IT wasn’t many years ago I would have been reporting great hauls of early-winter cod for our boat and beach anglers.

However, over the last few years, we have seen less and less of these fish that we came to rely on.

There are many reasons why they have disappeared and perhaps we will never know the real answer.

My thoughts are commercial over-fishing in the 1960s and 1970s and now warmer seas through the early winter months, which has seen what is left of our cod stocks stay in deeper, colder waters.

We have been told the cod is now a sustainable fish but you only have to look around to see this is not the case.

This week has to be all about the whiting.

Vast shoals of these small fish have arrived on our coastline.

There is nothing unusual about that as they arrive every year at virtually the same time.

They are a member of the cod family but can prove a nuisance when targeting bigger fish such as thornback rays and maybe that elusive codling.

St Osyth beach is renowned for its whiting shoals and the bigger fish will be caught from the Nature Reserve area.

Thornback rays have been caught over the low tides in between the breakwaters.

Clacton Pier is also seeing its fair share of whiting, with some dogfish and rays too.

The Holland beaches have seen the odd ray and plenty of small whiting. Walton Sea Angling Club fished their midweek evening match here and, with just light winds, it looked like the whiting would be feeding. So it proved.

The top angler on the night was Cameron Turner, with 18 fish for 14lb 1oz.

This included the heaviest fish - a thornback ray of 3lb 9oz.

Second spot went to Rob Tuck, with a bag of 34 whiting, 11lb 14oz, and in a close third was Richard Burt, with 27 fish weighing 11lb 8oz.

Walton Pier is also seeing plenty of whiting, dogfish and the odd thornback ray, plus dabs, with still a few bass being caught from this venue.

Colchester Sea Angling Club headed here for their Pier Championships. Eighteen anglers fished in what can only be described as atrocious conditions with rain, hail and gusting winds to contend with.

Everyone was kept busy catching fish and dogfish, pouting, rockling, whiting and dabs were caught.

First place went to Stephen Yallop, with a great weight of 30lb 6oz, making him this year's Pier Champion.

Second place went to Mark Sessions, with 19lb 15oz, and in third was Nik Highfield, with 18lb 1oz.

The heaviest round fish prize went to Phil Buy, with a 1lb 12oz dogfish.

The heaviest flatfish prize was won by Vic Pearce, with a 6oz dab.

If you have any fishing reports, you can contact me at popplewell1@btinternet.com

The high tides for the weekend are 1.02pm on Saturday and 1.39pm on Sunday.