Well were we are again (not a queen song), another week done and dusted and another week begun. So lets start of with a catch report and some news on them missing squiddys of which is not that good. It seems that the annual spring run and breeding bash has passed us by this year and it happened with barely a whimper in the Brighton area quite a few weeks back. So all those like myself hoping it was simply late .. bad news it isn’t. I guess we will have to hope the autumn run is a bit more prolific because it was a whimper here for the spring run.
While on cephalopods a cracking 5lb Cuttlefish was caught on the west and what a magnificent specimen he was, yes Identified as a male too us that didn’t know how to tell the difference from the stripe sise on it inner face side tentacles if that’s what they are called and was weighed at 5lb and as good in size if not better than the cuttlefish caught by one of the Ali brothers on the west wall last year .I will try and get a piccy up on the gallery this week.
On the fishy front 2 very different days this weekend with Saturday very hot and very sunny (many sunburnt backs this morning for sure) and Sunday was dry overcast but very warm and muggy, some would call it thundery and I’m told there was a rumble or 2 during the night but like many I slept right through it.
On the fishing front Saturday proved the harshest and when I say tough going trust me it was somewhat brutal. The Fri night report summed up was “dead as a dodo” and the morning early proved to be exactly the same. The day just seemed to get hotter and hotter but so many were happily wandering around the whole day with shirts off and no sun protection (big men ? na, unwise men) By time I got on the west wall for a look about at about 6ish everyone was muttering them 2 words .. “no fish”
On the bright side for those fishing the late afternoon while the warden was preparing the east wall for a 9pm close down the west saw a flurry of mackerel somewhen close to 9pm that perhaps lasted 30 mins and then was gone. Most had a few fish and one or 2 night anglers were happy that they had some whole baits to target bass while others drifted off home as the light vanished.
I wish I could say the Sat night on the wall was better for anglers but it simply wasn’t to be. I guess those on the Extension had the better of if with a couple of schoolie bass, pout and what is best described as bits n bobs but overall not very good. And with that we drift into Sunday morning that I believe on the East produced a handfull of early mackerel and some small plaice but in all honesty that really summed up Sunday on the east.
While you would have thought the overcast conditions even though muggy would have produced a few fish the combo of heat and persistently refusing to shift may rot(algae bloom) put paid to any catching. We really do need a good storm to stir it up and and water temps to rise a little to burn this algae away.
Over on the west wall Sunday the night anglers were replaced by hopeful day anglers who unfortunately either put baits out to feed spider crabs or chucked feathers out through the heat of the day in the hope of a few fish, sadly many gave up and went hope with little to show other than a bit more suntan or reddening backs heading towards sunburns.
As day drifted towards early evening still fishless arrivals were people there for a possible last light flurry of mackerel or getting ready for a night session all being greeted by the news that naff all was happening but expectation due to the overcast sky and lower light levels may/should/or will produce some fish, people set up rods with bait and many started to feather away. Well come 8pm glory be 3 juniors pulled 3 mackerel out on bay six and the fun began!
With perhaps 30 people on the wall most started feathering and yup the mackerel had shown up. Now, at this point many reading this will think , oh hell, 30+ feathering + mackerel = carnage, well no, not exactly, I managed to get in amongst them and with instructions to anyone in earshot everyone was told if you are keeping them , kill them quickly and bag em up, loud enough for many to hear I offered to show those that didnt know how and a stab behind the eyes was shown as was a neck snap method for speed.
I explained to all why it was expected, and all a how too and would ya believe it, all but 2 gents were swiftly into it and bagging as they went. The two gents ? easily sorted by a quick word saying “gents, you are the only 2 here on the entire wall not killing the fish and bagging “
Said I “look Gents, even the kids are showing everyone how to do it” well that was all it took.
