The weather played its part last week with rolling, chocolate coloured seas and near perfect codling conditions.

The sea had life and colour from Yarmouth southwards and a few codling did feed in it though perhaps not the numbers the optimistic among us may have hoped for.

Alan Kettle had a nice result in Hopton bay with a lovely brace of codling totalling around 10lbs, the best a beauty over 6lbs.

Cain Plumb managed one too at Aldeburgh, and I'm sure many of the southern beaches would have produced more codling if they could only beat the whiting to the bait. Anglers fishing the Gorleston Tackle Open last Sunday were rewarded with some top quality whiting and dabs – unfortunately there appeared to be a lack of codling.

Mark Gooch claimed top spot with an impressive catch of flats and whiting over 12lb. Dene Conway was second with 10lb 4oz and Karl Whitelock third with 10lb 1oz, whiting predominated but there were some lovely dabs over 30cm recorded too.

Holt SAC fished a club match at Kelling last Saturday to avoid the clash with the Gorleston Open. Conditions were good again and Bill Beeton scored again with 5lb 8oz of dabs. Dene Conway was runner up twice over the weekend with 3lb 13oz with Tony Thomas a further ounce off in third.

The National Sea League final over the coming weekend should fish well, the weather certainly looks as though it's going to do its bit this week and there should be some lift and colour in the sea in the north of the patch at the weekend. I hate to talk these events up, and falling temperatures this week will also play a part, but given the apparent number of flats and whiting at the minute, it should be a good match for the 300 or so taking part.

Pleasure anglers will have chances all around the patch this weekend. I'd probably give the shingle a wide berth due to the large numbers fishing the Sea League final and head for the quieter beaches of east Norfolk and down to Suffolk.