decent sized wrasse in the last week giving a hint that their number may be recovering and high bays on both walls have seen guilthead bream. Not convinced >? conger numbers are up and there have been a few bass pushing up to the 5lb mark already.

Yes we have been plagued with dogfish followed by hound pups, nothing that unusual I know but now the water is clearing fast I expect too see those numbers drop as they get replaced by summer species.
No real signs of garfish yet but again they cant be far off as the decent weather arrives and water temps come up too summer levels. We have seen early mackerel bursts on the east, could this be the return of a spring run ? 10 days too 2-3 weeks prior too may rot. Im told there have been plenty out at the 2 mile regions so with luck they will make the hop inshore for those armed with feathers.

Back onto the wall, in particular the west wall I did venture up there for a mooch about sixish and a chat with friends Sue & Ian who fish the walls regularly when like myself health allows and the usual chin wag with other anglers also … see it is good(the title) but why I can hear in the background. Wellllll……

well, when I got onto the west it seems that things were very show and there were plenty of bored or glum faces if you don’t count the new arrivals. I did see a small bream come up too my left and also a conger of 8 or so LB’s but little else seemed too be happening. Sue & Ian in the middle of the wall had not anything too show other than a tan forming and the bulk of people that I said hit too indicated they were so far blanking. I will try and dig some info on how last night fished for tomorrow if I remember too accost Mark 😂😂

And so we get too the “it’s good too talk” Prior too my leaving I had quite a long chat with marina regular Tommy, part catches and part general chit chat &chewing the fat as some say. Now Had I not stopped for a chat I would fully have missed his info being as he had fished a big chunk of the afternoon/day up close too the tower block.
He had posted too the facebook group last night after I’d left the wall that he had had 7 bream and 2 were sizeable but more importantly he also gave me a bit of round up of what he had seen and there were a few people that had already left who also had caught bream some well before the high tide.
Now I have had bream on the low tides on the west but too be fair the bulk of bream catches have been either side of the high water marks and it seems yesterday the bream had got active 2 hrs prior too the high all proving something that I keep banging on about not only on the walls but also the marina FB page. Chat too your neighbour even them weird looking weird speaking white English dudes. Some of them have useful info, tips and perhaps a spare hook or two for when them spider crabs stat hacking up rigs without you realising they got the bait and the flippin hooks!
Yes there are spiders about & yes they seem too enjoy cutting lines so ya may want too invest in some pop up/floating beads.

So, as a quick round up (ok i dont do quick) spring has sprung and signs while not great quite yet they do look fairly decent with in the last 10 days despite the frikin winds the following, Plaice, Dab, Flounder, bass, conger, dogfish, hound pups, Mackerel, yes mackerel, spider crabs are arriving, squid, cuttlefish, sole, wrasse, black and guilt head bream, a few whiting, mullet (A) Dev D knocked off a debated is it A or B as in either a juvenile Turbot or Brill and tbh Im not gonna stick my neck out and say which because Im not 100% sure of what I think it is but was a nice catch for him of a local beach. A nice Topknot was landed on the east wall and there are red mullet and gurnards out n about already so while the numbers may not seem huge its not bad going for what has been quite low numbers on the wall. I do expect things too keep picking up as we do seem too be entering a better period of calm weather from today onwards so fingers crossed, the hints of fish out there seems too be better than last year and on the improve at the moment… there may even be some horse mackerel this weekend.. watch this space.

thats it, honest I’m gonna stop now.. well almost & thats too say the usual sign off. Until the next one… I will bid you all ADIEU
F