THE last fortnight has seen some settled weather and anglers have enjoyed some cracking sport.

Offshore is improving all the time, with good numbers of all species turning up.

There are more smooth-hounds, with reports of fish up to 22lb caught.

These big female fish are spawning and should always be returned alive.

The best baits are crabs and ragworm.

The mackerel scattered last week but are starting to group up again and more were caught over the weekend.

There are good numbers of bass, with the best reported on the Sophie Lea, from Brightlingsea.

This fish was over 11lb and returned alive, as all bass should be until July 1.

There are some big tope around, with the biggest reported at a whopping 71lb.

These big tope are full of live young and must be returned alive.

All tope are protected under law and it is illegal to land them.

The best baits are fresh mackerel fished on a big hook and really strong traces.

There are also lots of small ones around but beware of the teeth - they are razor sharp.

There are plenty of thornbacks around, with fish up to 12lb caught.

These fish will be around our coast all summer and will return inshore in September.

The best baits are fish and squid.

Inshore is starting to quieten down, with the thornbacks moving offshore.

However, there are some smooth-hounds and bass around and the chance of a big stingray.

These solitary fish will take a ragworm bait and are quite often caught when targeting bass.

Prospects are excellent with more summer fish on the way.