Latest Fishing Reports: Sea Urchin IIl
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30/11/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
30 Nov 2022 by Andy Savage
The Three Amigos turn out to be one wreck wonders!!
Mark Johnson, Bob Nicholls and Jeff Hoggard booked the boat for themselves today. With the falling tides, Uptiding wasn’t really a great option, so with the settled weather, I thought that some of the wrecks in the 20 mile stream might be holding a few fish. We haven’t been able to fish them for quite some time with the poor/inconsistent weather we’ve had. The lads were in agreement, so we headed out at first light.
On arrival at the first wreck, I set up the drift and as soon as Mark got to the bottom, he was into fish. He cranked up, what appeared to be a decent fish, but it turns out that two nice plump Codling had jumped straight onto his pennel hooks. I immediately thought that there must be a few down there….and boy, was I right!!
The rest of the day was spent on the same wreck. We caught fish after fish after fish. I lost count of the number of drifts where we were all playing fish at once. It was absolutely fantastic sport. The average size of the fish was equally impressive as the quantity; with loads in the 5-7lb bracket. Whilst we didn’t land any monsters, Jeff Hoggard took the biggest Codling at just over 8lb, but that didn’t really matter, it was the quality of the fish which impressed so much.
It truly was a day to remember and one as anglers we always hope for. We all caught loads and it was a day spent in great company.
Thanks very much for your excellent company lads. See you in a couple of weeks. -
28/11/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
28 Nov 2022 by Andy Savage
The Spring Tides are just starting to fall away, so today saw us out for a days Uptiding.
We used the last of the flood tide to run South for a few miles and then had to wait for half an hour or so for the Ebb Tide to get away properly. The first stop didn’t turn out to be particularly productive, so with only a few small Codling and Pouting to show for our efforts we pulled the anchor and had a move.
This heralded much better results with some nice Codling up to 6lb coming up. Everyone pretty much went with Squid and Black Lugworm (as usual). There was some great banter which always makes for a good day out and the weather was excellent for a change. We had a couple more moves during the day when bites dried up, and all too soon it was time to head back in.
Thanks to everyone on board for being great company, I had a lovely day out. -
14/11/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
14 Nov 2022 by Andy Savage
I’ve waited a while….but today was one of the few times this year that I’ve actually fished all day on wrecks and rough ground. The group of anglers were all friends and experienced anglers who know how to look after themselves, which is what’s needed for me to be able to relax a bit and fish properly.
We started the day on a few wrecks a couple of miles from the pier ends. With it being wind against tide, we had a decent drift speed and managed to pick up a fair few Codling each run through, along with a few inevitable tackle loses!! Martin Novo took a lovely Codling of 7lb 12oz off the first wreck, which was the biggest Codling of the day.
Everyone fished very similar, with rigs and baits we all know work well. Muppet bait traces (tied on 100lb mono) with pennel hook arrangements 8/0 - 6/0 hooks) using whole Squid. Or alternatively a set of baited Hokkai’s on rough ground. After a couple of hours of steady fishing, sport really slowed down through slack water. We tried a couple of different wrecks, but the tide was obviously key to getting the fish feeding.
Once the Ebb tide was away we moved to some nearby rough ground, which has been pretty kind to me this year. Thankfully, once the Ebb was at full speed we were back in business, with plenty of bites and fish. Having set up one particular drift, I had to take a phone call from a customer wanting to make a booking. When I came out of the wheelhouse, the only rod not playing a fish was mine!! Ian Kellock had a 12lb Ling, Jim Lister had a 10lb Ling and the others had nice Codling…..at least I was on hand to play “gillie” …..as usual!! ��
In a similar pattern to yesterday, once the best of the Ebb Tide had run through, bites tailed off quickly for us. The lads weren’t keen on flogging a “dead horse”, so we decided to take an early bath and headed back in to Whitby by mid afternoon. A big thanks to the boys from me. They’re all brilliant company, good anglers and allowed me to scratch my fishing “itch”. As it turned out, I had ten nice Codling to take back to Sea Urchin HQ. What a fantastic day! Thanks everyone. -
13/11/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
13 Nov 2022 by Andy Savage
With a slightly smaller 4.9m tide today, I decided to go and have a look on some of the rough ground and maybe a wreck or two. James Tuck brought five of his mates who hadn’t fished for a long time and needed a bit of guidance from us. The rest of the lads on board had their own gear and fished fairly regularly. So a mixed abilities group today.
