Took the miss-firing loaner quad down yesterday late afternoon and things were quite busy. Reports of decent numbers of mackies on the morning high most likely the reason , or, perhaps simply a case of decent weather & less wind prompted many to do the trip.
As per Mark’s post on the book of face, there was a decent 18lb giant sea slug, aka conger eel on the higher bays and pictured was a good looking wrasse in amongst plenty of mixed sizes of mackerel over the morning tide. needless to say I am often very reliant on any of the day wardens posting up at least a mini report and by time I get down around about 5ish a lot of the day anglers have packed up either having had enough sun for the day, sufficient fish(rare) or simply the low tide combined with “anglers” only being armed with feathers give it up due to lack of catches on the lower tides. Ironic yesterday as I will explain below.
before I get onto what I saw once on the wall in the way of fish I will say a few words regarding fish care. Those that know me have already found out that I’m a bit of a stickler for people to , if keeping fish caught despatch them quickly and often will show people how. The marina in summer can get very busy not only with anglers but also general visitors that do like to have a stroll along (when open) both of the marina breakwaters.
As a result of this, many of the walkers are not anglers and they can be quite shocked to see dozens of fish being landed and left flapping on the concrete in effect suffocating, or the fish are dropped into a box/bag/storage while still alive and again left to suffocate.
Quite often anglers do not even think about this part of angling or indeed fish keeping. I doubt there is anyone that would want to be suffocated or drowned in such a manner, yes the fish are effectively drowning in the air. This is why I will always push anglers to dispatch fish prior to putting them into boxes/containers.
Now, with regards to storage and fish care, I was please yesterday to see so many cool boxes on the wall in preparation. Some even had decent amounts of Ice with them, One gent even had a Styrofoam box that he had filled with sea water, I must say it is good to see people looking after catches, especially when you consider that some anglers will stay on the wall 5 plus hours and then have 2 plus hours of traveling to do when they leave.
One more tip/suggestion for anyone keeping fish. Prior to leaving the sea wall, GUT YOU FISH. it adds to ground bait, but best of all it means you have less weight to carry home.
Ok, so, yesterday, as I said arrived on the wall about 5ish with quite a few on the walls quite evenly spread all along the wall upto about bay 46.
On talking and generally checking if folks were ok it seemed that there was little going on in the lower few bays (low tide ish) but there were clear signs of some level of mackerel activity with one or two below bay 12 with a few mackerel in boxes/buckets that were recently caught. pootling up to bay 20 I then saw a few landed as I passed and they also had recently caught a few. no great numbers individually but defo enough to keep people on the feed right along to bay 29. Most on the wall were after lunch arrivals so other than marks report there was almost no other catch info.
from 29 up most were basically sat staring at others further down the wall catching while those on the straighter part of the wall were remarking that it was very quiet….. Now , if one was to stop and think for a mo you might start thinking… erm yes there are rods in the water but they all look like bait rods. So, who on the straight section was feathering because the bulk were actually sat watching the bend ppl getting a few mackies here n there… yup almost everyone was sat, stating that there were no fish and yet they could see some people feathering and catching lower down …. go figure.
When I said almost Im betting you spotted the word “almost” yes on dude who I had seen that day earlier in the marina with his wife/partner had asked for info regarding parking etc and in good time found his way onto the wall and had had a few fish in his … yes…, Styrofoam box filled with seawater.
Anyhoo, a few more chats on the way to 46 and that as such was it tbh, the upper bays were empty which on its own is quite unusual as 55-60 is often regarded as prime bays. I came off the wall and stopped above bay 3 for a while having a chinwag and generally enjoying the afternoon sun until perhaps 7ish and headed leisurely for home. all in all I guess it was one of those “lazy hazy sunny afternoons”.
Well thats it until most likely a report tomorrow being as I plan to roll down the wall again later on today. If you are there, feel free to say hi and introduce yourself, for some , introduce yourself again being as I am somewhat notorious for forgetting peoples names.
