Latest Fishing Reports: Highlands and Islands
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03/05/2021
Fishing Report by Kevin McKie
on Size Matters (Craobh Haven, Argyll & Bute)
3 May 2021 by Kevin McKie
Report on-board Size Matters
The big Welsh girls have started to arrive in Cardigan bay and we have been catching some big female Tope.
Our biggest Tope was caught by Alan Bates from Manchester, the Tope was heavily pregnant so we decided not to weigh the fish to minimise stress so we measured the girth 31 inch and length (tip of nose to fork or the tail) 55.5 inch puts it at 66lb 6oz and is a new personal best for Alan well done, sorry the photo is not the best but we didn’t want to lift the fish too far off the deck and it was during the night so that doesn’t help to make a good photo.
Other Personal best Tope where caught by
Paul Williams 50lb 10oz,
Dave Jones 45lb 8oz,
Mark Thomas 42lb,
Robert Bamber 41lb,
Steve Williams 38lb,
Alan Jones 34lb,
Kevin Marples 33lb,
The Tope fishing has been very hit and miss on some days we are catching one or two other days we are catching up to 14, the lack of bait fish means the Tope are always on the move and no area has fished well two days in a row.
This has seen us moving five or six times per day trying to find the Tope, as more bait fish arrive the fishing will get much better and more consistent, from now till the end of June we hope to catch some very big Tope.
We have also started to catch the first Black Bream of the season along with Huss to 12lb, Grater Weaver, Ballan Wrasse, Pollack, Coalfish, Whiting, Scorpion Fish, Dogfish and Thornback Ray.
The wreck fishing has been excellent with our last trip producing 101 Pollack to 9lb 8oz with most of them averaging 5lb to 6lb for Layland SAC.
We have also seen fishing groups making good use of the mini bus return service from Liverpool to Pwllheli supplied by SDH Travel.
Sadly we are fully booked in Pwllheli for the rest of the year, we do have dates available for Skate fishing in Scotland during November, December, January and February.
Thanks
Kevin Mckie
Size Matters (Pwllheli)
07999628511
#Shimano
#Mckiesfishingcharters
#Gerrysofmorcambe
#Grundens
#Mckiesfishingcharters
#SDHtravel
#Pwllheli
View Boats Page
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22/04/2021
Fishing Report by Kevin McKie
on Size Matters (Craobh Haven, Argyll & Bute)
22 Apr 2021 by Kevin McKie
Report on-board Size Matters
The Tope fishing from Pwllheli on the bigger tides was looking very promising, on our best day we had Tope of 57lb, 54lb, 51lb and dropped 5 Tope in the first hour.
Then as the tide dropped away it was just Huss and Doggies, when the tide turned we had 2 more Tope of 36lb and 22lb.
As we where weighing the 57lb Tope in the sling the Tope regurgitate it’s stomach so we didn’t both with a photo and got it straight back in the water.
Over the next few days the Tope fishing was very difficult with very small tides, bright sun shine and crystal clear water.
We even tried a night fishing trip with lots of chum because the day before we got bitten off on 250lb mono.
Sadly we only managed the one Tope and Huss to 12lb, thankfully we have caught Tope on all of our Tope trips so far.
We also had our first wrecking trip of the season booked in, its was a 23 hour trip with some of my regulars.
I explained to the lads we mite be too early in the season to have a good day and I had not fish any of the wrecks since the 90s.
The first few wrecks where very poor with just a few small Pollack for our efforts, we decided to steam another hour more and then we hit the honey hole, every drift was 4 to 6 Pollack per drift to 8lb but most where 5lb to 6lb.
The lads stopped on just over 150 Pollack then we decided to try a few more wrecks for Cod or Ling but all we found was small Coalfish and Pollack.
We decided to put the anchor down for the last few hours over slack water with only Coalfish and Pollack for bait, two of the lads got smashed up by big fish on there light gear and they managed to catch Spurdog to 16lb, Huss to 14lb, Tope to 10lb and Doggies.
Not a bad day between just 6 of them, I would of loved to have a load of fresh mackerel at anchor on one of them deep water wrecks,
I think there are a few surprises down there that’s for sure.
Here is a full list of available dates from Pwllheli this summer onboard Size Matters.
