Latest Fishing Reports: Galloper

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  • 12/2014 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    Dec 2014 by Scott Belbin

    I’m pleased to say that the fishing is still going strong for us as we approach Christmas aboard the ‘Galloper’. The river is still fishing well despite a few sprats and herrings showing. I hope that the stamp of fish and the overall quantity should mean they don’t put the fish off too much. The sheltered waters here can still produce some good sport and a nice feed when the weathers not playing ball. Of course when we can we get a bit further out and numbers here are still good with 40-60 codling a trip common place along with a few roker. The stamp is picking up too as these fish soon put weight on with the abundance of food on hand. If the conditions are right then we can push even further afield and try our luck for a decent cod or if we’re really lucky we can get stuck into some prime dogfish! So over the coming weeks there are several options open to us with spaces on most types of trips over Christmas and into January. Please see the website for available dates, more information and regular reports at www.essexseafishing.co.uk or 07956411528

  • 11/2014 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    Nov 2014 by Scott Belbin

    November 2014
    Its been a while since my last report on CBUK but its been a busy few months aboard the ‘Galloper’. Autumn has been kind to us with loads of codling about to provide us with great sport and all on our door step. The river blackwater has often fished as well or better than marks further afield with loads of codling and whiting coming out along with thornback rays and other bits and bobs. The numbers of codling have been the best I’ve ever seen in there which can only be a good thing. With the fishing being so good in the shelter of the estuary we have lost very few days to bad weather. That’s a bonus to our customers saving them from having to re-organise several anglers to another date that suits them. Its not many ports that can provide catches of 30-60 codling a trip in conditions that force many poor souls to cancel.
    We haven’t spent all of our time in the river though and when we get further afield there are still numbers of rays showing. This isn’t uncommon nowadays and is helped by the mild weather. I will also add that I think the mild weather doesn’t have a negative effect on the cod fishing. This seasons numbers prove that to my mind with a mild autumn and great numbers of fish about.
    Even further offshore has been a bit of a dogfest so far but our last trip was a little more promising and all credit to those who keep putting the effort in as that’s the best way to get results. I have a few spaces on various trips before the new year and plenty available in 2015 for more information, available dates or regular reports please visit my website. www.essexseafishing.co.uk

  • 10/2014 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    Oct 2014 by Scott Belbin

    Im sure you don’t need me to tell you that autumn is here now even if summer does keep showing its face on the odd day.we can have some great autumnal fishing around essex for a variety of fish with cod and thornback rays our main target. The fishing this year looks promising with good numbers of early codling showing at the moment. To be honest in some places they didn’t seem to go away all summer and we have just watched them grow. Inshore most fish are 8-18 inches long with the average fish around 15-16 inches. These are a bit small to keep right now but another few weeks and we should have some great sport. Although its not too bad right now with good numbers about. On a short evening trip in the estuary we had a dozen last week. Not bad less than 3 hours fishing. Further off the bigger fish have just started to show in numbers and this set of tides is likely to push more of them up. The thornback rays have been in good numbers through September and into October. Most fish are 4-8lbs at the moment and the stamp of these is likely to go up in the coming weeks. Some trips have seen over 30 rays amongst the odd dogfish or two.
    There are still a few bass and smooth-hounds kicking about as the left overs of our summer. These fish can pop up as late as December as a nice addition to the catch. Over the coming weeks we will be targeting some mixed bags of cod and rays both inshore and further afield. This time of year can be one of the best for a decent cod and things look good so far. Pictured is john with one of the best so far at 8.12lbs. i wouldn’t expect one every cast but they are definitely out there and to a much greater size too. i update my website very regularly with dates and reports. so for more information, available dates and reports please visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk or follow us on facebook on the essexseafishing page. or call on 07956411528

  • 07/2014 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    Jul 2014 by Scott Belbin

