Latest Fishing Reports: Sea Urchin IIl
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12/06/2023
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
12 Jun 2023 by Andy Savage
Without a shadow of a doubt; the warmest, flattest day of the year so far. A beautiful day spent at sea….
Today’s group were all experienced anglers, so I was looking forward to a days wreck hopping on the inshore wrecks. We initially tried a couple of spots for Mackerel, but after just 3 single fish, we sacked that off and dropped on our first wreck.
The first one gave us a few Codling and small Ling, but the drift line meant we were crossing the wreck, instead of running along it. We opted to move on and pleasingly, the second wreck seemed to have quite a few feeding fish on it. The next two hours provided some consistent sport, right through slack water. A nice stamp of Codling with quite a few in the 3-5lb bracket.
Joe was really on form fishing with a blue Mackerel imitation Shad, taking a Codling or two every drift. The best drift gave six fish, but 2 or 3 fish a time most others. Shads and muppet bait traces both caught well.
Just after slack water, as the Flood tide came through, Alan hooked a much better fish. It took a bit of keeping out of the wreck, but he got it moving. After a slow and steady fight with some heavy thumps, a lovely Cod came up through the now clear water. The fish weighed in at 13lb 4oz and was a brilliant reward for Alan, who has kept me supplied with his fantastic Thai Green Curry for the last couple of years.
We fished another 5 wrecks throughout the day, picking off fish here and there; but nothing came close to matching the second one. It seems that an odd wreck is well stacked at the moment, but it’s a bit of a numbers game.
We got lucky today, finding the productive one.
The lads were all brilliant company and it was a thoroughly enjoyable day out for me. Thanks everyone. -
11/06/2023
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
11 Jun 2023 by Andy Savage
The last couple of trips have seen two completely different approaches.
I had three friends join me last week for a days Lure Fishing tight inside, under the cliffs. We didn’t know if the water would be clear enough yet, but we certainly got some fish on the flood tide. Pollack and Codling took a selection of metal lures, shads and Jellyworms for a few hours, which was great sport. I also saw my first Minky Whale of the year, so the Herring must be on their way.
Today we had a great bunch of lads on and with a tide just below 5m, we headed off early so we could get in two slack waters to maximise time on the wrecks, where there has been a better stamp of fish recently.
It was worth going out early, as we got a few Codling to 4lb in the boxes by the time the Ebb finished.
We then ran out to the seven mile rough ground for a few hours drift fishing. We didn’t take anything enormous, but there were plenty of bites each drift from Codling, Haddock, Ling, Whiting, Pouting and a solo Scorpion Fish.
We ran back inside for the second slack, but the wrecks we picked didn’t produce much at all. I took us to the three mile ground to finish off and pleasingly, we found a few pockets of fish. Biggest fish of the day was a Ling of 9lb 4oz, but after that we were down to 4lb Codling.
Nothing much to write home about, but everyone got a few to take home and I really enjoyed the company. With falling tides the next few days, and some settled weather, hopefully we’ll manage to find a few. -
05/06/2023
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
5 Jun 2023 by Andy Savage
A day out on the Spring Tides today with a fantastic group of lads.
As reported previously, we’ve struggled to find any bigger fish on the areas of rough ground around Whitby in recent trips. To be fair, today was no different…..The bigger Spring Tides find us fishing the rough ground for the majority of the day because the boat drifts too fast to catch off the wrecks.
Today we ran out and dropped straight on an inshore wreck as the tide was fairly slack. We got 2-3 Codling for a few drifts, but then the Ebb Tide pushed through and made the drift too fast to continue. Muppet bait traces, baited with a whole Squid accounted for all the fish, and pleasingly, the lads using my hire tackle, got to grips with things quickly and got off the mark.
Once the tide was away, we ran out to the seven mile ground first, for a handful of small Codling and Haddock; then went out another couple of miles to lose as much tide as possible. The sport was patchy, but we did find one consistent area that fished ok for an hour. Plenty of bites from small Codling and Haddock kept things ticking over.
Just after dinner we committed and ran back inside to catch the second slack water. We fished four wrecks during the last two hours. Three of them were pretty rubbish, but the last one saved the day, giving a few fish a drift. Some nice Codling, with the biggest of 7lb falling to Peter Koska.
