Latest Fishing Reports: Sea Urchin IIl

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  • 03/02/2025 Fishing Report by Andy Savage

    3 Feb 2025 by Andy Savage

    They say that a picture paints a thousand words……..don’t be fooled is my advice! Whilst there were some lovely clean fish caught over the last two days, the fishing has been rock hard and the quantity of fish caught has been poor.

    After a reasonable days sport on Saturday, I hoped for something similar on Sundaonday. For whatever reason, it just didn’t materialise that way.
    We kept on the move, had decent bait, fished with the right gear, but the fish just weren’t feeding well. Each stop would see a few bites/fish on arrival, but there seemed to be no flushes of fish moving through and it just died off.

    The weather and sea conditions weren’t perfect, but there were decent periods both days, where it was spot on. We just didn’t seem to be able to string together a decent run of bites. No bait was best, the fish that we caught came to the usual suspects of. Squid, Lug and/or Cart randomly. I found it very frustrating, so I’m sure the anglers must have as well.

    Over the two days, Ian Kellock took the biggest Codling at 6lb 8oz and Dave Sharp had a surprise Pollock of 5lb 12oz first drop at a new spot today. We’ve got to take the rough with the smooth and I know it’s a cliche, but “it’s called fishing, not catching”.

    I’m grateful to all the lads who’ve been out with us and I really wish I could have produced more productive trips. That said, everyone was excellent company and the chat and banter made the days go too quickly. Thanks a lot.

    Hopefully the fishing will improve again soon and give us more consistent sport.

    Tight Lines

    Andy

  • 01/02/2025 Fishing Report by Andy Savage

    1 Feb 2025 by Andy Savage

    After running North yesterday, we chose to push tide and head South today, to see if there were any better fishing knocking about.

    After a twenty minute run, we had the anchor down, with the boat backed up to a nice gully with the tide Ebbing. I’d just taken the orders for the first round of brews and there were three Codling aboard before I’d even made them!In comparison to yesterday, we had a nice start today. There were plenty of positive bites, not so many tentative nibbles. Everyone got off the mark fairly quickly and the fish were taking most baits. Squid, Lug, Cart all mixed together was a winner.

    The first spot produced fish for a couple of hours, with regular flushes moving through. Andy Townend, out on his first trip of the year, took the biggest Cod at 8lb 8oz which was great to see.

    We did have a nudge a bit further south, but the stamp of fish was much smaller and not so many of them, so we moved back to our original area for the last hour of the Ebb. Initially it did a few bites, but then the breeze freshened as the tide slackened and we had 45 minutes of swinging around on the anchor. It was brew time!

    We ran further North through slack water to get the first bit of Flood and with a fresh wind against tide I feared the worst. Thankfully, I needn’t have worried. Once the tide came through, the bites started up again and the wind backed off. In amongst the Codling, Gaz Townend took a rare (for us) Uptiding fish in the shape of a Ling around 4-5lb, which was the first one this winter.

    As usual, everyone was fantastic company and the day flew by for me. Thanks for coming lads, great having you all aboard.

  • 31/01/2025 Fishing Report by Andy Savage

    31 Jan 2025 by Andy Savage

    Fantastic bunch of lads aboard Sea Urchin for a days Uptiding today. We’ve missed the last week with the poor weather and today was a 5.5m tide; the biggest of this set of Springs.

    We used the start of the Ebb to run a short distance north and put the anchor down off Sandsend. Everyone had plenty of decent bait with them and it didn’t take too long before a couple of fish made their way up.
    Ben Cope got off to a great start with a couple of plump Codling, the biggest being 4lb 8oz. Crab Cart and Squid being the successful combo. We had bites periodically for the next 90 minutes, with groups of fish running through. It wasn’t frantic by any means, but there were rods nodding regularly, showing signs of activity.

    I chose to head a bit further north, which in hindsight was a mistake. We tried two different spots on different depths, with different tidal speed, for next to nothing. We ran back south to the area we had started the day and picked up a few more fish on the run into slack water. Once we started to swing on the anchor we ran back towards Whitby through slack water and spent the afternoon just outside the pier ends.

