This page is an archive of past catch reports.

Catch report 03/12/07

The early part of the week saw mild weather but the latter part of the week has seen fairly rough weather with strong SW winds. From reports i have recieved it seems that those brave/mad enough to fish this weekend have been rewarded with some nice fish. The only thing that has been noted is that with this rough weather, weed has become a problem at some marks.

I will start with Pevensey which has been fishing well. Plenty of flounders being caught up to 1 1/2lb in daylight and after dark. There have been some nice codling up to 3lb caught. Hugh (crazyplums) fished saturday night and had a real mixed bag of fish which included some nice flounders and codling as well as a schooly bass and a monster eel of 2lb 10oz. There are whiting and pout about as well.

A big thanks to Sam for this report from Pevensey bay, he fished friday day time. 'We went to the anglers den to get some lug and when i went in there the guy i bought it of said that i should head further up towards normans bay because people were having big flounders up there. He also said that they were taking slipper limpets which had been washed up onto the shore. I fished where there is a road which is blocked by a gate and a log. I started half an hour before high tide and then finished an hour after high tide. I caught 2 flounders (pic below). The people next to me caught a few flounders and the person beyond them caught some flounders, the flounders were taking the slipper limpets. Hope this helps someone.'

Sams 2 Flounders

Thanks to Kev C for this report (below) from langley point (Eastbourne):

'just thought i would let you know that i managed to brave it out last night up at langley point, eastbourne.  fished from  10.00pm till 1.00am.  blowing west south west gusting to gale 8.
i decided to fish with one rod using a pulley pennel  fitted with 2/0 bait holder hooks, baited up three nice lug  on trace and then hit it as hard as i could.
 
i was only in the water for around 10 minutes when the line went slack. upon
reeling in i discovered a 2lb codling flapping around the end of the trace. rebaited the same way and launched it of again.
 
after 20 minutes the same thing happened only this time the codling was a little over three pounds.
the session was starting to look really good, unfortunately that was that as far as the codling go, i did however have a superb bite at around midnight, which took me up the shore away form the tide couldnt hold it as i wasnt using the GB3 heavy ,  took me straight over the end of the groin, i was so frustrated as i could feel it thumping. not sure how big it was or what it was but alas after having to pull for the break i felt one last thump then all went limp. i managed to reel in the trace and too my amazement none of the hooks were damaged  or grip wires bent to access .
 
i dont think i will ever know what that was all about but that is fishing for you.
 
the only other fish i was catching in the end was pout whiting, not bad sizes
either, but with this and the weed beginning to get out of control i decided to call it a night'

Brighton Marina has been closed most of the week due to the rough weather but when it was open in the early part of the week, it was reported that a few mackerel were still about in daytime and after dark there were some pout and whiting to good sizes.

Hove beaches have been producing some nice flounders along with whiting and the odd codling after dark.

A lot of marks have been getting results on slipper limpets and other shellfish this week as these have been washed inshore by the strong seas and the fish are feeding on them like crazy. If your fishing any beaches this week just stroll along the high water mark (where seaweed and debris collects) and you should find some slipper limpets which are an excellent free bait. de-shell them and either use them alone or for tipping off worm baits. this can be very effective for flounders and bass. I have placed a pic below if your not sure what they look like. this is how you should find them in groups.

KENT:

 At this time of year i also try and include reports from the kent coast (if possible) as i know a lot of people head up that way in the search for cod and better fish, although at the momment our local beaches are doing the business just as well. Anyway, Dungeness has been producing dabs, pout and whiting in the daytime. After dark there have been all the fish previously mentioned plus quite a few Codling.

Glenn fished the Prince of Wales Pier on sunday 2nd Dec and had some nice fish including codling (1lb 13oz) and a monster pout (1lb 4oz). Here is his full report:

Prince of Wales Pier - Dover 2/12/07

Due to the extreme high winds our competition at dungeness was moved to pevensey bay, after a long discussion with my dad we decided that fishing at pevensey would be just as bigger struggle as at dungeness, so instead we'd go for a pleasure fishing session on the P.O.W pier at dover in hope of a codling or two and a comfortable place to fish.

Myself, my dad, my brother ben and our mate shaun arrived on the pier at 10am to a chorus of howling winds and patters of raindrops. There was a very strong south westerly wind but luckily it was behind us. We managed to set two brollies up and started fishing around 10.30am.