A big thank you to everyone for coming today. Everyone got a few to take home, with the exception of Gordon Carter, who was on his first trip on Sea Urchin. Seasoned angler Gordon explained that he has had “new boat” bad luck before…..unfortunately he drew a blank today, but was excellent company nonetheless. Revenge is sweet Gordon..unfinished business. -
03/06/2023
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
3 Jun 2023 by Andy Savage
I’ve done three trips since I last did a report and there is a good reason for that……The fishing has been far from brilliant for us and the fish we have been getting have been on the small side, with only a couple of fish over 5lb.
We’ve currently got Northerly winds coming at us, but they haven’t been massive, so we’ve got a few trips in. The actual fishing conditions haven’t been perfect, with the anglers having to combat lines streaming a bit at certain points of the day.
We’ve fished wrecks and rough ground, catching fish from both, but not in the numbers and size I hoped for. There are plenty of bites to be had on the rough ground from small Codling, Haddock and Ling but the better size fish just don’t seem to have arrived yet. A few “Scout” Mackerel also came off the 5 Mile ground.
All methods are catching as the water clears out. Hokkai’s baited with Squid have dominated the rough ground and bait traces with Squid on the wrecks. Shads are catching plenty for the anglers who choose to use them from ground and wrecks.
With the lack of decent fish, it’s a bit of a non-report, but I like to let everyone know what’s going on. As Del Trotter says..…..it’s not all Champagne and Skittles!! Tomorrow is another day and we always hope for a few decent fish.
Thanks to all the anglers who have joined me for a day out, your support is greatly appreciated. -
29/05/2023
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
29 May 2023 by Andy Savage
A lovely day out today with a fantastic group of anglers. Top day in the office for me….
Simon Ullyot and five friends had the boat for their first trip of 2023. With the tiny tide and light winds it was always going to be a day on the wrecks.
We ran south a few miles to our first wreck and pleasingly it gave us some solid sport for a couple of hours. We took 2-4 Codling every drift and Norman Taylor was clumping them every run through. Nothing massive, but a lovely clean fish between 3-5lb.
We proceeded to wreck hop for the rest of the day. In total we fished seven wrecks and just two were unproductive. It was great to finally get a bit of consistent sport.
It was inevitable, but Annie Helliwell stole the show today. On her first boat trip, having never fished wrecks or caught a Cod, she took plenty of fish and also the biggest Codling of the day. She took on board the advice offered and it was great to see her improve as the day went on.
The majority of the fish came to muppet bait traces with a whole squid mounted on them. But, when tried, the Shads were also working, Whites and Rhubarb & Custard being best. A sure sign that it is clearing out nicely.
Everyone had plenty to take home today. A fantastic day spent in great company. -
26/05/2023
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
26 May 2023 by Andy Savage
Today we had a day out on the offshore wrecks……and pleasingly it wasn’t too bad. Not brilliant, but definitely an improvement with the falling tides.
We ran out to some wrecks in the 20 mile stream in an attempt to find a better stamp of fish.
The first wreck definitely had a few fish on, but the lines were just streaming a little and the drift speed was a touch too fast for ideal fishing conditions. We took one or two fish a drift, which were mainly Codling, then Krzysztof Siwiec hooked a decent fish on a Squid baited Muppet trace. It turned out to be a nice 8lb 8oz Ling. We kept at it for a couple of hours then moved on as we were losing a bit of gear, and not getting so many fish.
On the next wreck we were greeted by a Seal and having taken a few quick fish (including a nice 9lb 4 oz Ling for Don Wang) we moved on as it seemed the fishing had been affected. The next wreck saved the day, with 2-4 fish a drift with mainly a nice stamp of Codling in the 3-4lb bracket.
Sea Urchin “stalwart” Ian Kellock was aboard today and fished brilliantly taking a great bag of fish on Shads and was “Top Rod” by a comfortable margin.
It was fantastic to see a few better sized fish making an appearance, but will be even better when we don’t have to run out so far to find them.
A massive thanks to everyone for an enjoyable day out. -
25/05/2023
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
25 May 2023 by Andy Savage
We’ve kept plugging away the last three days. To be honest, it’s been great to finally string a few days together, with anglers who I’ve had to cancel for bad weather on countless occasions recently.
Unfortunately, nothing much has changed in terms of the fishing. We’ve continued with plenty of bites from small Codling, Haddock, Whiting and Ling on the rough ground.
We tried a few inshore wrecks today, with an odd fish from each one, but they’re definitely not ripe for the picking yet. The anglers have been fantastic company and very patient as we’ve kept on the move looking to find a better fish here and there.
