Latest Fishing Reports: Galloper
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07/2022
Fishing Report by Scott Belbin
Jul 2022 by Scott Belbin
As our main tope season draws to a close I is about time I bought you up to date with our some of our tope trips this year. As with many things the tope were a little behind in places this year. Our first few trips produced some lost fish and small fish as well as a late pack of spurdogs. Denis managed the first decent tope of the season for us. it was his first ever tope and a fine male fish of 43lbs. we then missed a set of tides while I was away on holiday but I returned to a busy run of trips and improving tides. As ever with tope fishing things were hit and miss but we expect that. Some days saw only small tope, one or two roker or the occasional big bass amongst the dogfish. this is why I am selective with who I take tope fishing. everybody understands that we may be fishing for just one or two decent fish or none at all! Luckily it isn’t often that we blank totally on the tope and we can see some decent numbers.
Mick had the next decent tope, a new PB for him after several trips and seeing plenty of others landed he finally boated a 44lb female tope. I was very pleased to see his efforts rewarded as I am sure was Mick.
Tony Dunn and the lads had a good day on the tope. By all accounts the lads have seen some very decent fish in the past with Kev holding the record for the group. He must do something right as he got our trip started with a cracking brace of fish. firstly a 44lb fish then a 43lber. Graham wasn’t to be left out matching Kev’s 44lber him self and Tony had another decent fish of 35lbs. we had a few smaller tope too.
Our best day this saw 14 tope bought to the Galloper which is a good day by any standards but the stamp of fish really made it. the fishing was pretty steady and uncle Steve got things started for us with a couple of nice fish. Barry and Charlie had two decent fish both 41lbs. I was particularly happy to see Charlie catch a decent tope after adapting his tackle and technique to better suit our style of fishing and I paid off! When a decent fish is hooked we Normally tend to reel in any lines that may be in the way but towards the end of the day Charlie was playing a small tope and said there was no need for everybody to reel in. sure enough Rolf’s line got bitten off by Charlies fish as it neared the boat. With Rolf being a competition angler he lowered a spare rod down while he re-tackled his up-tider. The second rod happened to be a tubertini telescopic continental rod with a very light quiver tip on it. Uncle Steve hooked into a better tope and Charlie lent a hand trying to keep Rolf’s line out of the way while Steve played his fish. while he was holding the rod Charlie said ‘Rolf, you’ve got a bite here’ we dismissed it as uncle Steve’s fish had probably caught it. Charlie became more insistent that Rolf’s rod was going out of time with Steve’s. so Rolf took his rod back and sure enough we now had two decent fish on. Steve’s was to the boat first while we could just see colour from Rolf’s fish. we sorted Steve’s fish out while Rolf’s crept closer to the boat. As it did so I could see that this fish had far more girth to it as it held in the tide. it has to be said that the tubertini rod was performing as well as you might expect. however the lack of strength in the tip meant every time the fish neared the boat it only took one flick of the tail and it was back down again. There were several stressful minutes before I could finally get the net under her. She was a great fish and the best of the year at 49.8lbs. no mean feat on such a light rod. There are anglers and dangers though and after all you don’t fish for your country if you are a Dangler!
A special mention has to go to Ian too. He put some serious effort in once again this year. His best trip was when he hired the boat on his own. Thankfully the expense was justified with 4 decent fish and another lost. Two 30’s and two 40’s but these weren’t the biggest catch of his day oddly enough. Ian’s tackle was put to the test when he hauled several stone of rubbish up from the bottom! There was all sorts tangled together in what looked like some kind of modern art exhibition. This took a bit of lifting once on the boat so it really is testament to his tackle and knots.
All in all it was fun while it lasted but the tope will have to wait until next year for our attention now. We may pick a stay big fish up accidently but for now our attention will be turned to the offshore bass fishing until the end of November as well as a few other different trips with any luck. If you would like to join us for bass in the coming months, spurs through the winter and spring or next years tope trips then please get in touch.
