13th of September already, seems like the summer was not even here! Well the weekend report may be good news for many, sat and sun the mackerel arrived in the mornings and hung about for all to sorta fill their boots, im told today it has also been decent as the light came up & a swift look at the tides has told me 2am 3am high tides so they are incoming after the night highs which is good news. Add to that there seems to be a plaice return on the east wall so is it a case of happy days are hear again ?
F
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As the title says the updates have been a bit few and far this summer. mostly as many are finding out that on the whole the in shore fishing has been poor. Yes the east arm is ticking over with a regular early visit of mackerel and a few plaice of average size but in the main things have not been great. bream numbers have been well down this year on both walls .. even the boat feedback has been similar for further western marks commonly fished. Bass fishing has been decent but not great, few wrasse and a dirth of garfish have been obvious.
I could make speculations why things are so poor this year but perhaps its simply one of those things or supports the over fishing theories.. who knows.
I realise many do follow these reports and some even cherry pick reports(in the past) to decide when n where they visit . In the main i have not put posts up as it has been so poor & the FB group page has had as much info there if not more than i could add here
perhaps September will bring a burst of activity & simply show the season this year was indeed 2 months late rather than a non starter !
F
Yup its a mackerel morning on the east with everyone bagging up.
Crash hats & the standard charge to the walls I guess š
F
ok folks, another “I’m sorry” post, but to be fair ive been a bit distracted the last 10+ days or so. K….. the fishing is IMO at the moment a case of know ya stuff or , seems a little right plaice right time. Plaice numbers are slow & not too many real home takers. bream while sizeable are I think a case of right time right plaice making a sesh decent or a real struggle. The regular bream hunters know the where’s as many of the “usual” spots seem to be under performing. Hate to say it but High east seeing the best of the numbers & the west Ext tends to tick over the best on west.
Bass fishing is still good Night time producing the better stamp of fish. Glenn clocked a couple of skinny gars mid week & they are prob the 1st ive heard of since April so are the mackie shoals on the way ? I hope so as its been fairly grim on the walls so far other than the morning runs. Yes there are some during the day & over high tides but not what would be expected. Almost no reports of gurnard or red mullet this year & im not hearing about reasonable mullet this year other than from “dave the mullet” and his outings. Wrasse catches seem sketchy but when one is caught they seem to be single fish & a decent 2lb upwards.
Boat fishing is very good for bream and plaice so it seems its just the walls that are having a sudden lack of quality although I find myself repeating that Bass catches are good this year as are rays and various other shark species on and around the walls.
This week has also seen a seal lingering off the west wall no doubt having an impact during the day, dolphin sightings are now falling away and I will stick my neck out & type that the mackerel shoals are due or imminent in about 10 days on the bigger tides but please dont hang me out to dry if im wrong.
Other species I hear the voice in my head say … So what I replied :), na seriously , Horse mac doing ok & numbers are stable. Sole so-so but ok 2-5ish in the mornings on the east chuck a line out on the bend worth a punt, live prawns or live baits defo the way to go if you can. Small turbot & brill have been had on the east , seen far less box jellies this year but very lacking in squid, will the autumn run happen .. I hope so š
The first reported cod(on marina FB group) was posted up this week by Skipper Terry Lee who reports generally that the boat fishing ATM is very good and a general chat with some of the other skippers confirms that they are all very busy.
Over all ATM id say daytime catches are a bit slow and Nights are doing quite well on the walls, as to the beaches Im sorta not getting reports to give a fair assessment this month but Hove Lagoon to carry more info on shore goings on. So until next time , be good š & if ya cant be good …. be safe….
A final word….. WASPS… numbers at the moment are pest proportion for a few days so anyone with sting allergies may want to delay a visit as they seem a little aggressive !
F
So the weekend has started with morning fish ! omg shock horror what the eff is happening ?
Fri sat and today 1st light has seen mackerel and horse mackerel on both walls some even up to the low tides , night dude has reported bass , horse mac, some small rays eels & tiddlers so it seems there is bait down the side of the walls in the mornings for a change . Are things looking up ? lets hope so as the season has been dead slow so far. Best catches yesterday was a 2lb+ guilthead bream and a fairly decent wrasse from the pic i saw. No pics today, still waiting on a decent send in to use.
