Well, there ya have it. So desperate for an apt or witty blog title I have sunk too the level of State The Bloody Obvious ! best watch out as I recon next will be “hell has frozen over !”
Why state the obvious? quite simple, so little too say about the fishing I guess BUT, there is a bit of bright news so lets start with that.
Im told that night fishing has improved, although Im not aware of how things went last night it seems that horse mackerel are becoming a bit more regular and have been caught in numbers 2-3 of the most recent nights and bass takes are still ticking over quite nicely, no sign of rays or sole on the west yet but I will keep my fingers crossed that the next few weeks show a marked improvement on how things have been the last few weeks.

Daytime fishing still remains very challenging and while it may sound like a bunch of excuses we have been hit by what I guess is a combo from hell. As I mentioned in the last blog July can often be a quiet month with bright clear water, very little fry in the water inshore, strong sunshine and hot all day seems too put the fish off from being active (cant blame em tbh) often moving too deeper water, add in dropping (or seemingly) stocks of bait species such as Mackerel, Herring, Sardine and such like has, it seems that things have given us something very unusual and the poorest fishing I have ever known in more that almost 30 years.

I realise I posted last time that July is traditionally quiet and not really a mackerel month for the marina, I also added about perhaps clouded memories and was reminded about something yesterday by a wall regular who was cycling the wall for a scout about and pointed out that he defo recalls the likes of mackerel in July and I do actually agree with him, in part, so I will elaborate a bit and get too waffle some more.
Ive mentioned in the past various ICES reports, in particular one 20 years back stating mackerel breeding patterns and migration routes & times. It at the time claimed that Mackies were breeding further and further north and under the polar Ice due too rising sea temperatures ( 20 years ago !) which was claimed would effect the migration timings and patterns as the distances increased. I have often repeated this info a fair bit, initially it was laughed off but being on the marina regularly has allowed me too see some of the changing patterns of catches and declines/rises in various sea species.

Yearly over the last 20 odd years the mackerel seem too get a few days later. Yes we usually get a spring run in April then things slow up & we see May rot take hold. We do see mackerel (usually) but not huge shoals. Often like currently a small shoal will show up, flit along one or both walls and be away inside a few mins meaning anglers needed too be in the right spot at the right time or you missed them. This year that pattern is still there but only Just. Fish numbers are massively down and its not just mackerel and its not just the marina that is seeing a huge lack of fish atm. The whole of the south coast is similar inshore with some boats going out further and further just too get a few mackies.

As said, the migrate pattern has indeed been shown as real, I said Ive been paying attention too it for 20+ years and a 1-3 day change yearly seems very little until you think…. 1-3 days in five years could at a push be as much as 1-2 weeks change, so 10, 15 20 year changes if the pattern continued ?
Perhaps now it becomes clearer why i say that mackerel arent a thing in July as the old “end of June” shoal arrivals hasnt really happened for some years and we are more likely too see shoals of mackerel (if they happen) somewhen into August this year. Something has too change soon before fish stocks take a permanent hit that will take years too undo. on that I don’t have the answers, lets face it we all think
“ahh its only Mackerel, there are tons of em why worry” but the other problem too falling stocks is how the fek too preserve them !
Can you imaging rec anglers being told sorry folks but, Mackerel are only for commercial fleets as they are scarce! Frick can you imagine the uproar ? The bigger problem though is not banning on sector from tking fish too preserve a stock the real issue is that any stock bans should be universally applied IE Rec and commercial alike, its pointless banning one group for the benefit of the other. IMO it simply wont work.

Sermon over & returning too a catch report,
when I went on the west yesterday (mullet) Dave was fishing his usual lower bay and he mentioned that he had seen a shoal of Mackerel (honest he did) about 7-7.15 am and by time he had set up they had been n gone so fast you could easily think it was imagined but nope , the same thing happened on wed morning but that time they were low on the east during the low tide.
Now based on that anyone wanting a half chance at mackerel should try early mornings for a few days, it may just pay off.
I spent all of the afternoon rolling around both walls (yes im that big and round) and through the high tide. Like Wednesday afternoon it was flippin hot and the few anglers there were getting very sun baked for a return of very few fish, most there didnt even get too see a fish caught yet alone catch one for themselves. There were a few fish as has been repeated all week but it was a case of mostly Bream, a couple of Mackerel and Blennies.

Yesterday I think was a new low for me. A Friday summer afternoon with fairly low numbers fishing when in the past both walls would have been quite busy but I cant blame people for not coming down. Lets face it 2-3 hour travel down with the prospect of a blank !, no one wants too do that when costs of things including car fuel constantly rise and people feel the pinch. 4+ hrs in a car, add road works, delays & traffic jams too sit on a marina too get a suntan ! sod that.
I shant say how few fish I saw or was aware of although I was told Roy had caught a nice mullet other fish on both walls were during the day very few and far between.
If this is the low point I guess’🎵 things can only get better 🎵 especially as I’m sure they cant get worse !

Day off as such today as gonna go see some wrestling on the seafront (nr angel statue) so unless something strange happens today don’t expect a blog tomorrow.

Aaaaannnnnndddd with that I will sign off for today and bid you all ADIEU
F