For regular updates, availability and more information please visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk find us on social media or call Scott on 07956411528
I have availability mid-week throughout the summer so please get in touch if you want to get booked in. its also worth keeping an eye out for last minute spaces with groups or where people drop out. I will list my current list of spaces but there are likely to be other dates so its always worth giving me a call. If I am out of signal range I will get back to you asap.
Spaces as follows
06/08/22- offshore trip 3 spaces @ £100pp max 7 anglers
09/08-whole boat available for general trip
11/08- whole boat available for general trip
15th-19th Whole boat availability for offshore bass trips call for info
25/08/22 Clacton air show trip fish while they fly 10 spaces @ £60pp
26/08/22- Clacton air show trip fish while they fly 2 spaces @ £60pp
28/08/22-2 spaces @ £70pp max 7 anglers
30th-02nd- Whole boat availability for offshore bass trips call for info
Not all dates advertised, other spaces available for full boat bookings upon request please call 07956411528 for more information -
07/2022
Fishing Report by Scott Belbin
Jul 2022 by Scott Belbin
weather has been great the last week. there have been plenty off bass showing along with other species such as smooth-hounds, the odd rays, and even some mackerel.
Adrian Sid and Kev hired the boat for a last minute trip in the sweltering heat and had more bass than they could shake a shiny thing at as well as a few hounds and mackerel.
i have a few spaces coming up including two tomorrow (Monday 25/07/22) if you fancy joining us then please get in touch on 07956411528 -
07/2022
Fishing Report by Scott Belbin
Jul 2022 by Scott Belbin
This week I thought I would put together some pictures of some of the ladies who have joined us lately. I love the fact that angling can be so inclusive and try my best to encourage everybody to come out and enjoy it. its great to see ladies, gentlemen, young children and those of you in later years getting stuck in. it doesn’t matter if you are a complete novice or an international angler, as long as you have a bait in the water you are in with a chance. Of course I will do my best to guide beginners as do many of our friendly regulars.
The only problem is these ladies have a tendency to outfit the rest of us on a regular basis! Honey currently has the biggest bass on the year so far, Laura beat Sam’s PB hound, Abby pulled out a smooth-hound on her first cast in the estuary on an evening trip and the list goes on. As skipper I don’t care who catches them I just want to see fish on the boat though I have had my fair share of egg on my face with Stacey out fishing me on a regular basis. Lets hope Stacey is the one teaching Stanley to fish! I am fairly well booked up but I do happen to have spaces on this Sunday (24th) x 4 @ £60pp, Monday (25th) x 2 @ £70pp and the following Monday (01/08) x 8 @ £60pp as well as a few mid week boat bookings available.
I have availability mid-week throughout the summer so please get in touch if you want to get booked in. its also worth keeping an eye out for last minute spaces with groups or where people drop out. I will list my current list of spaces but there are likely to be other dates so its always worth giving me a call. If I am out of signal range I will get back to you asap
Not all dates advertised, other spaces available for full boat bookings upon request please call 07956411528 for more information -
07/2022
Fishing Report by Scott Belbin
Jul 2022 by Scott Belbin
The weather has been pretty barmy here in Essex lately. Luckily we have been out on the Galloper a lot and making the most of conditions. There have been a mix of species such as smooth-hounds, dogfish, thorn-back rays, mackerel and numbers of bass in places.
Pictured are Jono and his Dad had a nice brace of bass which came aboard at the same time. There were several more caught that day too.
I am fairly well booked up but I do happen to have this Monday and Tuesday available for full boat bookings. These look like the hottest days of the year so far so if you fancy getting afloat please get in touch.
I have spaces next Sunday (24/07) and Monday (25/07) too if its too hot for you this week.
