Latest Fishing Reports: Sea Urchin IIl
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19/03/2024
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
19 Mar 2024 by Andy Savage
Don’t be fooled by the pictures…..today was was a really tough fishing day, made into a thoroughly enjoyable day by the anglers aboard.
We had a small tide but the winds were a bit too fresh for running out to offshore wrecks. That gave us the option of fishing inside at anchor as the inshore wrecks and ground still haven’t sparked up yet. We headed South to make the most of the tide and after an hours run we put the anchor down. With the area receiving little pressure this winter, I hoped there would be a few willing resident Codling that would come and find us.
I was wrong, simple as that. We had dropped anchor in the fishy equivalent of Dogs Trust, with a constant stream of DogFish and Pouting snaffling the baits. Three moves later we conceded defeat and ran back a few miles towards Whitby; arriving about an hour before slack water. Before I’d even had chance to finish making the brews, I saw Chris Chatham bring up a Codling which was a relief. Thankfully an odd Codling started to make an appearance, but it certainly wasn’t prolific.
Once the bites dried up, we had a short move as it appeared there weren’t many fish running. I put us on a short anchor as we were about to lose the tide and start swinging about. Interestingly, as we lost the tide we had a bit of a flurry of Pollock. We don’t seem to get too many of them when Uptiding, but we had half a dozen of them today. With Charlie Hewitt taking the biggest at 6lb 12oz.
Most of the lads switched over to regular leads (as opposed to breakaway leads) while the boat was swinging and we kept picking up odd fish which certainly hasn’t been the case recently.
Once the Ebb Tide came through, things tailed off again and despite another three moves, we ended with only an odd fish here and there. I would have loved to be able to deliver a few more fish for the boys, but it just wasn’t to be.
From a personal perspective, it was great to have a group of “anglers” (not freezer fillers) aboard, most of whom I hadn’t seen this winter with the rubbish weather we’ve had. A good catch up with some great banter. Thanks very much to you all -
18/03/2024
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
18 Mar 2024 by Andy Savage
We had the weather today to have a run out and try a few wrecks. I haven’t been offshore since last year, so didn’t really know what to expect; but I wasn’t hugely optimistic having spoken with Rich Ward from Shy-Torque, who had tried recently. Almost with a sense of impending doom I pointed us North and headed out to some wrecks in the 20 mile stream.
Just to be clear; I much prefer to fish the inshore wrecks which saves so much time steaming around, but unfortunately at this time of year we’ve found them to hold very little until the water starts to clear out. The offshore wrecks are usually a little more prolific, hence the reason for heading out that far.
I had a great crew aboard today, who love wrecking and knew what to do, so at least I knew if the fish were present and feeding they’d catch them. We had half a dozen drifts on the first wreck (which had a huge seal mooching around it) for a grand total of two Pouting, a Plaice and a bitten off Codling!! Oh S**t…..Time to move on.
We arrived at the next wreck with 90 minutes or so until slack water. I breathed a sigh of relief as three fish came up on the second drift (we missed the wreck first drift with the wind blowing us out to sea). We then proceeded to have a few fish each drift for the next 3 hours. Our best drift saw six Codling come up, nothing massive, but good to get bites. As usual, a few patterns emerged as the day progressed. When the tide was at full speed, smaller baits on Hokkai’s did the business, but as it eased, muppet traces baited with Squid or Mackerel seemed best.
A couple of things worthy of mention: Sea Urchin regular Allan Knaggs was top rod today, with nine fish to keep plus throwbacks. He fished really well, especially with the lines streaming a bit after dinner. Tony Firman caught plenty of fish (mainly Coalie’s) using the Slow Pitched Jig which was good to see.
Once the Ebb Tide came through it slowed the fishing right down, so we had half an hour on a wreck on the way back in for another half a dozen fish. It wasn’t a Red Letter Day, but equally, it wasn’t a disaster. Great to spend a day in the sunshine in excellent company. Thanks lads. -
17/03/2024
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
17 Mar 2024 by Andy Savage
Well that’s been a very productive few days……
After two years in the water, it was time to lift Sea Urchin out for a good clean up. Thankfully there were no nasty surprises after inspecting the hull, rudder and prop, and it was just a case of rolling up my sleeves and getting stuck in.
First job after jet washing the hull was to wash it again; this time with a gentle soap solution, to remove any last bits of debris. After two years, the white hull had lots of discolouration and it was covered in yellowy brown stains caused primarily by the sunlight reflecting off the water. Starbright Hull Cleaner made short work of the task, bringing it back to bright white, so I could move onto preparing the underside for painting on the Antifoul.
