So a slight change to format this year to what many have been used to in how the prizes were sorted in that we chose to do the same as the year that Paul Singleton one the 1st prize in that the main prize would be for the biggest single squid and also a trophy followed by a trophy and smaller prize for the person that won with the most body length of accumulated squid not most actual squid catches.
Looking at the tides it was decided to go for 24/04/22 yesterday 🙂 am not sure way it wasnt set to 3pm as normally we try to get 3 before and 3 after but it was set to a 2pm finish and prizes/raffle draw to be done straight after the squidding.
Wind forecasts raised a few eyebrows running towards the date as there was a constant NE breeze showing but myself having faith that the walls would offer a fair bit of protection and forecasters habbits of going over and then finding next to no wind on said day … we opted to go after input and help from the shop boss David Grinham with a slight change in that we used the upper bays numbering pegs in reverse so bay 60 became peg 1 with bay 34 being peg 26.

in preparation we had asked prior on facebook if anyone wished to have a bay double peg for names and had 42 declare interest in attending. Usually with these things we get dropouts for many reasons & some simply dont show while others just show on the day. The number loss sometimes can be as much as a third so with the wind factor heavily making people unsure if to go or was it worth it we pushed on as the back up option was hosting it the following weekend , a bank holiday that could cause bigger issues. Add to this over night and early messages indicated 4 pairs and 3 singles couldn’t make the event due to covid, colds, work changes and breakdowns ! so we really were not shre what numbers would greet us on the morning.
So for me was a 6am get up as well as my wife Angie and son Michael who had offer to help. Taxi down to the east carpark for 7.45 am got us underway meet/greet/set up and sort the draw out. Chris Grinstead covered the raffle sorting the prizes with some background work put in the weeks prior form Steven Tapp and a few others.
Angie & I got going with the draw set up with 2 separate posts for pegs 1-25 and a back up bag of 25- 35 in case was needed(it wasnt) and Michael went to bay 60 to chalk the numbers in the centre of the front wall 1-26 downwards.
The idea was if a pair one would draw for their peg and singles would draw a peg we would ring the ticket to show 1 on it so far and if the ringed number was re drawn by a pair it would go back in for a single to draw and they redrew. it worked smoothly and competitors printed names on our entry list master copy and also signed it to show they had read the now required health & safety form.
Once that was done competitors could walk off up to their drawn pegs to set up for a 9am start. As we did the count we found that 32 had come, 28 adults 2 seniors and 2 juniors and while less than some years was not a bad turn out considering the conditions that were expected on the day.
By 8.30 am it was fairly clear that no more were likely to show so a swift sort out to separate the wall fee’s for dave from the entry money for the competition which was passed to Chris who was sorting the raffle ticket sales and would combine the two to work out what was raised v’s cost of prizes/trophies etc a bit later.
Just b4 9am I walked up the wall & to be honest the wind was much lower than the prediction and the cloud predicted to mid day/1ish broke quickly and the sun came out. Though a bit chilly the sun was in everyone’s faces most of the day, I even got a patch of sunburn on my left hand!(grantedI had skin cream on & it probably fried)

9am prompt we started with the help of Tim Albright assisting with any entry form signing and pictures on the day (already uploaded on squid gallery) and 2 squid came up very quickly giving me hope that we had got the day bang on because water conditions looked perfect.

Unfortunately that wasn’t quite the case as it soon became clear that the squid were not quite so easy or obliging as various types of lure and float method got used. Casting (egi) Jigs, pairs of jigs tied inline, single jigs set just under the bottom weight were all in use including a few with floats that suddenly found the N/NEast wind was to some level helping add some distance to cast distance as the wind was now in flurries directly behind them and adding some push to the flight to the water ! bonus :).
A third squid came up on the 30-40 minute in mark followed by rogue knocks and a couple of dropped squid on the pegs between 5 & 12 or bays 55 down to39 ish but it was clear this could be a tough day for everyone. Home the high tide about mid day It was clear that the wind was making some quite uncomfortable and the lack of squid was causing a slump feeling in many with some thinking about giving up but end of day most stayed although a couple packed up but stayed to watch convinced that it wasnt going to happen for them. The good & bad of chancing the day I guess but as said our back up date b4 the mayrot takes hold was the bank holiday weekend with faster running tides and highly likely crowding issues.