The wind strength far exceeded what I had hoped for and made fishing conditions quite challenging as there was a bit of movement, making the boat pitch and roll on the drift. Initially we ran to some rough ground three miles out, to asses the drift speed, before maybe trying a wreck. With wind against tide, the drift speed of the boat wasn’t covering the ground sufficiently, so it was a baptism of fire and straight to a nearby wreck!!
Credit to the less experienced lads, they got to grips with controlling the gear in tricky conditions very quickly and started to pick away a few fish every drift over the wreck. It took 16oz of lead to control the gear properly today, and a muppet bait trace with either Squid or Squid and Black Lug did the bites. The two wrecks we fished over slack threw up mainly Codling to 5lb 8oz. We didn’t manage to clip anything any bigger, but there were plenty of bites.
Once the Ebb tide got away, we had wind and tide together, so moved back onto rough ground as the drift speed got to 1.7 knots. Now we were covering the ground, we found 3-6 fish a drift of mostly Codling, with an an odd strap Ling or two making an appearance. That’s how the remainder of the day went. We kept on the move, finishing up on the five mile ground and kept picking away until we lost a bit of tide. That really slowed things down, so it was a bit of a slow last hour, but by then everyone on board had fish to take away.
The lads kept on taking the mickey out of each other all day and it really kept up everyone’s spirits, making it a good day out in tough conditions. Well done on some great angling boys. -
12/11/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
12 Nov 2022 by Andy Savage
With the bigger of the Spring tides out of the way, we had some nice conditions for Uptiding today. Onboard were a great group of lads of mixed angling experiences. From brand new, to Salty Sea Dog!
Today we chose to use the last of the flood tide and ran a few miles south towards Robin Hoods Bay. We timed our arrival well, with the Ebb Tide just getting away nicely as we dropped anchor. This gave us a good few hours of consistent tide to fish. We ran through baiting up and casting with the lads that needed it and everyone was away. To be fair, the fishing wasn’t bad at all to start with. Plenty of bites from some hungry Codling. The size of the fish weren’t enormous, with quite a few throwbacks, but a few better ones amongst them up to 5lb 8oz.
A couple of hours in, we had our first move as the bites had slowed down. Almost immediately after setting the anchor, fish were coming up again. This particular spot threw up a number of Pollock, which was unusual at this time of year. It seemed that there were a flurry of fish when the anchor first got dropped, then the bites petered out as time went on. This was pretty much the pattern for the day.
The run into slack water wasn’t particularly good, and the bites didn’t start to come again in numbers, until the flood tide got away properly. It was really good to see the lads who were new to it getting a few fish. Richard Cunliffe in particular did really well, taking a nice bag of fish away.
I always mention the most productive bait, but Uptiding at Whitby it is almost always the usual suspects. Squid and Black Lug cocktails ruled today #standard Tony Firman had a go with Crab Cart from time to time, but interestingly noticed no discernible difference in bites.
There was some great banter on board, which always makes for a good day out. Well done lads and thanks for a lovely day out. -
06/11/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
6 Nov 2022 by Andy Savage
Today I had a group of experienced anglers aboard who were keen to try the inshore uptiding grounds. It was the first attempt we’ve had this winter and the water hasn’t had a good stir up yet, so it was a bit of an unknown entity.
With moderate South Westerly winds and a 5.4m tide, we would be tucking in close to the cliffs to get in the lee of the wind. We headed north up the coast and first stop was a nice rough area at 3 miles. Once we got the anchor set I went below to make everyone a brew. When I returned five minutes there were three Codling on board already!! Gaz Townend taking a beautiful, clean 4lb fish first cast.
