‘JOHN BRENNAN, SKIPPER – WHITBY 

The summer season has drawn to a close, and at last we have a bit of time to say 'hello' and catch you up with what we are doing now - and what we intend to do over the winter. 

    We'd also like to take this opportunity to thank all who have fished on board the 'Chieftain' this year for making our season so enjoyable.

The weather this summer was again very kind to us - and the fishing was excellent. We have ranged far and wide in the North Sea and found many new wrecks, the vast majority of which have been exceptionally productive. There were very few disappointing offshore fishing trips this year - but a huge number of fantastic ones! The biggest cod caught on the 'Chieftain' in 2003 was Charlie Wilson’s 32lbs 8 ozs whopper. Kevin Pearce had the biggest ling: 34lbs 9 ozs. We have had hundreds of cod in the 20lbs-plus bracket, and thousands of fish in the teens. Again, for about the tenth year in succession, our anglers have caught the biggest and most fish out of Whitby.

MONTH-BY-MONTH HIGHLIGHTS:

● In mid-March, we kicked off the new season with a very successful 84-hour trip. Nothing like jumping in at the deep end!

● In April, on one very small ‘virgin’ wreck, twelve anglers took approximately 2150 pounds of fish in a hectic two-hour period.

● In May, on a 60-hour trip, 12 novices, who had never fished the North Sea before, completely filled our huge (6’x5’x3’) on-deck chiller with cod fillets. 

● In June and July the wrecks between 60 and 90 miles offshore produced remarkably and consistently well. We were getting long days’ fishing from dawn to dusk. Many times, due to the hot weather and abundance of fish, our anglers had to knock off fishing to get their cod off the decks, filleted, and into the chiller to keep them in prime condition.

● In August and September the fishing was excellent on the shallower areas of the Dogger Bank. Most anglers expect deep water after steaming a hundred miles plus into the North Sea. It was great fun watching the anglers’ faces when they lowered down for the first time: at approximately 50 feet, they hit the bottom - and instantly had three or four cod on their hooks!

● In October the weather slowed us down a bit, but we still managed to get in some good fishing. We had to shorten a couple of our long trips to accommodate weather windows, but even those trips finished up very well. Our summer season came to a close in the last week of October.

● In November we began our winter maintenance schedule. Because of the mild weather and lack of rain we are managing to get a lot of exterior painting done. The poor boat was looking very much the worse for wear after yet another busy season - but then again, so were her crewmembers! We will be spending a great deal of our off-season time working on the boat, as usual. If you're in town, please pop on board to say 'hello'. We'd love to see you!

WINTER FISHING – DECEMBER 2003 TO MARCH 2004: 

A great number of our regular anglers have shown a keen interest in winter cod fishing from Whitby, and have repeatedly asked us to take them out. Consequently, we have quite a few bookings for winter fishing between December and the end of February. We would be pleased to hear from anyone else who is interested in joining us!

         Throughout the winter months, the prevailing winds in our region are west or south-west. As the 'Chieftain' is by far the biggest and most comfortable charter boat operating out of Whitby, cancellations of trips are less likely to occur than when fishing offshore or from a smaller boat.

Winter fishing entails fishing at anchor with bait, uptiding/downtiding. Trips are of ten hours’ duration. Because the winter fishing grounds are only a short distance from the Harbour, fishing time is maximised. Catering is available if required. 

BOOKINGS FOR THE 2004 OFFSHORE SEASON:

From March to October 2004 we will be back at sea with our extended fishing trips. We still have a few vacancies available for all lengths of trips, from the 10, 12, 18 and 24-hour day trips through to the 36, 42, 48, 60 and 84-hour multi-day trips. Individual and group bookings are welcomed. We are also now booking for the 2005 season. Give us a call or email us to obtain our information package. You’ll find all our contact details elsewhere on Jamie’s great website. 

Regards,
John and Michele

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