Up and over the high things were very flat and we had agreed that after 11am if squidders wanted to swap about their pegs they could providing they stayed within the chalked bays of 1-26 for one it proved very profitable when he moved. Around 1ish we saw Robin Howard out doing some research in the wind and some spotted him land a squid or 2 just off the end of the west wall one of which looked very decent. but for the wall it was an hour of nothing but seeing rob catching showed some promise for the turning tide.

As 1pm ticked past there were increased signs of activity and an occasional squid was had with a small flurry just prior to the 2pm planned finish. Seeing this flurry I asked the people around someone who had just put himself into the lead do they want another half hour(snap decision) informing the leader if they say yes and all agree he could in theory lose ! , all wanted that 30 mins so off we went with frantic shouts and calls to anyone higher up the wall on the lower peg numbers , the shout came too late for one who chose not to reset but everyone else seemed happy with the call and the sun had also come out to play fully with coats being shed and rods being re cast.

Was the 30 min call the right one you ask ? well yes for some no for others.
Mike King (runs fins & forks) in the last 2 mins landed a lovely Cuttle fish Yes we include them in the event and finally left us with a total of 9 squid landed possibly 4 dropped and a decent cuttle landed (pics on gallery page squiddly didly) more than some years, less than others. I suspect a few sunburns today as while there was a wind chill the sun was out all day as such. I got the feeling most were happy and many enjoyed the day leaving us all to walk off the wall once packed after 2.30pm to sort the raffle and prizes on the benches by the cafe..
I must add that the wall was left spotless without anyone being asked to clean up so on that, credit to everyone and thankyou all for showing how easy it is to take everything with you when you leave.
Who won ? yep the gent that chose to move from a low peg draw to a mid high bay, Michael Deacon, a past 2nd place winner and comp regular that had put in a few weeks practice on the wall running up to the event. If you havent met him look out for him, a proper gent and always happy to help people wanting to learn.
Thus the tiring (for me was knackering)walk to the cafe and the draw that Chris Grinstead had sorted and would announce for us and some picture opportunities.

THE WINNERS
The R.N.L.I. With entry fees and raffle ticket sales combined, £414 was raised which will be donated to the RNLI.
SQUID COMP
Largest single squid, Michael Deacon
Longest collective squid Michael deacon
and yes he did a clean sweep with a raffle prize as well!
JUNIOR PRIZE
We didnt have a junior catch this year so it literally was a case of flip a coin in front of everyone with the result of
Emily Neville winning the rod/reel combo, again donated by Dave,
Otto winning a bespoke Roman Gancedo Rey squid jig

RAFFLE PRIZES
assorted booze:

Gareth Williams, Kevan Howe, Neal Lees John Fish

Chocs: Frank Parker

neck gaiters and wading boot studs (aka fetish gear): Kevan Howe

Assorted squid jigs & lure gear: Lewis Clark,

Sean Lacey, Mike King, Graham Savage, Aidan Melia, Conrad Lee, Simon Ho, Mike Deacon Neal Lees

Thanks must go to Steven Tapp for donating all of the trophies and his unseen work for LISA and this comp in general
Dave Grinham for rod/reel combo prizes and his continued support of the event and supply of fishing wardens when needed
Roman for his marvellous  jigs,
Ray Neville for the (shed) clearance lurey stuff
Tim albright camera man and marshal assist
and last but not least
Robin Howard for initially getting this event started way back when most people on the marina had never realised you could catch squid here in Brighton
For those that don’t use or see facebook posts I will add here the report from Chris who did an awful lot not just on the day but pulling this comp together

Chris Grinstead report

31 squidders, including 2 juniors, braved a brisk Easterly wind that made for challenging conditions. 2 squid were caught in first 30 minutes so it was looking good but proved to be hard going thereafter until a late flurry that caused the comp to be extended by 30 minutes. 9 squid and a cuttle were caught in total.

