Latest Fishing Reports: Size Matters
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05/2014
Fishing Report by Kevin McKie
May 2014 by Kevin McKie
Species caught: Bull Huss, Cod, Dab, Dogfish, Five Bearded Rockling, Flounder, Gurnard (Gray, Tub & Red), Ling, Mackerel, Plaice, Pollack, Poor Cod, Pouting, Short Spined Scorpion Fish, Smoothound (Common & Starry), Thornback Ray, Tope, Weaver and Whiting.
Due to the algae bloom, May started off quite slow but as the weeks went on the fishing got better and better. Most of the algae had gone by the last week of May and we started to see lots of dolphins, porpoise and seals. Fishing inshore was very good with a fish a drop 90% of the time; offshore the fishing was steady and the mackerel started to arrive in good numbers.
Notable Charters:
23/05/14 - A group of individuals had booked to go wreck fishing but with the weather conditions off-shore was not an option so I asked the 9 lads if they fancied going after Smoothound, Rays and Bass. Only 4 of the lads where up for it so the rest of them rebooked to go wrecking and I took the 4 lads out and what a day they had! It was a fish a cast from start to finish. Here's what they caught:
19 Smoothound to 6lb
40+ Codling to 4lb 6oz (mostly undersize)
5 Thornback Rays to 4lb,
Along with Plaice, Flounder, Dab, Whiting and Dogfish. Not a bad day between 4 anglers.
24/05/14 - I had 8 individuals booked on for the day. I suggested to go for the Smoothounds again and they were all up for it! Here is what they caught:
30+ Smoothound to 6lb 3oz
2 Bass to 2lb 12oz
3 Thornback Ray to 4lb
And lots of Whiting Dabs and Dogfish.
Fish of the month goes to Mark with an 11lb 8oz Thornback Ray caught on a whole Mackerel while fishing for Tope off-shore. This was not the biggest fish caught in May but it's the first double figure Ray this year on Brigand. Sadly it is a very poor photograph of the Ray - it has it's wigs folded in and it doesn't give it much scale because Mark himself is 6ft 7inches tall! The Ray was safely returned. -
04/2014
Fishing Report by Kevin McKie
Apr 2014 by Kevin McKie
Species caught: Cod, Dab, Flounder, Gray Gurnard, Herring, Leopard Spotted Gobi, Ling, Mackerel, Pollack, Poor Cod, Pouting, Red Gurnard, Thornback Ray, Tub Gurnard and Whiting.
April was a very good month for us! We caught some very good catches of Cod and Pollack - over just 3 trips we caught a total of 140 cod from 2lb 8oz and 7lb 6oz and 40 Pollack from 2lb to 5lb . That’s good fishing anywhere in the UK! The good fishing is likely down to the mild winter we had and the summer species are arriving very early this year.
In the Mersey there has still been a few Cod about to 4lb and Thornback Rays to 9lb 1oz. On one trip in the Mersey we had 6 Cod over 2lb which is rare for this time of year – maybe they are staying longer and no one is fishing for them. From now on the fishing should just get better and better as more bait fish arrive followed by the rest of the summer species so watch this space!!!
Notable Charters:
10/04/14 – We had a group of individuals onboard and straight from the start they where into fish catching 39 Cod from 2lb 8oz to 4lb 10oz, 18 Pollack from 2lb to 5lb 2oz, along with Pouting, Dab and leopard spotted Gobi.
22/04/14 – We had a group of individuals onboard and the fishing was slow to start with, but by the end of the day they had caught 36 Cod from 2lb to 5lb, 21 Pollack from 2lb to 3lb, along with Tub Gurnard, Gray Gurnard, Herring, Whiting, Pouting and Poor Cod.
24/04/14 – We had Taskers Angling out with us on their monthly trip and I must admit they had the best days fishing I have seen for many years in this part of the country – it was one of those red letter days where everything was right. In total they caught 68 Cod from 2lb 8oz to 7lb 6oz, 7 Pollack from 2lb to 5lb, 1 Ling 3lb, Pouting to 2lb 4oz, along with Whiting and Red Gurnard.
25/04/14 – We had a group of individuals onboard, some from Bold Sea Angling Club, and the rest was made up from regulars. Between them they caught 36 Cod from 2lb 8oz to 6lb 7oz, 4 Pollack from 2lb to 4lb 12oz, along with Whiting, Pouting and Mackerel.
