Latest Fishing Reports: Brigand
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28/08/2024
Fishing Report by Steve Green
28 Aug 2024 by Steve Green
BLUEFIN TUNA OUT OF BRIGHTON!!
Paul (again) Dennis, Charlie & Will
Dennis had booked Will & Charlie as a 21st birthday present for Charlie whose actual birthday it was. Another cracking bunch of guys and we explained that the previous day there was very little activity but the great sea - state would enable to move faster & further today, we intended to make the most of it.
Once again, not a great deal of activity until we arrived at our designated spot when slowly, things started to develop. A few gulls in the water, Gannets in hunting mode and then the real indicator, Terns lifting up and it started to feel very fishy! Peter Stotesbury had his fish eyes on and sighted a disturbance approx 1/2nm to starboard, quickly followed by another 1/2 mile to Port - gently eased the engines up and picked the Port disturbance which soon became obvious was a significant Tuna bust - the atmosphere shifted from jovial to professional in an instant. Harnesses on and checked, rods manned, outside controls switched and an intercept course plotted. Amazing seeing these huge fish up very close and absolutely smashing the bait fish; as we swung by the short rod exploded into action...... Tuna on!
3 rods quickly taken in, Charlie (birthday boy) securely attached and we were battling our first Bluefin out of Sussex- what a great feeling. First run took 300m line very quickly so we knew it was a good fish and Charlie was on it like a veteran supported by Pete & Jason (a fantastic crew & angler in his own right). Careful manoeuvring of the boat, adjustment of drag and relentless work by Charlie and we had sight of a magnificent Bluefin being leadered by Pete. When the fish is close to the boat with rudders & props in play it becomes a game of delicate movements and patience. Although this was my first Bluefin Tuna I'm no stranger to Yellowfin and the characteristics are identical- languid circling motions which are largely predictable and the leader man exercising both patients and control whilst directing the helmsman. After a 30 minute duel Jason managed to get the flying gaff perfectly in the gap of the lower jaw and there was collective sigh of relief and euphoria - we had done what he had set out to do.
A quick measure alongside revealed the magnificent fish to be around 78" which placed it in the 350lb - 375lb range. A slow recovery swim and it was upright, full of colour and tail working hard within a couple of minutes so the decision to release as soon as possible was made. A couple of quick photo's and off it went with a few powerful flicks of the tail..... mission accomplished, the first ever Bluefin Tuna caught out of Sussex ��
We immediately set the gear to work again and once again, another bust - then another with fishing going under by the time we got to them and no takes. In all we saw 6 busts with an estimated 50 fish in each, in an area of around 10 square miles so quite probably different fish and plenty of them; that bodes very well for the remainder of the season which runs right up until 31st December this year as more fish will be tracking their way up from the Southwest so the chances are going to get better and better in the coming weeks and months.
We could have had another 3 or more fish to the boat as making our way back there were several busts very close by but time was not on our side and we could have been out there all day and well into sunset such was the proliferation - literally hundreds of fish.
A huge thank you to Pete & Jason for their invaluable expertise onbaord, to all that have (in whatever capacity) supported our efforts and of course to the anglers who have had the faith to book with us on our exploratory trips.
We are now taking bookings for Bluefin Tuna trips out of Brighton, 4 anglers maximum £950 for the whole boat 8hr trip and additional hours charged at £150/hr...... we drive a long way currently and are flexible about times as long as we can agree them at time of booking so if you want to catch one of these magnificent fish out of Brighton drop us a line and come see, feel and experience these amazing fish.
Best wishes
www.brigandcharters.com -
08/07/2024
Fishing Report by Steve Green
8 Jul 2024 by Steve Green
TURBOT SEASON IS OPEN !!!!!
Our first trip of the year looking for Turbot on the Offhsore banks and it didn't disappoint!
Bait inshore was hard to come by so we didn't hang around too long and took the chance that we would be ok for it out deep - and so we were. A few drifts and we were stocked up for the day.
First Turbot of the season fell to Andrew Kennedy, a seasoned Turbot angler who has boated very many with us over the years so only fitting that he should kick us off.
A steady stream of fish throughout the day which included more of those excellent Tub Gurnard we have been boating of late, Bass, jumbo mackerel were also present in large numbers and great to see such an abundance of Launce.
Oh - and we had the pleasure of sharing most of the day with a very friendly gull that had the most unusual eyes - one yellow, the other black.... not seen that before!
