Beach Catch Reports

If you get a good catch let me know, you can also send me your pictures!  ARJHills@aol.com

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Flat calm, fun in the sun...( 21 October)
Another great report in from Colin Hemsworth...
"I fished near the station yesterday and arrived to flat calm conditions with hardly any wind. Saw another angler catching Mackerel as I walked to the spot and got out the feathers before anything else and had about 10 of varying sizes. Put a small joey out as live bait but no bites. It was quiet all day and the first bite was as the sun went down, noticed the rod tip banging and pulled in 47cm bass. After that it was a whiting fest. Thanks for the bait as I know it was in short supply and will be down soon for another go. Colin"

Calling all Juniors...( 19 October)

I saw this reminder from Terry Carpenter of the DAA Juniors...
"Next junior fishing is Sat 27 at 10.15am" Meet at the Pilot Pub...all youngsters welcome.

Colin fighting the 'piranhas'...( 16 October)
I had this report in from Colin Hemsworth...

"Hi Tony,

I fished near the station on Saturday, the conditions looked promising on arrival with a good bit of movement in the water and holding bottom not a problem. The whiting were out in force all day and I had one bass toward the start of the session, I was hoping for more but that was it. The whiting were on the baits in seconds and at all distances, I did get a few cod baits out just in case but unfortunately on the day bigger baits meant bigger whiting, also had a pouting on a whole squid. Thanks for the bait and will be down soon for another go. Colin"

First bass for Heath...( 16 October)
I had this report in from Simon Newman last night...
"A delighted Heath with his first ever bass, caught 45 mins after high behind the boats. Very legal at 47 cm.... Getting on for 4 lb."

A nice mixed bag for Mike...( 14 October)
"Hi Tony
Thanks for the bait yesterday, these must be the best quality ‘Blacks’ and ‘ Yellowtails’ I have seen in many years and the fish thought so too! A busy daytime session with a mix of whiting, doggies, one small plaice and a bonus brace of silver bullets both around the 2 lb mark and both safely returned. You were right that the Bass are still around and feeding. Dungeness was busy but not crowded with a turnover arriving for the evening session. See you soon. Mike."

Beware the 'piranhas'...( 11 October)
I had this report in this afternoon from Carl Maidment...
"Hi, My son and I fished behind the boats for a 12hr session on Monday. The tide down during the day produced not even a bite but at dusk my son pulled a 2lb bass up. All was quiet then for another hour until nightfall at which point the rod tips went crazy and whiting started literally throwing themselves at the hooks. Between 2 rods we reeled in 54 of them (twice landing 2 fish on one hook - which I had never seen before!). A great evening in the end! Carl"
One of my customers this afternoon mentioned he had heard a couple of cod being caught at the 'ness'...if anybody has any evidence of this I would like to know...
'secret squirrels'...
Great result for Janet...( 11 October)
Here are the results from last weeks DAA 'Vets' match 3rd October...talk about a whiting blitz!

Some explosive fishing...( 10 October)
I had this report in from Charles Moss...
"Fished Dengemarsh yesterday, poor fishing sadly. and moved along the beach after the flags had been taken down & stepped over this tank shell. Measuring about 18 inches long ! I reported it to lydd ranges. They are going to move it ! Regards Charles."

The lure of beautiful bass...( 4 October)
I had this brilliant report in today from Andrejs Melniks...
"Hi Tony. 

Just a quick report after today's quick session. Fished Dengemarsh on ebbing tide, caught 5 bass in total with size range 38 - 52cm biggest was 4.3lb all caught on lures. Had few bonus mackerel on the feathers as well. Andrejs"

A couple of DAA reminders ( 2 October)
I had this reminder in today from Gavin Smith of the DAA...
"Hi Tony 
Just a quick reminder this weekends match is on Saturday 18:00-22:00 it’s a rover 
Booking at the gate from 16:30"
...should also say we have a 'Vets' match tomorrow at Littlestone Wall start time 4.30pm

Just in case you weren't sure ( 1 October)
I had a conformation email from the Kent & Essex IFCA telling me that this statement is now on their website...

"The European Union has announced an amendment to Council Regulation (EU) 2018/120 as regards fishing opportunities for European seabass.

From 1 October to 31 December 2018 in recreational fisheries in ICES divisions 4b, 4c, 6a, 7a to 7k, one specimen of European seabass may be retained per fisherman per day. This applies if you are fishing from a boat or from the shore.

For more information go to https://www.gov.uk/government/news/changes-to-recreational-bass-restrictions-from-1-October"

Its autumn...didn't tell the ( 30 September)
 I had this report in (about 3pm) from Simon Newman...out mackie spotting...
"Lots and lots between power station and boards from 30 mins before high and still there now... At range and quite deep"

Bass, bass and more... ( 30 September)
I had this report in from Colin Hemsworth today...

"Hi Tony, 

I fished near the station yesterday, good weather all day and the sea was very calm and clear. I set up three rods, two with lug the other a large mackerel bait. First cast of the day pulled out a bass about 35cm then a few whiting and more bass, overall I had 8. One of the rods starting going and the bite looked different to a bass, I was hoping for a plaice so was pleasantly surprised with 38cm fish. Saw mackerel being caught down the beach as well. When it turned dark and the whiting came out, I cast a fair distance and within seconds the baits were attacked, thought it was whiting as usual but reeled in two good sized bass, there must have been a big shoal out there because I couldn’t move for bass for a while. Thanks for the bait and see you soon. Colin"

At least it was sunny... ( 30 September)

I have had this report in from Neil Rodwell yesterday...
"Hi Tony, I gave langney point in eastbourne a go today. Very tough going. Had a small plaice at the start of the day then around 2 had an even smaller gurnard. Packed up around 5 when the baits were coming back untouched. It was a nice sunny day on the beach.
It was so warm I was down to my t shirt! Will be in soon. Regards. Neil."

Plenty of sole... ( 29 September)
I had this report in today from Tony Holland...
"Hi there
I thought I'd send you a couple of pics of my fishing mate Brian and me Tony Holland with a good catch of soles from half a pound up to 1lb 14oz along with bass,dogs,dabs and even a small plaice caught last night 28 sept at a lovely beach in Pevensey bay,once again great bait cheers Tony"

Bass back 'off' the menu... ( 28 September)
I just had a phone call from my local IFCA telling me that the new rule on bass was not signed into the European Journal yesterday...so this means that we are still prohibited from taking a bass...I'm awaiting more clarification (hopefully today) I will post it up as soon as it comes through.

Bass back on the 'menu'... ( 25 September)
I had a phone call from the Kent & Essex IFCA this afternoon that it is looking good that bass will be back on the 'menu' from October 1st for three months (till the end of the year). So what does that mean, we will be allowed one sizeable fish a day. The K&E IFCA have been talking to the Cornish IFCA and it looks like the change to the regulations is about to be 'written in' to the European Journal and becomes European law three days later...in time for Saturday. Nothing 'offical' from Defra...they must be a bit busy on Brexit?

Colin's 'wet' bass fest...( 23 September)
I had this brilliant report in from Colin Hemsworth...is this the best bass year ever...
"Hi Tony,
I fished near the station yesterday, arrived for just after high tide. After the weather earlier in the week there was a bit of colour and movement in the water and lots of weed around which eased towards low tide. First cast produced a whiting and I was hoping it wasn’t going to be a whiting fest all day but pulled in a bass next cast, conditions were perfect for them. Overall I had 15 bass, lots of whiting in the evening and a dogfish. It was bit of a wet day and packed up around 11, thanks for the bait and will be down soon. Colin"

Bass and more bass...( 23 September)
I had this report in last night from Neil Rodwell...
"Hi Tony. Thanks for the bait today. Fished behind the station from 10 till 4 today. The weather was pretty damp as the forecast predicted but the fishing was continuous throughout. Had a bass and a small flounder on the 1st cast then after that it was bass throughout the day. Most were round the 1lb mark and also had a few whiting thrown in. My rod with a mackerel flapper got a massive pull down which disappointingly resulted in a large log on the other end. The weed was a bit of a problem but was to be expected after the blow but it seemed to disappear in the afternoon.  Had a good day in all and will speak soon. Cheers. Neil."

Now that was better...( 22 September)
Here are the results from last Sundays DAA match thanks to Alex Veel.

Bad weather stops play...( 20 September)
I had this 'sad' report in from Terry Carpenter of the DAA...

"Tony can you put on your website Sunday's meet is cancelled due to weather. Cheers Terry"

Is this the best bass year...( 18 September)
I had this report in yesterday from Colin Hemsworth...
Hi Tony,
I fished Dengemarsh on Saturday, arrived for low tide and set up, three rods on the go, two with lug and the other a large mackerel bait. Before long I had the first bass and at for a few hours it was Bass almost every cast, I tried close in, medium and long range and all fish were caught quite far out and used a clipped running ledger rig to get some distance. As night fell the whiting came and were relentless, a few of the big ones ended up in thai fish cakes, very nice.
For some reason my catch report from last week didn't send but I had 6 bass in the daytime, a few weever fish and lots of whiting. Thanks for the bait and see you soon. Colin"

Cracking photos Neil...( 16 September)
I had this report in last night from Neil Rodwell...
"Hi Tony just thought I'd give you a report of my trip to Brighton. Seeing as the M20 was shut I opted to fish the east arm in the marina. Managed to find a space after a long walk. Had plaice, school bass, wrasse, black bream and a gilthead on the last cast. Used lug and ragworm with the lug producing most fish. I have a week off this week so will look to get to dungy at some point. Will speak soon. Neil."

Keep it clean...please help ( 12 September)
I had this in today from Peter...

"Tony, We are organising our annual beach clean and survey on Sat 22^nd Sept.

Poster attached if any of your customers might be interested.

Best Regards. Pete Neale. Marine Conservation Society."

DAA match reminder...( 11 September)
I had this reminder in from Gavin Smith...
"Tony , Just a quick reminder Sunday’s match booking at 12:30 at the gate fish 14:00 - 19:00 its a rover"...with the improvement in catches we could see some good weights.

Now don't get excited...( 11 September)
I had this report in this afternoon from Nino...
"Hi Tony,
Fished Dungeness behind lifeboats targeting bass but this beauty came along.
(10 September) Nino"

It can only get better...( 11 September)
Here are the results from last Wednesday thanks to Terry Carpenter...
"Daa veterans had their Sept meet tonight . On a mild evening 9 anglers fished hard for little reward the winner was Wesley Shrubsole who before tonight had blanked the 4 previous meets . 2nd was mick lewis and janet luck was third
Well done Wesley told you you'd catch. Thanks to all that fished."

Great weights yesterday...( 9 September)
I saw this posted by Paul Jarratt this morning of the Southern Circuit Sea Angling Society...

Result from match 9 at Dengemarsh, 08/09/18

7 members fished, Whiting, and Dogfish weighed in

1. Paul Jarrett - 46 fish, 16lb 10.5ozs
2. Sam Collier - 44 fish, 15lb 13.5ozs
3. Thomas Wells - 31 fish, 13lb 10ozs
4. Michael Ferrier - 31 fish, 12lb 12.5ozs
5. Alan Jarrett - 34 fish, 12lb 3.5ozs
6. Philip Underdown - 20 fish, 7lb 7.5ozs
7. Dan Hadley - 13 fish, 4lb 10.5ozs

Heaviest fish - 1lb 4oz Dogfish, Thomas Wells

Darren cracks new venue...( 7 September)
I saw this from Darren Brooks on facebook some cracking beach fishing for our local lad in the Isle of Man...
"Good couple of days fishing on the IoM with Kelly N Jay Carter, tope to 32lb and two bullhuss 12lb8oz and this one 13lb4oz!"

The scores on the doors...( 5 September)
I had this update in yesterday from Paul Jarratt...

Better after dark... ( 2 September)
I had this report in this morning from Colin Hemsworth...

"Hi Tony,
I fished Dengemarsh yesterday, on arrival conditions were quite calm and the water very clear. I figured I would target bass in the daylight and have a go for a sole as it got dark..three rods on the go, two with lug worm and one with a large mackerel bait left out. I had one small bass a few hours after ht and that was it for a while. The whiting came out as it got dark and baits were in the water for literally seconds before the rod tips were twitching. Best fish of the day was a 3lb 1oz bass that took a whiting. Thanks for letting me try out the rods, very impressed with the piranha and got a good distance with only a slight flick. Will be down soon for another go, Colin"

 Goes to show... ( 1 September)

I saw this posted from a keen DAA 'hero' Alex Veel yesterday...well done Alex...
"A friend & I just fished the tide up at the back of the island....slow start with just a few jumbo pout to start and then a surprise August (just!) codling at 2lb 8.
Last cast resulted in a typical (from what I’m told 🙂 ) conger bite....which turned out to be a new pb underlate at 12lb 1. Happy days 🙂 🎣"

Force 8 for Colin...+ a weever ( 27 August)
I had this report in this morning from Colin Hemsworth...
"Hi Tony,
I fished dengemarsh Saturday, it was fairly slow going with only whiting in the daylight and a weever fish. I fished into the night but couldn’t tempt anything but whiting. Decided to stick it out and with the strong winds forecast on Sunday I hoped this would bring in some bass, overall I had 8 the biggest about 40cms all on lug. Packed up when the wind got a bit too strong. Thanks for the bait and will be down soon for another go. Colin"

A golden moment for Neil...( 25 August)
I had this report in tonight from Neil Rodwell...
"Hi Tony. I think today is a good example of why the high street tackle shop is still essential to us anglers. After pulling a classic 'Rodney' and reaching Dungeness to find I had left my tackle bag at home which included my reels, I can't thank you enough for the two reels and bits of end tackle I had to buy at the last minute! Online shops wouldn't have been able to help me out in this situation! I could have turned round and gone home to retrieve my gear and got stuck in the three sets of road works on the M20 or do what i did and buy my way out of trouble! Got to the beach behind the station and was met with a subtle south westerly breeze and a very bright sunny clear day. In fact I could see the south downs in the distance it was that clear. The reels performed well considering the price. I wouldn't recommend power casting with them but they did the job just fine so thanks again. As far as the fishing goes I had a few small school bass throughout the day and around 1:45 as the tide was dropping, my in close rod went beserk. After playing what I thought was a school bass on steroids I was surprised to land a golden grey mullet! I know these fish are rare so i made sure it was kept hydrated in a bucket of water while I fumbled about for my scales. (1lb 12oz). The fish was returned afterwards. Was very pleased with such a catch so all good at the end of the day. Thanks for the bait and will speak soon. Regards. Neil."

Fishermen's beach, nice flat ( 22 August)
I had this report in from Craig Wright this morning...

"Morning Tony, fished fisherman's beach by the boats at Hythe last night. Really tough going but had a nice flounder on the flood followed by a few pin whiting after dark. No sign of the sole. Regards Craig"

But I must say Craig, I could be wrong, but looks like a very nice dab to me...

 Tough going down the 'wall' ( 21 August)

I had this reminder from Terry Carpenter...
"Next Daa vets match is on Wed 5th Sept at 6.30 pm at Littlestone
See you all there"
Here are the latest results from last week and the current league positions...

Much better turnout this time ( 21 August)
Here are the match results from Alex Veel of the DAA...well done Shane, great result...

Colin does the the 'hard yards'( 19 August)
I had this report in from Colin Hemsworth this morning...
"Hi Tony,
I fished dengemarsh yesterday, it was very quiet all day but the conditions were good with a sw wind and a bit of movement in the water. I had one small bass in the daylight. As it got dark the whiting came out and one last bass a bit bigger but that was my lot. Thanks for the bait and see you soon. Colin"

Generous donation to the Juniors ( 17 August)
Thanks to Barry Reed of the 'Freshwater Informer' for the generous donation of beach rods & reels for the DAA juniors...Terry Carpenter (DAA Juniors organiser) came along to collect.

Come on in...the waters lovely ( 16 August)
I just this reminder in from Gavin Smith about the next DAA match...

"DAA match date changed..

DAA comp scheduled for Aug 25th will now be held on Sunday 19th. Sign in at the gate as normal at 2:30pm - 3pm. Fishing 4pm - 8pm."

DAA Juniors...success at last ( 13 August)
I saw this posted by Terry Carpenter of the DAA yesterday...
"The juniors had their August meet today
11 fished on a lovely sunny morning with george catching 2 small bass and a micro flounder and max had 1 bass of about a 1lb both hadn't caught a fish the last three meetings so well done to you both and got to say well done to all that fished"

Five of the best for Steve ( 13 August)

I had this report in from Steve yesterday...

"Good morning Tony , Thanks for the great bait as always , ended up at Hythe fisherman’s beach and had 5 sole and a flounder. Biggest sole 41cms . See you soon , Steve Howkins"

Colin...doing the hard yards ( 13 August)

I had this report in yesterday from Colin Hemsworth...

"Hi Tony, I fished near the power station yesterday, really nice conditions with light SW winds. At first it was slow going with baits coming back untouched, at least the crabs seem to have backed off a bit and giving the fish a chance to find the bait. First out was a good sized eel and throughout the day I saw a few being caught by other fishermen down the beach. Next came a few bass all on lug and then a plaice which was in really good condition and had some more weight on it now it’s later in the season. Carried on till around midnight but only had whiting for the rest of the evening. Thanks for the lug and see you soon. Colin"

Reminder for next Wednesday ( 10 August)

I had this reminder last week from Terry Carpenter of the DAA...great tides...great weather...should be a great day...so if you are over 60 years young come along and you can join the DAA on the day...don't be shy...see you there...

"Next Vets match is wed Aug 15th at 1pm at littlestone"

The right place - the right time...( 8 August)

I had this report in on 'facebook' this morning from Sam Stone...

"Galloways- Dungeness, sea bubbling, 29lrg mackerel taken Home, lots returned as too small. 7/8/18"
When your "hunch" pays off...( 7 August)

I had this report in from Kevin Long this morning...

"Hi Tony,

My daughter and I fished Dengemarsh beach on Sunday night (05/08) and I caught this 8.5lb bass approx. 3 hours on the tide drop. Caught it on a small whole mackerel cast 30 yards out. I figured with so many mackerel getting caught during the day, many of them small and being returned, the bass would be running the beach in the dark hours mopping them up. I was right! I returned it safely back to the sea afterwards. Cheers – Kevin"

Brighton rocks in the sun...( 5 August)

I had this report in from Neil Rodwell...

"Hi Tony. I though I'd fill you in in my trip to Brighton marina today. Seeing as i only had a day sesh to squeeze in I went for somewhere that I know can produce a fish in bright, hot and sunny conditions. I got down there around 10 as the last of the tide was dropping away. The seaweed was as bad as ive ever seen it with clumps being pulled in by the kilo. It seemed to disappear around mid day but returned for the remainder of the flood tide. Used black lug and rag and had a steady trickle of fish throughout the day. Managed to get plaice, flounder, wrasse, tompot blenny and black bream. All in all had a nice day and avoided sunburn but drank my own body weight in water as there's no where to escape the sun there! Will speak soon. Regards. Neil."

Loads of fish for Robert...( 4 August)

I had this report in last night from Robert Gibson...

"Hi Tony
Thanks for the superb lug on Thursday, fished most of day just past boats at Dungeness, cracking start with big whiting and plenty of dogs, then the better half catches a nice bass all returned safely apart from some whiting that the seagulls swooped down at"

DAA match date changed...( 2 August)

This just came in from Alex Veel of the DAA...

"Gavin’s asked me to let you all know the DAA comp scheduled for Aug 25th will now be held on Sunday 19th. Sign in at the gate as normal at 2:30pm - 3pm. Fishing 4pm - 8pm. Full rover, high tide at 5:48pm (6.4m)"

The 'Point' has two sides...( 29 July)

I had this report texted in this evening from Becky Lee Birtwhistle Hodges...

"Hi Tony

So two desperate anglers who missed their trip to the hallowed shingle at Chesil and Boat trip due to the weather. So this morning we swapped one set of shingle for another and headed to Dungeness.

We arrived at 07.15 after I overslept (oops). Wasn’t too bad as I packed last night. Arrived at venue and pumped some fresh outs whilst waiting for the tide.

As the tide hit he shingle we were expecting a few Bass as conditions were spot on. However 2 hours in Dave Kingsman and I sat fish less. It wasn’t until 1 hour and 40 minutes before high we had a Bass each at the same time. Then I quickly had another, then a third small one when Dave and I got tangled up. Dave then managed to beach his second and shortly after the tangle I noticed my rod thumping away and as the trace approached the beach I could feel the tell of a good bass. Once it was beached the Bass had taken a small whiting. 

Dave had a third then that was it for Bass. After that it was Dogfish after Dogfish with the odd Whiting. I beached 20 is dogfish some a very good size. All fish were taken on Black Lug on two hook flapper rigs. 

At least it wasn’t a blank and we hit our target species."

Fortune favours the brave...( 29 July)

Here is another great report from Colin Hemsworth...

"Hi Tony,
I fished Galloways Friday night, conditions were a little extreme at first but got better. I didn’t have a single bite all night and the baits were coming back untouched. In the morning I was thinking of moving location and gave it a few last casts, within a few mins I had a slack liner and reeled in a nice bass of 53cm. Stuck around for a little while longer then moved to near the station. At the height of the tide fishing was a bit difficult and there was a lot of debris and weed in the water. Things got easier towards low water and the bass were definitely out, for a few hours I was having bass every cast, overall 8 bass all on lug worm. Thanks for the bait and will be down for another try soon. Colin"

Colin was in the doghouse ( 22 July)

I had this report in today from Colin Hemsworth...Colin was fishing Saturday...

"Hi Tony,

Headed for near the station yesterday, when I got there I saw two good size bass leap clear of the water so got some baits out and a lure in the water but had no fish in the daylight. The water was very clear and a light SW breeze. As it got dark I had lots of dogfish and a few whiting, the crab situation was a but better then last week, thanks for the lug and will be back down again soon. Colin"

The latest DAA match results...( 22 July)

I had these match reports in from Alex Veel...

Here are the 'Vets' Match result from the 18th July...thanks to Terry Carpenter...

Tough going for Dave...( 22 July)

I had this report in from Dave Kingsman today...

"Hi Tony,

I fished low water last night in the hope of finding a Sole.

No luck I'm afraid. Eels, Whiting and Spider Crabs only.

Pretty slow going to be honest. Be back for another try soon.

Regards Dave.

After dark...it came alive...( 21 July)

I had this report in this morning from David Radley...

"Hi Tony fished the in front of the power station tonight fishing the water down from high tide and nothing for the first 2 hours and then when it got dark I topped up with this smoothound , bass about 4lb whiting and about 40 dogfish which become relentless so packed up at low tide 12am, the smoothound went 6lb."

How to put a smile on your face...( 16 July)

I had this report in today from from Darryl...just love the smile...

"Hi Tony. Took my grandson fishing Friday evening at Hythe firing ranges and he caught his first bass and I also caught a couple rays!!!
Thanks Darryl Nicholas"

DAA Juniors...fun in the sun ( 16 July)

I saw this posted by Terry Carpenter yesterday...

"Just back from the DAA Juniors July meet at Dungeness on a lovely sunny morning 13 juniors fished on a very hot morning. With only 2 fish caught it was a struggle but jack bell had a small bass and harry had a dog fish all the juniors tried hard to catch fish but the fish didn't want to play.Well done jack & harry"...well done Terry you are getting better results than the seniors...see you Wednesday for a good Veterans turnout...

Trying to beat the clawed bandits ( 16 July)

I had this report in yesterday from Colin Hemsworth...

"Hi Tony, I headed for near the back of the station yesterday, arrived just before high tide and set up, really nice conditions all day. Overall I had three bass, two in the daylight and one as it got dark and all on lug. The crabs were out in force and were really attaching the baits, that tailed off around ht but as the water receded the game nearer the shore. Packed up around 1, no sole yet but happy I could pick a few bass out among the clawed bandits. Thanks for the lug and see you soon. Colin"

Nice weather for Wednesday ( 14 July)

I had a reminder from Terry Carpenter...

"DAA veterans next meet is Wed 18th at 2.30 at Littlestone wall"

Here are the latest positions...

Friday 13 = Sole...not... ( 14 July)

I had this report in this morning from David Kinsman...

"Morning Tony,

Sole hunting campaign started last night.

Pitched up at Galloways 3 hours before HT.

Had a few Whiting on the up.

Tried peeler crab and was rewarded with a small Hound on HT.

Very mixed bad. 2 x Strap Congers plus a Silver eel along with more Whiting over HT.

Once the tide started ebbing I managed 2 x Bass to 37cm.

Didnt catch a Sole but you cant grumble.

Lovely night to be fishing and plenty of bites.

Regards Dave.

