JUST when the Bank Holiday weekend arrives, so does Storm Katie – bringing with her 60mph winds and driving rain!

So it was time to batten down the hatches for the boats and wait for calmer weather.

Luckily, during the week, we did have calmer seas and Clacton Boat Club took full advantage.

Two members, Barrie Sage and John Cook, landed seven thornback rays to 8lbs, plus some codling, dogfish and whiting.

Ron Woolsey, also a Clacton Boat Club member, had a good day and ended up with a fine thornback ray, weighing in at 14lbs.

In general this week, both charter and private boats have had a very good week, with those sprat and herring shoals disappearing very quickly.

We’re also in that turnaround period when the spring/summer species are moving closer to our shoreline.

The codling that have been so elusive since last year are now starting to be caught – still not in great numbers, but well worth fishing for, with fish in the 6lb-range being caught.

The school bass are also increasing in numbers, with the odd bigger fish in between them, but don’t forget there is a restriction on keeping these fish.

From January 1, 2016 to June 30 there is a catch and release only rule.

From July 1 to December 31, 2016 it is one bass to keep per fisherman per day.

Hopefully by next year those governing bodies will be able to define between commercial fisheries and recreational fisheries and give our recreational fisherman a better crack of the whip.

Clacton Pier has turned into summer mode with both rays and small bass now being caught, plus dogfish and still plenty of small whiting.

Chris Hayes fished here on a day-time tide and reported that the fish were feeding.

His top catch of the day was a 6lb 9oz thornback ray, caught on squid bait and fished on a pennel rig.

Chris also told me that the whiting were also feeding well.

The St Osyth beaches are always a safe bet as a spring venue and, true to form, it has once again turned up the goods with still lots of rays being caught and now a few bass showing.

A top tip for catching the rays here is to fish the last three hours of the ebb tide and this will increase your chances ten-fold.

The top bait for the rays has to be calamari squid.

The Clacton and Holland beaches are once again on the slow side, with the night tides proving better with the odd ray, but on the whole it is mostly small fish being caught.

Walton Pier has seen a few codling this week, mostly in rougher seas, but the top of the pier is the place to be for those thornback rays and dogfish.

The Walton beaches are still catching whiting and a few flounders in calmer conditions, but it will be a few weeks before the bass arrive in any numbers.

Meanwhile, the annual Clacton Pier Charity Shield match is being held on Sunday, April 10, with fishing from 12pm until 5pm.

Tickets are available from Clacton Angling Club on 01255 221863 or Dean’s Tackle on 01255 425992.

The high tides for the weekend are 7.10am on Saturday and 8.43am on Sunday.