Ok folks time for an update /round up of the current state of the walls.
With the exception to the extension which does tend to be the last section jet washed the main part of the wall has finally been jet washed upper and lower level. Now some may say about time etc but have little to no clue of what has been involved to get this done.

Thus a quick explain, This past year/winter has likely been the worst most have seen regarding the condition of both walls. The damage has been extensive and continuous. Late November a load of damage was sorted with the removal of large sections of damage on the front end of the east wall. By the end of Dec there was further damage that left huge chunks of cement on the wall and needing removed to prevent further damage to the walls and things like the red posts and wires. The weather did no favours for either wall and with it less cold overall it created the perfect set up for algae growth.

This year is maybe only the 2nd year in over 25 that there is FLOWERING algae on the walls, thats how extensive it has been, not only the lower levels but also the upper levels on the west from bay 3 upper has needed jet washing and the entire length of the lower needed sorting also. The east is no better so will take time to get done and that will be working around heavily damaged wall sections.

So where do we stand as of today ?
The west has been jetwashed and as regulars know re getting back open some parts of th lower take damage almost yearly and again the steps at bay 17/18 are the worst hit and will need a rebuilt. There are a few potholes to fill as per a yearly thing and some wiring is set still to repair….BUT … isnt there always a but 🙂

Providing that some essential work can be done and the steps sectioned off Dave (who is overseeing repairs while mark is on hol) is hoping that the weather plays nice and WE CAN GET some of the WEST open potentially as soon as next weekend. Now ive looked at the forecast folks so dont get too excited as the opening may not happen as soon as next weekend but it is very close to being opened.

At this point I will divert a little and post up thanks to Joe aka Tony the night guy and his son who have been wave dodging for a few weeks and actually getting both levels of the west jet washed which having done it myself know that its no easy task under poor conditions.

Most have never used a jet washer so little realise that other than lugging this machine up & down the wall simply holding one of these things batters your senses. after an hour you whole body vibrates you have slight breezes pushing algae spray in your face and down your neck. It gets everywhere on your body, its wet and cold you get soaked in spray and even end up breathing in green muck. After 5+ hours lugging this thing about and hanging onto a vibrating high pressure hose you get to put it all away while knackered out and your whole body feeling like its still rattling for hours while you finger tips get the feel of electric shocks every time you lightly touch anything ! so for anyone to spend a month with one gets my respect, thank you Joe and Sebastian !.

Right back to where are we at.
AS said the west could open as soon as next weekend weather and repairs allowing but what hours and days is still to be determined and DAVE will be doing a full walk through check over on the west on hopefully TUESDAY so we will have a clearer picture after thats done.

So to the east wall.
Simply describing it and be done as thus
Loads of damage, loads of wires to sort (or have been) and plenty of posts to replace or have been … other than that ? its very very green !…

Both upper and lower need extensive jet washing and we are somewhat hampered as there are one or two issues with water supply and access points to said water supply. Some taps have been closed off or access removed. part due to re-piping part to sorting which sections within the marina pay for said supply but that issue is hopefully to be sorted next week to allow getting the machine up the wall and also assessing where is the best start place. Bay 1 is not always the best place and can be conditional to repair needs.
Personally I have not been up on the east since December and after the 1st load of damaged wall sections were removed in November further storms hit the east so the picture atm is less clear and as a result no clear picture of when the east will be ready.

I have left the plaice comp in place but there is a good chance that the wall wont be ready for that event on the 17th of March so very likely it will be rescheduled if that is the case.

Further news on the east as and when I get it.
so for now thats all folks and I bid you ADIEU
F

Due to continued storm sequences the walls have taken further damage, it is a bit like the lad with his finger in the dike, its plugged but damage gets through !
As I was saying though due to continued storm forecasts and unpredictable weather there has been NO JET WASHING begun as of yet.

High seas and blows directly at the walls mean an awfully large amount of seawater is washing the lower levels and creating ideal conditions for algae growth.
In its simplest terms to set up the jet washer involves loading it into a car to get it to the marina and then a trolley (yea a marina one!) to get said machine up onto the required wall. Two miles of hose also need transporting up onto the walls and set up, another car and trolley trip… or two !
Fuel needs getting for the machine followed by the laying out & setting up of the jet washer and hoses even before anyone starts Jet washing !. Once the day is done all of this needs packing away and storing on the west in the tower as it cant be left on the wall (too many thieves). Day 2 then starts all over again moving hoses and setting up.
It will take time to get things done and no one in their right mind is going to start the process when there is only a 2-3 day gap in the weather as anything cleared of algae in 2 days followed by a week of poor weather would simply see the cleared area needing to be done again.

