Latest Fishing Reports: Galloper

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  • 01/2017 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    Jan 2017 by Scott Belbin

    Since my last report we have had some lovely days afloat. On all the trips we have done over the past month we have been lucky enough to be out on unseasonably flat calm days. However for one reason or another we have ended up fishing almost entirely within the confines of the blackwater estuary. Depending on the tide on any given day we have been splitting most days between targeting dabs or targeting thorn-back rays. Although they may not be the most exiting fish the dabs have done us proud and helped fill the void left by this seasons lack of cod in our area. there was a fair mix of sizes from postage stamps to some stonking door mats the biggest of which went 335mm long (sorry I didn’t bother weighing it). The thorn-backs have also varied in size but there were a few better ones mixed in with the biggest going 10.2lbs and our best day 12 along with lots of whiting and dabs. Earlier in December we had a fair surprise as Dave Harris (who is a regular aboard the ‘Galloper’) pulled a haddock over the side. I think he miss-took it for a slinky codling at first and I must admit I had to do a double take to make sure it wasn’t some kind of disfigured whiting. I have fished here all of my life having grown up on charter boats and have never seen one caught here before. I had heard of them coming out in the 70’s and early 80’s aboard my dads charter boats but this was a first aboard one of my boats and made a change from whiting!
    Over the last few days things have been sounding a little more promising for those who have ventured beyond the estuary with a few more thorn-backs getting about so hopefully by the time I’m out again and the dabs move out we should have something sizable to target. The last few years have produced some of the biggest thorn-backs through out January and February locally so fingers crossed we can get amongst them. As for the mythical creature known as the thames estuary cod I’m not going to hold my breathe but I will say that there is a lot more chance of catching one if you wet a line than there is by sitting on the sofa.
    For more information, regular updates and available dates please visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk or call 07956411528

  • 12/2016 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    Dec 2016 by Scott Belbin

    Yet again its been a while since my last report but as I’m sure many of you would have gathered by now there hasn’t been loads for us to shout about this cod season. Disregarding the cod (of which I have only seen 3 aboard my boat since September) there have been lots of fish about to keep the rod tips going. There have been vast numbers of hungry whiting about all autumn, many are the usual small fish but there have been a few better ones mixed in at times. Last week we had one at 44cms long which is quite big by our standards. There were good numbers of dogfish and thorn-back rays both in the blackwater estuary and further afield although most of these have dried up with the drop in water temperature of the last few weeks. At the moment our latest blessing has come in the form of the humble dab. After a drought for the last 10 years or so they have flooded back into the estuary over the last couple of weeks in higher numbers then ever. They make a nice change from whiting and the bigger ones can be good eating. We can only hope they hang around for the next few weeks to keep us occupied . I have plenty of space over the Christmas period if you fancy getting out as well as one or two offshore trips planned before hand. For more information, available dates and weekly updates please visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk or phone 07956411528


  • 09/2016 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    Sep 2016 by Scott Belbin

    Yet again it has been far too long since my last report on here so I must apologise. It has been a busy summer aboard the ‘Galloper’ with some good fishing and weather to match it meaning we had to cancel very few trips. The main target of our summer trips have been the smooth-hounds which were around in good numbers and decent size yet again. the bass were in good numbers in the blackwater estuary its self. This occupied us on many evening trips and provided some great sport on light tackle. There were vast numbers of undersized bass in here and on most occasions a few decent fish too. Once the water had warmed up the rays and dogfish moved further offshore for the summer. We didn’t spend a lot of time fishing for them through out the summer months as the hounds were such good sport. now the summer species are on their way out we have turned our attention back to the thorn-back rays and thankfully they have started to move back in on numbers. Last weekend was quite windy which is when the blackwater comes in to its own. Many of the boats sought shelter in the estuary its self and were rewarded with some respectable catches. My party had 14 aboard the ‘Galloper’ on Sunday but some of the other charter boats had getting on for 30 rays. along with thorn-back rays several other species came out of the estuary over the weekend such as whiting, dogfish, silver eel, bass and gurnard. Ive no doubt over the coming months we will be back in the estuary which (as I often bang on about) is one of our biggest assets. The sheltered fishing it provides often saves a cancelled trip and the fuss of trying to re-organise so if your cancelled else where then it can be worth calling one of the mersea, bradwell or brightlingsea boats. We should see some cod mixed in too over the next few months both in the blackwater and further afield on our usual marks. I write regular reports on my website and Facebook page and the calendar is usually as up to date as It can be. For more information, available dates and reports please visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk or call 07956411528

