Latest Fishing Reports: Sea Urchin IIl
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17/08/2025
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
17 Aug 2025 by Andy Savage
We’ve managed a couple of days out recently after a week of big Spring tides. Friday was still on the large side with a 5.5m, but I had a group of lads who were still keen to have a go.
After a frustrating time collecting a few Mackerel, we had a couple of drifts on the three and five mile ground for very little return. Nudging out a bit further we had a few small Codling off the seven mile, but it was very hard going. We dropped back inside a couple of miles to try some wrecks around slack water. The first one saw us catch nothing and thankfully the second one we managed to get a few. Neil Swallow and my son Will had a couple of 5lb Codling, which lifted the spirits after a hard morning.
Once the tide was away we pushed out to the nine mile ground and spent the remainder of the day out there, taking odd fish here and there. It was hard work all day, but everyone persevered and kept at it.
Today the tides were down to 4.8m so a bit more manageable. We had an early start to get a go on a couple of inshore wrecks at slack water. The first was very quiet but we managed a few strap Ling off the second one.
With the tide away we tried the ground again, but I just got fed up with it. 3, 5 & 7 miles did a few small fish, but I couldn’t see things turning around, so put Plan B into action.
We pushed out twelve miles to have a go on an offshore wreck for a couple of hours. It was a high risk option, but thankfully there were a few fish at home when we got there. With the tide still running it was mainly 3-4 Codling a drift to the muppet bait traces. Once it eased a bit, the Ling came on the feed, and we took a few every drift.
Jamie Britton took the biggest of the day with a nice plump Ling of 16lb and Shane Ingram had the biggest Cod at 6lb. It turned out to be a good move in the end as everyone got a fish or two.
Thanks to all the lads who joined us; two great days of chat and laughs which I thoroughly enjoyed. -
10/08/2025
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
10 Aug 2025 by Andy Savage
Today we had a great bunch aboard Sea Urchin, for a run out in some beautiful Summer sunshine……
We had a building 5.5m Spring Tide to work with, which would mean that the boat would drift quickly when the tide was up to full strength, making the fishing a bit more challenging. That said; we still had two periods of slack water, which would allow us to try a few wrecks. We started off the day catching a few fresh Mackerel for bait, then with the tide almost being slack, tried a couple of inshore wrecks.
The first one produced nothing in two drifts, so we moved on. It’s essential to maximise slack water on the big tides, as the tide turns so much quicker, giving less time to fish in prime conditions. We fared a bit better on the second wreck, taking 4 or 5 small Codling each drift. We didn’t get anything massive, but Martin Gadomski had a couple of better Codling with the biggest being 6lb.
Once the tide was away we moved out fishing rough ground at 3, 5, 7 & 9 miles. Even though the lines weren’t streaming badly, the ground fishing was hard work today. We fished a mixture of Shads and bait. The shads worked better the further out we got, perhaps suggesting a clarity issue at the bottom. The nine mile ground was definitely the most productive giving a few Codling each drift. Once again Martin Gadomski found the biggest fish of the day with a 9lb Ling on a baited muppet trace.
We planned to run back inshore for the second slack water to fish a couple more wrecks to end the day. Unfortunately it didn’t quite turn out that way as we experienced some engine trouble and had to nurse ourselves back in when (what looks like) the throttle cable snapped.
Thanks to everyone for being so understanding and for being excellent company. Hopefully see you again soon. -
08/08/2025
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
8 Aug 2025 by Andy Savage
It's been quite a while since I've put up a catch report. For the last couple of weeks either the weather or the tides have been rubbish. Checking my diary; I did my last trip on the 30th July which wasn't great due to the amount of swell we had to battle with and then today was my next opportunity.
Even today's trip was a 50/50 affair. With a building 5m tide and an offshore breeze, it looked like it was destined to be a difficult day. I'm not one for punishing anglers in poor conditions, so I gave everyone the option of coming or not; explaining that we would probably have to spend a lot of the day fishing hard inside, to get some relief from the wind (fishing hard inside is fantastic, but you need water clarity and feeding fish to make it a good day). Having not been to sea for a week, I didn't know what the clarity levels etc were.