APRIL
Monday 26th Tope/Mixed £85 pp
1 place available 8am sailing.
MAY
Tuesday 4th Wrecking £105pp
8 places available 3am sailing.
Wednesday 5th Tope/Mixed £85 pp
3 places available 5.30am sailing.
Monday 10th Tope/Mixed £85 pp
1 place available 8am sailing.
Monday 24th Tope/Mixed £85 pp
1 place available 7am sailing.
JUNE
Tuesday 8th Tope/Mixed £85 pp
1 place available 8am sailing.
Please remember all charters are 10 to 12 hours unless stated otherwise, all top of the range Shimano rods and reels are free to hire, you just have to pay for any tackle losses or damages.
Thanks
Kevin Mckie
Size Matters (Pwllheli)
07999628511
#Shimano
#Mckiesfishingcharters
#Gerrysofmorcambe
#Grundens
#SDHtravel
#Northwales
#Pwllheli View Boats Page
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04/2021
Fishing Report by Kevin McKie
on Size Matters (Craobh Haven, Argyll & Bute)
Apr 2021 by Kevin McKie
Report on-board Size Matters
It’s good to finally be back on the tools and behind the helm of Size Matters.
We had our first day on the Tope we managed five Tope to 45lb and dropped four, the bites where very finicky and the water temperature was only 7 degrees.
Rob Lynn had the biggest Tope that was a new personal best for him followed by Bernie Forshaw with a 42lb Tope that was also his personal best.
We also had Huss to 10lb, Whiting, Dabs, Doggies and Poor Cod, I believe if we had fresh Mackerel for bait we would of landed a lot more Tope.
From now till the end of June is normally the best time to catch a giant Tope that Cardigan Bay is famous for, I have personally witnessed fish in-excess of 80lb in years gone by.
If you are booked on a Tope trip with us over the next few months try your best to get fresh mackerel for bait if not frozen will do.
Here is a full list of available dates from Pwllheli this summer onboard Size Matters.
APRIL
Monday 19th Whole boat available
4am sailing.
Tuesday 20th Whole boat available
4am sailing.
Wednesday 21st Whole boat available
5am sailing.
Thursday 22nd Whole boat available
6am sailing.
Monday 26th Tope/Mixed £85 pp
3 places available 8am sailing.
MAY
Saturday 1st 23 hour Tope/Mixed £170 pp
1 place available 11.30am sailing.
Tuesday 4th Whole boat available
4am sailing.
Wednesday 5th Whole boat available
5.30am sailing.
Thursday 6th Whole boat available
6am sailing.
Monday 10th Tope/Mixed £85 pp
3 places available 8am sailing.
Tuesday 11th Tope/Mixed £85 pp
3 places available 9am sailing.
Wednesday 19th 23 hour Wrecking trip
£210 pp 4 places available 2am sailing.
Friday 21st Bardsey Island/Bass £100 pp
3 places available 5am sailing.
Monday 24th Tope/Mixed £85 pp
1 place available 7am sailing.
JUNE
Tuesday 8th Tope/Mixed £85 pp
1 place available 8am sailing.
Please remember all charters are 10 to 12 hours unless stated otherwise, all top of the range Shimano rods and reels are free to hire, you just have to pay for any tackle losses or damages.
Thanks
Kevin Mckie
Size Matters (Pwllheli)
07999628511
#Shimano
#Mckiesfishingcharters
#Gerrysofmorcambe
#Grundens
#SDHtravel
#Northwales
#Pwllheli View Boats Page
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03/2021
Fishing Report by Kevin McKie
on Size Matters (Craobh Haven, Argyll & Bute)
Mar 2021 by Kevin McKie
Report on-board Size Matters
In life even the best laid plans can change especially if that thing called Covid-19 is involved.
At the very start of the year, we where looking forward to fishing the Mersey with January fully booked before the lock gates where going off line to get resealed, at the end of the month.
After just a few days the country went into lockdown and we had to cancel all our charters on the Mersey and get the boat straight to Scotland because we where fully booked for Skate fishing from February to mid May.
I managed to get my mate Mick to be my designated able seaman to accompany me on the 16 hour steam, the weather was amazing for January flat calm seas all the way.
As we approached one of my favourite Skate marks the deal was I paid Mick in Skate because he had never caught one before.