Last Minute DAA reminder ( 13 July)

I had this in from Gavin Smith yesterday...

"Hi Tony
Just a quick reminder this Saturday’s match 19:00 to 00:00 booking at the DAA gate and drive around to Dengmarsh booking at 17:30-18:00
Tight lines"

'Spiderman' gets 'crabbed' out... ( 8 July)

I had this report in tonight from Colin Hemsworth...Hi Tony, I fished near the station yesterday, not a single bite in the daylight. The crabs were a real nuisance and were stripping the hooks and snipping the snoods all day....I lost count of how many I hooked and pulled in. Lots of the spider crabs were very soft as well and I used a particularly soft backed one for bait which attracted... you guessed it, more spider crabs. A few fish came out after dark, I had the usual whiting and one bass, but the crabs were unstoppable and called it a night around 2. The lingering weed seems to have gone now as well. Thanks for the bait and see you soon. Colin.

What a beautiful 'starry'... ( 6 July)

I had this report in from Skott fishing Hythe...

"Good Afternoon, 

Thought would share a couple of photos of fish that my friend Toby and I caught on 1/7/18 at fishermans beach in Hythe. Other than the pictured smoothhound and skate we had plenty of bass, dogfish and a few whiting. All fish were returned and the trip added another nice thing to Toby's trip from Finland"

Hounds out and about... ( 6 July)

I had this in last night from Andrew Elsey...

"Had another smoothhound today, bass whiting and dogfish behind the boats, fished tide up and down"

  Beware the spider crabs... ( 4 July)

I had this report come in Monday from Steve Latham...

"Hi tony I know its been a long time since I have sent you something well I went to Denge marsh from 11 to 4.30 i only had 1 bass of 33cms it went back safe and sound .

the rest was a bit of may weed and 2 big spider crabs.

am back Wednesday night-Thursday day I will let you know and get a photo or two

regards Steven"

Yes It's that time of year again...some of those 'spiders' can be a fair size so make sure you use a heavier snood line...before you get 'snipped'.

DAA latest results plus standings ( 4 July)

I had this email from Alex Veel from the DAA...with the latest results of the DAA match...

"Hi Tony, I hope this finds you well...

I've attached the results for the DAA comp on 17th June. Regards Alex"

DAA 'Vet' Steve in the top ten...( 4 July)

I had this from Andy Jarratt...Steve Foster is doing well...

"Latest league table after match 6 at Samphire Hoe"

Andrew seeing stars in the sun...( 1 July)

I had this report in from Andrew Elsey this afternoon who was fish 'behind the boats' this morning on a rising tide...and had a decent mixed bag,and this cracking starry smoothound...

"Had bass dogfish and smoothhound 6lb2oz had a good day" 

Sole & bass were the target...( 1 July)

This report came in today from Colin...thanks for the reports...nobody tries harder...

"Hi Tony,

I fished near the station yesterday, weather was lovely with a welcome breeze. Not many fish in the daylight, I had a few whiting few and far between, I was trying for a sole or bass, one rod a running ledger rig with 3/0 hooks and the other a sole rig with smaller hooks. I had one bass in the late afternoon, not very big about 25 cm and then last cast had a bigger one about 45 cm. Had some good sized whiting as well as night fell. Thanks for the great lug worm as well. Will be down soon. Colin"

A stroll in the sun for Neil ( 1 July)

I had this report in from Neil Rodwell last night...

"Hi Tony. Cheers for the bait today. Had a walk from the car park down between the boils and the diamond today for a bit of room. Fished from 10 till 5:30 up till high water then down. There was a lot of May rot to content with up till the tide started ebbing. Had a couple of school bass, a couple of whiting and a small eel. In the afternoon the fish made way for crabs which started snipping through my hook snoods to decided to call it a day. All fish returned safely as usual. Will speak soon. Many thanks. Neil"

Seal 1...Andrew 0...( 27 June)

I had this report in Monday from Andrew Elsey...

"Hi tony had one eel and dog fish Saturday night down sandgate. Today i went to dungeness had half a bass as seal had it and a baby smooth hound"

The night of the piranas...( 24 June)

I had this report in from Colin Hemsworth this morning...

"Hi Tony.  Not much to report from yesterday’s outing at Dengemarsh, very little movement in the water and still a bit of may weed around. I had one eel in the afternoon and then whiting after whiting which continued till I packed up around midnight. Thanks for the lug and will be down soon for another go. Colin"

Plenty of bass for Arkam...( 23 June)

I had this report in from Arkam Belouchet a couple of days ago...

"Hi Tony,

My friend and I tried our luck again on Saturday, looking for bigger bass at dungeness. We used bigger hooks and bait, again there were plenty of schoolies but managed to catch good number of sizable ones.

Im hoping that there is a double figure out there with my name on it .I will keep trying :) Arkam."

DAA 'Vets'...well done John...( 21 June)

I had this report in last night from Terry Carpenter of the DAA Vets (sorry Terry mix up in the dates I was out in the boat) but another good turnout...

DAA veterans had their june meet today with 10 fishing littlestone beach .
The main fish caught was smoothhounds a small bass and a pout, weather was sunny with a light wind result...
1st. John smith with 104cm
2nd mike. lewis with 45cm
3rd alan.  rudkin With. 42cm
4th john. barnes With. 33cm
5th pete brown.  With. 28cm
Others didn't catch
Terry carpenter,mick renyolds.wesley shrubsole.cliff furr.janet luck

You never know what turns up... ( 21 June)

I had this report in Tuesday from Lee Williams...I think Lee that codling could be a pouting...but 'hey' it wouldn't surprise me...

Hi just thought I'd let you know that my other half and I were fishing Dengemarsh on Monday,afternoon. Not much luck with the strong wind found it hard to hold bottom, but my other half managed to catch a small codling and a small conger both amazed at these for this time of year.

Fun in the sun...DAA Juniors... ( 21 June)

I had this report in from Terry Carpenter on Sunday...

"Daa juniors had their june meet yesterday sat 15th on a sunny Littlestone beach ,water had a nice chocolate colour and tide wasn't to bad
Harry who won the biggest bass comp. last year caught a lovely condition bass of 1.3lbs. Which is the 1st bass of the year for him 2 other bass were caught and all were returned unharmed"

Neil's Brighton travels... ( 21 June)

I had this report in from Neil Rodwell last weekend...its interesting to see the summer species coming out to play...

"Hi Tony. I thought I'd share with you my recent outings to Brighton marina over the last month. In total over several sessions I've had plaice, flounders, school bass, spider crabs, blennies, wrasse, sole and gurnard. I'm looking at getting back down to dungy soon to target soles and bass. Will speak to you soon. Regards. Neil."

No sole for Colin...but... ( 18 June)

I had this report in last night from Colin Hemsworth...

"Hi Tony,

I headed for Dengemarsh yesterday and set up for HT, a bit quiet in the day, I had 3 bass the biggest about 40 cm and then as night came 1 more a bit bigger around 50 cm. Also had a few whiting. Hoping for a sole but no luck. I was fishing running ledger rigs 3/0, 1/0 hooks baited with lug, Thanks for the bait and will be down soon. Colin"

Good match at the 'Hoe'... ( 18 June)

I had this report in yesterday from Paul Jarrett of the Southern Circuit Sea Angling Society...

"Result from match 6 at Samphire Hoe, 16/06/18 

17 members fished, Dogfish, Pouting, Wrasse and Pollock weighed in 

Well done to Dave Andrews for winning the match 

Also well done to Jay Hill for catching a new club record Wrasse of 2lb 3ozs, and Dave Andrews 2lb 1oz Wrasse, cracking fish 

1. Dave Andrews - 13 fish, 8lb 4ozs 
2. Paul Jarrett - 15 fish, 6lb 2ozs 
3. Thomas Wells - 13 fish, 5lb 0.5ozs 
4. Michael Ferrier - 11 fish, 4lb 15.5ozs 
5. Robert Bates - 7 fish, 4lb 8.5ozs 
6. Les Bates - 9 fish, 3lb 11ozs 
7. Ashley Brown - 9 fish, 3lb 10ozs 
8. Paul Cox - 5 fish, 3lb 9.5ozs 
9. Jay Hill - 2 fish, 3lb 9ozs 
10. Stephen Foster - 6 fish, 3lb 3ozs 
11. Alan Jarrett - 6 fish, 2lb 2.5ozs 
12. Keith Neame - 6 fish, 1lb 14ozs 
13. Michael Watt - 3 fish, 1lb 13ozs 
14. Philip Underdown - 2 fish, 1lb 
=17. Lewis Clarke - 0 fish 
=17. Kirk Eldridge - 0 fish 
=17. Dan Hadley - 0 fish 

Heaviest fish - 2lb 3oz Wrasse, Jay Hill"

Well done Janet... ( 17 June)

Just had a phone call from John Smith on the beach that in the DAA match at Galloways today...Janet Luck caught a bass of 76cm...estimated weight 6-7lb...would have had a photo but somebody dropped their phone in the sea!

Then this photo appeared on the net...

The DAA 'Vets' next match... ( 17 June)

Yes we have a 'Vets' match next Wednesday (20th) at Littlestone wall fishing 3.30 to 6.30...here are the last match results and the current standings...

It's a DAA weekend coming up... ( 14 June)

I saw this post from Terry Carpenter...

"DAA. Juniors next fishing is on Sat 16th @1045. Meet at pilot pub car park.
If your under 16yrs and would like to come and fish just turn up your get a warm welcome"

And this from Gavin Smith of the DAA main league...

"Match time Sunday the 17th...Just a quick reminder we have a match at Galloways fishing 10am-3pm meet at the gate at 08.30 then drive around to Galloway’s"

It's good for the sole... ( 13 June)

I had this in from Richard Smith on Sunday...almost missed it on messenger..."Hi Tony. Fished Hythe on Thursday evening. Caught all on old ragworm. 2 sole and 2 bass. Bass returned to fight another day. Regards. Richard Smith"...great to see so many early sole being reported!

Don't give up...enjoy fishing ( 12 June)

I had this report in yesterday from Mafia Murziq...

"Fished Dungeness yesterday with a few friends we had no luck only 3 small whiting

But it was hurtful to see all the seabass caught next to me being stuffed in bags 

I am talking well under sized fish very sad don't think I will be returning there for a 

while me and my boys a new to this fishing thing but we know the rule and obey

Them. Thanks"

Don't give up Mafia...if you see bass being taken and it upsets you...contact the Kent & Essex Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority and advise them...we have a ban on taking bass at the moment...is it fair, in my opinion no...but it is the law! You can email the IFCA at info@kentandessex-ifca.gov.uk 

Another great report from Colin ( 10 June)

I had this report in this morning from Colin Hemsworth...nice to see a few early sole being caught (I have had three reported this week)...

"Hi Tony,

I fished near the power station yesterday, the morning was fairly quiet until midday when reeled in and felt a bit of weight and found a 2lb, 40cm sole which had taken a lug bait on 3/0 hooks, after this I swapped to size 1 hooks and smaller baits to find another one but that was it for Sole. Next came a 47 cm bass, followed by 3 more a bit smaller. All caught on lug and running ledger rig. The whiting came out as it got darker and called it a night around one.  Thanks for the lug and see you soon. Colin"

You little beauty... ( 9 June)

I had this report in tonight from Craig Wright...smoothound is my favourite fish, so elegant...

"Had this lovely little hound weighing 3lb 5oz at Sandgate this morning taking a crab bait. Regards Craig"

 DAA Vet...has a good day at point ( 7 June)

I had this report in last night from Mick...yes we still have a 'ban' on taking bass, if anybody wants to report a transgression please email the Kent & Essex Inshore Fisheries Conservation Committee (IFCA) at...info@kentandessex-ifca.gov.uk

"Hi Tony, fished just off the point today with my mate Brian we caught pout, whiting, bass ( from 15cm to 50cm about 12 in total) Brian also had a smooth hound of 78cm .All fish were returned, unfortunately other anglers nearby kept their bass !!!  Mick Reynolds"

Now that's a good cast...( 5 June)

I had this report in from Mike Richardson last night...

"Hi Tony,
Fished 700 miles south of the power station last Friday off the sea defence rocks at Vias southern France. Gilthead about 25 cm.
Regards, Mike Richardson."

Bass every cast for Arkam...( 5 June)

I had this report in last night from Arkam Belhouchet...

"Hi Tony,

Last Saturday was my first Dungeness session of the year. In my attempt to avoid the crowd, I ended up on a different, deserted beach. The session was crazy, I was catching Bass continuously, almost after every cast.  Among the plague of schoolies, I managed to land 4 sizeable ones. It looks like I've started my Dungeness season in style :)  Arkam"

At least it was a hot sunny day...( 4 June)

I had this report in today from Kristian Walker...

"Hi Tony,

We fished Dungeness yesterday afternoon with the worms and the squid that we got off yourself.

it was hard going as there was lots of may weed on the water on the water in front of us where we were fishing by the boil which resulted in no fish. Thanks Kristian"

Bass, bass more bass...( 3 June)

I had this report in this afternoon from Ian Allward...

"Hi Tony, fished in front of the lifeboat station on Saturday, 1hr before High tide and 2hrs after it turned. Sea was calm but water was pretty coloured. Had 6 Bass in total all went back safely, thanks for the great bait!" 
Steady catching from Colin...( 3 June)

I had this great report in today in from Colin Hemsworth...

"Hi Tony,

I fished near the power station yesterday, conditions were fairly calm with light winds but quite a strong current at the height of the tide, holding bottom was fine with the 175g leads and casting at an angle. Arrived a few hrs before HT and first cast resulted in a bass. This continued through the day and had 9 bass in total, the largest about 45cm, a few flatties and as darkness came 4 fair sized whiting. All caught on fresh lug with running ledger rig and 3/0 hooks. Thanks for the bait and see you soon. Colin.

Plenty of bass about...( 3 June)

I had this in last night from Andrew Elsey...

"Hi tony had 4 nice bass 2/3lb put them back, so didn't get any pick. Bait was good"

Now that's my kind of girl...( 29 May)

I had this report in from Ashleigh & Joe Donnelly...I great report considering the day before Ash & Joe was afloat in challenging weather with Ant...

"Hi Tony, What an eventful day/evening fishing yesterday! It was non stop, me and the husband managed 7 bass , 6 dogfish, 5 whiting and a dab , I can honestly say that was my best days fishing ever , caught my personal best bass and put the men to shame GIRL POWER!!! Thanks for the bait and will see you again soon!"

Bank holiday...fun in the sun...( 29 May)

I had this report in late last night from Terry Barber...

"Hi Tony thanks for the great bait, we had today off of you it's just a quick one to let you know as all we had really was bass and one dog fish"

Double report in from Neil... ( 27 May)

I had this report in from Neil...

"Hi Tony. Thought I'd send you a double report from last two days. Went samphire hoe Friday fishing in flat calm seas and the mist. Caught wrasse and pouting all day on ragworm down the side of the wall. Lost loads of have but a fun day in all. No mackerel for me but they were coming out for others.

Went back to Brighton marina today and tried for some bream. None to speak of but managed 1 flounder 2 plaice 2 bass and a wrasse. All fish came in the morning then it went dead after lunch. Had a fun couple of days and I'll be in touch soon. Regards. Neil"

A taste of early summer at Deal ( 26 May)

I had this report in from Danny who was fishing at Deal on Tuesday...nice to see the young smoothounds about...a very pretty fish...

"Hi had a good day at Deal fishing the beach east of the pier pouting dogfish a small smooth hound and a eel all to squid and lug"

Good company...good evening... ( 25 May)

I had this report in Wednesday night from Terry Carpenter of the DAA Veterans...

Just back from vets match at Littlestone nice evening at least the rain held off ,wind was bit chilly
Ten fished results 1st terry carpenter 58cm, 2nd alan rudkin 57cm, 3rd john barnes 42cm, 4th mick lewis. 35cm, 5th mick reynolds 20cm. Thanks to all that fished.

Neil...away day at Brighton... ( 22 May)

I had this report in from Neil Rodwell yesterday...

"Hi Tony. Had an away day at Brighton marina today. After battling through the m25 traffic to get to the east arm I arrived around 9:30. Had a flounder 1st cast at low water. Good start. As the tide began I managed a school bass and a spider crab in one hit. Had another flounder around 12 straight down the side of the wall on squid strips and that was it for the day. Saw a small smoothhound pup just cruising around on the surface and a pipe fish in between the buttresses. Decided to call it a day when the tide got so strong it was pulling everyone's lines across each other. Nice day on the wall. Will be in touch soon. Regards. Neil."

DAA Juniors...it was a nice day ( 20 May)

I had this in yesterday from Terry Carpenter of the DAA...cracking weather...

Just back from juniors fishing at Galloways. .
Was a good turnout 14 youngsters fished along with 4 new members 2 boys & 2 girls. Everybody had a good time but alas no fish turned up. Till June 16 next meet"

After dark...plenty of bass...( 20 May)

I had this report in this afternoon from Colin Hemsworth...

"Hi Tony,

Thanks for the bait yesterday, I headed for the power station and got there a bit after high tide. Light easterly winds and the sea looked fairly calm on the surface but a fair bit of current running through. The day was fairly slow going, I had a small bass and a plaice but things really picked up as it got dark. I expected the usual whiting assault and saw the  rod tip nodding slightly but when reeled in a nice 50cm bass. Had another 5 over the next hour all reasonable sizes and not a single whiting all evening! Sorry I didn’t manage any photos as I left the bloody phone at home! Will be down soon. Cheers, Colin."

Ooops DAA match result...( 20 May)

I had these results in from Alex Veel earlier in the week...it got buried in the emails...

DAA AGM...comes once a year...( 17 May)

Don't forget tomorrow...it's your club...if you can be there...

"DAA AGM 
Friday 18th May
At 7.30 pm at
Lifeboat station Dungeness
All members welcome"

Veterans...May match...( 17 May)

Another reminder from Terry Carpender

"DAA veterans next match on Wed 23rd at 5.15pm Littlestone wall"

Calling all Juniors...all welcome...( 17 May)

I had this reminder for the Juniors from Terry Carpenter...meet at the Pilot Pub.

"DAA Junior fishing SAT 19th at 11.45"

At least the weed wasn't to bad...( 13 May)

I had this report in this morning from Colin Hemsworth...

"Hi Tony, I fished near the power station yesterday, conditions were fairly good and the water was a bit more choppy than last week with light SW winds. In the daylight it was quite slow going, a bit of weed around but not too bad. I had the first bass 40cm, a few hours after HT. Then a flounder and another bass. A bit more action as it got dark with some dogfish and whiting and then called it a day. Thanks for the bait and see you soon, Colin."

The flatfish were not there... ( 13 May)

I had this report in last night from Neil Rodwell...

"Hi Tony. Tried denge again today. The weather looked good for some flatties what with barely a puff of wind from the SW so was optimistic. Had a school bass 1st cast then nothing right up till 2 and had a small whiting. Managed one more school bass around 3 this time a bit bigger but the flatfish were elsewhere. There was a bit of May water but it was so decayed it was just brown sludge that fell off at the tip ring so it wasn't a real problem. Cheers for the bait and will speak soon. Regards. Neil."

Cracking bass trip... ( 12 May)

I had this report in yesterday from Steve...the old saying 'wind makes fish'...

"Hi Tony, fished the end of the wooden walkway yesterday. Quite a cold, strong western wind. Low tide. Had 8 Bass, up to around 2.5 pound. All returned unharmed, as to the rules. 3 large Doggies and normal Whiting. Small no2 hooks worked best on a flattie rig. But no flat fish caught this trip!
All in all and very good day out. Thank you for the weights, rigs & bait.

Stephen Granville" 

Colin was cooking...but lots ( 9 May)
I had this report in Monday from Colin Hemsworth...

"Hi Tony,

I fished near the power station yesterday and definitely needed the sun cream! The sea was quite coloured and there was a a fair amount of movement in the water. Not much action in the day, I had a flounder around high tide, that was it for a while. As it got darker it started to pick up a bit. Had a bass about 35 cm, a few dogfish and a lot of pin whiting. Really nice day to be on the beach. Thanks for the bait and see you soon. Colin"

Only one...but it was fun... ( 7 May)
I had this in yesterday from Neil Rodwell...
"Hi Tony. Cheers for the bait today. As mentioned I gave Denge marsh a go. I wasn't really expecting anything other than being pestered by crabs all day what with the North East wind and the bright sunny conditions.as predicted it was tough going with the baits sometimes coming back in tact and sometimes bare hooks. Didn't get a bite right up till 1:15 when I managed a decent plaice. That was it all day. Still enjoyed myself slathered in sunny lotion so no burns to report! Will speak soon. Cheers. Neil"

Rays in the moonlight... ( 6 May)
I had this report in from Becky Lee yesterday...

"Hi Tony a report from last Wednesday So with the forecast giving improving weather I called David Harrington to see if he was interested in a spontaneous Ray trip. So a plan was laid to head to a local mark to try for a ray or two. We arrived at our mark about an hour and a half before low water and our baits were out shortly afterwards. Our baits were Bluey, Herring, Mackerel and Peeler Crab. We didn’t have a sniff of a bite until low water when I dragged in a Pin Whiting. The an hour after low water we started to get more action with me landing a dogfish followed by another whiting and Dave also landing a dogfish. Then swiftly followed by another dogfish a piece and a large Pouting for me. I was beginning to think we wouldn’t see a ray. Then Dave shouted over and said he is on. At last a Ray after a few moments a nice Male hit the beach of 3-4lb. I still hadn’t had a ray bite all night and was beginning to give up hope. I had unclipped one of my traces and said when I have brought this one in we will call it a day. Well talk about last chance saloon as Dave came over for a chat he noticed my rod bouncing around. At last a ray and a good one at that. It certainly gave a good account of itself and led Dave a merry dance in the water. A good chunky female between 8-9lb hit the beach. I was well pleased target achieved. We decided to give it another 30 minutes so out went both rods loaded with fish baits as the peeler only attracted the dogfish and whiting. About 15 minutes in my rod went again and this time a lovely fat Male ray of about 4-5lb was on the beach. Both Male rays really smashed the Bait and gave a good scrap. So all in all a successful evening. Looking forward to the next trip. We were also treated to a gorgeous sunset and blood moon tonight. Regards Becky"

DAA...AGM...coming soon... ( 5 May)
I saw this posted by Simon Newman chairman of the DAA on Thursday...note the change of venue...

DAA AGM
7-30pm
Friday 18th May
Dungeness Lifeboat Station

Agenda

1. Apologies

2. Approval of minutes of last AGM

3. Officers reports: Treasurer/Secretary, Match Captain, Juniors

4. Election of Officers

5. Agree/set membership fee's 2019/20. It is proposed that seniors be increased from £5 to £10 as £5 per member does not cover the costs of membership packs, newsletter, beach cleaner and lock costs per member.

6. Any Other Business

Lots of fun in the sun... ( 5 May)
I had this in from Simon Newman last night...
"2 plaice, 6 small bass, 7 dogfish and one whiting. A LOT of tide and quite coloured. Should fish better for the plaice as the weekend progresses and the colour drops out."

Dungeness first timers... ( 30 April)
I had this emailed report in last night...
"Hi me and a few friends fished Dungeness for the first time last night from 10:30-4am we caught two dog fish and a few bass and loads of whiting it was a good experience we are still new to the fishing thanks. Lanzo.Stv.and Raj. 

Tough going for the Juniors... ( 30 April)

I had this report in last night from Terry Carpenter of the DAA Juniors...
"DAA Juniors had their April meet today on a chilly North Easterly wind. They fished to the left of power station. We had a good turn out with 14 youngsters fishing but sadly the fish didn't come out to play, only James caught with a small whiting but a couple of little crabs were caught ."

Plenty of bass for Colin... ( 29 April) 

I had this report in this morning from Colin Hemsworth...

"Hi Tony, I fished Dungeness yesterday, on arrival there were nice conditions with light SW winds and a bit of movement in the water. A fair bit of weed around which dropped off as the tide went down. Started the day with whiting every cast with some of good size. 2 hrs after HT had the first bass on lug, followed by a few dogfish. In the evening had a few more bass and more whiting. Was using a running ledger style rig with pennel hook set up which caught all bass and a one hook flapper rig. Thanks for the bait and will be down soon. Colin."

DAA match tomorrow... ( 28 April)

I just saw this email from Gavin Smith...

"Hi Tony
Sorry for the late reminder tomorrow’s match booking from 08.30 at the gate fish 10-2pm. New members welcome"

What a turn out... ( 27 April)

Here are the results of last Wednesday 'Vets' match superbly run by Terry Carpenter...what a brilliant turnout with 14 'Vets' taking part. Hard going...but 'hey' that's fishing for you...well done to Alan Rudkin...showing us the way.

