Latest Fishing Reports: Sea Urchin IIl
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11/07/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
11 Jul 2022 by Andy Savage
Speaking meteorologically, today we got caught with our pants down!
Looking at the weather forecast last night, all looked hunky dory for a lovely day in the sun. It didn’t quite turn out to be that way for us. The wind was much stronger than expected and turned the fishing conditions on their head. It was a real struggle.
After once again failing to find any fresh mackerel and with a rising tide, we chose to start the day drifting some rough ground. The lines were streaming away, but the more experienced anglers still managed to find a few fish. Sea Urchin regular Jim Lister got stuck in and after a couple of Codling, landed a nice Ling just into double figures. We spent the morning on rough ground, periodically moving further away from land, to try and lose some tide, to slow down the drift.
We admitted defeat at dinnertime and moved back in closer to try a few wrecks when the wind and tide held up the drift. It was a similar story on the wrecks, with odd fish coming up. The drifts were difficult to set and we didn’t get much time in the strike zone, before the lines were streaming again. Absolute credit to all the boys on board, we kept on the move and picked up a few fish here and there. Most fish falling to muppet bait traces mounted with squid. Mid afternoon we moved off the wrecks, back onto some rough ground for the last few drifts.
Pleasingly, we found a nice spot which produced a good few fish. I’d just set up the third drift and was watching the anglers as normal. I saw Gordon Yates lift into what appeared to be a snag, so went to assist with my breaker. Initially it looked like he was caught in some old fishing gear, as very little happened….., then I saw the rod tip nod! Gordon played the fish to absolute perfection and after a good five minutes we saw a large patch of colour below the surface. With a final shuffle, Gordon pulled a lovely Cod of 16lb 7oz into the waiting net.
A great result in some difficult conditions. Well done mate and thanks to everyone for coming out for a trip. -
09/07/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
9 Jul 2022 by Andy Savage
Last weeks fishing wasn’t exactly what you would call brilliant on Sea Urchin.….in fact, I thought it was bang average at best. With three trips cancelled for rubbish weather, Tuesday, Friday and today were the only days we went to sea.
With smaller tides, I had hoped to get a better stamp of fish from some of the inshore wrecks; but it never happened. The lads on board plugged away all day and most took plenty of nice pan sized Codling home, but the average size was on the small side at 3-4lb with only an odd 5lb fish (hence the lack of photos).
All the usual methods produced fish; bait traces, Hokkai’s and Shads. The Mackerel have been elusive for the last few days, so Squid has been the dominant bait. Of the three days at sea, we never had one full day of decent fishing conditions. Either the wind and/or swell spoilt either the morning or afternoon. When the conditions were good we caught, but definitely struggled at other times.
I always try my hardest for the anglers, to put them on fish and get frustrated when the conditions go against us all the time. So if this report sounds a bit negative, I apologise, but last week certainly tested my resolve. It’s definitely not all “Champagne and Skittles” as Del Boy says!! Hoping for a big improvement on tomorrow’s trip.
Tight Lines
Andy -
03/07/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
3 Jul 2022 by Andy Savage
Weekend fishing report aboard Sea Urchin.
Saturday was one of those days that I really didn’t fancy taking people out in. Moderate westerlies hampered where we could fish (most of the day was spent fishing under the cliffs). However, Colin Clarke from Grantham had his annual mates trip booked and really wanted to go out and try, regardless.
We ran up north and spent much of the morning drifting the Uptiding grounds from Upgang up to Staithes. Periodically we found pockets of small Codling which mostly fell to baited feathers, small Hokkai’s or Sabiki’s.
At slack water we pushed out to a wreck a mile off land, and with the lines streaming, we picked up a few more fish. The biggest Codling of the day came just as the Ebb tide got away at 6lb 2oz. It was hard work, but everyone caught.
Today saw much lighter winds, so we pushed out a bit, concentrating mainly on the rough ground and wrecks in the 3-5 mile stream. We had a couple of drops for Mackerel, and finally got a good few strings coming up; bait sorted.
The flood tide wasn’t too bad, with a nice picking of Codling and strap Ling coming to Hokkai’s baited with Mackerel and Squid or bait traces. We had to endure a lot of tangles every drift (not using enough lead) and most fish came up tangled in someone else’s line, which cost us a lot of fishing time during the day. Top rod by some margin was Tony Firman who put together a really decent bag of fish; a very tidy angler indeed.
Everyone got a few to take home, and it was a nice day out overall. Thanks lads. -
01/07/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
1 Jul 2022 by Andy Savage
After a few days off with poor fishing/weather conditions, we went back for a look on Thursday and Friday (today) this week.