Everyone got off the mark at the first stop, but it quietened after an hour, so a move further up the coast was in order. We had a similar result again, with a flurry of quick fish, this time Ian Kellock taking a mint 5lb Codling amongst the other fish boated. The fish all fell for cocktail baits of either Squid, Black Lug or Crab Cart. We moved a total of four times today, with only one spot being unproductive. Si England was top rod, with a nice box of ten Codling to 6lb to take home, plus some throwbacks.
The fishing conditions were far from perfect today, but there was plenty of bites and plenty of chat all day, making it really enjoyable. Evidently, there are also plenty of fish knocking around, so it might be worth reconsidering hanging up the rods for the winter and having a run out.
Well done today guy’s, some good angling on display -
03/11/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
3 Nov 2022 by Andy Savage
With a break in the weather today, we had a fantastic group of lads, eager to get out fishing. With eight sets of hire tackle out, it was going to be a good opportunity to get some less experienced anglers catching fish, which is something I really enjoy.
Having not been out for a while, we had an optimistic look to see if there were any Mackerel left to catch for fresh bait. Surprisingly we pick up a fair few on the feathers. Lots of Joey’s but also a few strings of “regular sized” ones came up.
We started the day drifting the rough ground at three miles. This gave the lads who hadn’t fished before, chance to get into the routine of feeling for bites and controlling the gear. My regular bait traces mounted with Squid and/or Mackerel got us off to a great start, with a nice picking of Ling and Codling. Igors Fortuna initially took the biggest Ling at 10lb 12oz and Andy Thornton the biggest Codling at 6lb 12oz. We stuck with it for the next hour or so and everyone got themselves off the mark and built confidence.
Once the flood tide got away properly we had a quiet twenty minutes with the drift speed going up to 1.5 knots. I decided to push us out to the five mile ground so we could lose a bit of tide and slow down the drift. This worked well and the run of fish continued, with the lads taking up to eight fish a drift. Igors Fortuna took another double figure Ling and Andy Thornton took a 12lb 8oz Ling giving him the biggest Cod and Ling for the day (great angling Andy).
The average size of the Codling wasn’t massive on the ground, with more in the 2-4lb range than the 4-6lb Class. With everyone in the groove, we finished the day on a couple of wrecks where we found some better Codling. Paul Hargreaves was after a new PB and he landed it on his last cast of the day….fantastic!!
A massive thanks to everyone for coming along. You all fished and caught really well….hope to see you again soon -
03/10/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
3 Oct 2022 by Andy Savage
Wow…..it’s been hard to get out fishing recently. In September we managed a total of five days at sea, and October has started equally as rubbish.
With a temporary lull in the pants weather, we did finally manage a day out yesterday. With a group of experienced anglers on board, I was optimistic that we might find a few fish, if they were feeding. Having not been out to sea for over a week, we had a tentative look for a few fresh Mackerel. Running out to the five mile ground, we did find Mackerel, but in the main, they were absolutely tiny. Strings of 4-6” fish came up, which was quite bazaar. In the end, we found enough to get us going.
We had an hour or so drifting the five mile ground and initially we were getting plenty of bites, mainly from small Codling. Once the flood tide got away properly, the bites tailed off a bit. Keeping on the move, I took us into some ground at three miles, so we could drop onto some wrecks close by when the tide began to ease. The first couple of drifts didn’t produce much, but then the wind fell away a bit and the tide eased a smidge. It was like someone had flicked the fish feeding switch. All of a sudden; we had six rods in at once, and the boys wrestled up a fair few fish in the next hour. It was mainly Ling with the best fish around double figures, but lots of bites and a good few fish in the boxes.
As slack approached, we went to a couple of wrecks, and had a few fish, but nothing exceptional. I called it early off the wrecks and went back to rough ground. We finished the day catching steadily. We caught plenty of Ling and Codling, but the size of the Codling was on the small side. Mike Lee was top rod for the day, and filled a box to the top with some cracking fish. It was a lovely day out with anglers who I’ve had to cancel too many times for bad weather this year.
