Had an early session on the West arm of Brighton Marina this morning from 4.30am, to bag some mackerel – bait for a bassing session tonight and some for the smoker. The water was flat calm and crystal clear and weather-wise, there was no wind and an overcast sky.

I set up in bay10 and cast out a set of small Sabiki style feathers which were immediately hit by mackerel, first cast and a full house of five fish; from then on, it was fish every cast – some singles but mostly a full string. They were everywhere, the water seemed alive with the blighters. I must say, it makes a nice change to see so many; up until now, they seem to have been quite sparse when I’ve fished over on the east wall, at least now, you can be guaranteed to get enough without having to work for hours to catch them.

Once I’d caught enough for my needs, I stood against the edge and marvelled at the site of the shoals working along the arm. Looking down into the gin clear sea, I could see individual fish chasing the masses of fry which were being corralled up against the wall. It was like watching one of those TV programmes you see, featuring Tuna attacking Sardine shoals, only in miniature. This is one of the things I love about fishing; you get to see the wonders of nature that many people will never experience and that we anglers all too often take for granted. The photos I took don’t really convey the ferocity of the feeding and shoaling but do give just a hint of what it’s like.