Latest Fishing Reports: Sea Urchin IIl
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25/09/2021
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
25 Sep 2021 by Andy Savage
We’ve had some rubbish tides and weather recently, so Saturday was our only day out last week. We had a great group of anglers on board, so a run off to a couple of wrecks around 20 miles out was in order.
The first wreck we visited has a reputation for throwing up quality, not quantity; so arriving 30 minutes before slack water, we optimistically hoped a bigger fish would poke its head out of the wreck. After 90 minutes torturing it, with around twenty Ling and Cod to show for our efforts (and alot of lost gear) we moved on.
The next wreck was much more cooperative, with 3-5 fish a drift. It turned into a bit of a species hunt as we landed Ling, Cod, Pollock, Coalie’s, Whiting and Pouting. With Cod to 8lb 8oz and Ling to 9lb it was a nice steady day.
Top rod of the day went to Jan Hill, who had bites almost every single drift (if she didn’t catch the wreck!!); including a double up of Cod and Coalie’s. Black Hokkai’s baited with fresh Mackerel did the most bites for Jan, although the muppet bait traces still took their fair share.
It was a fantastic day out, but the weather window was short lived, as the next few days look terrible again. Hopefully the weather geezers have got it wrong…..it wouldn’t be the first time, would it!! -
20/09/2021
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
20 Sep 2021 by Andy Savage
The big tides weren’t a complete write off…..but the fishing wasn’t a push over.
A group of mixed angling abilities on board saw us tackling a big tide, with no help whatsoever from the weather. Wind against tide in the morning saw things get a bit chewy, but everyone still got stuck in. Once they could keep the lead tapping, we started to pick off a few fish.
With the 5 mile ground only producing four strap Ling on baited Hokkai’s; a move out to 9 miles proved to be much more productive. We lost a bit of speed in the drift and started taking a picking off the rough ground.
Mainly Ling in the 3-4lb category kept everyone entertained, but once the tide slackened a bit, we moved onto a wreck, which heralded better results. Some nice Codling and two double figure Ling were very welcome.
Not blowing our own trumpet (ok I am), the two lads who had never boat fished before picked up the two doubles on our muppet bait traces. Steve and Wal picked everything up we taught them and had a great day overall. They filled a fish box between them which was brilliant.
After cancelling his last five trips for bad weather; catch of the day came to Neil from the “Ship Inn” in Whitby, when he landed a cracking double, with a decent Ling and Cod.
Well done everyone. Great day out. -
18/09/2021
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
18 Sep 2021 by Andy Savage
The bigger tides have returned again, but there is a silver lining to every cloud…
The first of the 5m tides started yesterday, so we decided to split the day between drifting the rough ground when the tide moved fast and then jumping on a few wrecks at slack water.
The rough ground hasn’t fished particularly well of late, but we got a reasonable picking of mainly Ling yesterday, which was encouraging. The Ebb tide fished better than the flood, and everyone went with either bait traces or Hokkai’s.
Pick of the fish were a 12lb 8oz Ling for James Lister and Stephanie helped herself to a 10lb 8oz Ling.
Everyone picked off a few fish to take home, which is always the aspiration on Sea Urchin. -
16/09/2021
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
16 Sep 2021 by Andy Savage
Another beautiful day on the inshore wrecks today.
A smaller tide, light winds and plenty of sunshine was just the tonic. It meant the drift speed of the boat was perfect and we got a lovely tan at the same time!
The quality Codling we found yesterday, were a little elusive today and we mainly picked up Ling and a couple of stray Pollock. The first wreck on slack water produced a dozen strap Ling to 4lb, so we moved on in the hope of something better. The second wreck gave us a nice picking of 2-3 fish a drift for a couple of hours, including two Ling, just over 10lb.
We dropped onto one last wreck before heading for home and the first drift saw six anglers in at once, which was brilliant. It was one of the classic; wish we’d come here a bit earlier moments. Squid and Mackerel did the business as usual, but I did see a couple come up on Razor Clams. The shads stayed in the bags as we were hoping for a big old fish, which usually come to the bait traces.
Talking of bait traces: we’ve had a number of potential big fish lost by people fishing with 50-60lb trace line. We recommend (and provide) bait traces tied on doubled-up 100lb mono. A big Ling will make short work of thinner mono with its abrasive teeth.
All in all, another thoroughly enjoyable day with some great lads. -
15/09/2021
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
15 Sep 2021 by Andy Savage
Stormin’ Norman smashes em’ up……
As hoped for; the action on the smaller tides continued. We had Simon Ullyot and his friends on board today, and a nicer group of gents you’d be hard pressed to find.
We decided to stay on the inshore wrecks again, which proved to be a little tricky at times with a stiff breeze and tide together making a quicker drift than anticipated throughout the morning. We fished three wrecks during the day, with some great results. The first wreck gave a good start, with all but one angler putting a fish or two over the rails. Ling up to 7lb with a couple of smaller Codling had us looking for something a little bit better after an hour or so.
The second wreck was a complete fail, but we moved on quickly, to a large wreck which perfectly matched our drift line. Things then moved to another level. We picked away nicely for the next three hours with anything from 2-5 fish per drift. Norman Taylor was the star of the show, landing some quality fish most drifts. His 11lb Codling was an absolute cracker.