Talk about a near miss...not bad ( 26 April)

I had this report in tonight from Ben Clayson...

"Hi Tony
Got some bait from you this afternoon and you asked if we could catch you a 20 lb cod couldn’t manage that but hope this 8lb 11oz bass will do caught near the power station...Ps forgot to say was returned safely. Regards Ben"

Dengemarsh for a bit of calm... ( 23 April)

I had this in early this morning from Colin Hemsworth...

"Hi Tony, With the good weather this weekend I headed for Dengemarsh on Saturday with an idea of an early bass with the sea temps rising or a plaice. It was very calm and casting was a doddle so started far out and gradually came closer in to find the fish. First bite was a bass around 30cm and that was it for a while. Later on in the afternoon began to reel in and thought it felt a bit heavy, there was a nice plaice which took a lug worm tipped with a sandeel. After that tried out some beaded rigs but no more plaice for the rest of the session. Night fell and had the usual whiting and some big dogfish. Great bait as always and will be back down soon. Colin"

Plenty of fun in the sun... ( 22 April)

I had this report in last night from Neil Rodwell...

"Hi Tony. Seeing as it was flat warm and sunny I opted for samphire hoe today. Had the usual mix of species for this place including ballan and corkwing wrasse, pout and blennies. Was kept company by a succession of friendly joggers from a running club throughout the day, one of which wanted a photo of themselves with a fish I'd just caught! Had a marvellous day in the sunshine. Bait was rag on a size 2 hook attached to a three way swivel and a weak link to the lead on the bottom fished straight down into a hole between the rocks that I located at low tide. Certainly makes a change to fish in shorts and t-shirt! Will speak soon. Regards. Neil"

DAA 'Vets' match reminder... ( 21 April)

I had a reminder from Terry Carpenter that we have a 'Veterans' match on Wednesday fishing from 7-10pm at Littlestone Wall all DAA members over 60 are welcome (including Steve Field) book in half an hour before the start...hope to see you there.

At least John had fish... ( 17 April)

I had this report in this morning from John...

 " Hi Tony, John hodgkinson back for the summer, fished behind the boats yesterday not a bite up till high tide. Then on the ebb the whiting started 8 in total and a good sized doggie then called it a day 1 and a half ours after high water"
The latest DAA match result... ( 17 April)

I had these results in last night from Alex Veel of the DAA from Sundays match...

"Evening gents,

Results of Saturdays match attached...

(Dogs, Dabs, Whiting & Flounders caught Tony)

Cheers Alex"

A flat day for Colin... ( 15 April)
I had this report in from Colin Hemsworth this morning...
"Hi Tony,

I fished Dengemarsh yesterday, not much to report, had no bites in the daylight then had some whiting and rockling as night fell. Conditions were very calm with a slight bit of weed in the water which got better after HT. Lots of crabs around and baits were coming back stripped bare within ten minutes. Thanks for the lug and will be back down soon. Colin"

Dungeness...the wildlife park... ( 14 April)

I had this report in from the Quigley's...

"Hi Tony
Myself and Dad fished just past the boats towards the point area Saturday from 10am to 8pm. Quiet at first but picked up as the tide started to come in. 13 fish in total with dogfish, whiting, a single rockling and a nice bass on our last cast. Maybe the large pod of dolphins that remained all day scared the fish away. We packed up just beating the fog and had a job finding the shop to return the key. Another great day out in Dungeness and well worth the drive from South London. As always thanks for the great bait & hope to see you very soon.
Daniel & Brian Quigley"

Sun's out...equals play time... ( 14 April)
I had this in from Neil Rodwell...who was out for a bit of fun in the sun...did you try close in Neil...
"Hi Tony. Not much to report from the point today. Very busy down there but found a spot. Didn't have so much as a rattle up till 3 then finished the day with 2 small dabs which saved a blank. Tried lug, squid and sandeels. The crabs were a total nightmare stripping the bait in minutes and the weed was pretty bad for a while. I've never seen the sea so calm down there what with the easterly breeze. Topped up the tan if anything. Will be back in soon. Regards. Neil"

Dengemarsh Beach Clean ( 13 April)
I had this update in today from Peter...

"Dear Tony,

We have changed the date for the Dengemarsh Beach Clean, from Saturday 21^st to Sunday 22^nd April 2018. This is to coincide with the ‘Earth Day 2018’ event, which the Marine Conservation Society are supporting, and is planned for the Sunday.

Many thanks for your cooperation. Best regards Pete Neale"

Oscar caught a 'shark' ( 13 April)
I had this report in today from Paul Yates...
"Hi Tony,

Myself, Oscar (my son) and friend Duncan arrived at Dungeness 12 April at back of boats for high tide, it was slow for first three hours with no bites apart from the crabs stripping our bait, while being watched by a pair of Dolphins that seem very happy to stay, Once they moved off things pick up and we caught 6 small dogfish Oscar was very pleased with his. we used fresh black lug and frozen. thanks Paul"

DAA match reminder...looks fine ( 13 April)
I had this reminder in from Gavin Smith about tomorrow...
"Hi tony
Just a quick reminder about tomorrow's match fishing the power station meet at the gate from 4.30pm then drive around fish from 6-10pm"

Nice sized plaice...( 13 April)
I had this report in this morning from Becky Lee...
"So day three of the fishathon and another successful trip. Woke up at 5am, arrived at venue by 6:30, set up and fishing by 06:45. High tide at 09:40, the target was Plaice again. Baits were fresh Black lug and rigs were two hook flapper with 2.5 feet traces and wishbone rigs. All the fish came at distance. Nothing at all in close. Fished alongside Robert North all session which was good to finally meet up and fish together. In the end I had 6 Plaice 32,33,34,36,38 and 42cm all nice and healthy fish. Rob had two as well. We both had a Dab each and I sneaked out a Flounder of 29cm and a couple of whiting. The fish all came two hours before to an hour after. Took the stove as well for a cheeky bacon sarnie."

Scratching at Galloways ( 11 April)

I had this in today from Wayne...

"Hiya Tony,
Not much of a report, but gives a fair idea whats happening at Gallways at mo.
Me and mate Chris (Bigsturgeon) got to the venue about 4.30pm....HW @ 8pm.
Light wind E/SE...calm and fairly bright. Water was clear.
5 rods between us...using fresh blacks,frozen blacks, Squid, fish, razor.
Was very slow going....no bites for first couple hours.
Chris had first bite resulting in a nice 34cm Flounder....he followed this with another slightly smaller.
As HW approached i had a Doggy...so did Chris.....this was followed by very small pins and Rockling.
Not much else.....it was hard going but enjoyable....and you could scratch a few out if you worked at it.
Crabs became a nuisance on the down...stripping bait.
It was lovely just being out there....and when these E/SE winds change round, imo the fishing will too. Regards Wayne Beale"

Red spotted army...on the feed ( 10 April)
I had this in from Mark yesterday...
"Hi Tony
My first outing of the year saw me at Brighton Marina East Arm(08/04/18.The sea was flat calm but it didnt seem to stop the Red Spotted Army i had 9 Plaice in all best about a 1.5Ib my Nephew Damien also caught his biggest ever Flounder about the same weight and i had a Pout that looked like it was on steroids must have been over a Pound All the Plaice took black tipped with squid and the Flounders we had took King All fish were returned...hope to be back at Dungie soon
Best Wishes Mark "

Colin gives it a good go...( 8 April)
I had this report in from Colin Hemsworth this afternoon...
"Hi Tony, 

I gave it a good go this weekend, arrived at dengemarsh on Friday 2 hrs before HT and fished to about midnight. It was fairly quiet all day, I had a nice flounder, a pouting, whiting and lots of rockling in the daylight and then a few doggies in the evening. One rod I had a two hook flapper rig with fresh lug and the other rod a long and low rig with a single sandeel cast out as far as I could in hope of a Ray. There’s a fox on that beach getting very bold and caught it nosing around in my tent as I cast out, I’ve learnt my lesson and always pack away my bait now! I came back for round two on Saturday, the wind switched from a SE to SW in the evening and with the long low rig clipped down I was casting a good distance but kept coming up with doggies. Also had a few dabs. At one point had a slack liner, reeled in carefully until I felt some tension and thought I had something a bit more sizeable, it was a smoothhound, first one I’ve had in a while and my biggest so far. It feels spring is well on its way and looking forward to some summer species showing up, a lot more crabs around as well. Thanks for the lovely lug and Sandeel, see you soon. Colin"

Well done Terry for all the work...( 8 April)
I saw this report from Terry Carpenter last night...
"Just back from the DAA Juniors rearranged match which was fished at a sunny Littlestone beach this afternoon. Ten youngsters fished with 4 new members despite the nice weather only 2 fish were caught with Luke catching a whiting and joey catching a rockling all enjoyed a pleasant afternoons fishing."

DAA Juniors reminder...( 6 April)
I had this in from Terry Carpenter yesterday...
"Juniors fishing this sat 7th at 2pm"

I'ts good to see them having fun...( 4 April)
I had this report in from Steve Savage fishing with the boys down at Littlestone Wall...
"Hi Tony fished at Littlestone this afternoon with my two grandsons Max and Aiden. Had a mixed bag and nice to see a lot of small bass.Regards Steve."

Some cracking dogfish...( 4 April)

I had this report in from Bill Lambert yesterday...

"Some good catches from behind the boats at Dungeness beach yesterday, some photos for your blog. Rockling, dab, dogfish & whiting"

Not a bad day in spite of the forecast Plenty of fish about...( 2 April) I had this report in from Joe Stevens..."Had a cracking little session at hythe this morning, original target was plaice fished from 10-2pm water was very chocolatey and well stired up, so didn't have high hopes for plaice but just had a scratch around, between me and the old man and grandad We had, Dabs,flounder,dogfish,whiting, and rockling But was a nice enjoyable day before returning to work tomorrow. Cracking bait as always tony"
The good, the bad and the ugly...( 2 April )

I had this report in yesterday from Colin Hemsworth (it would have been up sooner...bloody broadband)...

"Hi Tony,

I fished dengemarsh yesterday and thought I’d try for a few flatfish. Arrived for first high tide and packed up around 11. Overall, about 10 rockling, a few flatties and lots of whiting all caught on fresh lug. The rockling were all very fat and looked like they’d been stuffing themselves with shellfish. Will be back down soon, thanks for the bait and will be back down soon. Colin"

The Rocking are getting ready to move out and spawn...looking at the photos the whiting have already back from 'shooting their roes'

Away day for Neil...( 1 April)

This came in last night from Neil Rodwell...

"Hi Tony. Just though I would send you a quick report. Fished Langley point in East Sussex today from 10 till 3. Had plaice, flounder, dabs, whiting, rockling and dogfish. All fish came to black lug on clipped down rigs fished as far out as I could manage. Will be in to see you soon hopefully. Regards. Neil"

Reminder from the DAA ( 26 March)

I saw this from Simon Newman DAA chairman today...

"Dungeness Angling Association News ....LOCK CHANGE!!!!......Remember that the lock on the EA gate is changed on the 1st April. Anyone who has purchased keys for this membership year will receive them this week. If you would like to purchase your own key, see the DAA website for details. Anyone with snide copies from the last few years...bin them, this is a completely new lock and key. It is a strict condition of access by the Environmental Agency who own the road that the gate is kept closed and locked at all times. Anyone who leaves the gate open or vandalises the lock is jeopardizing access for all of us so keep your eyes open please folks. This also helps prevent vandalism and theft from the fishing boats beached there. YOU MUST DISPLAY YOUR CAR STICKER WHEN PARKED ON THE EA ROAD."

Hard work for most, not Simon ( 26 March)

I had the results of last nights DAA match...well done Simon Newman...straight back from Norway and wins last nights match...it must have been the quality bait!

Light winds, sun, loads of fish ( 25 March)

I had this report in from Colin Hemsworth who was fishing Dengemarsh yesterday...

"Hi Tony,

I fished Dengemarsh yesterday, arrived for first ht and fished through to low. Caught flounder, dabs, dogfish, lots of rockling and whiting. Was a nice day with a bit of sun and the wind was light so casting not a problem. All fish were caught on fresh lug on a two hook flapper rig with beads and 1/0 hooks. All caught close in apart from a big whiting at distance. Thanks for the bait and will be back down soon. Colin"

A nice mixed bag, plenty of fish( 25 March)

Roy Godden kindly sent in these photos on his afternoon trip down to Hythe...a real mixed bag...plenty of fish...just shows what can be caught is a couple of hours...

Keep it clean...( 23 March)

I had this in from Pete Neale on behalf of beachwatch...he needs your support. He has organised a beach clean at Dengemarsh on Saturday 21st April 2018. So if you can spare some time to help clean the beach,,,send me a photo and I will put it up.

Flattie heaven...( 22 March)

I had this email tonight from Kenneth England...a great day on the 'Parade'...

"Fishing today dabs every cast also this lovely plaice"

DAA match reminder...( 22 March)

I had this from Gavin Smith of the DAA today...

Just a quick reminder this weekends match is Sunday behind the power station meet at the gate fish 4-8 booking from half 2 don't forget the super pool for an extra £5 this is optional:)

Floundering at Dungeness...( 22 March)

I saw this report from Terry Carpenter of the DAA, out today...

"Just back from couple hours behind the boats only 4 others fishing .Had 12 small flounders 3 rockling"

New Junior meeting date...( 18 March)

I had this email from Terry Carpenter of the DAA...

"Tony new date for juniors cancelled fishing is Sat 7 april at 2pm Cheers Terry"

Before the snow...( 17 March)

I found this in my emails this morning from Andrew Elsey...

"Hi Tony  lots of dabs today down at fisherman beach and few whiting had most of dabs as tide was dropping"

Another meeting cancelled...( 17 March)

I saw this posted on facebook by Terry Carpenter, that sadly due to the bad weather the... 

"DAA juniors fishing on sun 18 is cancelled"

Today's match has been postponed...( 17 March)

I just saw this email from Gavin Smith of the DAA...

"Hi Tony
Could you let people know today's match has been moved to next weekend 25/03
Fish 4pm - 8pm meet at the gate. Sorry for any inconvenience"

Change of match venue...( 16 March)

I had email from Gavin Smith match captain of the DAA...

"Hi tony
Just to say the match has been moved from tower 23 to behind the power station, meet at the gate as normal, same times apply meet at the gate at half 3 fish 5-10

We will also be looking to try a new optional pool £5 extra for the biggest single points scored."

Junior dab expert...( 14 March)

I had this report in today from Ray Carr...

"Hi Tony
Thanks for the cracking bait as always, fished on Sunday by the power station from low up to high and had a steady session catching around 10 dabs and all put back to get that little bit bigger but the fish are there that’s for sure. Fish were caught at various distances on your own tied rigs that I bought that day (2 hook clipped and 3 hook flappers) with that superb lug worked a treat. Even my little one was getting in on the action bless him.
All in all another great day at Dungy and a bit surprised that there were very few fishing. Tight lines mate Regards Ray"

Joe's got dabs on a plate...( 14 March)

I had this positive report in from Joe on Monday...

"Hi Tony sorry there is no pics..

Had a great couple of hours Saturday just off the walkway thinking out the box...

Fished from 3pm to just after high tide, using 2 up 1 down flapper rigs. 

Baited up with worm and mackerel fillets. 

Had some hard bites but noticed the worm was coming back untouched so...... all three hooks were then baited with mackerel ... 

Had a great couple of hours with seven keeper dabs and 12 returned...

Thank you Dungeness. Joe collins"

Galloways...Target flounder...( 11 March)

This came in this morning from Wayne...don't believe those who say there is no fish out there...

"Hi Tony,

Well it was no good Tony, i just had to get out and do a bit!

The venue: Galloways, 2 hrs before HW - 2½hrs down. (HW 1720)

Bait: Fresh blow lug.....dug only a few hours before. Used on a 1up one 1down rig...with Flounder on my mind.

A dropping S-SW breeze...and the sun came out.....perfect.

Up to HW was a bit slow, but i did winkle out a few fat Rockling and small Whiting.

Just after high i had a nice gentle, definate pull down on the rod tip..... 'allo 'allo 'allo.... ive seen this sort of bite before,

so left it for a minute or two and same again.....now this sort of bite gets me excited.....

I reels in and finds a nice little Flounder on the hook. I was over the moon...these fish really get me going...i love 'em.

The next couple hours saw a return to the Rockling and Whiting before packing up at 8pm.

This time last year saw Plaice and Flounder at Galloways...so although no Plaice...my target fish (Flounder) was caught.

Didnt use a single 'whole' worm.....all fish were caught on the 'chops'

Thoroughly enjoyed it...cant wait for next trip....very soon. Wayne Beale"

What a great match...( 11 March)

I had this report in from Paul Jarrett of the 'Southern Circuit Sea Angling Society' who had a great match last night at Dungeness...well done guys...

"Result from match 3, Dungeness 10/03/18 

12 members fished, Whiting, Dogfish, Dabs, Flounder and Rockling weighed in 

Well done to Sam Collier for winning the match 

1. Sam Collier - 28 fish, 10lb 15ozs 
2. Michael Ferrier - 29 fish, 10lb 5.5ozs 
3. Paul Jarrett - 24 fish, 6lb 11.5ozs 
4. Keith Neame - 18 fish, 5lb 6.5ozs 
5. Les Bates - 12 fish, 5lb 5ozs 
6. Stephen Foster - 11 fish, 4lb 14ozs 
7. Dan Hadley - 16 fish, 4lb 12ozs 
8. Kirk Eldridge - 16 fish, 4lb 0.5ozs 
9. Wesley Cheeseman - 12 fish, 4lb 0.5ozs 
10. Alan Jarrett - 16 fish, 3lb 14ozs 
11. Philip Underdown - 13 fish, 3lb 1oz 
12. Jay Hill - 2 fish, 10ozs 

Heaviest fish - 1lb 14oz Dogfish, Sam Collier"

A decent flounder...( 11 March)

I had this photo sent in to me by Roy Godden...he was telling me this morning that he fished Hythe last night with his friend Peter...Roy had loads of dabs, some whiting and a decent flounder.

Loads of Dabs...( 11 March)

I had this report in last night from Neil Rodwell...

"Hi Tony. Went behind the station today in search of flounders. Didn't find any but had loads of dabs with some a nice size and the usual whiting and rockling occasionally. Got a good soaking mid day but it soon cleared. Decided to leave around 3 when the bites started to dry up. Most of the fish came at range with not much close in. Had a good day in all. Will speak soon. Neil" 

Now that was hard work...( 9 March)

I had last Sunday's DAA match results in from Alex Veel...

Right time...right plaice...( 8 March)

I had this report in tonight from Andrejs Melniks goes to show if you go fishing...you might catch some fish...

"Hi Tony, 

Fished Brighton East pier on Tuesday 6th. Turned out to be a very good day, caught around 25 Plaice/Flounder 13 of them were over 27cm, with the biggest Flounder being 42cm and the biggest Plaice was 38 cm. However fish were quite thin after spawning. For the bait best was black lug tipped of with squid, had rag worm as well but didn't work that great. I've attached few pics as well. 

Kind regards, Andrejs"

Scores on the doors... ( 7 March)

Here are the current 'standings' after round three...its getting warmer...

What no whiting... ( 7 March)

I had this report in this evening from Terry Carpenter of the DAA...

"DAA veterans had their latest match today 7\3\2018. Six fished at Littlestone on a nice afternoon, but alas not a lot of fish caught. Pete Brown had 2 flounders ,Terry Carpenter had 1 flounder, that was the only fish caught"

Something to smile about... ( 4 March)
With all the bad weather I thought I would post a special offer to cheer people up...
a 14' Leeda Icon FS sport for £129 recommended retail £ 179.99...only one left...

Brighton away day for Dave ( 3 March)
I saw this on Facebook from Becky Lee Hodges posted today...
"Fishing at Brighton with Dave Kingsman. Nothing at all yet and no other anglers have caught either. Water is quite coloured but clearing as tide comes up."
Very hard conditions in cold water...their target species plaice and..."Dave had this 2lb 10oz"

News Flash DAA match...( 3 March)

I just saw this 'flash up' from Gavin Smith (AKA Burt Burt) on the DAA fun facebook page...
"Don't forget tomorrow's match booking from 09:30 fish from 11:00-15:00 at the gate"

Reminder for next Wednesday...( 2 March)
The third round of the DAA 'Vets' series next Wednesday 1pm kick-off...don't worry your DAA membership is valid till the 1st of April...with warmer weather coming, we are hoping for a good turnout...I will be open Wednesday morning for bait, but please phone and book if you need any, cheers Tony.
A nice bit of surf... ( 28 February)
I saw this on facebook this morning from Dave Harrington...just got back from the 'point' (walking the dogs) bracing...-2.5 degrees...wind chill...felt like -20!...surprisingly nobody fishing...
A lovely day at Littlestone-on-Sea in the East Bay this morning. Except for the wind, the temperature & the snow on the ground 😀

A 'hot' shot to warm you up... ( 26 Feb)
I had this underwater picture sent in from Andrew Elsey...

"Hi Tony have good time in Egypt  thought I send a pic of the lion fish"

Wind in the east...fish bite the... ( 24 Feb)

I had this report in from Neil Rodwell who braved the wind today...according to the met office there is worse to come...snow flakes...
"Hi Tony. Fished denge marsh today in arctic conditions. An easterly wind, bright sunshine,  small tide and being February didn't point things in my favour but thought I'd give it a bash anyway. Had a few dabs and also loads of rockling at the start of the day. Bizarrely the bites died off as the tide started to flood with baits coming back in tact. Nice day in all and the resident fox was there eyeing up my sandwiches. Saw a small dogfish beach itself in front of me which was a first for me. Also didn't catch a single whiting! Still deciding whether or not that's a good or a bad thing! Speak soon. Neil."

Great weather for the kids ( 18 Feb) 
I saw this post from Terry Carpenter of the DAA what a cracking day to encourage youngsters...
"Juniors had their first meet of 2018 . 9 juniors fished Dungeness with whiting & small dabs being caught. It was a lovely crisp morning with light winds"

What a good turnout for SCSAS ( 17 Feb) 
Ooops forgot to post this report from Paul Jarrett of Southern Circuit Sea Angling Society results from last Sunday's match at Deal...

"Result from match 2, Deal 10/02/18 

17 members fished, Whiting, Dogfish, Pouting, Dabs, Flounders and Rockling weighed in 

Well done to Philip Underdown for winning the match 

1. Philip Underdown - 6 fish, 7lb 6.5ozs 
2. Robert Bates - 6 fish, 7lb 2.5ozs 
3. Dan Hadley - 9 fish, 5lb 13ozs 
4. Michael Ferrier - 5 fish, 5lb 
5. Sam Collier - 13 fish, 4lb 13.5ozs 
6. Paul Jarrett - 6 fish, 4lb 10.5ozs 
7. Keith Neame - 5 fish, 1lb 12.5ozs 
8. Wesley Cheeseman - 3 fish, 1lb 11ozs 
9. Les Bates - 2 fish, 1lb 6.5ozs 
10. Steve Richards - 4 fish, 1lb 
11. Paul Cox - 2 fish, 8.5ozs 
12. Keith Johnson - 2 fish, 7.5ozs 
13. Dave Sales - 1 fish, 2.5ozs 
=17. Ashley Brown - 0 fish 
=17. Neil Creed - 0 fish 
=17. Kirk Barrie Skywalkers - 0 fish 
=17. Alan Jarrett - 0 fish 

Heaviest fish - 1lb 15.5oz Dogfish, Paul Jarrett"
  Loads of fish...and a fox ( 17 Feb) 
I had this report in from Joe Massiah who was fishing last night...

"Hi Tony, great to see you again. I took your advice and went behind the power station and was kept busy all night long with bites from dabs, flounders, rocklings, pout and the pesky whiting.  There were just 2 other groups fishing by me both not understanding the rule, NO fires!! On a lighter note, big respect for the fox that came by and ate my steak pie and cheese and pickle rolls from my beach buddy. But was kind enough to leave the squid and mackerel, so thoughtful. Your lugworms were top notch as always Tony. I will try and sort the email problem out so you can reply when needed. Take care Sir and hope to catch up again real soon when the bass arrive. 

Joe."

Lovely day in spite of the weed ( 17 Feb) 
I had this report in yesterday from David Grinfield...