A couple dropped out, but seven lads were still happy to come and have a day out. We had a stop at the Bell Buoy to see if there were any Mackerel kicking about and thankfully we got enough for bait in a couple of drifts. With the tide being fairly slack, I took us to try a nearby wreck as the winds were light and the lines weren't streaming. Over the next hour, we tried a couple of wrecks with squid and mackerel muppet traces. We had an odd fish or two. Mainly small Ling and Codling plus a few Pouting. As the tide began to build and the drift speed increased, we pushed to the three mile ground to try our luck.
The westerly wind was increasing in strength giving white water all around us, but the Ebb tide matched it well and meant that the lines weren't streaming at all. We had the lines fairly straight up and down which was good. Each drift on the ground we picked up a couple of fish, but sport wasn't prolific by any stretch. Mainly small Codling, with just a few to keep.After an hour, with the lines still fairly vertical, I gambled on a push out to the five mile ground to see if we could find a better stamp of fish. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. We had similar results to the three mile ground. An odd small Codling and a few strap Ling.
With the wind due to build and the tide to turn, there was no way I was going any further out, so I pointed us inshore and ran back in to try another patch of ground (for nothing at all as it turned out). Plan B was definitely required, so with a freshening wind, we ran back in towards Robin Hoods Bay to try the ground hard inside.The tide was almost slack when we arrived, but we picked up a few Codling over the next half an hour on baited Hokkai's, plus some Kamikaze Mackerel. We then dropped tight inside to get the first of the Flood Tide and for half an hour we got a few more fish, including four Pollack which all came with fifteen minutes of each other while the Flood Tide was building. Annoyingly, the Pollack all came to baited traces, despite two of us working hard with the Shads....the fish clearly didn't read the rule book!!
Unfortunately, once the tide got up to speed, the fish pretty much stopped feeding and sport dried up. We worked our way back up towards Hawsker, but to almost nothing other than Mackerel. We agreed to call it a day an hour earlier than usual, as it seemed futile just drifting for nothing.
All the lads were great company and stuck at it all day. I couldn't deliver the trip I had hoped to, but the company and chat made the day pass quickly. Thanks lads, really appreciate you coming for the day out. See you next time.... -
18/07/2025
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
18 Jul 2025 by Andy Savage
It’s been great to have the last couple of days at sea.
Quite a lot of regulars aboard, which is always excellent fun and a few new customers. Both days have followed a fairly similar pattern. The tides are now falling away, but at 5m are still too big to spend the whole day on the wrecks. To be honest, I prefer a mixed days fishing anyway and find them more enjoyable. Wrecking all day can be harsh; especially if you’re having a bad day!
We collected enough fresh Mackerel for the day from just outside the pier ends, then fished either ground or a wreck, depending on the state of tide and drift speed. On Thursday we spent the majority of the day on rough ground as the SE winds were fresher than anticipated. Starting off on the three mile ground we worked our way out to nine miles during the course of the day.
Most of the lads fished with Hokkai’s baited with Squid or Mackerel and a 16oz lead to give better tackle control. Some areas fished better than others, but there were a few fish here and there. Del Moran took the biggest fish of the day with a nice Ling of 12lb 2oz which also won him £50 in the Summer Competition.
Today we had much better weather, so I was optimistic of finding a few more fish, as the fishing conditions were much easier. With the Flood Tide still getting away after the Mackerel Bash, I dropped us onto a wreck just a couple of miles out to test the water. With a 0.6 knot drift speed, we got stuck into a few Ling each pass over.
Unfortunately we got a few tangles as well, and whilst I was sorting one of them out Dave Sharp casually asked for the net as he had a nice Ling. At 13lb 3oz it was the biggest of the day and also won him £50 in the Summer Competition.
The rest of the day wasn’t as productive unfortunately. There was little interest in the Shads and we just picked up odd fish here and there all day. The company has been fantastic, so a massive thanks from me boys, great having you aboard. -
12/07/2025
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
12 Jul 2025 by Andy Savage
Another lovely day out at sea today.