Antifoul is essential for any vessel permanently moored in the water. It protects the hull from any type of marine growth, which in turn improves fuel efficiency, as the boat moves through the water with minimal drag. I don’t remove all the old Antifoul, but ensure the underside is scrubbed with a wire brush to remove any foreign matter.
Once that was completed, all that was left to do was apply two coats of Starbright Marine Polish with PTEF (which prolongs the staining to the GRP) to the hull and then one coat of International Cruiser 250 Antifoul to the underside. Last but not least was to replace the Sacrificial Anodes which help protect the metal of the boat which is permanently underwater from electrolytic corrosion.
Sadistically, I really enjoy doing the hard work and it only took me three full days to get the job done. It’s so rewarding to see her brought back to looking her absolute best. We’re back in the water now and looking forward to running off to some wrecks in the morning. -
03/03/2024
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
3 Mar 2024 by Andy Savage
It’s been great to get a few trips in recently, and today we had lovely weather conditions once again. With all the poor weather and the countless trips I’ve had to cancel, it was frustrating when a group of four people didn’t bother turning up today. I’m sure there were plenty of anglers who would have jumped at the chance to have a run out..…..
That left plenty of room on deck for the other anglers, and we set about running South for a days Uptiding. Only a 4.5m tide today, so we targeted the areas where we get the most tide. Bait was a bit of a compromise, as the shop in Whitby didn’t have any Black Lugworm, so we had Squid, Mussels and Mackerel. We arrived at the first stop with about two hours or so of the Flood tide remaining.
Once we got everyone fishing properly a few bites started coming. Mainly small Codling and a few Dogfish, but they were fairly consistent and it didn’t take long for everyone to get off the mark. Just as we began to lose the tide Sergejs hooked something a bit better and dragged up a 7lb 4oz Codling which was nice to see and turned out to be the biggest fish of the day. Slack water wasn’t too bad today. The boat held pretty steady and a selection of Whiting, Pouting, Doggie’s and a couple of Codling came up to much smaller baits and hooks.
The Ebb Tide in the afternoon saw much the same as the morning. Andy Townend had a much better “second half” and caught consistently for the rest of the day. He took the only Pollock of the day as well as a token Lobster (which went straight back), plus some nice Codling which he gave away to the other lads.
The bites dried up a bit in the last hour, but I think that was mainly down to everyone running out of bait. I can’t emphasise enough how crucial good bait in quantity is for Uptiding. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day for me, spent in good company. -
29/02/2024
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
29 Feb 2024 by Andy Savage
At the end of last week, I had the pleasure of Shaun Marchington, Bob Jones and Jack booking the boat for themselves. We’d had to cancel the three previous trips due to poor weather, so it was great to finally get them out.
With there only being the three of them, I provided an extra rod each, so they could fish with two rods and they were also happy for me to fish as well (which I don’t ordinarily do on regular trips).
With a 5.2m tide, we chose to head North; running up towards Port Mulgrave and then working our way back to Whitby. Bait for the day was Squid, Black Lugworm, Mackerel or Prawns, but it turned out that Squid and Worm did the most bites as usual.
On arrival at our first stop, we had to wait a while for the Ebb Tide to push through, so we just set off fishing one rod as the boat was swinging around. The boys picked up a few small Codling, whilst I switched to a lighter setup, fishing 2/0 hooks baited with small bits of Squid, which actually brought plenty of bites from small Codling, Whiting, and a single Dogfish. Once the tide picked up, the boat held steady and we got stuck in with two rods each. The bites came fairly regularly for around an hour, with a few flushes of fish moving through, which was good to see.
Once it quietened down we moved on and at the next stop we had a frantic 30 minutes where we caught a fair few 3-4lb Codling which was nice, but then it just died a death. Interestingly, that turned out to be a pattern we identified later on in the day. Two spots we fished had a better average size of Codling, but died completely after 30 minutes or so and three other spots we fished did more bites for longer, but the average size was smaller.
Over the course of the day we caught Codling, Whiting, Haddock, Pollock, Coalfish, Pouting, Poor Cod, and Dogfish. With the exception of one grey bellied fish, every other Codling we caught was absolutely pristine, bright white bellied and fresh run, which hopefully bodes well for the coming trips.