A few piccys for the facebook group, and a little assistance to one DAD with 3 excited youngsters was all I was asked to do in the next 2 hours. I even took a picture an hour after the 1st mackerels were being caught, a down the wall angle showing the anglers and the general condition of the wall 1 hour into a shoal of mackerel. With very little prompting the wall had been kept very clean and clear of fish as everyone bagged as they went. It was an impressive sight for any warden in that the whole wall followed the directions. Will they do it again ? no idea, but I would like to think that at least some will have found a better way to fish with less mess around them when the “mackerel are in”.
I guess the next moment for many was the sighting of what was likely a pod of porpoise as there was very little of the dorsal fin on show and most concluded they were not dolphins due to this less to see dorsal. Thankfully the pod stayed feeding at a distance cloes to a bouy in like with the nudist beach and on keeping their distance3 avoided any issues with anglers lines in & out of the water.
By 10pm it was clear the mackerel had moved on so the last of the anglers without night gear packed and headed home , most with 15-20 or so mackerel each and happy for their time on the wall.
Through the night I got news of a few fairly decent bass caught on the wall, some kept some returned but that is about all I heard from last night so hopeful someone will bring me up to speed of the rest of the night and how things are this morning.
As a sort of final note I will remind all who plan to visit the marina walls that things are being tightened up regarding the bringing of glass onto the wall.
Now I realise many are very careful with their bottles but many are not and we don’t want visitors being able to point as someone and say .. “yea but they have glass, why are they ok and not us”
Quite simply if you bring glass onto the wall you are very likely to be told to drink it on the beach/ take it back to your car/vehicle or simply “please leave”. When glass breaks on the wall it very often splinters, they are what do most damage on the wall. Not just to anglers that seem to like barefoot fishing but so many youngsters also kick shoes off an move around the wall, so please respect the no glass policy no matter how often you take care or always take your litter. One simple error and we have splinters of glass that are almost impossible to pick up without being cut.
While we are muttering rules , rules rules, we have been asked by the marina harbour office to make sure anglers are using only blue lights on the wall. That covers head lamps, underwater lights spot lights pointing down to the water, any light if it needs power needs to be blue or have a blue filter.
I have sourced some sticky back paper/film that will do this job for those that cant find any but as a temp measure a blue felt pen/blue marker/blue bingo dabber even those blue carrier bags doubled/trebled in thickness put under screw on lens covers will work. Once we have a supply there will be no excuse not to sort the lamps on the wall. If you are not sure why we are swapping to blue lights, think about when you have been driving at night.. now think about the arse that drives towards you with full beams on ! that is what skippers get bringing boats into ports and harbours from anglers glancing towards the boats.! blinding !
Yesterday evening talking to one regular “KAI” he pointed out to me that he tells people with underwater lights to get a blue plastic bag and tie the light into the bag to protect it ! it seems to do the job very well. So there you have it , plenty of solutions on how to get the lens on your light blue. So please help us and yourself , make the swap as the idea is catching on in many harbours and ports and I think it will be a matter of time before all open to angler ports etc follow the blue pattern.
Good news I may have mentioned or not re the ANLRS line bins sprouting up all over the country on fresh water venues as well as sea venues. The 2 in use line bins on the marina sponsored by the Tackle box ( Im about to mention a third) were recently emptied and 8.400 meters of line were collected to be sent off for recycling.
If you want more info about the line recycling click the link to their website >> “click me“
The third bin in the marina has been paid for and sponsored by Robin Howard (some know him as Fishyrob but I didn’t tell you that ok 🙂 ) but due to all the work on the seafront and the new seawall area that is being developed Robins line bin has for the best part of the year been stuck behind a fence and unused and often un-noticed.
Said line bin was rescued during the week and on being informed of this a swift call to marina manager Andrew Knight gained the permission to re-site this bin and place it in a far more prominent place opposite the toilet block on the west wall so please, if you are changing line on your spools save it and bring it in. Likewise, them cut of chunks of line, rather than leave on the floor or stuck in any old rubish bin/bag you are using save it up while you fish, stick it in a spare pocket and use the bins at the end of both walls.
East sited opposite cafe fixed to inner wall and looks like a chunk of green drain pipe.
