Latest Fishing Reports: Chinook 3
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06/04/2020
Fishing Report by Phil White
6 Apr 2020 by Phil White
Hi Guys.
As you all know we are now in lock down and cannot operate under the current criteria. We are all hoping that restrictions will start to lift later this month, the only crumb of comfort I can offer is that there should be a lot of fish to catch once we do get back out there, most markets are closed and the price of fish is rock bottom and so a lot of the commercials are not working atm other that suppling small quantities to fish stalls.
If you want some special offers and the latest prizes on offer then all you have to do is log on to my website and subscribe. I will be posting new offers within the next two weeks so sign up and you will receive all the latest news and offers.
Tight lines and stay safe and I will see you soon.
Phil -
12/06/2018
Fishing Report by Phil White
12 Jun 2018 by Phil White
We have not had a good run of Tope in the Estuary for a long time so it was a lovely surprise this week to see some cracking fish turning up.
The biggest reported was a 57 lb fish on Derek Mole's boat Eastern Promise on Saturday followed by a 51lb and another 4 over 40lb.
There are plenty of fish between 30 and 50lb and a good run of 10 to 20lb fish as well, both male and female. Best baits are fresh mackerel but the frozen baits are starting to work as more Tope turn up and get competitive.
Because of the chances of hooking one of these big fish have increased significantly anglers should now rig up as if they are targeting them if they are using fish baits.
Re-spool your reels with good quality 25-30lb line with a shock leader, traces should be wire or heavy 150-200lb mono, 8/0 hooks and 210 gram gripper leads.
You will also need a big T bar or long nosed pliers, if you want to weigh them use a big sling and do not weigh them from the tail but support the whole body.
Finally the most important point. keep away from the mouth, hold the fish under the pecs or by the dorsal if you are feeling strong. if you get a bite from one of these fish you will be taking a ride in a helicopter for lots of stitches !!!.
There are a lot more Smooth hounds showing up especially inshore where we have seen several fish up to 16lb. These fish have been taking squid baits whilst roker fishing but anglers targeting them with hermit crab have had better results.
There are more Bass now with the biggest we have seen at a cracking 11lb from an inshore mark last week on squid.
There are still plenty of Thornbacks inshore although by the time of my next report they will probably have moved offshore.
There are a few mackerel but they are well scattered, hopefully by next week's neap tides there will be more.
Prospects are excellent, if the Tope hang around the Estuary for the summer it could be our best season for quite some time.
Tight lines.
-
21/01/2018
Fishing Report by Phil White
21 Jan 2018 by Phil White
We have had every kind of weather you can imagine over this last fortnight and lost a lot of trips. However we have managed to get the last two weekends in and i'm pleased to report that there are some cod here.
There has been a definite increase in numbers and size of cod this week with all the boats reporting a few more fish this weekend with quite a few between 2-3lb. There are a few more sprats in the water now but this is actually helping to bring the cod in providing we don't get a glut of them. We did miss some good bites and dropped a couple of fish as well. When the bites are shy you need to cut the squid down and use elastic cotton and keep the bait up the hook with nothing hanging off.
There are some cracking whiting to be caught with several fish over the 1lb mark on Sunday, generally though there are a lot less whiting and this is also giving the cod a chance to get to the baits.
There are a few nice Thornbacks showing, some of them are getting on for double figures, these female fish have eggs and should be returned alive.
The Estuaries and shore marks are always hard in the new year but with less whiting now there could be a chance of a cod from the piers and it won't be long before more Thornbacks show up.
Prospects as always depend on lots of factors this time of year but signs are encouraging and things can change overnight so don't give up, the winter fishing changes every year and none of us know what might turn up, keep trying. -
06/01/2018
Fishing Report by Phil White
6 Jan 2018 by Phil White
Happy new year to everyone. Well we have had some really horrible weather over the holiday period but it is nice to get back into a routine of sorts.
We have not managed to get out for a fortnight so it was a relief to finally get a trip in this Saturday. Well the good news is that there are still some codling around although there are not many, we managed five on Saturday up to 2lb with all the other boats reporting a few.
What was encouraging was a return of some nice big female Thornbacks which we have not seen inshore since the spring, these females have eggs in and should be returned to the sea but it does mean there are more decent fish to catch along with the chance of a cod. All the other boats also reported several nice Thornbacks.