    Thought I’d best do a report for june/july as ive been so busy I missed last months report for CBUK. As I mentioned its been busy with good weather for the most part and plenty of fish about. June saw us targeting tope, smooth-hounds, bass and thorn-backs .
    As is often the case this time of year, there was a lot of variety about and a few less common species coming aboard. We managed to get most trips out with very few cancellations. although the weather has stopped us getting right off on some occasions we have still been able to find some good sheltered fishing.
    The tope fishing seemed busier this year than it has the last couple with good numbers of smaller fish about. There weren’t loads of big fish caught here but one or two came out on other boats.
    The smooth-hounds have been steady in numbers and the odd double has been mixed in here and there with a few more showing the past couple of weeks.
    the bass fishing has been ok, don’t expect loads on every general trip but were seeing the odd good fish here and there along with a few smaller ones.
    We have done a few bass trips over the last few weeks with mixed results, some lovely fish have come out. Pictured is Glenn who has done several bass trips over the years. He had a lovely brace of fish in two consecutive casts, the first went 7.8lbs and the next went 8.13lbs! don’t expect this every trip but as this proves it can and does happen.
    There are still numbers or thornbacks in places, many are small fish which we generally find this time of year but some are a good size and the males make good eating.
    We had a bass trip booked last week, unfortunately there had been a storm over night which hadn’t completely cleared by the morning. So we stopped inshore for a couple of hours to let it clear before we headed off. We started well with a few hounds and rays to start the day. Martin hooked a screamer of a hound that fought like a fish twice its weight. It was still a decent hound at just over 10lbs. we had a nice stamp of rays too for the time of year before heading off to catch the flood tide. The first mark started with the odd fish coming through from most parts of the boat. As the tide got going Barry and Lindsey hit a shoal which were taking their baits as fast as I could cast them back out! Another 10 minutes and it was over with just the odd fish coming through again. We made a quick dash to another mark for the rest of the day and this time it was martins turn. He had a bite a cast for most of the rest of the day here. It has to be said that most of his catch were small codling but he started with a few nice bass. He had a couple of bass around the 4lbs mark at the same time with one on each rod. We had a few more rays, some dogfish and a couple of dabs here too. We finished the day off with 21 bass, 8 smooth-hounds, 11 rays, loads of codling, a few dogfish, a couple of dabs and a pouting too. Not too bad following a breezy start to the day.
    Over the coming weeks we’ll be doing a few more bass trips but on the general trips we should see the odd bass mixed in too. The smooth-hounds should still be showing and we hope to find some decent girls amongst them. For the bass I’d try worm and the hounds I’d use crab but as ever squid will pick most things up.
    For more information, regular reports and available dates please visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk or follow us on face book under essex-sea-fishing.

  • 05/2014 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    May 2014 by Scott Belbin

    May was another busy month aboard the 'galloper'. We were lucky enough to get most of our trips in with some very good weather at times. May has marked the transition from spring to summer with a few late winter species showing earlier in the month and summer species arriving in the form of mackerel and tope. We had some more big numbers of thorn-backs at the start of the month with some of our customers choosing to target them over the bass which also showed in decent numbers. We had several days with 35-50 coming out on several trips. Thankfully there have still been a few rays in the estuary which have saved the odd day when it has been windy.
    The last couple of weeks have seen the biggest change and although the odd cod has still been showing it seems summer is here with good numbers of hounds spread throughout most area's. Most of these have been the 3-7lbs fish which are great sport on light gear although 'big guy' did manage a double figure one on a trip with us the other day. The main numbers of the bass have slowed down on the ground fishing. However there's a few coming out on most trips and there will still be good numbers to be had over the coming weeks either on lures or offshore. The most promising signs of summer have been the big number of mackerel which are no doubt helped by the warmer weather and more settled conditions than last summer.
    Sundays trip saw a surprise for one of our regulars john. As usual we were having several last casts and were rewarded with a nice early tope of 13lbs. This is no monster but what was surprising was john managed to get her in on a 35lb trace having hooked her in the scissors. The tope can often turn up this early and with the warm spring we've had I thought there might be one or two about. Its typical that we had two rods out with fresh mackerel yesterday and didn’t have a sniff. The trip was fairly typical of late other than that with a nice mixed bag coming out. We had 14 or so rays, 20 odd hounds loads of dogfish a bass a dab and a tope.
    The thorn-backs will hang around over the next few weeks and slowly move further out as the summer goes by. If we're lucky we should see the first run of bigger hounds in the next week or two. Im hoping that seeing the first couple if smaller tope is a good sign for the season ahead. Were due a good year and those mackerel will make great fresh bait. As I mentioned bass will show on many trips with worm helping to target them. If conditions are right then we'll have a go with feathers or red gills and I have a few trips in search of them offshore coming up.
    With regards to baits Squid will pick most fish up, worm is best for targeting bass and crab for smooth-hounds. If targeting tope then fresh mackerel is great and can pick up the odd decent bass too. for more information, available dates and a weekly fishing update visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk
    find us on facebook under essex sea fishing
    or phone 07956411528