Gill Braund booked the boat for the day for family and friends and just like last year, the five gentlemen who came were fantastic company. With a foggy morning greeting us as we left the harbour, we started off the day tracking down a few Mackerel for bait, then stopped on a wreck a couple of miles from the pier ends as slack water was around 0830hrs. With a mixture of Hokkai’s and muppet traces, baited with squid and mackerel we had a couple of fish, but to be honest, it wasn’t great. We had a few Codling and one Ling around 6lb, but also lost a bit of gear; so I moved us to rough ground (for the rest of the day as it turned out).
We fished three different areas of ground between three and seven miles and thankfully they all produced fish. With it being a bigger 5.2m tide, we found that the first few drifts on each bit of ground were the most productive. Taking between 3-8 fish each run. Then as the tide built and the drift speed increased, we had to nudge a bit further out to lose some tide, and sport improved again. We repeated this three times.
Codling and Ling in the 2-5lb range were the mainstay, with an odd better Ling up to 8lb. Chris Braund took the biggest Ling of the day at 10lb 7oz, which also won him £50 in the Summer Competition.
My son Will was crewing for me today, and with there being plenty of deck space, the lads very kindly let him join them for a few hours. He loves fishing with Shads and I was made up for him when he picked up a 5lb 8oz Codling which was a new PB.
We caught fish fairly consistently all day around the boat, a couple of lads had more success than others. But we all have one of those days from time to time when it goes really well, or really rubbish. It’s part and parcel of a day out in a Charter Boat.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable day, spent in excellent company.
Looking forward to 2026 already. -
11/07/2025
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
11 Jul 2025 by Andy Savage
We’ve had some fantastic weather at Whitby the last three days and have managed to get out to try and get a few.
The tides have built a little each day from a 4.8m on Wednesday to a 5.2m today which has seen the boat drift a bit quicker each day as a consequence. The days have all followed a fairly similar pattern. First job was to try and collect a few fresh Mackerel for bait, which hasn’t been as easy as it was three weeks ago. Mainly getting 1’s & 2’s as opposed to full strings.
On Wednesday (smallest tide) we ran south and managed the full day on the wrecks. We fished five wrecks for the day and picked up fish here and there; everyone got a few and some wrecks fished better than others. I had experienced anglers aboard and it helped me shape the day, as I knew they would be catching if the fish were feeding.
On Thursday we ran south again and spent the morning on the wrecks. The drift was a little quicker, which made the fishing more challenging. That said, we still managed to catch a few. We found that it was better for me to start the drift on the wreck as most of the bites would come within a minute of getting to the bottom. The SE breeze lifted a little on the turn of tide, so we had the last hour of the day drifting rough ground for Codling, Ling and a few Mackerel for those who wanted them.
Today we started off on the wrecks, then once the Ebb Tide was away, we had to move to rough ground as the drift speed was too quick. We fished both the 3 & 5 mile ground taking fish here and there. As the tide eased again, we dropped back onto a couple of wrecks to finish. Once again we got a few fish.
Apologies for the boring report. We caught enough fish to make them ok days, but we didn’t catch anything massive and it wasn’t frantic sport.
Biggest Cod was 8lb 1oz, caught by Henry Fong and biggest Ling was 9lb 4oz caught by Ian Kellock. Both of them won the £50 daily prize in the Summer Competition. Well done boys -
04/07/2025
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
4 Jul 2025 by Andy Savage
We've managed to get out to sea for the last couple of days. The weather conditions have been very changeable and have given the anglers some challenging conditions to fish in. That said; they've fished well and caught some decent fish.
On Wednesday I had a mixed group of regulars aboard, most of them had fished together before, so there was a great atmosphere and loads of banter. I was hoping to run off to try a wreck to two in the 20 mile stream, but as soon as we cleared the pier ends I knew it just wasn't an option. The sea breeze and sea conditions were not good enough, so we went with Plan B......running North and trying a few inshore wrecks.
