Charter Boat: Crusader Charters LTD
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Boat and Skipper Details
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Availability Calendar
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Individual Spaces
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Reviews
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Location and directionsMap
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Bait & Tackle
Boat and Skipper Details
Purpose built spacious fast evolution 38. Licenced for 12 plus 2 crew.
Participated in all 3 seasons of the CHART Tuna fishing programme and the first recreational tuna fishery.
Owner Skipper - Ricky Matthews has been operating these waters for decades. Wreck and reef fishing with lures and live baits is his speciality. No one works harder to find you the fish and ensure your trip goes as you would expect from a premier Charter operator.
Relief skipper Kev Lavis was a skipper on the first ever Bluefin Tuna tagging programme. He specialises in big predator fishing such as tuna and shark, but is just as at home targeting the varied species on the inshore reef and banks marks.
April 2025
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N.B. Not all Skippers keep this dairy up-to-date. Always check with skippers before making any plans. Last calendar update: 13-Apr-2025 |
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Tue 1st Apr
Whole Boat Available
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Wed 2nd Apr
Whole Boat Available
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Thu 3rd Apr
Whole Boat Available
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Fri 4th Apr
Fully Booked
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Sat 5th Apr
Fully Booked
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Sun 6th Apr
Fully Booked
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Mon 7th Apr
Fully Booked
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Tue 8th Apr
Fully Booked
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Wed 9th Apr
Fully Booked
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Thu 10th Apr
Fully Booked
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Fri 11th Apr
Fully Booked
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Sat 12th Apr
Fully Booked
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Sun 13th Apr
Fully Booked
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Mon 14th Apr
Whole Boat Available
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Tue 15th Apr
Fully Booked
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Wed 16th Apr
Fully Booked
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Thu 17th Apr
Fully Booked
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Fri 18th Apr
Whole Boat Available
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Sat 19th Apr
Fully Booked
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Sun 20th Apr
Individual Spaces
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Mon 21st Apr
Whole Boat Available
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Tue 22nd Apr
Whole Boat Available
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Wed 23rd Apr
Whole Boat Available
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Thu 24th Apr
Fully Booked
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Fri 25th Apr
Whole Boat Available
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Sat 26th Apr
Individual Spaces
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Sun 27th Apr
Whole Boat Available
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Mon 28th Apr
Whole Boat Available
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Tue 29th Apr
Whole Boat Available
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Wed 30th Apr
Whole Boat Available
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Upcoming Individual Spaces on Crusader Charters LTD
| Sun 20/04/2025 | 4 Spaces | 10 Hours | £95.00pp |
4 spaces drifting wrecks with lures and baits
Bass / Coalfish (Coley/Saithe) / Ling / Pollock.
| View details |
| Sat 26/04/2025 | 4 Spaces | 10 Hours | £95.00pp |
4 spaces drift fishing
Bass / Cod / Coalfish (Coley/Saithe) / Ling / Pollock.
| View details |
| Sat 24/05/2025 | 1 Space |
1000 cash prize competition
Best of 3 different species over the weekend
| View details | ||
| Sun 25/05/2025 | 1 Space |
1000 cash prize competition
Best of 3 different species over the weekend
| View details | ||
| Sat 07/06/2025 | 4 Spaces |
4 spaces fishing at anchor
| View details | ||
| Sun 29/06/2025 | 6 Spaces |
Suitable tide for drifting
£85-£95pp
| View details | ||
| Wed 23/07/2025 |
Shark fishing
3 individual spaces
£165pp
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| Tue 26/08/2025 | 2 Spaces |
2 spaces tuna fishing
Trolling/baits/poppers
Bluefin Tuna.
| View details | ||
| Thu 11/09/2025 | 1 Space | 10 Hours | £250.00pp |
1 space big game tuna fishing. Bars, baits, poppers
Bluefin Tuna.
| View details |
| Fri 12/09/2025 | 1 Space | 10 Hours | £250.00pp |
1 space tuna fishing. Bars, baits, poppers
Bluefin Tuna.
| View details |
| Sat 20/09/2025 |
Drift fishing
4 spaces
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| Thu 09/10/2025 |
Tuna fishing
2 spaces
£250pp
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| Fri 10/10/2025 |
Tuna fishing
2 Individual spaces
£250pp
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| Sat 11/10/2025 |
4 spaces drift fishing
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| Wed 15/10/2025 |
Tuna fishing
3 individual spaces
£250pp
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| Thu 13/11/2025 |
4 spaces fishing at anchor
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| Sat 29/11/2025 |
4 spaces drift fishing
| View details |
Reviews
Summary:
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Josh Davis (03/01/2025)
What a quality trip. We had some big pollock and skipper worked hard to get us on the fish.
Skippers Reponse: Cheers Josh, glad you had a good trip. Looking forward to the next one
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Charlie Roper (04/08/2024)
I’ve been going out on Crusader over 15 years, it’s a great boat to be on! Both the skippers, Ricky and Kev, are excellent. If there’s fish out there they will put you on them!