    We took a few fish here and there but overall it wasn’t breathtaking sport; although it did pep up a bit for the last half an hour. The conversation and company on the other hand, were excellent, with loads of laughs��
    Best bait was Cart once again, but used in conjunction with Squid or Lug still did bites. We didn’t contact anything massive today, but unfortunately a few better fish managed to shake the hooks on the way up which was frustrating.

    Thanks to everyone for coming, I thoroughly enjoyed having you all aboard. Hopefully see you again soon.

  • 17/01/2025 Fishing Report by Andy Savage

    17 Jan 2025 by Andy Savage

    The run of settled weather continues unabated, so I’ve managed another couple of days out at sea.

    Thursday saw John Wilson and a group of mates book the boat for a day out. Being Uptiding virgins, we spent a a bit of time going through the rudimentary’s of feeling down the lead, baiting up the traces and paying off an arc of line. With everyone cast out it wasn’t long before the rods started twitching and most of the boys “popped their Uptiding cherries” with either a Haddock or Codling.

    We had a couple of moves during the morning to try and get some lee from the brisk offshore wind, then ran further north to meet the flood tide. As the day progressed it was noticeable how the boys improved. Baits looked tidier, casting wasn’t an issue; it was good to see.

    The day was as much about having a laugh as it was the fishing. Everyone was fantastic company and the highlight of the day was a new species boated aboard Sea Urchin when one of the boys brought up a Tadpole Fish! Thanks for a brilliant day lads.

    Today we had a Biggest Bag Competition, where every fish was measured and allocated points. Biggest points tally won the £100 prize and second got £50. We went south today and after a half hour run we dropped the anchor in a sheltered area. Straight from the off we picked up mainly Codling and the boys kept me busy with the net and measure. The sport wasn’t bad at all. Ian Kellock had a 57cm Codling which was the biggest of the day to get him going. Gordon Blyth got three nice 50cm plus fish and Ben Cope caught consistently gaining himself what turned out to be an unassailable lead.

    Just as things were looking good, the wind lifted and at times over the next two hours it was unfishable with well over 30mph blasts coming through. Sport dried up and it wasn’t until we ran back north to meet the flood tide that we caught a few more to finish.

    There were loads of laughs and lots of conversation, which made the day fly by. Ben Cope won the £100 and second place went once again to Gordon Blyth (4th time in a row!) Altogether we landed 52 Codling, 3 Pouting, 3 Dogfish and a lone Lobster.
    Thanks for an excellent day lads.

  • 15/01/2025 Fishing Report by Andy Savage

    15 Jan 2025 by Andy Savage

    I was really looking forward to today’s trip, as it was one of the days where I get to fish. Winter Uptiding is one of my favourite things to do, as I know that if I work hard with good bait, there’s every chance of catching some beautiful clean Codling.

    We ran South again today, pushing the 5.3m tide a few miles towards Robin Hoods Bay. With only five of us fishing, we all went with two rods each, which gives a bit more scope to experiment with baits.
    I only usually take three different baits for Uptiding and today was no different. Dirty Squid, Frozen Black Lugworm and Crab Cart. First stop and before I’d even had chance to cast in, I spotted some rod tips tapping. In next to no time Dave Sharp had a healthy curve in his rod and we slipped the net under a plump Codling of 7lb, which set the benchmark of 65cm for the longest Cod sweepstake.

    The breeze lifted mid morning making us swing on the anchor a bit and as we lost tide on the run into slack water, the bites really slowed up, so most of us stopped fishing and had a cup of tea and a sandwich…..very civilised!!

    I moved us close in to catch the very first sniff of the Flood Tide and no sooner than it came through, we were back in action for the remainder of the day. With the exception of a 30 minute period where a pack of Doggies moved in, we caught Codling all day. The average stamp wasn’t too bad either, with the majority of them being 3-4lb and only a handful of chuckbacks.