Tides in July not particularly suited to Turbot but there are a couple of stand-out days and we have added those to our calendar;
Thursday 11th July - 8hr Turbot
Tuesday 23rd July - 8hr Turbot
24th July - 12hr long distance Turbot, Bass & Wrecking.
That will be it for July.
If you would like to join us please get in touch.
Best wishes
www.brigamdcharters.com -
18/06/2024
Fishing Report by Steve Green
18 Jun 2024 by Steve Green
A fabulous day out fishing the Offshore wrecks today with an even more fabulous crew!
An early start to get where wanted to fish and we of course had a plan which started with putting the hammer down and heading out far. Water clarity improved by the mile and was perfect when we arrived out our first wreck where the crew were immediately rewarded with good quality fish. Pollock, Cod & Bass all coming to the net in quick succession as the tide kicked in and it was constant action until the time came to catch the tide for the next stop. A real mix of fish coming over the next couple of wrecks including a fantastic 7lb 3oz Tub Gurnard which looked ready to burst skilfully landed by Adam and very sportingly released to (hopefully) have an opportunity to pass on that excellent DNA.
Species count for the day;
Jumbo mackerel (45cm+)
Bass
Cod
Pollock
Coalfish
Bream
Wrasse
Launce
Tub Gurnard
Red Gurnard
Scad
Pouting (of course!)
Whiting
Alex Brown and Simon Clark of course both in the thick of it with Bass, Pollock & Cod but hats off to Adam for gamefully releasing a magnificent fish and for taking the fact that we almost left without him this morning in his stride..... my apologies Adam!
We have very limited availability for these long distance Offshore trips this year but if there is sufficient interest we might be persuaded to lay on a couple more which would be absolutely tide dependent so a little flexibility required.... just let us know if your keen!
Thanks all for a wonderful day on the Ocean and bravo on your catches today ������
Best wishes
www.brigandcharters.com -
10/06/2024
Fishing Report by Steve Green
10 Jun 2024 by Steve Green
Another cracking day Offhsore today with Pollock, Cod, Bass, Herring, Jumbo Mackerel, Scad, Launce, Gurnard and do I have to state the obvious ...those 4" lures are pout magnets ��!!
The stunning start the day with flat seas and sunshine gradually detirorated and led to a slow sail home in a confused sea but the guys were baiting fish right up until the last drift of the day.
Very encouraging to see the Cod (more accurately codling) increasing in numbers and they are not the "Unicorns" some would say they are- we expect numbers to increase steadily over the coming weeks. Also great to see those jumbo Mackerel out there, an often underrated table fish at that size and absolutely fnatstic when smoked or made into pate.
Thanks all for a great day at sea, it's getting better and better as the season gets into full swing Offshore.
Best wishes
Www.brigandcharters.com -
04/06/2024
Fishing Report by Steve Green
4 Jun 2024 by Steve Green
After a short break in Norway wrestling Halibut & Wolffish (more on that in a later post) and a couple of days putting smiles on faces inshore Bream fishing we headed to our happy place today - the Offhsore wrecks.
Slated as Pollock & Cod trip as this is the time of year we generally see the Cod appearing and it didn't disappoint. Some fantastic double figure Pollock along with a box full of good table fish in the 4-7lb range and the Cod also were obliging!
Species boated today;
Cod
Coalfish
Pollock
Wrasse
Mackerel
Tub Gurnard
Launce
Dogfish
Pouting .... of course!
A beautiful day to be out on the Ocean on flat calm seas and fishing in T shirts at 0800hrs - really felt like Summer has arrived.
Great fishing next to Alex Brown and enjoying a head to head tussle with a fish a drift each until the arms gave in and we realised there was a couple of hours filleting ahead!
If you would like to join us for some great wrecking in the coming weeks you can view availability on our website calendar.
Best wishes
Www.brigandcharters.com -
08/05/2024
Fishing Report by Steve Green
8 May 2024 by Steve Green
Bream session again yesterday. Slow fishing to start but a little tweak to our approach resulted in an immediate and very positive outcome! Lost count of fish but there were plenty of Bream, a few hounds, eels & of course the obligatory Dogfish!
Great to catch-up with some old friends and to welcome so new ones aboard.