And with that, I will ,until next time bid you all ADIEU
F
Yesterday.
There thats it ! well not quite but could well have been. I arrived on the wall just b4 5pm, a few scattered anglers on the wall low down with most ppl there on the bend. Worked my way along the wall and had a chat with most and the story was, catches were lacking and the days tide was a small one.
Water colour was fairly decent and quite calm but the real issue of the day other than lack of fish was that flipping fern & moss like weed everywhere especially over the high tide.
Of those that mentioned catches there was no sign of bass, I guess too bright on the low tide. There were a couple of juvenile rays on the straight section and a conger high up with a few bream confirmed on the lower rockier marks. The day warden (mark) mentioned that there were some mackerel in the morning but I got the distinct impression it wasnt a lot. all in all a very quiet day on the east without an evening mackerel run.
Final word, there were some rods left in the carpark in error that unfortunately were removed by someone. I’m hoping that they were moved and to be handed in either to marina security or the tacklebox. sadly its more likely that some opportunist has had them away and feeling quite chuffed with themselves. It would be nice to think that whoever has them would hand them in but I fear that it is unlikely.
well thats it for today, short and sweet so until next time I will bid you all ADIEU & maybe catch some of you later after 5.
F
As it says, just a quickie here as yesterday tbh I barely saw anyone on the wall when I went down, WHY ? well just a small matter tbh, a few rumbles of thunder, a couple of loudish claps and about 10 mins of fairly heavy rain had everyone (almost) scarpering for the hills. Thus by time I reached the wall there was one Far eastern looking dude and (i assume) a dad and his lad still on the wall. three or four arrived while I was chatting with dready and I suspect the heavy looking skies put most off from thinking about wandering out with carbon fibre wiggle stick just incase the “huge thunder storm” attempted to start up again.
Im helping out on the wall later so wont be down with any bait but I will have weights n bits of tackle on me after 5pm.
That is it TBH so untill next time I will bid you all ADIEU
F
Not quiet morning as I type in the “just afternoon ” but close enough. Trundled down the east on the quad yesterday late afternoon to do my (atm,) usual afternoon thing and also gave Mark a lift with the evening tide as Fri eve had panned out as a busy one and things were a bit problematic clearing the wall at close time with anglers reluctant to start packing rods so the wall could be shut on time.
generally asking people how they were or had got on etc and it was quite clear that the day shift with the exception of the early morning mackerel run that did do well things were somewhat bleak once they had petered out.
I was genuinely at a push to find anyone claiming to have caught much of anything yet alone what most would call decent. Yes there were many that had basic mackerel set ups only so were still valiantly throwing leads to the skies in worship but I would also say there were plenty there also mostly bait fishing and ready to swap a rig out for feathers if the need arose.
Catch wise during the day it was what Id have called bits n bobs, a few scattered bream in their usual spots but little sign of flatfish over the sand. The bass bays also declined to play and one well know bass local you could say ” CAME, SAW, and erm nope he didnt say with his younger family members opting for Macky D’s instead.
Conditions yesterday were quite different to what was forecast the day earlier . Xcweather and a couple of others all indicated Friday would be the best of the week! , eeerrrmmmm nope they wasn’t. The wind dad been fairly constant and over the 3-5mph days estimate, oh not by much but ya would have thought they would have got 18mph+ a bit closer or nearer accurate. It sorta reminded me of a much milder version of Mr Michael Fish saying “no mrs**** from Birmingham there wont be a hurricane coming” granted its a bit of a liberty by comparison but ya cant stop random thoughts happening in my head!
Afternoon drifted into early evening and unexpectedly the wind did ease back as the tide peaked enough in that the very visible white horses faded to an obvious swell, there had been a few mackerel (mostly Joeys) on the bays from 5 through to about 18, lower and more inshore than the previous 6 tides but there was a distinct lack of build up in fish numbers. The quality of mackerel sizes were quite extreme ends with plenty of Joeys and some much larger adult fish that could nearly have fed 2 blokes.
