Latest Fishing Reports: Sea Urchin IIl
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24/01/2023
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
24 Jan 2023 by Andy Savage
What a difference 24hrs makes…….. After a tough couple of days fishing; today we managed to get amongst a few fish again.
With an experienced group of anglers on board, I was confident that if the fish were feeding and I got us on them, the lads would definitely catch them. We headed south on the Uptiding grounds, but unlike yesterday’s very blustery start; today wasn’t too bad at all. Conditions weren’t perfect, but they were good enough. I hadn’t even had chance to make everyone a brew before the first Codling started coming up. Ian Purdom and Jimmy Yeung both took fish almost immediately.
That set the tone for the rest of the Ebb Tide. We picked away nicely with mainly Codling, but an odd Pouting and Doggie also made an appearance. Early on in the trip, Martin Novo took the biggest Codling of the day at 6lb 4oz. We only moved twice during the Ebb, which made a pleasant change! The bites kept on coming at regular intervals. We had one strange occurrence when Ian Purdom got a slamming bite and his 40lb trace line was bitten through (possibly a decent Ling).
Tony Barrett had his first fish taken by a seal, and proceeded to tussle with it for a few minutes before incredibly he got the fish back and it was still good enough to fillet! Usual baits of Squid and Black Lug dominated today, so no need to change what’s not broken. As the tide eased, we started to swing around on the anchor, but for a change the bites kept coming, so we stuck it out. We just held the rods and paid off line to keep the baits still.
The Flood Tide came through and we had a reposition after it went a bit quiet. Tony Barrett took advantage of a flurry of bites and took the “Top Rod” title for the day, with a lovely bag of Codling up to 5lb.
I really enjoyed myself, the day flew by. It was good fishing in brilliant company.
Thanks everyone for a top day out. -
23/01/2023
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
23 Jan 2023 by Andy Savage
Sunday and Monday report aboard Sea Urchin........I've used a picture from the amazing sunrise we had on Sunday, as unfortunatley we haven't caught any decent size fish the last two days which I thought were photo-worthy.
Sunday saw us initially run North a couple of miles in beautiful flat clam conditions and the first stop wasn't too bad at all. Nathan Pendlebury dropped down and almost immediatley was into a nice plump 4lb Codling. There were a reasonable number of fish caught for the next 2hrs. Unbelievably, we caught nothing at all but Codling, but the average size wasn't brilliant. Mostly fish just around the 30-40cm mark. Once the action tailed off, we headed further north, trying a number of nice rough ground spots up as far as Staithes. A couple of initial fish would get us going, then it would go quiet (as it often does), but there didn't seem to be a second or third flush of fish which often happens when Uptiding.
Everyone plugged away all day, using the usual baits of Squid, Black Lug and Cart, but it was far from the day which I had hoped to give the lads. Dave Fowls was top rod on the day, with some consistent fishing, taking fish from every stop, but unfortunately catching nothing huge. Everyone kept their spirits up with some great banter, which really helped pass the time on a tricky day.
Today we ran South to start with. The plan was to spend some time around Robin Hoods Bay up towards Hawsker. Unfortunately the wind put paid to that plan, with 20mph+ winds blowing us all over the place, we had to move to try and find shelter, to allow us to fish properly. We tried three different spots for very little return, as we worked back up towards Whitby. After 3 hours at sea and with only half a dozen small fish to show for our efforts, we headed North again. I stopped at the same place as the previous day and thankfully there were still a few fish knocking around.
It was nice to see a few rod tips nodding for a change. But yet again, nothing of any size was caught. As we started to lose the tide. we headed further North up towards Staithes again to catch the first lift of the Flood Tide. Unfortunately, unlike the previous two days, the turn of tide was rubbish for us today. We never even had a bite between us! Head scratching time; so we started to moved back towards Whitby. Another three moves; two of which never even gave us a bite, meant that reluctantly we had to admit defeat. We ended the day with a handful of small fish between us all, which is obviously not what I like to do for my anglers.