We the tide flooding, we just hopped between three wrecks for most of the morning. The fishing was steady with a couple of fish a drift, but at least there was life on the wrecks. Charlie Hewitt tried hard with the Shads, but they just didn't seem to be any interest. Muppet bait traces with Squid and/or fresh Mackerel did the business. The third wreck was quiet and it wasn't until we hooked a fish (which was bitten in half on the way up), that we realised there was a seal looking for its dinner.
With that in mind and the wind easing a bit, I opted to run out to a wreck in the nine mile stream, which as far as I knew had been left alone for a couple of weeks. We had an hour to go before slack water, so the tide was beginning to ease off. Pleasingly, there were quite a few fish at home and we had a good ninety minutes taking a nice stamp of 3-4lb Codling and a few Ling mixed in. Stan Matthews and Bod were the stars of the show, catching a box of fish apiece. I was really please for them, as I have had to cancel most of their trips this year for bad weather. Stan took the biggest fish of the day with a 10lb 5oz Ling, which also won him the daily prize in the WCSA Summer Festival.
Today I had the pleasure of Gordon Blyth and his mates aboard. We had a bit of a wobbly sea again this morning, but it was forecast to fall away by midday. We had a real struggle finding Mackerel and after an hour, we gave up with around 25 between everyone. With the forecast as it was, I opted to put Plan A from yesterday into action. We ran out to fish a wreck in the 20 mile stream. All the way out there I was hoping that the wind would drop away, as we had a bit of wind behind the Flood Tide. As I set up the first drift the Navigator would not drop below a drift speed of 1.5 knots, which is fairly rapid for trying the wrecks!
I'd briefed the lads and advised them to go in with a single muppet trace (to reduce drag) baited with the usual suspects of Squid and Mackerel and a 16oz lead. Once I'd worked out where we needed to set up the drift, surprisingly, we caught Codling every drift for the next couple of hours. They were a really nice stamp as well with almost all of them in the 4-5lb range.
Surprisingly, the quicker drift speed was more productive than slack water as it turned out. We never caught any Ling with the tide running, but once we got into slack, a couple of Ling did decide to feed, with Gary Grantham taking the biggest at 11lb 6oz. We also lost three really decent fish to the wreck throughout the day, but we will never know how big..... All I can say is that they certainly made a 30-50 Class rod buckle over!
It was a really enjoyable day in fantastic company. Thanks lads. See you again in a few weeks. -
30/06/2025
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
30 Jun 2025 by Andy Savage
Double trouble for Steve Milnes today aboard Sea Urchin…..we had a 12hr offshore trip booked with a mixed group of anglers.
With light winds forecast until after midday, we chose to head out at 0430hrs to get the best of the day in before the SE winds lifted; or at least that was the plan!!! We managed to grab a few fresh Mackerel on the way out, before heading to a wreck in the 20 mile stream. As we arrived at 0730hrs, I could see that there were already flecks of white water appearing as the breeze lifted a little.
Nevertheless, we were out there so I set up a few drifts on the wreck. With the lines streaming back, I ended up positioning the boat well off the wreck to get the lines in it, but once we had that sussed, a few fish started to come up. It wasn’t frantic, 2-3 each drift of mainly 2-4lb Codling for a couple of hours.
Steve Milnes had a good run, taking a fish almost every drift. After getting snagged up in the wreck I managed free his gear and could feel a decent fish pulling back. Steady away and Steve bagged his first ever Ling at just over 12lb….nice!Next drop down I jokingly said, “I’d like to see a double figure Cod now please” and blow me, Steve hooked into what looked like another decent fish and after a spirited fight I netted a 12lb Cod for him!! Two drops, two doubles and two Pb’s. Steve very sportingly put back the Cod which swan away strongly after a couple of quick pictures.
We then moved to try an area of rough ground which was meant to be the main objective of the day. I’m not one for making a load of excuses, but with the wind being so strong the lines were difficult to control. Credit to the lads, they plugged away for the next couple of hours taking a mix of Codling, Haddock, Ling, Whiting, Pollock and a few Blue Mouth Rockfish. Nothing big, but there was always a few fish every drift. The wind continued to build after the turn of tide and the troughs got a bit deeper. I called a halt to proceedings half an hour early as we had a long sloppy run back home.
