Latest Fishing Reports: Galloper

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  • 04/2014 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    Apr 2014 by Scott Belbin

    April has been a busy month for the 'GALLOPER' we have had lots of trips and thankfully not missed any of them with the weather playing ball and some decent fishing in the river when it wasn't.
    There have been good numbers of thorn-backs about with a few early smooth-hounds and bass showing along with the odd late cod. Many places close inshore have got large numbers of under sized codling about. At times its hard to get through them and the whiting which are feeding up on the crabs, shrimps and anything else they can get down their greedy little mouths.
    We have had several trips with large numbers of thorn-backs on board but the best of which was with a group of regular lads aboard. 5 of the lads come out once or twice a month and were joined by Ed on his first sea fishing trip. There was a bit of breeze first thing but we got to our chosen mark comfortably. We spent the first hour and a bit there with just a couple of whiting and one ray for our efforts. We decided on a move and headed a little closer to shore for the end of the flood. The breeze was a bit more of a pain here making the boat sheer around on the anchor a bit as the tide eased off but we managed to winkle a few more rays out including a tagged one for Ed. We took down the fishes details and reported them to CEFAS who had tagged and released the fish else where for research. This was all done at sea thanks to the wonders of mobile phones with internet and the fish was reported before we had the next one aboard. We had a few baby codling and whiting as the tide died. The ebb got under way and we picked up a few more fish now and then over the first part of the tide. The wind got up quite a bit by now but thankfully it was still comfortable enough. The last couple of the tide were suddenly very busy though with large numbers of fish coming aboard often two or three at a time and sometimes as many as five thorn-backs on at once. As the tide eased we had to head home in time for my evening trip but still managed 64 rays for the day which is a good number considering we had a slow start.
    We have had a few other days with good numbers too and even the slower days have seen a few fish aboard. We’ve had a couple of days in the river with some decent numbers coming out of here when we wouldn’t have got out otherwise. Our biggest ray this year came from the river and although it was hard to weigh in what was quite a sea it went over 16lbs. Most trips see the odd double come out though.
    We managed to get offshore a couple of times and found the odd spurdog and cod among other things including fair amounts of dogfish which can be testing. Our next trip offshore is planned for the 5th of may when we hope to target some bass. I still have some spaces then and on a couple of other dates in may should you wish to join us.
    The thorn-backs should still be about in good numbers over the coming weeks. Hopefully we will start to see a few more bass mixed in along with one or two more smooth-hounds too. Squid will pick most fish up but herring can be good for the thorn-backs further offshore and worm is best for targeting bass. for more information, available dates and a weekly fishing update visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk or phone 07956411528

  • 03/2014 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    Mar 2014 by Scott Belbin

    March was a good month for us around the thames estuary. The improvement in weather must have helped all of the skippers and anglers through out the country get afloat. we were out there too making the most of the weather. The rise in temperature early in the month helped the numbers of thorn-backs increase. We have had some good catches of them in January and February and numbers increased into early march with our best day 37. we also managed to get offshore for a trip in search of an early spurdog or late cod. We found a couple of spurs and landed one cod with several good fish lost as is often the case. There were a few thorn-backs known locally as roker) off here too and all in all it was a good day with some interesting sights as I mentioned on my report on my site. The biggest spur fell to Neil at 15.4lbs and he's pictured whilst juggling it.
    As the month moved on a bit of cold air from the north seems to have slowed the roker numbers down a little inshore as these fish can be pushed to deeper water by colder weather. Im sure with the current warmer weather and daylight hours increasing the main spring run of roker will be in on the next set of tides.
    We had our first bass at the start of the month and I’ve heard of the odd one or two mixed in with catches aboard other boats and I’m sure they will feature more regularly in the coming weeks.
    We’ve still had a few sizeable codling mixed in with our catches in places and there's loads of undersized fish that aren't worth counting but will be great sport come the autumn. We will still see the odd codling mixed in and I hope to get offshore in the coming weeks in search of one or two bigger fish along with the spurdogs before its too late.