I strongly believe that there is a need for balance with report writing. Everyone loves putting up reports saying how well we've done, but there will always be good and rubbish days (in terms of catching fish). The last two days, I've tried my absolute best to get us amongst a few fish, but it just hasn't happened. I'm no fishery expert, but one thing I do know, is that at the moment, the fishing is very difficult. I tried bloody hard today and did as good as I could.
Thanks to everyone who has come out for a days fishing, I really appreciate your custom.
Tomorrow is another day.....let's hope there's a big improvement -
21/01/2023
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
21 Jan 2023 by Andy Savage
After a two and a half week break for rubbish weather, we finally managed to get a run out today.
The weather has certainly stirred things up and the sea temperature has dropped significantly. Mark Johnson had the boat booked today for him and three friends. With it being a 5.3m tide, it was spot on for a days Uptiding.
We ran south a few miles to start off, pushing the last couple of hours of the Ebb Tide. First drop of the anchor saw a few small Codling come up, but after an initial few fish, it quietened off. We gave it half an hour then repositioned. We had a similar result there as well, with a few fish straight away, then it slowed down. The wind then decided to lift a bit and we were swinging on the anchor which was very frustrating, as it makes the fishing much more difficult.
We had a quiet hour as slack water approached, the boat swinging all over. Just as the Flood Tide came through, the bites started again. Multiple bites and fair few fish came up. Nothing massive, but a 5lb 8oz Codling was great to see.
Baits for the day were Squid, Black Lug, Scallops and Crab Cart. Squid and Blacks or just Blacks did the lionshare of the bites. Mark Johnson was top rod and his “pimped up” (with a bait additive) Black Lug did the most bites.
It wasn’t as prolific a day as I had hoped for, but the lads are brilliant company and before we knew it, it was time to head in. I had a really enjoyable day spent in great company. Thanks boys.
With some settled weather, I’ve got some spaces available on Monday and Tuesday if anyone fancies a day out. -
02/01/2023
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
2 Jan 2023 by Andy Savage
Happy New Year……first run out of 2023 today. The original plan had been run off and have a look on a few wrecks, but the weather which faced us this morning prevented that.
We went with Plan B initially and had a fruitless look on a few inshore wrecks. Having still not put a fish aboard after almost three hours, it was time for Plan C.
Most of the boys weren’t geared up properly for Uptiding, but I knew it was realistically the only option left to get a few bites. Using a mixture of my gear and their own, I got everyone sorted and then the anchor down. Thankfully it only took a short while (I hadn’t even got the tea made) before a few Codling started to come up.
After an internal sigh of relief we spent the remainder of the day picking away. When it went quiet we had a move, just like any other Uptiding trip.
We had mainly Codling, with an odd Doggie or two. Right on last knockings, as the tide had slackened off, Dave Sharp snuck up the biggest Codling of the day at around 6lb.
Squid and Squid and Black Lug did the majority of the bites. It definitely wasn’t the day I had hoped for, but with a great group of lads on board, it made it into a nice day out. Thanks lads, much appreciated having you all on board. -
22/12/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
22 Dec 2022 by Andy Savage
We managed to get a last run out today before the Christmas Festivities begin in earnest. A mixed group of anglers with differing experience meant that I would hopefully be able to help out the less experienced get a few fish; which I really enjoy.
It was a great tide for a days Uptiding and that’s exactly what we did. Using the last couple of hours of the Ebb Tide we ran north and tried a mark in Runswick Bay. We picked away steadily for the first hour, but as soon as we started to lose the tide, the fishing slowed down. There wasn’t much we could do, except plug away and wait for the flood tide to start. There was plenty of chat and banter amongst the lads, which really made the day go quickly.
We decided to move a bit further north at slack water and by the time we’d traveled the short distance, the Flood Tide was away. Things picked up straight away, with plenty of Codling to keep everyone entertained. Squid and Black Lug, or Squid, Black and Crab Cart did all the bites today.
We didn’t get anything massive, but Andrius Bespalovas took a lovely clean 5lb 8oz Codling and Dave Fowls was top rod taking 16 fish home, plus a few throwbacks. Everyone got fish to take home today, which made it mission accomplished for me. The water has coloured up nicely the last week or so, and shows good signs of things to come as the water continues to cool off.