If ypu use social media please use the facebook group to post up your catch reports & pics if you have any,
FB group >> Brighton Marina fishing UK
F
not such a crazy start as yesterday & reports from the night are a bit thin on the ground , had a chat with the night bloke yesterday who said tue wed nights did well for bass with a few on both walls. Bream numbers seem very down on previous years and “proper” mackerel shoals are yet to show even though reports down Pompy way are rapidly getting better. Yesterday the west was very slow in the afternoon & while there i only saw a few bream and random mackerel being caught. Best of it had been pre 5am. East fared little better but plaice & bream were had, mostly Im lacking decent info so cant say if fish were there or not … hopeful the weekend will show a pick up.
F
So Wednesday has started with a bang, loads of horse mackerel and mackerel on the morning tide and pictured is Dewan with a nicely aged lobster, gonna make someone a nice meal for sure. Looks like things are picking up after the blow with reasonable reports of catches yesterday & through the night.. some bream, sole, bass plaice as well as the mackerel flurry.
Weather looks decent other than a wind bump thats being monitored on Sunday and afternoon high tides look very appealing.
Well a naff start to august ! summer ? really ? jebus ! wet, windy ,shut downs, and next to nothing to report tbh other than yes we are finally back open aannnnd a bit of a cloudy week ahead with the possibility of sun and more westerlies at the weekend , weather dudes having a larf.
more later
F
Lack of updates, part due to holidays, part because wall been fairly quiet & occasionally my private life gets in the way of posts :).
As say things have been fairly quiet of late especially for this time of year when people would expect the walls to be teaming with catches. It has been a bit sluggish but there does seem to be an upping of the number of hounds caught on the east this year, not sure if thats good or bad just thats how it seems. Bream numbers seem well down on the last few years as do wrasse numbers. Bass fishing possibly the best in a few years or maybe there is a raise in the standard of anglers targeting species, so what is happening ? global warming ? climate changes ? maybe just a simple case of a down year. Watching tv other day it said about how bad the weather had been in London 100 years back that it was snowing in July on that given year so maybe global warming is nature playing games .. hey I dunno I just look at fish patterns on the marina over the last 15+ years.
Anyhoo, enough of that , whats happening down on the walls …
So bass, check, still ticking over with some lumps not quite making double sizes, Bream, both walls usual bays for those that know ( a few hints on the site wall guides) Wrasse, numbers well down but those being caught are good sizes, Plaice , east arm tick over , many now somewhat lean & while “in size keepers” in my view better going back to fatten up. Gar .. massive lack for this time of year but may run later with the mackie shoals (read on) Sole, dirty water day catches or night time, reasonable sizes but no lumps that can pop up often(in past years) Eels, come in bursts often after a blow and a few are jumping onto baits this week. other species popping up like gurnards & red mullet(goat fish) but IMO again down in numbers, rays seem to have slowed up but undies are a common visitor to the east. Who is waiting for me to mention mackies again š ?
Night fishing has slowed this week but over all the last month has been better than those sitting in the sun and baking to crisps. Horse mackerel had a big flurry beginning of july but not as prominent as past numbers. If you are targeting these with lights down the wall please check your colours , please no green or red lighting on the walls. for the night catches, steady numbers now of bream, bass, sole, eels, rays, plaice often in close.
so them mackies, very few large shoals so far & generally best time is 1st & last light at the moment … why are they late this year ? is this normal ? is there a pattern ? IMO and its only an opinion i have a theory based on ICES reports over the last 5 years.
The report… i dont have a link but sure some can dig for it, states that the mackies are moving further and further north to breed as sea temps raise. This the fry is under the ice & as it travels to find food it has further to travel each year than the previous.. so what does that mean you ask… well IMO it means that the arrival on the south coast take longer & later each year & this pattern has been occurring over the last 8 years at least.
AAAhhhh but u say , we have shoals of mackies late April… yes says I BUT, look at them, they have big fat stripes on them in 3 or 4 large bands across the body, IMO again these come up from the Bay of Biscay & are linked to the Spanish mackerel shoals thus the April run still happens but the July run is now later in the year …..dot dot dot…:) sooooooo this results in 2 distinct types of mackerel in the channel in April(ish) and then the “summer” shoals having further to travel start arriving in August-September. These shoals imo(again) then link up with Garfish from the Atlantic waters and head south while trying to avoid factory ships & pair trawlers hunting bass & bream. oddly the ICES reports state good to high numbers of mackerel fry in tested areas , so in theory the numbers should be higher than what we see on the south coast & I recon thats where the over fishing comes in… One eco group is claiming that mackerel are on the edge of becoming a protected species… I gather on the Iberian peninsula recreational anglers are not allowed to target mackies & they are exclusive domain of the commercial fleets ! go figure.