The lads were fantastic company and before we knew it, the day had flown by and it was time to head for home. Thanks boys, see you next time. -
25/02/2024
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
25 Feb 2024 by Andy Savage
It’s been great to have another three days back at sea. The tides have been rising and over the weekend especially, the weather was fantastic. Very light winds in the main, with plenty of sunshine. I finally had the chance to get some of my regular anglers on, who I have cancelled countless times over the winter, so we had plenty to talk about and catch up on, which was great.
Trying my best not to sound like a broken record; but in a similar vein to the last report, the actual fishing hasn’t been very good. We have fished plenty of different marks both North and South of Whitby, but haven’t had much consistency or a decent average stamp of Codling. Each day we struggled to find fish much over 4lb and although the fish we caught were mostly pristine fresh run fish, they didn’t appear to be moving through much. At most stops, we’d get a few initial fish, then it just died off and we’d have to move on to get a few more fish. As usual, Squid and Black Lugworm produced the majority of the bites, but Crab Cart did make the difference when it was hard going for the lads who had some with them.
I really think it’s worth mentioning that some of the less experienced “Uptiders” have made a few mistakes (despite advice to the contrary). The biggest one I see regularly is lads throwing their frozen bait straight into a bucket of water and leaving it in there all day. With very little water clarity in the winter, putting a scent trail in the tide is critical to getting bites. By immersing it in water all day, the scent is literally washed out of the bait, which really makes a huge difference to the overall end results.
With all that said; it’s been a really enjoyable few days for me and I’m really grateful for the support from the lads who’ve booked trips with me. Irrespective of the fishing, I will always try my best to give everyone a good day out. Cheers lads -
16/02/2024
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
16 Feb 2024 by Andy Savage
It’s been great to string a few days together this week....
We started on the biggest Spring Tides and through the week they have progressively dropped away. I haven’t been doing daily reports because to be honest, the fishing hasn’t been sensational.
On Tuesday and Wednesday the fishing was a bit more consistent. We ran south both days using the last of the Flood Tide to good effect, then working back to Whitby on the Ebb Tide. A pattern emerged over the two days, which saw only odd fish when the tide was at full strength, but as soon as it began to ease there would be a good spell with multiple fish coming up in quick succession.
The best bait during the full speed tide was definitely Crab Cart or Live Lugworm. I fished two rods on Wednesday, one on Cart and one on Squid and Black Lug. The Cart Bait was always first to go when the tide was at its peak, and the other bait was generally left alone. Once the tide eased, both rods worked equally as the fish switched on to feed more vigorously.
Thursday and Friday proved to be much harder work. The tides were falling and the wind strength increased a bit which meant that the boat swung on the anchor more as the tide ran into slack water, which is always tougher to fish. We had quite a few inexperienced Uptiders on this week (as well as some old Sweats!) and I always like to try and get everyone fishing properly. It was pleasing to see how the lads improved throughout each day and I knew that if the fish were feeding with any gusto, they would get bites.
The difference on Thursday and Friday was the lack of fish moving through. Moving multiple times each day, there would be a few initial bites, but then it just died a death. We kept on the move, but it was frustratingly hard work and I couldn’t deliver the number of fish I hoped to, which was disappointing for me. Each day we managed Codling up to around 5lb, but the chunks evaded capture…for now!!
I must say a big thank you to all the anglers who have joined us this week. There was great conversation and plenty of banter. I saw lads who I’ve cancelled multiple times over the winter, so it was fantastic to catch up again. -
03/02/2024
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
3 Feb 2024 by Andy Savage
We finally got a break in the weather today which allowed us to have a run out.
The original plan was to run off to some distant wrecks, but the wind was too fresh for that, so we would spend the day Uptiding. I gave the lads booked on the option of coming or not (as some don’t like Uptiding) and 6 of the 9 dropped out. I found another three lads who love their Uptiding, giving six plus me for a days fishing.
Using the Flood Tide we ran south a few miles to start off. First time angler Brad was off the mark almost immediately, which is usually the way; giving him bragging rights over his mates Aaron and Andy! There were a mix of fish caught over the next hour. Some Codling, plus Whiting, Pouting an odd Doggie and a rogue Lobster for Brian Milne. We had a short move when the bites slowed up and picked away again until we started to lose the tide.
As the boat began to swing on the anchor, we ran a couple of miles further south to get the first sniff of the Ebb Tide. Unfortunately the wind lifted and we spent a frustrating hour swinging about with the wind against tide…..we needed a change.