We only set two rods up because there was only the two of us onboard and in previous years I have had three and four Skate on at once and only two people onboard and it’s not fun.
The baits went down and after an hour Mick was into his first ever Skate about 75lb then every drop Mick had a Skate he landed 5 Skate in a row to 197lb including a male skate of 132lb, he then said right Kev that will do ha ha.
As we moved in to February the lockdown was being extended and we had to cancel all our charters in Scotland, even more bad news was Liverpool Marina lock gates where in a terrible state and where put back to the end of May before the outer gates will be fixed.
We asked the question about the inner gates being fixed because they where the gates with the issues in December, the marina said they are not fixing them till next winter!!
In March Size Matters was due her five year MCA survey, coding and MLC coding, so I got my mate Rob on the Skate payroll to accompany me and give me a hand.
We give the boat a run after sitting idol for two months the longest it’s ever stayed still for, everything was running sweet as a nut.
We had to test out the fishing tackle to make sure it was still working ok, I told Rob we will only have an hour, I put a proper bait on and caught my biggest skate a female of 196lb it was probably the third time I have actually ever personally fished for Skate, I am normally far to busy helping my anglers catch them.
Rob caught a male Skate about 110lb and lost a much bigger fish before we headed back to get the boat out the water ready for the survey.
Size Matters passed and is now fully coded for 12+2 up to 24 hour charters and 4+2 for charters over 24 hours, this is very important for our multiple day live aboard charters looking for sea monsters in the future!!
Our only problem now was finding a new home for the summer, we tried to get back in at Plymouth, Falmouth and South Wales but none of the marinas had room for a 45ft boat.
We where starting to feel like Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem 2021 years ago, then we got lucky and managed to get a berth in Pwllheli Marina, now this is where I had my first pleasure boat back in 1997, could this be an omen? Is it meant to be? Only time will tell.
Our plan now is to start charters on April 12th from Pwllheli until the end of September then head back to Scotland to fish for Skate from October to April.
So if you want to book any charters from Pwllheli this summer or Scotland this winter then let us know and we will try our best to accommodate you.
Sadly with the lock gates at Liverpool Marina being as temperamental as an ex girlfriend on magic mushrooms we won’t be returning until both the inner gates and outer gates have been fixed, as we could never afford to get stuck in the marina for months on end.
Thanks
Kevin Mckie
Size Matters (Pwllheli)
07999628511
#Shimano
#Mckiesfishingcharters
#NorthWales
#Pwllheli View Boats Page
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12/2020
Fishing Report by Kevin McKie
on Size Matters (Craobh Haven, Argyll & Bute)
Dec 2020 by Kevin McKie
Report on-board Size Matters
2020 has definitely got to be the year most memorable for all the wrong reasons.
As the year draws to a close we thought it’s the right time to have a recap at how the year unfolded and how we have managed to survive as a small business to hopefully see many more years to come.
January to mid February fishing in the Mersey was in full swing, catch up to 56 cod per trip to 9lb but most where 2.5lb to 3lb, Rays to 10lb, Whiting, Flounder and Dabs.
We only done a few wrecking trips during this time due to the very bad weather, when we did get out we where catching 60+ Pollack to 12lb 8oz and a few Cod.
This was the first time we have ever caught Pollack in Liverpool Bay with roe in during the winter months, this bolds well for a future winter Pollack fishery like on the south coast.
End of February to March seen us move to Scotland for the Giant Skate, because we had commitments to do a hosted fishing holiday abroad later in March we could only do two weeks in Scotland.
So we took the opportunity to hire Buoy Alba a 30ft Evo owed by a good friend Davie, the boat is excellent and more than capable for what we needed.
Sadly we only managed to get less than half the charters on due to the constant SW gales, the trips we did manage to get in where excellent, John Frayne managed the biggest Skate of 225lb a cracking fish.
The Norwegian lads done the best they managed 41 Skate for a total weight of 7211lb over the few days they fished with us, there biggest Skate was 208lb and all four of them landed Skate over 200lb!!
We treated the Norwegian lads to big night out playing bingo at the local pub, we actually had a great time and they will be our friends forever.
Mid March seen us head to Rodrigues island for a hosted fishing holiday just as COVID-19 started to take its grip on the world.
