An up n down week, some good, some poor and other bits downright cack!. As reported, Thurs morning promised so much with a pre 7am flurry of fish mostly on the East but it then fizzled out under the sun as the heat of the day came up, and tbh that was about it until it got dark, joking ? nope, it was proper naff. The nigh time fished better, couldn’t be worse that was for sure, with bream, wrasse, a few small rays on the low east and some Bass to about 6lb, sole and plaice over the sands and tbh that has been the pattern of it all will. Ok, so-so through to not bad at night and tough going in the sun. Yesterday was a beast, I saw maybe 2 fish on the west with the east little better and tbh that was more than most saw. Using my own words , Sun day was brutal, scorching hot and my bet is there are a lot of dehydrated and sun burnt people out there this morning.
If you plan to fish this week during the day, find some shade if u can and carry plenty of water and sunscreen, its looking nasty out there.

F

So, we have has a bit of an odd week, some mornings ok, some day not great and better nights in general than the days. So, lets break it down a bit, Last Sunday was a stare at the water day, while sunny it was quite blowy on the west making anything west side hard work for 2-3 day including the Sunday. catches Sunday were bits n bobs with little to should about on either wall but a few noted a flurry of garfish on the east that promised mackerel but disappointed with a no show.
Into Monday day and skipping a night report for now produced lighter wind but still a hampered west. the front of the east struggled but those on the nearer bays fared a little better with a few bream and wrasse to show for effort. Tues wed almost cloned the catch rates with more sunshine than fish but thurs even did hold some promise with a few mackerel and as the light went some horse mac were had as things got dark…

Now I mentioned the dark I can round up the night fishing that simply put is better than the day performances , possibly the benefit of the spider crabs doing their thing just away from the walls. As I mentioned in another blog the east wall has seemingly been blessed with them this year as the catch rate at night has improved with hounds bass and rays coming in close on the feed. And as with most things on the east side the shore prawns have also proven to be a useful tool for those collecting the live ones with results of bass hounds and im told a ray or 2 also! go figure.

Wed night woke up after dark with horse mac in & out through the night in small flurries with a nice run as the light came up of mackerel to both walls but the better numbers being caught on the east… not 1000’s of them but enough for most there to be kept happy until it faded about 7 to 7.30am which resulted in a few bosts going up on the marina FB group that triggered some needless mocking and bickering that had to be sorted.

thurs day once the sun came up fully settled into the same pattern of sluggish day slowly picking up as the evening began and cooler temps on the walls. Night reports again indicated bass hound and ray activity with again some horse mac mixed up with wayward mackerel that brings it all back today 🙂

after a quick call from Dave I can confirm the shop will have fresh black and fresh ragworm for 7am pick up sat morning so at time of typing there is still time to ring the shop and get an order in .

dont forget , we have moved and now opposite McDonalds
TTFN
F

As of today (Monday) we are now in our new location, some of our longer time visitors may say gone back to where we were originally 🙂
Our new location
We are now directly opposite McDonalds (across the road) at the top of the pedestrian access ramp, and along side the WEST QUAY pub.
We have also reverted back to our original opening times of 7am , yes 7! closing times as posted but can be flexible if demand calls for a later opening in the better summer weather.

full postal address:-

The Famous TackleBox
The West Quay
Brighton Marina
BN2 5UT

Catch report of a sort.
I took a drive along both walls yesterday in the new(ish) 4 wheeled chariot about lunch time yesterday. There was a westerly breeze (about 12-15 at times)causing things to be somewhat choppy on the West most of the day but particularly noticeable closing on high tide and as the water dropped afterwards. Resulting conditions were not ideal for a summer’s day on the west(a bit better on the front of the east)
Catches and reports in general were not great with most struggling to get much more than wet from water spouts or a few tiddlers being reported.
Most of the previous night visitors had gone or were packing having struggled to stay to see the high tide in the hope of a few mackerel which did not happen this weekend. Im told people though some were “maybe” caught Saturday but seems a case of “they heard or they were told someone else heard etc so hard to verify although thurs fri catches could be confirmed. So to sum up on the mackerel front in Brighton V Very patchy and atm …. not every day and mostly early evening if they do show.
If you are traveling 100+ miles for some mackerel i’d suggest deep water venues such as in kent (Dover area) or even Portsmouth area.

