WITH bigger high tides in the afternoon, it was always going to be a good week for cod and thornback rays and so it proved, with beaches, boats and piers fishing very well.

Walton Pier Club held their secret pairs match on the local pier.

The idea is that competitors are paired together, but no-one knows until the match has finished who their partner is.

Twenty anglers turned up and conditions were good, with a blustery wind and a coloured sea.

The fish were feeding and an incredible 200 were landed.

Joe Marvell and Barry Adair were first, with 18lb 4oz, and they were followed by John Spencer and Keven Blackwell, with 12lb 13oz, and Fred Parker and Jim Linehan, with 8lb 3oz.

The heaviest fish was caught by Barry – a cod of 6lb 4oz.

The pier, in general, has had a fairly good week, although on calmer days those bigger codling disappear.

However, there are still rays to be caught.

Walton Sea Angling Club also fished the local pier for their latest evening match.

They fished an incoming tide from low water and there were lots of whiting to be caught, plus pouting, dogfish and dabs, with surprisingly only one codling caught.

In first place was Dave Collet, with 9lb 1oz, followed in a close second place by Rob Tuck, with 9lb.

Bill Paquette was third, with 6lb 13oz, while Dave claimed the heaviest fish with a 3lb 13oz codling.

The Holland and Clacton beaches have come into their own, with rays and some of those bigger codling caught.

One problem that has been highlighted is the amount of weed still causing trouble to anglers.

However, as temperatures gradually cool, this problem should disappear.

Clacton Pier has had a bumper week, with rays and big codling caught.

Colchester Sea Angling Club held their annual beach championships on the Holland beaches and, with high tide at midday, there was always going to be fish to be caught.

However, hungry crabs were a problem, stripping bait from the hooks very quickly.

Result: 1 Dave Clark 8lb 4oz, 2 Mark Peters 5lb 8oz, 3 Phil Buy 3lb 10oz. Heaviest fish: Dave Clark - 3lb 10oz codling.

St Osyth beach has had a quiet week, with whiting and the odd thornback ray being caught.

The boats are reporting codling and thornbacks.

Lester Baker, skipper of the Brightlingsea-based Seawatch Charters, reported cod to 6lbs, with up to 30 fish per day plus thornback rays.

However, those massive shoals of whiting seem to be thinning out.

Shore Fishing UK will be running a two-day match in aid of Diabetes UK on November 14 and 15, fishing from the beaches stretching between Clacton Pier and Walton Pier.

There will be thousands of pounds worth of prizes up for grabs and anglers will be arriving from all over the country.

A top prize of a fishing holiday in Iceland is up for grabs and the event will be based at Clacton’s Valley Farm Holiday Park.

If you want to book a caravan for that weekend, contact the site on 01255 426096 where there will be discounted accommodation available.

You can also find more information on the Shore Fishing UK Facebook page.

The tides for the weekend are 9.15am on Saturday and 10.18am on Sunday.