SEA FISHING: Not surprisingly the neap tides of last week didn't produce much in the way of sport for many of the region's beaches. School bass have been caught from the Wash right the way round the coast, but fish over 2lb seem to be at a premium.

Not surprisingly the neap tides of last week didn't produce much in the way of sport for many of the region's beaches.

School bass have been caught from the Wash right the way round the coast, but fish over 2lb seem to be at a premium. I was hopeful that we might see a return of some smoothounds, particularly on the shingle as they've shown there for the last few years on these tides. Odd ones have been caught but on the whole I think the little bit of east we've had in the wind has put them off and scruffied the water up a bit too.

It's interesting to note that they are being caught consistently in similar conditions next door in Lincolnshire - they seem to be a bit fussier this side of the Wash and really want the sea mirror flat.

Mat Lawes returned from a holiday in the northeast to find a few school bass at Cley, a catch report that seems fairly typical for the shingle and east Norfolk beaches at the minute. One or two good fish have come off Cromer pier as they do every year, the structure of the pier and lifeboat shed providing some refuge for the fish.

Down the coast to Yarmouth and a few fish have fallen to lures in the river, while the beaches are yielding smoothound pups, pouts and whiting. It's a slightly better story at Lowestoft with some soles starting to show on the south pier along with smoothound pups, pouts and dogfish. The beaches in that area are all producing a few school bass, though fish of any reasonable size seem to be at a premium.

The southern beats have been consistent with the rest of the region. Lure fishing has produced one or two school bass in the Blyth, though sole are still conspicuous by their absence on Southwold's beaches.

Aldeburgh and Orford can often produce some large bass at this time of the year, again it seems to be mostly school bass showing along with a few dogfish and pouts.

With some north in the wind forecast for this week and the tides building away from the neaps, I think there could be some better bass on the north and east Norfolk beaches, it should also shift the May weed a bit and put some colour in the water in the south of the patch. The colour may well encourage the sole at Lowestoft and Southwold.