Between 7 & 8pm the sporadic mackerel had spread further along the wall and Id say fairly much everyone had some fish, one or 2 probably filled their cool boxes but most probably managed 10 to 15 assorted in size mackies. nothing great but I guess most would say sensible fishing.
With one minor exception I am very please to say most were onboard with the wall close time and many had started to pack away b4 I started to roll the quad from bay 50ish slowly along the upper level. Indeed a fair few had already started walking off the wall pre-empting my reminders at 8.45.
Sadly one small group just couldnt help getting into taking those just one more and another and another even after having to quite loudly saying to them “come on guys them rods should be out by now” yes one had to just keep going ! boy did he jump when I bellowed at him, for some weird reason he wanted to know why I shouted ! I guess he will remember me next time he is there come closing. The upshot, everyone was of the wall by 9pm with the exception of that particular group of four who finally wandered off the wall at 9.20pm.
As I explained to all of them, there is a reason we ask people to start packing and we have a working relationship with residents and marina staff alike to have the walls closed and secured by a fixed time at night.
Its a royal pain having to leave the wall when there are fish running for everyone, no one likes it but then we as anglers have a way of forgetting while in the moment fishing that residents live in the marina and regularly hear anglers walking through the marina, often past their windows at all hours of the day. At night you can clearly hear sounds and voices carry from the wall across to the residences add radio over loud discussions, trollies clanking over the flat cobbles and then think about the 30+ years some have had to listen to this it tbh is hardly a shock that eventually residents complaints became very vocal. At one point the resident association even called for the marina to stop all night fishing on both walls and would have been happy for the east to have been fully closed and fishing stopped on the east.
Thankfully a compromise was reached and a fixed close time before the light started to go was agreed so that as we have now, we open at 6.30am and close at 9pm with a little flexibility if any event such as squidding last year was arranged and various ppl notified it would happen.
If anglers regularly flout the close time the logical solution would have to be to close earlier due to the regularity of time over runs getting the wall shut down.
It is in the anglers interest to comply with this even though it sometimes raises a grumble because the tides fall just right causing anglers to try and hang on, unfortunately buy doing this those anglers are doing no one any favours and simply causing niggles amongst residents, some of whom would be quite happy for fishing on the east to cease entirely.
So folks, to those of you who clear the walls promptly I thank you on behalf of all concerned for doing so, if you are ok with a quick word as you pass anyone not packing up in sensible manner please(only if you are comfy doing so) just a quick word to the dude(s) as you pass simply say, c’mon guys you need to pack up. Many already do and believe me when I say we are grateful & no, you are not doing our job for us:)
Clearing the walls on time keeps us on side with the marina and its users which benefits anglers ore than some realise.
Conditions today if anyone is unaware are quite blowy with a fairly strong westerly. I havn’t been down today but can see the tree movement from the house 1/2 way up manor hill heading to the racecourse so and accurately say its going to be very lumpy on the front part of the wall above the bend. I would expect most who are fishing will be clustered below bay 12.
Sunday looks similar to today but less fierce on the wind that ATM is showing on my aps today at 25s to 30mph with tomorrow expected to be in the region of 12-18mph. beyond that the following week looks decent with a northerly swing Monday that may even push some of that annoying moss lie weed away from the walls.
Ok so that is almost it from me, if you are on the wall reading this I have an MRI appointment just after 4pm so may skip the wall run this afternoon (especially as it looks cack out there ! and thus, I will until next time bid you all ADIEU
F
Its here? say wot now! wots here? Summer ? the final Rapture ? end of days ? well maybe the last one a bit extreme but I know a few that think it nearly every “summer” and others even go into a state of “rapture” but most bait and lure anglers will be looking on thinking to themselves “oh gawd its the end of days” again !