The first few casts produced some small whiting and pout for all 4 of us with the odd double shot included. At 12.30pm i pulled in my first treble shot (2 whiting and a pout) before half hour of unforgettable madness began. The next time i cast out i heard a nasty crunching noise, and the tip of my new K2 rod had snapped. Needless to say i was gutted but thankful that i had brought a spare rod. Then followed a downpour of rain and some heavy gusts of wind that broke both brollies, what else could go wrong?

As it happens, my luck was about to change. Next cast i knew i had something better on, it was heavy but i couldnt feel anything fighting. The fish stayed deep and then to my relief a codling broke to the surface along with two sizable whiting. The codling weighed 1lb 13oz and once again i had a smile on my face. Ten minutes later i was winding in more fish, this time i could feel something kicking as i was bringing in. Another codling i thought! but instead i had 2 decent whiting and a huge fat pout on the bottom hook. The pout was 35cm long and weighed 1lb 4oz.

Glenncodpout

Glenns Pout (1lb 4oz) and Codling (1lb 13oz)

Glennscodpout


For the rest of the afternoon we all continued to pull in plenty of whiting and pout without a sniff of a codling. Ben admitted he was suprised that no one had caught a dogfish, and right on cue i pulled in a doggy on my last cast of about 1lb 4oz which was as it was getting dark. Throughout the day i was using a 3 hook flapping paternoster with size 2 hooks and using fresh black lug and squid for bait.

If you wet a line this week then please email me with your catch reports and i will add them on the site. Many thanks, Craig

Recent Catch Report - 05/11/07

Visit the new SussexSeaFishing tackle shop as we have a new range of Tronix tackle and for the first month only, most items will be introduced at a special half price discount (39p or 49p per pack of hooks, beads, swivels and much more) so get yours quick by clicking here.

IMPORTANT NEWS: The Brighton marina west arm remains closed until further notice whilst work is carried out.

ALSO: I am away as of friday 9th Nov, for 4 days as im at the 3 day festival match in Dover, so if you email me or purchas from the shop between fri 9th - tues 13th please allow for a little delay in responding as im not sure if i will have internet access over these days, however, please continue to email me as i will reply as soon as i return at the latest along with a full 3 day match report.

Not too much to report this week as catch reports have been few and far, which leads me to think that the fishing has not been too great. I know that there are still summer species caught at most marks in daylight but the night time bait fishing has not been as productive as it had in recent weeks.

Brighton Marina east arm fished well for mackerel, gars and pollack with pollack up to 3lb being reported. mostly caught during the day on float and feathers earlier in the week as well as the the usual catches down the side of the wall. Most fish caught just before high tide. There has also been the odd sole after dark. There have been reports of herring being caught just off the marina and these may be true as herring have been caught in nov/dec before.

Seaford has not fished hugely well. There have been some nice sole around the 1lb mark but besides that it has been the odd whiting and pout. It was expected that it would fish really well given the stromg winds dirtying the sea eralier in the week but it seems that they were too brief to turn the fish on the feed.  

There was a match at Shoreham this weekend and there was a variety of catches which included garfish, red mullet, golden grey mullet,  pout, whiting, flounders and sole.

Pevensey has had similar catches to seaford although there have been a few more fish landed as the water stays dirtier at this mark longer then most places.

catches included a var as the week progressed we have seen the beggining of the whiting season with some very nice sized whiting being caught at both marks as well as other stretches of local beaches. My dad and a few friends fished shoreham west arm on friday night and between them had some nice Pout, Whiting, the odd flounder and a Codling of 14inches. all fish were returned. There have been similar catch reports coming out of Pevensy and Eastbourne although there have been reported a few more Codling then other areas but they have been small and this is probably because the water stays dirtier longer and after this blow i would imagine most beaches hould fish well, although you may struggle to get through the whiting.

Hove Beaches have seen quite a few mackerel caught during daylight and dusk. 

Jay Bradley fished Dungeness and although this isnt strickly sussex it is a place that alot of anglers head to in winter months so it may be of interest. He managed a good bag on what was a very difficult days fishing. most people really struggled and even in these conditions jay still managed a nice mix of dabs, whiting and pout. He also had his rod pulled from his stand and had a great fight with what he described as a biggun. he got it to the surface about 15 yards out and caught a brief glimpse of the fish, he could see from the mouth and the swell of the tail that it was a big Bass or Cod (he reckons the latter) possibly reaching double given the take and the size of it but with a shake of the head it dislodged the hook and swam back to fight another day! he was gutted! the fish was taken on whole squid on a pennel rig about 50 yards out.