"Hi Tony 

I have came down to Dungeness on Thursday, passed by the shop and got some worms, frozen squid and some mackerel. I went behind the power station with westerly wind for most of the day. I have fished from noon, one hour after HW till 22.00. It was active all session with planty of small Whitings, Dabs, couple of Rockling and one Dogfish. The weed was quite an issue, I’m not sure if it is because of the big tide (spring one) or what??? Also I believe because of the strong current and probably the small fish you couldn’t even register one bite all session long on the rod’s tip even though almost all casts brought at least one fish. I couldn’t even register a clear bite even when I was bringing in a triple variety in s form of Dogfish and small Waiting and Dab on the flatly rig. Also I should mention that the only bait that worked yesterday was the Dungeness Lug Worm, not really anything else. I tried some Mackerel and Squid but without any success. 

It was a very lovely day at the beach sunny and not too windy. Thank you Seagull Tackle shop for the bait and hopefully see you next time soon. David."

Phil...can he keep it up... ( 14 Feb) 
I had this report of last weekends DAA match...
"Hi all here are the results from Sunday's match well done to Phil on the win, he's running away with it at the moment.
But a big congrats too Wes how did he manage a 3rd"

DAA match...a nice surprize ( 12 Feb) 
I saw this posted by Becky Lee Hodges after Sundays DAA match...
"So a lovely afternoon on Dungeness beach fishing the DAA match. Weather and conditions were perfect for some fish to be caught. I won’t give away the results, all I will say is that a Codling was landed indirectly by Fozz. He lost a rig earlier in the match and it was retrieved by another angler. Proof there are some around. End of the week looks promising for some Codling with the bigger tides. Loads of Dabs caught lots over 25cm...... could have done with them last week."

DAA Vets match last Wednesday ( 12 Feb)
Here are the results from last weeks 'Vets' match...good turnout in spite of the cold weather...

A real mixed bag... ( 10 February)
I had this report in from Harry this evening...
"Popped in Yesterday for some bait and the lights, thank you very much for the tips. Fished from around 2-9. Fishing was amazing; we were constantly reeling in 3 fish at a time, from rockling to ling, and plenty of flat fish too. Not too many whiting around but the ones that were there were very large (around 30-40cm) plus we had the beach to ourselves, not a sole in sight
Kind regards Harry Newbury."

What a nice pair... ( 10 February)
I had this report in from Neil Rodwell...
"Hi Tony. I had the beach all to myself today behind the station. Caught the usual mix of species for this time of year, whiting, rockling and dabs. I decided to pack up around one when the wind and rain started to get a bit stronger and the leads were getting beached. Finished with a double shot of dabs. Was nice to get out and watch the rod tips rattle. Cheers for the bait today and will speak soon. Neil."

Reminder from the DAA ( 8 February)
I saw this posted from our match captain...reminder...
"Hi just a quick reminder this Sunday's Daa match fishing from 12-4pm booking in at the gate from 10.30-11am Hope to see you there."

Great day...down the bay ( 7 February)
I had this report in tonight from Dave Kingsman...

"Hi Tony,

Fished the last two days afternoon tides at Hythe.

Yesterday was pretty uneventful. Just Doggies and Whiting.

Got down there today. It looked brilliant. Met Shane Edwards and away we went. Both had two rods ray fishing but I had a score of lug just to keep me occupied if things were slow..

They were.

Neither of us had a thing right over HT and ebb.

Most people packed up. We were on last cast. I’d put the worms out on one rod. Little tap and 30cm Dab that should have been in WDC Sunday landed.

Shane went but I planned to grab a few more Dabs on the ebb.

Still, kept the faith with the ray rod and had a classic rod nod and drop back.

I was over the moon. 8lbs." 

A great day, well done all... ( 7 February)
Here are the results of the WDC on Sunday, kindly posted to me by Terry Carpenter...
We are delighted to announce that this years Tronixpro World Dab Fishing Champion is Mr Tony Dean who weighed in 4 sizeable dabs (over 25cm) for 1.65lb.

188 anglers participated raising an incredible £5001.91p for the RNLI. Everyone caught fish with several hundred dabs caught but only 81 meeting the 25cm minimum size limit, the rest being returned alive at time of capture. Circa 50 of the weighed in dabs were donated, raising another £50 towards the trotal paid by the Pilot Inn Dungenesss. Free range line caught organic dabs will feature on the specials board at the Pilot for the next few days! LOL

The top 10

1. Tony Dean 4 fish 1.65lb
2. Angus Stephenson 3 for 1.56
3. Les Chappell 3 for 1.25
4. Cieron Bull 3 for 1.2
5. Ron Howard 3 for 1.15
6. Paul Judd 3 for 1.14
7. Becky Lee 2 for 1.05
8. John Wells 2 for 1lb
9. David Bullock 2 for 0.95
10. Ashley Keen 2 for 0.86

50 anglers weighed in, pools paid to 33rd place!

A huge thanks you to Tronixpro, Zziplex, Skarnsundet Fjordcenter, Sea Angler Magazine, Ammo, Seagull Tackle, Mighty Bright, Selco, Gillaroo Design and everyone else who assisted or supplied prizes....the list is very long but to everyone who attended, supported and assisted on the day, we salute you.

A chip of the old block... ( 6 February)
I saw this great report from in from Steven Foster on Sundays WDC...
"fished the world Dab championship at Dungeness on Sunday , took my eldest Grand daughter Rosie along to fish as well, only 6 so a bit difficult in those conditions but after an initial moan about the cold she settled down to try and catch a Dab :)Her first ever fish was a Whiting which was unhooked and returned to the sea , a while later she did land a Dab but at only 19cms too small to keep. Well done Rosie xx"

When the winds in the east... ( 5 February)
Andrew Elsey sent this report in this report from the WDC yesterday...yes it was very cold...north easterly wind...but well done to all taking part...
"Hi Tony the comp was hard going had one dab just under size and load of whiting  and a big pouting. But it was cold"

Dave's big day... ( 5 February)
Here is the report from David Kingsman fishing the 'World Dab Championship' yesterday...

Hi Tony,

The big day finally arrived.

I was up early and full of beans.

Thanks for the preparation X top secret worms. they did work.

Got signed in and headed for Dengemarsh.

It wasnt too busy but my comrades and I decided to walk to the diamond.

Bit of a killer with the shelters but worth it once we were set up.

11am kick off and we were away.

First hour and I had a 25cm Dab in the bucket. Got the feeling it would be hard going so felt ok with that.

Fished hard until the end at 4pm.

Ended up with 7 x Dabs but just the one to weigh in. 5 x 22cms and a smaller one.

Plenty of Whiting, Pouting, Rocklings and Dogfish about for the three of us.

There you have it. Bit disappointed to only get one out of seven but its same rules for everyone.

Great day for the RNLI and Dungeness.

Credit to the organisers as always.

Regards Dave."

Fun is what it is all about... ( 4 Feb)

I had this report in from Andrew Piper...

"Hi...Just a quick report from last week
On Friday I decided to have a drive to Hythe to see what the fishing was like, I live in Rainham . I hadn’t a clue where to go but ended up parking just round the bend facing towards Dover by Griggs, I noticed a rod just over the wall so I stopped. As I climbed out of my car this guy had a bite, so I thought this is going to be fun. I set my two rods up about 10 meters from the slope with Griggs to my back right and the fun started.using a mixture of blow lug, Rag and baby squid had a mixed bag.the usual whiting a few flat ties a hand full of dogs and a nice thorn back (my first ever) I fully intend to return to this spot with my grand kids."

Who told the whiting... ( 4 Feb)

I had this report in from Neil Rodwell...

"Hi Tony, I know it's not Dungy but thought I would drop you a quick report on my day at white horses near Pevensey bay today. The idea was to escape the seemingly endless torrent of whiting and head for a place I know throws up for few flatties. Unfortunately they followed me to east Sussex and after starting off with a solitary rockling I had whiting all throughout the day right till when I packed up. That'll teach me to look eleswhere! Lol. Still better than a blank and hoping to be out again soon. Regards. Neil"

Report from the dab 'magnet' ( 30 Jan)

I had this report in from Becky Lee Birtwhistle Hodges...I have a pretty good idea who is favourite for Sunday...

"Good day Dabbing Sunday 28th January

Hi Tony
Just a quick report to say that there are plenty of Dabs about. Fished from 07:30 to 1:30 and had 35+ Dabs. 10 over 25cm biggest two 29 and 30cm am the rest all between 21-23cm only 4 20cm or under. 
Good news for the WDC on Sunday Regards Becky"

Hello Tommy cod...your welcome ( 29 Jan)

At last some positive news...I have had a couple reports last week now this from David Harrington...well done Dave...

"Codling at Littlestone Wall (Well Tommy’s anyway)

Hi Tony
After work put a end to my trip to the Medway last night I decided to have a quick session at Littlestone. 
I got there about an hour before High & set up with just 1 rod using a 2 hook flapper loaded with Lug & Maddies & had Whiting from the off.
Then about an hour after high I had my first Codling only 20cms, but still a Codling. This then continued for the next hour with a steady stream of Whiting & Tommy Codling before the tide retreated back onto the sand & the bites dried up, where I then packed up & went home.
All in all a good little session with the biggest Codling of about 22cms, hopefully a good sign for next autumn.
Sorry mate no photos as I forgot my phone."

Warming up for the WDC ( 28 January)
At last a beach report from Dungeness...it has been quiet...a great report from David Kingsman...

"Hi Tony,

Started having a practise for next Sunday’s World Dab Championship. Looking forward to it.Decided to try the Point area today with my mate Richard.

Planned to fish over low and get out before the big wind and rain arrived.

All went to plan at first. Whiting from the off. 3 at a time. 

We had a Dab each on low water with mine going a very decent 32cms.

Unfortunately that was all we had Dab wise.

The Whiting were out in force. I also had 3 Rockling and a Pouting.

Thanks for the bait. I know tides were tough this week. 

Upwards and onwards. See you Next week.

Regards Dave.

Local Angler sets new beach record... ( 21 January)
I saw this posted by Simon Newman of the DAA...from his fishing party out in Norway...
"David Wood-Brignall with his 153 lb new world record halibut caught this morning!"
...I believe Dave was out practising for the World dab fishing competition...

Looking for more dabs... ( 20 January)

I had this report in from Neil Rodwell fishing this morning...
"Hi Tony, today was WET. Still it didn't put me off. I went behind the station and got out of the wind with help from the shingle bank. It was the usual whiting all day most of which were undersized. Had a few rocking at the start of the session before the piranhas moved in and the 1 dab again. The fish were mostly in the shallows with not a great deal at range. Had a fox to keep me company for a while. Looking forward to the dabs making a more positive appearance. Cheers for the bait today and will speak soon. Regards. Neil."

Well that was breezy... ( 18 January)
I had this reminder for Saturdays match from Gavin Smith of the DAA...the conditions after the blow...should be perfect...nice tide as well...
"Hi all just a quick reminder we have the second match of the year.... Booking from 05:30-06:00 pm at the gate and fishing from 7pm - 11pm"

A dab warm up session... ( 17 January)
I had this positive report in this morning from Wayne Beale...

Hi Tony,

Me and a mate decided to take advantage of the decent weather and give Dunge a bash.

We arrived at the 'boats' nearest the point at 9.30am...a pleasant, albeit,  breezy day...with a stiffish Westerly.

Sea was a bit choppy....bit of weed and other rubbish etc

Bait: Fresh and frozen black, a few fresh Sprats, Butter Clams, Herring and Mackerel

Rigs: Size 1 two hook flapper.

We were using this session as a bit of a prelude to the WDC on 4th Feb.

It was the expected Whiting from the off...some quite decent size up to HW. This didn't much change throughout the tide, however we did get two Dab, 1 Rockling (I kept this to use as Pike bait, very good apparently?) and yippee....a Dogfish.

Plenty of birds 'working' close in...and saw a live Herring wash up on the beach...so, although the water wasn't ideal...we put on some small Sabiki's to try for Herring, but no joy.

My mate put tiny bits of Squid on his...and guess what? A full house of Whiting.

We packed up at 2pm.

If this report is anything to go by....Dungeness area isnt faring too good for the WDC.

Only one thing left and that is to bid Tony and all the other Dunge regulars a Happy new year...regards Wayne 

PS  The Plaice wont be long now!!!....hopefully.

Great fishing for January... ( 14 Jan)

I had this report in from Paul Jarrett...well done Steve for that 'mighty' dog...

Southern Circuit Sea Angling Society] Result from match 1 at Hythe - 13/01/18

19 members fished, Whiting, Dogfish, Pouting, Dabs and Rockling weighed in 

Well done to Tom Wells for winning the match 

1. Tom Wells - 34 fish, 22lb 1ozs 
2. Philip Underdown - 38 fish, 21lb 5ozs 
3. Wesley Cheeseman - 39 fish, 18lb 12ozs 
4. Keith Neame - 30 fish, 18lb 3.5ozs 
5. Martin Edwards - 28 fish, 16lb 13.5ozs 
6. Keith Johnson - 23 fish, 16lb 10ozs 
7. Luke Mooring - 27 fish, 15lb 14.5ozs 
8. Sam Collier - 31 fish, 15lb 
9. Martyn Hawes - 26 fish, 14lb 13ozs 
10. Paul Jarrett - 30 fish, 13lb 11ozs 
11. Dave Hough - 19 fish, 13lb 10ozs 
12. Dave Sales - 29 fish, 12lb 7ozs 
13. Les Bates - 26 fish, 11lb 6ozs 
14. Alan Jarrett - 18 fish, 11lb 3ozs 
15. Stephen Foster - 19 fish, 11lb 1.5ozs 
16. Steve Richards - 23 fish, 8lb 9.5ozs 
17. Paul Relf - 15 fish, 7lb 1oz 
18. Aaron Terry - 13 fish, 5lb 10.5ozs 
19. Kirk Eldridge - 6 fish, 2lb 4ozs 

Heaviest fish - 2lb 4oz Dogfish, Stephen Foster 

League table to follow


The magnificent seven... ( 12 January)
What a lovely evening...calm and mild! Here are the results from last Wednesdays match. Well done John Smith for carrying on where he left off last year...I owe 'Foss' a fiver for giving Peter 2nd place, when he should have been 3rd...but it was close!...hope to see you all at the next match...February 7 (2.30 - 5.30).

At least no one blanked... ( 9 January)
Here are the results from last Sunday...the first DAA match of the year...well done Steve...

That's the way...cook them... ( 9 January)
I had this report in yesterday from Raja... 
"Fished Hythe yesterday with my mate Alanzo we got there around 1.30pm it was cold water was very dirty big waves we got a spot and had a go we caught 3 lovely sea bass all returned but I must say the whitings we caught were massive they will be deep fried Jamaican style ha ha kids love em and To mix things up had a little dab and dogfish lovely day packed up around 6.30pm ..... No cod still praying 

Bait was blacks and squids. Thanks Raja" 

The bass are back... ( 8 January)
I had this report in this morning from Steve Latham...
"happy new year Tony went to Dengmarsh yesterday its was very windy but I stuck it out lots of whiting and fat rocklings then as the tide turned the bass came on the feed I had 6 in all 3 at 28cms and 3 at 38cms but no dab's the bait was fresh yellow tail's regards Steven."

What a cracker... ( 8 January)
I saw this posted today by Terry Noakes of Folkstone Trawlers...we can all dream


Littlestone wall...under rated ( 7 January)
I had this excellent report in from Paul Child last night...

"Hi Tony

I popped in on Friday morning and bought some lug and squid from you. I said I was going along to Littlestone after the blow I wasn't disappointed as after fishing that spot for nearly 40 yrs when tide and conditions come together its well worth a trip its  underrated. The only drawback for fishing over high water is that as you know you can only fish high water up / down for a total of 3 hrs or so with any depth.

But saying that we sometimes buck that trend  like we have done over many years  and  have  a low tide session its very different on the very  low extreme spring tide we go through that sinking mud and walk out left of the ‘Mulberry’ the sand is quite hard here trawling our the shrimp net catching all sorts of  bait hermits shrimps crabs and small fish which we use as bait dig a few lug up.. We then wade out at low tide with chest waders say 80-100yds  up to the mid ribs then whack it out for another similar distance  its  hard work but we get very decent flatfish of all descriptions…and the odd bass great in the summer my dad taught me…  but you need to be aware of how quick the tide comes in and get back through that mud !

Anyway back to Friday I used  three rods two rods at distance pulley with single hooks loaded right up with either Lug Squid or both  and a smaller rod had for years 3 hooks all squid 30 -40 yards at edge of the hard sand before it hits the mud. Non-stop work with the three rods. The first Whiting came as the tide just about covered the sand in what must have been 4 feet of water the whiting were so close in out behind the waves and following the tide in.  At the turn of the tide the expected  Dogs  came in numbers from small baby ones to good size keepers.. My 2 gallon bucket was 3/4 full of good sized whiting 15 -16 inches .  It was a fish most casts certainly the 3 hook with squid was very effective at 40 yds getting a full house like Mackerel most casts. Of note which gives an understanding how many fish must have been out there after the blow  was when I reeled in the single hook rod and two fish came in a 6 inch whiting  hooked and a large channel whiting that had grabbed it and had sunk his teeth into it before letting go in the surf which I grabbed! But no Cod !

Kind regards Paul"

They are getting bigger...( 6 January)

I had this report in tonight from Paulius Radiunas...

"Evening mate
Big thank you for the worms and the needle
Me and my better half fished Dungeness behind power plant today.
Arrived at 1pm, 1 hr before high tide and fished untill 5pm.
Used bait rag, lug, squid, mackerel. Sandwiches and not.
Results dozen whitings 30 cm+ and one 35 cm. End of report."

Look at the photo...since those groins reappeared since the sixties they have exposed even further showing a real drop in beach levels...be careful on spring tides.

Last Saturday...( 6 January)

I had this report in from Ian fishing last week (3.12.17)...

"Tony
My brother and I decided to fish the back of the boats from just before high tide in the morning all the way down to low tide. The water was nicely coloured with a few rollers making there way up the beach. The fish of the day were of course Whiting, but not the small pin Whiting. Try as we might we couldn't connect with any Dabs (and we won't mention "Cod"). All baits caught including Herring and Clams found on the beach and overall we had a good day, the rain stayed away and we managed a good bags of Whiting and three Doggies (two of which were on whole squid pulley rig meant for something else!).
Regards Ian Milligan"

At last...a report...( 6 January)

Well here is our first report of the year...from Duncan Pulley who was out on the big tide yesterday...

Hi Tony,
Thanks for the Bait this morning, Decided to fish Dungeness with my son today, arrived 2 hours before high tide and fished through till about 3 hours after.
There was only about a dozen other anglers that I could see and we fished just up from the boats, turned into a whiting fest all day which pleased my son as last time we fished we blanked! Couple of dog fish thrown in to break it up but no codling yet.
Weed and rubbish a nuisance on the flood but after high it wasn’t too bad.
Regards Duncan.

The first DAA 'Vets'match 2018 ( 3 Jan)

Hello all you 'Vets'...yes here is the full match list for 2018...so hopefully seeing you at the first one next Wednesday...

The first DAA match of the year ( 2 Jan)

I saw this report from Alex Veel of the DAA...

"Reminder time....

The first match of 2018 is this coming Sunday (7th). Sign in is at the gate from 9:30 - 10am Fishing is 11am - 3pm.
The club will be fishing to the SAMF length to points table & our size limits as shown in the attached pics.
Both the conversion chart & size limits will be available at sign in.
Hope to see a few of you there....& happy new year!"

Not long to go...welcome 2018 ( 31 Dec)
Happy New Year to you all lets hope the year gets of to a fast start with a few cod.

Plenty of fish to end the year... ( 31 Dec)
I had this report in from Dave Kingsman...well done Dave for going...I hope you 'bag up' in 2018!...

"Hi Tony,

Certainly was Dungy at it fiercest  yesterday.

Thanks for the bait. I knows its been tough with the short tides.

We arrived just before low tide hoping for a calm spell.

Richard had a couple of Dabs on the ebb.

Plenty of fish out there. We had loads of Whiting and some Rockling.

Low was quite nice to fish but once the tide started coming in that was our lot. Plastic bags and other rubbish kept dragging us in.

Did not see any other anglers this trip.

Thats my lot until 2018.

Keep the faith and have a great NYE. Regards Dave.

What a great day, plenty of sun... ( 28 Dec)
After a gorgeous day at Dungeness (and it was busy with the sun out) here is a report from Neil Rodwell...the whiting king...
"Hi Tony. Cheers for the bait today. It was more of the same fishing the point from tide down through to low water. Had a zillion whiting from start to finish with pretty much all of them keepable size. I was casting as far in as 5 yards and was pulling triple shots in. The sea bed must look like the northern line at rush hour with the amount of whiting about at the minute! Also managed the obligatory single dab. It's a shame whiting don't grow to the same size as cod! At least using a three hook rig makes them feel like one big fish when pulling them in! Lol. Will be in again soon. Regards. Neil"

Not much better on Boxing day... ( 27 Dec)

I had this report in last night from Robert Gibson...

Hi Tony, thanks for the bait, fished denge today for only about hour and half, 5 whiting not much bigger that 11”, wind was getting stronger and some big waves so called it a day.

A Breezy Christmas day... ( 26 December)

I had this report in from Ian Milligan today...

"Tony
My son and I fished the back of the boats on 25th Dec between 8 and 3, the SW winds churned up the water and certainly made for some difficult fishing, sometimes the leads would hold and sometimes not. We caught plenty of Whiting which were bigger then the normal Pin Whiting. The target fish was Dabs but only caught one. My son also had one Dogfish and I had my biggest Pouting, which was returned alive. All baits caught at distance and close in."

Operation Whiting... ( 25 December)

I had this great report in Christmas eve from Ryan Taylor...

"Hi Tony

Fridays trip to Dungy was only my second time out since June owing to moving house but with a pre-christmas/late house warming shindig for 25 hungry people planned, a small dent in the Channel Whiting stocks seemed a great way to feed the guests..

8am saw two sets of clipped down rigs sent out to different distances and as totally expected battle commenced straight away with our obliging friends. 

My aim was to try and avoid the pests and target better ones which made it alot more interesting, i found the bigger ones far more fussy than i'd probably ever give them credit for, they only wanted neatly presented baits on small hooks and longer links, straight lug was third choice, neat squid/lug wraps 2nd but far and away their favourite on the day was bluey/fresh lug tidy wraps on 1/0's.

Different states of the tide saw action increase/decrease and when it brightened up around lunchtime, almost instantly the fish scarpered into the deeper water and i had to go long to stay in touch with them. They kept me on my toes for sure!

3 palm sized Dabs on frozen lug and bling traces broke things up a touch, big baits on big hooks produced practically zilch and on packing up time i'd kept eleven decent ones so that was the party food sorted!

A real great trip all in all and hopefully i'll be back before too long.

Season's greetings Tony to you and all Seagullers and  as ever if it doesn't challenge you it won't change you. Bye for now. Ryan."

They still make a nice fish cake ( 24 Dec)

I had this report in from Robert Gibson last night...

Hi Tony, many thanks for the lovely bait today we fished in between the boats and board walk managed to bag about 12 whiting not much of any size.

A nice day at Dungy for David ( 24 Dec)
I had this great report from David Kingsman...

"Hi Tony,

Saturday 23rd December

Met up with a couple of mates for a spot of Dab fishing behind the Power Station today.

Really enjoyed it as Ive not been down for a while.

Fished 3 hours before HT. Had a few Whiting before Dabs started showing.

All good fun and we fished until 2 hours down.

End result.

My mate Richard had 10 x Dabs and Whiting

I had 3 x Dabs and 15 Whiting

Other mate Gary just had Whiting.

No complaints. Seems like the Whiting are thinning out and Dabs moving in.

Probably could have caught more Dabs if we stayed longer but my mate had to leave. I had a Dab last cast so they were still there.

Have a great Christmas everyone. Hope to see you all in 2018."

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas... ( 23 December)
I have had a couple of emails about my opening times over Christmas...I'm open all week just closed Christmas day, so if you need any bait just call 01797 366837.

Shane enjoys the 'Parade' ( 18 December)
I had this report in yesterday from Shane Edwards...
"Hi tony sorry for late report I had a lil go down on the parade on Saturday had a really good day plenty of fish there as well."

DAA end of year...well done Phil ( 18 Dec)

I had this report in from Alex Veel of the DAA...well done Phil Tanner on winning the DAA league...

"Last nights results & updated league table attached....
Whiting, Dabs & Rockling caught.
Well done to Gavin Smith on the win.

The league table has now been adjusted to reflect everyones best 19 out of a possible 24 matches. Only x3 members had fished more than 19 matches so points adjustment was minimal....no one actually changed position on the table!"

Alternative Fish & Chips ( 18 Dec)

As part of my campaign to reduce the numbers of whiting by eating them...here's a nice recipe...from Simon Rimmer on the BBC food page.

Ingredients...