  • 07/2016 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    Jul 2016 by Scott Belbin

    Its been a while since my last report on here so I thought I’d best do a quick update on what’s been happening at mersea. In my last write up I reported the arrival of the first decent smooth-hounds this season and I’m pleased to say they are still showing. Over the past couple of moths we have seen some great fish and decent numbers at times too. We have been lucky enough to catch them in the really shallow water on several occasions too. This in my opinion is some of the best sport fishing to be had in the country when it goes right. Most of the time we can fish light and they scrap hard with nowhere to go but out, towards or just do a lap of the boat! So far this year our biggest is over 18lbs and was unlucky enough to fall to me. Hopefully we can find one a little bigger before the season finishes as there’s plenty of time yet. Besides smooth-hounds we have had a few roker mixed in. these are generally smaller than the spring run although there are still some decent fish in places. There have been a few mackerel in places but they are hit and miss even if conditions are right for them. We have found one or two bass although they were all released before the 1st of july they were still nice to catch. Over the next few weeks we should see the sport for smooth-hounds continue with thorn-backs amongst other species such as bass making up our general trips. I have a few dates available for offshore bass trips before the end of September but it is one bass per anglers for the pot. You can however release as many as you can catch.
    I update my website and facebook page regularly with pictures, reports and available dates so for more information please visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk or call 07956411528

  • 05/2016 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    May 2016 by Scott Belbin

    its been a while since my last report on here so i thought i'd update you all. as ive no doubt you've gathered from the other reports on here we have had a great run of thorn-back rays again this spring. these fish can provide great sport and a decent feed so they are always a welcome. over the last few weeks we have seen the arrival of the summer species with a few bass and smooth-hounds mixed in too which makes things a little more interesting. we had our first try for some decent hounds the other week and weren't disappointing. it was a steady mornings fishing with some nice fish in the 8-10lbs range showing. there were a few smaller than this and one or two bigger at 12lbs for stephen and 15.3lbs for martin. we moved closer to home for some thorn-back rays for the afternoon and had a mixture of bass and hounds too. we finished the day up with 30 odd hounds as well as several bass and a few roker so were all happy. when this weather abates (which it will) then we will be targeting the hounds again and at some point targeting tope too. even if it doesn't though there's some good fishing to be had in the more sheltered waters for the rays.
    this weekend i hope to target the smooth-hounds at some point along with the rays and maybe find a bass or two. i happen to have spaces saturday and possible sunday too if your interested please call me.
    i update my website and facebook pages regularly so for more information, available dates and reports please visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk or call 07956411528

  • 04/2016 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    Apr 2016 by Scott Belbin

    Its been another busy month here in the thames estuary. Fishing was hard at times earlier in the year due to the low water temperature but after a couple of weeks of warmer weather the fishing has turned a corner and fishing has picked up everywhere. There are good numbers of thorn-back rays showing inshore now and some good fish amongst them too. now they have arrived in force we shouldn’t loose many days to weather as we can find good fishing even in the shelter of our estuary. There are several whiting and dogfish showing with them. There is still the chance of an elusive cod (and they have been all to elusive) and I would be surprised if a few made a showing before summer arrives.
    The other day we managed our first offshore trip in a while with some good results. There was a mix of lads aboard with some beginners and some experienced anglers amongst them. There was a bit of breeze to start with but it was quite manageable and good enough to get where we wanted. after a good steam we eventually got anchored and started fishing. We were hoping to see a spurdog or two but they don’t spend much time in our area so its hard to predict when they will appear. As it happens Rolf was bitten off on his first cast which may be frustrating but was a good sign that there may be some about. With the likely hood of catching these fish being slim around here its often hard to convince people to fish heavier snoods but it is usually worth it as the one that bites you off might be your only chance of the day. as it happens today there were several chances and it wasn’t long before our fish spurdog was aboard. In fact at times it was quite busy between them and dogfish and untangling and casting the hire rods out as well as making dodgy tea. By slack water we had a few spurs aboard. The biggest fell to nick at 14.6lbs then Rolf at 12.6lbs and another at 11.7lbs with a few more at 4-8lbs. this mark doesn’t usually produce much on the next tide but as we had seen a few we sat it out just in case. As the tide got going it became clear it wasn’t happening so we made a move to another mark. the tide was just getting under way here but the dogfish were already feeding hard. Stephen had the first notable fish which was a nice roker. After the rolf had a couple of spurdogs and then on the last cast he winkled out the first cod ive seen since the middle of January. A nice fish at 8lbs too and it finished the day off well. We had 11 spurs, a roker, a cod, a pouting and lots of dogfish.
    I have a few spaces on offshore trips before the end of the month if you fancy facing the barrage of lesser spotted dogfish that are likely to be there. On the general trips for the next few weeks will be targeting thorn-backs with a chance of cod as well as the first of the smooth-hounds and bass that should show in the coming weeks. for more information, available dates and weekly updates please visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk or call 07956411528

