IT'S been a typical mid-winter week and all but a few hardy anglers are venturing to the coast to fish.

Reports have been few and far between, although there are fish there to be caught.

Codling are still showing from the boats and piers but beach reports are patchy.

Boats that launched this week have caught fish.

Some bigger whiting are turning up, with a smattering of codling in between, and the first of the bigger thornback rays are showing, with one or two in the 10lb range.

On calmer days there is plenty of sport to be had with dabs on light tackle.

The beaches have been very quiet, with a lack of anglers fishing.

St Osyth beach has produced some dabs and whiting but, with a calm spell, surely those thornback rays will arrive soon.

Clacton Pier has been quiet on the rays, with plenty of small whiting and the odd codling showing.

The Holland-on-Sea beaches are following the same trend, with very few anglers.

Once again, small whiting, the odd dab, codling and small bass can be caught.

Lee Robins fished here and reported small whiting, although he did catch a codling of around the 2lb mark.

All his fish were caught on lugworm on pulley rigs.

Walton Pier seems to have seen more fish this week, with at last a few codling showing.

Peter Harris fished an ebb tide on the local pier and landed two codling, losing one other.

The top of the pier is still fishing well for dabs.

Whiting are also plentiful and there is always a chance of a thornback ray and codling.

The Walton Pier Club fished their latest match on the pier and conditions were far from ideal.

Nineteen anglers fished in miserable conditions, with a cold breeze and freezing rain.

They fished the top of the pier and 118 sizeable fish were weighed in. Whiting, the odd flatfish and codling made up the catch.

First on the day was Peter Harris, with 4lb 9.5oz.

In a close second was Barry Adair, with 4lb 6oz, and in third was Dean Parker, with 3lb 11oz.

The high tides for the weekend are 1.44pm on Saturday and 2.28pm on Sunday.

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