Latest Fishing Reports: FINS UP
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23/04/2017
Fishing Report by DAN clarke
23 Apr 2017 by DAN clarke
APRIL 2017
Well, firstly and most importantly what a fantastic spell of settled weather we have had. Fingers crossed it will continue into the summer! The weather has enabled us to get out on the fish frequently. We have been concentrating more trips inshore on the flatties and reefs.
The Shambles Bank has been giving up some great fish. One of the biggest Brill I have ever seen was caught by Rob Symes weighing in at a very modest 11lb 9 oz. A few double figure Turbot were a welcome sight after seeing not much else but pollock whilst fishing offshore over the last few months.
Tope, Congers, Spur Dogs have all been landed on the reef and I'm sure it won't be long until we see a scattering of Black Bream.
Offshore wrecks have started to show more and frequent Ling on both lures and baits . The classic rhubarb and custard sandeel always a favourite for the Ling.
Pollock are still in fairly good numbers. Some fish starting to look a little skinny though after shooting their roe.
Our sponsors Sidewinder have kindly donated a large amount of lures and braided line. If you would like to be in with a chance to win some of this fabulous gear, we will be running competition days wrecking on the lures. Please keep an eye on my FB page, I will be releasing the dates soon. -
30/04/2016
Fishing Report by DAN clarke
30 Apr 2016 by DAN clarke
30/04/2016 today's catch report - courtesy of Gavin Tyte.
When a Facebook friend asked if he could charter a boat for eight guys to go wrecking and that they were all beginners, part of me thought that this could either be an incredible experience or a complete disaster. The last time I took eight novices wrecking I spent the day mopping up piles of sick, re-loading expensive braid onto reels and re-tying leaders. But times have changed. Firstly, I now have more experience, but more importantly, I know charter skippers who can create a truly inspirational, fun and engaging angling experience. So, I told my friend that, yes, I could put him in touch with a great skipper and that he and his friends would have a day to remember. I also promised that they would catch fish. Okay, so I hoped that they would catch fish, however, knowing the skipper and that the wrecks had been fishing well, I was confident that the group would be able to take plenty of fresh fish home for dinner.
The boat of choice was Fins Up out of Portland Marina skippered by Dan Clarke. I had fished with Dan on several occasions and even notched up my personal best pollack on a recent trip. For me, a skipper makes or breaks a charter. I do not want to spend my hard-earned cash going on a trip with a miserable old bugger who spends the whole day in the wheelhouse chain-smoking roll-ups, and yes, I have experienced skippers like that! Dan, one of a new generation of skippers, realises that he is running a business and that his customers matter. He is not simply a taxi driver to fishing grounds but the creator of an experience.
Portland Marina is a great place to charter a boat. There are loos and shower facilities, a great bar and restaurant with beer at normal pub prices, free parking and trolleys to help you lug your gear to and from the boat; not that you need them with Fins Up as the boat has the closest mooring to the marina entrance! Dan and his deck hand Roger welcomed my friend’s group and I was pleased to see that they gave a proper safety briefing to the group prior to departure. We then set off, the kettle was on, and Roger took the group through how to use the rods and reels and answer questions. The sun was shining, the winds were light and we were all excited and hopeful about catching fish.
The trip out to the wrecks can take an hour or so, but there was plenty to see as we rounded Portland Bill and headed for the open ocean. Another reason I recommended Fins Up is the kit. The hire rods are a mixture of Abu and Daiwa 12-20lb class rods fitted with Penn reels loaded with quality braid. The leader is high quality and a sponsorship from Sidewinder means that there is a ready stock of every size, colour and flavour you could ever wish for. After further instruction from Roger and more teas and coffees we reached the wrecks. Dan deftly put us over the wrecks and he is not the sort of skipper who will put up with a poor drift. No, he adjusted the boat or re-aligned if the tide or wind threw us off course. Roger was a super deck hand too. There wasn’t a moment where someone needed help and he wasn’t already at their elbow offering friendly advice and helping out. It made such a difference to the day knowing the group were well cared for. Oh, and how many wrecking trips have you been on where several non-anglers didn’t lose a single weight or lure?
But did they catch fish? Of course! The first fish to the boat was nice cod, and we continued to land cod all day with a few quality pollack thrown in for good measure. At slack water, Dan had prepared ling rigs and brought along squid and mackerel for those that wished to try it. One of the group did manage to hook into a monster ling or conger but sadly it came off as it was being pumped up and away from the wreck. At slack tide we also caught the obligatory dogfish and ‘waterproof rats’ - otherwise known as pouting. However, despite losing the ‘big one’, the good news was that everyone caught fish and had a cracking day. On the way back to port, Roger filleted all the fish and popped it in freezer bags which were shared out equally. And when back on dry land we ambled the 20 yards or so to the pub and sat in the sunshine supping beers and retelling stories of fish landed and monsters that got away. As we drained the last of our beers, one of the guys from the group turned to me and said, “You know what? If I’d not caught anything I’d have still had a brilliant day.” That just about sums up the whole experience.
To charter a Fins Up experience along with skipper Dan and deck hand Roger costs £600 for a day with free tea, coffee, banter and laughter. The only catch is that you have to invite me along for the ride. -
25/03/2016
Fishing Report by DAN clarke
25 Mar 2016 by DAN clarke
25/3
First wreck cod of the year aboard Fins-up! -
12/03/2016
Fishing Report by DAN clarke
12 Mar 2016 by DAN clarke
Flat calm today, fine weather and sunshine, all we needed was the fish to play and they did,pollock, ling and congers. Sidewinder day glow orange, candy reds and the new crusader rhubarb custards working well.
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24/02/2016
Fishing Report by DAN clarke
24 Feb 2016 by DAN clarke
With the weather looking favourable for a couple of days in a row for a change, a wrecking trip was organised with only short notice. High expectations of light winds and fair weather and some new season fat top Pollock and maybe a ling or two.
As is usual this time of year constantly checking the forecast every couple of hours using the good old met office, wind guru, xc weather and a combination of the bbc, the evening beforehand the weather prediction was doable and decreasing later, but not for fair weather fishermen or picnicking.
As we approached the first wreck with intentions of this been the the first of many fishing destinations planned for the day, the fish started to feed and good fish landed. With some amazing anglers onboard catching great sized fish it was disheartening having to make the decision to call the trip short and head for home as the weather quickly deteriorated. A few brave men fishing hardcore style, fins-up. -
11/02/2016
Fishing Report by DAN clarke
11 Feb 2016 by DAN clarke
An early start for our first wrecking trip of the year. With the wind away and spring tides about to peak conditions couldn't have been more ideal. We had some regulars, along with a couple of nice guys that were fairly new to wreck fishing, But good anglers none the less.
As we pushed on passed Portland bill the water clarity remained very coloured for miles, not ideal. However we pushed on. The first, second and third wreck only one fish��. The decision was made to head back where we started out as there was a lot more fish activity around the wreck. I handed out some of our new crusader shads that were kindly donated by our sponsors sidewinder. As the tide eased the fish started to come with both the new crusader shad lures and the classic sidewinder Sand eels, bang on the money.
All together not a huge hall but we did manage a good couple of double figure fish.
Happy days aboard fins-up.
Let's hope the weather settles and water clarity clears up soon.