Mike Deacon caught the largest squid (38 cms) to win the comp and the rod/reel combo kindly donated by David Grinham. Mike also caught 2 other squid to win secondary prize of longest aggregate length caught. Neither of the juniors caught, so the prizes were awarded on the toss of a coin with Emily Neville winning the rod/reel combo, again donated by Dave, and Otto winning a bespoke Roman Gancedo Rey squid jig.

Many thanks to Dave for allowing us to hold the event on the marina and for generous donation of prizes. Similar thanks to Roman for donating a great selection of jigs for winners’ & raffle prizes. Huge thanks to Frank Parker for running the show and to Angie and Michael and to Tim Albright for their help throughout. Thanks too to Steven Tapp for the unseen work needed to make it all happen and the donation of all of the winners’ trophies. Bravo, all.

Thanks to all who supported the event, either by fishing it or buying raffle tickets. (Full list of winners to follow separately). With entry fees and raffle ticket sales combined, £414 was raised which will be donated to the RNLI.

And with that I will thank everyone that came to the event and all that have supported it over the years and hopefully
We will see you all next year

Monday, I think ! lets start with a quick round up then a squid comp report.
The weather has been reasonably kind this week other than a couple of days with that pain in the butt of a north wind that has dropped tems & hampered many trying to float fish while constantly putting on coats then removing as either the sun dominates or the wind takes over. That dealt with the fishing is beginning to improve on the walls and rapidly at sea for the various bouts going out so on the boat side:- the bream numbers and quality a bit west of here are rapidly increasing and there are some good trips to be had. The wreck runs are doing well on Pollack but the cod have become unicorn and are seemingly absent although I occasionally sea a beach report of a cod 99% of them are codling and barely worth keeping. Rays are seemingly everywhere and not just the standard undulate and thornback. Plenty of variety for the species hunters out there. Plaice off Brighton are a standard and doing reasonably. Mackerel sill in the singles and herring now have dropped away with gurnard seemingly the replacement atm.

On the walls squid sizes vary from 25 cm to about 45cm and are a steady catch on the west with few targeting them on the east but yes they are there its just a case of do the walk or get a m8 to drop you off down there as there is no parking for anglers that end & that includes still the blue bays but i am trying to get something agreed but it will take time as no one seems to want to make a decision and the official stance is still all bays in the east CP are for business use only .
Plaice on the east are fairly common & a case of pick a bay above 15 and chose your method, bling or not to bling seems to be 50/50 spit so IMO right now it makes little difference of the wall. Rays are about on the wall but smaller than the boats are finding , please check the info on rays on what you can and cant keep, some are protected and all have a minimum size. Dogfish still seem to be all over the place and will hit just about any bait out there. In with the plaice have been a fair few flounders and the numbers seem to be on the up. Im only just starting to hear them 2 words that stress many , “spider crabs” & while some seem to think they are about I have not really seen any real confirmation they have arrived or at least show up in many numbers yet. While the do come into the area to mass breed I cant honestly say its started as yet although 1st signs tend to be as the bream arrive so perhaps there is a link & the crabs feast of bream fry , not sure but will perhaps ask about to see if anyone else has seen this sort of pattern/relationship.! No reports confirmed of bream catches on the wall as yet but imo that cant be far off and just off shore there now seems a better stamp of bass & while catch reports for bass atm on the walls is low as the hours of opening extend we should see more posts regarding bass. A few garfish were had a week ago but that seems to have been it & maybe they were simply following the herring shoals that have faded away. Little I can add re night catches as there have been few night sessions & most have been fairly quiet other than replicating similar catches to the day reports.