    Interestingly, there appeared to be little appetite for the Squid and Lug combo today. Crab Cart was what they really wanted and that’s what I ended up fishing on both rods during the afternoon.
    With the sweepstake still up for grabs, I connected with a better sized fish after dinner and after a spirited fight netted something of similar size to Dave’s fish from earlier. It was going to be close, so first we weighed it at 6lb 8oz, but it was long and lean and on the measure went 69cm which was the “longest” Cod of the day, even though Dave’s was heavier.

    Loads and loads of banter and mickey taking today, and a fantastic day out fishing for me with some great mates. Cheers boys, thanks for making an awesome day.

  • 14/01/2025 Fishing Report by Andy Savage

    14 Jan 2025 by Andy Savage

    It’s been awesome to get the last three days out at sea, at what can be a “dodgy” time weather wise. With building tides of 5m plus, I was hopeful that after the last stir up, we’d have some decent results.

    On Saturday, we ran North to try and use the last of the Ebb Tide. Unfortunately the NNW wind didn’t let the boat settle properly so we swung around and caught very little for the first hour. Moving further North to catch the flood tide Simon England started to pick off a fish or two on Crab Cart, Squid, or Black Lug. He’s a vastly experienced angler and had plenty of good bait at his disposal, no surprise he was top rod for the day.

    Simon West is a good angler (who I watch to make my tactical decisions) but hadn’t had much success at all during the morning, but on the Flood tide his Black Lug which he pumps himself started to yield results along with Squid and Crab Cart. Overall, the fish didn’t feed well and from what I saw, it was the anglers with the best bait, changed regularly, fished properly, that came out on top.

    Sunday saw a similar day. It was hard going again, but Jason Shields still managed to find a few fish. Once again, he is experienced at Uptiding and brought plenty of good bait…..a pattern emerges!!

    Today I made sure to let everyone know that having a good quantity and quality of bait would help secure success. Everyone took it on board and we had a much better day. The Ebb wasn’t brilliant, but the boys still managed a few Codling to 4lb or so. The turn of tide brought more consistency and Ian Purdom and Joe Clough maximised it by taking fish regularly, ending with a dozen or so fish each; with a couple over 4lb, but nothing huge. Everyone has been fantastic company and it was good to see a few old friends I’ve cancelled countless times last year.

    The message is quite clear….bring plenty of bait (I’ll happily advise), changed it regularly and don’t defrost it in Harbour Water and wash out all the scent. The scent trail is critical to success when Uptiding.

  • 27/12/2024 Fishing Report by Andy Savage

    27 Dec 2024 by Andy Savage

    It was great to work off a bit of excess Turkey and Christmas Pud today with an offshore wrecking trip, with a great bunch of lads.

    With the weather conditions looking settled, we chose to run off to try a couple of wrecks around the 20 mile stream. At this time of year, the inshore wrecks seem to yield very little, so it’s sometimes beneficial to run out a bit further where the water is perhaps a bit clearer. Using the Ebb Tide, we headed north for a couple of hours to fish a wreck which had been left alone for a couple of months, arriving with an hour or so to go before slack water. The lads went over with mainly Squid baited muppet traces or Hokkai’s and 12oz leads.

    First drift over we managed three Codling, so thankfully there were a few at home. The lads fished steady away taking fish every drift right up through slack water and into the flood tide. Codling were the main species landed with a couple of fish around 7lb being the biggest, but not a bad average stamp overall. We also had a trio of Ling, a stray Pollock and a handful of Haddock, Whiting and Pouting.

    Once the Flood tide got going and a seal arrived, sport slowed up, so we moved on to the next wreck. Disappointingly, this wreck didn’t have the same volume of feeding fish on it, with just one or two fish a drift of a much smaller stamp. With an hours fishing time left, I made the decision to try one more wreck on the way back to Whitby. This wreck was situated much closer to land at around nine miles, so I was unsure what we would find. As it turned out, we found practically nothing and would have been better off not moving. One Codling around 4lb and a couple of Pouting made it a bit of a damp squib to finish the day, but the boys aboard made it a very enjoyable one.