So finally to the mackies on the marina …. as you may by now gather , numbers are poor, quick 30 min flurries are common dawn and dusk and often over high tides. Likewise similar at night with horse mackerel(scad) numbers are erratic. Will things improve ? dunno but i’m gonna say yes & say look to the bigger tides in August for them to start arriving when there will be tons of reports of tiny joeys being caught n kept ! The next 6m tides start around the weekend of the 8th so im sort of expecting a pick up of numbers by the following weekend (15th) bear in mind this is just my view & Im not known for predicting when fish will arrive, but, this year so far has been odd , even weird, wardens have been saying it all seems 5-6 weeks behind & that seemed the case , now im not so sure Im thinking its nature playing with us…
April squid run, never happened, bream nests smashed off the marina by bad weather disrupted that stock, wrasse numbers hugely down, even plaice numbers seem 30% worse this year. on the up side , more bass, rays & hounds being taken & tons of dolphin sightings all along the Sussex coast. This years patterns seem very different.
I received an email this week asking for the updates, yes I will admit they have been less frequent this year & the buck stops with me, so today I decided to take you on a long ramble as Ive been tardy in my posting.
One final note, or request of anglers using the marina. We have pipe bins sited on both walls for unwanted fishing line, its collected and recycled to make furniture that often is angling related. They were recently vandalised on the west, my “final point” is to ask for
“eyes & ears“.. help us to maintain the facilities on the marina. If you see something off, let a warden know failing that , a message on facebook via the marina group (if u use FB). Vandalism and abuse in general of the marina walls will have fingers pointed at anglers.
Not all vandalism is by slobs but any extra eyes in the marina help us reduce issues such as this and other issues such as bad behaviour, open fires(bbq’s etc)drunks, ppl urinating on the upper and lower walls. the list could go on & on but.. some are getting the message & getting involved. No one needs to stand up to these ppl , a simple phone call in the right ear will get results. Help us to help you, the anglers that want to see it better. We know the issues, if we know when its happening it can be dealt with.
Help us to keep the marina as one of the better South coast venues and keep us informed.
thank you
Anyway , enough of my ramble, until the next time …. over n out
F
Sketchy reports this week so sort of gotta put the bits together over the week to get a picture of whats happening , so here we go.
Still plenty of evening sightings of dolphins , ok not fish but great for the kids if they get to see some. mackerel reports are finally on the improve side with decent shoals… yes shoals of mackerel the last few days over the high tides in the morning 3-7am sort of times and then as the sun drops in the evening they return bringing their friends.
Not had any news on gars this week but they cant be far away, plaice on the east as ever tick over & sizes have been a bit better this week with some genuine keepers .Sole are doing well on the east if you know where you do well. Likewise on the night theme the horse mackerel are now a common sight with many lamps down the side, so a gentle reminder not to use red or green equipment with bulbs, tip lights are fine of any colour. Rays mostly thornies at night & undies during the day are fairly common now and hound pups are also a common catch on the east over the sands.
back onto the sand we are seeing more gurnards & mullet are increasing on the high & low bays. Bream likewise on th rocky marks are doing well both sides & we are seeing some very decent wrasse coming up even if the numbers are less than I would usually expect for this time of year. Likewise bass are still being caught on both walls & live baits it seems are the way to go at the moment for those non lure types.
Over all the fishing has seen a steady pick up for the last 2 weeks so expect the same story with the number of visitors we see at weekends which are now getting very busy .
A little reminder for our night visitors , please resist the urge to put up tents b4 8pm and a reminder of the donts , please dont , bring glass onto the wall, no fires, coals bbq’s etc(gas burners allowed) and if you cant find a toilet use the V’s, hang it over the side & go in the sea. If anyone is caught using the upper pathway as a loo they will be removed from the wall. please help us keep the walls clean & pleasant for all to use and alert the staff of any issues, we can deal with it fast if alerted . ty
finally, its darn hot out there so pack plenty of fluids and sun protection, there is no shelter out there on the walls.