This Friday and Saturday (bank hol) there will be night openings (24/7) & we will increase the sessions slowly so as not to immediately have Marina residents pointing at the nasty noisy fishermen that drag fekin trollies clattering through the marina at all hours while making a noise on the walls as well at 2-4 in the ruddy mornings ! yes it is a thing sadly.
Finally, I will repost that there are now portaloo’s installed by a new firm where the previous loo’s were. They are decent and in decent condition. Im told the whole thing will be changed weekly so will keep an eye on that to see how things far. If anyone notices an issue with them please let someone know , we cant resolve ANY issue if we are not made aware of it be it the bog, or a muppet on the wall , please please please , find a way to let us know.
so, if you have managed to read this far I have changed my mind and have decided I will put up a second blog post today that covers the squid comp that went ahead yesterday once ive had a coffee and a stretch on the sofa.

event will be chalk numbered from east wall bay 60 as comp number 1, so numbers will run in reverse from bay 60 to bay 36 thus giving some extra shelter for people floating.

IN the event of the wind being too high on sunday the back up date is the following Sunday May 1st and this will be announced late saturday afternoon, as it stands it is going ahead

Mixed bags this week on both walls , not the best of things but it is still only April. Plaice continue to tick over with the best on the east, it seems the bulk of the squidders are atm opting for the west wall and I suspect it is mostly to do with the walking distances for most so the best of the squid are being caught over on the west. That said the sizes of catches this year are good and it looks as though the small pebble squid that are favoured as cod baits have either come and gone very early this year …. or are still behind the game. Time will tell.

While on the subject of squid …
The SQUID COMP IS planned to go ahead on Sunday as things stand. Some have raised concerns about the weather or more to the point the wind forecasts atm. As things stand I and others have a close eye on it and any late call to abandon will be made Saturday and posted here and on the marina fb group. As it sits now it wont be pleasant and will favour weighted jigs and rigs over floats , should we be forced to abandon the comp will go ahead the following Sunday May 1st same times.

On the east wall the portaloo situation hasn’t been resolved, it has been raised again with concerns and Dave has replied to that via the facebook group saying it is being sorted and should be resolved fairly soon…. lets hope so eh 🙂

On the catching front the boats are now into some decent bream not that far along the coast and in my opinion the 1st bream on the wall are late, Ive often seen guiltheads high on the east mid march so im expecting someone to start into them very soon.

Repair info
East is now very nearly finished jet washing, loads of marina meetings have delayed dave finishing the top end but he has now reached 59/60 where the marina repair folk have been waiting for a safer surface to get the wires fixed up there between 60 and that final bay Roger Stanton favours (74) so much.

There wont be any night sessions this week but dave is regularly fielding calls to “when” so expect a few more weekend dates to be posted very soon, as always I will post a pointer on the home page, sometimes here and on the Night fishing web page.
Health issues have distracted me somewhat from doing more regular updates so please bear with things being a bit erratic, sitting at a pc is a struggle so most updates are short and sweet usually on the home page. on the up side sunshine does help when I can get out in it so lets look to things being posted a bit more often when I can.

Very few reports of sole or bream from the beaches or walls but yes they should pick up now. Still loads of small dogfish about and ray catches are on the increase with quite a few varieties rather than all thornie or undulates so for the species hunter things are on the up & up, I even saw a report locally this week of a topknot taken on a lure. With the improved weather the boat reports are improving in number and quality so that will I hope add to catch news in the next few weeks :)/

I have also finally learn to pay attention to the activity of the lure boats , it seems they are a great indicator of what to expect on the walls …. who knew eh !