    Mike Griffiths had booked on with three of his mates and my highlight of the day was seeing all four of them into fish at the same time. They fished well today and all had a fair few to take home. A couple of the other boys didn’t fare quite so well, but that’s fishing for you.
    Thanks for coming today lads, you were all fantastic company.

  • 13/12/2024 Fishing Report by Andy Savage

    13 Dec 2024 by Andy Savage

    What a lovely day out we had today.......nice calm flat sea conditions, light winds, good tide and fantastic company. Considering the weather we had with "Storm Darragh" over the last weekend, I couldn't have asked for much better for the "Sea Urchin - Biggest Bag Competition" which we held today. The eight anglers aboard were fishing for the most fish that they could catch. Every fish was measured and then allocated a certain number of points according to species and how long it was. I kept a running tally all day and the two anglers with the highest points total at the end of the day would win the £100 and £50 cash prizes which I happily donate.

    We got away just as day was breaking, running North to Sandsend to get as much of the remaining Ebb Tide in as possible. No sooner than I got the anchor down, the fish started to appear. Rods were consistently nodding around the boat and a succession of mainly Codling came up for the next couple of hours. Gordon Blyth had a brilliant. start, catching steadily and also taking the best Codling at just over 5lb. The sport lasted right up to slack water, when we pulled the anchor and ran further North to meet the Flood Tide.

    Unfortunately, this move didn't work out well. The tide was running when we arrived, but after 20 minutes with very few bites and no fish aboard, I sacked it off and ran back South. Next stop, we were back in business. We had a reasonable couple of hours, with everyone getting a few fish. Amongst the Codling, Ian Kellock and Rich Winship both managed to find a nice Pollock apiece which was good to see.
    We had one last move, to drop onto a nice shelf which I'd fished the previous day.

    Thankfully, it didn't fish too badly and kept us entertained for the remainder of the day. Mark Botterill had been catching steadily throughout, but he had a golden hour and gradually clawed back the points deficit that Gordon had established; including catching the biggest Codling of the day at 66cm which weighed in at a smidge over 7lb. I am forever "banging on" about how important good bait is for Uptiding. The fish can see very little in the murky water and come primarily to the scent trail from the baits cast in. Today's top three point scoring anglers were all from Easington Sea Angling Club and all fish from the shore and boats throughout the year. They all had a good supply of fresh and frozen bait, which they changed every cast. Squid, Crab Cart, Peeler Crab, Live Yellow Tails, Mussel, Prawns, Black Lug. I'm 100% convinced that it made the difference.

    With an hour to go, Gordon had a 100 point lead, but Mark managed to find a couple more fish and with only 30 minutes to go, took the lead! It could have gone either way, but Mark held on for the win with 1717 points and Gordon finishing just behind (bridesmaid again after finishing runner up last year) with 1641 points.
    I'm not normally a "fish counter", but as we measured each fish, I do have some accurate stats today!

    72 Cod up to 66cm (7lb 4oz)
    12 Haddock (None Weighed)
    2 Pollock both 60cm
    8 Pouting none weighed
    1 Whiting not weighed
    5 Lobsters all safely returned

    It was a thoroughly enjoyable day for me, which absolutely flew by. Thanks very much to all the lads who were fantastic company.

  • 06/12/2024 Fishing Report by Andy Savage

    6 Dec 2024 by Andy Savage

    It's been a few weeks since I've been able to produce a catch report. We've suffered with the usual rubbish weather for the time of year. I've been keeping busy doing small jobs on the boat that I haven't had the chance to do through the Summer. I've also been down to Plymouth on a Tuna fishing/handling course with Kev Lavis who Skippers on Crusader Charters, which was really interesting and informative.

    On Wednesday and Thursday this week we finally got the chance to have a couple of days at sea. I had been asked once again to participate in a two day Uptiding Competition for the Police, Armed Forces and Civil Service. I was more than happy to join in having done the competition last year and had a brilliant time.

    Four of the WCSA Association boats had been chartered, so along with Shy Torque, Alliance and Trot-On we would be spending a couple of days Uptiding. The weather was pretty rough on the run-in to Wednesday, but thankfully, we managed to get out for both days in the end. I had a group of eight lads aboard who were very keen to get started and I could tell they took their fishing seriously, as they were all very well kitted out and organised with good bait.