The Fish of the month goes to Michael with his first ever fish - a 9lb 1oz Thornback Ray from the river Mersey. Michal had never been on a fishing trip before or caught a fish. He had a good fight on his hands to land this Ray in the fast tide of the Mersey but he managed to do it… well, just about! Well done Michael you win a free fishing trip with brigand charters!!! -
03/2014
Fishing Report by Kevin McKie
Mar 2014 by Kevin McKie
Species caught: Cod, Dab, Dogfish, Five Bearded Rockling, Flounder, Herring, Ling, Lobster, Pollack, Pouting, Thornback Ray and Whiting.
Usually, March is a slow month when fishing in the North West but this year fishing was surprisingly well. This was likely due to not having a very cold winter, which has raised the temperature of the water, causing the spring fish to arrive earlier than usual.
While there is still a few Cod and Whiting, with good numbers of Rays, Flounder, Dabs and Plaice in the River Mersey, a new off-shore mark we fished was holding some good numbers of both Cod and Pollack. That being said, we still had a few hard days fishing off-shore this month, mainly due to harsh easterly winds.
Also, don't forget on April 23rd is our first Brigand Charters sweep stake competition where you could win £960 cash!!! Full details can be found under "Competitions".
Notable Charters:
On March 25th we had a small group of anglers on-board who fish with us every month. They had a good day before we even got to the fishing grounds. We encountered a pod of over 50 dolphins that where jumping out of the water and following the boat for about 30 minutes. When we did get to the fishing ground they totalled 14 Pollack to 4lb 10oz, 9 Cod to 3lb, plus Whiting and Pouting.
On March 26th we had a full boat of individuals on-board. We decided to fish the same rough ground as we did the day before. We totalled 15 Pollack to 5lb, 4 Cod to 3lb, 1 Ling, and plenty of whiting, dabs, and dogfish.
On March 27th we had our monthly trip with the lads from Taskers Angling on-board. We went back to the same grounds as we had fished the last two days and there were still plenty of fish showing on the sounder but it was hard going with the easterly wind - the fish just didn't want to know. We had a few Pollack, Cod, Whiting, Dab and Dogfish, but we did witness something we will never see again! Jimmy from Taskers Angling hooked something while on the drift over rough ground using a jelly worm. He said to me that it felt like he'd hooked some old rope as he was struggling to reel it in. I said it could be a sea sponge from the sea bed or a Lobster. When it came to the surface it was the biggest Lobster I have ever seen, about 6lb must have been 30 years old and it was hooked in the face. We let the old fella go to fight another day.
The Fish of the Month goes to Tom Aldwinckle (again) with his 6lb 5oz Pollack. Thats two months in a row now. Congratulations on your free individual charter, Tom! -
02/2014
Fishing Report by Kevin McKie
Feb 2014 by Kevin McKie
Species caught: Cod, Dab, Flounder, Plaice, Thornback Ray, Whiting.
February started off very well with some nice Cod being caught in the Mersey, but towards the end of the month, the Cod fishing became patchy on some days and then good on others. The large shoals of Whiting that were present in the Mersey during the Winter have moved off-shore and the Cod will do the same over the course of the next few weeks. With the temperatures rising we’ve seen a few Thornback Rays, Plaice and Flounders being caught which shows that the Spring fish are starting to arrive.
Notable Charters:
February 7th seen a small group of anglers who hired the boat, landing 12 Cod between 2lb 8oz and 11lb 8oz. Included in this catch were Cod of 5lb 2oz, 5lb 4oz and 5lb 10oz, along with Whiting, Dabs and plenty of under-sized Codling.
February 11th was a full boat with a total of 11 Cod caught between 3lb and 11lb 4oz, along with Whiting, Dabs and plenty of under-sized Codling.
February 21st was another full boat with a total of 13 Cod caught from 3lb 2oz to 7lb 4oz, along with Dabs and plenty of under-sized Codling.
The Fish of the Month goes to Tom Aldwinckle with his first ever Cod at 11lb 4oz. Although Carl O’Neill caught the largest at 11lb 8oz, he kindly passed the prize onto Tom as this was his first ever Cod and Carl thought Tom deserved it more. Congratulations, Tom! -
24/02/2014
Fishing Report by Dave Rushworth
24 Feb 2014 by Dave Rushworth
I'd booked onto a Mersey charter trip aboard the 'Brigand' with Althebass, Brian & Frank, it was a 6am lock out which meant a 4am alarm call :sleepy: and despite getting everything ready the night before, in my sleep deprived befuddled state, I somehow managed to run late and didn't set off till 5am which meant a mad dash down the motorway at breakneck speed :roll: I just managed to get to the marina for 6 (ish) with the skipper waiting for me at the gate :oops: everyone was already on the boat waiting, which meant all the best spots had gone and I was tucked under the canopy by the wheelhouse on the left side of the boat, which meant I would be casting cack-handed! :doh: serves me right for being late! :huan kerr: :lol:
We were soon out of the marina and steamed out onto the river in the gloom and headed up to our first mark just past the clock tower. After a short steam down river we anchored up in the fierce running tide and launched out our baits expectantly
[img]http://i1077.photobucket.com/albums/w472/AnglingAddicts/BrigandChartersMersey24thFeb/DSC02621.jpg[/img]
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I had an assortment of baits, blow lug, frozen black, crab, mussel and squid. The skipper Kev told us squid had been doing the business over the last few trips.....