By now ya should have figured out what I’m saying even if its not actually any of the above but to some is the above. Yup its that well known illness of mackerel fever a.k.a. mackrelitis ! beware it can now strike almost anywhere. Hordes of once sane anglers are licking their collective cops with glee while being vocal about how they only take a few for the … ahem … “bait freeze” Meanwhile you can hear almost literally the slow rumble as it gets louder of the stampede of the “Homo Erectus scombrus” heading towards the nearest bit of open water with their 12 rod and 2 sets of feathers, one set having been in place since late October the year before… (just incase they re-emerge early)
YES “Scomber scombrus” the humble Mackerel has infected the nation once more for another year ! you have been warned the yearly surge is upon us. Currently they are hitting the marina and other beaches locally around just before or after the days 2 high tides. No doubt as the high drifts later in the day the bright sun & clearer waters may slow the surge but as we have suitable tides am and pm the diseased will sweep over and past us all I fear !! ;):)
Ok back to the sensible mode. To be honest I don’t have much to post due to a lack of earlier in the day other than mackerel on or around the morning high. Late afternoon as I spoke to those there I learnt that a couple of conger got winkled out on the low bay but beyond that I had no other info regarding size weight etc. progressing along the lower bays there were a fair few bream, many of which were small but one dude was doing quite well for himself with some decent sizes on his tally stick.
Onto the bend of the wall there were a few lines baited in the water but it was clear what most were after with feathers already swinging the lead. As I reached the bend I could see a few mackies coming out but the bulk on the bend were yet to have much more than a few. As things seemed slow I continued on trying to chat to all even if some only replied with a quick hi.
By time I reached 29 a few grumbles were had as we were after the high tide and a few were sceptical that most of the week had seen THEM FISH on, over just before or after the high when as if like some weird miracle a mini shoal broke the surface directly in front of me. YES someone had opened the fish gate(bloody fools ;))
From bay 29 I could see fairly much all the way up the straight section and it was clear that the vast bulk bar maybe 6-7 bait rods were there for the one thing. The fish didn’t disappoint those on the straight as there was perhaps 90 mins solid of mackerel (mixed sizes) catching.
Unfortunately the timing of the high tide is one of those things that either makes the wardens job easy or a total pain in the butt for wardens who are expected to clear the wall on time so that the gate and wall can be shut and secured for 9pm.
This issue is purely down to to anglers constantly taking that “Just one more cast” while looking at other anglers doing the same. The result no one or very few are not packing up so that the wall can be checked and closed for the night.
Anglers need to be more aware of the need to shift themselves of the wall or put bluntly the warden needs to bollock everyone into moving or we all risk either having the close time moved earlier or in the long run if a constant issue we could see the loss of the east arm completely.
Please help the wardens observe the close time and be off the wall by 9pm.
And with that note I will add that I will be on the wall this evening and will be staying until close as a lift to the duty warden.
Until tomorrows guffin report I will , until next time ,as per bid you all ADIEU
F
.. the weekend, not exactly a fish report more a waffle report so if ya want it , scroll dow n cut the guff.:)
As I type I can see movement on the trees where I am halfway up manor hill so it looks very much like an accurate forecast on xcweather today with a westerly/SWesterly breeze of 14 upto 20ish that will stay fairly constant until 9pm ish this evening.
Its bright & sunny or should that (dad pun arriving) read ” BRIGHTON sunny” out there ;). Based on yesterdays feedback (I wasnt there , was at the AMEX) the weed is still heavy and probably worst over high tide. Although crappy the high yesterday had other benefits to it(more in a bit, you know the drill with me by now :).
After discussions yesterday I am told that the shop will now open daily to 6pm ish & I will call in the shop to confirm that on Sunday. So unless Vic is reading this I will update the shop hours once confirmed. (Gizza call vic so I can update.) Once confirmed I can adjust which time I arrive on the wall with any spare top ups that people need if they have missed the shop being open.
A quick note about the next few days weather wise, today & tomorrow (tomorrow looks best day of week) things are looking good, less wind tomorrow will prove very good for those that like to float with hardly any wind too bother anglers on Friday.
