Latest Fishing Reports: Galloper
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05/2019
Fishing Report by Scott Belbin
May 2019 by Scott Belbin
Its been a while since my last report on here so I will try to give an over view of the spring so far from mersea aboard the ‘Galloper’. The early arrival of mild weather meant that the thorn-back rays and dogfish started to move inshore far earlier this year. This was great news for us as we hadn’t seen any codling to speak of so we were greatful of some decent fish to target. The numbers of rays have been steady since then although we have had to work a bit harder at times to find them. This should remind us not to take them for granted as they provide some great sport for us along with a few nice fish for the table too. the rays were joined by the usual dogfish and whiting along with the occasional bass from early in the spring.
We did head offshore when conditions allowed us to, we didnt get off as much as I would have liked to though and cancelled more than went ahead due to strong winds. When we did get offshore there were good numbers of rays, plenty of dogfish and a few spurdogs to be had. We only managed two trips off here while the spurs were about and had a couple of doubles first trip and 11 on the second. The second trip was very busy with bites but we lost at least as many as we landed. We had several multiple hook ups as a pack when through but lost the majority. At one point the lads had 4 fish on and lost all of them under the boat! We couldn’t work out why but the ones we did land had lots of fresh scratch marks on so perhaps they were pre-occupied with mating? Our biggest was just under 15lbs and there were plenty of big females mixed in.
We managed two more days offshore in the beautiful weather at the end of march. This time we planned to mix it up a bit and tried some lure fishing to start each day. we didn’t get our intended quarry but we stumbled across some early bass on one mark and had a dozen the first day. the next day was just as nice so after a couple of hours bait fishing we headed back to find some bass. There we weren’t disappointed and spent over 2 hours bringing bass of all sizes in. there were several in the 3-4lbs range and lots more smaller. The top rods managed 30-50 bass each and we must have had around 150 in total. This is by far the best days bass fishing I have had in march!
This seemed to be a sign of things to come and sure enough over the past few weeks we have seen several bass mixed in with our general trips in shore. Most of these are coming on worm, I like both lug and rag for bass but must admit ragworm can be better for other species. You may even be lucky enough to pick up a bonus stingray. The ragworm along with crab baits will help to pick up smooth-hounds too. this have showed early too this year, we had our first hounds offshore at the start of march and they are in places inshore now. I haven’t seen a double yet this year but it is still early and hopefully the first will come this month.
Prospects look good for the summer as it approaches, with many of the summer species already here we hope to see the arrival of the first tope by the end of this month. i will offer trips for them until july some time and hope that its as good as last year when we had fish up to 55lbs. After that we will concentrate on the smooth-hounds and bass along with offering some offshore bass trips. Some of these trips require certain tides so its best to book as early as you can to avoid disappointment.
I put regular reports on my website and facebook pages along with keeping CBUK as up to date as I can.
For more information please call 07956411528
Or visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk
Or find us on facebook https://www.facebook.com/Essex-Sea-Fishing-614244935320553/ -
02/2019
Fishing Report by Scott Belbin
Feb 2019 by Scott Belbin
Im sorry for the lack of reports on here lately but to be honest there wasn’t much to shout about around here at the start of the year. After the Christmas period we saw the return of the cold weather and vast amounts of sprats and herring inshore. These combined ruined the inshore fishing for a few weeks. I ventured out a few times with the odd hardy and keen anglers just to see what was about but things were grim in places. We turned our attention to the flatties on a couple of trips and scratched out a few dabs and flounders along with the occasional pin whiting. Thankfully the lads were often happy just to be afloat and still had an enjoyable day. I am pleased to say that with the mild weather over the last couple of weeks and a lot of the sprats having moved out the fishing has greatly improved inshore. The thorn-backs are back on the move and there are some good fish amongst them. We often have some our biggest rays in this early part of the season and so far the biggest has been caught by one of our regulars Martin Ryan, it went 13-14lbs and was returned swiftly (as we do with all of our females). We havnt seen any codling as yet but you will be pleased to know the warmer weather will get the dogfish feeding again. As the bait fish move off we are often left with one or two decent whiting that have fattened up on the sprats. Offshore is much of the same along with a few spurdogs on the right tides.
I have plenty of spaces over the next few weeks including some this weeked with nice tides and a decent forecast. If you wish to join us or for more information please call 07956411528,
visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk
or follow us on facebook for regular write ups and spaces. -
12/2018
Fishing Report by Scott Belbin
Dec 2018 by Scott Belbin
The weather has been kind to us over the Christmas break and we have been able to get several trips out. the milder weather over recent weeks means the fish are feeding well and have moved back inshore again so there has been plenty to catch. Trips in the river have seen good numbers of dabs and whiting on the slacker tides with thorn-backs and the odd codling coming out too. A charity competition in the river saw several double figure thorn-backs along with plenty of whiting, dabs and even a codling to win the prize for the biggest cod. Further down we have seen good numbers of most fish. I headed out the day after boxing day with 3 lads aboard to make the most of the weather. we had loads of whiting and dogfish (dogfish are always a sign of higher water temperature) along with 28 thorn-backs, a pouting and a nice plump codling for Andy. Today we even had a stray school bass!