With the friendly banter flowing all day, we ended up having a couple of Ling around the 11-12lb mark, but the dury was out as to who had the biggest. Simon Ullyot pinched it by 1oz from Den Fitzgerald with an 11lb 12oz Ling.
A lovely day out with a great group of lads. See you next year boys…. -
14/09/2021
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
14 Sep 2021 by Andy Savage
Today was a day for ducks, or people with webbed feet, as it rained cats and dogs for much of it!
The weather didn’t deter the mixed group of lads on today, who ranged from highly experienced to complete novice. After the morning #mackerelfest we stayed on some of the inshore wrecks, as the tide had finally dropped back below 5m; allowing us to drift at a more moderate speed. The first wreck was surprisingly unproductive, with nothing coming up in three drifts.
A short move saw things improve significantly, and we picked away nicely for most of the remainder of the day. Ling up to 9lb and Codling to 6lb, with 2-3 fish a drift on average. Squid and Mackerel cocktails on pennel rigs and muppets were the most productive, with everyone having a good few fish to take home….except my good friend Pete “Got no Sea Legs” Chambers who was badly as a dog all day and never even dropped a rig down after the mackerel bash!! Don’t give up Pete.
With small tides for the next few days hopefully the good fishing will continue. -
10/09/2021
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
10 Sep 2021 by Andy Savage
The last couple of days have seen some massive tides at Whitby: but some beautiful weather and some great anglers have made them very enjoyable days out. Despite the challenging conditions, we still managed to pick off a few fish.
Yesterday we had another go fishing wrecks at anchor, which was once again a learning curve. Jamie Skow managed a decent Cod and a Ling off a wreck which with the big tide, we would have drifted over at 2.7 knots, which was encouraging.
Today we ran off to fish some ground at 9 miles. Charlie Hewitt was the star of the show, snaring a new Pb Ling of 11lb 8oz and steadily picking away all day. Marius brought a group of his friends along who hadn’t fished much at sea before, but it didn’t take them long to get to grips with holding bottom. A mix of mainly Ling and Codling came aboard, with 2-3 fish per drift. Baited Hokkai’s dominated the day today, but bait traces with muppets proved deadly at slack water. Both Squid and Mackerel took their fair share of fish.
Well done boys, see you next time. -
05/09/2021
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
5 Sep 2021 by Andy Savage
Jim Lister came a bit prematurely today………before the Whitby Festival starts in a weeks time, that is!!
We had another lovely day out, with some glorious weather at times, and a good few fish. Opting to run off again, we fished a couple of wrecks in the day and despite the tide creeping up to the 5m mark, we still maintained a manageable drift speed all day.
We were off the mark quickly and the first drift produced a Pb 8lb 8oz Codling for Claudiu, which was a brilliant way to start. Then Jim Lister looked like he’d hooked the wreck, but something started shaking its head to dispel that thought. After a pretty tense fight he finally brought up a belting Ling which weighed just under the magical twenty at 19lb 8oz and was also a new Pb!!
Ian and Jan Hill also got in on the Pb action when Ian had a Ling of 8lb 8oz and Jan a Codling of 9lb 8oz. Everyone took a few home today, but bait fishing with Squid or Mackerel fillets proved good for the bigger fish. I had a brilliant day and take as much enjoyment as the captors do, seeing good fish come aboard. Looking forward to seeing you all again soon. -
04/09/2021
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
4 Sep 2021 by Andy Savage
Fabulous day out today, with a brilliant group of lads.
They fancied having a run off, so after the obligatory “Mackerel Fest” to collect bait, we headed out to a wreck at 17 miles. We had a steady picking with a couple of fish most drifts, but nothing to set the world on fire. Ling up to 7lb and few Codling to 4lb kept us entertained for a couple of hours.
A move to another wreck at 21 miles for slack water gave a much better result. First drift saw total carnage with all the anglers in at once, resulting in 13 fish coming aboard; including two double ups. We continued to get a few fish each drift (mainly Codling and Haddock) for the next 3 hours, before heading for home.
The lads caught a lot of the fish on baited shads today, with Rhubarb and Custard being particularly popular. Also, Tom Beaument deserves a special mention as he decided he fancied having a go with the black jelly worms. I've seen alot of people have a couple of drops them change if they don't catch. Tom stuck with it and caught some quality Pollock, which was great to see.
Not much else to add, other than, great angling boys, you were great company. See you next time. -
03/09/2021
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
3 Sep 2021 by Andy Savage
Finally….got a day back out at sea, after a weeks lay off with rubbish weather.
Thankfully the Mackerel hadn’t gone too far away, so we got plenty for bait, and then with the water inside looking a bit murky, we had a go on the 5 mile ground to start.
During the Ebb tide the fishing was, quite frankly; terrible for us, with nothing at all coming aboard.
As slack water approached we moved to a wreck and literally bang on slack we had two decent Ling on at the same time. Ian Kellock picked up an 11lb fish which was the biggest of the duo. Thankfully, as the flood tide got away, we picked away for a few hours with the Ling providing some welcome sport.
The Codling were elusive for us today. We had a group of anglers on today of mixed abilities, but they all took away a fry in the end. It was hard work, but spent in good company