For the chips

• 225g/8oz floury potatoes, for example, Maris Piper
• vegetable oil, for deep frying
• salt

For the fish

• 2 free-range eggs, separated
• 200g/7oz plain flour, plus extra for dredging
• 1 tbsp desiccated coconut
• 200ml/7fl oz ice cold water (more or less if required)
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 4 x 150g/5oz whiting fillets
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lemon, juice only

For the tartare sauce

• 150g/5oz mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
• 1 tbsp small gherkins, rinsed and drained
• 1 tbsp horseradish sauce from a jar
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

 How-to-videos

Method

1. For the chips, peel the spuds, then slice on a mandoline at its thinnest setting, or hand cut very finely.
2. Place the potato slices into cold water and leave for 30 minutes (this will break down the starch and help them to crisp up during cooking).
3. Heat the oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed frying pan until a breadcrumb sizzles and turns brown when dropped into it. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
4. Pat the potato slices dry with kitchen paper and add to the hot oil in batches to deep-fry for 2-3 minutes, or until crisp and golden.
5. Carefully remove the cooked chips from the oil with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with a little salt.
6. For the fish, make a batter by whisking the egg whites in a bowl until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed.
7. Beat the egg yolks and the flour together to combine, then add the water, coconut and chopped herbs.
8. Add the beaten egg whites and gently fold into the batter.
9. Season the whiting fillets with salt and freshly ground black pepper and add a squeeze of lemon juice to each.
10. Dredge the whiting in flour, shaking off any excess, then dip the floured fillets into in batter to coat completely.
11. Carefully place the battered whiting fillets into the hot oil and deep-fry for eight minutes, or until crisp, golden and cooked through.
12. For the tartare sauce, mix the mayonnaise, capers, gherkins, horseradish sauce and parsley together in a clean bowl, then season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
13. To serve, place a piece of battered fish onto each of four plates. Place a large spoonful of chips alongside and a dollop of tartare sauce beside.

Loads of tasty (big) whiting ( 18 Dec)

I had this report in from Mike Shine...nice and positive...

"Dear Tony

Thanks for the bait on Friday. A very busy day session with good size whiting from the first cast right thought to the last some quite plump and for anyone who enjoys eating whiting they could have taken enough home to enjoy. None of the 'pin size' stuff, these were all good enough to to give a positive rattle. The high tide had left some really big spider crab beached and there was some crab activity evidenced on the bat and whiting not brought in early but not enough to be a problem.

Dungi was quiet with only 10 anglers in sight so many missed a really enjoyable days sport. Best regards Mike."

Those starving whiting... ( 17 December)

I had this report in this afternoon from Mafia Muziq...

"Fished hythe on Friday evening from 7pm-midnight o boy whiting were everywhere some lovely size took a few home for the in-laws but just before packing up had 3 dabs on squid and frozen black the strange thing is I tried prawns sprats and Gulp squids all eaten by whiting there are really not fussy are they.

Freezing cold weather no bass or codling showed 😑"

Loads of 'piranhas' ( 17 December)

I had this report in from Neil Rodwell...

"Hi Tony, I've had trouble getting anything over to you so I've sent a report minus the photos to see if that works. It was a total whiting fest on Saturday behind the station. Had them from the 1st to the last cast. Triple shots were common and most were a good size. Even my live bait rig had both hooks swallowed by the greedy little things! I managed to winkle out a solitary dab which had somehow bullied it's way to the front of the queue. But other than that is was whiting all day coming from long range, medium range and behind the breakers. They were everywhere! Will be in again soon. Regards. Neil" Its no good we are going to have to eat them into extinction every whiting over 30cm goes home!!!

Well that was 2017 ( 15 December)

Here are the results from the final round in the 'Vets' series last Wednesday...

Well done John Smith on winning the series and the coveted DAA Vets 'hoody' and well done John Barnes for coming second...

The last one of the year ( 15 December)

I had this in from Alex Veel of the DAA...

"Reminder time.... 
Our final match of the year is this Sunday (17th). 
It's a Rover with fishing 4pm - 8pm. Sign in at the gate 2:30pm - 3pm."

Adam has a enjoyable day ( 12 December)

I had this report in from Adam Goldie have a very nice day down at 'Rock a Nore' Hastings...

"Hi Tony. We all upset not many cod turned up this year. So i thought a little about how to avoid the whiting. I fished during the day with old lug on size 4's bit of bling. Fishing was slow at first but soon picked up during the flood. Total was 12 dabs 6 whiting and just for sheer sticking it out a 37cm bass for good measure!!!. What a lovely day and enjoyable session. All the best Adam"

DAA Juniors 2018 ( 12 December)

I had this in from Terry Carpenter of the DAA Juniors...the dates for next year...

FISHING  DATES  2018

Feb -- sun 18th @ 9.45
Mar -- sun 18th @ 9.15
Apr -- sun  29th @ 9.15
May -- sat  19th @11.45
June -- sat 16th @ 10.45
July --  sun 15th @ 10.45
Aug --  sat  11th @ 8.45
Sep --  sun  23rd @ 8.45
Oct --  sun  27th @ 10.15
Nov -- sat   10th @  9.45
Dec -- sun   9th  @  9.15

If you know a Junior who could go...spread the word...its free!

Whiting...and more whiting...( 11 Dec)

I had this report in today from Becky Lee Hodges...who has been 'dabbing'at Dungeness...note how the beaches are packed...

"Hi Tony

I arrived at Dungeness at 07:45am and was fishing by 08:15am. As predicted the Ebb tide was racing through due to the Northerly wind. The tactics were to use a variety of baits and rigs to try and get through the hordes of Whiting that have been a plague on our coast in recent years. I fished the tide down to Low Water and then all the way up to High Water but could not get through the thousands of Whiting that were out there. Every time I brought my gear in it was a triple or double shot of Whiting of all sizes. The average size was about 25cm with the biggest going 36cm.

The plan was to see if the Dabs had turned up at Dungeness but they stood no chance with the whiting being straight onto the bait. It wasn’t until I was packing away that I brought in a Dab of 23cm. Within 5 minutes of the baits hitting the water the fish were on. It didn’t matter which bait you used the Whiting were straight onto it. To be honest whilst I didn’t blank and I was catching every cast it is a depressing feeling to know that there is not much else out there, and what is out there doesn’t stand a chance getting to the baits before the Whiting. 

hopefully more Dabs next time. Regards Becky"

One day Colin, one day... ( 11 Dec)

I had this in from Colin Hemsworth yesterday...

"Hi Tony,

Fished near the diamond yesterday, arrived for 11 and gave it a good go, it didn’t feel like there was any bass around so went all out for a cod. Big baits, Bluey/squid/lug wraps on 6/0 pennel rigs bound tight with elastic which I’m sure any self respecting cod would have gulped down, unfortunately the whiting didn’t give em a chance and the hooks were coming back completely stripped of any bait and a tangled mess with the elastic. All in all probably about 30+ whiting, with a few nice ones. Was a bit chilly yesterday, much appreciate the complimentary hand warmers which came in very useful! Thanks for the bait and see you soon. Colin"

DAA, battered but not bowed... ( 11 Dec)

I had this in last night from Alex Veel....
"X8 hardy souls came out to fish today's Rover.
Conditions were pretty full on with gusting 60mph westerly winds. These subsided after an hour into the match however.
Half of those elected to fish at Littlestone, the other half round by the boats. 
Littlestone was hard work with just 3 sizeable fish between the 4 anglers. The boats fished better but again just Whiting & 1 solitary dab.
Well done to David Wood-Brignall on the win.
Full results & updated league table to follow in the next few days."
....and here are the results and standings....

What a great match... ( 10 December)
I had this report from Paul Jarrett of the Southern Circuit Sea Angling Society...

"Result from our Xmas match at Hythe Princes Parade - 09/12/17 

15 members fished, Whiting, Dogfish, Dabs, Pouting, and Flounder weighed in 

Well done to Ashley Brown for winning the match, and everyone for braving the freezing conditions, good match to end the year 

1. Ashley Brown - 43 fish, 14lb 2.5ozs 
2. Robert Bates - 34 fish, 13lb 4.5ozs 
3. Neil Creed - 36 fish, 12lb 8.5ozs 
4. Martin Edwards - 27 fish, 11lb 2ozs 
5. David Simon Bullock - 30 fish, 10lb 11.5ozs 
6. Michael Ferrier - 29 fish, 10lb 7.5ozs 
7. Tony Taylor - 28 fish, 10lb 7ozs 
8. David Wood-Brignall - 23 fish, 9lb 6.5ozs 
9. Keith Neame - 23 fish, 8lb 5.5ozs 
10. Sam Collier - 24 fish, 8lb 4.5ozs 
11. Paul Jarrett - 22 fish, 8lb 2ozs 
12. Dave Sales - 18 fish, 6lb 10ozs 
13. Philip Underdown - 16 fish, 6lb 
14. Les Bates - 16 fish, 5lb 10ozs 
15. Keith Johnson - 17 fish, 5lb 5ozs 

Heaviest fish - 1lb 9oz Dogfish, Martin Edwards 
Heaviest flat fish - 12.5oz Flounder, Philip Underdown"

The DAA Vets last match of 2017... ( 9 Dec)
Yes it's our last match of the year on Wednesday...fishing from 6.15 to 9.15 (high tide 7.49) John Smith can't be caught...but I will be fishing for something bigger than whiting...its worth a go...break out the 4/0 wide gapes!

Alex is dreaming of cod... ( 7 December)
I saw this from Alex Veel of the DAA...
"Reminder time....
Our next match is this Sunday (10th). It's a Rover from 3pm - 7pm. Sign in at the gate for the point from 1:30pm - 2pm.
Guaranteed Cod for everyone....probably.
Hope to see you all there" 🎣 

The DAA Vets last week... ( 5 December)
Here are the results and series positions after round 11 last Wednesday...with one round to go John Smith is on a winner...

Santa came early... ( 5 December)
I had this report from Terry Carpenter of the DAA Juniors...

"Juniors had there last meet of the year today sat 2nd December on a cold fresh morning . 
The fish caught were whiting and dabs . 
Afterwards they went to the Pilot pub for a meal which was sponsored by the Pilot pub for which we are very grateful. 
The Junior Champion of the year is George Hanson , with the biggest bass prize going to Harry Clements and the biggest cod prize going to Aiden Lindsey all juniors had Xmas gifts for thank john smith of the DAA club for his generous donation to the juniors. 
All had a good time hope to see you all next year . 
Have a very happy Christmas and don't eat all the chocs at once"

Whiting in all sizes... ( 3 December)

I had this report in this evening from Matt Hukins...

"Hi Tony me and my brother fished Dengemarsh last night up to high tide. Nothing but Whiting all night, some keepers, but nice to get on the beach. Here's hoping for a blow to bring in something better?"

Colin gave it a go... ( 3 December)

I had this report in this morning from Colin Hemsworth...

"Hi Tony,

Fished Dengemarsh yesterday, there was very little wind all day so casting not a problem and a nice day to be out on the beach. Only whiting and dabs were caught, I was fishing fresh lug and Bluey/squid wraps. Tried out a few live bait rigs as well but no luck. Thanks for the bait, see you soon. Colin"

Hot off the press from Andrew ( 3 Dec)

I had this report in from Andrew Elsey this morning...

"Hi Tony fished Sandgate last nite lot whiting a couple dabs and dog fish.nothing else"

Very early or very late? ( 3 Dec)

I had this report in from Tony Holland this morning...

"A good days fishing today 2/12/17 at Hastings for Tony Holland and Brian Huggins. With 4 plaice from three quarters of a pound to one and a half pound along with a few dabs, small bass and the usual whiting,a little change from the Dunge, once again superb bait supplied cheers Tony"

Neil's dabs points the way... ( 26 Nov)

I had this report in this evening from Neil Rodwell...

"Hi Tony, decided to fish between the point and the station today. Very busy down there but managed to find a space. Had a constant supply of whiting all day to keep me amused, also had my first dabs of the season which broke the whiting fest up nicely. The frozen lug you supplied worked well and I didn't use anything else all day so happy all round. All the whiting were caught close in just behind the breakers and the dabs were at range. Shame it was so cold cos there wasn't a cloud in the sky all day! Will be back in soon. Regards. Neil" 

DAA Vets match reminder... ( 26 Nov)

Just a reminder for all the DAA Vets, we have round 11 in our match series this Wednesday.
at Littlestone Wall, fishing 6 till 9pm...weather forecast, a barmy 7 degrees with a offshore North Westerly wind, no rain or snow...I can't wait!...loads of cod!!!

Plenty of bass... ( 26 November)
I had this report in today from Colin Hemsworth...
"Hi Tony, Had a good session at Dengemarsh yesterday, arrived a few hours before high and in not too much time was into the bass. Overall had 8 all caught on fresh lug. Also had a dogfish and as night fell lots of whiting which were on the bait within seconds no matter very close in or at range. Will be back for another go soon. Thanks for the great bait, see you soon. Colin."

If in doubt...try again... ( 25 November)
I had this report in from Brian Rees...
"Hi Tony,
I fished Denge in the tail end of that blow on Thursday evening, big surf running, perfect really - but couldn’t get past the whiting.  Same for a lad from Tonbridge who kindly gave me his leftover bait.  So I had another go in daylight on Friday, fishing really close to avoid the whiting, and it gave this bass  a chance to find the bait.  It hit so hard it took the rod out of the stand, so for a moment I thought it might be the big one.  Never mind, one day.  It was just short of 50cms and took a piece of clam.  v best, Brian.

Thanks Kevin for the report ( 24 Nov)
I had this in tonight from Kevin Collins...
"Hi Tony, thanks for the bait at short notice today, we fished behind the power station this morning up to high tide, plenty of whiting and a small bass to finish."
Plenty of fish for SCSAS ( 21 November)
I had the results in from Paul Jarrett of the Southern Circuit Sea Angling Society  

		Paul Jarrett 19 November at 12:41
"Result from match 13 at Sandwich Bay - 18/11/17 10 members fished, Whiting, Dogfish and Dabs weighed in Well done to Philip Underdown for winning the match 1. Philip Underdown - 47 fish, 23lb 2.5ozs 2. Ashley Brown - 40 fish, 18lb 10ozs 3. Robert Bates - 35 fish, 16lb 5ozs 4. Dave Sales - 33 fish, 15lb 5ozs 5. Alan Jarrett - 35 fish, 15lb 2ozs 6. Paul Jarrett - 32 fish, 13lb 3ozs 7. Keith Johnson - 30 fish, 11lb 10ozs 8. Martin Edwards - 26 fish, 11lb 4.5ozs 9. Keith Neame - 21 fish, 9lb 11.5ozs 10. Les Bates- 18 fish, 9lb 11.5ozs Heaviest fish - 1lb 10.5oz Dogfish, Philip Underdown "

DAA results from Alex ( 21 November)
Here are the results and placings from last Sundays match from Alex Veel...it can only get better...well done 'big Joe'...

Loads of bass on Sunday ( 21 November)
I had this report in from Darry...
"Hi Tony
Lovely days fishing at Dengemarsh on Sunday, 9 bass in total biggest weighing 4lb also had a few dabs!!
Thanks, Darry Nicholas"

Can't beat a PB ( 21 November)
Nice report from Alan Martin...better late than never...
"Afternoon Tony,

Apologies, I owe you a report. Sorry its a bit late!

Posted on WSF 4th November after fishing on the 3rd at Denge and Pirate Springs, photo attached.

Evening all,
Just got back from a long afternoon and evening on the beach.
I had booked this afternoon off work, as the tides looked great. So come 2pm I found myself setting up on Dengemarsh for part 1 of the day's activities. 
I was armed with plenty of bait, and after a quick set up both rods were sent seawards, well in search of anything to be honest! 
A couple of hours passed down to low water with not even a sniff of a rattle on the rod tips! Dusk set in and I made sure I has some prime bass baits sent out. Dusk was quickly replaced by darkness and then came the whiting. After reeling in a few I checked my clock and it was time to pack up and head to my next venue for part 2 of the evening.
Now my second venue has appeared on here a few times, But due to the relatively scarce information on it I'm guessing it's one the locals may wish to keep to themselves. Anyway, it was my first time at the venue and I arrived in plenty of time to scout out the features before the tide really came in.
My target for the evening was skate and bass. With one rod fished at distance and one close in. It didn't take long before it was a whiting each cast, and my heart sank as I thought this is all it's going to be for the evening. But fortunately my distance rod started to pull and jolt about, with a tell tale hallmark of a ray bite.
After a moderately hard fight my target species was on the beach, yippee it was not a whiting! And even more happy to see it was fairly large. A quick weigh and it came in just under 11lbs, which beats my previous pb of 10lbs on the nose! So yes joy, target species and a pb!
I pressed on for another hour and half over high water but just the same old ting gracing the hooks, including a first for me being 3 greedy whiting impaled on one bait! Ridiculous.
Anyway I thoroughly enjoyed the new venue, always great trying somewhere different. Even nicer to have the whole place to myself. I then made the drive back north and got to work on the wings in preparation for a few nice meals. 
Until next time Alan"

Make a note in the diary ( 21 November)
I had this announcement in from Simon Newman...

Enjoy your fishing ( 19 November)
I had this report in from Wayne, who fished Hythe last night...
"Hi Tony,

Have been fishing at Herne Bay in recent weeks. The stamp of Whiting have been very good indeed (30cm+) and very fat too...the odd small Codling too. 

So when my mate insisted on Hythe Saturday night, i wasnt overly excited.

Anyway, bait dug fresh Saturday morning and we started to fish at Hythe about 8pm. It was very slow going up to HW (about 11pm), with a bit of drizzle. Come HW, i started to get more bites...Whiting. Over the next 3hrs i managed to weedle out 5 decent Whiting (30cm), a couple of small Pouting and my first Dab of the season (25cm). The sky had cleared and it became very 'dewy' and temperature had dropped significantly. We packed up at 2am.

Rigs; A short pulley (2/0) with ½ a small cuttle as bait cast quite a way out.on one rod.

        A 1up 1 down (size 1) with single fresh lug tipped with fresh Mackerel, flicked into 'the gutter'. Most fish came the short range rod.

It was an enjoyable session....and i never scoff at decent Whiting (lovely eating imo)

My tip to others who are expecting Cod/Codling, is to lower yor expectations.....test your skills on getting the bigger Whiting....they can be targeted!

Most of all enjoy the fishing. Take care Tony. Best regards Wayne"

Tough going in daylight ( 19 November)
I had this report in from Colin Hemsworth...

Hi Tony,

I fished near the diamond yesterday, the sea looked promising as I walked up to the spot, a big choppy and with the wind casting shouldn’t be too bad. I tried all distances and baits but almost no bites all day, every bait was coming back untouched. I could see birds diving further out then I could cast with the wind but couldn’t reach them. I had one small flatfish as the light faded- a flounder I think? Then as night fell it picked up a bit with one bass and loads of whiting. I was fishing fresh lug on a two hook flapper rig for the bass and the other rod a pulley pennel rig 7/0 hook, lug/Bluey/squid wrap or whole squid to tempt a cod. Thanks for the bait see you soon, Colin.

Fish every cast...whiting ( 17 November)
I had this report in the other day on messenger from Tony Greggsboy...almost missed it...
"We got some ragworm, and a few blacks.
Fished up near the lighthouse on Tues Eve, 5pm to 10.
Whiting virtually every cast, shame they were slightly under size.
But a pleasant evening in fine conditions. Get them next time"

Turbo charged Dymchurch ( 16 November)

I had this report in from Simon Newman this evening...

"Visiting Dungeness, Castaways guests Carl and Beaver from Norfolk had a rare catch from Dymchurch yesterday chasing rays. A turbot, only around 12 oz but a first for Carl. They also had whiting and whiting and dogfish."

Reminder from Alex ( 16 November)

I had this report in from Alex Veel of the DAA...

"Reminder time.... 
Our next match is this Sunday (19th). It's a pegged match behind the powerstation. Sign in at the gate for the point from 8:30-9am. 
We'll then drive in convoy round to the car park. Fishing 10am - 2pm."

Well what a nice surprise ( 16 November)

This report has been removed due to a request from the person posting it.

More than just whiting...( 12 November)
I had this report in this morning from Colin Hemsworth

"Hi Tony,

I fished Dengemarsh yesterday, arrived just on first HT around 10.30 and was straight away into whiting and that lasted for the whole session until I packed up around 11. Must have had about 80, also one bass, a pouting and a few dogfish. Conditions were good with the wind on the back and a bit of colour to the water closer to shore but further out very clear. 

I was fishing fresh lug on one rod and a whole squid on the other. Thanks for the lug and see you soon. Colin"

Wall to wall whiting...( 12 November)
I had this report in from David Kingsman...

"Hi Tony,

Thanks for the excellent bait yesterday.

Took my mate Zack to Galloways as there is no shooting this weekend.

Everything looked good and the rain stayed away.

No weed and while the sea was quite rough we have no trouble holding bottom.

No monsters to report Im afraid. The Whiting got us. 30 each I reckon.

Still, you never know. Have another try next week.

Regards Dave."

All to yourself...enjoy... ( 9 November)
I had this report in today from Mohammad...
"Hello Tony, sorry for the late catch report but could be useful for other enthusiasts. Went fishing towards low tide (spring tide) behind the boats at Dungeness this Monday 7th November and was surprised to see lots of whiting, albeit fairly small in size. Wasn't really expecting or prepared for much more. Full moon, clear sky, calm winds and only me and my brother on the beach. Beautiful evening. Sometimes it's not always about the fish. Thanks. Mohammad Adair."

Tower...gone to the dogs ( 9 November)
I had this report in from David Harrington...
"Hi Tony I fished Tower 23 last night after a late season Ray.
I got there around an hour before Low and fished until 2 hours after. I set up 2 rods, with 3/0 up & over rigs, both loaded with Launce & Bluey cocktails, and from the off I was into the Dogfish.
I was getting a Dogfish a cast with the odd Whiting as well. Sometimes the Dogs were on the bait so fast the Rays were not getting a chance to find the bait.
I tried at range, in close, just Launce or Bluey, but to no avail I just couldn’t get past the Dogs."

DAA Sunday's match... ( 8 November)
I had these results in from Alex Veel of the match on Sunday...

Some decent bass ( 5 November)
I had this report in from Darren Baldock yesterday...
"HI TONY WELL NOT BAD FOR 4 HOURS FISHING,ME AND MY COUSIN FISHED AT GALLOWAYS YESTERDAY MORNING, AND WHAT A CLASSIC RESULT 4 BASS,BIGGEST JUST OVER 7LBS. ALL FISH CAME ON FRESH BLACKS AND PEELER CRAB COCKTAILS."

A nice mixed bag for Colin ( 5 November)
I had this report in from Colin Hemsworth out yesterday...

"Hi Tony,

I thought I’d head for the diamond yesterday with the wind direction shifting in the afternoon. Arrived for first HT and set up, holding bottom not a problem and there nice bit of movement in the water. First cast I had a big whiting and I hoped I wasn’t in for a white out all day, but things quickly got better next cast a bass and had three more through the day all on fresh lug. Also had a dab and a few dogfish later on and all the whiting were of a good size. Packed up around 11.30 after 2nd HT. Thanks for the lug see you soon. Colin"

Still better than carp fishing ( 5 November)
I had this report sent in from Neil Rodwell this morning...

"Hi Tony. I was going to follow your advice and head for Denge today, however couldn't resist stopping at the station and having a look. Decided to set up just over from the concrete road and fished the big swell waiting for the wind to move round. Got a good soaking around mid day to the point where the pockets on my suit filled with water but stuck it out. Was surprised at how easy was to hold bottom considering the tide size. Starting catching bass in the surf as the tide started to drop, a couple at the 2lb mark. As the wind swung round and the sun come out so did the whiting. Final tally. 5 bass 5 whiting all on black lug. Will be in again soon. Neil. 

P.S yes its better than carp fishing on its day! Regards."

Stay calm...and go fishing ( 3 November)

I had this report in this afternoon from Mafia Muziq...a great report...that's what its all about...get out there and enjoy yourself...
"Hi I am new to fishing and to this post I fished hythe last night from 9-11pm it was so calm you could touch the waves i had two lovely bass and upwards of 40 whiting spent most of the evening returning whiting. sea bass were good size but not for keeping so returned to fight another day thanks"  

Cracking bait...lovely size... ( 3 November)
I had this report in this morning from Simon Newman...
"Hi Tony. Not quite Dungeness but not far, I had a go for squid last night  at Sandgate. Caught 12 in 3 hours so not prolific but a beautiful calm night to be out."

You won't blank... ( 30 October)
I had this report in this morning from Steve Barry...