Last year January and February saw our best numbers of codling so lets hope 2019 follows suit.
With 2019 in mind if you wish to book specific trips such as offshore ones for spurdog, tope, bass ect please try and book well in advance as these often require certain tides and weekends are starting to fill up.
I have plenty of space into the start of the year and with plenty of fish around there’s every reason to get afloat so for more information, weekly reports and available dates please visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk
Follow us on facebook and youtube.
Or call scott on 07956411528 -
12/2018
Fishing Report by Scott Belbin
Dec 2018 by Scott Belbin
as ever it has been a while since my last report on here (although I do weekly reports on my website and facebook page). As im sure you can see from other reports in this area the weather has been a pain for a while now. We have managed to get most trips out but not always to where we want to go. There have been so significant numbers of codling so far for us this season. We have seen one or two on occasions so they are present but not numerous. That doesn’t mean there aren’t fish to be caught though and there is certainly no shortage of whiting around along with numbers of dabs on the right tides. There are a few thorn-back rays here and there as well as the last of the dogfish if you are lucky enough to encounter one. As ever the blackwater estuary has saved a lot of days for us, even if we don’t fish the estuary its self we can often get out on a ‘maybe’ forecast safe in the knowledge we have the blackwater as a back up. There are times when fishing in there is better than further off and at the very least it seems to be wall to wall with whiting right now. I have plenty of room in the run up to Christmas and the new year for individuals and groups. so if you just want to get afloat then we should be able to keep the rod tips rattling and sit in relative comfort even on a breezy day. In the meantime thanks to all of our anglers for their support and please keep an eye on my website www.essexseafishing.co.uk
and
facebookpage www.facebook.com/Essex-Sea-Fishing-614244935320553/
for reports and spaces
or call me on 07956411528
I have attached a picture of one mike’s little codling in case you thought they were just stuff of folk law. -
10/2018
Fishing Report by Scott Belbin
Oct 2018 by Scott Belbin
Looking back over a busy summer the weather was pretty kind to us and the fishing was good too aboard the ‘Galloper’. Now as autumn is upon us we see the fishing has changed. The thorn-back rays are showing in good numbers once again and the average stamp is picking up as we would expect it to. The whiting and dogfish have returned in vast numbers in places and keep the rod tips nodding between the better fish. the first few codling have shown on the last set of tides which is a great sign. One of our regulars Steve Canham was pleased to have caught the first one of the season aboard the Galloper hopefully this is a sign of things to come. There are still a few smooth-hounds and baby tope showing further off as well as the odd spurdog pup to keep us guessing.
The ban on retaining bass has been lifted allowing recreational anglers to keep one per angler for day. This is a little too late for our summer anglers but I am trying to get an offshore bass trip together for a couple of weeks time before they move off. There are still several bass showing and some decent fish too. Another one of our regulars Andy Partner beat his personal best the other day with a fine fish of 10.4lbs.
Although I don’t do lots of reports on here I keep my calendar and last minute spaces up to date. I also write weekly reports, available dates have far more information on my website and facebook page www.essexseafishing.co.uk or please call 07956411528 for more information. -
08/2018
Fishing Report by Scott Belbin
Aug 2018 by Scott Belbin
The last few months have seen us enjoy some of the best weather imaginable from west mersea and thankfully the fishing has been able to match it on most occasions. My last report on here was late spring so I will bring you briefly up to date from then.
By the time the main bulk of thorn-back rays started to move out at the start of june we already had the summer species around in good numbers to take their place. Smooth-hounds have been fairly consistent throughout the summer with good numbers of the smaller fish at times. This year saw the best season in several years for tope with most boats finding a few decent fish. our biggest went over 55lbs and was caught by billy who made the trip down from north Norfolk several times in search of tope and this was his biggest.
We started off the bass season with some cracking fish on board. the biggest so far fell to chris at 12.4lbs which came just an hour or so after a 10.12lbs bass for steve who was out that day. We have seen several mixed in with our general trips too and as ever the estuary is full of schoolies which are great fun on our 3-4hr trips. Unfortunately having to return all all of the bass has disappointed some of our anglers but they are a pleasure to catch anyway which keeps most people pleased.
There have been several stingrays come out the last few weeks, we were lucky enough to find a small one which matched to small angler who caught it. Charlie was a few days shy of 8 years old when he had his first stingray. These fish are as rare as hens teeth so im sure may a well seasoned angler would be envious of him or any others who managed to boat one this year.
Over the coming weeks the summer species should continue to keep us occupied, September approaches we should see the thorn-back rays picking up in numbers again. these will be mostly small fish at first but the stamp; should increase as the autumn progresses. There’s plenty of time for bass and hounds as yet but it wont be long until we start thinking about cod. After seeing a few more this spring hopes will be high that the blackwater estuary and beyond will be productive again throughout the winter.