  • 04/2014 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    Apr 2014 by Scott Belbin

    April has been a busy month for the 'GALLOPER' we have had lots of trips and thankfully not missed any of them with the weather playing ball and some decent fishing in the river when it wasn't.
    There have been good numbers of thorn-backs about with a few early smooth-hounds and bass showing along with the odd late cod. Many places close inshore have got large numbers of under sized codling about. At times its hard to get through them and the whiting which are feeding up on the crabs, shrimps and anything else they can get down their greedy little mouths.
    We have had several trips with large numbers of thorn-backs on board but the best of which was with a group of regular lads aboard. 5 of the lads come out once or twice a month and were joined by Ed on his first sea fishing trip. There was a bit of breeze first thing but we got to our chosen mark comfortably. We spent the first hour and a bit there with just a couple of whiting and one ray for our efforts. We decided on a move and headed a little closer to shore for the end of the flood. The breeze was a bit more of a pain here making the boat sheer around on the anchor a bit as the tide eased off but we managed to winkle a few more rays out including a tagged one for Ed. We took down the fishes details and reported them to CEFAS who had tagged and released the fish else where for research. This was all done at sea thanks to the wonders of mobile phones with internet and the fish was reported before we had the next one aboard. We had a few baby codling and whiting as the tide died. The ebb got under way and we picked up a few more fish now and then over the first part of the tide. The wind got up quite a bit by now but thankfully it was still comfortable enough. The last couple of the tide were suddenly very busy though with large numbers of fish coming aboard often two or three at a time and sometimes as many as five thorn-backs on at once. As the tide eased we had to head home in time for my evening trip but still managed 64 rays for the day which is a good number considering we had a slow start.
    We have had a few other days with good numbers too and even the slower days have seen a few fish aboard. We’ve had a couple of days in the river with some decent numbers coming out of here when we wouldn’t have got out otherwise. Our biggest ray this year came from the river and although it was hard to weigh in what was quite a sea it went over 16lbs. Most trips see the odd double come out though.
    We managed to get offshore a couple of times and found the odd spurdog and cod among other things including fair amounts of dogfish which can be testing. Our next trip offshore is planned for the 5th of may when we hope to target some bass. I still have some spaces then and on a couple of other dates in may should you wish to join us.
    The thorn-backs should still be about in good numbers over the coming weeks. Hopefully we will start to see a few more bass mixed in along with one or two more smooth-hounds too. Squid will pick most fish up but herring can be good for the thorn-backs further offshore and worm is best for targeting bass. for more information, available dates and a weekly fishing update visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk or phone 07956411528

  • 03/2014 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    Mar 2014 by Scott Belbin

    March was a good month for us around the thames estuary. The improvement in weather must have helped all of the skippers and anglers through out the country get afloat. we were out there too making the most of the weather. The rise in temperature early in the month helped the numbers of thorn-backs increase. We have had some good catches of them in January and February and numbers increased into early march with our best day 37. we also managed to get offshore for a trip in search of an early spurdog or late cod. We found a couple of spurs and landed one cod with several good fish lost as is often the case. There were a few thorn-backs known locally as roker) off here too and all in all it was a good day with some interesting sights as I mentioned on my report on my site. The biggest spur fell to Neil at 15.4lbs and he's pictured whilst juggling it.
    As the month moved on a bit of cold air from the north seems to have slowed the roker numbers down a little inshore as these fish can be pushed to deeper water by colder weather. Im sure with the current warmer weather and daylight hours increasing the main spring run of roker will be in on the next set of tides.
    We had our first bass at the start of the month and I’ve heard of the odd one or two mixed in with catches aboard other boats and I’m sure they will feature more regularly in the coming weeks.
    We’ve still had a few sizeable codling mixed in with our catches in places and there's loads of undersized fish that aren't worth counting but will be great sport come the autumn. We will still see the odd codling mixed in and I hope to get offshore in the coming weeks in search of one or two bigger fish along with the spurdogs before its too late.