Other species also struggled over the weekend although I did see a few small bream and a couple of silver eels the general info I got back on both walls was that mostly scratching was the order of the weekend with plaice, bream & wrasse out but only small stuff and the rest were the likes of blennies, gobies and small scorpions down the sides.

Night time reports indicate somewhat better than the daytimes with some very good sole reported and caught, mostly on the bend or just below , with a few also to the high 50’s bays. There were some bass but most were under the 5lb region. The lower bays at the moment on the east are doing quite well due to the continued activity of the spider crabs peeling (moulting) in the vicinity of the lower bays on the east… which is a change to the usual invasion that tends to happen on the west side of the marina. Defo a benefit to anglers utilising the lower bays on the east. As said both walls struggled yesterday to provide much over a few cm but suspect last night may have produced better than the day did.
F

yep , It’s Friday , It’s five o’clock it’s crackerjack opps what was I thinking !
Fishy updates.
The last couple of days have seen mackerel on the walls in reasonable numbers but seemingly atm over the high tide and only in short bursts.
Thus it really is a case of be in the right place at the right time or you will miss them. There are a fair few posts on the FB page of mackies and they mostly are from the warden as he does his rounds sharing catches.
Likewise any nice pic moments he tries to grab and share with the group so always worth a check back here to see how often i’m posting blog posts, and maybe sometimes, read between the lines on what I’m posting. If you are after one species check multiple sources and don’t rely on a few pics on the marina group.

The last couple of evenings to tie in with the rise in mackie catches the walls have seen an increase of bass activity (or more anglers with know how) and while the mackies may have got them stirred up the catch rate using live prawns is very very good. (prawns can be found on the shoreline east of the marina)
Plaice has become “old faithful” and ticked over reasonably since early March and we are now seeing more Bream catches on the smaller side so that tells me the nesting is all but done and summer is almost here properly and bringing in catch reports of more bream and wrasse on both walls.
The spiders are still peeling (mostly lower east this year) resulting in decent bass and smooth hounds still on the low east baysmeaning if asked where to go i’d likely as not say well east… low 1-8 target hounds n bass, 6-12 target bream, wrasse daytime and add sole in the night or dirty water. 10-16 mixed bags of bass, bream, plaice sole, even dab & plaice. once past 16 the world is your oyster as you get out on the sand and will find , plaice , rays, bass, all sorts. its simply a case of figure out what they want to eat and when they are feeding :). Mackies when they show can be on almost any part of the wall but near always an easy catch on the bends of both walls which is why they both get busy in those spots.
Night time fishing though it may not seem it from this update is doing very well with some good sized bass, mackies, horse mac, sole plaice, bream and various rays being caught so well worth a visit this weekend.

And finally an update on the shop move that gets ever closer.
Dave tells me that the phoneline will move into the new location on Monday sometime so don’t be surprised if you try to ring and cant get through or get a dead tone. BT have the phone at its mercy and no clear time has been given for what time they will sort it.

The new location as previously posted will be in the glass box alongside the west quay , it was going to be a waiting room for the Busses but the changes to the route never happened so its sat idle for some time.

I think the new site will be better for all especially those out on boats as the shop can now go back to its old opening time of 7am and is much closer to the boats and easier access without any noise disruptions.