Im going to sign off now as i’m starting to waffle for want of something to type up so will close with the obvious news of some nice bass caught, the prawn activity on the undercliff is good and the occasional mackerel is now not unusual on the east wall.
For those attending the squid comp, I will post saturday a Y/N and hopefully I will see you there …. yes I will be helping for a change.
till then … adieu
F

Dave has been busy with the new jet washer (even with its problems! ) and there will be a special night opening this Easter weekend so

Friday both walls will open until 9.30pm
SATURDAY open 24/7 yes night fishing
SUNDAY open 24/7 again night fishing
MONDAY walls close 6pm

All night anglers are reminded that the east car park is now NO PARKING that currently includes the blue bays , they are there for customers of the businesses at the east end \

ALL parking is in the multi storey , please avoid fines and tickets.. Drop off pick up is allowed on the east.
Recent catches include plaice, bass, flounder, whiting, rockling still lurk and as the water clears now there should be squid.
Things look nice and calm as we move towards the squid comp that will be on sun 24th April on the east … details posted on the squid comp page

So marathon day is hear so delays expected all over Brighton, Wilson’s Avenue im told is now open (10am) so not all bad. East wall fishing quite well although the bulk of the plaice are skinny there are some decent keepers to be found. It sees we are getting more flounders than in the past couple of years so perhaps the changes in pair trawling is showing early benefit but who knows it may just be their time to have better numbers. Schoolie bass and small rays are beginning to get more common although the whiting and slug(rockling) are still lurking down the sides. V little feedback from the west last couple of days and not heard of any squid last 2 days but to be expected as the water is still settling. Some easterlies pushing through this week but i dont see any closing on the walls this week & looking decent til at least the 17th into Easter though it may be a bit chillier than past years with 10 or 11 degrees being estimated, hopefully it will warm up for the squid comp the following week.
Thats it for now , catch you all sometime on the walls
F

A grotty morning of wind and rain see both walls shut today and tomorrow but, back open Friday 7.3o and the same, both open at the weekend, 7.30 to 6pm. Hopefully it should improve and give us a decent Easter weekend.

Following Easter the next weekend will see the SQUID COMP and keen eyes may have noticed a page has been set up on the website giving details of time and when it starts etc.
Registration on the day is by the cafe at the start of the east and entry fee includes rod fee for the wall for the whole day.
I have asked people wishing to book a bay so a pair can fish together to register their interest on the marina facebook page , I also realise some read here but dont use facebook so IF YOU WISH TO BOOK A BAY (random draw) PLEASE USE THE EMAIL LINK ON THE HOME PAGE, it will find me and I will confirm back via email all requests.
On the fishing front it as been a mix of closed or lean fishing days. Squid are there but few fishing for them at the moment , plaice continue to be caught though sizes are a bit marginal.. Have not had a report of bream yet on the wall but expect the 1st should show up very soon. Some bass now being caught by the local lure boats but none claimed to my knowledge yet on the wall. Dogfish and small rays seem quite common mixed up with a few flounders. Hopefully with the weather cleaning up things should improved.

Squid comp is on 24th April for those not yet aware,
Until next time … over n out
F

Squid comp info now sorted, this years comp again will be hosted by the LISA group (local independent sea anglers)
>>>> L.I.S.A. <<<<

Sunday 24th April starting at 9am til 2pm

There will be 33 bays available for the event thus 66 places. (bays 8 to 33 inclusive)

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Booking in from 8am starts 9am til 2pm.

1 rod 2 jigs max may be used

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Prizes for 1st,LONGEST SINGLE squid or cuttlefish, and
2nd LONGEST OVERALL catch and
1st prize also for juniors.

Squid measured from mantle to tip of tail as do cuttlefish

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A number of ‘double’ bays will be available for anglers wishing to fish together (please email here if you dont use facebook, full list will be posted in facebook group)

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Cost to enter is £15 adult
senior £13 and
junior/£8 (must be accompanied)
all entries INCLUDE rod fee for the day 1 rod..

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Raffle tickets will be available and all proceeds of the event (raffle and comp)to be split between LISA and the RNLI.