  • 02/2016 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    Feb 2016 by Scott Belbin

    February wasn’t the easiest of months with a combination of poor weather and at times hit or miss fishing for us but things look to be on the up now. With regards to the weather I always look at it that if its rubbish one day we’ll get it back another day so with that in mind we must be due some good weather soon. With temperatures forecast to rise dramatically in the next few days this should help move things along a bit. we have been out once or twice a week and although the cod have been thin on the ground we have had a few good days on thorn-back rays. they have been a little hit and miss at times due to the cold weather but we have usually found some. The other day we had a good day despite less than perfect conditions. Thankfully we were able to take advantage of one of the many sheltered marks in our area to make things a little more comfortable. The day started off reasonable with a male ray of around 4-5lbs aboard on the second cast. We lost a better fish soon after but had a long wait before our next fish which was a small maid. With the tide running through nicely we should have been seeing more so we put a move in to our next mark. we spent the rest of our day here with rays coming out here and there for the rest of the day. most of the catch was made up of the smaller males although a couple of decent females came out. The biggest of which fell to Arthur and is the biggest so far this year at 17.1lbs. we also saw several whiting although mostly pin whiting as we’ve been seeing the last few weeks and we were overjoyed to catch two dogfish as well. We finished the day off with 23 rays and 7 happy anglers.
    Over the coming weeks things should liven up a bit, hopefully the weather will warm up and I’m sure we’ll see a spring run of cod yet. There’s plenty of time for it to happen yet as the best of last years fishing wasn’t until Easter. Even with out the cod there’s plenty to be had with rays ect and hopefully I’ll get offshore to see what’s off there soon too.
    Ive got spaces this month and next if your interested please call 07956411528 or visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk for more information, available dates and weekly news updates.

  • 01/2016 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    Jan 2016 by Scott Belbin

    Im sorry its been so long since my last report on here but as ever ive been very busy with the boats as well as ashore so something had to give. I have kept my website and facebook page up to date though. Those of you that read my weekly reports will have a fair idea that its been hard work for the cod around here recently. This is down to many factors including bait fish distracting them, drop in water temp and lack of fish in the first place. Ive no doubt they will be back at some point in the near future though and the mild turn in the weather will help if it stays. Thankfully we have still been able to get out and find a few fish though with good numbers of thorn-back rays about until last week. Since the population of thorn-backs has increased locally we have regularly seen them 12 months of the year. January and February have also become a good time to catch some of the biggest females too with our biggest of the year coming out this time last year. The whiting and dogfish have been showing too although the cold snap has pushed life a bit further afield for the time being. If we get the tides and weather we will be heading offshore again. The weather put a stop to any offshore trips for over two months but we have managed two trips off there so far this year. There hasn’t always been lots of what we want off there but we did find a couple of decent fish in the last hour of the last trip to make the effort worth while. After the usual barrage of dogfish and whiting and a few rays we hadn’t seen anything special until Lawrence hooked a decent fish. it got us in a bit of a muddle around some other lines but we quickly untangled the and soon had it in the net. It was a lovely bass of 9.8lbs which wasn’t quite what we expected but very welcome. It was a great fish to see and made a change from the carp he usually fishes for. With the end of the day fast approaching I managed to hook into a decent fish myself which went really well having several good runs on light tackle. When it surfaced martin netted it for me. It was a nice spurdog which went 15.7lbs and a great addition to the days catch. We normally only see spurdogs on these offshore trips so it made the effort a little more worth while.
    Over the coming weeks I would expect to see the cod come back on the feed and if it stays warm I would hope the thornbacks will be in numbers too. there will be the ever present dogfish and whiting too. if we get offshore who knows what will show up but I would bet lesser spotted dogfish will feature in high numbers as ever. For more information, available dates and weekly fishing updates please visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk or call 07956411528