A beautiful day out there made all the better by the wonderful company. Not the most challenging of days fishing, those lay ahead when we start the serious Offhsore trips in the coming weeks venturing out to some of our favourite areas.... always an exciting time of the year!
Due to a cancelled dive trip we have whole boat available this Sunday for either 8hr or 4hr trips.
Best wishes
www.brigandcharters.com -
05/05/2024
Fishing Report by Steve Green
5 May 2024 by Steve Green
It's not all about charging over the horizon in search of specimen fish off the wrecks & banks.
We also enjoy running shorter, inshore trips for novice anglers who book the whole boat for a 4hr session.
Today's lovely guests caught Dabs, Plaice, Thornback Ray, Dogfish and a whole load of Bream!
We supply a selection of baits, all equipment, flaked ice and 2 crew to assist on these trips so guest just have to turn up with a coolbox for their catch. -
29/04/2024
Fishing Report by Steve Green
29 Apr 2024 by Steve Green
2 day fishing report for this week, both challenging days on the weather front!
Monday - we welcomed Clint and his fabulous crew from Essex aboard for a spot of wrecking. We have had some fantastic wrecking trips this year filling the boxes with high quality fish .... it wasn't like that on Monday! With a stiff Northerly looking like it was fading throughout the day we pushed out pretty far to a group of wrecks where we have had excellent fishing the last few trips ....and we struggled. Worked a number of wrecks before heading down the coast with just a few fish onboard. Clint & co. Toiled away and as the sea calmed we finally hit a wreck with a good head of fish and were in business.
A below par day on the fish front, a wonderful day on the crew front. Sorry you guys had to work away all day and that you didn't get the bounty that previous trips have had, hope you all got back safely and look forward to seeing you in the Summer.
Today - it was time to have a proper go at the Bream and we had just the people to do that! Again a challenging day for shallow water fishing with light gear with a stiffer than anticipated SW wind. Tough getting the anchor to hold with the bow bucking around on the flood but when it hooked up (12x scope out!) we settled down the guys were into good fish from the off..... what a relief! That remained the case for the whole of the tide but when the ebb kicked in it was always going to be a challenge holding the boat into the wind. Short drifting individual marks meant we continued to land fish right up until the end of the day with a respectable tally of 87.
Again, a fantastic crew today who never lost focus and fished extremely well in difficult conditions - well done all ����.
Long range forecast looks like we finally have a settled period heading our way - what a treat that will be after what feels like a relentless bashing!
Best wishes
www.brigandcharters.com -
03/03/2024
Fishing Report by Steve Green
3 Mar 2024 by Steve Green
Not often that we get the weather that enables us to get where we want to go at this time of year out of Brighton, today with near perfect conditions we had our pick of wrecks and the guys onboard made the most of it.
Pete Stotesbury was top rod (that's not unusual!) with a personal tally of 13 high quality Pollock, the best nudging 13lb but everyone got in on the action with 40+ fish kept, plenty into double figures and no fishing trip is complete without a few of "The one that got away" tales! We had quite a few today including bite-offs on 25lb leader with some very hard fighting fish lost.
A beautiful day to be out on the Ocean with a wonderful crew, glorious sunshine , calm sea and plenty of high quality fish..... wreck fishing at its best, a huge thank you to all for a wonderful day.
Best wishes
www.brigandcharters.com -
14/01/2024
Fishing Report by Steve Green
14 Jan 2024 by Steve Green
2024 brigand 1st trip
First trip of 2024 for ustoday and the target species was Pollock.
Always exciting to be heading out for the first trip of a new season so with a fantastic crew onbaord, full tanks of fuel, a determination to keep our 8 year, 100% catch rate intact we headed South in near perfect conditions.
Water clarity is vital when targetting Pollock with lures and we could see the colour changes from 3 miles away, really stark .......and really positive as inshore clarity was poor to extremely poor.
The first fish aboard was not particularly inspiring, a rather surprised looking Pouting! Then the guys got into it - 3 double figure fish on the bounce with probably the deepest Pollock that we have ever seen expertly boated by Max..... looked more like a Cod with a hugely distended belly, very unusual. A smattering of smaller Pollock in the 4-7lb range as we worked out around the wrecks before heading in before the forecast F5 on the nose kicked in.
All in all, a solid start to the season with a wonderful crew and plenty of valuable intelligence gathered.
Huge thanks to all who fished with us today, was an absolute pleasure sharing time at sea with you all.
Best wishes
