THE monthly report from the Brightlingsea charter boat Sophie Lea has been very promising.

Plenty of medium size hounds have been caught but there has been very good sport on the right tackle.

Hermit crabs are the top bait.

The bass have also been feeding well with fish of all sizes being caught on worm baits and dead baits.

Tope fishing trips were run but no fish caught.

There's still plenty of thornback rays although the bigger rays seem to have moved further out to sea.

Lots of mackerel about but they are in deeper water.

The charter boat Gloria B2 reports plenty of smooth-hounds with a few around the 14lb mark plus bass and rays.

The beaches have once again had a pretty good week, St Osyth is producing bass, eels and one or two thornbacks.

The rocky breakwaters around the Jaywick beaches are still catching bass on the evening tides.

There's no need to cast very far as most fish are at around the 50-yard mark, some soles are also showing here to ragworm baits.

Clacton Pier has seen bass in the 2lb range plus a few thornback rays.

The Holland beaches have seen a few early whiting being caught after dark plus soles and bass.

Walton Sea Angling club held their July match on the Frinton beaches.

They were greeted with a strong north easterly wind which made conditions difficult but the fish were feeding.

School bass, eels, flounders and one large sole was the catch.

Rob Tuck was first with nine eels and five bass for 4lb 14oz, with Doug Sadler second with seven fish for 3lb 14oz and Vic Pearce third, with four fish for 3lbs.

The heaviest fish prize went to Pearce with a 1lb 7oz sole.

Their next match is Walton Pier on August 1.

Walton Pier has had another good week with some rays from the head of the pier.

Fred Gibby fished an early morning tide here and he landed two smooth-hounds to 7lbs on crab baits.

The catch of the week has to go to 12-year-old Baily Coombe, who fished on the beach on an ebb tide beside Walton Pier. Baily caught and landed a cracking bass estimated by local Meta-lite tackle shop owner Richard Holgate as upwards of 7lb plus.

The areas either side of the pier can always produce a big bass or two as they are feeding under the vast expanse of pier piles.

Colchester Sea Angling Club headed for Suffolk and the Dunwich beaches for their monthly match.

They fished a late evening tide on a clear dry evening; 13 anglers fished and they caught lots of small smooth-hounds, bass and soles.

Top spot went to Mark Sessions with 8lb 8oz which included the heaviest fish of the match a 5lb 3oz smooth-hound.

Steve Yallop was second with 6lb 8oz which included the heaviest sole at 1lb 3oz and Chris Mills was third, with 3lbs.

Their next match is on the Aldeburgh beaches on Saturday August 5 - meet at the Aldeburgh Shell for 6.30pm.

The high tides for the weekend are Saturday at 16.47 and Sunday at 17.31.