There are plenty of nice whiting still around in all areas although they do leave the Estuaries over the new year, the piers and shore marks will still produce right through the Winter.
There are some lovely dabs in the Estuaries with several fish reported at over 30cm, these tasty little flatties are easily caught using paternoster rigs fished up and down rather than casting, small baits of worm, squid or herring work well.
Prospects as always in the winter depend on lots of factors, water temperature, abundance of Herring or Sprat and numbers of Cod but there are some nice fish to be caught and the past few Januaries have been quite good fishing so don't give up on it, have a day out and enjoy it. -
17/10/2017
Fishing Report by Phil White
17 Oct 2017 by Phil White
The weather over the last fortnight has been quite lovely with some warm days and sunny skies. This has allowed our anglers to get out and enjoy some excellent sport with a variety of species.
Offshore
The Bass fishing has been superb with some cracking fish showing, we have had quite a few fish around
6-7lb and a lot around 3-4 lb, these fish are further off on the banks and will move off soon.
There are plenty of Thornbacks around with some really lovely fish up to 10lb reported, these fish will stay around for most of the winter depending on water temperature and food.
There are lots of Whiting showing up in all areas, some of these fish are a decent size, best baits are fish and lug.
Inshore
There are lots more Thornbacks showing in most areas and these are very welcome with the absence of cod at the moment, best baits are squid and herring.
The whiting are pushing into all the Estuaries in good numbers and this is good news when the weather does not allow us to get further out. The dabs are starting to feed on the small tides.
The piers and shore marks are producing Whiting, Thornbacks and Dabs with the odd codling, best tides are springs mid flood to mid ebb.
Prospects are excellent but this depends on weather the cod show up, there are reports of a few more than last winter so fingers crossed.
-
17/09/2017
Fishing Report by Phil White
17 Sep 2017 by Phil White
The weather has been very unsettled over the last few weeks but it is finally settling down and this has allowed us to get offshore for the Bass.
We have had some cracking fish with the best at over 8lb, these fish are shoaling up on the offshore banks before moving south for the winter, now is the best time of the year for us to target them before they go, best baits are worm and squid.
There are good numbers of thornbacks showing in all areas offshore and a few starting to show inshore now as well, these fish are a good size although thinner because they have spawned, best baits are squid and fish.
The whiting are showing up in all areas although inshore is best, especially along the shoreline off of Walton and Clacton, best baits are squid, lug and mackerel.
Most of the smoothounds have moved off although there are plenty of smaller ones further offshore, the bigger ones have gone quite early this season with the drop in sea temperature, however this might be a good sign for the cod.
Talking of which, hopes are high that we might see some cod this winter, certainly there are some on the south coast already and sea temperatures are down on this time last year so keep everything crossed and keep checking social media for the latest reports.
Picture caption reads: Some cracking Bass caught this week on the Chinook 3 skippered by Phil White. -
15/08/2017
Fishing Report by Phil White
15 Aug 2017 by Phil White
The last fortnight has seen some unsettled weather but the fishing has been excellent.
There are a lot more Smoothounds around and plenty of them are over 10lb, sport has been hectic at times with multiple hook ups and screaming reels !!. These fish are the move all the time while feeding and when hooked they charge off like a train, great fun.
There have been some nice Bass around, more than last year with quite a few doubles reported and plenty returned alive, most days we are seeing at least one good Bass and some days 3 or 4, most fall for a squid bait but a fresh or frozen mackerel chunk works well.
Talking of mackerel, we have had a lot at times with anglers getting full strings every drop but as always with mackerel fishing you can go to the same spot next day and nothing, they have moved again but great fun while it lasts.
There are a lot more Thornbacks moving back in to all areas offshore, these summer fish are really pulling in the clear water and are much more fun than when caught in coloured water, sometimes it is a job to tell them from other fish if the tide is not running.
There have been a few more Stingrays caught this year than in recent years, possibly because of less commercial activity, most are caught on ragworm, mackerel or squid.
Prospects are excellent, September is our best month for Bass fishing when we can actually target them more effectively as they shoal up before leaving us for the year, the hounds will stay around until well into October and there will be good numbers of thornbacks. -
06/07/2017
Fishing Report by Phil White
6 Jul 2017 by Phil White
The last few days have been calm and sunny and this has allowed the charter boats to get offshore and enjoy some cracking sport.