  • 11/2015 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    Nov 2015 by Scott Belbin

    Sorry my November report is a little late but although we may not have been quite as busy afloat the last few weeks due to the weather I have still been rushed off my feet on the shore in between our trips. As you may have gathered the cod fishing has slowed down a bit inshore and the weather hasn’t allowed us to get offshore much lately either. This hasn’t stopped us getting out though and as usual the blackwater estuary has kept us busy and provided plenty of shelter along with a good days fishing. Personally I like the mild weather, it usually helps most of our fish hang around a bit and at the moment its keeping the dogfish and thorn-backs around in good numbers. I think as is often the case there will be several factors in the cod catches dropping off. I think the main one will be the large numbers of bait fish that have arrived. There’s certainly lots of herring there and maybe one of two sprats. On the last trip they looked well spread out and broken up but this is to be expected after the wind we’ve had over the last few weeks. as I mentioned this hasn’t stopped us getting out even in some of the worst winds. One note able weekend was when we were joined by the lads from the England boat team. The weekend had been organised by Rolf it and being fairly local himself was keen to show off the sheltered fishing we had on offer. This weekend turned out to be perfect for us as we wouldn’t have got anywhere else but the estuary. The lads had been split up in to two teams, on day 1 one would team fish on my boat and the other on dads on day 2 half of each team would swap boats. Day one was wet and windy but we got to where we wanted to fish and had lots of fish aboard the boats. With the points system the lads were using numbers was the key and we weren’t disappointed with plenty of treble shots of whiting, dogfish codling and the odd ray. Day two was dry but very windy so we ended up seeking shelter even further up the blackwater. The whiting didn’t let us down and we saw several dogfish, a few dabs and thorn-backs along with a tub gurnard. As the tide got up there was no respite from the strong winds but the lads fished on and were rewarded with more treble shots of fish. after the weekend the feedback from the lads was good and I hope we did our area justice in some undesirable conditions. It was really interesting for myself and dad to see how the lads fished and we may have picked up some different methods along the way.
    Over the coming weeks I have a few spaces available on either offshore or general trips and I am obviously taking bookings for next year too. the numbers of cod may have dipped but they are still a good stamp and if we can find them the rays are filling the gap a bit. last trip we had 17 and 3 cod along with plenty of whiting and dogfish.
    For more information, weekly updates and available dates please visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk or phone 07956411528 in the mean time have a good Christmas.

  • 10/2015 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    Oct 2015 by Scott Belbin

    October has flown by with lots of trip chasing all sorts of fish. the weather may have been a pain for some but we have been very fortunate to have some great fishing in the blackwater estuary to fall back on when its too rough to get else where. To be honest sometimes the fishing was better in the estuary than it was further off with fish more concentrated. As ever there has been no shortage of whiting and dogfish about and depending where we fished it was usually one or the other (if not both) keeping us busy and robing our baits. In places the numbers of thornbacks has been steady with the average stamp slightly smaller this time of year going from maids to 8lbs or so. The stamp of cod on the other had is great at the moment with many on the 3-7lbs range even in the estuary. The numbers of fish are going up steadily now with the best numbers turning up later in the season last year. There are still a few summer fish here and there and we even found a few smooth-hounds the other day. the biggest fell to one lucky anglers (me) at 13.5lbs . this is by far the latest ive seen a double figure hound and ive no doubt is related to the relatively high water temp. over the coming weeks we should see more codling coming out and if were lucky might find one or two of the better fish as well. Ive got a few spaces before the end of the year and have put all of my dates for next year on my page. For more information, available dates and a weekly update please visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk or call 07956411528

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