The fishing was good plenty of fish to 50lb and the lads where happy until we got the call to leave the island before they went into full lockdown.
At the time of the call on the skippers satellite phone where where over 100 miles from shore on a live aboard charter.
So we had to head back and cut the holiday very short, when we arrived back at Rodrigues island we had to pack and go straight to the airport, we managed to get on the last flight out of Rodrigues to Mauritius.
As we got off the plane in Mauritius it was like something from a film, there was police and army everywhere, Mauritius was in full lockdown you could not leave the airport.
There was people in the airport who had been sleeping there for days and there was only a few flights available to Europe before the airport closed in a few days time.
After lots of phone calls and panicking because our bank cards would not work in Mauritius for some reason, our good friend Davie in Glasgow managed to get two of us on the last flight to Glasgow and the other three lads on the last flight to Newcastle.
What a fiasco and something that would definitely put you off going abroad every again.
As we got home we where all glad to see our family and friends, but then things went from bad to worst case scenario, the UK went into full lockdown.
For us as a small business this was extremely bad because we where fully booked in Plymouth from April to October and the boat was still in Liverpool.
As the Lockdown went on things where looking very bad especially with no help at the time from the government because we did not pay business council tax rates.
As we got to the end of April we decided to cancel all charters in Plymouth for 2020 and move who we could to 2021, this was a very bitter pill to swallow and we where thinking how the hell are we going to get through this.
As we moved into May there was some good news on the horizon, Plymouth City Council helped out the charter boats and the government started the furlough scheme and back dated it.
As the government relaxed the lockdown in mid May, we where allowed to operate with only one other person on the boat, now not everyone can afford a whole boat charter so this ment it was time to get our scouse thinking cap on and we came up with the Size Matters commemorative swivel free prize draw.
This was an instant hit with our anglers and after a few weeks we managed to finally get our prop turning so we started earning thank god.
Throughout June and July when we could get out due to the constant NW, W, SW winds we managed to show case just what the fishing can be like from Liverpool during the summer.
Our best day on a 12 hour wrecking trip was the lads from Layland and District S.A.C who managed to catch 155 Pollack, Cod, Coalfish and Ling between 8 of them.
On out best day on a 23 hour wrecking trip the lads known as Team Poland managed to catch 230 Pollack, Cod, Coalfish and Ling between 8 of them.
The Tope fishing was excellent especially on the first and only Isle of Man trip we managed to get on this year due to the weather, the four boat pikey’s we had onboard managed to catch 64 Tope to 30lb in the first five hours of fishing!!
Our best day from Liverpool for Tope was 14 boated to 42lb and 8 losted, on other days there was Huss to 14lb and rays to 12lb they where so think on the ground your bait was not lasting 5 minutes, on one trip I remember counting over 70 Huss being caught on the one trip!
Sadly our biggest Tope of the year was only 47lb, In years gone by Tope to well over 60lb are caught each year in Liverpool Bay.
August seen us getting some refunds for family holidays and fishing holidays that never happened due to Covid-19, so this give us the opportunity to do something that has always been on our list of things to do with Size Matters.
It was time to hit the continental shelf off the west coast of Ireland some 400 miles from Liverpool, to do a trip like this you need to be one of two things, have an unhealthy interest in fishing or you are mentally insane, but we are way past both of them.
Myself and the crew had a trip of a lifetime not just for fishing but for the adventure as well, fishing in over 3500ft of water in the Atlantic ocean flat calm with the sun beating down on us drinking a beer and eating fresh Albacore tuna, believe me this is what life it’s self is all about.
We learnt so much on this trip, we caught our first Albacore Tuna, first Stone Bass but it was tickled into the boat not on rod and line, we had our first encounter with a Mako shark in UK waters, we thought know one would believe us after it rolled in the line but only a few weeks later a very big Mako was caught by a boat from Wales only a few miles from where we where fishing.
We had our first Blue Fin Tuna over 500lb according to the measurement charts 92inch to 94inch estimated in the water, it was caught on a wire trace while sharking with a 4lb Cod as bait.
We also caught lots of Blue Sharks now know as Blue Dogfish because they where a pest, we had a few Porgies over 100lb, just the one small Six Gill Shark about 80lb, Cod, Pollack, Ling, Coalfish, Squid and Blue Whiting.