Catch Report - 29/10/07

Brighton Marina east arm fished well for mackerel, gars and pollack during the day on float and feathers earlier in the week as well as the the usual catches down the side of the wall. Towards the end of the week we had some strong SW winds which meant that the arm was closed due to the rough seas. When it reopens once the weather calms is may be worth a on go after dark for some nice whiting and possibly codling and bass. You will also get Sole, Bass and Eels during daytime while the water remains dirty.

Seaford has started the week slowly with only reports of small micro pout as did Shoreham, however, as the week progressed we have seen the beggining of the whiting season with some very nice sized whiting being caught at both marks as well as other stretches of local beaches. My dad and a few friends fished shoreham west arm on friday night and between them had some nice Pout, Whiting, the odd flounder and a Codling of 14inches. all fish were returned. There have been similar catch reports coming out of Pevensy and Eastbourne although there have been reported a few more Codling then other areas but they have been small and this is probably because the water stays dirtier longer and after this blow i would imagine most beaches hould fish well, although you may struggle to get through the whiting. There have also been some cracking Bass caught at Langley in this past week up to 10lb.

Hove Beaches have also been producing some good sized whiting that have been biting hard along with a few nice flounders as well.

Simon Pickles (JudgeP on WSF) landed this cracking pb bass off a local beach. Simon said that he 'Turned round and picked up the rod and a couple of firm plucks persuaded me to strke and then then the mayhem hit. I was literally draged down the beach into the water holding on for dear life until I could switch the reel's backwind on and let the fish run a bit (drag is knackered). I soon got it under control by applying extreme pressure (30lb snood, 25 lb main line, 4/0 pennel) and 5 minutes or so later the beast was on the beach and smothered by Pug's spare jacket.

SimonBass

Simon Pickles with a 10lb 8oz Bass. The expression on his face says it all!

After photos and weiging, the Bass was returned and swam off hard after a couple of minutes recovery. Coming in at 76 cm (nose to fork) and 10lb 8oz I didn't care much about it being the only bite of the night.' So well done to Simon for that cracking fish and for releasing it to fight another day.

There was a match fished at Hastings on Sunday 28th and reports of some Codling being caught with the odd one up to 4-5lb.

Big news on another front was that I fished for the first time in 3 months after my back surgery! wooo hoo. details of how it went are below:

There was a planned palace pier match for today which was supposed to be fished on the east arm, however, due to the stromg winds it was decided by those in attendance that it would be moved to newaven at the hope inn (Newhaven). Usually it would be a rover but as there were not huge numbers it was decided to fish close together. this would also allow us to continue our catch, weigh and release policy which we use on the marina.

Anyway, i got a text at about 10am from glenn (arnoldteamssf) as i was still in bed and had not planned on fishing the match, however, given the easy access and type of fishing i thought it would give me an nice way of easing back into it almost 3 months after my spinal surgery. after getting my hands on some bait i headed out to the match 2 hours after kick off (i was excused from not being at the book in due to my situation). I knew it would be a pout and eel match and I didnt really have all the gear needed to fish this match properly but in the interest of sport and fun i decided to use my fixed loaded with braid and a light rod instead of the usual beach caster and multiplier. this was for 2 reasons as it was easier to hold (not too heavy for my back) and also thought i would get good bite detection and fight. Given the winds you would think the water would be dirty but where we were fishing it was relatively clear compared to the beaches.

I cast out about 20 yards with a 3 hook flapper with size 4 hooks and small pieces of fresh lug and then it came...my first bite in 3 months...rattle rattle rattle, typical pout bite. i waited and then lifted into the bite, there were a few wabbles and pulls as i reeled and in came my first fish for a long time. it was only a 7 1/2 inch pout which wasnt even sizeable (must be 8inches in our matches) but it didnt matter to me as i was over the moon. this sport continued for a while and most fish were just undersize which normally would have frustrated the pants off me in a match but today i was just glad to be there. the braid was working well and i was enjoying the sport and then bam, i was into a sizeable pout. it was just 8 inches and 3 1/2 oz but it meant that i was weighing in, which any matchman will tell you is important, especially in scrathcy comps like this one. It actually ended me in 4th or 5th place and even though it was a small match i was pleased not to have blanked on my return and get some points on the board. I think arnoldteamssf won with 3 pout but im sure he will come here and let you all know by gloating if he did.