Saturday looks very much like today has been in the morning but then conditions change somewhat. The wind speeds of 15-20 ish will see an increase somewhen after lunch with expected averages of 20-30 after 4ish and potentially showers/rain mid morning until 4ish (dont quote me tho it may not rain at all !) Either way it looks like it may be a bumpy day on the wall dodging a few waves and hopefully not serious enough to stay open.
Sunday we have expected due westerly winds with gusts peaking about 20ish so expect the straight front section to get somewhat bumpy at times with the lower bays better protected from the elements.
Next week from Monday on things look again too look up and the weather pretends to again be back in summertime mode and we should all see flat seas and sunshine. As the old fart CLIFF would say
“Here come summer”
Right, as I did say at the start of this deliberate ramble to make the size of the blog look impressive…. I didnt visit the wall yesterday so am entirely reliant on any FB postings as to what did or diddnt happen on the wall yesterday on the fishy front, so here goes….
Plenty of bream lower bays with high water the best time to target them, Bass of various sizes top n tail of the wall with signs of early morning mackies with little to no anglers on the wall 1st thing. High tide in the afternoon and 30 mins prior saw quite a few small shoals buzzing in & out for the best part of an hour with plenty for all that were fishing for them.
As above I mentioned the high tide, this mornings high of 5.30am also saw a similar burst of mackerel, the few that were at the gate as such got to see some of it which must have been a bit frustrating as the wall didnt open until 6.30am.
Some of the morning anglers were lucky enough to get one or 2+ prior to the mackies headed for deeper water. It is fully expected that the evenings high tide will again produce a similar run of mackerel around the high time of 5.52pm
Its looking sunny and breezy out there, perfect conditions for the unwary to get sun burnt as the breeze will deceptively cool the sun on your face.
And with that, If you are on the walls later I will see you then, so until next time I bid you all ADIEU
F
Holy moley where the heck did that go, one moment you skip a days report and just like that its the middle of the week.. fek!
Ok first things first.. sort of. No report Monday as had medical appointment(neurology) plus some results were due from past test blah blah blah as they say then the mrs decided on “lets go for a beer” thus SWMBO took me for a beer or 3 ! and as a direct result didn’t do a bait run Monday so didn’t have a report to put up as such.
Tues did do a bait run and as sods law states 3 different people said
“was hoping to see you yesterday”
that comment led to , give me your number so I can call you… hmm, While I know a load of ppl out there do have my number if everyone on the walls over 6 month had my number Id spend most of my days answering calls .
There is a solution though.
I can be reached via messenger IE facebook message links
alternatively speak to any of the guys working on the wall, they are easy to find as they have yellow/green marina jackets on and identify as fishing wardens.
tell them what you want, if its worth while I will make an extra run down onto the east if I am free.
I usually have frozen, black lug, mackerel, sand eels, squid boxes large size & party size, I also have smaller blister packs of large & party squid. I also carry grip weights 4,5,6, & 7oz and plain weights 3 & 4oz, mackerel feathers, a few boom arm rigs and other bits n bobs.
I can also get my hands on some decent new round drop nets that will fill the V’s on the wall, they come in a good carry bag with shoulder strap and the net has a pouch for weights.
.. they are £20 each plus a £7 postage fee, decent quality I have had one for a year.
Ok, so wtf has been happening and less of the bliddy waffle eh!,
oh, yea just thought ! da da daaahhhh….. shock horror it also thinks!
Over the last few days, either on the wall or meeting quite randomly I have had a few people mention that they read these blogs, well if you do read em & you see me either on the wall or just simply out n about.. please say hi and let me know, In the past I allowed feedback comments on the website but too many that had a beef with either me or Dave G would troll the site and comments. It got bloody tedious and annoying so now I post & leave it comment free.
It is great to get feedback even if its only that there is an error on this site,(tell me it will get fixed) please, feel free to stop me and say hi. when I do my runs on the wall I am not pressed for time and am happy to stop & chinwag while on the wall or simply just out for a beer or summat, I don’t mind, and actually enjoy talking about almost anything and as said I always like to hear of any feedback even if ya think the site sucks 🙂
Please feel free to stop me & say hi.