The real star of the trip was a shark called a Leafscaled Gulper Shark, we all caught them from 20lb to 30lb, at the time we just thought they where a deep water Spurdog species that smelt of urine and thought nothing of it.
After we returned and done some research we found out they have never been caught on rod and line before in Ireland or the UK and the ones we caught could of potentially been not only Irish records but world records because there is so little known about the species.
From the end of August to end of September the Bass fish took off and we managed to fine tune our approach when targeting them, on our best day the lads caught and released bang on 100 Bass, all on very light spinning gear, on an average day we where catching 40 to 60 Bass with the biggest going 7lb 12oz thats pretty good going for Liverpool.
We also had an Isle of Man trip cancelled so I offered the lads the chance to head south where the weather forecast was ment to be much better, they all jumped at the chance.
We caught Blue Fine Tuna to 470lb 88inch estimated in the water while shark fishing, Porgies to 140lb and lost one over 200lb after it bit through the wire trace and Blue Dogfish to 104lb.
Then the weather turned for the worst and it was time to head home on a very long steam back to scouse land.
October November and December the UK went into the dreaded tire system and regional lockdowns, there was no way we where tying up the boat if we could legally operate, after lots of calls to different authorities emails and legal advice giving us all the same answers we decided to carry on as normal using the lockdown legislation as our guide to make sure we stayed on the right side of the law.
Thankfully we did with no issues what so ever, this just goes to show there are Associations and Trusts out there giving advice to stay in port when some charter businesses are fully legally entitled to operate depending how there business is set up.
The fishing during these months was and still is very good the wrecks are producing 60 to 80 Pollack per trip to 10lb and again we are seeing roe in them.
The Mersey has been full of Rays to 10lb that can be a pain at times, upto 19 Cod per trip to 11lb with the average being 6lb to 7lb, (we have never seen Cod in the Mersey average this size in the lads 25 years), odd Conger to 14lb, Whiting, Dabs and Flounder.
The plan for 2021 is to stay in Liverpool until the end of January then head to Scotland to fish for Giant Skate until mid May, we are in contact with the Scottish transport minister’s office and the local authorities in the area.
So far it looks good but due to different laws and legislation in Scotland this could change at any time so we are keeping a very close eye on it.
Sadly we will not be going to Plymouth in 2021 due to the tire system in place 95% of our anglers need accommodation in Plymouth because they travel from all over the UK and Ireland to fish with us for 1 to 5 days at a time.
If Plymouth was to go into tire 3 and all accommodation was closed we would lose all charters and that’s not a risk we want to take, hopefully in the future we will be back in Plymouth for the summer months.
This now means we will be in Liverpool from May 2021 for the forcible future, good news is we are fully booked till October 2021.
There is four groups of anglers booked on for some amazing trips from Liverpool in 2021 please keep these trips close to your chest and all being well we push the boundaries of UK charter fishing even further than ever before!!
We would like to thank our sponsors Shimano UK for there support and amazing quality fishing tackle that’s helped us land all our fish mentioned over the last three years and long may it continue.
The biggest thank you of all is to everyone who has fish with us this year from Liverpool in these testing times to say the least with out your continued support we would not be able to do the job we love.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Thanks
Kevin Mckie
Size Matters (Liverpool)
#Shimano
#Mckiesfishingcharters
#Liverpool View Boats Page
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12/2020
Fishing Report by Kevin McKie
on Size Matters (Craobh Haven, Argyll & Bute)
Dec 2020 by Kevin McKie
Report on-board Size Matters
It’s been a few months since our last report from Liverpool but thankfully our regular customers have managed to keep our prop turning so we keep earning.
The Bass fishing come to an end around mid October after two weeks of storms from the West and North West, the water was like chocolate and full of Whiting, Dabs and Dogfish.
Wrecking has been steady 60 to 80 Pollack per trip seems to be pretty standard, most are 4lb to 6lb with a few fish into double figures.
We have started to fish the rough ground off shore where we are catching good numbers of big Pollack to 11lb 6oz, Ling to 6lb, Coalfish to 4lb, Cod to 4lb and Ballan Wrasse to 3lb.
The Mersey has been producing some cracking Cod, our biggest so far has been 11lb, with a few just over 10lb and good numbers over 9lb, we have caught Cod on every trip so far on the Mersey.