With us being back on larger 5m tides, we spent Thursday chasing fish on the inshore wrecks and rough ground. A firm believer in telling it how it is; we struggled to put many fish aboard. We tried rough ground at five, seven and nine miles, along with some inshore wrecks.
For whatever reason, the bites were hard to come by. Most drifts would see one or two fish come up, but nothing of any size. A wreck at nine miles provided some reasonable sport for an hour, which was the highlight of the day. Ian Kellock was top rod (no change there then!) with a dozen Codling to 4lb.
With a similar tide today, I thought it best if we had a run off to some wrecks a bit further out. Arriving at the first wreck half an hour before slack water, with a mixed abilities group on board, some of the lads struggled to control their gear through what is a “chewy” wreck. That said, Keith McCance and Jim Lister got stuck straight in with a couple of Ling and Codling apiece to 6lb.
Slack water itself was fairly unproductive, but as soon as the Ebb tide got away, “first timer” Joe Mould took the biggest fish of the day; a nice Ling at 13lb 8oz, much to the surprise of his mates. The second wreck we visited also produced well, in periods. Top rod for the day Keith McCance, took the biggest Codling at a smidge over 8lb along with a fair few others. A switch to baited Hokkai’s certainly brought about more bites on this wreck.
Everyone persevered and everyone got themselves a few to take home. In terms of fishing, it wasn’t right up there as the best day out ever, but we kept on trying and picked away all day. Thanks to all the boys for a nice couple of days out. -
24/06/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
24 Jun 2022 by Andy Savage
A slightly delayed catch report covering two days. The long hours this week caught up with me and I needed an early night!!
Thursday and Friday were full boat bookings for two groups of friends, which are days that I really enjoy. The weather this week has generally seen very light winds in the morning and then a bit of SE breeze coming in the afternoons, making the fishing more difficult. For that reason we left early, to make the most of the better fishing conditions.
On Thursday we headed south to do some inshore wreck hopping. The first couple of wrecks gave us a few fish, to get everyone off the mark. With plenty of choice, I picked the ones which matched our drift, to increase our length of time spent on the wreck. It became apparent that the further south we moved the greener the water looked and bites became harder to come by.
We made the decision to run back up above Whitby, where the water proved to be far clearer. Bait traces, shads and even John-Will’s Christmas decoration (see picture) caught fish. Top rod by some margin was Norman Taylor, who literally had a fish a drift all day long and fished outstandingly. His concentration when drifting through the wreck is always great to watch.
On Friday we planned to repeat the inshore wreck hopping, but use the wrecks above Whitby where the water clarity was better. During the Ebb tide in the morning, the fishing wasn’t spectacular, but we took fish off every wreck we visited. There was almost a 50/50 split between bait fishing and Shad fishing. We spent a bit of time at slack water on a wreck which was by far the best of the day…….so far.
Once the flood tide got away, we moved onto a couple of wrecks closer in, which turned out to be a good move. We took 3-4 fish a drift for the remainder of the day. Again, split 50/50 between bait and Shads. Ling to 11lb and Codling to 6lb made it into a decent afternoon.
The lads on board kept some nice fish to take home. But credit to them, they threw back alot more Codling than they took home; which was nice to see. I enjoyed both days and really appreciate the bookings/support which I’ve had this year. -
22/06/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
22 Jun 2022 by Andy Savage
Today was definitely a day of two halves for us. This morning’s weather conditions were perfect for drifting a few wrecks. We ran to some of the inshore wrecks today, to see if there were a few fish about.
Arriving just before slack water at the first wreck, we had a few drifts, picked up a few Codling and Ling, but it wasn’t exactly prolific. A short move to next one brought much better results. First drift saw 10 Codling and Ling to almost double figures. For the next 2 hours it was absolute mayhem. Fish were coming up left, right and centre and we struggled to get the nets round the boat. Because the wind was holding up the drift it was an absolute free for all!!
Ian Steadman really got amongst them taking Ling to 10lb 8oz and loads of Codling. He also lost (they got back in the wreck) two what seemed to be really decent fish. Everyone certainly got their fill on this one; it was brilliant to see.
Then just as dinnertime approached, the wind lifted and started to make fishing conditions more difficult. We continued to wreck hop, and the more experienced lads still managed to find a few more fish, but it was tough going. Even setting the drifts up was difficult enough with a gusting wind.
All in all, another lovely day out in good company. Thanks lads -
21/06/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
21 Jun 2022 by Andy Savage
Great day out today, with a great bunch of boys. It was the first 14hr trip of the year and thankfully the fishing wasn’t bad at all.