I’m fishing all year round, so if you fancy a day out in January, just drop me a line. Thanks to everyone for their custom and support this year. I don’t take it for granted and hope that I can see everyone again next year.
Happy Christmas & a prosperous New Year to everyone. -
13/12/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
13 Dec 2022 by Andy Savage
It’s been nice to get a few days fishing together again. The trips have been mainly Uptiding with a days wrecking. After last week’s Easterly winds and subsequent “stir up” I was hoping for some decent Uptiding action. With some good angler’s on board we fished both North and South over the weekend, covering plenty of good marks.
To be honest, the fishing wasn’t quite what I had hoped for. We caught Codling, but not in the volume’s I anticipated/hoped for. A move to a new spot would provide a few fish, then go quiet. Usually, another pack of fish then moves through and you get another flurry of bites. This is the bit that didn’t happen, so we had to keep on the move. Squid, Black Lug and Crab Cart did the bites.
Today was the Sea Urchin Christmas Codling Competition. Biggest measured Codling gets £150 and runner up, £50. A fantastic bunch of lads on board, we ran out to fish a couple of wrecks in the 20 mile stream. All the way out, the chat and banter flowed and we soon got to our first wreck. It was just running into slack water as we arrived, and appeared to be devoid of fish, with no bites at all initially.
On the first signs of the Ebb tide coming through, we started to pick up 2-3 fish a drift. Gordon Blythe took a nice Codling measuring 69cm, taking the competition lead. Once the fishing started to slow right down again, we decided to move on. A glass of Port and a Mince Pie on route warmed the cockles on a “fresh” day.
First drift on the next wreck we were back in business with 5 Codling coming up. Gordon Blythe was at it again and snuck up a 68cm Codling to join his mate! We spent the remainder of the day on this wreck, with a few fish a drift coming to mainly squid baits on muppet bait traces. Crab cart and squid also picked away a few better sized fish. Despite there being plenty of Codling caught on the second wreck, nothing was caught to trouble the fish that Gordon had already caught. So with some pretty solid angling, he helped himself to 1st and 2nd place and went home £200 better off.
Well done Gordon and thanks to everyone for a brilliant day out. -
02/12/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
2 Dec 2022 by Andy Savage
It was nice to get five days back to back this week. I’ve already reported on a couple of days which gave us some excellent fishing, but it’s only right to add a bit of balance. Not every day can be a “red letter” day. Although to be fair, we still caught ok.
On Tuesday we had a mixed day. Starting off Uptiding, then running to some inshore wrecks around slack water. Once the tide got away, we went back to fishing at anchor. We picked away steadily whilst uptiding, but didn’t find any of the better stamp of fish we caught the day before. The inshore wrecks were dead. We tried three wrecks for no fish at all.
Following Wednesday’s cracking sport; Thursday was another run off to the 20 mile stream wrecks. We started on the same productive wreck as the day before and took 3-4 fish a drift, but the average size wasn’t quite what I was hoping for. We took a few fish around 5lb, but nothing better. I took us to another wreck just before dinnertime, and the catch rate went up significantly, with 5 or 6 rods taking fish every drift. Squid on muppet bait traces took almost all the fish. Everyone had quite a few to take away and plenty were thrown back.
Today saw us back out in the 20 mile stream wrecking. It turned out to be a really frustrating day for me. The first wreck had a seal on it (as it has on every occasion I’ve been this year) and it was hungry! There were very few bites anyway, but Mark Wilkinson managed to hook something of reasonable size. Halfway up his rod slammed over as the seal came for its breakfast. After a bit of a tussle, Mark got some of his fish back!!!
We moved on to another two wrecks for next to nothing, then I made the call to run back in to a wreck 10 miles closer in. Finally we found a few fish willing to feed. Pleasingly, we picked up fish every drift for the rest of the afternoon and there were a fair few for the pan. It wasn’t the day I’d hoped for, but every day is different.