"Hi all 

Nice day out down dungeness all i had is whiting rod was non stop around 15 whiting all gone back could be worse and have no fish at all

but bass or cod would be nice

not take photo phone batt almost dead Steve"

The sea's to warm?... ( 29 October)

This just came in this afternoon from Paulius...

"Hi Tony, we fished behind the boats yesterday night roughly one hour after high tide until roughly 11-ish. Used squids, frozen lugs and bits of mackerels. Tons of whiting, some good size, but not even one dog.
Is it a good gues, that water is still just a bit too warm for bigger fish?
Paulius Radiunas"
Beautiful bass...great pic's ( 29 October)

I had this cracking report in this morning from Colin Hemsworth...

"Hi Tony,

I fished the back of the power station yesterday, the beach was deserted when I arrived and walked down to near the hut and set up. The conditions were good all day and the wind no problem. First cast resulted in a bass and had dogfish and whiting till I packed up around 11. Overall 4 bass the best 3lb, 4 dogfish and countless whiting. I fished one rod black lug on a two hook flapper rig and a whole squid presented on a pulley pennel rig 5+6/0 hooks. Thanks for letting me test that akira fishing line it definitely put some distance on my cast and cut through the waves better then my usual 15lb line. Thanks for the lug and will be back for another go soon. Colin"

More anglers = more reports ( 29 October)

Another report that came in last night...from Joe Collins...

"Hi Tony, fished the walkway towards the powerstation this afternoon,  28th

Wow what a swell, loads of colour and a packed beach!!

Fished Pennal pulls rig with whole squid hoping for a monster bass or passing codling......but..... Not sure if the whiting attacked the squid or the squid attacked the whiting....... The little white things were taking everything or trying....

So nothing major happened just whiting.

Hopefully as the beach was packed more reports will roll in.

Got to be in it to win in...

See you soon and thanks for that spare score... Joe

Oh.. Got a pic of a weird rainbow thing over the light house..."

Dungeness is unique...( 29 October)

This report came in last night from Mohammed Adair...

"Hello Tony,

Third ever week fishing behind the boats at Dungoness. Three weeks ago 37 mackerel and 15 decent sized whiting. Last weekend only 7 whiting and a dog fish and today 5 whiting and a dogfish. Still this is now my second favourite place to fish after Deal/sandwich bay. Take care"

Torn to pieces...'piranhas'... ( 28 October)

I had this report in this afternoon from Joe...

"hi tony i noticed that you don't have any reports from the weekend.

i fished on Saturday night behind the boats, tackeled up at 9pm for a 1am high tide.

nothing major happened apart from our little white friends.

they was destroying everything from lug to muscle wraps i even put whole sprats in a pennel rig and you can guess it… they still took a whole sprat.

did get one pouting and a large dog but it was a fun still night.

see you soon. joe collins"

Last weeks DAA match... ( 27 October)

Sorry for the delay (again) in putting up Alex Veels match results from last weekend...where does the time go...

"Todays results & updated league table attached...

X10 members fished this rover with the majority electing to fish the point round to the boats area.
Whiting, Pout & dogs caught.
Well done John Smith on the win. 
Please note, number of fish is unknown for 3rd to 10th incl...if you remember how many you had or know anyone else's, let me know & i'll update the table 👍

Next match Sunday 5th Nov."

I had this update for Alex Veel..."Tony, Just for updating the table I had seven fish that counted in last weeks match. Thanks Trevor Loveridge" 

Tough going for Dave... ( 26 October)

I had this report from David Kingsman...

Hi Tony,

Bit of a report for you.

Tuesday.

Planned to fish Behind the Boats but it looked a bit crowded.

Knew anywhere else would be tough with the wind but decided to fish the Wooden Walkway.

Surprised there were quite a lot of other anglers behind the power station.

Few had the shelters up and looked like they were there for the long haul.

The water was chocolatey brown  up to 50 yards then clear further out.

To be honest it was hard going.

Wind wasn’t really a problem but loads of weed.

Had a mega pull down and thought my number had come in. Turned out to be a white towel plus Whiting.

Bloke next door thought same as me and run up to investigate. 

Guy told me there wasn’t a lot being caught to the right of him.

In general a pretty tough day all in all.

Wednesday.

Well, for the Purists I guess I fished the Point proper.

Lighthouses lined up so away I went.

Got there early for low tide and sort of did it by the book.

Big Cuttlefish bait one rod and Big Worms & Squid the other. 

Wind was behind me so I felt bit like Paul Kerry.

Disaster struck early. 

There was old line or something about 30 yards out. Lost left hand tackle and got caught up reeling in the right.

Decided a move to the left was in order.

Walked 100 yards then set up again. Much better.

Gave it a good go. Kept changing the baits.

Only Whiting graced the rods I’m afraid. Lots of them.

Plenty of other anglers down there today so you never know.

We can only try. Regards Dave"

Thanks to Dave raising this issue...I thought I would put a note up to help those who haven't fish the 'ness' before...

We have had more anglers over the last two weeks...but remember that we have a very strong current (even on average tides) running right to left (looking seaward) this pushes shingle as well as food & water.

The storms we had last week would have created shingle ridges under water, you cast out, you could have your line resting on the ridge...shingle with the tide can run across your line, when you retrieve your line comes through the shingle but your lead won't and your snagged!! You break off and it adds another bit of lost tackle!

So what can you do...don't leave it more than ten minutes when the tide is running before you retrieve...get a feel for what's happening. Use 'lead lifts' to lift your tackle up into the water column, as soon as you start retrieving. Fixed spools are more effective than multipliers when it comes to the speed of retrieve at distance.

So when you fish  around Dungeness remember it's a harsh environment...and the deepest point of the south coast...but that's what makes it special.  

Then the bass arrived... ( 25 October)

I had this report in this morning from Paul Howells...

"Morning Tony. Fished the walkway yesterday from low water. Plenty of colour and wind but plagued by whiting..........right up until 2 hrs before high water. Then the bass arrived. 8 bass from 1lb upto 3lb with a token codling. Bass all on fresh lug no more than 30yds out and the codling at range on a squid/lug cocktail. 1 hr after high the whiting came back to feed. See you soon matey. Paul"

Plenty of fish of fish about... ( 24 October)

I had this email in from Johnny Boone this morning...

"Dungeness 23 oct fished near the boats yesterday 45 whiting 1 bass about a pound 

nothing massive, enjo"

You've got to be in it to win it ( 23 October)

This report came in last night from Arkam Belhouchet..."Hi Tony.i fished Dungeness today. Got 4 bass and my first coding of the year 😁 Regards,Arkam"

Bass in the breeze... ( 22 October)

I had this report in from Colin Hemsworth who was out braving the wind...showing it could be done and you can catch fish...

"Hi Tony,

I decided on the back of the boats yesterday as probably the only fishable spot with the winds. Casting was no problem as the wind was on the back and the sea was coloured with a good swell. First cast resulted in a bass and had 5 through the day all on lug, loads of good size whiting as well. Packed up around 11 and retreated to the car, quite pleased my cheap pop up tent took the battering. Thanks for the bait and see you soon. Colin"

Wave report from Elliot ( 22 October)

I had this report in from Elliot Watson...not quite so bad at Dungeness...you could still fish behind the boats...

"Hello Tony, hope you're well! It's not a catch report but a wave report. Here's some photos I took earlier this afternoon down on the SW coast at Porthleven, there were some cracking waves!. Hopefully I'll manage to make it up to Dungeness at some point over the Christmas period for a few sessions! All the best. Elliot."

Bit of a breeze today ( 21 October)

I had this photo of Dover sent in this afternoon from Dave Kingsman...looks like ideal bass conditions to me...tomorrow the wind backs westerly and moderates, with high tide lunchtime (1.19pm)...ideal behind the boats!

That was summer... ( 21 October)

I almost missed this report from Kevin Warden last Wednesday...what a difference a few days can make...

"I fished The Point 10am-4pm and caught 1 small whiting on frozen lug.
I also caught about 15 mackerel,3 of which were keepers and a tiny
bass on feathers."

Exciting weekend? ( 19 October)

I had this report in from Terry Carpenter on Wednesday...

"Fished Dungy last night 6-11pm with Luis Chuva both had whiting upto 36cm along with the usual doggies .Luis had a cracking sole of about 38cm  weren't a bad night just no bass"

Looking at the weather forecast...strong south westerly winds...looks ideal for behind the boats!

DAA 'Vets' results, round 10 ( 19 October)

Here are the results from last week after round 10...sorry for the delay in getting this report up...good news loads of fish being caught...with two rounds to go it's all to play for!

Better late than never ( 16 October)

I had these updates if from Alex Veel of the DAA last week...

"Sundays results & updated league table attached...
Well done Shane Edwards on the win & heaviest, nice to see a decent fish carded :)
Whiting, Pout & a solitary Thornback caught. Next match Sunday 22nd Oct."

Dawn Patrol on the DAA road ( 15 October)

I had this report in this evening from Hakan Can...

"Hi tony I went by the boats this morning 5am till 8am one bass and plenty Mackerel. Nothing else."

Lovely night at Hythe ( 15 October)

I had this report come in today from Wayne Beale...

"Hi Tony,

Two of us tackled up along Princes Parade (nr white shelter) yesterday at about 5pm. The water was gin clear...hardly a breeze and bright. I knew these conditions could make it tough going to start with....but hey, we were heading into darkness!! While it was still light i noticed a chap further up the beach catch a Mackerel....so set up with some feathers and gave it a go....an hour later i had 37 of them in the bucket....result. As the light faded i changed to baited pulley rigs with single worm on a 2/0, cast to a fairly reasonable distance...thinking maybe a Plaice, Sole or possibly even a Bass. The bites were quite slow to come...but come they did....at a comfortable pace really.

Whiting first off...followed by Dogfish. No flats or Bass, but i did expect it to be less busy with the clear water....even when dark. There were a few others fishing close by....headlights flashing all over the place and stomping about close to the water so distance casting seemed the way to go. About 9pm  fog/mist came down soaking everything....but hey, what a lovely night to be fishing....plenty of fish and some good eating fish to take home (and for future bait).

Packed up abot 11pm, but I will be out again next few days to try again. Bye for now, Take care. Regards Wayne"

And this is October weather ( 15 October)

I had this report in today from Colin Hemsworth...

"Hi Tony,

I fished the back of the boats yesterday, very calm conditions and the whiting were chasing the small fry right up to the surf and beaching themselves. Loads of Whiting all day and one dogfish in the evening, I was fishing straight lug, squid/lug cocktail and a live bait rig. Thanks for the bait, see you soon. Colin"

Cracking 'boards' weather ( 15 October)

 I had this report in this morning of yesterdays fishing from Tony Holland...

"Good days fishing today at the Dungeness boards,this pound plaice for Tony Holland along with lots of channel whiting and a few weavers and even a small mackerel on the super lug all the best cheers again."

Plenty of good bass about ( 12 October)

I had this report in from last weekend from Arkam Belhouchet...

"Hi Tony. I have been away from Dungeness this summer spinning for bass. After the blow on Saturday with good tides,decision have been made to fish Dungeness on Sunday. Fished behind the boat from low all the way to high.ended up with 8 bass and 4 for my friend. One gready bass tooked a live whiting (intended for a early cod).because the water was calm and quite clear,nearly all of them have been caught at a far distance.it is certainly good coming back to Dungeness. Regards,Arkam"

A sign of species change ( 12 October)

I had this very unusual catch report in from Robin Barnes from last weekend...

"Caught 3 Gilthead Bream off Hythe Beach last Friday 6th October, caught using lug.

Thought you may be interested?"

Big leads...do the trick... ( 9 October)

I had this in from Colin Hemsworth...who 'braved' the wind last Saturday...

Hi Tony,

I fished Denemarsh on Saturday. Really big tide which made holding bottom a bit tricky, was using the 175g weights which helped but had to recast every ten mins to stop the lead getting pushed back up to the shore and get buried in the shingle. Things got a bit easier as tide went down and could leave the bait out longer, one rod with a lug/squid cocktail and just lug on the other. I had one small bass in the daylight a few hours after ht and a few large whiting after the sun went down. Thanks for the bait and will back for another try soon. Colin

At least a nice sole... ( 9 October)

 had this report from Lucas Kirk...with these massive tides it's very easy to get buried by 'running' shingle, so be careful if you get buried 'crack off' that could make a nice 'snag' for someone else...

"Hi Tony,

Thanks for the excellent bait and advice. We fished behind the boats from just below low water to just after high tide (1:30 am). It was a lovely evening, very warm for October, with a full moon and plenty of fish. Sadly no codling, just whiting and a nice sole, maybe the sea temperature needs to drop? One thing, directly behind the boats there seemed to be some snags at low water, everyone there was losing tackle which is no doubt compounding the problem. After moving down the beach we had no problems. Thanks again and looking forward to next time. Cheers, Lucas"

DAA Juniors...a sunny day ( 9 October)

I had this from Terry Carpenter yesterday of the DAA...

"DAA Juniors had there Oct meet today . 
Ten juniors aged from 5yrs to 11yrs old fished by Jerry Oillers boat on a nice sunny morning James had a nice bass of 32cm and Harry had one of 34cm while Max had 2 whiting ...Next meet is 5 Nov @ 10.000"

Galloways...sunny afternoon ( 8 October)
I had this sunny report in from Dave Kingsman...have returned from 'pond dipping'...

"Hi Tony,

Ive not been to Dungy for a while so wanted to ease myself back into in gently.

Saw the big 8+ tide today so decided to fish Galloways.

Lovely sunny day to be on the beach.

Tried my usual of one rod big bait with 2nd rod roving about with worms.

Wasnt a great deal about until about an hour before HT.

Had a bit of a Whiting fest but at least they were of a reasonable size.

37cm was biggest but quite a few over 30cm.

Blown out the cobwebs so will be back soon.

Regards Dave.

Sunday...it's a match... ( 6 October)

It looks like Sunday is match day for the DAA...Alex Veel posted...
"Reminder time....
Our next match is this Sunday (8th) at Littlestone. It's a pegged match, sign in 9:30-10am at the venue. Fishing 11am - 3pm."
And this from Terry Carpenter...
"DAA Juniors next meet is on sun 8th oct at 11.00am at the Pilot pub dungeness
If you want to try sea fishing why not come along"

It's looking good for codling ( 5 October)
I had this report in today from Charlie Chawner...
"Hi Tony. Fished Hythe last night and had these 2. Charlie"

Loads of fish jumping ( 1 October)

I had this report in from Paulius Radiunas yesterday...

"Hi Mate Results are in from today, fished behind the boats. Arrived at the low tide and fished all the way past the high one. Nothing much at beginning, but then mackerel started to jump around, so nailed a good few dozens of them, some reasonable size also, and along on same feathers came a small bass, just couple of cm short of legal size. As the night fell, loads of whiting and a dog. I'd say, a good day's fishing that was...

By the way, all undersized fishes were told to grow larger and released back in to water."

Knee deep in mackerel ( 1 October)

I had this report in from Nina Hunt...great to see so many mackerel about...

"hi Tony started the day at dengemarsh nothing biting but crabs so moved behind the boats few whiting  then two bass then the mackerel started running so quick change to feathers  awesome catch  had 100 plus  whiting caught on feathers too  great days fishing" 

Three reports in one...( 30 September)

I had this report in from Tim Knight...a play in three acts...

"Hi Tony,
So for the lateness of these reports just been too busy!

Chesil Beach -August bank holiday weekend
Headed down to a busy Chesil in search of big soles. I have caught plenty this summer but was determined to crack the 2lb barrier.
I ended up with 2 soles around 31cm so alas no monsters but I did end up with 9 species in total. These included, dogfish, mackerel, scad, smoothound, sole, plaice, dab, pout and small eyed ray. I was pleased to get the small eyed as never caught one before, best went around 3lb.

Galloways - 24th September
Fished with the boys from about 2 hours after LW to 2 hours after HW. Target was bass and ended with 8-10 mainly small fish with the best two going around 38cm so no keeper.
Around HW I had a surprise 39cm codling which was nice to see, although was a bit thin. Other Fish caught were a few dogfish and a few whiting.

Chesil - this week gone
Headed back down Chesil chasing the illusive 2lb sole. This time accompanied by long time fishing friend Chris Babbage. 
The first night was quite exciting. Non existent on the sole front for me but Chris had one around a pound followed by a lovely conditioned fish of 1lb 13oz.
Shortly after my big bait rod gave a nice slack line bite and after a little tussle I landed my first ever male undulate ray at 10lb 11oz.
After this catch Chris opted for a big bait too and quickly had the longest bass I have ever seen! It was 85cm long and pulled the scales to 12lb 6oz. We later discovered that using online length/weight charts this fish should have been 14.5-16.5lb (depending on what chart you use), but due to its lean form and empty belly was well under. A fantastic fish none the less!
The following day Chris caught very little but my swim produced much better with two 46cm bass, two sole 27cm and 33cm, a thin plaice of 37cm and a welcome codling of around 47cm.
Moving into the last night hopes were high for more sole but it wasn’t to be, I just don’t think they were there. Following ours success on the big baits we both persevered with these on the second night too.
After a very fish less few hours the tip of my big bait rod slowly went over, stayed there and started slowly stripping line. I walked to the waters edge to play the fish which was obviously very heavy.
I had to walk the fish about 100 yards along the beach before I could get it in and was well pleased when the swell receded to reveal a lovely 28lb 10oz conger.
After a titanic wrestle with the fish it finally calmed down and I ran the 150 yards back to wake Chris to record the capture. Very happy indeed.
Cheers Tim"

Chesil August Bank Holiday

Galloways last Week...

Chesil This Week

A lovely bass...( 28 September)

I almost missed this on 'messenger' this came in last Sunday from Andrew...

"Hello Tony, I hope you are well. Been fishing next to the boats last night. Plenty of whiting were hitting the bait as long hit the water. Caught one baby smooth hound and the cracking PB this year 63cm beauty (6Lb 4oz). It was a great night! Take care! Andrew Caught the bass on whole squid"

What a cracking surf...( 27 September)

I had this picture sent in from Nigel Goldsmith...I wonder what the bass fishing is like?...

"Hi Tony
A long way from Dungy and Hythe but fancy fishing from this in a force 7 SW blow!!
Tight lines- Nigel in Sri Lanka"

Neil goes light at the 'hoe' ( 25 September)

I had this report in yesterday from Neil Rodwell...

"Hi Tony. My original plan was to fish dungy today but after looking at the weather forecast showing calm conditions I thought  I'd go with samphire hoe and break out the LRF gear and other bits of tackle that are ill suited to Dungeness. France looked like it was almost in casting distance it was that clear a day. Had a few small wrasse and one reasonable sized pout. The fish seemed to be further off the wall than usual. Didn't see any mackerel in the water but had fun with the ballans. Had a good day in all and didn't loose too much gear as a bonus! Speak soon. Neil."

DAA Juniors ( 22 September)

I had this email in from Terry Carpender...calling all young fishermen...give it a go...and it's free!
"DAA Juniors next meet is on sun 8th oct at 11.00am at the Pilot pub dungeness
If you want to try sea fishing why not come along"

DAA reminder ( 20 September)
I had in from Alex Veel of the DAA...

"Reminder time.... Our next match is this Sunday (24th). It's a Rover with sign in at the gate 8:30-9am. Fishing 10am - 2pm."

SCSAS at Galloways ( 20 September)
I had this report in from Paul Jarrett with the results of Southern Circuit Sea Angling Society latest match...well done all...good weights...

"Result from match 9 at Galloways - 16/09/17 
12 members and 1 guest fished, Whiting, Pouting, Bass, Dover sole and Eel weighed-in. Well done to Ashley Brown for winning the match 

1. Ashley Brown - 27 fish, 12lb 2.5ozs 
2. Michael Ferrier - 23 fish, 9lb 9.5ozs 
3. Neil Creed - 18 fish, 6lb 8ozs 
4. Paul Jarrett - 16 fish, 5lb 15ozs 
5. David Simon Bullock - 12 fish, 4lb 5.5ozs 
6. Sam Collier - 12 fish, 4lb 4.5ozs 
7. Justin McLaren - 8 fish, 3lb 15ozs 
8. Lionel Watson - 10 fish, 3lb 14ozs 
9. David Wood-Brignall - 10 fish, 3lb 10ozs 
10. Tony Taylor - 9 fish, 3lb 10ozs 
11. Keith Neame - 6 fish, 2lb 3ozs 
12. Philip Underdown - 3 fish, 1lb 2ozs 
13. Les Bates - 0 fish 

Heaviest fish - 2lb 2.5oz Bass, Ashley Brown"
  DAA 'Vets' result ( 19 September)
Here are (at last) the results from last Wednesday's match...getting very tight at the top...with three matches to go...

Lets play...guess the weight ( 16 September)
I had this report, just in from Brian...yes Brian Rees it is what you think it is...

"Hi Tony, is this what I think it is?  It is so long since I’ve caught one that I can’t remember what they look like!  I was after a bass up by the diamond on Thursday evening when this gave me a slack line bite, bang on high tide, right in the surf. Nice little surprise, bodes well for this winter hopefully.

Got any rod rests in stock?  Mine has fallen to bits, which is a bit of a shocker as I’ve only been using it for about 40 years. All best, Brian." 

The mackerel are back  ( 16 September)

I had this report 'messaged' to me on facebook today from Paulius Radiunas...

"Overall can't complain and neither can brag about it. Got between the boats just on the high tide. Loads of whiting at first, some decent enough size and as tide started to go down, caught 3 dogs, one of them rather small, so he was let to grow a bit bigger for the next time. Around midnight it went completely quiet, nothing was even touching bait, so we ended that at that. Better luck next time.
By the way, heard that people still caught mackerels at day."

Loads of bass  ( 16 September)

Another report linked on Facebook By Simon Newman fishing Wednesday...

"Fished Dungeness between the boats and the Lifeboat station this afternoon. 15 bass in 3.5 hours. Packed up 45 mins before high when the whiting turned up and invaded the pitch stopping play. 3 legal, best 47 cm, all on straight lug."

It was looking so good  ( 16 September)

I had this report in from Colin Hemsworth fishing last weekend...

"Hi Tony,

Sorry bit of a late report from last Saturday at Dengemarsh.  Fished from first HT around 1pm to midnight, it was looking very promising on arrival with a nice colour to the water and fairly churned up. The wind was a bit challenging at times, a few times I casted full power and watched the rig change direction in mid air and start coming back to the beach. From the get go I had whiting and that continued all day until I packed up. I tried from close in to as far as I could cast and found them everywhere. I'm sure there must have been some bass lurking somewhere but they didn't get a look in.  Tried the live bait rig and left it out for a while once I saw the rod rattling with a whiting-no takers unfortunately. I'm going to give the live bait rig a good go this cod season as 9 times out of 10 it hooks perfectly and can whack it out quite far.Thanks for the lug and see you soon. Colin" 

Moved by the wind  ( 14 September)

Here are last Sundays DAA match results from Alex Veel...relocated at Littlestone due to the wind.

Bass in the breeze...( 12 September)

I had this report sent in yesterday from John...Taylor Road...at least the wind is on your back...

"Hi tony john Hodgkinson fished Taylor road nice bass 47cm and a customary eel from the venue"

Look whats blown in...( 11 September)

I had this report in from Stuart this afternoon...

"Tony,
Decided to fish high tide today, expected some bass, however, I've just pulled in a nice little codling..happy fishing.
Regards Stuart Brown"

A great start to the season ( 10 September)

I saw this on facebook this morning posted by 

Peter Mcgrady added 3 photos in Solent Tackle Portsmouth. "Graham butler fishing the mighty Chesil catching 11 cod in total biggest 8lb on Solent Baits squid lug cocktails"

DAA Veterans ( 9 September)
Wednesday 13th the next round in the DAA Veterans match series, fishing from 3 to 6pm...high tide 16.38 (6.8m)...could be breezy, but should be on your back...we hope for plenty of fish for our first autumn match.

DAA match tomorrow... ( 9 September)
Match update...I missed this...been a bit busy...sorry Alex...
"Reminder time....
Our next match is this Sunday (10th). It's currently a pegged match at the power station.
Booking in 11-11:30am at the dungy gate before we drive round in convoy. Fishing 12:30-4:30pm.
This may be subject to change if the forecast stays the same though...the regulars can decide where but it's a decent h/tide at about 2:15pm so Littlestone could be a good alternative. Watch this space :)"



Well that was wet... ( 9 September)
I had this report in from Stephen this morning...

"Thanks for the bait today. Worked  a treat. I thought I was going to be in for a tough time today when I saw the life boat making very heavy weather through the seas. 