    Over the coming weeks we will be mainly targetting the roker but will turn our attention to the bass if the opportunity should arise. As I mentioned there is still a good chance of the odd decent cod if we can get to the right places but if not there will be plenty of fun, sheltered fishing inshore.
    I update my own website with an honest report on a weekly basis as well as keeping my availability up-to-date on both sites so feel free to take a look.
    www.essexseafishing.co.uk


  • 22/02/2014 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    22 Feb 2014 by Scott Belbin

    last time I wrote on here was last summer and a lot has gone on since then.
    briefly the autumn was ok with plenty of thornbacks about and loads of dogfish and whiting as you would expect. as usual there were a few summer species hanging around until late autumn and the odd cod showing from September time. however codling didn't show in number until the very end of October. i'm not sure what caused this blame it on what you like they were a little late but once they turned up they were in reasonable numbers and fairly steady. Of coarse there was the odd dud day mixed in but on the whole we have seen steady numbers right through until now. there was a brief cold spell around the start of December which started to thin the thornbacks out a little but when the temperature picked up they soon came back.
    most of the codling have been fish of 2-4lbs the usual stamp for inshore although there have been a lot of 6-10 inch long codling about the past couple of weeks which is promising for this autumn when they should be back and around keep able size. as I mentioned earlier its been a notably mild winter compared to many of late which I think isn't a bad thing for the codling and a good thing for the thornbacks which have provided us with great sport and some sizable fish between the codling. there have been a lot of double figure rays coming out which unfortunately cant be said for the cod. I don't mind admitting I haven't seen one all season as yet but I have only managed one offshore trip due to the wind.as for the wind I cant complain much as I'm sure many other ports have suffered a lot worst than us. there has been many I time when we have been grateful to be out and thinking of the unfortunate boats tied up around the country. I don't envy some of the skippers trying to earn a living from some ports this time of year.
    one of the big bonus's for us is the shelter of the black water estuary and surrounding area. just last Sunday we managed to sneak a day out with 18 thornbacks and a few other bits and bobs. in absolute comfort despite the strong winds. Saturday was good with 11 rays and 30 codling. we kept one male ray and 26 of the codling. 2 of the codling were the tiny things and another two legal but not worth keeping. we have had several days like that this season which usually sends everybody home with a smile.
    over the next month or so we should see the spring run of codling before they leave and as the water warms further the rays will grow in numbers. if were lucky we might get a last chance offshore in search of a better cod if not im sure we'll be happy with the inshore codling rattling the rod tips.

    im sorry its been a while since my last report on CBUK but I do update pictures and availability on here. I will try to do a monthly report on here if I get time. if not you can always find an honest report from each trip on my website www.essexseafishing.co.uk

  • 07/2013 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    Jul 2013 by Scott Belbin

    I thought I'd do a report as again its been a while since my last on cbuk although my website is updated weekly.
    although it took a while to get going, since the first warm up the spring has been good to us. there have been steady numbers of thornback about ever since the first warm up. in April I bought a new boat so the aqaustar has gone and been replaced by an evolution 33 which we are very pleased with. she's quite a bit faster and this extra speed has helped on the longer trips to allow more fishing time. our first trip on here was with a group of regulars and we steamed offshore in search of some spur-dogs. we then had a good run of inshore fishing with thornbacks making up the bulk of the catches. as I mentioned they have been about in really good numbers again. with many good days had as well as decent fish our best day was 63 although it may have been more as it was a little hectic. thankfully they were close to home too so when the weather was poor we could still have a good days fishing and avoid cancellations. in between we managed to get back offshore and this time in search of some flatties. we found a few plaice and other bits and bobs, nothing compared to other parts of the country but not bad considering not many people realise they are there.
    as spring turned to summer a few bass and smooth-hounds have shown but hampered by the weather and with such good sport for the rays inshore we had no need to search for them just picking some up some mixed in with the rays. we had a couple of try's for tope in early june although I think fishing was running late. after that the weather has been too bad or the lads haven't fancied. we had a try for a couple of hours last Saturday after a morning bass fishing with one of 2lbs mixed in with lots of dogfish, a couple of hounds and a roker.
    thankfully we had enjoyed some great fishing in the morning for the bass so weren't too worried. Saturday and Sunday were both good for the bass with 35-40 Saturday and a few less Sunday. there were many in the 2-5lbs range and just the odd small one. the lads kept a few each day for the pot and let many go and were of course grateful for good fishing and weather. these were specific bass trips so don't expect that every time although there is every chance. over the next few weeks we hope to concentrate on the smooth-hounds for sport and a few bass and rays and what ever else the thames estuary has to throw at us.I update my website weekly with fishing reports so for more information, available dates and a weekly fishing update visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk

  • 01/2013 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    Jan 2013 by Scott Belbin

    I thought I’d best do a write up for CBUK as its been a while since my last one. 2013 has started well for us at mersea with good numbers of cod, thornback rays and even the odd bass showing on some boats! The winter season started well then faltered a little around the end of November/start of December. For one reason or another the fishing was patchy for a few weeks with with the odd good day here and there and a few decent fish around. Thankfully just before Christmas the fishing improved although the poor weather over Christmas stopped us getting out after them. The weather was a far better by the time our first trip of the year came.
    On the 5th we headed out on a murky but calm day with a double booking between my boat and my fathers boat the ‘razorbill’. There were five lads on each boat so loads of room as we started fishing. The first fish to show were the whiting with bites and fish from the first cast. Still on the first cast and mike nearly lost his rod as a decent fish made off down tide. It was soon clear he was into a decent thornback although it didn’t make it to the boat as his knot came undone! The fish was lost and mike was left to ponder what might have been. It wasn’t long before we had our first decent fish aboard though and by low water we had managed 11 rays and 10 cod. We kept catching over slack water and the tide turned fairly quickly anyway. As the flood started to run the rays thinned out a bit but the numbers of cod increased to keep us busy. As high approached and the tide backed off we called it a day. The lads had been busy with a good run of fish all day, they totalled 43 cod around 2-4.8lbs. there were good numbers of rays too with 17 with the two biggest falling to rocko at 10.12lbs and 12.7lbs. with plenty of whiting and several dogfish to keep the bites coming too.
    The next day I had 7 individuals aboard for an offshore trip. The weather was perfect as we had an early start to work the tides. There was little or no sea and as daybreak came and the sun rose into a clear sky. It took us a while to punch all the way out but we arrived with the ebb in full flow. About half an hour after we arrived the fog caught us up unfortunately and what promised to be a nice day turned to 100yrds visibility. This was nothing but a small inconvenience though and after the obligatory dogfish to start us off Liam had the first thornback of the day. This was followed soon after by a couple more rays none of any size though. As low approached we managed a couple more better sized rays amongst the steady flow of dogfish gracing the gunwale. As the flood trickled through Chris hooked into the first cod of the day with the tell-tale thumping on the rod tip all the way up. Nothing massive around the 7lbs mark but a nice start to the cod. As the flood got under way no more cod just the odd ray mixed in with the dogs. Until Pat hooked into what was clearly a decent cod. It was different right from the bite and was soon banging it head in a typical cod fashion before bumping off the hook also in typical cod fashion. It was clearly a decent fish putting quite an impressive bend in his rod although we’ll never know unfortunately. As the day went on we had a couple more rays. No more cod and more surprisingly no whiting? We finished with 16 thornbacks 1 cod and endless amounts of dogfish.
    This weekend gone we had to cancel Saturday with strong easterly’s but thankfully Sunday saw a decrease in the wind. We headed out with just 4 aboard after a couple of no show’s no doubt scared off by yesterday’s weather and disappearing off the face of the earth. We didn’t have to go far to our mark so had plenty of time fishing. We arrived on the start of the flood and had steady fishing throughout the day. The whiting were numerous but not in too numerous and just two dogfish all day. The codling came steadily now and then throughout the day to leave us with 15 overall and four happy anglers. I update my website weekly with fishing reports so for more information, available dates and a weekly fishing update visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk

  • 30/05/2012 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    30 May 2012 by Scott Belbin