I have a few spaces left in august and September, I keep my calendar and last minute bookings up to date on here but for more information, weekly reports and availability please visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk or call 07956411528
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05/2018
Fishing Report by Scott Belbin
May 2018 by Scott Belbin
Its been another busy month aboard the ‘Galloper’ the main target for us inshore at this time of year are the thorn-back rays. We have come to expect high numbers of them since the local stocks were saved by strict commercial restrictions on them over 10 years ago and this year hasn’t disappointed us. They come in all sizes, the females are normally the bigger fish with a double figure male a rare sight. These fish taste great and skinning them is easy with a bit of practice (so im told). I try to encourage responsible angling on my boat so all females are returned alive and have been for several years. Along with the rays there have been plenty of other bits and bobs. We had had one or two bigger bass, a few more spurdogs and a spotted ray of 2.10lbs which was a first aboard my boat and quite rare in this area.
Over the coming weeks we will continue to target the thorn-backs and also turn our attention to the smooth-hounds which are showing early considering how late spring started. Im sure we will also head offshore where we can see anything turn up even the elusive dogfish!
Ive got plenty of spaces coming up and you can find a list of available dates on my cbuk page or my website along with regular reports and more information at www.essexseafishing.co.uk or call 07956411528 -
04/2018
Fishing Report by Scott Belbin
Apr 2018 by Scott Belbin
Thought I’d put a report on here regarding a couple of good days we had on the spurdogs recently. My self and my anglers head off in search of the spurs every spring and are usually happy to see one or two fish mixed in with our usual species. Not many charter boats target spurs from essex and even less are regularly successful so we feel happy to see a few. The other week we were lucky enough to hit into one of the mythical spurdog packs two trips on the bounce. We picked up 47 on the first trip and over 80 on the second (which was absolute madness). That’s without the thorn-backs, dogfish and even a stray bass that turned up. For full report please see my website or facebook.
It is 10 years since I first had spurs off here and I we have caught more in these two trips than I have had on the boat in the last 10 years. Many of the lads who have been this weekend are regulars and fully understand how rare a trip like these two are. Most of the lads have been off here before and several have already been off here with me this year. We will try again for them but im sure it will still be as hit and miss as ever.
Please remember that with the offshore trips as with any trips it is no good waiting for somebody else to have a good day and then book up as the fish may be gone by the time you get out. always for for what your going to catch today. not what somebody else caught yesterday. Please book well in advance to get the best tides. -
04/2018
Fishing Report by Scott Belbin
Apr 2018 by Scott Belbin
My apologies Its been a while since my last report on here again. the cold snap that hit us in the early part of the year had a negative affect on both the fishing and our bookings unfortunately. Thankfully the weather has sorted its self out now and so has the fishing so everything is back on track. As the water has warmed up the thorn-back rays have appeared in abundance as we have come to expect in recent years. The fish are now fairly wide spread so we can see good fishing in most weather conditions should we need to. There have been a few smooth-hounds and the odd bass mixed in too. This is a sure sign that summer is not too far away. the codling have been mid water feeding on the herring that moved in after the cold snap. This in turn has meant we have seen very few on rod and line. However the last weekend saw a few come out so hopefully we will see a showing of codling mixed in over the next week or so before they move off.
The ‘galloper’ is out of the water this week for a polish, antifoul and general jobs as well as her 5 year survey. She will be back in the water by Saturday with a fresh 60 mile code of practice on her.
I have plenty of space this coming weekend for individuals and group bookings so if you fancy making the most of the nice weather please contact me. In the mean time I try to keep my website up to date with reports, availability and lots more information or please call 07956411528 -
03/2018
Fishing Report by Scott Belbin
Mar 2018 by Scott Belbin
Following on from my last report on here the fishing has been quite good to start off the year here at mersea. The weather has been pretty favourable until this week and we have managed to get most trips in. what we are hatching has varied quite a bit depending on the tides and where we can get to. As many others boats in the area have reported there have been far better numbers of codling than the last couple of seasons. Most trips are producing a few codling and thorn-back rays with 6-12 codling an average sort of trip. Our best trip so far this year has been 23 codling along with a few rays, pouting, a dogfish, a bass and lots of whiting up to 43cm! this cold snap seems to have slowed some of the fish up since then but I would expect it to improve as we approach the end of the season.
The dogfish and thorn-backs don’t tend to like the cold weather much but when we do get a couple of weeks of warmer weather they will soon push into our shallow coastal waters which warm up first. With any luck we will still have codling mixed in too which along with the other bits and bobs makes for some nice spring sport.
Please visit my website essexseafishing.co.uk or follow us on facebook for regular reports along with more information including availability.
Here’s some of my availability for the coming month
11/03/18 3 spaces @ £50pp max 8 anglers
18/03/18 8 spaces @ £50PP or boat £360 max 8 anglers
30/03/18 8 spaces @ £50PP or boat £360 max 8 anglers
31/03/18 8 spaces @ £50PP or boat £360 max 8 anglers
Please call for more information on 07956411528
