Latest Fishing Reports: Silver Spray II
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04/2016
Fishing Report by Sam Cumming
Apr 2016 by Sam Cumming
Fishing on the drift has been most of our days out over the last month, either on the wrecks or on the sand for the flatties. The abundance of herring spread out over the ground has been a good source of fresh bait to help target the turbot. Plenty of fish coming to the net but it's also good to see anglers getting involved in catch and release to keep numbers up for the future. We have managed our first bream of the year but for the first time ever it didn't come from the inshore reefs. It took a squid bait whilst anchored up on a wreck about 30 miles off, at 3lb 8oz it is probably one of the bigger bream we have had to open the season with. Elsewhere on the wrecks the pollock continue to provide good sport and we have also had the first few cod up to about the 8lb mark. Out on a flat calm day yesterday we were also treated to the rare sight of a coalfish amongst the pollock. Next week we shall be heading across to Alderney for the first time this season.
Sam Cumming
Silver Spray II -
16/03/2016
Fishing Report by Sam Cumming
16 Mar 2016 by Sam Cumming
Although it might still be pretty cold out at sea most days it's certainly starting to seem like the start of spring. It's always nice to see the dolphins around in the channel when the sprats start to move in on the wrecks. On our first wreck trip a couple of weeks ago a large pod of dolphins turned up at the mark we were fishing and we had to move as the pollock went right off the feed due to the dolphins chasing the sprats about. This was just a small speed bump on our first wreck trip of the year and we managed plenty of fat spring pollock well up into the double figures. Elsewhere we are still getting the best fishing I've seen in a long time on the banks for rays and spurdogs. This should continue into April before the temperature starts to rise slightly and the spurs disappear for another year. Our biggest to date this season is 25lb 4oz but unfortunately it was not overly keen on having its photo taken so we weighed and released her quickly. This Monday will see our first trip down to target the turbot and brill of this year and wednesday will be our first crack at the plaice with the light gear.
Sam Cumming
Silver Spray II -
21/02/2016
Fishing Report by Sam Cumming
21 Feb 2016 by Sam Cumming
February '16 monthly report:
Although we have mostly been kept in port with the weather over the last few weeks I've managed a couple of trips out to see what is biting. The banks are fishing well offshore with our first 20lb spur of the year hitting the deck (catch and release style) and a steady stream of congers rays and huss too. As well as the usual blonde rays we have been getting a lot of undulates and thornbacks , a welcome addition to what is sometimes a quiet time of year. We have pretty much seen the last of the cod now inshore for this winter season, a decent number landed but perhaps not to the usual size we are used to at this time of year. Looking forward to getting back out on the wrecks in search of the first of the years pollack in the coming weeks, providing we get some better weather.
Sam Cumming
Silver Spray II -
01/2016
Fishing Report by Sam Cumming
Jan 2016 by Sam Cumming
January 2016 report
I have already done more trips this month than I managed in the previous two put together so I'm pleased to say I've got a bit more to report this time around. It is usually around this time of year I do the first trips out to the offshore banks to fish for spur dogs and blonde rays but due to the inshore fishing being so good I've only pushed off for a couple of half days so far. Both times have produced good size spurs to 18lb and blonde rays up to 27lb along with the usual huss congers and whiting. Dirty squid seems to be working wonders for the spurs. As January pushes on I'll start to do more full days out there to see if we can make it 3 years in a row with a British Record beating fish, always released after a quick photo. As I mentioned inshore the fishing has been brilliant, possibly due to the lack on days float in December. Good numbers of cod are still appearing along with plenty of congers and whiting. We had the first 2 bass of the year a couple weeks ago at 9lb and 10lb 4oz, both taking squid and cuttlefish combination baits during the tide. The ray fishing inshore has been prolific with all 5 species coming in on the same day on some marks, not all monsters but good fun none the less.
Sam Cumming
Silver Spray II -
17/11/2015
Fishing Report by Sam Cumming
17 Nov 2015 by Sam Cumming
As you can imagine I haven't really got a whole lot to report about the last months activities except about the weather. Not sure I can remember a sustained period of high winds like this for such a long time. Although it finally looking like backing off to the north this weekend and then dying down. Despite all this though we have managed half a dozen trips over to the Isle of White for cod and whiting. Cod have been coming up every trip into the mid teens which is nice to see. As November pushes on, provided we can get out to them, we should start to see those 20lb+ fish. The whiting have made a great start as well, using mackerel baits 2/0 hooks around slack water we are getting plenty of them at the 2lb plus mark. Hopefully next month we have done a few more trips and will have more to chat about.
Sam Cumming
Silver Spray II -
10/10/2015
Fishing Report by Sam Cumming
10 Oct 2015 by Sam Cumming
Standard kind of Autumn weather at the moment, some wind if not too much wind most days and now that it is in the north we are seeing the temperature start to drop. Maybe it is this shift in conditions that has kick started the winter fishing early, we had our first winter cod of the season in fresh water bay on 13th October, the earliest we have ever seen one up there. Along with the 4 cod we had spurdog, undulate rays and congers so the only thing missing so far is the whiting which will make an appearance when the temperature drops again into the single digits. Elsewhere, as far as the fishing goes, you would be forgiven for thinking it is still summer. On a wreck trip at the start of October to mainly target black bream at anchor we stumbled across a hit of late cod, averaging at about 8lb they were slightly bigger than what we have been getting throughout the year. The bream certainly didn't disappoint either with over a dozen fish coming to the boat at slack water, the biggest of which weighed in at 5lb 12oz for Scott Gooch just a few ounces short of our boat record. Inshore the fishing has been nonstop with plaice, brill and gurnards all in abundance on the sand which makes for great fun on the light gear. We have started doing a few trips in the evenings to target dover sole which have been a success, the elusive flatfish coming on the feed for just a couple of hours as the day slips into darkness. Looking forward to more of all of this over the next couple of weeks before we turn our attentions to the winter cod fishing.