I have availability mid-week throughout the summer so please get in touch if you want to get booked in. its also worth keeping an eye out for last minute spaces with groups or where people drop out. I will list my current list of spaces but there are likely to be other dates so its always worth giving me a call. If I am out of signal range I will get back to you asap
Spaces as follows
24/07/22-general trip 4 spaces @ £60pp
25/07/22-4 spaces @ £70pp max 7 anglers
01/08/22-5 spaces @ £70pp max 7 anglers
06/08/22- offshore trip 3 spaces @ £100pp max 7 anglers
20/08/22-offshore trip 3 spaces @ £100pp max 7 anglers
25/08/22 Clacton air show trip fish while they fly 10 spaces @ £60pp
26/08/22- Clacton air show trip fish while they fly 2 spaces @ £60pp
28/08/22-2 spaces @ £70pp max 7 anglers
Not all dates advertised, other spaces available for full boat bookings upon request please call 07956411528 for more information -
07/2022
Fishing Report by Scott Belbin
Jul 2022 by Scott Belbin
Thought I would do an update of the last couple of months fishing excluding the tope which I will update separately in a few weeks.
The north-easterly winds and low temperatures in April affected some of our fishing this spring. It seemed to hold things up a little. The algal bloom (may weed/rot/tobacco juice) was late in comparison to recent years and consequently the water didn’t clear until later. This combined with successive north-easterly winds stopped us from catching bass on lures until quite late. Despite having had some mackerel back in March they too were delayed in their proper arrival by these conditions. The roker (thorn-back rays) kept us busy for a while along with the occasional bass on baits and the smooth-hounds were here around their usual time. Some were even early and always gratefully received. There were some decent fish on the first run as we would expect and young Grayson’s big female is still the biggest so far this season. I cant say what weight as he put her back before I could weigh her! The hounds continue to show in varying numbers and sizes from day to day. we have been seeing double figure fish mixed in regularly though. they will be here in numbers until September and are the main target of our general trips along with bass.
One bonus of a delayed spring was that the spurdogs hung around quite late. We missed a lot of trips towards the end of the season due to those winds. However those very same winds meant they stayed long enough for one last hurrah from them. I was expecting maybe one or two to show on a mark we were fishing but had a rather hectic 90 minutes with over 30 big spurs showing! They were all good doubles with the biggest falling to Barry wood at just over 20lb. things were so hectic we were able to get some group shots as a pack went through and I found my self not even bothering to net high teen spurdogs as they were so plentiful. By the next day the fish were gone, not even one which is often the way with these late season fish. it was great fun when we were in the right place at the right time though.
The bass have been pretty good again so far this year. As I mentioned earlier there have been some nice fish showing throughout the spring with numbers increasing on our general trips. The stamp has been great lately topped off by Honey Gage with the biggest so far. Some people put Honeys success down to her rather stylish lucky hat but I think its more than that.
Now that the water has cleared we have been catching them on lures too in places. Conditions have to be right for this but there is no shortage of bait fish around and plenty of bass too so things are in our favour. We run our offshore bass trips from now until the end of November, the main focus is bait fishing but when ever we can we will use lures too. They don’t need to be anything too advanced. The humble mackerel feathers are often the most effective though if we can we try to refine our angling a little nowadays and many of the lads bring light spinning rods armed with dexter wedges, soft plastics, diving hard plastics and surface poppers too. This year is shaping up to be another good one for bass so don’t miss out.
I will update you on our tope trips separately in a few weeks as well as any other offshore stuff we get up to this summer.
