It’s been a great start to the autumn’s shore fishing throughout the islands of the Guernsey Bailiwick, with not only a remarkable variety of species being landed, but also a high number of good specimens. 

The most startling news has been the appearance of trigger fish and Couch’s sea bream.

Only a few years ago they were considered very rare, but this year they are being a caught in some numbers on a widespread of marks in all the islands.

A Sark angler landed no fewer than 11 trigger fish in one session, including a 3lb 10oz 12drms specimen, which was a new local record.

The Guernsey Bailiwick already holds the British record for Couch’s sea bream, a 2lb 2oz 12drms fish caught in Sark and has a 2lb 6oz 9drms specimen caught on St. Peter Port Harbour Breakwater pending with the British Record Committee.  However, it’s widely expected that the national record will be broken in the islands again this year, bearing in mind the numbers being caught and the fact that specimens well in excess of the record have been taken by boat anglers only a few hundred yards offshore.

Black bream and red mullet are giving anglers good sport.  Black bream are widespread, with fish over 3lbs being caught.  Red mullet are more localised but the right spots are giving well.  One angler caught 22 in one outing.

Bass are being landed, on lures, on legered baits or free lining, with specimens up to 10lb 2oz 8drms being caught in recent weeks.

Big ballan wrasse are cropping up all over the place, many are over 5lbs, with the best being an 8lb 1oz 12drms fish caught on Guernsey’s east coast.

Float fishermen can expect good fun with garfish, which are present in almost plague proportions, a few late mackerel, Pollack and scad particularly after dark.

The West Coast Sea Angling Club’s Open Specimen Fish Hunt got off to a good start at the end of September.

The results from the weekend long contest clearly illustrate the current good fishing being experienced.

No fewer than 14 different species were caught.  Some of the top fish were 10lb 5oz 6drms and 10lb 3oz 7drms bull huss, 1lb 12oz 3drms red mullet, 3lb 1oz 13drms sole, 2lb 1oz 5drms trigger fish, 3lb 5oz 12drms black bream, 8lb 5oz 6drms bass, 7lb 1oz 4drms ballan wrasse and 4lb 4oz 8drms grey mullet.

Boat trips have been adversely affected by strong winds in recent weeks, but anglers who have got afloat have done well. 

Flatfish have made a resurgence after a few barren months, with the top fish being a brill of over 10lbs.

Like their shore counterparts, boat anglers are landing a good variety, Couch’s and black bream, pollack, mackerel, cuckoo and ballan wrasse,  bass, red mullet and dogfish.