SEA FISHING: Neap tides this week may not have helped the sport in the region.

Catches seem down generally over those of the last couple of weeks and even the in-form north Norfolk shingle did not produce in the same quantities as it has.

Aldeburgh and Orford have produced occasional codling among the hordes of whiting, though these have been generally small. A codling over 2lb seems a good one at the minute with most fish in the 1-1�lb bracket.

There are still a few school bass showing too, though the numbers being caught further north seem to have dwindled, perhaps a sign of fish migrating?

Thorpeness and Southwold have been similar. Anglers fishing the pier at Southwold have done marginally better but there is little to choose between the pier and the beach in reality.

Lowestoft has been fairly consistent with whiting aplenty from Kessingland up to North Beach.

Yarmouth has produced a lot of whiting too.

Paul Carter won the Lowestoft Sea Anglers latest match at Hopton with 5lb 10oz of whiting and a solitary dab, the next nearest weight being 3lb odd.

Gorleston and the town beaches have also produced whiting also.

The Eastern Leisure Sea Anglers Alliance held an inaugural open match on Yarmouth's Central and North beach, pegging from just south of the Britannia Pier north to Waterways.

As in the Mark Alsop Memorial a couple of weeks back, it was the Waterways end which fished better, Adrian Crane taking a respectable 5lb 11oz from peg 35.

Second place went to Stephen Boyce with 5lb 5oz from peg 17 and Keith 'Pompey' Mountfield was third with 4lb 14oz from peg six.

A teams of three was fished within the open, the winner being joined by his team mates, Alan Kettle and Justin Grapes, to scoop the team pools too.

East Norfolk has been generally slow, with only whiting and a few pouts and flats being reported.

Trimingham had yielded a few codling, but typical of these beaches you need a bit of a surf on for them to fish properly.

Jamie Bale managed a few nice flats and whiting at Trimingham while out with his uncle. Unfortunately the cod remained elusive for Bale this time.

The shingle has dipped in form slightly but taken in the round it is probably as consistent as any other beach in the region right now.

You are more likely to catch bass than codling and there is a few more whiting showing with the flatfish.

Tides building into the weekend should help, unfortunately I do not think the wind will help with a westerly or south-west forecast, still I would rather be out than in.