Righty ho, lets do this (at last eh! ) I will 1st of copy the fb group post I put up as is easier than retying it again, and so >>>> FB POST for Sunday run……
A bit of a mixed bag on the east today
Prob to be expected that things were slow and sluggish for many with today being one of those full on damned hot days on the wall.
Over all id say top fished better than the bottom and the middle saw sporadic flurries of joey mackerel.
Loads feathering on main part of wall so expected “other” species caught was quite low bar the guys having thier comp.
Some ppl were crabbing but todays catch for them were mostly hardbacks.
Overall catches included
Silver and conger eels, plaice, bream, bass, wrasse, smoothound pups, and as said scattered joeys on the straight bit.
Best of the bream were on the lower bays wrasse and eels were top end with the palace pier group.
Anyone that fancies joining a friendly group for mostly comps every 2 weeks on a Sunday with the palace pier guys give Glenn Arnold a should and he will give you some details.
I will add here that Sunday when I left just b4 7pm the sporadic mackerel did increase for nearly an hour with just about everyone that wanted , did indeed bag up with plenty of fish caught.
Monday I am basically reliant on word of mouth and the occasional FB posts
Mackerel made an early morning appearance and very few were caught during the main part of the day but again as things cooled there was an increase in numbers. Things during the day were quite tough going , bright sun, heat, clearish water made tougher by masses of weed collecting on rig joints & hooks which was worst over the high.
Bream are on the increase particularly under bay 17 with a noted up on the higher wall section also. occasional conger and one or 2 bass taken. add in plaice number on the rise, gurnard & mullet (no id of type) and a few micro stuff down the sides where rougher ground can be found.
Over all , and I do say this cautiously, things are picking up despite the weed being an absolute pain.
Tuesday I did a bait run with Ironicly at least 3 people saying they missed me on the Monday ! sods law eh! BUT, coz there is always a but in these things…..
If you want/need bait or a few weights/rigs etc for what ever reason, talk to the warden if you dont have direct contact with me they can get hold of me quickly.
Overall(again) there is IMO may rot still in the water although a few say there isnt (so im imagining it) but sea temps are now rising with the sunny days so expect the water to get clearer than currently is. species numbers are increasing and while not at the levels of some years I can clearly see for this year an improvement with better takes of Bass, Bream & plaice the most common (im not counting mackies) and thus we finally come to my meandering typing,
and thus, until next time I will bid you all ADIEU
F
P.S. I wont be on the wall today as im hedded to the amex
F
Oh goody , Its a Sunday morning (just)round up 🙂
Took the quad for a wander yesterday onto the EAST about 4ish for a gossip and catch up. Quiet a few more people (makes a change as for June things have been fairly quiet in numbers and considering only one wall open there was plenty of space for all. Alex was on bay one and mentioned that he had a cuttle fish on a lure, pic was on Facebook so already new but its always good to hear the details behind a piccy.
While chatting he said where he was things seemed quiet but there had he was told been a few mackies in the morning further along the wall.
A couple of bays from Alex was another “older” familiar face and I’m sure if he was reading this he would chuckle so please excuse the language( I will show him if I see him) but bugger me, the old bastard was proudly showing off a legit Euro Citizen card that the local constabulary had provided him with. I shan’t name the bugger but I recon he will chuckle at this turn of phrase for him being as he was such a sodding pain on his summer visits to the west a few years ago. Rumour of his passing it seems was not the case and in a way was pleasantly surprised to see him still with us and still kicking.
I sold some squid to regulars on the next bay and continued up the wall chatting to most and by bay 12 it seems things had improved over Alex’s view of what was going on with a few bream having been caught and one fairly newish regular stopping to chat on his way off the wall..