West wall just as you come off the wall via the ramp is to your right fixed to outer wall
The third (Robins paid for bin) will soon be opposite the tower block in the corner there and very visible to all.
And now that I have mentioned The tacklebox ‘s 2 bins and Robins also, lets have a gratuitous plug for Robin Howard and BIF 1 go on click the link to see what Robin does so well –>> “click me“
Please use the line bins, for so many reasons it gets dead line out of land fills, off the beaches and away from fishing venues in a safe useful way. It then goes into a recycle scheme that makes garden furniture and kit like rod rests and more, so please use these line bins they are sited in so many locations along the Kent. Sussex, Hants coast and at many fresh water venues also.
And with that I will sign off with its goodnight from me, and its goodnight from him.. Adieu
F
Well what can I say about Friday on the walls. Well after 2 evenings/nights that did ok for mackerel and very well for horse mackerel, even a decent bass or two Friday was not so good.
In fact Friday bar a few fish Friday morning and a Decent bream in the evening the daytime was a bit of a brutal bust ! What me saying the wall fishing was cack ! heavens above did I really say it was shyte ? Yup I did. Everything yesterday afternoon was looking as if the evening was going to be ideal. I had even popped down onto the west after 5pm for a chat and socialise. Got told how poor the day had been and was there to take a picture of the only fish I saw on the west while there. A fairly decent Bream that regular angler “MO” had caught by the toilet block… but as they say.. that was it.
Me chatting away as I do remarked how it looked as if there may be a late flurry of mackerel possibly with horse mac mixed in as the sun dropped below the BTN (well Hove actually)skyline but even that thought I found out later was a bust. Who’da thunk it eh, me being well wrong (again) I bet there were a few cussin me last night for sure !….
Thus as I type up this report the sun is up and already feeling that the day is a bit of a scorcher (again) and all I can say is if you are planning on fishing the walls please take plenty of sun protection and prepare for a hot day which will be very exposed. Them walls act like a sun trap so please make sure you are well supplied with water because the sun is cooking ppl to a crisp out there.
As a final note I have just seen a piccy on the book of face of a gorgeous large 4lb ish cuttle fish filling a drop net on the west for one happy angler .
No report as yet of activity on the walls so will catch that bit up another day.
Until then folks have a great weekend and I … will bid you ADIEU.
F
Good morning all (afternoon no doubt by time you read this) but hey, lets get down to it with some news that quite a few wall regulars have been waiting for.
Horse mackerel, yes, in numbers for the last 2 nights, Ironic it was when there were not many fishing and this resulted in more caught than there were fishing over the last 2 nights.
Am still waiting on a decent update for last night but aware we had a shoal or two show up last night as well as WED night after dark.
Are there still mackerel ? yes there are, smallish shoals continue to appear over the high mostly and id say right now the best of things are early morning and last light.
Now with that info comes the down side for anglers on the EAST as by now most will realise that the fish are showing up often before opening or just as the warden is trying to shut the east down.
Please, please please, help the warden, I realise how annoying it can be to have the fish switch on just as you get asked to leave but bear in mind that the hours on the east are beyond our wish to change them. We open at 7am so as not to have anglers traveling through the marina as early as 5am to get there first. Likewise the closing hours have been agreed upon with the residents who have endured all that comes with living close to a very active and often noisy fishing wall.
Angler problems when opening and closing the east will fuel the calls to close them to any fishing so please when asked leave the wall as swiftly as you can. TY
Back on the fishy front besides the Mackies & horses we have been getting some very nice BASS catches often in the 4-6lb range and live baits are doing very well ATM.
I am please to say BREAM numbers are slowly increasing on both walls but are lower in numbers as yet to normal seasonal in past years. Likewise Wrasse have also been ticking over.
Reports of gar are sketchy but Im told there are some and often mixed in with the mackerel shoals.