    The format for the competition was that all the species of fish caught would be measured, then points were allocated according to species and size, off the chart which the Skippers were given by the organiser. So even a 25cm Pouting or 45cm Dogfish contributed points towards the overall total along with the preferred Codling etc. It's a really great way to fish, with every fish counting. Prizes would be awarded to the top three point scoring anglers over the combined two days. Also a prize was awarded for the biggest Codling (on the measure, not by weight).

    We ran south towards Robin Hoods Bay on Wednesday and we had a fairly reasonable day. The winds were light and with a 5.2m tide, we caught fairly consistently throughout the day and there were flushes of fish moving through so we only moved a couple of time to reposition the boat. There were plenty of Codling caught up to 55cm, along with Pouting, Whiting & Dogfish and a solo Haddock. The lads were using Squid and Black Lugworm baits in the main and fishing with running leads and flowing 3-4ft traces with a pennel arangement of hooks on; or scratching type rigs with smaller bits of bait on short hook snoods. Switching between the two different rigs allowed the lads to keep the bites coming and the scoreboard ticking over.

    Thursday gave slightly more breeze to contend with, but the sea conditions weren't bad at all, so we ran south again. For whatever reason, we caught probably half the quantity of fish we had the previous day. The most noticeable thing we found was that in the places we stopped at there weren't many flushes of fish running. We would initially catch the fish that were in the vicinity of the boat then it just died off. Consequently, we moved a few more times on Thursday to try and fish the fish.

    Overall it was two really enjoyable days at sea for me. With the additional measuring, netting and recording of all the fish caught, the days just flew by as I was always busy. The chat and banter amongst the lads was excellent and brutal in equal measure! We all convened at The Middle Earth Pub for Pie & Peas with a couple of pints to do the presentations to round off a great competition.

    Unfortunately I didn't get much chance to take any fish pictures, so I've just stuck with the sunrise on Wednesday morning. Thanks to everyone who took part. It was certainly a highlight of the year for me. Looking forward to 2025 already.

  • 08/11/2024 Fishing Report by Andy Savage

    8 Nov 2024 by Andy Savage

    There’s no getting away from it…….today’s fishing conditions were challenging for the lads aboard Sea Urchin.

    We left the harbour with the Flood tide running and a SSE wind blowing. This gave us a wind against tide situation, which held the boat up on the drift. I optimistically thought we’d try a wreck to begin with, but after three drifts with the lines running away and only a strap Ling to show for our efforts (as well as some lost tackle), I sacked the idea off. I now knew that unless the winds dropped away (which they were forecast to do in the afternoon, but didn’t), that we would be drifting the rough ground for the remainder of the day. As it turned out, that’s exactly what happened.

    We had two or three drifts on the three mile ground, but there was a fleet of pots running through the most productive area I’d found, so after half a dozen clean Codling, but more lost gear, we moved out another couple of miles. Slack water, was around 1100hrs today, but with the breeze we had, I doubt many people would have known! Gradually the drift line of the boat changed and we now had wind and tide together.

    The drift speed of the boat increased, so we spent the rest of the day on the seven and nine mile ground. We never got above a drift speed of 1.2 knots, but some of the anglers were really struggling to control their tackle.
    Sea Urchin regulars Ian Kellock and Dave Sharp had it nailed on. A 16oz lead and a single muppet trace to catch less tide. This has the effect of minimising drag and keeping your bait on the bottom for longer, allowing the fish more time to find it. These small changes make a big difference!

    Once the Ebb Tide was running, we found a nice ridge that held some decent stamp Cod. We had a few drifts where we put up some nice bright fish between 7-9lb which was great to see. Squid and/or Mackerel were the main baits today on the Muppet Traces. Ian Kellock was top rod with his best Cod going 9lb and Dave Sharp chipped in with the biggest Ling just into double figures. Fran Schaap also had a good day, taking Cod to 8lb and Ling of a similar size.

    Great bunch of lads aboard today

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