    Over the coming weeks we will be mainly targetting the roker but will turn our attention to the bass if the opportunity should arise. As I mentioned there is still a good chance of the odd decent cod if we can get to the right places but if not there will be plenty of fun, sheltered fishing inshore.
    I update my own website with an honest report on a weekly basis as well as keeping my availability up-to-date on both sites so feel free to take a look.
    www.essexseafishing.co.uk


  • 22/02/2014 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    22 Feb 2014 by Scott Belbin

    last time I wrote on here was last summer and a lot has gone on since then.
    briefly the autumn was ok with plenty of thornbacks about and loads of dogfish and whiting as you would expect. as usual there were a few summer species hanging around until late autumn and the odd cod showing from September time. however codling didn't show in number until the very end of October. i'm not sure what caused this blame it on what you like they were a little late but once they turned up they were in reasonable numbers and fairly steady. Of coarse there was the odd dud day mixed in but on the whole we have seen steady numbers right through until now. there was a brief cold spell around the start of December which started to thin the thornbacks out a little but when the temperature picked up they soon came back.
    most of the codling have been fish of 2-4lbs the usual stamp for inshore although there have been a lot of 6-10 inch long codling about the past couple of weeks which is promising for this autumn when they should be back and around keep able size. as I mentioned earlier its been a notably mild winter compared to many of late which I think isn't a bad thing for the codling and a good thing for the thornbacks which have provided us with great sport and some sizable fish between the codling. there have been a lot of double figure rays coming out which unfortunately cant be said for the cod. I don't mind admitting I haven't seen one all season as yet but I have only managed one offshore trip due to the wind.as for the wind I cant complain much as I'm sure many other ports have suffered a lot worst than us. there has been many I time when we have been grateful to be out and thinking of the unfortunate boats tied up around the country. I don't envy some of the skippers trying to earn a living from some ports this time of year.
    one of the big bonus's for us is the shelter of the black water estuary and surrounding area. just last Sunday we managed to sneak a day out with 18 thornbacks and a few other bits and bobs. in absolute comfort despite the strong winds. Saturday was good with 11 rays and 30 codling. we kept one male ray and 26 of the codling. 2 of the codling were the tiny things and another two legal but not worth keeping. we have had several days like that this season which usually sends everybody home with a smile.
    over the next month or so we should see the spring run of codling before they leave and as the water warms further the rays will grow in numbers. if were lucky we might get a last chance offshore in search of a better cod if not im sure we'll be happy with the inshore codling rattling the rod tips.

    im sorry its been a while since my last report on CBUK but I do update pictures and availability on here. I will try to do a monthly report on here if I get time. if not you can always find an honest report from each trip on my website www.essexseafishing.co.uk

  • 07/2013 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    Jul 2013 by Scott Belbin

    I thought I'd do a report as again its been a while since my last on cbuk although my website is updated weekly.
    although it took a while to get going, since the first warm up the spring has been good to us. there have been steady numbers of thornback about ever since the first warm up. in April I bought a new boat so the aqaustar has gone and been replaced by an evolution 33 which we are very pleased with. she's quite a bit faster and this extra speed has helped on the longer trips to allow more fishing time. our first trip on here was with a group of regulars and we steamed offshore in search of some spur-dogs. we then had a good run of inshore fishing with thornbacks making up the bulk of the catches. as I mentioned they have been about in really good numbers again. with many good days had as well as decent fish our best day was 63 although it may have been more as it was a little hectic. thankfully they were close to home too so when the weather was poor we could still have a good days fishing and avoid cancellations. in between we managed to get back offshore and this time in search of some flatties. we found a few plaice and other bits and bobs, nothing compared to other parts of the country but not bad considering not many people realise they are there.
    as spring turned to summer a few bass and smooth-hounds have shown but hampered by the weather and with such good sport for the rays inshore we had no need to search for them just picking some up some mixed in with the rays. we had a couple of try's for tope in early june although I think fishing was running late. after that the weather has been too bad or the lads haven't fancied. we had a try for a couple of hours last Saturday after a morning bass fishing with one of 2lbs mixed in with lots of dogfish, a couple of hounds and a roker.
    thankfully we had enjoyed some great fishing in the morning for the bass so weren't too worried. Saturday and Sunday were both good for the bass with 35-40 Saturday and a few less Sunday. there were many in the 2-5lbs range and just the odd small one. the lads kept a few each day for the pot and let many go and were of course grateful for good fishing and weather. these were specific bass trips so don't expect that every time although there is every chance. over the next few weeks we hope to concentrate on the smooth-hounds for sport and a few bass and rays and what ever else the thames estuary has to throw at us.I update my website weekly with fishing reports so for more information, available dates and a weekly fishing update visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk

  • 01/2013 Fishing Report by Scott Belbin

    Jan 2013 by Scott Belbin

    I thought I’d best do a write up for CBUK as its been a while since my last one. 2013 has started well for us at mersea with good numbers of cod, thornback rays and even the odd bass showing on some boats! The winter season started well then faltered a little around the end of November/start of December. For one reason or another the fishing was patchy for a few weeks with with the odd good day here and there and a few decent fish around. Thankfully just before Christmas the fishing improved although the poor weather over Christmas stopped us getting out after them. The weather was a far better by the time our first trip of the year came.
    On the 5th we headed out on a murky but calm day with a double booking between my boat and my fathers boat the ‘razorbill’. There were five lads on each boat so loads of room as we started fishing. The first fish to show were the whiting with bites and fish from the first cast. Still on the first cast and mike nearly lost his rod as a decent fish made off down tide. It was soon clear he was into a decent thornback although it didn’t make it to the boat as his knot came undone! The fish was lost and mike was left to ponder what might have been. It wasn’t long before we had our first decent fish aboard though and by low water we had managed 11 rays and 10 cod. We kept catching over slack water and the tide turned fairly quickly anyway. As the flood started to run the rays thinned out a bit but the numbers of cod increased to keep us busy. As high approached and the tide backed off we called it a day. The lads had been busy with a good run of fish all day, they totalled 43 cod around 2-4.8lbs. there were good numbers of rays too with 17 with the two biggest falling to rocko at 10.12lbs and 12.7lbs. with plenty of whiting and several dogfish to keep the bites coming too.
    The next day I had 7 individuals aboard for an offshore trip. The weather was perfect as we had an early start to work the tides. There was little or no sea and as daybreak came and the sun rose into a clear sky. It took us a while to punch all the way out but we arrived with the ebb in full flow. About half an hour after we arrived the fog caught us up unfortunately and what promised to be a nice day turned to 100yrds visibility. This was nothing but a small inconvenience though and after the obligatory dogfish to start us off Liam had the first thornback of the day. This was followed soon after by a couple more rays none of any size though. As low approached we managed a couple more better sized rays amongst the steady flow of dogfish gracing the gunwale. As the flood trickled through Chris hooked into the first cod of the day with the tell-tale thumping on the rod tip all the way up. Nothing massive around the 7lbs mark but a nice start to the cod. As the flood got under way no more cod just the odd ray mixed in with the dogs. Until Pat hooked into what was clearly a decent cod. It was different right from the bite and was soon banging it head in a typical cod fashion before bumping off the hook also in typical cod fashion. It was clearly a decent fish putting quite an impressive bend in his rod although we’ll never know unfortunately. As the day went on we had a couple more rays. No more cod and more surprisingly no whiting? We finished with 16 thornbacks 1 cod and endless amounts of dogfish.
    This weekend gone we had to cancel Saturday with strong easterly’s but thankfully Sunday saw a decrease in the wind. We headed out with just 4 aboard after a couple of no show’s no doubt scared off by yesterday’s weather and disappearing off the face of the earth. We didn’t have to go far to our mark so had plenty of time fishing. We arrived on the start of the flood and had steady fishing throughout the day. The whiting were numerous but not in too numerous and just two dogfish all day. The codling came steadily now and then throughout the day to leave us with 15 overall and four happy anglers. I update my website weekly with fishing reports so for more information, available dates and a weekly fishing update visit www.essexseafishing.co.uk

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