This is the first time in 30 years I have seen Cod in the Mersey averaging 6lb to 7lb, we are not getting big numbers up to 13 per trip but much better fish, we have only had a dozen or so Cod under 5lb.
Our biggest problem while targeting the Cod has been the amount of Rays to 10lb over 50 in a trip is normal at times add to this Conger to 14lb, Dogfish and Whiting it’s no wonder we are not getting more Cod.
We have only had two very tough days on the Mersey so far this winter where nothing was going right, forecast was wrong, anchor was dragging, weed all over the line and lots of fresh water in the river, luckily we managed to solder on and find a few fish in the end.
As we move into the colder months of winter the Rays and Dogfish normally move off shore, this should pave way for more Cod and my be a few bigger ones.
We will be fishing from from Liverpool until January 22nd then we plan on heading to Scotland, we are currently in contact with all relevant government authorities in Scotland to make sure we can legally operate under the tire system for Covid-19.
From December 2nd to January 22nd we will be fishing the mighty Mersey for Cod, Rays, Whiting and Dabs.
If you book a Wrecking trip during this time and the weather is bad then we will be fishing in the Mersey as a back up weather permitting.
We have teamed up with Liverpools top accommodation provider "Serviced Living Liverpool" who offer 5 star apartments at internet beating rates.
Located in Liverpools Baltic Triangle area (one of the coolest places in UK) and only a few hundred metres from Liverpool Marina, give them a call on 0151 374 2401 and quote Size Matters book an apartment at the best rate.
Thanks
Kevin Mckie
Size Matters Liverpool
07999628511
#Mckiesfishingcharters
#Shimano
#Liverpool
#Servicedliving View Boats Page
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17/09/2020
Fishing Report by Kevin McKie
on Size Matters (Craobh Haven, Argyll & Bute)
17 Sep 2020 by Kevin McKie
Report on-board Size Matters
After our last adventure to the south catching big Tuna and Sharks on a 48 hour trip, it was now time to get back to some bread and butter fishing from Liverpool.
The Bass fishing is excellent at the moment most days we are catching 40 to 50 Bass and on our best day the lads who go by the name of The Bass Bandits caught 100 Bass and called it a day!!!
Most Bass are 40cm to 48cm with a few much bigger fish to 7lb 8oz, the lads keep two Bass each over 42cm and return the rest, even some of the lads are putting the bigger bass back which is great to see.
When Bass fishing we have also been catching, Smoothhound, Plaice, Flounder, Dab, Weaver, Tope pups and Dogfish.
Wrecking was starting to slow a little because the sea is alive with tiny 4 inch to 6 inch mackerel and Herring that the Pollack are feeding on.
On our last wrecking trip we decided to try a few wrecks we had not been to for a while, we got lucky and had over 80 Pollack to just short of double figures, with a few Ballan Wrasse, Ling, Coalfish, Cod, Whiting, Pouting, Mackerel, Herring, and Gurnard making up most of the catches.
The Mersey is alive with Rays at the moment to 8lb, you can catch 40+ a day without even trying, we have also had a few Congers in to double figures on clean ground, Sole, Flounder, Dabs, Whiting and Dogfish.
There is reports of odd Cod to 9lb in the river so it won’t be long before we start our winter season in the Mersey.
From October 1st to December 30th we will be fishing the mighty Mersey for Cod, Rays, Whiting and Dabs.
If you book a Wrecking, Bass or mixed off shore trip during this time and the weather is too bad then we will be fishing in the Mersey as a back up weather permitting.
Here is a full list of the available dates from Liverpool onboard Size Matters.
OCTOBER
Monday 26th wrecking £100 pp
1 place available 7.30am sailing.
NOVEMBER
Thursday 5th Mersey £55pp
2 places available 3am sailing.
Friday 6th Mersey £55 pp
4 places available 3.30am sailing.
DECEMBER
Thursday 3rd Inshore Banks £55 pp
4 places available 2am sailing.
Tuesday 8th Mersey £55 pp
5 places available 5am sailing.
Wednesday 9th Wrecking £100 pp
2 places available 5.30am sailing.
Thursday 10th Wrecking £100 pp
1 place available 7am sailing.
Tuesday 29th Mersey £55 pp
1 place available 10.30am sailing.