I admit that by recent catch reports this is nothing major, but for me it marks my return and although i wont be beach casting anytime soon i will get there

Catch report 21/10/07

Brighton Marina east arm has still been fishing well for mackerel, gars and pollack during the day on float and feathers. There are still a few bream about as well. Worm baits fished down the side are producing wrasse, pout and blenys which are all pretty small. There has also been the odd bass caught with most ranging between 3-7lb on live or mackerel baits.

Glenn Arnold fished Newhaven east arm midweek for a short session and within 2 hours caught 22 mackerel, 2 gars and 4 Shad with the biggest Shad being 1lb 15oz (pic below). All the fish bar a few mackerel were returned. He was using float fishing set up with 2 size 4 hooks and mackerel strip for bait at about 8ft deep. There were also some mullet landed there in the week

Glennshad

Glenn Arnold (1lb 15oz Shad)

Thanks to Ben Arnold who emailed me this catch report: i fished newhaven east arm in the morning (21/10/07) the dreger was there and turned the water black i caught 4 allis shads and a mackeral.Dad(roy arnold) had one that weighed 1lb 10oz. we then went to brighton marina where i caught lots of mackeral, lots of garfish, sizeable pout, tiny blennys and i had a mullet(thick lip) just over a pound. Once it got dark we were catching mackeral every cast. I feel its important to add that Shad are a protected species and must not be kept or killed. Hove beaches have proved productive for mackerel in the week with plenty of shoals being spotted so they will offer good sport on light gear and spinners while the weather remains this way.

Seaford has fished similar to Newhaven in the day time. After dark there are mostly small pout being caught and it needs a S or SW to stir the sea up to improve the bottom fishing for whiting, codling and Bass. Similar goes for Pevensy which has had similar catch reports with the addition of the odd codling.

Shoreham has fished the same in daylight as most of the marks mentioned above. After dark there are lots of small pout being caught on a variety of baits as well as the odd doggy. Off the beaches there has been a few reports of the odd codling still being landed along with some whiting.  

Recent Catch Report - 14/10/07

Visit the new SussexSeaFishing tackle shop as we have a new range of Tronix tackle and for the first month only, most items will be introduced at a special half price discount (39p or 49p per pack of hooks, beads, swivels and much more) so get yours quick by clicking here.

IMPORTANT NEWS: The Brighton marina west arm remains closed until further notice whilst work is carried out.

Brighton Marina east arm has been fishing well with plenty of mackerel, garfish and pollack on float fished baits. There are a few good wrasse down the sides of the wall however an invasion of micro pout and blenys seem to be getting to the baits before the bigger fish can. There has also been some bream and red mullet caught whilst fishing about 20 yards from the wall. There has been a few good sized bass caught at dusk. The Palace Pier club held a match on the arm (sunday 14/10/07) in lovely conditions. there were plenty of anglers on the arm and quite a few fish being caught. There were lots of mackerel and gars being caught on float fished mackerel strips (size 4 hooks) 8-12ft deep. There were also some good pollack caught on float fished live prawn and mackerel strips at a slightly deeper level around 16-20ft.

The match was catch and release although you could keep what you wanted for the plate or bait. Roy arnold won the match with 18lb 5oz and heaviest fish a pollack of 1lb 8oz. Glenn Arnold (Arnoldteamssf) came 2nd with 17lb 2oz and most fish (31 fish) mostly gars mack and pollack. there were a few blennys, pout and wrasse down the side on worm baits and few sizeable bream were caught by casting a little further out.

Looking at these results it looks like a cracking days fishing was had by many of the anglers in attendance.

For video footage from the match follow this link (windows media player required):

Also a big thanks to Nick T for the report below from Marina East arm:

Fished peg 29 from 12pm (HT) to Midnight on 11 Oct

During Daylight:
Caught 1 x Gar (decent size) on 1 hook clip down rig
Caught 12 x Mackerel on Slider Float Rig & Lures (huge shoals chasing fry up and down the wall)
Caught 1 x Unknown (possibly herring?) on Slider Float Rig
 
During Evening
Caught 1 x Schooly Bass on 1 Hook Clip Down
Caught 5 x Pout (2 decent size) on 1 Hook Clip Down
Tried live baiting small pout on slider float on 6ft snood with size 3/O - both badly mauled but no catches ; actually saw the cuttlefish around the float this time - so that was probably the culprit!!!