Heading off just before 4am we got a cracking sunrise as we made our way out to fish some wrecks in the 20 mile area. We arrived at our first wreck an hour before slack water, just as the Ebb tide began to ease.
First drift saw five rods into some lovely clean Codling, which set the pattern for the next hour. The average size was good, with a fair few fish over 6lb with Jim Lister taking the biggest Codling at a shade over 9lb.
Just on slack water Sammy the Seal got up for breakfast and was clearly harvesting the bounty down there, as we saw him come up with two decent fish. It was no surprise that the action tailed off, so we moved on.
Next wreck turned out to be even better, with eight rods in on the first drift! Again, some lovely Codling with a good average size. Jim Lister lead the way again, taking a fish a drift including a lovely clean 10lb 8oz Codling.
Everyone took fish today, bait traces with Muppets and Squid dominated, but Simon West also got a good few Codling and a Pollock on Shads.
The morning was certainly more productive than the afternoon, but we took fish off every wreck we visited, which was pleasing. Not too many Ling today, with a fish of around 5lb being the biggest. I really enjoyed today, let’s hope things continue in this pattern for the coming days as the tides ease. -
16/06/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
16 Jun 2022 by Andy Savage
It’s big tide time in Whitby at the moment, which unfortunately seems to put some anglers off coming out fishing. The fishing is different to a standard wrecking trip; as we spend the majority of the day on rough round, but there are still plenty of rewards to be had for those who give it a go and fish well.
We’ve had some lovely weather and light winds the last couple of days, which has made the fishing conditions ok. When the tide eased towards slack water we dropped onto some wrecks and then covered rough ground from 3-9 miles out from the harbour for the remainder of the time.
Sungno Yoon landed the best Codling today (from rough ground) at a touch over 9lb. We caught a wide range of species throughout, including a cracking 4lb 2oz Ballan Wrasse for Martin Novo and plenty of Codling for everyone to take home.
The Shads and Jellies proved ineffective today, but Squid baited Muppets and Hokkai Traces did the damage as usual. It was great spending a couple of days out in lovely weather with brilliant people.
Thanks to everyone for coming along. Much appreciated. -
14/06/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
14 Jun 2022 by Andy Savage
Two’s company…..three’s a crowd!
Peter Carter and Ben Shaw booked Sea Urchin for the day today. With it being a big tide, the majority of the day would be spent on the rough ground around Whitby. That said, we took the opportunity to drop straight on a wreck close into the harbour when we set out, as slack water beckoned off the flood tide. We had a handful of Codling and Ling, but I felt that some of the tackle being used wasn’t quite up to the job.
Peter and Ben both agreed to switch over to braided mainline (instead of mono), heavier leads to hold bottom and we also got some whole squid mounted on muppet bait traces, instead of the really small Hokkai’s they started with. This set the tone for the day. Strong stout tackle usually wins the day at Whitby.
Once the Ebb tide got away, we moved out to some rough ground marks and started to pick away nicely. The banter between the boys was great, it was like abusive tennis as the insults went back and forth between each fish.
Peter secured ultimate bragging rights when he cranked up a nice 11lb Ling, which eclipsed the brace of 8’s that Ben had.
To be fair, it went a bit quiet in the afternoon when the wind spoiled things a bit, making the lines stream badly. But the boys persevered, taking a few more fish, before we headed back in. All in all, a great day out in great company. -
09/06/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
9 Jun 2022 by Andy Savage
In today’s news…..Simon Ullyot and five of his good friends had the boat for the day; as they do every month through the Summer. Always fantastic company and a day I really look forward to.
With a smaller tide we didn’t run off far, starting on an inshore wreck a couple of miles from the pier ends. Despite a bit of breeze the Codling were certainly after their breakfast, with plenty of bites. Dave Massey got off to a great start and picked off a fish a drift, with a lovely 9lb 8oz Codling taking his Squid baited muppet being the highlight.
We had a couple of moves over the first three hours and everyone got themselves some nice fish to take home. I’m not one for reporting on “the one that got away” but today we lost three really decent fish to hookpulls. Nick Massingham managed to get something special out of the wreck after a massive tussle, for it to fall off on the way up…..bummer.
Once the flood tide got away, the drift speed increased, so we moved out to some rough ground. This didn’t work out brilliantly, with only a handful of small Codling, so we moved back to wrecks.
To be fair, the second half of the day was hard work for us. The wind was gusting and getting a decent drift was difficult. The boys persevered, but we definitely had the best of the conditions earlier in the day.
All I can say is…if Carlsberg did Customers!! See you in a couple of weeks boys