Thats it for now
F

Not the greatest of reports posted this week but things are picking up .. honest guv they are.
Reports of mackerel are getting a little more often but generally they are flurries and you have to be in the right place at the right time. Ive seen reports from people that have been told they went on the wrong wall & that is a common thing as the summer starts to actually arrive and bring in the fish.
Nights are defo fishing better than the days with mixed bags of mac & horse mac as posted earlier in the week. bream , still struggling to get better numbers but they are doing better on the west wall & prob best spot for them on the east is bay 6 to bay 10 area over the rough ground. Cuttlefish are doing well but not really hitting squid lures so maybe worth going for the stem with spikes type so you can add some bait(mac is good) to the stem. Plaice continue to tick over and sole catches are increasing with some decent sized fish during the night. The best of the rays have been caught at night although some are being hooked daytime also. Bass seem to have had a good run this week and reports of gurnards are increasing on the east.
Evening sunsets seem an excellent time to get a line out & ppl remarking on the whitebait down the side as the days heat cools.
Over all this week its been mixed bags for most, mackerel hunters are a bit frustrated as the shoals dont stay long and some days they dont hit both walls or even at the same time , so more chance finding them than planning.

Good hunting folks, the weather looks fairly stable over the next 7/8 days so not expecting any sudden close downs
F

I missed a few days for posting , mainly due to the hint in the title , things have mostly ticked over with no real shout outs. Dave worked the wall or went up there for a nosey early evening and may have taken fish with him . The day had been somewhat quiet in the full heat of the day but as things cooled a bit there was a small run of mackerel on the walls and an past visitor returning whom he used to jokingly call “Tango” obviously his private joke & perhaps ive now outed dave 😛 😛 .

On the catch front there seem to be loads of cuttle in the water & have been so for a week or so with numbers seemingly still increasing and no doubt on remarking on it I’ve jinxed the catches !
Plaice are somewhat up n down in sizes with little consistency and as posted previously there are horse mac & mackerel coming in as the light goes. Black Bream & wrasse seem stubbornly lower in numbers than previous years and am still hoping for a better pick up rate than is there right now. I likely as not said prior that with trawler activity curbed the seaweed and indeed seabed should show a slow improvement over the next 2-3 years. It does look like there is sign that guilthead bream are becoming more common on the higher bays of both walls which is encouraging. Night catches include mackerel , horse mac, assorted size & species of ray and bass takes seem a consistent size around the 4-6lb mark with prawns doing well.
Plenty of live baits in the water yesterday evening but lacking during the full heat of the day. A few gurnard out there on the sands and ive heard a whisper of mullet on the high east bays but not had that confirmed with a name to the reports.
Looking good for the weekend and no planned shut downs.
F

I spent the day on the east wall today monitoring those ppl walking on & off etc, being a general pest to those wanting to wander along the wall for fun who read the sign in front of them & then think it doesn’t apply to them!
YUP they all got turned back politely :).
Regarding the fishing , well it wasn’t too clever to be honest with most people struggling on both walls.
A few plaice , some bream and 2-3 gurnards with a small flurry of stringy gar fish really summed up the day and other days this week… oh wait , I forgot , 4 mackerel were caught at 4 am !

Now here comes the BUT yes it’s a big but as im told that the last few NIGHTS have been very good
Many ask me re nights if the horse mackerel are in and im told that yes the horsies have arrived, and not only that the normal mackerel have also been swimming with them and are making the jump into the somewhat green cloudy water(to be fair it did clear on the front end –higher bays)
The low bays are still being impacted by cloudy water, my guess caused by spoil from the cliffs and recent rain…. Back to the night fishing , as said its doiing quite nicely thank you 🙂 🙂 the moulting crabs are bringing all sorts in on the feed. Smooth hounds, plenty of bass are active, 2-3 types of rays are being drawn in as well as the horse mac & mackies all ready mentioned !
Even the boss has remarked how well the night fishing has been and what with the dredger working the harbour entrance it has been stirring up sand eels of which the bass are now spoilt for choice on chowing down.

In essence , if you haven’t given the walls a go at night now would be a good time to try it.