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As ever, the event is subject to weather conditions on the day and will be cancelled, possibly at short notice, if the weather conditions are not good enough for it to go ahead safely.

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On the catching front the west wall leads the way but i suspect this is mainly because there are a couple of very able squid catchers fishing that side more than the east wall at the moment but am expecting catches to start showing in equal numbers very soon. There have been herring on & off this week mostly over the high tide on the east more than the west ( see the clever plan to split you all ? yea , no it wasnt deliberate but just panned out that way …. honest guv!
Rumour of bass but ive not seen any on the wall as yet confirmed but for those that know of fishy robs blogs its worth keeping an eye on for more accurate info than i give fleetingly here. Plaice continue to tick over , low bays on the west and almost anywhere over 14 on the east will do you, if you fancy a flounder look to the lower bays on the east over the mussel patches ( bays 6 to 16), sole can be found near the bend of the east at distance or high up near the end of the east if its open that far. Havnt seen any early bream catches but again the best mark for the early bream is up on bay 60/74 if they are open, Ive had a few last week of march in the past so may be time to have a go if access that high is open on the east. There also seem to be a good number of rays being caught by the boats fishing very close to the marina walls so mackerel baits may be worth a go on that front. Finally on the species front i have seen a few private boats log some gurnard catches which also seem early to me , either that or i simply have not been paying attention to them . Yes things are picking up but the productive sessions are still patchy so expect to work for it if you are species counting . If you are out for “anything you can get” the plaice and flatties are your best bet with a large hook bait out just in case a ray or bass is lurking 🙂
Tight lines all , spring has sprung and brought the snow flurries to many so… wrap up warm for another week or so and then i recon the decent weather will return for Easter.
F

Good morning world, as you may notice from the home page we have BOTH WALLS OPEN during the week 🙂 for the 1st time this year. Access to the EAST wall is via the side gate along side the café.
PLEASE note that the EAST is ANGLERS ONLY while repair work continues on the upper level.
PLEASE NOTE:-Everyone should remain on the lower levels.
Catch wise plenty of plaice to be had, yesterday was best on the EBB, amongst the plaice you may find sole and flounders. Squid have been confirmed on both walls now although its still early. Herring showing up in a brief flurry usually just prior to the high tide and some may find mackerel amongst the herring shoals. Loads of dogfish out there as well as whiting while bass are also poking their noses out (so to speak). While early for bream it should be worth a go on the higher bays on the east as guilthead bream tend to be the 1st bream catches high up there.
If it hasnt been done already Dave is expected to finish the last bit of jet washing the east wall then look to the west and getting the extension into shape.
Anglers are reminded that curently there are no toilet facilities on the east side so should be prepared to use some level of decency when taking a leak or be prepared to walk back to the main toilets within the marina. on the west if the numbers are there on the wall the duty warden will if asked open the toilet gate up. Its closed simply because we have had issues with climbers going over the extension gate .
Thats the latest for now , ( access to the upper east shouldn’t be too long with work on the east nearly finished)
Tight lines everyone

F

As title says the east is open this weekend , sat and sun 7am til 6pm lower level only and access is via the side gate beside the café.
Anglers only please. The wall will be open to bay 55 possibly to 60 on Sunday.

^{Please please please stay off the upper level. If the contractor stuff gets medalled with we will lose access to the east at weekends.}

West is open to the tower block, extension is closed as there is still work to be done.
Fresh black & ragworm in the shop which is open 8-5pm today and Saturday, sun 8-4pm.
dust of your squid jigs as the 1st catch has been confirmed and there are herring & mackerel about as well as plaice sole and rays.
Weather looking ok for the weekend although it may feel chilly in the sunshine as the breeze is from the NE. Looking like a bump in the decent weather next week @ Wednesday so will keep an eye on that as it may cause an issue with opening towards next weekend.
Thats it for today , tight lines & good luck to those that are out
F