Sam Cumming
Silver Spray II -
16/09/2015
Fishing Report by Sam Cumming
16 Sep 2015 by Sam Cumming
It's been a fairly quiet month for us down in Poole with a whole week of hard easterly winds followed by the same again of south westerly. Some of the most enjoyable fishing lately has been along the sea front from Poole to Hengistbury head using the light tackle. We have had a few days turn up over 20 different species. Something I haven't seen much of as a skipper is trigger fish and they been making an appearance taking the plaice baits on the sand. Almost tropical to look at they also fight like a bream on steroids. Out further off there is still plenty of tope and rays at anchor with all 5 species of rays making regular appearances. We are still picking off the bass with live baits such as scad and mackerel although I think they will start to thin out soon and we shall have to move onto pout. Only two more trips over to Alderney to go and it will be the winter season, although if you look outside today you would think it had arrived already.
Sam Cumming
Silver Spray II -
20/08/2015
Fishing Report by Sam Cumming
20 Aug 2015 by Sam Cumming
The first time since the new rules were set in place earlier this year we have finally hit the 3 bass per angler limit, I was pleased to see all the guys keen to return any extra that hit the deck. Due to the amount of small scad we have been getting for bait bass catches have finally risen to a sensible level after a tricky start to the season. Also in strong numbers this month have been the tope. 2 hours sessions have been more than enough with upwards of 40 fish not uncommon. On a recent trip to Alderney Silver Spray’s new top angler Finley Palmer tackled a tope of 25lb caught on a live mackerel, a brilliant method to get the best fight possible as the tope really nail the livebait and take off on a 20 yard run to kick things off. And last but not least the wrecks are still keeping us entertained with plenty of cod and pollock on the lures and ling on the dead baits. Last week saw the arrival of the autumn bream mid channel, bringing some good fun over slack for those who don’t want to fish for the big stuff. Harvey Collier did just this but unfortunately it backfired when a 24lb cod took a fancy to his tiny bream rig in 260 feet of water. A bit of a surprise but a welcome one!
Sam Cumming
Silver Spray II -
16/07/2015
Fishing Report by Sam Cumming
16 Jul 2015 by Sam Cumming
In a mixed month weather wise the inshore fishing off Poole has been held up by the absence of mackerel, a key bait fish when we are targeting bass, rays and tope. Up until about a week ago it wasn’t even worth trying for them as we found ourselves spending 3 hours feathering for just a few baits. Thankfully on the back end of the last spring tide they finally arrived in numbers which made our days somewhat easier. We have seen the first of the silver ones on our reef marks on floats and free line gear, Ian Webb produced a fine bass of 8lb 12oz on a free line jumbo mackerel which is the biggest of the year so far. Out on the offshore banks the tope are around in abundance, frozen mackerel has been good enough to get them on the feed whilst we have been struggling for the fresh stuff.
Cherbourg kicked off last month in brilliant fashion with 2 trips back to back without any wind and some of the best fishing I’ve seen those grounds produce. Huge numbers of cod and pollock on a wide spread number of wrecks, the bigger fish like Gareth Awbury’s 22lber coming on rough ground. With bait fish easy to catch just outside Cherbourg harbour we have seen a more positive start to the bass fishing over there with several fish coming to the net when we have tried. Highlight of July so far has to be Duncan Fleming’s 8lb 12oz john dory caught on a blue sidewinder whilst cod fishing. Taken on the last drift of the day it was a reminder of what I love best about this job; that you just never know what might appear!
Sam Cumming
Silver Spray II -
16/06/2015
Fishing Report by Sam Cumming
16 Jun 2015 by Sam Cumming
Since the last report fishing has continued to impress right across the grounds with even the worse days producing above average results. Inshore fishing is still showing very good numbers of bream with 3lb plus fish being netted regularly. It’s always a welcome sight to see undulate rays so abundant on the same grounds and many anglers have been keeping themselves busy targeting these as well. A little further off and the bass fishing has started, no great numbers yet but a few nice ones on both live baits and artificials. Unfortunately bad weather has put pay to my latest trip to Alderney but we did manage to get across at the end of May despite the weather trying its best to stop us. Fishing was good with cod and turbot in good numbers over the first 3 days. The last day produced a challenge with 40 knots of south-westerly forecast, Martin Donovan and his crew were undeterred and we piled down the south bank for a couple of hours and were rewarded with a fine turbot of 15lb 8oz to round the trip off. Next week I will be over to Cherbourg for the first time this year, with the amount of fish out on the wrecks our side I can’t wait to go further afield and have a look.
Sam Cumming
Silver Spray II