I know he usually reads the blog so should easily Identify himself from our convo about catching 2 bream for a change after I suggested a couple of changes to how he targets them. Where he was fishing there was loads of blennie takes while he tried for bream, ( suggested another slight change to his rig next time) and he saw quite a few fish caught around him further up. And with that and a quick pull down of his floppy sun hat against the breeze on the upper level he was off home . By now you should all realise that….. yup I cant remember his flipping name… as usual.
Anyhoo bay 12, they had seen some bream, a mullet & and mackerel earlier in the morning but things had slackened on the low so a sluggish slog was there as most waited for the tide to rise. Come the High at 2pm(ish) there were sporadic mackerel and one gent on @14 had a small mutt. As I followed the bend there were a few Joey mackerel being caught so asking some people how they were getting on was less easy as they like many suddenly switched attention to the water as that very particular “mackerel fever” kicked into peoples heads.
The time was about 4.45pm and sort of every 4th bay along the straight section(some call it the front section) one or two mackies were coming out so an accurate catch fix was not forthcoming. Thus I trundled the wheels along past 29 to @35 where a couple of dudes were looking glum as they could see fish coming out and much to their dismay and not for want of trying hadn’t caught a thing.
I stopped for a quick chat and suggested to take the multiple lures of the rod set up and go with a set of feathers, they were sceptical (not too sure why) possibly due to their lack so far of fish so I pointed out that most around them were catching at a steady tick over to be met with the usual comment
“yea boss but no fish here”
So using one of Dave Grinham’s old puns said to them… tell ya what I will open the fish gate..
Well sod me, ya could have knocked me down with a feather as a small shoal sort of exploded the water straight in front of me ! I trundled off with a parting comment of
“see, bet you wished you had put the feathers on sooner” while they had a mad scramble finding and trying to untangle a new set they ripped out of the packet too quickly thus making it all the harder to rig up.
by this time there was a couple of “mini” shoals ranging up and down the straight section from 22 right up to about bay 45 so again catch reports were vague, from one pair all I got was yea not bad, had a few different things and I could tell they were reluctant to expand soooooo I will spill their secret, they were on bay 43 🙂
strangely for a fairly busy Saturday there were very few above 45 until I reached 58 where there was a small group who were having I guess what can be best described as a mixed ok but not great day who when asked said the mackie burst hadn’t reached them but tbh were not that fussed as it was nice & quiet people wise where they were.
Final trundle of the day westwards hoooooooo.. was up to the lads fishing 74 who were quite happy watching the world tick by away from the loons that can constitute fishing the walls sometimes at the weekend. A quick chat indicated they had no desire to be amongst the mackerel thanks v much like and I turned around and headed back down the wall.
then I could see that most were filling their cool boxes, yes there were plenty that had come prepared, so for some a quick word about dispatching fish rather than having them suffocate here & there I trundled along the wall. All in all I was pleased to see that most were sorting their fish as they came off the line into mostly cool boxes, a few fishing bags and some carriers. The bulk of the anglers were also keeping their bays sensibly tidy although I did have a chat with some 1st time visitors regarding glass and that their next visit could they bring cans for the bottle beer and one group who preferred “summat stronger” to swap the bottles for plastics of some form.
Now I do respect that most will clean up everything when they leave, but, I will always remind people that we have a no glass policy & I do Understand they clean up behind them but there is always the chance of an accident or that one gush of wind that will knock a bottle over.
NOW, you would think that picking all the glass up is easily done but there is always that one… or 2 bits of glass slivers that hide themselves in some crack or crevasse on the wall & it then sits there awaiting the one victim who has kicked their shoes off to cool their feet… I don’t need to explain the rest.
so please folks , help us & please dont pack glass, TY.
Finally a quick round up from facebook reports for those that dont use or look there & thanks to NEIL a wall regular for posting his report that I can use as part of the also caught yesterday Items of, Bass, Plaice, Smooth hound pups, Blennies, Pout, Scorpion fish, mullet, silver & conger eels. Locally last night Dev had a decent sized Undulate of the beach of which it seems there are much fewer about this year.
