WHAT a strange climate we live in.

Last week I was reporting on the cold snap, with dropping temperatures and frosts.

This week it’s all change.

The wind has changed back round to the south, pushing up warmer conditions and hey presto – we’re now seeing temperatures into double figures!

It’s certainly making things more comfortable for us anglers.

Colchester Sea Angling Club headed for the new Clacton beaches for their latest weekend match. Conditions were bright, with a slight chop on the sea.

Thirteen anglers fished and they reported that those hoardes of small whiting seemed to have disappeared.

Flounders, dabs, bass, rockling and just a few whiting were caught.

In first place was Steve Yallop, with 2lb 2oz.

Second place went to Martin Close, with 1lb 15oz, and third to Mark Sessions, with 1lb 14oz.

The heaviest flatfish was a 10oz flounder, caught by Martin, and the heaviest round fish a 5oz whiting, caught by Vic Pearce.

It’s much the same on the sprat and herring front and the Thames Estuary is still full of them!

To be honest, though, we’re just seeing a typical January.

Both Clacton and Walton piers have had a slow week, although with the calmer seas we have seen more dabs and flounders being caught. There’s still not much happening on the cod front and just the odd ray being caught.

The beaches have seen more flounders caught, plus dabs and a few small bass.

It’s not been a great week for the beach and pier angler, but there are still lots of smaller fish to be caught, so you still will be getting plenty of bites.

There’s always the chance of catching a heavyweight ray, too.

We now have new commercial and recreational restrictions on bass fishing set for 2016.

From January 1 (2016) until June 30, pleasure anglers are only allowed to fish for bass on a catch and release basis.

This means all bass have to be released.

From July 1 to December 31 anglers will be allowed to keep one bass per day.

The tides for the weekend are 3.30pm on Saturday and 4.07pm on Sunday.