There are reports that there have been a few codling caught at pevensy on saturday night with a friend of glenns catching 4. howevere other parts of the bay have seemed slower. East Preston has also produced the odd codling. Both the mentioned marks have also had small pout and the odd whiting as well. Best baits seeming to be fresh black lug tipped with squid.

Seaford has had plenty of small micro pout with some nice whiting showing. There has been the odd codling caught and the best results came after the strong winds we hads on tuesday. Later in the week the calmer weather seems to have slowed things down with many reports of poor catches mostly consisting of small pout. There has been the odd codling caught and tow were caught on saturday night one of which was by keith (pic below). There were many anglers on seaford on saturday for as far as i could see along the stretch of beach and far busier then i have seen it in some time, however, most reports were of small fish. Glenn Arnold and John Nicolas did manage to catch some nice whiting and a Flounder on saturday but it was very slow.

keithcod

Keiths Cod

A few lads from the WSF forums fished Seaford beach near Edingburgh road on wed 10/10/07. there were small pout, baby thornbacks and the odd codling caught, however, Jay Bradley was fishing a little further along the beach and had a pretty good session and landed 3 codling. two weighed 2lb 6oz and one was bang on 2lb. He was fishing at 110 yards and kept getting snagged on a muscle bed or silt, which snagged him every time but it was the only place he was getting fish. he was using a 1up 1 down rig with size 1 aberdean hooks baited with fresh black lug and tipped with a slither of squid. Pics are detailed below and I also have video of one of the cod being landed on if you want to see it then check out this link, which will bring up the video and also has the pics at the end:

http://sussexseafishing.co.uk/doc/JaysCodSeaford.wmv

jaycod2

jaycod

Jays codling

Finally, a big thanks to Edward Bettison who contacted me regarding a catch of his. While fishing recently, he landed a species which he did not recognise. After taking it home and doing some investigation, his catch turned out to be an Allis Shad. Upon realising this and learning that they are a protected species Ed contacted the Environmental Agency as any responsible angler would, and he was delighted with their support and response. They advised him that: both shads are in fact protected under the Wildlife and

Countryside Act (1981)which prevents anyone obstructing access to
spawning areas, or to damage or destroy gravels used for spawning
[Schedule 9(4)(a]. Allis shad are also protected under Schedule 5 which
means you can not intentionally kill, injure or take one -  what this
really relates to are people deliberately going out and targeting allis
shad - but if you accidentally kill one I believe that would be accepted
that you had not intentionally gone out and targeted them.

In view of this both me and Ed felt that Its important to point out that bot the Allis Shad and the Twaite Shad are protected species and should be returned as soon as possible if you catch one. The picture below should help with identification of the fish in the event that you catch one. Also you can contact the Environmental Agency with the measurements and weight of the fish as it may help with conservation attempts and studies into this species.

 

Recent Catch Report - 08/10/07

Visit the new SussexSeaFishing tackle shop as we have a new range of Tronix tackle and for the first month only, most items will be introduced at a special half price discount (39p or 49p per pack of hooks, beads, swivels and much more) so get yours quick by clicking here.

IMPORTANT NEWS: The Brighton marina west arm remains closed until further notice whilst work is carried out.

This week has seen calmer weather with N and NE winds. Most areas have fished well for the usual summer species. Brighton Marina east arm has fished well for mackerel and garfish on float and feathers. Pollack have also been caught on Float fished live prawn and mackerel strip. Roy arnold had the nice Pollack in the pic below early last week. Pout, wrasse and schooly bass have been caught on a variety of baits fished close to the wall. After dark there is stil the odd Sole, whiting, baby thornback and lots of small pout. Glenn also fished and had plenty of fun on the float with mackerel, gars and pollack.

Royspollack

Roy Arnold with a Pollack

Seaford has had plenty of small pout with the odd whiting, codling, sole and bass. In daylight hours there have been mackerel, gars, red mullet. UPDATE 10/10/07: A few lads from the WSF forums fished Seaford beach near Edingburgh road on wed. there were small pout, baby thornbacks and the odd codling caught, however, Jay Bradley was fishing a little further along the beach and had a pretty good session and landed 3 codling. two weighed 2lb 6oz and one was bang on 2lb. He was fishing at 110 yards and kept getting snagged on a muscle bed or silt, which snagged him every time but it was the only place he was getting fish. he was using a 1up 1 down rig with size 1 aberdean hooks baited with fresh black lug and tipped with a slither of squid. Pics are detailed below and I also have video of one of the cod being landed on if you want to see it then check out this link, which will bring up the video and also has the pics at the end:

