June was a mixture of days with heavy rain and days with glorious sunshine and calm seas. Perfect fishing weather! Earlier in the month there was a distinctive bloom of algae in the water and this was conveniently blamed for poor catches, particularly nearer shore. Nevertheless catches were made. Those bottom fishing were rewarded with the usual dogfish plus the more welcome rays, smoothhound, bream and bass. Mackerel made a slow appearance with some days being more productive than others. Tope are also still around although the larger females will have given birth to pups and moved on. Plaice now seem to be as scarce as cod and regarded as a bonus rather than worth targeting.
Bass are around in good numbers for those keen on lure fishing, either drifting over the banks or following the seabirds and fishing near the surface. Shoals of bass are particularly active in the late summer evenings and good sport can be had with light tackle.
Mullet are prevalent in harbours and marinas. Earlier in the year they are difficult to catch as they spend their time sucking tiny creatures off weed. From now on they are easier to catch because their diet will extend to scavenging, and floating bread will be as good a bait as any.
Further offshore, bass and pollack feature on the reefs and wrecks. It’s a bit of a steam and results are not guranteed, but as you can see from the photo gallery, it is worth persevering.
