Clear North/South divide has emerged

SEA FISHING: The northern half of the patch seems to have been a little better than the south this week.

From Cley on the shingle in the far north round to Yarmouth, most beaches have produced a few codling, lots of dogfish and whiting with occasional pouts and flats.

Pick of the beats would be Trimingham with several nice codling landed between 3.5lb and 5lb.Fish baits will also attract dogfish anywhere from Cley to Yarmouth.

Terry Smith fished to the left of the slip at Bacton and had four doggies with a few pin whiting and a flounder; similar catches can be expected down to Sea Palling.

Weed has been a problem at Trimingham and Mundesley, though it seems to affect the flooding tide mostly, you're pretty unlucky if it stays long into the ebb.

Yarmouth has been a little slower, with catches dominated by those undersized codling and whiting, though I'd expect a few dogfish here too if you try with fish baits. Tipping worm off with squid hedges your bets a bit and should account for codling and doggies.

Round to Lowestoft and it's a similar story with occasional sizeable codling amongst the juvenile fish at Corton and north beach to Ness Point.

Pakefield and Kessingland have been a little slower, again juvenile codling seem to be the order of the day. A few school bass have shown from Benacre down to Orford, the next few weeks should see a few better ones show. The next new moon tides towards the end of this month usually herald the start of the bass fishing season proper.

Some moderate northerly airflow into the start of this weekend should see some nice conditions for north Norfolk again and this will be where I'll be trying my hand I think.