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  • 20/08/2020 Fishing Report by Kevin McKie on Size Matters (Craobh Haven, Argyll & Bute)

    20 Aug 2020 by Kevin McKie

    Report on-board Size Matters

    Size Matters will be returning to Craobh Haven Marina on the west coast of Scotland in January 2021 until mid May to fish for Giant Common Skate, White Skate and Blue Skate.

    Size Matters in the only boat ever in the UK to catch all three species of giant Skate.

    We only use top quality Shimano fishing tackle, Tiagra 30s and Talica 25s reels loaded with 100 braid, teamed up with Tyrnos 80lb rods and full Black Magic Harnesses.

    Using this top quality tackle makes Skate fishing much more enjoyable and easier on the angler, even the more senior anglers in their 70s and 80s can land Skate over 180lb with this tackle.

    Here is a quick run down of when we started Skate fishing and how we have refined it over the last three seasons to give anglers the best possible opportunity to catch Skate over the magical 200lb mark!!


    2018 was the start of our Skate fishing career, we done a 16 day trip to Scotland for Giant Skate even though we had never caught one before.

    We managed 113 Common Skate to 220lb, total weight was 19361lb, with an average weight of 171lb 3oz.
    11 of them where over 200lb and 91 of them over 100lb!

    We caught Skate every day and out of 96 anglers who fished with us, only one angler never caught a Skate.

    If that wasn’t good enough we also caught one White Skate estimated at 160lb that totally smashed the British record and was the first White Skate ever recorded in Scottish waters on rod and line.


    The 2019 Skate fishing season could not come quick enough with 10 weeks fully booked, it was truly outstanding at times, we totalled 641 Skate for a total weight of 80,617lb!!!

    We averaged 9 Skate a day with the average weight of 125lb 8oz!!

    At times we would have four Skate on at once, trying to get them all to the boat in over 600ft of water was challenging at times but we managed it.

    442 Skate where female and 199 were male, we caught 44 over 200lb and 359 over 100lb!!

    The biggest Skate was caught by Wirrel angler Mick Walsh, a cracking fish of 232lb!!

    Bert Willams from the Wirral caught the first ever Blue Skate in Scottish waters all 22lb of it, this is an exceptional catch in UK waters.

    The most Skate we caught in one day was 37 for a total weight of 2790lb, by Garry Streeter and his lads from South Wales.

    The Liverpool A Team consisting of Phil Riley, John Owan, John Mcbride and Paul Hendrick, had the most weight in one day with 20 Skate for a massive total weight of 3590lb!!


    In 2020 we only had a two week window to fish for Skate due to family holidays and guiding holidays.

    We decided it wasn’t worth taking Size Matters to Scotland so our good friend Davie lent us his charter boat Buoy Alba.

    The weather was very unsettled, it was very stop start but we landed 87 Skate in just 8 days for a total of 15094lb the biggest was 225lb with 8 over 200lb, 76 over 100lb with an average weight of 173.5lb!!

    As you can see the stats don’t lie, we are fully booked from March to mid May but because we are now arriving earlier in January we now have dates available in January and February if you would like to join us.

    We can help arrange accommodation in self catering cottages at the marina for as little as £25 per person per night, they are very nice and fully kitted out just like a home from home.

    The staff at the marina are very helpful and have done a great deal for us, they have decided if your charter is cancelled due to bad weather then you don’t have to pay a penny for the accommodation!

    There is a pub at the marina called ‘Lord of the Isles’ they serve excellent food and drinks, the staff are very friendly and are happy to accommodate our anglers needs regarding food serving times.

    We can also arrange bait at very reasonable prices that you can pick up next to the motorway in Glasgow.

    Remember Size Matters has a fully equipped galley with microwave, kettle and hot plate to prepare hot food and hot drinks.

    We also have full toilet facilities onboard and a fully heated wheel house that can seat up to 8 people at any one time.

    Finally the best bit about fishing onboard Size Matters is the massive deck space where you can get that perfect photograph with your Skate, no shadows on the fish and definitely no need to hang over the side of the boat putting your self at risk for a photo.

    We have had hundreds of anglers fish with us in Scotland since our first trip in 2018 and they have all really enjoyed their time in Scotland with us, hopefully some of them will leave comments when they see this post.

    Available Dates

    JANUARY

    Saturday 9th £110 pp 6 places available.
    Sunday 10th £110 pp 6 places available.
    Monday 11th £110 pp 6 places available.
    Tuesday 12th £110 pp 6 places available.
    Tuesday 19th £110 pp 6 places available.
    Wednesday 20th £110 pp 6 places available.
    Sunday 24th £110 pp 4 places available.
    Monday 25th £110 pp 4 places available.


    FEBRUARY

    Thursday 18th £110 pp 6 places available.
    Friday 19th £110 pp 6 places available.
    Saturday 20th £110 pp 6 places available.
    Sunday 21st £110 pp 6 places available.
    Monday 22nd £110 pp 6 places available.
    Tuesday 23rd £110 pp 6 places available.

    Please note charters are for a maximum of 12 hours if you think you can handle it and all top quality Shimano fishing tackle is included in the price.

    Conservation and welfare of Skate is paramount, it is a 100% catch and release fishery, barbless bronzed hooks only and all Skate brought onboard for a photo are kept wet and released as quickly as possible.


    Thanks
    Kevin Mckie
    Size Matters (Scotland)
    07999628511

    #Shimano
    #Scotland
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