SQUID oh where o where are they, reports say they are there but catches seem very quite , on the upside though there have been quite a lot of cuttle fish caught and best spots Id say to look for the ink left behind on the walls. WEST definite ink markers so I suspect similar on the EAST
Plaice … hmmmm there seem to be decent though not great numbers of spotties but the sizes leave much to be desired and many are under recommended size for keeping.
The fishing is picking up but has been (I suspect) greatly hindered by a constant north wind and a stubbornness of that May rot to fully disperse from around the marina.
I will finish with a reminder that at night the WEST wall is a blue light region and all powered lights on the wall should be blue, chemical tip lights can be any colour and the marina are pushing quite hard for this to be enforced.
As a temp , blue markers can be used to tint lenses and myself and another warden are sourcing affordable blue lens lights as well as a covering for people with white lights, meantime please help us here, even blue carrier bags can be used to cover lense glass as a temp fix, TY all
Until next time Adieu
F
Well, here we go confession time, I have been intending to put a post up ever since Saturday evening and one thing after the other have caused distractions and drawn me away from the keyboard and my intended post(s) haven’t got past the good intent stage !
Thus I best be getting on with it.
Sat evening on the WEST I rapidly found out how poor the day had been following on from the 4am run of a small mackerel shoal of which most had a few and some managed a bucket of mackerel, the run had fizzled out by 8.30 am and like the EAST wall there were fish from opening at 7am but there also the fish dried up.
By 10am with the sun slowly cooking most people and the north wind playing havoc with any attempt to float fish AGAIN the fishing truly had came to a crashing halt almost until the early evening 7pm is when a trickle of fish began again. A similar story on the EAST with a very slight up side of a few mostly undersized plaice.
IMO there is still may rot clinging to the marina area hampering things and we do need a stir up type of storm and some warmer weather. The days are getting hotter but mostly due to the north wind thats lasted over 3 weeks is keeping the night air cold and the sea temps down on normal year measurements. The result still large areas of may rot (algae ) and again my view its kept the fishing a few weeks behind the normal.
The evening we had an issue with someone declining to leave the east wall at 9pm that resulted in marina security having to attend and the wall as such was over an hour late being secured for the night. Sadly all this will do is further cause issues between the marina and sensible anglers and long term could easily see the east full closed to anglers.
Back to the fishing and SAT night on the west was cold tolerating that damn wind, there was a fairly decent run of mackerel and bass that began about 8pm ish but overall the night was poor and the night warden didn’t have much to say on that side of things all weekend.
On to Sunday and to be honest things were very similar in fish patterns , early morning Mackerel, Im betting the beaches from 3am would be worth hitting on any of the small groynes but, please be aware of tide times, no one wants to be stood on an outcrop or groyne and have the tide come in and cause you safety problems. It is very easy to be swept of a small groyne by a rogue wave !
Like Saturday the Sunday evening things were very similar in some fish activity from 8ish towards midnight. I dont have any info on what happened after midnight though.
Monday & Tues in all honesty were tough going on the east a better morning early Monday but Tues again tough going. The sooner something happens to bust up the rot around the marina and close in on the beaches the better. Grante some areas have now kicked clear or are a bit better but I suspect the real trick is finding the clearer water from the beach or finding some structures that have less of an issue… unless of course you have access to a boat… out there the fishing is good. ! ahh the irony of calling it may rot now that we are in June! BAH humbug tata 🙂
F
An early type up as a follow up to yesterdays burning question of are they en 🙂 the answer it seems is OH YEA BABY. Fri evening saw the mackies hit the wall in numbers and from early reports already posted up there are plenty of mackies to be had.
Second bonus report for this morning is that there are signs of squid in more than ones or two’s.
I will message Mike P who said his group was willing to host a squid comp to see what can be sorted as we monitor the situation … could the squid finally be in also , things looking much better this morning… now if that North wind would just do one …
happy days , tight lines all
F
Well we have had a sluggish week on the walls, a few Mackerel every day then a large shoal spotted of the marina WED evening just b4 the light went. Thurs morning saw a flurry of Mackies on the east but nothing special but I understand things have been better with catches on both wall….could they be in ? , cant yet say yes as we do get the odd day when 100 or so fish get caught then its back to 2’s & 3’s time will tell.
