It looks like a week of consolidation for the beach and pier angler, with day time tides producing very little apart from small bass and eels, I think part of the problem is very bright conditions and clearing sea. The one good thing is the problematic weed that we have had for over a month has now disappeared.
The Walton Pier Club fished the last match of their season on the local pier, 17 anglers turned out and were met with sunshine and calm seas not conducive to good fishing and so it proved. Sizable fish were caught but not in any numbers. First place went to Allan Hyde and joint second were Ian Walker and Barry Adair. This was also their 100th match since the club started and the overall positions for the year were –
1st Peter Harris
2nd Barry Adair
3rd Joe Marvell
4th Kevin Blackwell
Over their 10 match season 1100 fish were weighed in, the most in anyone match was 257 and with an average attendance of 16 anglers. The heaviest fish was a 6lb 4oz cod caught by Barry Adair. The Pier Club would like to thank the Pier Company for sponsoring them throughout the season.
The pier in general has had an up and down week, with the bigger fish mostly showing on the evening tides, the daytime tides has seen small bass, garfish and wrasse. All these fish can be caught directly in front of the pier piles.
Young anglers Vinnie and Alfie Kemp aged 10 and 13 years of age fished the top of the pier and had a great day, they landed two thornbacks of 10lbs and 7lb 10oz plus a 5lb 10oz smooth-hound.
The Walton beaches are seeing some small bass either side of the pier plus soles falling to worm baits. All along the Frinton coastline has been fairly quiet, with once again evening tides fishing much better with the odd thornback ray, dogfish and bass being caught.
The Holland and Clacton beaches remain steady on the night tides with still rays to be caught and the odd bass. Clacton Pier has also had a quiet week with only the odd ray, plus some whiting, pouting and small bass. Even St Osyth beach has not produced much this week, a few thornback rays and the odd bass.
Colchester Sea Angling Club headed for Thorpness on the Suffolk beaches for their June league match, it was a pleasant evening with light winds, they also found fish hard to find. 1st place went to Phil buy with 4lbs 6oz, 2nd spot was Olly Yallop with 3lb 3oz, 3rd Mick Bradley 3lb 2oz, 4th Dave Clark 2lb 14oz and 5th Steve Yallop 1lb 14oz. Heaviest round fish Dave Clark with a 1lb 12oz dogfish and heaviest flatfish a 1lb sole for Steve Yallop.
The boats have had a reasonable week with good catches of those hard fighting smooth-hounds some well into double figures, plenty of bass the biggest reported was an 11lb 3oz bass caught on the charter boat Sophie Lea by Barry Gilders.
The tides for the weekend are Saturday 15.49pm and Sunday 16.32pm