I have availability mid-week throughout the summer so please get in touch if you want to get booked in. its also worth keeping an eye out for last minute spaces with groups or where people drop out. I will list my current list of spaces but there are likely to be other dates so its always worth giving me a call. If I am out of signal range I will get back to you asap
SPACES THIS FRIDAY 15TH @ £60pp
Spaces as follows
15/07/22-general trip 5 spaces @ £60pp
24/07/22-general trip 5 spaces @ £60pp
25/07/22-4 spaces @ £70pp max 7 anglers
01/08/22-5 spaces @ £70pp max 7 anglers
06/08/22- offshore trip 3 spaces @ £100pp max 7 anglers
20/08/22-offshore trip 4 spaces @ £100pp max 7 anglers
25/08/22 Clacton air show trip fish while they fly 10 spaces @ £60pp
26/08/22- Clacton air show trip fish while they fly 5 spaces @ £60pp
28/08/22-2 spaces @ £70pp max 7 anglers
Not all dates advertised, other spaces available for full boat bookings upon request please call 07956411528 for more information -
07/2022
Fishing Report by Scott Belbin
Jul 2022 by Scott Belbin
There continue to be some great hounds and bass showing lately. The hounds are in big numbers at times and really keeping us busy. There have been a lot of small fish around but if you kiss a lot of frogs there seems to be the occasional prince among them. Most days have seen hounds into double figures which livens things up in between the smaller fish. a few decent bass showing most days too and they soon get the skipper reaching for the net. Many of our trips have seen small tope showing too, these vary from just born to 7-10lbs on our general trips and have been quite numerous at times. Also a bit of a pain for biting through hook links! Our offshore trips are the best bet for the bigger fish and I still have a few spaces on these including this week
One or two rays are still showing along with a few dogfish and whiting here and there. Other species will turn up too.
I only have a few spaces left on tope trips this year including some this week on Wednesday (6th) and Thursday (7th). If you are interested then please get in touch on 07956411528
Keep an eye out for other spaces or boat availability at essexseafishing.co.uk or find us on facebook
My next spaces offshore are for tope. These are for experienced anglers only and I don’t offer hire rods for this fishing. I only have a few suitable tides left for tope fishing this year offshore trips will mainly concentrate on bass after that. Spaces as follows
06/07/22-2 spaces @ £100pp
07/07/22-1 spaces @ £100pp
08/07/22--7 spaces @ £100pp or full boat hire from £700
15/07/22-general trip 5 spaces @ £60pp
16/07/22-general trip 2 spaces @ £60pp
18/07/22-7 spaces @ £100pp or full boat hire from £700
19/07/22-4 spaces @ £100pp
20/07/22-7 spaces @ £100pp or full boat hire from £700
22/07/22-7 spaces @ £100pp or full boat hire from £700
25/07/22 (Monday)- 4 spaces @ £70pp max 7 anglers
Not all dates advertised, other spaces available for full boat bookings upon request please call 07956411528 for more information -
07/2022
Fishing Report by Scott Belbin
Jul 2022 by Scott Belbin
There have been some great bass coming out lately. These bristling bars of silver are always popular to catch and sort after for the table too. Although some of the best sport we have with these will be on our offshore trips they are great fun to catch any time. Some fresh rag worm is a great help on our general trips and will pick up other species too like those hard fighting smooth-hounds.
Honey Gage has a knack of finding the big fish and there seems to be no exception when it comes to bass. Honey has caught the biggest so far this season with a lovely chunky bar of silver. Although big bass can turn up at any time, they often show up on our tope trips at this time of year. They seem to be a more popular for of by-catch than dogfish for some reason? I only have a few spaces left on tope trips this year including some this week on Wednesday (6th) and Thursday (7th). If you are interested then please get in touch on 07956411528
Keep an eye out for other spaces or boat availability at essexseafishing.co.uk or find us on facebook -
06/2022
Fishing Report by Scott Belbin
Jun 2022 by Scott Belbin
We have seen a fair variety of weather on our trips from flat calm (occasionally) to squally showers. Thankfully it has been sunny and warm for the most part (as you may tell from the colour of my nose and my panda eyes). With various directions of wind we have been grateful that there are plenty of fish to be found in most places. Our general trips have been mostly targeting hounds and bass. Although plenty of other species have made up the numbers including thorn-backs, dogfish and even numbers of small tope. We have seen other species too including tub gurnard and a few silver eels. Tim and the boys had a great day the other week. Tim may have missed the sun but he and the boys had some great fun catching rays, dogfish, bass and some decent hounds. There was no shortage of energy and enthusiasm from the boys who did their best to keep me on my toes as usual. The biggest hounds went into double figures which put a smile on all of our faces.