Conditions weren’t pleasant at all today and I wouldn’t have been there if the forecast had been correct. Sorry for chucking you around for most of the day lads -
17/06/2025
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
17 Jun 2025 by Andy Savage
Another really enjoyable day out on Sea Urchin today. The tides are still around 5m so it would be another mixed days fishing of ground and wrecks. I was a little wary of what the weather would be like, as the forecast gave 11-13mph SW winds, which could potentially cause us some problems.
We did the Mackerel bash in about 15 minutes today, it was string after string, then we dropped onto the rough ground at three miles to see how that looked.
Just as we arrived a weather front pushed through and a stiff breeze had us flying along for half an hour with the lines streaming back. Despite that, we still managed to find a few fish. Marek Kawka having the biggest with a 7lb Ling on a speed jig. The wind dropped away and we spent the next hour running different lines and a mixture of Codling, Haddock and Ling came up to mainly baited Hokkai’s.
As the action slowed we ran out to the five mile ground, to hopefully have a go on a wreck or two as the tide eased. Wrong!! Another squall pushed through and the lines streamed again. The three drifts we did produced very little, so with the wind still blowing I took us out another couple of miles, resigned to not getting on a wreck. As we arrived, typically the wind dropped away, so we cracked on to a wreck a couple of miles away.
It was literally slack water when we arrived and thankfully we found a few fish of a better size. Dave Worsfold had the biggest Cod of the day with a plump 8lb 8oz fish. Charlie Hewitt took a Ling of a similar size and there were quite a few 3-4lb Codling which are ideal for the table. Once the Ebb Tide got away, we had an hour on the nine mile ground for some small Haddock and Codling, then ran back into the seven mile ground to finish.
We had a decent drift line and pleasingly had a really good last half hour, with some nice size Codling coming up. Charlie Hewitt definitely deserves a mention as he spent almost all day fishing the Shads and along with catching consistently, he took a lovely brace of five pound Codling to end with. Top angling Charlie.
Thanks to everyone for being such great company, I really enjoyed having you all aboard -
15/06/2025
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
15 Jun 2025 by Andy Savage
Weekend catch report aboard Sea Urchin……
We’ve got Spring tides at the moment with both days having just over 5m tides. This would mean that the majority of the days would be spent drifting rough ground and then maybe a chance at a wreck or two at slack water.
Saturday saw Aidy Broddle and a group of mates book the boat. We headed out to try and get a few Mackerel for bait, but failed miserably, with only half a dozen caught. We had plenty of Squid, so it wasn’t an issue.
Starting off on the five mile ground, we picked up a few small fish, then moved to a nearby wreck as the Flood Tide eased. The wrecks were covered in feed and we only managed a handful of fish off the three we tried. Kev Cook taking the biggest with a Ling just over 9lb.
Once the Ebb came through, we ran out to the seven mile ground and there were a fair few fish about to keep the rods going. We had a good drift line allowing us to run along one of the ridges perfectly and we caught a mix of mainly Haddock and Codling. The stamp of Haddock wasn’t bad at all, but the lads sportingly put them all back. Everyone was in great spirits all day, and although the fishing wasn’t amazing, it was a day spent in great company. Look forward to seeing you again next year lads.
Today saw much more challenging weather conditions. The fresh Westerly winds made the first three hours a bit sloppy. We tried for a few Mackerel again and after the first area was devoid, we had a short move and thankfully everyone caught plenty. With the winds making the lines stream, the wrecks were never an option today. Once the drift slowed at slack water (the lines were still streaming, so you can’t fish wrecks properly), we tried a couple of prominent features on the rough ground.
As the Ebb tide got away we had a nice spell picking up a few better Ling in the 5-6lb range and Adrian took the biggest of the day at 9lb 12oz. We kept on the move for the rest of the day, with a move out to nine miles being a bit slow, we dropped back into seven to end with a couple of better sized Codling.
As expected, it wasn’t easy today, but despite the conditions, we still managed to find a few. Thanks lads.