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Frank was first in with a nice keeper....this got him all smug & excited cos we had the usual £1 for the biggest and he was in the lead
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The tide run started to ease, the wind dropped and the sun came out.....it was looking like it was gonna be a decent day.....
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Even Al was smiling....only at my attempt to get him to use one of my armamesh concoctions, he said it looked like one of my turds :lol:
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I was targeting the small stuff :whistle: even with my 5/0's and big baits...
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Brian had predicted that the fish would come on the feed better 3hrs or so before low water and he was bang on the money for himself.....
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Al got into a good fish but bumped it off on the way up, his powerful muscular arms glinting in the weak winter sun, his sparrow legs buckling underneath him as he slumped to the floor and threw his (muscular) arms up like he'd been shot in 'Platoon'....."Noooooooooooooooooo..........." (it was later estimated by Al that the fish was 'at least' 6lb which rose by a lb ever time someone mentioned it, so at the end of the day Al had lost a 12lb fish...allegedly!)
We carried on fishing right down to low water with just the odd fish coming out...
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Tuskar steaming past
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The skipper told us at dead low we would be heading upriver to Bromborough where we could wait for the tide to turn and have our lunch of Curry & Rice...now we're talking! :yeah2: spot on it was too, just on the right side of spicy and a good portion as well
The lull in activity gave Frank the chance to show off and have a quick brag :lol:
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Though all the excitement was all a bit too much for him :sleepy: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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but at least he made a new friend......
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Who's the guilty party? :whistle:
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The tide took an age to get going, and the wind freshened which kept the boat facing the wrong way for longer than expected, Otterspool in the distance......
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As the tide got going, a surprise plaice came aboard.....
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The odd good codling came aboard too so I hedged my bets and put on the last of my crab and mussel...
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Which paid off handsomely...
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4lb 4oz....biggest of the day
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A couple of thornies came out too with the biggest going 6lb
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I got another keeper of around 2½lb at the death on straight squid, all the bait I'd got left!
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It was a thoroughly enjoyable day out, the craic and banter was top notch even though (or probably because) the fishing was hard going and a bit slow at times. Around 40 codling came aboard with only a dozen or so keepers but we all caught and dropped a fair few fish too.
I have to say though the skipper Kev McKie was superb, he never stopped working and did everything in his powers to put us on the fish. I was particularly impressed with the way he coached the less experienced anglers on the boat, nothing was too much trouble for him. He was constantly offering advice, sorting out tangles, preparing bait and even casting in when asked. He kept us topped up with hot brews throughout the day and the curry was superb. You could tell he is an angler himself, he knows his stuff and is as keen as mustard, I'll certainly use him again and I'd recommend him to anyone, top skipper...... - See more at: http://www.anglingaddicts.co.uk/forum/brigand-charters-mersey-24th-feb-t11198.html#sthash.LAYYAhhx.dpuf -
01/2014
Fishing Report by Kevin McKie
Jan 2014 by Kevin McKie
Species caught: Cod, Dab, Thornback Ray, Whiting.
January has been the best month so far for winter Cod fishing on the Mersey. We have seen some very good catches of Cod, big Whiting, Dabs, and the odd Thornback Ray. We only had one bad day in January that was down to the weather conditions on the day and not being able to present the baits correctly on the seabed. With the Cod being late arrivals this season, we expect February to continue the current trend of good numbers and decent sized fish.
Notable Charters:
January 8th saw the biggest Cod landed on Brigand so far this season; a nice fish of 12lb 2oz. On that day we also had another 10 Cod from 2lb 8oz to 4lb 8oz, along with plenty of whiting and dabs.
January 24th was a good day to be on the Mersey. Eight anglers on-board who managed to land a total of 23 Cod from 2lb 8oz to 5lb 8oz, along with the ever present whiting and dabs.