We have teamed up with Liverpools top accommodation provider "Serviced Living Liverpool" who offer 5 star apartments at internet beating rates.
Located in Liverpools Baltic Triangle area (one of the coolest places in UK) and only a few hundred metres from Liverpool Marina, give them a call on 0151 374 2401 and quote Size Matters book an apartment at the best rate.
Thanks
Kevin Mckie
Size Matters Liverpool
07999628511
#Mckiesfishingcharters
#Shimano
#Liverpool
#Servicedliving View Boats Page
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08/09/2020
Fishing Report by Kevin McKie
on Size Matters (Craobh Haven, Argyll & Bute)
8 Sep 2020 by Kevin McKie
Report on-board Size Matters
Our last three day trip of the year to the Isle of Man for big Tope was due to sail on Monday but sadly the weather was too bad.
I suggested to the lads we could do a 48 hour trip to where we fished on the way back from Ireland a few weeks ago because the weather forecast was looking much better further south.
The lads where well up for it, I had to load the boat up with 2500 litres of fuel and 100kg of fresh Mackerel for the trip.
I explained to the lads we would not use chum because it can attract too many small Blue Sharks in stead we would just keep chunking to hopefully select fewer but much bigger fish.
Our approach worked especially at night using glow sticks on the top of our traces,
Ste Loftus had his first porgie of 140lb it was a male fish and put up a great fight.
Paul Ravenscroft hooked the next Porgie of around 200lb again a male fish that give an excellent fight, I had hold of the wire trace twice then it just went deep down over 300ft and bit though the wire, I was so gutted for Paul it was his first ever Porgie and he would of loved a photo with it.
Nathon Berrie was the star of the show with the best Blue Shark of 104lb and Blue Fin Tuna of 88 inches (470lb) it took Nathan only 1 hour and 20 mins to get the tuna boat side on 30lb of drag, before it’s quick release, this was his first ever Tuna and won’t be his last.
All the lads had Blue Sharks but most where 40lb to 70lb, before it was time to head home for a very long steam.
From October 1st to December 30th we will be fishing the mighty Mersey for Cod, Rays, Whiting and Dabs.
If you book a Wrecking, Bass or mixed off shore trip during this time and the weather is too bad then we will be fishing in the Mersey as a back up weather permitting. View Boats Page
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01/09/2020
Fishing Report by Kevin McKie
on Size Matters (Craobh Haven, Argyll & Bute)
1 Sep 2020 by Kevin McKie
Report on-board Size Matters
After our trip to Ireland we took some time off to relax with the family.
When it was time to start our charters again we had two three day trips planned to the Isle of Man but sadly storm Francies put a stop to them.
Finally in the last few days we have been able to get back out from Liverpool and the fishing has been good.
Wrecking we have been catching lots of a Pollack into double figures, odd Ling, Cod and Coalfish.
The Bass fishing has been steady we are not getting the big numbers we where at the start of August but we are getting much bigger fish to 6lb 12oz.
From October 1st to December 30th we will be fishing the mighty Mersey for Cod, Rays, Whiting and Dabs.
If you book a Wrecking, Bass or mixed off shore trip during this time and the weather is too bad then we will be fishing in the Mersey as a back up weather permitting. View Boats Page
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20/08/2020
Fishing Report by Kevin McKie
on Size Matters (Craobh Haven, Argyll & Bute)
20 Aug 2020 by Kevin McKie
Report on-board Size Matters
Size Matters will be returning to Craobh Haven Marina on the west coast of Scotland in January 2021 until mid May to fish for Giant Common Skate, White Skate and Blue Skate.
Size Matters in the only boat ever in the UK to catch all three species of giant Skate.
We only use top quality Shimano fishing tackle, Tiagra 30s and Talica 25s reels loaded with 100 braid, teamed up with Tyrnos 80lb rods and full Black Magic Harnesses.
Using this top quality tackle makes Skate fishing much more enjoyable and easier on the angler, even the more senior anglers in their 70s and 80s can land Skate over 180lb with this tackle.
Here is a quick run down of when we started Skate fishing and how we have refined it over the last three seasons to give anglers the best possible opportunity to catch Skate over the magical 200lb mark!!
2018 was the start of our Skate fishing career, we done a 16 day trip to Scotland for Giant Skate even though we had never caught one before.