With regards to the Plaice comp, the date will stay but naturally its dependant on forecasts between now and then and actually getting the needed work done in time. It is very possible that it wont happen in March but Dave who is organising the jet washing and other wall repairs obviously hopes to get the walls back open as soon as possible and for now is targeting being open by EASTER.
If the plaice comp is cancelled we will look at perhaps running it or something else later in the year IE. perhaps late summer early Autumn.

That’s it for now, unfortunately not better news but an update was due and now done. Until next time I bid you all ADIEU
F

Website has been updated with a couple of events added, check the events tab for details. The Tacklebox hope to be organising a few competitions this year including hosting the Annual(weather permitting) SQUID competition that was begun by Robin(fishyRob)Howard and continued by the L.I.S.A. group most recently.

Unfortunately last year the Squid did not play in the spring and the consistent “run” was so small and scattered that the spring event was cancelled. While the Autumn “run” was good the event wasn’t picked up for various reasons.
Approximate dates for the squid event this year are up in the “EVENTS” section of this website.

With regard to the wall condition there are wires to repair still and hopefully they should be sorted fairly quickly. I am told that the damaged concrete sections have been removed but the update I got was a fairly quick one.

Regarding jet washing, as I type this (Fri) I have been told by Joe(night warden) that he plans to start with the jet washer on Monday and continue through the week providing the weather is suitable. I will then hopefully get a better idea of the conditions of both walls and update here A.S.A.P.
Thats it for now so I will until next time bid you all Adieu
F.

Sorry about the current lack of updates but simply put there is no news. repairs have not been able to start due to the weather being so disruptive and I hate to say it but with the recent round of storms I fully evxpect further damage to both walls.

Once I get some clear info I will post a more informed update.

I hope everyone had the best Christmas and new year they could. I am aware many dread the Christmas season for personal reasons and sometime it can be simply a case of manage until its done.
Until next time I post I bid you all ADIEU
F

The event page has been rebuilt and re ordered. There are a few comps already in the process of sorting for the wall and for the boats in the marina that will be open to all.
Some will notice a “LISA” section also listed.
LISA are a group of mainly local anglers that got together wanting to try and change the general view of JOE PUBLIC regarding anglers and as well as this sort of prompt push , encourage other anglers to perhaps look at how they fish and leave venues. There is a page on the website relating to LISA so please have a look around this website 🙂
The event page will have more content as I get the info
Best wishes folks and until next time I bid you ADIEU
F

while some may come here for any updates re wall repairs I think now it is likely to be a case of get the winter weather out of the way before any real assessments are done on either wall to ascertain the full impact of any damage that may have occurred.

As I understand things on last check the west was in better condition than the East so Im guessing that if not too bad that will be where the early focus will begin with fixes and jet washing.

There is a chance that the lower bays on the EAST could be sorted quickly also and if the case there is always a chance that bays 1-28 could be got open somewhen towards the end of February

Thats it tbh, little to post on the fishing front mostly due to lack of reports although some going out are still getting bream on their kayaks and ribs with a few bass also caught but I think its fair to say that now we are well into whiting season..
Until next time… Adieu
F

I think it is now fair to say that we are well into the Autumn season, with the winds very much a case of UP’s & DOWNs bringing with them plenty of rain. Are there any benefits to V windy and loads of rain ? Some will tell you for sure. It guarantee’s plenty of room on the walls, the down side being that they can be shut as often as open. Big bonus, the dog mess and wee along with the human waste gets well rinsed off the walls as well..

The night sessions will start to be reduced as now the colder nights are coming in having the west open early week is often not viable if only 2 or 3 are likely to use it but Mark is still looking to have the west open at weekends (weather permitting )
On the whats being caught front Im told there are still plenty of squid about but the last couple of days its been a little tricky encouraging them onto the lures(no idea why). Bass are also still playing ball although the overall sizes being caught seems to have gone down, although there was a decent 9lb+ fish landed Wednesday night. Plaice seem to still be ticking over despite an obvious increase in the winter arrivals of dogfish, whiting, and also a marked increase of eels. Mackerel are still being reported in small numbers but I| suspect the better chances of getting one will now be landed on baited hooks rather than feathers.

One other bonus/down side of all the rain will be a noticeable increase in flounders around the river estuaries and I gather there is more bass activity up the estuaries as well.