    I know its been a while since my last report on CBUK so I thought I’d best put one in while I have the time. The fishing has been good around Mersea this year with January being one of the best months for cod which surprised many of our anglers as January has a bit of a bad name at times. the fishing continued through February and as we went into march and the sprats moved off we had expected a bumper spring run of cod. however as so often with fishing it surprised us again with a mass of herring moving in through out the east coast. The fish were so thick that they were even giving us false bites as they hit the lines. Most of the cod seemed to be up in the water chasing the herring but thankfully we could still find good numbers of thornbacks in places and it wasn’t too long before the herring started to thin out. Once they left the cod came back on the chew and we are still seeing the odd one mixed in even now. the thornbacks are still showing in steady numbers with an average of 15-30 a day if you target them.
    We have had the odd day after bass and seen a few nice fish to boot. There aren’t many anglers who can catch a bass without raising a smile. There’s even been the odd sole mixed in amongst them again with a nice fish of 1.12lbs falling to one of our regulars Steve.
    Coming right up to date and last weekend produced some nice fishing. We had a stag party aboard Saturday and the lads behaviour was faultless saving the drinking until the evening so they could enjoy their day afloat. They opted for a late start which is unusual for me but makes no difference. We left at 11.30 and just a short ride out and we were on the thornbacks. We fished until just gone three and I was kept busy casting and re-baiting for them between netting, unhooking and making the odd cup of tea too. Needless to say the trip flew by and they were more than happy with 16 thornbacks and two dogfish.
    The next day saw me with a party who jump aboard a couple of times a year. The lads had booked a drifting trip which I do every now and then and by some miracle the conditions were near perfect. A couple of the lads had never caught plaice before nor bad they drift fished so it was a new experience for them. We didn’t fill up but everybody caught plaice and all seemed happy with the 10 we had between the 6 lads. The first couple were only about 5-6inches ling but the rest were a nicer size with the biggest 1.9lbs for Neil. We also saw a couple of launce ,several weavers, a nice dab loads of doggies and a bass. It was nice for me as well as them to be doing something a bit different.
    Over the next couple of weeks we will see the first of the tope coming out and hopefully some better numbers of bass too. I keep my last minute bookings and available dates as up-to-date as I can so feel free to take your pick out of them. I will try not to leave it to long before the next report but n the mean time keep an eye on the news page on my website as I update it with reports each week. For further information, available dates and those weekly fishing updates please visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk
    Tight lines

  • 10/12/2011 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    10 Dec 2011 by Scott Belbin

    i thought i'd put in a report as it's been a while. the fishing this autumn has been far better than last year. weve seen steady numbers of cod coming aboard with several thornback still around and even the odd bass or smooth-hound. in fact we had a couple of smooth-hounds just a couple of weeks ago! a sure sign of how mild its been. although were not complaining as the mild weather has ment we are still catching well and have still been able to get out most of the time. there has even been good fishing in the river which has saved a few days for us. further afield there have been a few big cod around although it can sometimes mean sacrificeing quantity for quality. our biggest so far is 16.9lbs cuaght by on of our regulars wayne bennet although we hope to better this over the coming weeks. the fishing inshore is still good and even our evening trips have proven popular. one of our reglular parties jumped aboard on saturday night. there had been a couple of drop outs but the lads were still happy to go with just the 4 of them. we arrived just as the flood was under way and after a few missed bites martin was the first into a fish. a nice codling followed quickly by another on his other rod. john soon followed with a cod of his own. the fishing came in flurries for the next couple of hours before the tide died around 9.30pm. we had already had a good session with john boating the biggest at 10.8lbs and most of the rest around 3-4lbs. now the two new lads fred and perry had a few codling as the tide eased and we had to leave. we finished up with 28 codling for the night with johns 10.8lb fish the biggest, there were sever dogfish and plenty of whiting too.
    with fishing like this now we hold high hopes for the spring run of cod which should have fattened up nicely. there are a few spaces over christmass with nice tides otherwise im taking bookings for next year.
    for more information, available dates and a weekly fishing update please visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk or phone 07956411528

  • 06/08/2011 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    6 Aug 2011 by Scott Belbin

