It has been another decent week on the region's beaches with mackerel, bass and hounds showing at many venues. In the north of the region the shingle has produced plenty of mackerel and you can soon fill a bag when the shoals are in casting range.

There have also been a few decent hounds among the school bass for those fishing with crab baits. It's a similar story in east Norfolk, plenty of school bass and occasional hounds. Alan Kettle's patience with the whiting finally paid off, he managed some fine hounds to 7lb. With south in the forecast this week I think the sea from Sea Palling down will have too much on it for the hounds, your best chances this week will be above Sea Palling and don't discount the Wash beaches.

Lincolnshire has produced some of the most dramatic fishing I can remember. Norfolk raider, Rob Allen, and a couple of mates landed 51 hounds between the three of them. Twenty-nine of those fish were in the 12-14lb bracket, awesome fishing whichever way you slice it, and better for knowing all of these great sport fish were returned alive to fight another day. The best fish I've seen so far this year was a stunning starry smoothound caught by James 'Woody' Woods at 22lb 3oz. With fish of this quality, and in those numbers, I think it's only a matter of time before a national record falls, let's hope when it does it's on an East Anglian beach.

Below Yarmouth has seen a few pups and these seem to be getting a bit bigger with fish of 3-4lb not uncommon in decent conditions. I took a walk along the beach at Gorleston over the weekend, it was pretty quiet but I would imagine those hounds will be getting among the remnants of the White Swan rooting out shellfish. It's quite dramatic to see the beach building at Gorleston and apparently disappearing at Hopton. No reports of any sole from the usual haunts but it can only be a matter of time, they'll show if we ever get a settled warm spell. School bass are figuring in catches from most of the beaches, Southwold would be a hot spot and those better hounds often get in at Aldeburgh down to Orford Ness. A southerly wind will give conditions more favourable to cod fishing down there.