And finally as the title says I have some shop news and will updtae the site as needed 🙂
NEW HOURS
an normal we have an 8am opening but any boats having an early departure can access some early bait if they ring Dave early enough to sort out a pick up while the shops front door is shut.
CLOSING times have returned to summer times and with close
Mon-Thurs 8am – 5pm
Fri/Sat 8am – 6pm
Sun 8am – 4.30pm
FURTHER SHOP NEWS
the tacklebox will be on the move again in the next few week. The new location when its ready with be alongside the rear of the West Quay in the Glassed square build that was going to be used as a bus waiting lounge when plans were to re route the buses so they picked up opposite where they do now… Thats been scrapped & the Tacklebox as I say will move into what was going to be a bus waiting lounge. Its almost back to where it was prior to all the shifting about’s.
more updates to follow when I get them.
F

Hounds rays and bass seem to be the order of the day as the crabs on the east side continue to moult in number. A few mackerel scattered through the day were hard work for those that managed to catch on in the sun… Im betting there are a few shiny red bodies out there today !
Took a quick visit down yesterday afternoon for a look about but mostly it was blank stares at the water. I heard there was a nice lobster brought up on someone’s line on the extension and a few bream but sizes were somewhat dubious.
Plaice continue to show on the east sands and a gurnard here n there. Saw a few collecting livebaits for bass and I gather collecting prawns east of the marina is also a good idea if you are hunting bass.
Water quality still not that clear and at times a cloudy green.
Sun is out in earnest so pack the suncream and plenty of water. Thats it for now ….
F

I should have posted this a couple of days ago but in all honesty the weekend got away from me. With the east upper level it seems that some people are being somewhat foolish or ignorant of where they are. With less of an area to walk while avoiding rods some foolish people seem to think it is ok to cycle on the lower WALKWAY , please dont. Its a risk to everyone with limited space to manoeuvre and I have been asked to pass on a no cycling message on the lower level that most would deem common sense but sadly it seems one or two are lacking of! . PLEASE < NO CYCLING on the lower level
Currently the hounds are in all over the inshore area as the spider crabs come in peeling with for the marina this time of year hitting double figures on smooth hounds and bass . For those after bigger than usual fish get yourself some crab, peeler or not, break the shell so the juices leak and away you go.
Unusual catch though over the weekend was a small stingray landed on the east wall. Add to this the usual undulates have been caught as well as a few thornbacks.

A little flurry of mackerel 1st light on Sunday promised so much only for the shoal to be smashed up by a pod of 20+ dolphins taking advantage of the feed frenzy that happened sporadically over the weekend. The crabs are drawing in species of all sorts like a free buffet on a council estate would !.

On a serious note, there seems to be a problem with dead gulls in and around the marina and Brighton seafront. Its possible linked to avia flu but could also be something more sinister. If you come across a dead gull please don’t handle it without protection to yourself or preferable leave where it is and report it. RSPCA , RSPB< marina security, any local vet , they will arrange collection of the dead bird(s). Many gulls are protected and investigations are being made with promised prosecutions if this is something more than a natural disease.

Plenty suddenly happening on the marina and with things open 5 nights a week now would be a good time to visit. thats it from me today
F

So, it seems a few questions are flying about night openings on the wall and after having a chat with Dave I can post up the following.

Both walls will start opening at night initially 5 nights (wed to sun) providing the weather is suitable and there are no issues with people climbing up onto the top level of the east wall. (check the site as possible shut on wed)
Work equipment is left up there and the last thing anyone needs is either people tampering with gear or using the upper level as a toilet. The last time we had work on the east the toilet issue got so out of hand the workmen refused to work on the wall if it was left open !
On to the catch bit, loads of Smooth hounds being caught off shore and a fair few on the walls now we are into their breeding season and they are on the feed. Still plenty of rays about and bream are slowly picking up as are the wrasse reports. Again some decent bass to be had and plaice now seem to be a common stand by/go too on the east . Spider crab pest situation atm is not too bad but expect them to increase rapidly now especially on the west. A few mackerel reported yesterday but tbh nothing to shout about and the water colour is still very shiny green emerald hue so the rot is still there but less sticky. A blow or some decent hot weather is needed to break it up or burn it off IMO.

As said earlier there a small blow pushing through wed/thurs that may impact night fishing wed and a possible close on the west wed, maybe thurs though it will be called on a day to day basis so please keep an eye on the home page for open/shut updates
Thats it for today … over n out
F