Cuttle have been spotted also, a vid clip posted on thurs (again thurs)of a cuttle swimming backward had a few people briefly foxed but interestingly one person commented that they had seen others earlier in the week, could there be a late arrival of Squid & Cuttle, hopefully the spring run is about to begin.
Other than the usual suspects of Plaice Bass Conger and a few Bream & Wrasse there has not been much to report, mostly there is tons of space on the walls , even last weekend there was space and the weather was really good apart from the flippin north wind !
Talking of “that” North wind the forecasts show that it will be with us for at least another week so if you are night fishing you may want to pack some warm gear as it can get somewhat chilly once the sun drops below the horizon . Daytime temps look best on Sat with XC weather showing a peak of 18c sunny and prob the warmest of the weekend.
This weekend the WEST WALL is open all night FRI/SAT & SUN
The EAST WALL will open 7am and close later at 9pm each of those nights.
Well thats it from me, not much said but signs that things are picking up finally. ^m tides with highs around mid day and midnight this week so them early morning Bass should be lurking this weekend for those using lures.
And with that I will say adieu
F
Well as the title says I wont start with any fibs and big the fishing up by saying how wonderful it all is at the moment. To be brutally honest it a bit tough going! While saying that all the signs offshore are right for a fantastic summer , yea I know how the fek does that help right now coz you lot want some fish to catch.
So whats wrong ? IMO the MAY rot has got a good grip, water temps have not risen that much and we are still getting lots of northerly breezes (usually helpful) that are keeping the night air temps chilly , and with the northerlies not very strong the algae is not being blown out to sea to disperse. The result is the water has stayed a cloudy green that does the fishing no favours for species that like to rise through the water depths.
We have a dredger working inside the marina, mixed good and bad, the dredger and the ship that carries the crud away often disturb the fish but there is a bonus when the dredger works the entrance. The entrance is often crammed with sand eels and other burrowing grubs and sea species that the bass enjoy. Catch the dredger working the entrance with a favourable tide and the result is that the bass run the east wall on the feed ! Trust me, Ive seen it happen a few times and there is a sudden surge of bass caught as it happens.
So there we have it, 2 paragraphs on why ppl are struggling to catch and nothing much about what’s being caught other than a hint or two about Bass ?
Plaice are still in general barely legal sizes and most should really be returned, As I often say , If it wont make a decent meal, put it back to grow some more, take a pic & return it please.
Flounder & dab all but vanished although occasional flounder do get caught after a heavy rainfall.
Bass , ticking over quite well, averages that people are keeping fall into the 3-5lb sort of group, Lures and live prawn working well.
Gurnard, not had any reports directly but they should be out there on the sands.
Spider crabs are starting to build in numbers and its a good time to remind people that there is a minimum size of 12cm from nose to butt on the shell and a max of 20 crabs p.p. per day.
Wrasse, numbers of catches now slowly increasing day by day and are doing better than Bream atm
Bream, numbers still down most likely due to the may rot and more on the east wall than west at the moment but that should change soon.
Congers, seem to have made a showing this week just to tick me off as I said last week they seem to have tailed off in catches, perhaps they dont mind the rod as they have been caught on both walls this weekend.
Mullet , all I can say here is , where are they or .. where are the catch reports for mullet this year , noticeable by absence as yet.
Sole, there seem to be some good catches along the beaches this week but not yet reported on the wall, mainly as shut at night.
topknot, not a frequent visitor but one or two reported on the East this week.
Mackerel, a few being caught each day, usually close to high tide but they are not shoaling yet inshore.
Rays are showing up in a fair few beach reports now so should likewise start
As you can see from the above there are fish being caught but picking the right time and spot is not easy and there are too few clues to figure out what time would be best or where on the wall would be ideal for a decent session as yet.