We managed 113 Common Skate to 220lb, total weight was 19361lb, with an average weight of 171lb 3oz.
11 of them where over 200lb and 91 of them over 100lb!
We caught Skate every day and out of 96 anglers who fished with us, only one angler never caught a Skate.
If that wasn’t good enough we also caught one White Skate estimated at 160lb that totally smashed the British record and was the first White Skate ever recorded in Scottish waters on rod and line.
The 2019 Skate fishing season could not come quick enough with 10 weeks fully booked, it was truly outstanding at times, we totalled 641 Skate for a total weight of 80,617lb!!!
We averaged 9 Skate a day with the average weight of 125lb 8oz!!
At times we would have four Skate on at once, trying to get them all to the boat in over 600ft of water was challenging at times but we managed it.
442 Skate where female and 199 were male, we caught 44 over 200lb and 359 over 100lb!!
The biggest Skate was caught by Wirrel angler Mick Walsh, a cracking fish of 232lb!!
Bert Willams from the Wirral caught the first ever Blue Skate in Scottish waters all 22lb of it, this is an exceptional catch in UK waters.
The most Skate we caught in one day was 37 for a total weight of 2790lb, by Garry Streeter and his lads from South Wales.
The Liverpool A Team consisting of Phil Riley, John Owan, John Mcbride and Paul Hendrick, had the most weight in one day with 20 Skate for a massive total weight of 3590lb!!
In 2020 we only had a two week window to fish for Skate due to family holidays and guiding holidays.
We decided it wasn’t worth taking Size Matters to Scotland so our good friend Davie lent us his charter boat Buoy Alba.
The weather was very unsettled, it was very stop start but we landed 87 Skate in just 8 days for a total of 15094lb the biggest was 225lb with 8 over 200lb, 76 over 100lb with an average weight of 173.5lb!!
As you can see the stats don’t lie, we are fully booked from March to mid May but because we are now arriving earlier in January we now have dates available in January and February if you would like to join us.
We can help arrange accommodation in self catering cottages at the marina for as little as £25 per person per night, they are very nice and fully kitted out just like a home from home.
The staff at the marina are very helpful and have done a great deal for us, they have decided if your charter is cancelled due to bad weather then you don’t have to pay a penny for the accommodation!
There is a pub at the marina called ‘Lord of the Isles’ they serve excellent food and drinks, the staff are very friendly and are happy to accommodate our anglers needs regarding food serving times.
We can also arrange bait at very reasonable prices that you can pick up next to the motorway in Glasgow.
Remember Size Matters has a fully equipped galley with microwave, kettle and hot plate to prepare hot food and hot drinks.
We also have full toilet facilities onboard and a fully heated wheel house that can seat up to 8 people at any one time.
Finally the best bit about fishing onboard Size Matters is the massive deck space where you can get that perfect photograph with your Skate, no shadows on the fish and definitely no need to hang over the side of the boat putting your self at risk for a photo.
We have had hundreds of anglers fish with us in Scotland since our first trip in 2018 and they have all really enjoyed their time in Scotland with us, hopefully some of them will leave comments when they see this post.
Available Dates
JANUARY
Saturday 9th £110 pp 6 places available.
Sunday 10th £110 pp 6 places available.
Monday 11th £110 pp 6 places available.
Tuesday 12th £110 pp 6 places available.
Tuesday 19th £110 pp 6 places available.
Wednesday 20th £110 pp 6 places available.
Sunday 24th £110 pp 4 places available.
Monday 25th £110 pp 4 places available.
FEBRUARY
Thursday 18th £110 pp 6 places available.
Friday 19th £110 pp 6 places available.
Saturday 20th £110 pp 6 places available.
Sunday 21st £110 pp 6 places available.
Monday 22nd £110 pp 6 places available.
Tuesday 23rd £110 pp 6 places available.
Please note charters are for a maximum of 12 hours if you think you can handle it and all top quality Shimano fishing tackle is included in the price.
Conservation and welfare of Skate is paramount, it is a 100% catch and release fishery, barbless bronzed hooks only and all Skate brought onboard for a photo are kept wet and released as quickly as possible.
Thanks
Kevin Mckie
Size Matters (Scotland)
07999628511
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#Scotland
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