http://sussexseafishing.co.uk/doc/JaysCodSeaford.wmv

jaycod2

jaycod

Jays codling

Thanks to Ben Arnold for this report: hey craig me and dad fished east arm at newhaven on the last double. i caught a mullet of 3lb 9 wich fought amazing on 8lb line. we also caught loads of mackeral and garfish up to 1lb. also i had a bullhead on float and mackeral strips. At low tied i watched a doulble figure bass swim past. also on saturday night we fished pevensey at billys tower. we had loads of undersize pouts i had a whiting(sizeable)and dad had a codling of 1lb 4 i ate it yesterday. A few guys from the WSF forums fished Pevensy on saturday as well and had plenty of small pout and two nice Bass around the 5lb mark.

Hove beaches have produced some whiting and flounders after dark and mackerel in daylight.

The groyne by the palace pier has had a real mix of catches including red mullet, black bream and schooly bass on worm and mackerel bats. mackerel have been caught on feathers and float fished mackerel strip.

Jay Bradley took a trip to Hythe in kent a little beyond sussex but at this time of year many anglers head that way so though it was worth mentioning (he had wanted to fish dungy but was too busy) and ended up having a good session with plenty of sizeable whiting, dabs and pout (pic below) and a red mullet most of which he returned but he did keep a few for family and friends. He also lost an estimated 4lb codling right at the edge of the beach and could only watch it return its self! if you ask me thats catch and release taken to a new level! He was gutted though as would have been his first codling! He was casting about 70 yards and hitting a gully where he had most hook ups, if he cast further he seemed to be overcasting them. He used 1up 1down rigs with black lug, mackerel and squid. 

jayscatch

Jays catch

There are a few lads fishing seaford on saturday night (13th) if anyone fancies coming along. its not a match but just a friendly meet. we are meeting near the beachcomber pub at 7, if you miss the meeting time then we will be fishing a mark near edingburgh road which is just west of the beachcomber so pop along and meet us on the beach. email me if you fancy coming along. 

 Catch Report - 01/09/07

Visit the new SussexSeaFishing tackle shop as we have a new range of Tronix tackle and for the first month only, most items will be introduced at a special half price discount (39p or 49p per pack of hooks, beads, swivels and much more) so get yours quick by clicking here.

This week has seen mostly Northernly winds which have kept the sea flat and calm meaning that the water has cleared out. this has not been great for the cod fishing and as a result it has, by all reports, seen the catches of them reduce towards the end of the week. Hopefully a good SW or S wind will bring them back in. There is a bumper report for this week so a big thanks to everyone that emailed in woth information.

IMPORTANT NEWS: The brighton marina west arm is totally closed and will be until further notice. This is due to building work taking place by the company that owns the marina. The east arm is still open.

Brighton Marina has seen garfish and mackerel caught during the week with best numbers showing on fri and sat. There have also been plenty of pollack caught down the side of the wall. After dark there has been Sole, whiting, baby thornbacks, pout and the odd codling caught. There have also been a good number of mullet landed on bread. Thanks to Richard Heasman for the following report from Brighton marina:

Fished the Marina East Arm yesterday (1st October) Peg 31
Fished 11am till 4 pm with a 1.50pm HT
Weather was drizzle (It had rained heavily earlier in the morning and I'm glad I missed it!)
 
Caught 2 Pollock - small
2 Gar fish - one very large
1 Bream
15 Mackerel
The Arm was practically empty, but everyone I spoke to or saw seemed to be having lots of action.
 
Bream2
Bream (Pic by Richard H)
Gar3
Garfish (Pic by Richard H)

Hove Beaches (behind king alfred) has seen some codling and whiting after dark and quite a few baby thornbacks. 

Pevensy Bay saw some codling, whiting, sole and pout after dark at the start of the week and similar catches minus the codling towards the weekend.

Newhaven east arm has seen mackerel and garfish in daylight. After dark there has been similar catches to the above locations.

Shoreham has fished pretty similar to brighton marina both day and night. There was a nice undulated ray caught on shoreham beaches (behind the power station) midweek. There have been quite a few whiting caught there after dark. There was a match held at widewater in association with the Shoreham Angling Squad (SAS) on saturday 29th. A great day was had by all and a good mix of catches were landed including Sole, Bass, Golden Grey Mullet, Garfish plus more. Full details can be found on the WSF forums by clicking here .