    i thought i'd put in a quick update on how the summers going from west mersea so far. to be honest the tope fishing throughout june and july was near enough non-existant but i few fish showed to remind us what great sport fish they are.however the bass fishing this year has more than made up for it. After a good start in the spring we have seen good numbers of bass on many days this summer. our general fishing has been better than last summer with good numbers of thornbacks in places and some numbers of bigger smoothounds starting to show over the past few weeks. as with the rest of the country we have suffered from the poor weather this summer. although we can often find shelter, it often means we cant get off to where the fish are on that day. with a break in the weather last weekend we managed to get a days bass fishing in offshore.despite conditions not being perfect it was a pleasure to be out as the last couple of offshore trips had to be changed to inshore trips due to the wind. as usual we fished the last of the ebb with three bass around the 2-3lbs mark to show for our efforts before the tide died. we then re-psitioned the boat ready for the flood. there was a fair breeze blowing which held us off the bank for the first 45minutes but once the tide got up we were on the mark and saw our first couple of bass for the flood. we fished here untill about 12.30 when after a busy hour we had totalled 18 bass to with most in the 2-4lbs range and a couple of undersized fish. the fishing slowed so we moved to our next mark which was 6-7 miles closer to home. here we anchored with the hope of a mixed bag including some bigger bass and we werent disapionted. the first fish was another bass which was just under size and it wasnt long before we had our first thornback of the day. we fished here for another couple of hours before we had to head for home. by the time we had finished we had a nice mixed bag to add to the 18 bass, dogfish and weaver fish we had caught in the morning. the lads had managed 10 thornbacks with a couple pushing doubles, 12 more bass around the same stamp as earlyer. we had a smooth-hound about 5lbs and a sole and of course several dogfish too. we also managed 2 codling shortly before we left which was good to see. several other boats have caught some too over the last week. thats a great sign for the coming cod season! after last years poor show it seems that those little ones we were catching in the spring are returning with a bit of added wieght.
    over the next month or so we should see good numbers of smooth-hounds, bass should be good especially if we can get offshore for another crack at them the thornbacks will start to move back inshore in a few weeks time and sometime in september we should see the first run of codling. keep an eye on the 'last minute bookings' as we get the odd drop out although we are fully booked untill october at the minute. for more information,available dates and a weekly fishing update please visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk or phone 07956411528

  • 27/05/2011 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    27 May 2011 by Scott Belbin

    The fishing from Mersea has been great over the past few weeks. At first we had a good run of bass which we are still catching. These fish were schoolie sized fish and most falling to worm baits. The first trip we saw them we had 16 bass with a lot of keepers and the biggest falling to lee Johnson with a fish of 7.2lbs. the next week saw a fair bit of wind and we only got out on the Friday and could venture too far. However we still found a few thornbacks. We totalled 13 for the day with a couple of doubles and plenty of dogs to keep us busy. The next three days were too windy so we weren’t out. The next week the tides were just right for the bass so we tried again with 54 bass to 5lbs on the first day and 53 on the second. We have also seen a few soles mixed in where we are using worm baits. However this is only occasionally but they must be pretty hungry to take a 4/0 hook!
    The next week saw another low pressure and more wind, however this time it was in the west so we had loads of shelter. We had hire rods out each day and managed 15 thornbacks on the Saturday and 11 on the Sunday with a few other odds and sods mixed in too. The next week we had some fine weather again, we were in search of a mixed bag with the hopes of the first double figure hound of the season. We didn’t find the big hound and had just 7 up to 5-6lbs. We did find a few bass in the morning which kept us busy for a couple of hours. We had around 50-60 schoolies up to about 2.8lbs with most of them under sized. It was great fun though with the feathers taking 3 at a time and red gills pulling them out too.
    the next few weeks we will turn our attension to the tope on some trips and on others we should find good numbers of thornbacks and smoothounds aswell as bass mixed in here and there.
    For more information, available dates and a weekly fishing update visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk or phone 07956411528

  • 27/03/2011 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    27 Mar 2011 by Scott Belbin

    today we had 7 individuals out with us and quite a varried crew. paul,steve and bart are well seasoned anglers and kev,greg and john are just getting into it and then ed who normally beach fishes and was out on his first boat fishing trip today. we headed out into a fair swell left over from yesterday but it was forecast to drop through the day. we started in search of some thornbacks and were catching from the first cast. by low water we had managed 10 thornbacks a few whiting and an under sized cod. it was much calmer now and we had a move over slack water in search of some cod on the flood. as we arrived the first trickle of flood was starting and the lads were getting bites from the first chuck. it wasnt long before we started to catch some codling and by the end of the day we had managed 15 codling with nine of them being sizable fish and the rest thrown back. we also saw lots of whiting, a few dogs and a couple of pout. on the last nockings we saw another thornback too which put the final tally at 11 thornback,15cod and lots of bits and pieces. it was also a pleasure to finish the day in sunshine, it wont be long before were catching summer species. for more information available dates and a weekly fishing update please visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk

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