To summarise, we’ve had a couple of better size fish each day, but they were definitely the exception and not the rule. The biggest going 7lb 8oz from a wreck we tried this morning.
There have been a couple of “Scout” Mackerel caught on other boats, so the clock is ticking…..a huge thanks to the lads this week. The banter has been great. -
14/05/2023
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
14 May 2023 by Andy Savage
We were back at it again today, but we changed the plan from the previous two days. Instead of running out to the 20 mile stream wrecks, the lads were keen to try a couple of the inshore ones and get more fishing time.
We tried a small wreck first, just five miles from the pier ends. After three drifts, we had only three Codling and a couple of Pouting, so we moved on a couple of miles to a larger wreck. Pleasingly, over the next two hours we had some solid fishing, catching consistently and for the first time this year, slack water was also equally productive. Steve Martin, Neil Fell-Edwards and Keith McCance all took Codling over 5lb and we had a decent stamp overall.
All the fish today came to the usual muppet bait traces with a whole squid mounted on the pennel hooks. Once the Flood Tide came through the rigs were getting stuck a bit more frequently, so we reluctantly moved on.
We fished another three wrecks, but took only a handful of fish from them. Keith helped himself to the biggest fish of the day when the last wreck we fished produced a nice 9lb 8oz Ling. It wasn’t a “Red Letter” day by any stretch, but there are definite signs that the inshore waters are starting to clear out a bit.
Can’t wait for some inshore “wreck hopping” once it clears out properly. Thanks to everyone today for some great company and solid fishing. -
13/05/2023
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
13 May 2023 by Andy Savage
Today I had the pleasure of The Keel Inn Sea Angling Club from Barnsley on board. After cancelling all their trips last year for bad weather, it was good to finally get them out.
The Northerly wind was a little fresh to start with, but we steamed off to some wrecks in the 20 mile steam again, so it had already started to ease when we arrived at the first wreck of the day. First drop with the tide flooding nicely, saw half a dozen fish come up….encouraging signs. We took 2-4 fish a drift for the next ninety minutes. Mainly Codling in the 3-5lb bracket and a few strap Ling, plus the obligatory small Haddock.
We moved on as the bites slowed right down. The next wreck gave us another decent hour, with Paul “Tog” Edwards taking the biggest Codling of the day at 7lb 8oz.
Quite a few of the lads opted to use Hokkai/Daylight traces today, baited with either Squid, Shrimp or Mackerel, which is a bit different from the “norm” when wrecking at Whitby. After the bites dried up on the second wreck, we moved on to try one more. We took a fish or two each drift, but it never really got going. The fishing overall today wasn’t too bad, with everyone having a few fish to take home.
I don’t particularly like running out 20 miles as it reduces the amount of time we spend fishing, but if I think it’s the best option to get a better stamp of fish, that’s what we have to do.
The lads on board were all great company and I’m looking forward to their next trip when hopefully the wrecks inside will have sparked back into life. -
11/05/2023
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
11 May 2023 by Andy Savage
Today it was finally time to break out the Factor 50!! We have had barely a breath of wind and fantastic sunshine all day.
With settled weather this week, Tuesday and Wednesday saw us spend most of the days drifting rough ground and a wreck or two at slack water with the Spring 5m tides. The fishing wasn’t exceptional by any standards, with mainly small fish landed, but plenty of bites to the baited Hokkai’s. There are lots of Haddock being caught at the moment, we caught more Haddock on Wednesday, than I had the entire year, last year.
Today we were back into the 4m tide range, so we ran off to some wrecks in the 20 mile stream. First wreck saw some solid fishing for three hours. Most drifts we took 3-5 fish mainly Codling with an odd Ling. They were lovely clean fish mostly in the 3-5lb bracket. Shaun Marchington taking the biggest Codling at just over 7lb. Shads did a few bites initially, but Muppet Bait Traces, baited with a whole squid were really doing the business.
Once the tide fell away towards slack water, we moved on as the bites dried up. The next wreck marked really well on the echo sounder, but we got nothing but small Haddock and a few Codling.
After an hour and with the Ebb Tide away properly, we moved on.
The last wreck we fished wasn’t bad considering the drift speed was 1.2 knots. Some beautiful clean Codling to 5lb for everyone to finish the day.
The weather was fantastic today and the company on board were the same. It’s the most enjoyable day out I’ve had for a while. Plenty of fish caught in fantastic company. Well done everyone.