Seaford: Alot of people fished seaford this week so i have a few good reports from the area. Firstly there was an 11lb bass caught from the shore near the beachcomber area, details of this can be found on the WSF forums. Jay also fished a similar area on saturday night and managed to get a few whiting, pout and a thornback around 1lb. Thanks for to Howie and Keith for their report as they also fished Seaford on Wednesday and Saturday night. Wednesday they had some good catches with a couple of Codling amongst the catches (pic below). Saturday night the fishing was a bit harder and no codling showing up but a few whiting, pout and baby thornbacks were caught. 

howiecod

Howies Codling

I finally managed to get out (26/09/07) since my back op (woo hoo) and although i didnt fish i did keep glenn company and at times was basically his gillie (cheeky git) but he knew i wanted to get involved anyway i could. It was sooo good just getting out in a fishy environment, although being house bound for the past 6 weeks has reduced my hardcoreness against the cold and i was a bit of a wimp but the sea was calm, in fact calm enough to see tiny pout bites. anyway onto the fishing...

Both mates were near the beachcomber fishing about 300 yards apart and fished from 9pm-2am. My mate jay had fresh lug and mackerel and glenn unfortunately had whatever was left over in his freezer as it was kind of a very last minute unplanned trip. Both had lots of whiting and pout between them. weed masking their baits was a problem at times. the fish seemed to be at all sorts of distances although crabs seemed to be in closer in pinching baits as well. best catches came either side of the high tide. about an hour after high tide glenn had the typical drop back slack line bite of the codling we had been waiting for! he got it to the shore and unhooked it, got a pic and returned it. the fish was about 1lb -1lb 1/2ish? (you can tell from the pics). needless to say he was well chuffed as anycod from the sussex coast is a blessing in our eyes. plus its always nice to target a species and catch it. it was approx 80 yards out on lugworm bait 2 hook flapper bottom hook.

glenncod1

(Glenns Codling)

A big thanks to Simon Lindfield (aka thelonefisherman from WSF) for this great report when he fished Seaford on 27/09/07 'Started fishing at 5:30 near the Beachcomber armed with 50 lug, a box of squid and some mackerel. Set up 3 rods, 1 at distance with double worm for the codling, 1 at about 60 yds with a 2 hook flapper and fine wire size 1's hoping for a sole and the 3rd in close with big squid/mackerel baits hoping for a bass. After about 45 mins got my first bite on the flapper rod and pulled in a sizeable plaice, first one for about 10 yrs.Next was a tiny pout on the codling rod so thought I'd stick it on the bass rod as livebait.In pulling in the bass rod hit into a dead weight and ended up with a carrier bag and a tiny little thornback which is also a first for me so well chuffed.Bites were few and far between and by high tide was running low on worm so changed the flapper rod to 2 big strips of mackerel.10 mins later the rod tip starts bouncing constantly and I struck into a nice fish.After a good scrap I beached a lovely bass which fell off the size 1 hook at my feet (lucky or what!). No codling but ended up with 5 species in all - 7 pout, 3 whiting, 2 thornbacks, 1 plaice and the bass which weighed 4 1/4 lb. Packed up at 2am.' Great report mate and a great session by the sounds of it.

For those of you who like to make the annual pilgrimage to Dungeness, i thought i would let you know that they are getting quite a few Codling ranging between 1-6lb at the momment along with the usuaul Pout, Whiting and Sole.

 Catch Report - 24/09/07

Visit the new SussexSeaFishing tackle shop as we have a new range of Tronix tackle and for the first month only, most items will be introduced at a special half price discount (39p or 49p per pack of hooks, beads, swivels and much more) so get yours quick by clicking here.

This week has again seen some varied weather ranging from strong SW winds to calmer days and then again back up to strong winds again. This has lead to some varied catch reports. We have also seen some very short tides this week which have arguably appeared to  hamper the fishing in some areas.

Brighton Marina has had mixed results due to the changing weather but there has been gars and mackerel caught throughout using the usual methods. there have been some pollack caught on float fished baits as well as baits down theside of the wall. worm baits fished down the side have also been very good for wrasse and pout. After dark there has been a good mix of catches with no real lunkers being caught but reports of whiting, pout, baby thornbacks, sole, schooly bass and the odd codling.

There was a match fished on the marina saturday night in difficult conditions, and a big thanks to paul for the following information. The match was won with 3lb, heaviest round fish was a wrasse of 1lb 4oz and the heaviest flat was 1lb 2oz. Although the winning weight was 3lb, there was a wide range of species caught which included pollack, wrasse, garfish, shad, pout, sole, scad, eel, whiting and even a sizeable blenny !!