Thanks for coming boys. -
25/09/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
25 Sep 2022 by Andy Savage
Today was definitely another day that didn’t match the forecast. We were expecting lightish winds first thing and then gradually building as the day progressed. When we came out of the pier ends, it was moving already and just built as the day progressed…..but we were going to make the best of it!
We had a group of mixed experiences on board. Unfortunately a few spent the day putting in a “chum” trail, but the other lads really got stuck in. With slack water approaching as we left the harbour, we went straight to a wreck to try and get a better fish at slack water. The lines started streaming a bit, and we lost too much gear in the three drifts we tried, so that was scratched, and we went to try and find some fresh Mackerel to lure a Ling or two.
Pushing out to a wreck just short of the five mile ground, we found plenty of Mackerel to keep us going for the rest of the day. With a long stretch of rough ground just in front of us, we started at the north end and worked our way back south. Most of the lads went in with Hokkai’s or bait traces with squid or Mackerel. Today, Hokkai’s definitely ruled.
Sea Urchin regular Keith McCance got stuck straight in. He took one or two fish every drift and then connected with something a bit different. He was fishing under the boat, so it wasn’t until the last minute we saw a nice sized Ling shuffle up. It looked a decent size, and we had a go at weighing it, but with the swell we settled on 14lb…ish! As it turned out, the Ling weighed 14lb 12oz which was a great result.
It went a bit quiet, so we moved back into the rough ground at three miles. Two or three small Codling and Ling a drift encouragingly showed signs of life. I’d just gone to get a sandwich from my dinner box, when I saw Karl Crossland struggling. As he was fishing under the boat, I thought he was stuck on the bottom; but I was wrong! He slowly but surely winched up up a nice Ling, which turned out to be 13lb 2oz.
We plugged away for the remainder of what was a tough day. I really enjoyed the day, with some great banter from the boys. If you can catch fish in today’s conditions, you’ll smash em’ in good conditions. -
09/09/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
9 Sep 2022 by Andy Savage
It's been a while since I've given an update on the fishing on Sea Urchin. There's a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, I've been away on holiday for a week with my family; but mainly the weather and fishing have been well below par. Whilst I love writing about the brilliant days, it's equally important to give a bit of balance. Not every trip is a red letter day. Quite frankly, some are an absolute grind when the fish aren't playing ball.
Since the last catch report dated 25th August, we've only been to sea four times. On each occasion we've been out on the bigger tides above 5m. That's not to say we wouldn't catch fish, but the fishing conditions are more tricky on a bigger tides at this time of year.
(26th August) John Turnbull and a couple of friends took the boat for the day, which resulted in a few fish around slack water off the wrecks, but we couldn't find many fish on the rough ground. The best falling to Pete, with a Ling of 11lb 8oz. Bait fishing with fresh Mackerel caught the majority of the fish.
(27th & 28th August) The weekend saw rising tides well above 5m and the fishing remained difficult. In a similar pattern, the wrecks did a few fish during slack water, but there wasn't much taken off the rough ground.
Our last trip was yesterday (7th Sept) and once again it was a real battle to find some fish. The conditions in themselves weren't too bad, but with a drift speed around 2 knots in the morning, the lines were streaming. We found a few small Codling and one Ling around 5lb for Charlie Hewitt. The rough ground produced very little yet again.
During this time, the common theme has been that there is alot of natural feed in the water. It shows on the echo sounder and there are seals, whales, dolphins, porpoise, gannets etc all over the place. We were surrounded by over 50 seals yesterday afternoon on the 7 mile ground. I firmly believe that the fish have an all you can eat buffet at their disposal at the moment and don't really need the anglers baits.
This weekend, we're just coming into another set of near 6m Spring Tides, so I'm not going to punish myself or the inexperienced anglers who usually end up on these tides, by going out to sea. Hopefully towards the end of next week things will settle down and the neap tides will do us plenty of fish.
For anyone interested, I've now adjusted the November and December Booking Calendar on CBUK to show the days where we are planning to wreck fish and uptide. If you fancy a run out, just drop me a line.
Tight Lines
Andy