There has been a big influx of mackerel to all offshore areas; these super little fish are providing some great sport over the slack water when we would otherwise be waiting for the tide to turn.
There are a lot more smoothounds showing up, a lot of these fish are 7-8lb with a few better ones in certain areas, best baits are hermit and peeler but ragworm works well.
There have been some lovely bass caught this week with the best reported at 14lb, this fish was returned alive. We had fish up to 9lb on the Chinook with most boats seeing bass on a daily basis, best baits are squid for the bigger fish and worm baits for the smaller fish inshore.
The thornbacks are still in good numbers offshore with some big fish still around. We had our biggest thornie on Wednesday at 13lb; it was a big fish and would have been 16lb plus in the spring before it had spawned.
Inshore is quieter now that the thornbacks have moved offshore, there are still a few around in some areas. There are plenty of school bass in the Estuaries if you can get out of the weed which seems bad this year inshore.
Prospects are excellent, there is a lot of bait fish in the water and this will bring more fish into the Estuary.
-
04/06/2017
Fishing Report by Phil White
4 Jun 2017 by Phil White
The last fortnight has seen a steady influx of summer fish whilst the thornbacks have just started to move offshore.
Offshore
There are more hounds starting to show with some cracking fish amongst them. Best of the fish on Friday was a beauty of 15lb caught on our boat by Paul Beach, there were several other fish around 10lb or so and we also lost a couple of good fish.
All these fish were caught on hermit crab, all released unharmed.
There are more bass showing in all areas with reports of fish up to 10lb, these fish will take most baits including squid, mackerel, crab and worm, there have been reports of shoaling fish which will take feathers jigged up and down when the water is clear.
There are plenty of thornbacks in all areas, these fish will start to move further offshore in the next few weeks.
There are a few small tope showing and hopefully when the mackerel turn up there will be some bigger ones as well.
Inshore
There are still stacks of thornbacks showing although there are signs they are starting to move offshore from some areas.
The piers are fishing well on the bigger tides for thornbacks, bass, dabs, whiting and odd sole with the top half of the tide always best.
There have been some big stingrays caught off the beaches with the best reported at around 47lb, these hard fighting rays like ragworm baits but will take squid and mackerel.
The Estuaries are fishing well for school bass although the weed is starting to be an issue, best off drifting for them with worm baits, there are still a few thornbacks and dabs coming out.
Prospects are excellent with more bigger hounds showing and there will soon be tope and mackerel as well.
-
24/04/2017
Fishing Report by Phil White
24 Apr 2017 by Phil White
Here come the summer fish !
The weather has been lovely over the last fortnight and this has allowed the charter boats to get out regularly where we have enjoyed some excellent sport on the thornbacks.
Inshore
The fishing inshore has been superb with big numbers of thornbacks showing, best reported at around 16 lb, these bigger female rays are full of eggs and should be returned alive to protect stocks. There are also lots of the smaller male thornbacks around and numbers seem to be increasing every year. Best baits are herring, mackerel, squid and any other fish baits available. Don't forget to use a big strong hook and strong trace of at least 40 lb breaking strain.
There are a few bass starting to show with quite a few caught over this weekend, best reported at around 8 lb, again best baits are the same as for the thornbacks but the bass also love crab and worm baits.
There are a few small smoothounds starting to show, these early male fish will take squid baits but their favourite is hermit and peeler crab, the bigger female hounds will start to show around mid May.
There are a few dogfish and good whiting still around although the whiting will soon move off.
There have been some big stingrays caught from the beach marks, these hard fighting rays should be handled with care, their stinger under the tail can be deadly, best baits are ragworm, squid and crab, these fish taste horrible and should be returned alive.
Offshore
The offshore marks have been producing good numbers of thornbacks and dogfish, however as the water starts to warm there are increasing numbers of small smoothies and bass showing, all these species can be caught on squid baits this time of year but when the bigger smoothies turn up they will prefer crab baits.
There have been some cracking spurdogs showing with reports of fish up to 20 lb, these hard fighting mini sharks tend to stay well offshore outside of the sandbanks but can be caught in big numbers if found, best baits are squid and mackerel, tackle needs to be strong as if you are tope fishing, watch out for the spikes behind their fins.
Prospects are excellent, it's that time of year when you never know what you might catch, very exciting.