TBH its somewhat frustrating as like last week the signs offshore are very good, the boats are coming back with plenty of fish for everyone be it wrecking for cod, pollack & bass or the inshore marks which are producing some very good bream, better conditioned plaice and a good number of rays. Add to that turbot trips all add up to it being worth booking one of the trips out of the Marina.
Dont want a full day ? well look to the lure boats for a 2-4 hour trip, they very definitely can put you over some nice fish.
So the future looks bright while the catch reports are light (see what I did there 🙂 ) Anyhoo for me with the gorgeous weather going on id say just do it, get out on the walls in the sun and simply chill with a rod or two in the water because you wont catch if you dont get them line out.
Enjoy the weather folks, until next time, over n out
F
NEW FISHING PRICES START 1ST JUNE
DAY SESSION :- 6am – 6pm
ADULT 1 ROD £6 & 2 RODs £7/ EXTRA RODs £4 EACH
NIGHT SESSION:-6PM-6AM
JUNIOR/OAP 1 ROD & 2 RODs/ £5 EXTRA RODs £3 EACH
HAND LINES £3 EACH
Here we are, born to be kings
We’re the princes of the Universe
Here we belong, fighting to survive
In a world with the darkest powers
OPPS wrong place thats Queen innit… ah, well Here we are again …. with another weekly ish lazy posting sort of round up, and there are whispers of SUMMER in the air.! OMFG! yes it’s true. The weather has finally picked up and the evenings are finally getting warmer at 8/9pm and about time too says I so lets get straight at it and give a fishy sound off.
SOLE, not on the wall but defo now on Brighton beaches the last couple of days so expect em
Plaice, all the usual sandy marks still bare minimum in sizes though
Bream Yes yes yes yes & about time too on both walls “OCCASIONALLY decent”
Wrasse plenty it seems on the west
Horse mac, some caught fri night on west (1st reported)
Gurnard, one or two here n there on the east.
Dog fish, rumour has it that they have buggered off , treat with caution.
Rays, yea sort of, just not on the walls
Bass, yup and doing very nicely ty, barely a day passes without a 4+lb fish caught on one or other wall.
Hound pups, high chance of seeing these, they seem everywhere.
Mackerel, daily catches in 2’s/3s mainly over high, pick a wall and wait for high, best bet mid wall.
Micro species down many of the Vs for species counters.
Mullet, not heard of any caught but often the way , expect in usual marks.
Topknot, not a very common fish but been a fair few this week on the east.
Flounder, still some to be had.
EELS reports dropped off for now
Whiting, thinned out a ton and v few seemingly about
Squid still waiting, unusual in absence this year
Cuttlefish as above.
Sand eels, Evidence of decent stocks close to shore check out the (BIF1 blogs)
red Mullet(goat fish) very much expected on west.
I think that will do it as far as species tallies go. Bear in mind this is a tick of of species where at least 1 or more have been had on or very near to either wall so dont be fooled into thinking “shit look at that load , best get down b4 they are all gone. Its not a trick or trap as fishing has been slow this week but as I originally put. The signs there are good, half mile off shore the fishing is very good. Charter skippers are coming in with happy customers. More than one boat has posted that the Turbot time has arrived and the bream fishing is excellent. There are decent cod and pollack reports this week for the deep water anglers and some great bream and plaice for those going lighter. The conger reports have thinned this week but I have no accurate info but will ask about.
So looking good for the next week or two as the weather starts to behave for us all and with that I will sign off.
F
SO ! what a funny old week this one has been in RL (real life) 15 month kidney C all clear plus another all clear for a growth in my intestine (long story dont ask) while sort of waiting to post up daves news (see home page) and retirement. Knew the announcement was coming for some time but to actually see it posted live and know things are all changing on the marina has a strange feel too it and feels like a huge hole in normality, or at least mine.
As far as the website and facebook group are concerned there may be a minor change here & there over time but as such that will be no change and a straight carry on.