Went for the back of boats hoping to drop out of the wind, but the tide was so high there was not a chance.  Too windy to even get the beach shelter up. Stones on everything trying to keep it from blowing away. 

There were a couple of fellas to the left of me who were in the lee of a boat or two and had a beach shelter up – now why  didn’t I think of that. 

Set up one rod – didn’t even need to cast that hard with the wind assistance – seemed to be going a long way without much effort. 

Anyway on the recovery the line broke.  Replaced that set up, and got the second rod out.  It was too rough and windy for me to see the bites, but it was a case of  a fish or two each time I went to change bait. Nothing big maybe eight or 10 in total all whiting 

The weed slowed things up, and then the rain came.  I was going to say the rain came ‘down’ but it was closer to horizontal. After a couple of very heavy showers, and water running in to my already wet boots,  it was time to call  it a day. 

I would have posted photos – I may have some if the phone recovers from being in a water filled pocket. All the best – back soon SH"

I want to tell you a story... ( 8 September)
I was told many years ago by a local boat angler Steve Savage, that in his opinion the cod season starts the same time as last night of 'the Proms'...well tomorrow is the last night. Checking the weather forecast (wet & windy outside) tomorrow has the classic cod forecast a break between two fronts...at last some coloured water...will we see some codling tomorrow?...met office map 1pm. tomorrow.

A drive from Dungeness ( 6 September)
I had this report from Paul Child...a great report...and I hope your dream comes true...as we always say...'you've got to be in it to win it'... 

"Hi Tony not dungie but just had to pack my whippy telescopic rod in suitcase with a small reel 14lb braid when came here... Fished under the road bridge nr to Cape Canaveral on shore around the posts / stilts caught sea trout and black bream ..using prawns its a lagoon called banana river ..then a massive take 3 feet from the wall around a bridge pile cant believe i landed it used drag on reel tactically otherwise would have snapped rod in half. Its a black drum just under 25lb and a really strong fighter.. uk 1 usa 0 as the locals looked on..now if only i could swop that for a cod this size this autumns at dungy! Regards paul"

A 10lb cod...I'm jealous ( 3 September)
I had this report in from Colin Hemsworth...great contrast...
"Hi Tony, Fished Dengemarsh yesterday, really nice conditions with a calm sea and light winds. Put out some whole mackerel and squid baits in hope of big bass but quickly found out the crabs were on top form. After catching a mackerel on a lug bait I got the feathers out and had about 50, some good sizes as well. I thought I'd include some photos of a recent trip to Iceland- great fishing out there, had wild brown trout in some highland lakes and then in the North West managed to get out on a boat for a few hours in a Fjord. Within 10 minutes we were into good sized cod and pollack and red cod, girlfriend got the biggest at about 10lb. Thanks for the bait yesterday, all the best, Colin"

He will remember this day ( 3 September)

I had this in today from Lukasz Loza...

Fishing in Dungeness,43 mackerels in 3 hours with my son Oliver. 02.9.2017 We love this place

A dungy angler on tour ( 2 September)

I had this report in from David Kingsman...small point Dave, some people think good frozen lugworm is even better for sole?

"Hi Tony,

Sole fishing at Dungy on hold this week due to the difficult bait digging tides.

Ive been fishing local on the Medway for a change.

Saw a few Bass jumping close in so plonked a rod on top of them. 

Managed 7 in two days with this 4lb'er being best one.

Hope normal service resumes soon as would like the magical 2lb plus Sole we all dream of. See you soon. Regards Dave."

Knee deep in mackerel ( 30 August)

I had this report in from Phillip Judge...out this bank holiday enjoying the mackerel...

"Hi Tony, many thanks for the bait today but hardly touched it..... it was just a complete Mackerel fest today! Went to the point as normal. Started just after we arrived about 11:30 and carried through till dusk (20:30). Overall we had 130+ mackerel today. All ways were catching them. Even at last light the kids were casting just 10yds and catching 3 at a time.....they were like crazed animals jumping everywhere and beaching the white bait. Not a sign of anything else up or down the beach. Thanks again and hope to be back soon. Phil."

At least we got a nice tan ( 30 August)

I had this report in from Neil Rodwell...out on Sunday...tough conditions in the sun...

"Hi Tony, tried behind the station today for mackerel or anything else that was about. No fish but missed a few cracking bites close in on the baited macky feathers but nothing to show for it. The sea was as clear as I've ever seen it down there with visibility to the bottom a good 20 yards out. Topped up the tan if anything else. I think the mackerel were a little further out today. Will be in again soon. Neil."

Tough going at Hythe ( 28 August)

I had the results in yesterday from Alex Veel of the DAA from Saturdays DAA match...

"Hi Tony, Results from last nights match attached...Cheers Alex"

But what a lovely day ( 26 August)

I had this report in John Hodkinson this morning...

"Dengemarsh today tony 1 small bass and a string of mackerel very busy down there mainly fluff chuckers"

Well, flat calm, warm, clear seas...not your usual 'Bank Holiday' weekend...plenty of mackerel and bass!

Don't mention the 'C' word ( 25 August)

I had this report in this afternoon from Phil Lucenti, very heartening as autumn approaches, ...well I think it has come early...

"Hi Tony, I know it's not Dungeness but fished the night tide at Hastings last night, was a bit Calm for the bass but me and my mate caught some whiting, an eel, a small shool bass and 2 codling around  1-2 lb, all returned to fight another day,

Cheers. Phil"

Bank Holiday Monday ( 24 August)
I've had a couple of phone calls...are you open Bank Holiday Monday...yes I am, I now close Mon, Tues and Wed...but it being a bank holiday I will open...cracking weather forecast!

Looking good for the weekend ( 24 August)
I had this report in yesterday...no name...
"Hi tony fished behind the boats today strong tides and weed but plagued by pins had a pouting 3 dogs and a surprise shad when the feathers went on" 
So many dogfish behind the boats...they just keep coming...and this is my fifth report of a 'shad' this summer!

The next DAA match ( 24 August)
I saw this from Alex Veel of the DAA...weather forecast...warm, calm and dry...Ideal for sole...
"Reminder time....
Our next match is this Saturday (26th). It's a Hythe rover between Murco & Imperial groynes. Meet at Murco car park 5:30-6pm, fishing 7-11pm."

Sole fishing in Hythe ( 22 August)
I had this report in from David Kingsman...a real fisherman who enjoys the chase...

"Hi Tony,

It all looked good. Started off well.

Guy next door had two decent sized Soles early which fired everyone up. Gave the evening a feeling of expectation.

Fished it hard. 

Felt like a match. Cast, bait up rinse and repeat. It certainly wasn't relaxing with all the Whiting that arrived.

Tried all the ranges. Just couldn't get a bait in front of a Sole.

Dread to think of the final tally. 50 Whiting maybe?

Left pretty disappointed really. Guy next door only had the two in the end. No more. Really thought we were in for a haul.

Got a feeling this is going to be the way it is from now. The Whiting have certainly arrived en mass. Same as last year. The Sole are still there but its not going to be easy extracting them. Regards Dave"

Calling all Juniors ( 22 August)

I had this on facebook this morning from Terry Carpenter...

DAA Juniors  Next meet is on sat 9th Sept, meet at 11.30am at pilot car park. For info phone 07866514138

Last Wednesday 'Vets' match ( 22 August)
Sorry for the delay in getting this report up (software problems) it was a lovely evening...no fish (for me)...but a lovely evening...well done mick!

Right species...wrong size ( 20 August)
I had this report in this morning from David Kingsman...

"Hi Tony,

A tough day....

Bit of a marathon yesterday.

Met my mate down the Medway early morning. Sorting out a carp fishing trip but decided to have a few hours after the Bass.

Both had a few small ones but nothing to write home about.

While we are fishing. He starts talking about going to Dungy in the evening. 

Before I know it, we are heading down there after a breakfast stop at Kent's best burger van at Snodland the Blue Gem...

Picked up some excellent blacks  at Seagull Tackle 👍

While in Seagull, planned where to fish.

Long shire drift/ Wind was all discussed...

I decided to fish right of the boards for low tide then join my mate behind the lifeboat station for HT.

Bit windy as expected but I got sorted and had a bit within 30 seconds of casting out.

Schoolie Bass to start the ball rolling.

Had 3 more same size. Suddenly got a big tug.

Thought I'd got something decent. Turned out to be 1lbs 8oz eel plus Whiting double shot.

The wind died down as the tide came in.

I had my best Sole in this areas last year so pressed the reset button, took off the big baits, gave it my best shot and gave the lifeboat station a miss.

Alas, the Whiting moved in. Double shots of Pin.

That's it for this week. Regards Dave."

Still plenty of dogfish ( 20 August)
I had this report in from Paulius Radiunas...
"Hi Mate

We stayed just behind the boats on Friday night hopping for bass, arrived at around 6pm, and reeled in 3 dogs before high tide. During high tide there was a lot of weed and one dog and a couple of very small poutings. After it it became very calm, so not even a nibble,  we packed up around 1am. Different session overall, very strong winds, cheers for good tackle and lead (it holds very well).

Paul"

Beautiful day for bass ( 17 August)

I had this report in yesterday from Dave...we are getting to the time of year that the bigger bass should start to show...

"Hi Tony, 

Took my son Charlie out 12/8/17 to get his first bass, a beautiful day out. All went well for him in the morning but Dad beat him in the afternoon. 

Not too sure about weights but a couple of nice ones. 

Thanks Regards, Dave Bishop"

DAA Sundays match result ( 16 August)
Here are the results from the DAA Samphire Hoe match on Sunday
Match report from Alex Veel  "Todays results & updated league table attached...

x8 members fished Samphire Hoe for a mix of wrasse & pouting. Pretty slow by S.Hoe standards....thankfully no one blanked! :)
Well done Cieron on the win.
PLEASE NOTE: The next match will be on Saturday 26th Aug & NOT Sunday 27th Aug. It's a Hythe rover between Murco groyne & the Imperial Hotel groyne. Sign in at the murco car park 5:30pm - 6pm. Fish 7pm - 11pm."

Reach for the stars ( 15 August)
I had this report in Colin Hemsworth yesterday...

"Hi Tony,

Here's my report from Saturday at Dengemarsh. Fished from first HT around 10am to midnight. A fair bit of weed around and the wind was affecting casting but no problem holding bottom. Only two fish all day, I had a bass around HT and an eel a little later. The crabs were a real nuisance and stripping the baits in about 10 min. Was treated to a lovely meteor display in the evening, and with no clouds in the sky I saw a good few glittering trails as they burned up. Thanks for the great Lug and see you soon. Colin"

Sometimes it pays off ( 14 August)
I had this report in yesterday from Richard...
"Tony, 

Lucky I read your note last week about Shad.

I foul hooked this today at Dungeness while looking for a few Mackeral. No harm done and put him back.Lovely day on the beach. No other fish but watching the Porpoises was enough. Richard"

The dog days of summer ( 13 August)
I had this report in from David Kingsman...you can't win them all...

"Hi Tony,

Did Saturday afternoon HT at Dengemarsh.

Pretty hostile conditions.

Wind, weed and heavy tide run.

Managed a small Bass and a Crab.

Thanks for the great worms. 

Nice to be fishing not working anyway.

Regards Dave."

A evening at Samphire Hoe ( 12 August)

I had this report in from Paulius Radiunas...
"We decided to fish Samphire Hoe on Saturday evening. Arrived there around 6pm, straight away caught one mackerel and used it as a bait for more fun fish. Exactly at low tide we landed 2 poutings, each around half a kilo in weight and a few smaller ones. And finally for a first time a spotted dogfish (or a catshark) roughly 54cm in length. A fun session overall. Paul"

Tomorrows match...looking good ( 12 August)

I saw this for tomorrow ...should be a great day...I would go but I'm working! 

"Reminder time...

Our next match is this coming Sunday (Aug 13th). It's an away fixture at Samphire Hoe & will be pegged :)
Sign in is at the Hoe car park 11:30am - 12pm. Fishing 1pm - 5pm.

Just a reminder for anyone not sure of our rules we fish to the Angling Trust guidelines....there's a link on our website page here:...

See more"

Rules

Dungeness Angling Association

DUNGENESSANGLING.CO.UK

DAA Vets match reminder ( 11 August)

A reminder for next Wednesday....DAA Veterans match fish 4.45 to 7.45 (6.15 high water)...I'll be in the shop at 4 if anybody needs anything.

A rare catch ( 10 August)

I found this message for me from Alan Amner...a very interesting report from Yvonne who had trouble getting the catch report to me...

"Hi I caught a 5lb mullett at dung gie 2 weeks ago I was talking to someone one on beach he said it a mullett he said he never known that and I must say that was my first fish lol Yvonne"

Well its not unknown but it is rare...a cracking fish.

A timely reminder ( 8 August)

I had this report in from Rob Parsons...very timely...this time of year I get quite a few of these...what you caught was a Allis Shad...a protected species of of the herring family that spawn in fresh water...if caught should be returned unharmed...

"Hi Tony

     Took my nephew down to Sangate. Only caught 3 mackerel and something that I could not identify. It looks like a Scad but only has 1 dorsal fin. The photos online show different fin positions. Perhaps you know what it is. Cheers Rob"

From Wikepedia

"The allis shad (Alosa alosa) is a widespread Northeast Atlantic species of fish in the herring family lupeidae. It is an anadromous fish which migrates into fresh water to spawn. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, the western Baltic Sea and the western Mediterranean Sea. In appearance it resembles an Atlantic herring but has a distinctive dark spot behind the gill cover and sometimes a row of up to six spots behind this. It sometimes hybridises with the twait shad(A. fallax). This fish becomes mature when three or more years old and migrates to estuaries, later swimming up rivers to spawn. Populations of this fish have declined due to overfishing, pollution and habitat destruction. Conservation of this species is covered by Appendix III of the Bern Convention and Appendix II and V of the European Community Habitats Directive."

At least it was nice weather ( 8 August)

I had this report in from Neil...

"Hi Tony,

Just a quick one from the wooden walkway today. Fished from around 10 to 3 using black lug. Had 6 or 7 fairly decent whiting throughout the day. They seemed to be between 40 - 100 yards out. Weed was a bit of a problem on the rise but dissipated afterwards. Nice gentle breeze and hazy sunshine watching the familiar rod tip rattle of the piranhas. Will be in again soon. Speak to you later. Neil Rodwell."

A Samphire Hoe Sunday ( 8 August)

I had this report in from Ray Woodland...

"Hi Tony,

Decided to fish the 11:15 HW at Samphire Sunday with my Big Son.

Arrived to a wall mostly packed area by the walkway down from the car park.

Plenty of curved rods & some very happy anglers.

We walked a 100/150 & found a nice quiet bit of wall.

From the off my son was into them. I had my 7ft Ron Thompson Spinning rod set up with two small lures.

Hooked a couple & then I was grateful that I had only fished with two hooks. Those little suckers don`t like that lift up that wall.

Anyway about an hour later Tide started to ebb & things went a bit quiet.

Thankfully we had our fill so it was back home for a welcomed rest.

Bloody smashing time, "so its welcome back Mackies"

Regards Woody"

real fun...and advice is free ( 7 August)

I had this report in this morning from Harry Newbury...

"Fished yesterday evening from about 3 PM till about 1 AM. Rather large bass around high tide, caught an eel, a dogfish and a small codling  too but plenty of whiting. Thank you for the tips and bait. Kind regards Harry"

Knee deep in mackerel ( 7 August)

I have had quite a few reports of mackerel being caught yesterday...this one from M.Day...

"Having been unable to obtain any fresh lug for sunday decided to try 1st mackerel session this year ,went to hythe  within 2 hrs had  117 mackerel caught headed ,gutted and on my way back home fantastic  no more paying for tinned or smoked mackerel for along time .happy days"

They're back... ( 6 August)

Just had this in from Andrew Elsey...

"Loads  of mackeral off Sandgate"

Pre dawn....well done the lads ( 6 August)

I had this great report in from Kris Hatton...

"So I woke up at 4am Sunday morning and got the boys up as we'll 😫   Got to a fishing mark at 5am and strait away hooked into 3 rays between us I had the smallest and the boys had the two biggest what a amazing morning."

Mixed bag for Colin ( 6 August)

I had this report in from Colin Hemsworth...giving it a 'good go' down at Dengemarsh...

"Hi Tony,

I fished near the diamond yesterday, conditions were good and was a nice sunny day on the beach. Arrived for first HT and fished through to the evening.  I had one schoolie and a few whiting in the daylight along with an eel. The dogfish came out at nightfall and had more whiting and a final bass before calling it a day. Thanks for the bait, see you soon. Colin"

Wednesday behind the boat ( 5 August)

I had this report in yesterday from Sam Mitchell...

"Hi Tony
Fished Wednesday. lots of big whiting and dogfish.
Foul hooked a bundle of line with was attached to 2 separate entangled rigs and a dogfish on each one... Both returned."

Dave's sole comp report ( 5 August)

I had this report in this morning from Dave Kingsman...I hoped the frozen bait worked (with the shortage of fresh due to the short tides)...different today with one of my 'heroes' and pumping at three this morning!!!...

"Hi Tony,

Great turnout to Chris North Sole match.

39 anglers.

I fished next door to the eventual winner Shane Edwards. He landed a 40cm right at the start. Think we knew it would be a tough one to beat on the night as the match was just the  biggest with no 2nd or 3rd.

We all soldiered on regardless.

I had a good night landing 3 to 36 cms. 

Absolutely no complaints from me. Enjoyed the evening and happy to see Shane get the prize money. He has a baby boy on the way so nice windfall for him.

Re our conversation about Whiting earlier today.

The larger ones were at Hythe as well."

Autumn is coming...cod soon? ( 4 August)

I had this report in from David Kingsman...out braving the wind...

"Hi Tony,

Fished behind the Boats today..

Not really many other options with the wind like it was.

Well it looked pretty good for Bass and we saw a few decent sized ones knocking about.

Had some cracking crab. I thought it would be just a formality casting out and catching one. WRONG.

They were certainly out there but not interested in eating what I was offering.Baits used were: Crab, Lug, Rag and Squid.

Fishing was pretty tough going. I did end up with a few Doggies and some Whiting but not many.

Out of interest. Most of the Whiting I caught were over 30cm with the biggest going 38cm.  Regards Dave"

Mackerel 'points' the way ( 2 August)

I had this heartening report in from Clive...great to see the youngsters enjoying fishing...

"Hi Tony, 

We called in with the intention to fish over low water on Monday fishing which was unproductive but yesterday evening we, along with many others, scored enough mackerel to eat from the Point. Result? Happy kids and happy days. Thanks for the tackle and the advice. Regards. Clive Witton."

Jurys Gap bass bonanza ( 31 July)

I had this great report in from Perry Wilkins...

"Hi tony it's perry I come in this weekend couple times for lug. Is it possible to order 200 fresh lug for Friday also could you confirm the price. I went jury's gap Sunday brilliant night once wind dropped loads of small bass and x4 bigger ones 36cm 42cm 43cm 46cm couldn't weigh them forgot my scales"

Slimy session ( 31 July)

I had these photos from my son Robert who had a high tide session down at Littlestone wall with his girlfriend Sophie...a breezy day but down there the wind was offshore...just the odd eel for Sophie.

Hard work at Dengemarsh ( 30 July)

I had this report in from Colin Hemsworth...who deserves 'bonus points' for giving it a real 'go' in spite of the rain...

"Hi Tony, 

I fished Dengemarsh Friday/Saturday, Friday was quite tough with the wind and just managed to hold bottom with the 200g leads. Three fish caught- a pouting, small eel and a bass (44cm) all on fresh lug. Gave it another go on Saturday and arrived for HT, the wind had died down which made casting a bit easier but with lots of weed in the water, only had whiting all day and packed up around midnight. Thanks for the bait and see you soon. Colin"

A postcard from Cornwall ( 27 July)

I had this report in this morning from David Kingsman...

"Hi Tony,

On holiday with the wife this week in Cornwall.

Managed to sneak out for a few little beach trips.

Plan was to catch something we dont get at Dungy.

Very pleased with two Couch's Bream. Lovely fish.

Nice 3lb Bass and a Strap Conger.

Can't complain. Lot of fun.

Well worth having a go if any of you are holidaying here.

I fished Seaton beach just out of interest.

See you Saturday when the Kent Sole hunt resumes.

Regards Dave."

A ray saves the day ( 27 July)

I had this report in yesterday from Dave Harrington...

"Hi Tony. 
I fished a local mark last night. 
Got there around 2 hours before Low tide and set up 2 rods. I had 1 set up with a 2 hook loop using size 4 hooks with lugworm as bait. This blasted as far as I could get it. The other rod had a 2 hook boom rig with size 2 hooks and again lugworms as bait. Cast in close for Soles. 
Well I had nothing until just after high tide when I had a bite on the boom rig and a nice little Thornback Ray of around half a pound came out of the surf. Then came the usual procession of Whiting on both rods as well as a couple of Dogfish. 
Then about an hour after Low my distance rod had a nice slack line bite which resulted in a nice Ray of around 5-6lb hitting the beach (photo below). After that it went back to Whiting and Dogies until I packed up. 
So no Soles, but a nice Ray caught on a size 4 hook instead. 
All fish were caught on inch pieces of lugworm."

Great first night for Jaiden ( 25 July)

I had this report in this morning...

"Hello, 

Took my 7 year old son Jaiden to Hythe on his very first night fishing trip. 

He had a little thornback ray and a little smooth hound. 

He was made up and nagging me to go again! 

Please see photos attached. Kind Regards Ashley Knight"

DAA match...early start ( 24 July)

This came in this morning from Alex Veel...

Yesterdays results & updated league table attached...x12 members fished in a fresh W swinging to a strengthening SW winds. Weed was a bit of a pain for the remaining flood tide but then eased over high.Very few sizeable fish showed with just x5 being carded. (Whiting, Eels & a dog).A warm welcome to new members Becky Lee & Trevor...hopefully see you for some more matches :)

Well done to Gavin Smith on the win.

Next match pegged at Samphire Hoe on 13th August....should be an interesting one!

A long walk pays off ( 24 July)

I had this report from Joe in this morning...

"Hi tony, set off last night from Chatham to the power station last night, arrived just after 8 for a near midnight high tide.

Unable to get advise I decided to take a long walk around the station and set up just short of the diamond.

A rough start, a surging tide and heavy surf but 40 minutes in I had double whiting at distance, at least they wasn't pin size but both about 12oz, a better size. This continued till high tide both on my distance and short range rods, all falling to lug. Just after high tide the bass showed, had three in total two at short range both about 25 cm then another at distance of 43cm not bad. Went a bit quiet as the tide dropped with more whiting and a stray doggie! Packed up at 3am, was a fun night. See you soon, Joe collins.

Galloways...loads of bass ( 23 July)

I had this report in this morning from Colin Hemsworth...

"Hi Tony,  

Fished Galloways for the first time yesterday, arrived for first HT and got set up, a bit blustery with a south westerly but was fishable. I was targetting bass, one rod with lug and the other with whole squid/mackerel/bluey lug wrap. First cast resulted in a schoolie about 35cm and had 8 in total through the day, an especially greedy shoolie fell for the whole squid. The wind picked up in the evening which made casting a bit tricky. Overall was a good day fishing and in the evening nice to have a break from whiting to give other species a chance. Thanks for the all the bait and directions! See you soon, Colin.

Unleashed in the east ( 23 July)

I had this report in this morning from David Kingsman...our roving reporter...

"Hi Tony,

With an upcoming Sole match at at Hythe. I thought I would have a practise yesterday night.

First a motivational stop in Seagull Tackle for some great bait and bits and pieces.

Set up at Hythe with five mates to fish the late HT.

It was really hard going. Not a touch for hours.

Tried just about everything in the Kingsman book of knowledge. Nothing.

Couldn't get a Whiting of Doggy either. It was a very unusual night. My mate to the right ended up with two small eels. Another friend Dave Blainey on my left did best with a decent 49 cm Bass and two Soles biggest going 38 cm.

Another mate Trev had a schoolie. It was hard work.

I stuck to it anyway and finally got the bite I was after.

Very happy with my favourite species. 35cm.

Most of the group went home just after HT leaving myself and Mark to fish the ebb. Like me, this guy had blanked all evening and tried everything known to man trying to get a bite.

We gave it an hour or so then started taking the shelters down.

You guessed it.

It absolutely bucketed down. We got soaked.

As the rain stopped. I got another bite that turned out to be a Doggie.

Sure any older people reading this will remember those Hamlet cigar adverts on TV.

Well this was certainly one of those moments.

That's my lot for a few days anyway. Taking the wife on holiday to Cornwall.