Thanks to everyone for coming out fishing with me. I really appreciate the bookings and will always try my best to get us on some fish. -
30/11/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
30 Nov 2022 by Andy Savage
The Three Amigos turn out to be one wreck wonders!!
Mark Johnson, Bob Nicholls and Jeff Hoggard booked the boat for themselves today. With the falling tides, Uptiding wasn’t really a great option, so with the settled weather, I thought that some of the wrecks in the 20 mile stream might be holding a few fish. We haven’t been able to fish them for quite some time with the poor/inconsistent weather we’ve had. The lads were in agreement, so we headed out at first light.
On arrival at the first wreck, I set up the drift and as soon as Mark got to the bottom, he was into fish. He cranked up, what appeared to be a decent fish, but it turns out that two nice plump Codling had jumped straight onto his pennel hooks. I immediately thought that there must be a few down there….and boy, was I right!!
The rest of the day was spent on the same wreck. We caught fish after fish after fish. I lost count of the number of drifts where we were all playing fish at once. It was absolutely fantastic sport. The average size of the fish was equally impressive as the quantity; with loads in the 5-7lb bracket. Whilst we didn’t land any monsters, Jeff Hoggard took the biggest Codling at just over 8lb, but that didn’t really matter, it was the quality of the fish which impressed so much.
It truly was a day to remember and one as anglers we always hope for. We all caught loads and it was a day spent in great company.
Thanks very much for your excellent company lads. See you in a couple of weeks. -
28/11/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
28 Nov 2022 by Andy Savage
The Spring Tides are just starting to fall away, so today saw us out for a days Uptiding.
We used the last of the flood tide to run South for a few miles and then had to wait for half an hour or so for the Ebb Tide to get away properly. The first stop didn’t turn out to be particularly productive, so with only a few small Codling and Pouting to show for our efforts we pulled the anchor and had a move.
This heralded much better results with some nice Codling up to 6lb coming up. Everyone pretty much went with Squid and Black Lugworm (as usual). There was some great banter which always makes for a good day out and the weather was excellent for a change. We had a couple more moves during the day when bites dried up, and all too soon it was time to head back in.
Thanks to everyone on board for being great company, I had a lovely day out. -
14/11/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
14 Nov 2022 by Andy Savage
I’ve waited a while….but today was one of the few times this year that I’ve actually fished all day on wrecks and rough ground. The group of anglers were all friends and experienced anglers who know how to look after themselves, which is what’s needed for me to be able to relax a bit and fish properly.
We started the day on a few wrecks a couple of miles from the pier ends. With it being wind against tide, we had a decent drift speed and managed to pick up a fair few Codling each run through, along with a few inevitable tackle loses!! Martin Novo took a lovely Codling of 7lb 12oz off the first wreck, which was the biggest Codling of the day.
Everyone fished very similar, with rigs and baits we all know work well. Muppet bait traces (tied on 100lb mono) with pennel hook arrangements 8/0 - 6/0 hooks) using whole Squid. Or alternatively a set of baited Hokkai’s on rough ground. After a couple of hours of steady fishing, sport really slowed down through slack water. We tried a couple of different wrecks, but the tide was obviously key to getting the fish feeding.
Once the Ebb tide was away we moved to some nearby rough ground, which has been pretty kind to me this year. Thankfully, once the Ebb was at full speed we were back in business, with plenty of bites and fish. Having set up one particular drift, I had to take a phone call from a customer wanting to make a booking. When I came out of the wheelhouse, the only rod not playing a fish was mine!! Ian Kellock had a 12lb Ling, Jim Lister had a 10lb Ling and the others had nice Codling…..at least I was on hand to play “gillie” …..as usual!! ��
In a similar pattern to yesterday, once the best of the Ebb Tide had run through, bites tailed off quickly for us. The lads weren’t keen on flogging a “dead horse”, so we decided to take an early bath and headed back in to Whitby by mid afternoon. A big thanks to the boys from me. They’re all brilliant company, good anglers and allowed me to scratch my fishing “itch”. As it turned out, I had ten nice Codling to take back to Sea Urchin HQ. What a fantastic day! Thanks everyone.