Skippers Reponse: Thank you Charlie, it's been a blast, looking forward to many more trips putting you on the fish
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Adrian Cross (10/10/2024)
Amazing day out on Crusader with my friend Mo back in October. I was very fortunate to catch a giant bluefin tuna of 102 inches estimated at c775 lb and the biggest to Crusader in 2024. After an epic 1 hour 15 minute battle 10 miles off the coast of Fowey, Cornwall the fish was safely released. Mo was up next and also caught a c250 lb fish. I would certainly recommend both skippers Rickie and Kev and their crew they literally went the extra mile to find these extraordinary fish! We have booked for 2025.
Skippers Reponse: Congratulations again on the beast this year Adrian! Awesome effort. We look forward to the next adventure
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Colin Bissett (29/12/2024)
Absolutely fantastic skippers . Fantastic boat . I always catch well with good fish to take home . I believe that Crusader charters is the top boat in Plymouth to go out on
Skippers Reponse: Thank you for the kind words Colin. We're glad you enjoy your trips ��
Location
Bait & Tackle
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South West Sea Baits
Plymouth, Devon, South West, England
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high street tackle
ilfracombe, Devon, South West, England
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Exmouth Tackle and Sport
Exmouth, Devon, South West, England
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Fish & ships and seaside gifts
Paignton, Devon, South West, England
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Tidal Tackle
Torquay, Devon, South West, England
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Robs bait & Tackle Supplies
Plymouth, Devon, South West, England
Catch Stats
- CBUK Catch Log: 17 Species have been caught onboard Crusader Charters LTD, including: Bass | Black Sea Bream | Blonde Ray | Bluefin Tuna | Bull Huss | Coalfish (Coley/Saithe) | Cod | Comber | Conger Eel | Couch's Sea Bream | Ling | Pollock | Red Gurnard | Small-Eyed Ray | Spotted Ray | Spurdog | Whiting
Latest Catches 43 photos uploaded
Latest Fishing Reports and News
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01/2025
Fishing Report by Kevin Lavis
Jan 2025 by Kevin Lavis
The winter here aboard Crusader has been on fire!
We have regularly returned to port from the offshore wrecks with decent hauls of Pollack ling and bass.
Sidewinder lures of all shapes and sizes are accounting for the majority of our catches.
The best Pollack on the winter so far came last week with an absolute brute of 21-8! Gone are the days of several 20+ fish gracing the catch bin so to see such a beast is awesome!
Bass fishing is on top form with most anglers catching at least their daily limit of 2 fish per day. Many more are being returned each day. Top of the table so far this season is a belter of 12lb 2oz to local rod Keith.
Ling are showing up in good numbers too. Several ling over 20lb have shown themselves this week alone!
Check out our availability over the coming months on the calendar here on CBUK.
Alongside our charters we begin preparations for the upcoming shark season and tuna season. New kit, new techniques and an all refreshed eagerness to get going!!!
See you out there soon �� -
27/04/2024
Fishing Report by Kevin Lavis
27 Apr 2024 by Kevin Lavis
After a bit of a lay up due to waiting on replacement parts we got back out for a days charter over the weekend.
Lads were treated to some fine quality Pollack on the sidewinder lures and live baits.
There's plenty of fish ont he grounds now so time to stock up on the fillets and get the rods bending! I was also totally made up with seeing a other Comber!
With more good weather on the horizon we will be out filling your boots with quality fish from a range of species. -
11/03/2024
Fishing Report by Kevin Lavis
11 Mar 2024 by Kevin Lavis
Another school night fishy escapade!
A cracking evening out in great company catching rays eels whiting doggies �� -
06/03/2024
Fishing Report by Kevin Lavis
6 Mar 2024 by Kevin Lavis
Now the homework is done, time to put the anglers on the fish...
Another night time break in the winds, taking some local rods out to the ray grounds.
Stacks of small eyed rays, a few blonde rays, a spotted ray, a stack of whiting (even enough left for me after the trip) and a few hard fighting congers too. Superb fun in 50 feet of water! -
03/03/2024
Fishing Report by Kevin Lavis
3 Mar 2024 by Kevin Lavis
A rare play day for relief skipper kev!
Joined by the boss we headed out to pinpoint where the rays are - we've had loads of ray on the evening trips this season but only 2-3 per trip, they must be holding up somewhere...
Within minutes of dropping the lines in the rays were feeding, and feeding hard. With only the two of us onboard it was manic! We lost count at 26 rays, mainly small eyed up to 12.75lb but a few blondes to 14lb there too.
In just 2 hours of fishing we smashed through 4 packs of sandeel, 3 boxes of squid and a pack on anchovy. When the baits are only big enough for 3/0 hooks, that a lot of fish!!!
An awesome afternoon out with the Mrs and the homework done for the charters.