Yesterday took a pootle down onto the west wall part to socialise, part to catch up with the wardens working and part I guess to see what’s going on. As a result of that visit a bit of a long post (yup you have been warned) a catch round up and a little bit of musing over the last months fishing on the walls that IMO has been somewhat stand out in that it hasnt had the usual or expected patters for this time of year that most including myself have come to know.
Right then , a brief round up of the cathes and sea states etc and then onto one of my old bloke ramblings!….
:-Bass, yes , thank you very much, while the tides have got smaller this week and the catch rates seemed to have declined a little the bass catching has remained very consistent. Ask the likes of Lee “the plumber” or Robin & Phil the warden and they will tell you no doubt that the bass fishing is doing well, I suspect the sizes are down for this time of year normally but that does seem consistent with the rest of the last few weeks out there.
:-Bream, yep, as some would say I used the “B” word, well for the boats the bream fishing im told is superb yet on the wall this year (yea its still early) Bream catches seem quite a bit down, likewise so has the wrasse catches. yes we are still clogged with may rot but the proximity that the local boats are catching bream should indicate better than is on the wall… still the weather has been somewhat variable and IMO defo a cooler April on average than many recently.
:- Plaice, catches have ticked over at a good rate but again for me the sizes on average are quite a bit smaller this year, it may be in my head but again another common species on the walls that is off to a slower start than normal.
:- Squid, where are they ? I saw a couple of reports early April and then almost nothing over the last 3 weeks. Yes we are now on small tides and not expecting much but that “usual” squid run has not happened yet or its occurred further along the South coast… Ive not seen the usual pics asking about the egg clusters yet so have they or have they not come in to get Jiggy and spawn ?
:- Mackerel, intermittent and am told there are a few caught on the walls each day yet a mile out to see there are loads swimming about, many of the normal may species seem to be off to a slow start and we seem under a plague of hound pups and dogfish.!
As above the water is seemingly thick at the moment with dogfish and hound pups very much on the feed. Other activity on the walls and locally are the rays, mostly Undulates but also thornback there amongst the ray takes that seem quite common or dare I say normal for this time of year. Conger takes seem to have tailed off for now but no doubt will still tick off as the months pass on the walls. Gurnards are occasionally being caught out on the sand on the East but over all things have been quite sluggish this week.
Time of year ? probable (may rot very evident) Small tides ? probable, late start to season ? possible. What I can say though is that with social media more and more people seem to wait for catch reports and then go to the places that have had decent sized fish..IE report chasing. perhaps also a sign of the times that there is a lot less money about at the moment and finances mean that more are staying local to themselves until the summer reports start coming in with the warmer conditions.
Conclusions :- May can traditionally be a dull month, I suspect we all sort of look back and see last years fishing as better than this one so far but I also recall months on the wall in the past where the weather had been superb, sparking water and zilch being caught on the wall other than tiddlers down the V’s. To me MAY ROT or algae bloom is very evident in the water, just watch a boat pass and the water is churned into a pale milky green still. Some think its breaking but I saw very little sign of the algae fading or dying off. When it does many think its some level of pollution with its eggy sort of smell and brown foam like appearance and on small tides if it was fading there would have been much more froth or foam on the surface. Thus I guess the water is now warm enough to maintain the growth rate faster than the rate it dies off. May rot in May ! fancy that.
Temps in the air and water for April were low and we are still getting chilly nights, add that to poor catch reports along the coast all seem to add to a malaise and feeling of torpor or sluggishness of little happening so cant be bothered type of feel to everything !
I dunno, it may just be me but so far I’m sorta not feeling the get up and go that fishing can bring to everyone. Hopefully now that we are mid May the weather will finally improve and the fish numbers as well as the general quality quickly improves.
April I expected the squid run followed by a 10 day 2 week burst of mackerel, somewhat strangely it hasn’t happened and that also I think has added to the feeling that April was a very strange month and not the normal on the walls. May is looking a bit like very normal and sluggish until that algae bloom clears off. Best look, I guess to June and some nicer weather and much better fishing on the walls eh
until then.. adieu
F