The weather looks as far as the marina is concerned proper pants thus both walls are expected to close early today as the winds pick up on the South west and will be closed tonight, all Saturday & Sunday and very likely on Monday so please keep an eye on updates of when the walls re open.
That is it for today and I will as usual bid you all ADIEU
F

WALL CLOSE UPDATE 17th OCT

both walls open Tues day
No night fishing Tues
WED closed
THURS closed
FRI open
Night fishing FRI TBA
SAT open
Night fishing SAT TBA

It would appear that the local waters have been invaded by a glut of Squid (finally) with many boats getting in on the fun. Charter and private boats alike are returning to port with wonderful clean up jobs on their hands(not great if its you cleaning) and lots of squid often in a short spell of time.
A quick google tells me the species for those curious are as follows
“There are currently two species fished in the UK, the veined squid (Loligo forbesii) and the european squid (Loligo vulgari s).” no boat? no problem there are also plenty being caught from the local structures and the bulk of them are close to the bottom. Method is usually a slow jig up & down and most common methods are via
A jig set up under a float and set quite deep.
A weighted casting Jig(egi method) fairly close to the wall
A single or double in line jig(s) set with a weight to cast (similar to egi)
I have also seen them used on double & treble boom rigs with a weight under the set up.
Well worth a go for squid atm as other than decent eating (best flash fried while fresh) they also make great winter (or even summer) bait and are easily frozen.

So what else is about, locally there are still Guilt and black bream in the water, Bass are an all year feature these days, Im told there are mullet but those ive heard of caught are by dedicated mullet anglers but may I guess be one of those species that people get unexpectedly for most. Yes there are still mackerel & horse mac about and i have seen some piccys of undulates locally caught.
Plaice are best from the east wall and it seems like there are congers every 2-3 hook ups for many out there and are becoming a bit of a plague. The dreaded dogfish are making their annual show up and numbers building quite rapidly as the summer clarity starts turning to its winter brown. So far not so many whiting but as the nights get colder (yep temps dropping fast) one thing is certain from the marina , whiting & dogfish , ok 2 things.

James fished over the weekend and put a post up on the marina FB group of a decent SHAD, yes there are still some about and very sensibly posted that not only did he return it but also pointed out why being as the numbers of SHAD are at risk and are currently protected by the Fisheries rules. Thankyou James for the reminder to all on the group.

Having mentioned FB leads me onto the many posts that can be found there of a recent recording of some magnificent Tuna chasing and feeding on Garfish, its a wonder at the numbers of Tuna that any Gar are escaping them and reaching this far up the channel but they are and are currently in Sussex waters in good numbers with plenty of recorded catches over the weekend.
Still on FB posts , over the weekend Lee posted to the group of his latest trip with his 2 lads who had a great day fishing the east higher bays on Saturday and as well as landing (with help) a decent 18.6lb conger went on to catch plaice, flounder, guilthead bream and a nice looking topknot, well done all & if dad gives permission I will post a pic of the boys with said giant sea slug 🙂 well done all & ty Lee for sharing.

Over the weekend it was nice to see Ali, a well known face catch a decent bass and Niko shared his 1st fish (an eel) in over 8 years, welcome back to the world of sea fishing Nico. on the down side also returning was an overweight(looked it) seal lurking in the water off the east wall which may have accounted for some having a poor time of it at times of which that included myself. I actually got out twice(2-3 hrs each time) last week and blanked almost twice but for a v late on take of an Eel.

We do seem to still have quite a few summer species being caught, possibly due to warmer than seasonal water temps but as the nights get colder I expect that to change quickly so best get at it before them chilly northerlies take root. We are almost at the time when coats stay on while fishing & defo a case once the sun drops as was very clear Sunday evening.

That is just about it other than a quick note re the weather. We are defo now well into the Autumn with colder air temps and frequent rainy spells so while it may looks bright and sunny prior to travel I will remind you all to pack something warm and a winter coat as you will need them, cold hand season has arrived 🙂 and on that note I will sign off and bid you all ADIEU
F

^{Not a bad few days on the wall with fairly steady fishing, plenty still on the species counts and I guess the water temps must be a little over the normal October averages.
The has been plenty of bass about, mackerel during the day and horse mac at night. A decent cod (for the wall) was caught Sunday night by Armando amongst other catches. On the east there has been plaice, gar, wrasse gurnards and a few varieties of ray.
Add into the above and there have been mullet, conger and there are still bream to be had, not bad as I said for the start of Autumn. Conditions have been a bit stired up with a fair bit of weed being reported, but not that bad that the squid didnt want to return. Robin on BIF1 had had quite a decent haul this week! get them jigs back out 🙂
Thats it for now, short but sweet I guess so I will bid you all Adieu
F}