Pevensy Bay has fished best after dark with pout, whiting, sole, eels, baby thornbacks and the odd codling being caught. best baits being fresh lug, mackerel and squid.

There have been mackerel and gars from seaford in the day. After dark there has been very similar catches as pevensy with the addition of a few more small codling, however these appeared to lessened at the end of the week (may be linked to the short tides). A few guys from the WSF forums held a mini meet on saturday night at the deep end near the martello tower and were plagued with pout on most casts although simon who regurlarly reports caught a mackerel on float gear after dark but besides that there was very little. It also appears that with the strong winds, weed has been a problem between brighton and seaford as most reports have commented on this. Simon also fished Southwick beach on sunday and had a schooly bass of 1lb 14oz on mackerel fillet.

Update 26/09/07 - there are still some codling being landed to 2lb at seaford on the evening tides and some bass as well. reports of a few good sole coming out as well.

Roy and Ben Arnold fished Newhaven east arm and despite the windy conditions the water stayed relatively clear there which meant they were able to catch gars and mackerel in large numbers. they also had some mullet fishing close to the pier and Roy lost one around the 5lb mark just before it got to the net.

Shoreham has fished pretty similar to brighton marina both day and night. there have been some codling and a few nice bass caught on shoreham beaches after dark.

Update (27/09/07): )I finally managed to get out (26/09/07) since my back op (woo hoo) and although i didnt fish i did keep glenn company and at times was basically his gillie (cheeky git) but he knew i wanted to get involved anyway i could. It was sooo good just getting out in a fishy environment, although being house bound for the past 6 weeks has reduced my hardcoreness against the cold and i was a bit of a wimp but the sea was calm, in fact calm enough to see tiny pout bites. anyway onto the fishing...

Both mates were near the beachcomber fishing about 300 yards apart and fished from 9pm-2am. My mate jay had fresh lug and mackerel and glenn unfortunately had whatever was left over in his freezer as it was kind of a very last minute unplanned trip. Both had lots of whiting and pout between them. weed masking their baits was a problem at times. the fish seemed to be at all sorts of distances although crabs seemed to be in closer in pinching baits as well. best catches came either side of the high tide. about an hour after high tide glenn had the typical drop back slack line bite of the codling we had been waiting for! he got it to the shore and unhooked it, got a pic and returned it. the fish was about 1lb -1lb 1/2ish? (you can tell from the pics). needless to say he was well chuffed as anycod from the sussex coast is a blessing in our eyes. plus its always nice to target a species and catch it. it was approx 80 yards out on lugworm bait 2 hook flapper bottom hook.

Catch Report - 16/09/07

Visit the new SussexSeaFishing tackle shop as we have a new range of Tronix tackle and for the first month only, most items will be introduced at a special half price discount (39p or 49p per pack of hooks, beads, swivels and much more) so get yours quick by clicking here.

This week started with some good weather and ended with some stronger winds which has stirred up the sea. Brighton Marina has seen the usual catches of Mackerel and Gars on float, lures and feathers. Down the sides of the wall there have been wrasse and small pout. Bream have been caught when baits are fished away from the wall. After dark there have been similar catches with some good sole and a few reports of lost bass. There was also a 12lb Cod caught on the arm at night on a lug and mackerel bait. There have also been baby thornbacks caught after dark. Plenty of Mackerel are showing up at Shoreham along with some bream up to 1lb.

Seaford has seen some codling caught near the beachcomber area after dark. There have also been a few nice bass caught on mackerel baits. Pout, Bream and Sole have also been caught after dark. Mackerel and gars have been caught in the daytime.Pevensy has seen some Codling (most around 1lb) caught on fresh lugworm. There have also been some Sole, Pout and scooly Bass caught. Glenn Arnold and John fished it day/night saturday and had Sole, Pout, Baby thornbacks, a Flounder and mackerel.

There have been Golden Grey Mullet caught at Tidemills on RedRag (maddies) and gars and mackerel on the usual methods. Newhaven East arm has produced similar catches as Brighton marina with some good mullet being caught on mackerel flesh baits. There have also been reports of some very good sized gars taking float fished baits.

With the temporary stir up and wind dirtying the water, it may be worth a go for a big eel off brighton marina east arm with peeler crab (fish peg 17+ to avoid snags) as i have done this in the past and had them up to 2lb 7oz.
 

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