See you when I get back. Regards Dave"

Great day for a bass ( 22 July)

I had this report in from the 'Giffords'...

"Hi Tony
Caught this 6lb healthy specimen just after high with single lug at short range, returned to fight another day. Thanks Terry, Ken and Lee Gifford"

The bass hunters...out and about ( 22 July)

I had this report in from David Kingsman this morning...

"Thursday 20th July.

Hi Tony, Sorry for the late report. 

Ive been night fishing this week as you can see. So, Galloways.

Well, it all looked good Thursday. SW winds spelt  Bass to me so headed off to a no shooting Galloways. Plenty of others obviously had the same idea. It was busy.

Conditions were really tough. Leads getting dragged down the beach and wind blew us to bits. It did look Bassy but we struggled for a fish.

I was first off the mark with an eel then a 32cm Schoolie. 

My friend Mark got one about the same size just before the end. Everyone else had packed up when we walked back.

Rough day at the office all in all. Think we should have fished the deeper water up the other end. Still, you have to try these things sometimes.

Regards Dave. "

DAA 'Vets' getting close at the top( 21 July)

Here are the results from last Wednesdays DAA Veterans match...tough going but as the year rolls on things should get better...

Neil got the 'bird'( 21 July)

I had this report in from Neil Rodwell up at Dungeness...

"Hi Tony not much to report from behind the station today. Quite a strong wind made casting difficult but the sun was out which was nice. Only managed a solitary bootlace eel all day. Nice to see them appearing again even if it did granny knot my rig and glue it together with slime. Still a nice day to be on the beach and couldn't think of a better way to spend a say off. Note to self: don't feed the seagulls your sandwich crusts. Alfred Hitchcock springs to mind! Speak soon. Neil." 

DAA match Sunday ( 20 July)

I had this reminder from Alex Veel of the DAA...

"Reminder time....
Our next match is this coming Sunday (July 23rd) pegged at the Power Station. Sign in is 8:30-9am at the gate for the point before we drive in convoy round to the powerstation. Fishing is 10am - 2pm. Hope to see you all there.

You have to try things out ( 20 July)

I had this report in from Joe Collins yesterday...yes it was busy for the weekend but quiet now...

"Hi tony, still not many reports from the weekend seeing the beach was packed, come on people, tell us how you all got on..

We'll tonight I know it was not the point but seeing i live in Chatham I explored the Medway tonight, hit Morrison's, got Some squid and had a hour below Rochester bridge.

Was so weird surrounded by traffic! Worth o try though!

10 min in to a hour session and a slamming bite! Nice eel, about 15 inches.

We'll a enjoyable and different evening!

Hope to see you soon Joe Collins"

Smoothies save the day ( 20 July)

I had this report in from Tony Ferrari yesterday...

"Hi tony
Just finished an early session off the board walk. Had a fantastic display on the journey down from the thunderstorms, and was beginning to wonder if it would be a washout. Arrived 0400 just after the last storm cleared and with a 7.20 am high tide the plan was to fish down to low tide. First casts saw two of us land a smooth hound pup each, quickly followed by three whiting. Looking good so far, sadly after a couple of tentative bites nothing else was had. On a brighter note though it was both our first ever smoothies so two pb's and another species off the bucket list"

Piranhas save the day ( 17 July)

I had this report in from Joe Collins...tough going but daylight in July can be hard...but disaster turns to success if the five pound bass turns up...

"Hi tony, thanks for the great bait!!!

We'll parked the car and headed on foot behind the power station to be greeted by a packed beach! After a little stroll I found a spot and tackled up.

Two hook  worm rig at short range and a fishy pully rig at distance.

With a nice breeze and a growing surf and tide bass were on the menu, although so i thought!

Nothing not even a bite for the first hour apart from a greedy crab, a naughty nippy little thing that was quickly re cycled thanks to some elastic onto the puppy rig.

3 hours in and things were looking bad, very bad! With no bites and the seagull impressions getting worse something had to change!

An hour after high water the little White  piranhas moved in! Never thought I would be so pleased to see them!

So no bass just 25, 30 whiting! Better than a blank!!!

See you soon joe"

Deserted Dengemarsh ( 16 July)

I had this report in today from Colin Hemsworth...

"Hi Tony,

After a few quiet sessions at Dengemarsh I thought I'd try my luck yesterday, I arrived for first high tide about 3am and got started with whiting. They slowed down at dawn and then had my only bass of the day, around 40cm. All went quiet in the daylight and took the opportunity for a little nap (above the high tide line). The whiting picked up again at dusk. I'm trying for a big bass this summer so on one rod mixing it up with large squid/fish baits and the other lug. Expect to blank a lot but the payoff will be worth it one of these days! Thanks for the lug and see you soon. Colin"

Glorious Galloways ( 15 July)

I had this great report in from Wayne Beale today...

"Hi Tony,

I trust you are well and still 'doing a bit'?

After a bit of a lay off , i decided to tackle one of my favourite venues last night...Galloways.

A reasonable tide imo, and i considered that with an early hours HW (0310hrs) i would have a chance of a fish or two.

Only two other anglers there.....i set up 'out of the way' 100yds to the right of carpark around LW (2200hrs). 1 up 1 down rigs...size 1 hooks....baited with fresh Seasalter lug.

Casting about 30yds into the shallow water and rolling breakers. My first fish came quickly....an Eel. This was followed with another 3 of the same. Nice to see them.

2hrs into the flood and Whiting started to show....some decent ones too, 30cm. This continued till 1½hrs before HW...when all went spookily quite. Something was going on i thought?

One of the rods suddenly lunged over resulting in a nice Bass (and also me chucking my tea all over myself!!.).... Just sizable and a welcomed sight...this was quickly followed by another...and another and another......i ended up with 6 up to HW some sizable, some not.... plus i missed some 'unmissable slam downs'.

I packed up at 0340hrs just as the sky was lightening in the East....and a few Whiting starting to reappear. 

I had a great little session...very busy..and some lovely fish....all returned...with no fatalities. Great stuff.

All the best Tony.

Regards Wayne"

Watch out for tornadoes! ( 15 July)

I had this report in from Andrew Elsey...some times its not easy but you don't know till you go..."Hi Tony had 3 dog fish and whiting then it went dead.but did get pick of a funnel cloud off dungeness" 

If you don't go...you won't know ( 14 July)

I had this report in from David Kingsman this morning...so few people fishing...so reports are at a premium...

Hi Tony,

Had another long walk to the left of the Diamond last night.

My favourite species Sole the target. Started the session catching lots of Whiting.

I feared the worst. Dogfish appeared and it was all I could do to keep baits out. Must have caught 30 Whiting and Doggies back to back.

Nobody else fishing so I spread out a bit and moved my rods around.

Found the Bass. Caught four in the end up to 47cms.

All gave a good account of themselves. Really fun session. 

Little Smooth Hound at the end as well.

Not of the elusive Sole but no complaints from me.

Regards Dave.

Last Sundays DAA match ( 13 July)

Last Sundays match results...sorry for the delay, here is the report and results from Alex Veel...

"x10 members fished this rover with all electing to fish deep water around the point & boats area. This proved to be a smart move in this settled weather - no one blanked!
Well done to Phil Tanner chalking up another win.
Dogs, Whiting & a solitary Dab caught.
Next match Sunday July 23rd 10am - 2pm. Pegged behind power station."

Dave flying solo at the 'boils' ( 11 July)
I had this report in from David Kingsman...

Hi Tony,

Fished HT behind the power station. Mega walk to right of the Boils.

Flying solo up there tonight.

Caught a target Sole first cast then the tide flow really kicked in and it was all about Bass.

Managed to get 4 in the end with biggest 47cms (2lbs).

Baits used: Blacks, Rag, Bluey and Squid.

Rigs: Rigs 2 hook flapper clip downs.

Range: 80-100 yards.

Glad to get among the fish again. Been a really tough July so far.

Regards Dave. 

First time winner ( 11 July)
I had this report in from Adam Goldie...
"Hello Tony. Fished Jury's Gap for the first time. What a lovley venue. Felt a venue where precise casting into the deep gulleys and holes would get you onto the fish. Was hoping for Sole. None this time but there were plenty a small bass to to make it exciting. All the best Adam"

Colin was crawling, beach alive... ( 9 July)
I had this report just in from Colin Hemsworth...

"Hi Tony,

Fished Dengemarsh yesterday, arrived for first HT and fished through to the night. Not much action to report, had dogfish and whiting as the sun went down. There were a lot of earwigs on the beach last night as well, my tent and bag were covered in them when packing up, spent 20 mins shaking them off everything. Shiver. Thanks for the bait and see you soon. Colin"

Deep water for doggies ( 2 July)

I had this report in this morning from Kristian Walker...

"Hi Tony,

We fished off the point just across the boardwalk last night using the worms and squid you provided us.

We fished the tide up from 3.30 and then fished the tide down after high tide until 22.00. 

We had bites from High tide onwards catching lots of dogfish and whiting but sadly no bass or sole showed up but it was still a fun session.

Thanks Kristian" 

Colin gives it a go at Dengemarsh ( 2 July)
I had this report in from Colin Hemsworth...

"Hi Tony, not much to report from yesterday's trip. I thought I'd head to Dengemarsh and try for a sole or plaice, no such luck this time, only had whiting. Will be back soon for another go,  thanks for lug see you soon. Colin."

Wow cracking Galloways hound ( 1 July)

I had this great report in from Michael Wibley...
"Hi Tony I fished Galloways last night wit my son Ashley. From low till 3 hours down we only had pin whiting on the flood. On the top of the tide 1 Ray 7.5 lb and 3 smooth hounds the largest 9lb Ashleys PB.The ray came on Rag worn as I fishing for Sole size 2 hooks the hounds came to Crab.

You are not alone... ( 1 July)
I had this report in last night from Andrew Elsey...
"Good few hours behind boat had few dog fish and whiting. And the seal was watching as well. thanks for bait"

Dave's gone commercial? ( 30 June)
I had this report in today from Dave Kingsman...I bet that net gave a good fight...who knows next time maybe a seal...

"Hi Tony,

Well, its no secret Ive been having a bit of a lean time lately fishwise.

Got invited on a boat trip to Hayling Island yesterday.

Started off at the crack of dawn then disaster. Accident on the M25. Really bad one.

Long story short. Game over. Sat there for over an hour, missed the boat so came home.

Obviously still had the bait and packed lunch so in my infinite wisdom decided a session behind the power station was in order.

Fished low up with smashing Welsh chap I met down there.

I was fishing crab and suddenly got the bite you dream of. BANG.

Played it in. Taffy was hand lining it for last 20 yards.... A PB fishing net.

Just wasn't my day.

We both managed a schoolie Bass a piece.

For some reason, I caught loads of Whiting and a Dogfish and he didn't. Cant work out why as everything looked the same."

DAA 'Vets' match results yesterday ( 29 June)
Damp day at Littlestone...It was tough going for the 'Vets' yesterday...and with a poor turnout...either members don't like the weather...or they don't realise were waterproof...
Well done 'Wiggy' your catching 'Smithy' up...
...thanks to Mick Reynolds for checking my maths :-)

DAA match results from Sunday ( 27 June)
I saw this report from Alex Veel on facebook yesterday of Sundays match 25 June...
"Well done to all who fished today's match at Littlestone....as expected, another toughie!
Mainly undersized hounds and the odd whiting & dogs.
Unluckiest man on the day has to be Steve Field with a specimen eel of 2lb 2oz but only being allowed to card the allotted 38cm for it! 
Best fish was a smoothound of 76cm for Nathan Elliott plucked out from somewhere over the horizon....contributing to his tally for 1st place

DAA 'Vets' match tomorrow ( 27 June)
Reminder to those 'brave' vets fishing tomorrow...bring some waterproofs...from the met office...

"Between 16:00 Tue 27th and 09:00 Wed 28th

There is an increasing risk of heavy rain, with thunder possible, developing over southern England on Tuesday afternoon before spreading northwards during the evening and overnight. Many places will miss the worst of the rain, but there is a low likelihood of flooding of homes and businesses as well as disruption to transport."

...Lets hope it dries out by the afternoon!e 27th and 09:00 Wed 28th

disruption to transport.

DAA Juniors meet last Sunday ( 27 June)
I had this report in from Alex Whittlesea of the DAA Juniors...

Hi Tony

The DAA Juniors held their monthly meet at the fishy looking waters of Littlestone today.

Conditions looked perfect for the turnout of 5 regular and 5 new members, with coloured water, a good chop and slightly overcast conditions.

All fished extremely well and never gave up hope of catching a fish.

Several had really good bites that were clearly from Bass, but sadly failed to connect.

Eventually one of them did manage this fine Eel.

Remember, our next meet will be Saturday 8th July, book in at the Pilot at 10am

Fishing 10:30 to 1:30, venue TBC on the day subject to weather conditions.

Come along and have a go if you are aged 16 or under, everything is provided completely free. Shirl.

A real bass 'fest' ( 25 June)
I had this report in from Colin Hemsworth this afternoon...

"Hi Tony,

Fished Dengemarsh yesterday, it was a bit tough at times due to the wind but the bass were liking it. Arrived for dawn and had 4 schoolies, restocked with fresh lug and had 15 bass in total, the biggest at 46 cm, all caught fairly close in on lug. Had a few whiting in the evening and called it a day around midnight, thanks for the lovely lug and see you soon. Colin" 

Dave's 'cunning plan' ( 25 June)

I had this report in this morning from David Kingsman...I wish I had his energy...

"Hi Tony,

It all started off with this cunning plan.

I had been working away all week so had a small Saturday night HT window.

Looked at the Lydd shooting plan first.

Told me the ranges were open until 10pm.

OK, not ideal but doable as HT was at midnight.

Wind was supposed to be dropping a bit according to my weather app so it all sounded good.

I thought I would have Galloways beach to myself. Surely nobody would bother going at 10pm???

Bass ahoy...

I arrived there at 9pm. No red flags.

Drove to Galloways and it was packed. 8 cars indicating 8-16 anglers. 

I popped my head over the top and yep it was busy.

On top of that, the wind was horrible. I was faced with a big walk and uncomfortable session for sure.

Under normal circumstances I suck it up but on this occasion I opted for comfort.

Jumped in the car and drove to Littlestone.

It was lovely. Decided I would just have a nice few hours instead of getting blown to bits or dealing with a big tide at Dungy.

No monsters but loads of action. Doggies and Whiting galore. 

Took a few home for the missus so she was happy.

Came home unscathed anyway. Not a bad trip.  Best regards, Dave."

Dungeness, behind the boats ( 23 June)
I had this report in this afternoon from Andrew Elsey...
"Hi Tony I Andy had good 5 hours behind boats whiting dog fish plaice and nice smooth hound"

DAA match this weekend ( 22 June)

I had this reminder in from Alex Veel...

"Reminder time....  Our next league match is this Sunday (25th) at Littlestone. It's a pegged match 11am - 3pm. Sign in is 9:30-10am opposite the water tower.  Hope to see you all there"

It's that time of year ( 21 June)

I had this report in last night from Tim Startup...
"Hi Tony,

I went fishing behind the power station early on today when the tide was in.  The water was nice and clear and the wind was on my back.  As a result I caught these four mackerel, after about 10am it went quiet with the tide going out and the water muddying up, I gave up at about midday.  I saw the seal about 100 yards out, probably mackereling as well! Take care, Tim"

Beautiful bass ( 21 June)
I had this report in from Matthew Barwick...
"Hi tony fished Dengemarsh last night had a few mackeral in the afternoon. Used the heads for bait and had this lovely bass around 1.00 am before low water. Also thank you to the fisherman next to me who gave me all his mackeral heads. Fish measured 72cm and weighed just over 8lb returned to fight another day. All the best Matt fromTonbridge"

Size isn't everything ( 21 June)

And this came in Monday...from Lukasz Loza...
"It was a lovely Sunday,and this beauty"

More fun in the sun ( 21 June)

I had this report in Monday from Phillip Judge...nice to see people enjoying themselves...

"Hi Tony, Just wanted to report after first time in the shop yesterday. Thanks very much for the bait and advise. First cast resulted in a couple of nice dogfish and then had double figures of small whiting. The infamous seal was about at low and high tide but didn't seem to put fish off! Thanks again and be back soon."

Cooking down at the Diamond ( 18 June)

I had this report in this morning from Colin Hemsworth...

"Hi Tony,

It was tough going yesterday but worth it in the end, arrived for 1st HT at the boats yesterday and had dogfish and whiting till I ran out of frozen lug. After restocking with some fresh I headed for dengemarsh, the weather was scorchio all day and I'm glad I brought a tent. No bites all day, the water was clear and the crabs were teaming up with small fry and stripping baits in minutes. Attached some floater beads to the snoods which made the worms last a bit longer on the hook. I snagged a big spider crab which is going in the pot today. It started to liven up a bit in the evening and had a nice bass around 3lb on lug. Thanks for the bait and tackle, see you soon. Colin" 

You are not alone...( 17 June)

I had this report in from Kevin Warden...

"Fished 10am until 2. Caught 2 decent dogfish and 3 small whiting. All
returned. The nosy seal was about 100 yards out most of the time"

A week in the life of...( 17 June)

I had this excellent report in from Becky Lee Hodges...

"Hi Tony

Fished a few places this last week

Sunday 11th June - Hythe Ranges and Galloways

Wednesday 14th June - East Bay

Thursday - 15th June East Bay

Had a mixed Bag at the ranges with the target being Skate. Managed a small one of 3lb and a couple of small Smooth Hound Pups. I then in the evening moved round to Galloways for a Bass as there was some nice surf. I managed 8 Schoolies and a nice Bass of 5lb.

Wednesday evening saw me land 6 different species Eel, Sole, Skate, Whiting, Pouting and a Bass. The sole was 33cm.

Thursday evening was a much slower evening with a few bites but only two fish (only had week old and frozen worm) i still managed a 30cm Sole and a Pouting.

Regards Becky"

As dawn broke... ( 16 June)

I had this report in from 'Gizzy' Gillespie this morning...there he was as dawn broke at the 'long pits' Dungeness...start of the coarse season...I know its not sea fishing...but what a lovely catch to start the season...

"Caught this morning at long pit dungeness"

That seal is watching you... ( 16 June)

I had this report in from Carl Maidment yesterday...sorry a bit late...almost missed it...

"Hi Tony,
New to posting here but thought I would send you our report from today (weds).
Arrived just after low water to fish behind the boats for the day. A few others about so some pleasant conversation plus an inquisitive seal which made for rather quiet fishing. Didn't see anyone else catching much and we took until after HW before we we landed our first fish of the day, a tiny whiting which was returned. Fished the tide back down for the evening and things finally got better, six dogfish, a bass and a plaice before both daylight left and the seal returned. My son and I enjoyed the day and hope to be back soon."

Summer sole moving in ( 14 June)

I had this report in this afternoon from Darren Brooks...a cracking fish...

"Hi tony, fished east bay last night had plenty of fish including a couple of sole. :)cheers Darren"

The latest DAA match result ( 12 June)

I had this report in from Alex Veel of yesterdays match...

"Results & updated league table attached...
x10 members fished this rover at Dengemarsh. Well done to Steve Field on the win.
Turns out i couldn't of been more wrong....a fish-fest it wasn't! A grand total of x3 Whiting brought to the scales.
Fished in strengthening winds.
Next match pegged at Littlestone 25th June 11am - 3pm."

The 'dog days' of summer ( 11 June)

I just had this report just in from Colin Hemsworth...yes it was a bit busy yesterday...deserted all week and then comes Saturday...

"Hi Tony. Fished the back of the boats yesterday, quite a busy day there as well but found a spot. Water was fairly clear but still a bit stirred up from the weather earlier on in the week. Started off with a small bass and then the dogfish came out in force and that lasted the whole session, had a few fair sized whiting towards evening and lost a bass in the surf, all in all a fun day's fishing and glad I  brought the sunscreen! Thanks for the lug and see you soon. Colin"

Good weekend for Dave ( 11 June)

I had this report in overnight from David Kingsman...

"Hi Tony. Fished the HT at Galloways tonight.

Lots of aggressive Bass bites. Loads of fun. Ended up with 5 x Schoolies.

Perfect evening for Sole. Got Lucky and caught a cracker. 42cm. Well happy😀👍.

Lot of Whiting about tonight. I cashed my chips in before HT as I was getting double shots on both rods. 

Really enjoyed fishing Dungy this weekend. Its been brilliant.-- Best regards, Dave"

Dave blown away, with first sole ( 10 June)

I had this report in from David Kingsman this morning...

"Hi Tony,

Fished Galloways last night. Very windy. Not for the faint hearted.

Plenty of fish about. Ended up woth 8 x Bass to 40cm, 3 x Flounders, an Eel and my first Sole of 2017. Going again tonight so will keep you posted...best regards Dave"

Loads of fish in spite of the weed ( 9 June)

I had this report in this evening from Paul Child...

"Hi Tony 

Went to Dungy today started an hour after low and fished up and down 2hrs, conditions got steadily worse very strong winds couldn’t get shelter up , sea  was a good muddy colour..… first cast Bass second cast Bass and the third another  all returned   just after low so gambled on a bigger one which came just under 3lb..I lost count of how many dogfish I caught some were a very decent size almost 2 and a half ft long kept a few.  Problems with weed which nearly made me give up but on the turn of the tide it went and along came the Dogs in  serious numbers  a fish every cast and in some cases on the two hook rod I was catching two dogs each cast so were others.. In all most casts using two rods got fish today upwards of 50 plus fish poss more just lost count.. just goes to show what a good blow does lots of empty shells on beach.. Also caught medium sized whiting in numbers and  a decent sized Eel forgot how slimy they can be but good to see them back of course it was returned ! In all, a great day and stacks of sport. Regards Paul"

Two bass are better than none ( 9 June)

I had this report in from Kris Hatton...so many bass...

"Went fishing behind the boats today wanting to bag some doggies but no joy only two small bass both went back at least it's not a blank" 

Another great catch of bass ( 8 June)

I had this report in from Chris tonight...

"Fished behind the boats last night 8pm to 1am. Pretty windy and wet later but sea was calmish. Obviously not the case earlier cos the tide line resembled bouillabaisse with piles of cockles, gappers, razor shells, crab, sea slugs, and fish. Needless to say the freezer is now stocked. Had fish from first cast with 30 cm bass. Caught regularly until 1 hour after high tide. Total was 11 bass to 54 cm and a handful of whiting. All caught on fresh out lug nothing on shellfish. Chris Herbert ."

Brilliant bass conditions ( 8 June)

 had this report just in from Steve Davis...

"Hi Tony it was very rough behind the power station today the only other fisherman on the beach today was my cousin Howard, I managed to fish for 5 hrs a good result in these condition I caught 14 bass the  best was 36cm all the best Steve"

Great day for Clive ( 8 June)

I had this report in yesterday from Clive ...

"Hi Tony,

Fished last week during the day from 5pm to 10pm on the ebb left of the boats, caught 30 fish,22 Dogfish,6 small Whiting, 2 small Bass and a 3/4lb Sole. Had 2 rods all the fish caught on worm, Biggest Dogfish 1lb 14ozs. Great day fishing, made driving home easy back to Huntingdon Cambs. Thank you, Clive Jenner."

DAA update ( 7 June)

I had this reminder from Alex Veel of the DAA...

"Our next match is this Sunday (June 11th) & is a rover at Dengemarsh. 
Sign in is at Denge car park 9:30-10am. Fishing 11am-3pm. 
Should be a few fish there this week :)"

A bit different today ( 5 June)

I had this report in from Colin Hemsworth...

"Hi Tony,  not much to report from Saturday, headed for the back of the boats with hopes of a bass or two, literally no bites all day and there were lots of small crabs going for the bait, I did see a seal that was hanging around come up with a nice bass in its mouth and eat it in front of me so the fish were definitely there, lots of small fry in the water with terns and gulls having their fill, I wonder if the bass were busy chasing them instead of sniffing out my lug, looking forward to trying out some lures. The day wasn't a complete waste as had whiting towards the evening saving a blank! Thanks for the lug and see you soon. Colin"

Dave had a 'dose' of the crabs ( 5 June)

 I had this report in from David Kingsman last night...

"Hi Tony,

Sunday 4th June. Thanks for the great bait again.

Decided on a trip to Galloways chasing Bass in the wind.

Really looked good when I arrived.

First cast discovered the crabs were on top form with baits only lasting a few minutes.

Next came the weed. Lots of it. Made life really hard going.

As the tide came in further it cleared but no bites. 

Out of the blue had 3 x great bites and 3 x identical 30 odd CM Bass.

Fished a bit of the ebb but nothing. That was my lot.

Did enjoy it but it was a tough days fishing. Regards Dave"