I left the wall I guess about 6ish and I believe there were still a few mackies being caught, the bulk of them were joeys and those I saw, just incase pics show on the fb groups & “experts” say they are too small… all i saw yesterday were in size !
Well thats it for today, I will again be on the wall around 4-5pm with bait & tacklebits so if you are reading this , say hi, I may not remember your name but I will stop and chew the fat with you for a few minutes 🙂
And so, we come to the end of todays ramble and until next time(tomorrows will be delayed as a hosp app in Brighton Yaaay no dumb traveling) I will bid you all ADIEU
F
Took a trip down the east on the temp quad(on loan) being as my “ok scooter” has now spent 2+ weeks being ahem… repaired” for a change decent conditions , flat sea and sunny. A shame that the catch rate didnt seem to match the conditions. (today as the title suggests is back to the breezy day on the wall & calm nights ! thankfully only for a couple of days longer.
As said the catch rate was lower than expected, granted the water was almost low and the high not until it was dark. In amongst the weed and stripped baits though there were fish here and there with bass mainly top and bottom (im sure you can all work that out by now) bream very much in their expected spots) and overall on the low tough going. I dont have a morning report so hard to compare but some coming off as I arrived were sort of muttering the words blank.
in hindsight the low catches should have been better as local boats were reporting good trips with the wrecking runs doing well and inshore there were plenty of Bream, mackerel, bass, rays and various shark types. Yes its a bit vague but Ive a suspicion that th flood of white bait in amongst the wind farm is causing a temp about turn for the fish hunting fry. As that fry multiply and get larger I’m expecting a spread out from the wind farm as the weeks progress.
We could be in for some decent fishing soon… or , its all in my head and fanciful thinking. On that , only time will tell.
probably wont do a bait run today unless I get a call from the warden saying its wanted as I suspect the wall is quiet today. If you are on the wall and you the shop was shut & you need bait , please let the warden know and I will organise something.
Well, thats it for today. Until next time I will as usual bid you all ADIEU
F
Norra lot! tbh.
I was otherwise occupied in East Grinstead yesterday so didnt make my usual 5pm ish run on the wall but based on the previous day of almost identical conditions I doubt there would have been a great deal coming out other than perhaps a Bass for those fishing on the lower bays.
Wind conditions would have pushed everyone off the upper bays as well as those above, bay 20 if they were feeling a bit adventurous & enjoyed dodging the waves but most I suspect would have been like Monday clustered on the lower bays.
I did pop down on Monday but as said most were clustered on the lower bays to avoid the blustery conditions.
Water state obviously very murky atm & encouraging signs that the may rot has had enough so perhaps this series of windy days do have a silver lining if that is the last we see of this years may rot & we can all get back to fishing.
For obvious reasons I also have no info /reports from the charters as they would have been solidly parked at home.
Todays calm window is again closed tomorrow although Mark Is likely to have the lower bays on the east open based on current projections. Please bear in mind sometimes conditions crap up further than indicated and when that happens the duty warden be It Mark or Scooby Doo then has to make the call on the spot for the benefit of safety. Thus occasionally the wall though planned to open gets shut due to conditions and heres the pain bit, I may(or not) get a message or call that its closed but due to meds that can zonk me out for 12 hrs I’m not always alert to that message until later in the morning (yep sleeping beauty is actually an ugly fuk called me)
Beyond Thurs things slowly step down towards calmer weather & while Fri/Sat may be a bit lumpy I see no reason not to open. Come SUN/Monday its all calm again and things then settle into a mild northerly for a few days.
Regarding bait drops I now have some frozen Mackerel although the claimed (Cornish)Joeys are not that small I do have a few pkts of frozen joey’s and whole mackerel. as well as packets of sand eels.
if you are on the wall I will see you somewhen after 4pm. If you want a bait drop off on my way to marina via volks railway last station , please give me a message on FB or leave an email here on site.
Thats it for today, so until the next one I will bid you all ADIEU
F