My next spaces offshore are for tope. These are for experienced anglers only and I don’t offer hire rods for this fishing. I only have a few suitable tides left for tope fishing this year offshore trips will mainly concentrate on bass after that.
please visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk for more information, availability and regular reports or call 07956411528 -
05/2022
Fishing Report by Scott Belbin
May 2022 by Scott Belbin
summer is now in full swing on our general trips. we have been seeing increasing size and numbers of Smooth-hounds and bass over the last few weeks. both will make up the staple of our summer trips. the thorn-back rays are still present and numerous in places too. the dogfish and whiting are still keeping us busy but our catches will also see some other species such as tope, eels, stingray and more mixed in over the next few weeks too.
We have a few spaces this coming week due to drop outs, the weather looks promising and fishing is on form. The last few general trips have seen a nice mixture of smooth-hounds, bass and thorn-back rays as well as dogfish, whiting, dabs ect.
Spaces
Sunday (29/05 4 @ £60pp)
Friday 10 spaces @ £60pp or full boat from £490
Please call 07956411528
Aboard the Galloper from West Mersea, Essex -
09/05/2022
Fishing Report by Scott Belbin
9 May 2022 by Scott Belbin
Our general trips are keeping us busy at the moment. There is certainly plenty of action out there at the moment with bites one after the other. dogfish are in plague proportions still and there are still unseasonable amounts of whiting and even pouting showing too in places. These keep the rods going in between the other species like thorn-backs and hounds. It makes for some impressive numbers on some groups matches. The Suffolk lads had a busy trip the other day with Andy having the winning catch once again. I cant tell you how many points he scored but I know he was on 99 fish after around 7 hours of fishing. Adam wasn’t far behind him either with another impressive score. Clive had two of the biggest fish with a decent ray around double figures and a hound of over 11lbs too.
The summer species are really moving in now. We have seen a marked increase in numbers of smooth-hounds on our trips. There are lots of small hounds around and they are pretty widespread too. We have also seen some bigger fish in places too. The other day Started off well for Stephen Clarke with a couple of nice double figure hounds in quick succession. We had steady fishing throughout the day on hounds of all sizes, lots of dogfish, whiting and bass too. The biggest hound fell to young Grayson who was out giving his grandad John a much needed fishing lesson. Grayson played the big female hound to the boat like a professional and was a natural at holding them too. I took some pictures and headed off for the weigh sling and scales as Grayson promptly released the fish! we have no accurate weight but she was definitely over 15lbs. Grayson was very happy with his first ever hound although I did remind him that one or two of the other lads on the trip had fished for many years and never had one that big! I have a few spaces on some smooth-hound trips coming up. Including this Saturday 14/05 and an evening trip on 28/05. I can also offer spaces and boat bookings for smooth-hounds throughout the summer if you fancy catching these hard fighting fish.
Please take note, I have listed below my current individual availability until the end of June. As you can see weekend Dates are limited.
I do have availability mid-week for individuals and groups if you fancy a trip out.
Not all dates are advertised, please contact me on 07956411528 to discuss midweek dates.
14/05/22-2 spaces @ £70pp max 7 anglers
21/05/22-1 space @ £100pp offshore trip max 7 anglers
28/05/22- evening trip (16.30-midnight) 4 spaces @ £70pp max 7 anglers
18/06-22-2 spaces @ £100pp offshore trip max 7 anglers
19/06/22-4 spaces @ £100pp offshore trip max 6 anglers
26/06/22-1 space @ £70pp max 7 anglers
Please call me for more information on 07956411528
Dad (Stuart) has availability on the ‘Razorbill 3’ please call him on 07850234077