On January 25th the good sport continued from the previous day, landing a total of 14 Cod from 3lb to 4lb 8oz; and the lads were kept busy with small codling, whiting and dabs.
The Fish of the Month goes to Mark Sweeney for his 12lb 2oz Cod, caught on January 8th. Mark wins a free individual charter courtesy of Brigand Charters. Congratulations, Mark! -
12/2013
Fishing Report by Kevin McKie
Dec 2013 by Kevin McKie
We have come to the end of Brigand’s first year and what a successful year it has been!
Brigand Charters began on the 1st of June 2013 and has seen a total of 27 different species of fish, all caught around Liverpool Bay and the River Mersey. This included Tope to 40lb, Thornback Rays to 15lb, Huss to 13lb, Pollock to over 7lb, and Cod to over 8lb.
We appreciate everyone's support during 2013 and are currently in the process of introducing a monthly competition and boat records. This will see us give away a free Charter to the winners, and hope to have these running from the beginning of 2014.
Brigand Charters wishes you a Merry Christmas and all the best for 2014!!
December 2013
Species caught: Cod, Dab, Pouting, Rockling (Five-Bearded), Whiting.
December saw quite a few cancellations due to the persistence of southerly and south-easterly gales. On the days we did get out, the fishing was a lot better than it was in November. There were quite a few Cod about, averaging around 3lb 8oz – though we did get them up to 8lb 4oz. There was also plenty of large Whiting over 1lb, Dabs and the odd Pouting. If this trend continues, January should be the prime month with the Cod being roughly six weeks behind last year. Hopefully, we should start to see double figure Cod in the coming month.
Notable Charter:
On December 10th we had Simon Everett aboard Brigand from Total Sea Fishing magazine doing an article on Mersey Cod fishing. Although we had a good day, we can’t say too much about it as the article will be featured in the February edition of the magazine.
Towards the end of the month, December 29th, we had a group of individuals on board and it was Cod time straight from the off. In total we landed 10 Cod, weighing between 2lb 8oz and 4lb 6oz, along with plenty of little Codling, big Whiting, Dabs and the odd Pouting. The star of the day was young Daniel Parker (age 11) who caught his first Cod at 4lb 6oz and was also the biggest of the day! He was fishing with his dad Gavin and had such a good day that they both booked again for January. -
12/2013
Fishing Report by reg lewis
Dec 2013 by reg lewis
with our final trip of the year coming up one can only thank our skipper Kevin MacKie for some really good sport this year for our club members. Finding the fish doesn't seem to be a problem with good thornbacks, bullhuss and smoothounds prominent in our catches since july. New members and visitors alike are impressed with both the boat and Kevin's non stop activities making for a pleasant fishing trip while the old hands have never had it so good with such good baits to fish with. Looking forward to next years trips. Reg Lewis, sec Bold Sac.
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11/2013
Fishing Report by Kevin McKie
Nov 2013 by Kevin McKie
November 2013
Species caught: Cod, Dab, Dogfish, Pouting, Thornback Ray, Whiting.
November has not been as good as previous years - it has been far too mild. There have been lots of 1lb+ whiting in the river and if you fish for them you can catch them all day long in certain places, along with dabs and the odd thornback ray. As far as the cod fishing goes it's still a bit patchy and there are loads of tiny codling in the river from 5oz to 10oz - these little fellas still manage to steal your cod bait on 5/0 hooks along with the whiting and dabs so it makes it harder to catch the better fish. But all these little codling is a good sign for the future stocks.
Notable Charter:
On 23rd November the lads just wanted to fish for cod all day as the conditions where perfect. We caught 17 codling, the best being 4lb 6oz, and we had 7 keepers - the rest where returned alive. We also lost 5 good fish as well, just didn't get a good hook hold. Better luck next time. -
10/2013
Fishing Report by Kevin McKie
Oct 2013 by Kevin McKie
Species caught: Bull Huss, Cod, Conger Eel, Dabs, Dogfish, Plaice, Rays, Whiting
Weather wise, October was not great. We only managed to get off-shore once; the rest of the charters were in-shore. The Cod only started to show in numbers during the last week of October. All of the trips in October were very similar with Rays to 8lb 12oz, Whiting to 1lb 10oz, Dabs to 1lb, Dogfish and the odd Cod up to 3lb. The Cod seem to be arriving later this year, roughly 4 to 6 weeks behind previous years - this may coincide with the Mackerel being late earlier this year.
Hopefully, November should see good numbers of Cod now that they have finally arrived. Things should only get better now as the cold weather persists.
Only a few days remain for November so book now!