Running back towards Whitby we stopped at an area where I knew there would be a good bit of tide and pleasingly managed to get the boat back on the anchor against the wind, holding steady.
That turned out to be the last move of the day as the bites kept on coming. We had a good selection of baits including Squid, Black Lugworm, Crab Cart, Mackerel, Razor Clams. Squid and Blacks and Mackerel were the best today.
Whilst we didn’t have a massive average stamp of Codling, I was so pleased when Dave Fowls, who travelled up last minute from Shropshire landed the biggest fish of the day; a lovely Cod of 9lb 12oz. Squid and Blacks doing the business for him.
It was a lovely day out spent in great company. The weather was cracking and the company matched it. Thanks lads, really appreciate the support -
15/12/2023
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
15 Dec 2023 by Andy Savage
It was fantastic to finally get a day out today after another lengthy lay off with the poor weather.
I had a mixed group of less experienced Uptiding anglers aboard and an Uptiding Officianado!! We headed out north at first light and ran a couple of miles to a nice area of rough ground, which gave us some shelter from the fresh SW winds. It was a very steady start, with a few Codling here and there, plus a random brace of Lobsters, but this was the time when I try and get everyone fishing properly.
After an hour or so, with only a handful of resident Codling aboard, we nudged up a little further, to fish a lovely ledge which drops off 4m. Once the boat was in position, the lads dropped down and pleasingly there were a few fish about. We had the initial flurry of the fish which were around the boat, but then we started to get flushes of fresh fish moving through (which we haven’t been getting). After a quiet 15-20 minutes there would be multiple bites at once. Nigel Hughes picked up a couple of lovely Codling around 5lb, and Raimondas Zokas took one the same size.
There were some nice clean fish coming up, nothing huge, but it kept the rod tips nodding. Once the Ebb tide began to ease, the wind took more control and we swung around on the anchor, which was unproductive and frustrating. We took the opportunity to run another couple of miles further up to catch the first sniff of the flood tide. Once the Flood came through, we continued to get a few fish here and there. It certainly wasn’t as prolific as the Ebb, but we kept getting bites and a few fish.
As the Skipper I always want to base my angling decisions on whether we move on or not, on an experienced angler who I know. Today I had Simon West aboard and having fished with him on numerous occasions, I knew that if they were there, he’d get them. Simon always brings top quality bait and knows how to use it. With Squid, Fresh Black Lug, Fresh Razor Clams, Crab Cart etc he had a busy day. He kept five nice clean Codling and sportingly returned a lot more.
It was a really enjoyable day for me in fantastic company. Thanks everyone. -
04/12/2023
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
4 Dec 2023 by Andy Savage
We’ve had a bit of a cold spell the last few days, but still managed to get a couple of days out at sea.
Combined with the Whitby Charter Skippers Uptiding competition. Friday saw the first of the three, free to enter, December competitions that Sea Urchin puts on every year. Friday was our Biggest Bag Competition for the nine anglers aboard . Every legal size fish landed is measured and awarded a certain number of points. The angler with the biggest points tally took home £150.00 at the end of the day.
First stop with the anchor down, Ian Kellock was straight out of the blocks taking half a dozen Codling, one after another, establishing a strong early lead. Inexplicably, the sport just dried up for Ian and things kicked in nicely for Gordon Blyth. Gordon had a good couple of hours and when I added up the points midway through, I thought that Gordon probably had it in the bag…..I was wrong.
The late afternoon Ebb Tide saw Dave Sharp go into overdrive. He picked away steadily and with only 30 minutes to go the gap between Gordon and Dave was only 45 points (one 35cm Codling gained 50 points). It could have gone either way, but Gordon just couldn’t find that last fish and Dave took the competition and the £150.00. All three are brilliant anglers and had good bait with them. Crab Cart was the difference today. It was certainly more productive than the usual Squid and Black Lug. Well done Dave.
Sunday was the last day of the WCSA Uptiding Competition and with nothing massive being caught over the previous two days it was all to play for.
I had a fantastic group of lads aboard and the banter flowed all day. We kept on the move trying search out a better stamp of fish, but it wasn’t to be. We took a few Codling to around 4lb on the Ebb Tide, but things died off on the flood. Everyone kept trying all day, but if the fish aren’t feeding you can’t catch them.
This cold weather should really improve things overall. It was noticeable on Sunday that we caught more fresh run fish than residents, which was great.
