Latest Fishing Reports: Brigand
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11/2024
Fishing Report by Steve Green
Nov 2024 by Steve Green
Fishing report 5/11/24
Another fantastic day out on the wrecks here aboard www.brigandbrighton.com with a wonderful crew.
A little bit flaky with the fish dispersed across a number of wrecks but the guys stuck at the task and would Julie rewarded with some fine early winter Pollock.
a few bigger fish in the mix with a couple of doubles but in the main the fish were in the 4 to £8 class.
I'm sure there are a number of reasons why we are experiencing this rather unusual (but very welcome!) Excellent wreck Fishing the top of the list must be this year's ban on commercial Pollock fishing which does appear to be having an immediate and positive impact for the charter and recreational sectors.
My thanks to a wonderful crew for a most enjoyable day at sea and to call Pope who kept things ticking along in his very understated way.
We are going to be running offshore wreck fishing trips throughout this month and into December as long as the Fishing remains as good as it is now if it doesn't, we won't and will be sure to update you.
Best wishes
www.brigandcharters.com -
02/11/2024
Fishing Report by Steve Green
2 Nov 2024 by Steve Green
An early finish for us today after a quite astonishing trip and the crew coming to the conclusion that they have a few more hours ahead processing what was around 500 squid!
We headed Offhsore early to hit the wrecks which have been fishing really well. With a deteriorating forecast the idea was to have a crack at the Pollock whilst we could and then head in for the squid and more comfortable fishing conditions - the plan worked like a charm. Some cracking Pollock in the couple of bourse we had on them and then the squid!
Bobbing around for 3hrs produced around 500 before collectively we called it day.
An absolutely fantastic crew today, a real pleasure sharing time with you all and Karl Pope was a demon on the broom, sponge and rod keeping the boat clean between netting fish and landing squid ��
Avavilability
Tomorrow - 1 Spaces tomorrow (Sunday) 0800 - 1200 for Squid and your guaranteed a haul
Thursday - Offhsore wrecking for Pollock & Bass
Amazing fishing with us out there currently for Pollock, Bass & Squid so dust off your kit and make the most of it!
Please contact karl to book on 07858 119490
Best wishes
www.brigandcharters.com -
28/10/2024
Fishing Report by Steve Green
28 Oct 2024 by Steve Green
Two day fishing report
Sunday Tuna - No shortage of sightings but bringing them to the boat has proved challenging in the last couple of trips. We saw the odd bust ( Peter Stotesbury hit one on the head with a cast stick bait ��) but no takes on this occasion ........ and we went through juts about the full repertoire of options. We are learning and developing a greater understanding of these fish up our way and think we may have an option that will deliver - stay tuned for the outcome of that next week!
Today - Scheduled as a Bream trip but the morning saw us on a mission to land what seemed to be every single Pouting in Sussex! A couple of wrecks fished and juts a solitary small Bream it clearly was not going to be happening today so a change of tactics and onto the lures........... and it kicked off big time. Seems like an age since we were targetting big Pollock Offshore and it was great to be back on them. With Keith Mitchell and Alex Brown onboard it was always going to be a case of how many and how big not IF we could get to them and we had a frantic couple of hours with some great condition fish before the losing the tide. Fantastic to see such good quality wrecking this late in the year and we will be giving a full day this Thursday in what are forecast to be perfect conditions if you fancy giving it a go - 6 SPACES AVAILABLE PLEASE CONTACT Karl Pope TO BOOK ON 07858 119490
Best wishes -
13/10/2024
Fishing Report by Steve Green
13 Oct 2024 by Steve Green
Wow! That's Bluefin Tuna number 10 hooked- up and number 7 to the boat for us out of East Sussex in our first season and the thrill and excitement of catching these magnificent fish does not diminish over time or number of fish caught.
We are seeing more and more bird, bait, Dolphin and Tuna activity week after week as we build toward what we expect to be the peak in mid November. We had everything today, more birds than we've seen this year Offhsore, more Dolphins and thankfully more Tuna!
Nick was on the rod to land this cracker estimated at 180lb which made a right mess of the spreader bar!
Fantatsic crew of Julian, Nick, Jim and Dave aboard to witness this incredible spectacle out of Brighton with over 200 Tuna sighted over numerous busts and it was late in the day before we got this one, there could quite easily have been several more.
My Thanks to Karl Pope, not easy leadering fish with the configuration of our boat and he is growing into the role trip after trip and this one safely brought alongside with no drama and revived to strongly swim away after a few minutes.
We go again tomorrow in what look to be challenging conditions with Mike and his crew and not sure who is going to be more excited about the prospect of hooking into more of these magnificent fish, it's such a privilage to be able to catch these from our home port.
Look closely at the video of the hook up and you will see the strike at speed from the Tuna.
Best wishes
www.brigandcharters.com -
28/08/2024
Fishing Report by Steve Green
28 Aug 2024 by Steve Green
BLUEFIN TUNA OUT OF BRIGHTON!!
Paul (again) Dennis, Charlie & Will
Dennis had booked Will & Charlie as a 21st birthday present for Charlie whose actual birthday it was. Another cracking bunch of guys and we explained that the previous day there was very little activity but the great sea - state would enable to move faster & further today, we intended to make the most of it.
Once again, not a great deal of activity until we arrived at our designated spot when slowly, things started to develop. A few gulls in the water, Gannets in hunting mode and then the real indicator, Terns lifting up and it started to feel very fishy! Peter Stotesbury had his fish eyes on and sighted a disturbance approx 1/2nm to starboard, quickly followed by another 1/2 mile to Port - gently eased the engines up and picked the Port disturbance which soon became obvious was a significant Tuna bust - the atmosphere shifted from jovial to professional in an instant. Harnesses on and checked, rods manned, outside controls switched and an intercept course plotted. Amazing seeing these huge fish up very close and absolutely smashing the bait fish; as we swung by the short rod exploded into action...... Tuna on!
3 rods quickly taken in, Charlie (birthday boy) securely attached and we were battling our first Bluefin out of Sussex- what a great feeling. First run took 300m line very quickly so we knew it was a good fish and Charlie was on it like a veteran supported by Pete & Jason (a fantastic crew & angler in his own right). Careful manoeuvring of the boat, adjustment of drag and relentless work by Charlie and we had sight of a magnificent Bluefin being leadered by Pete. When the fish is close to the boat with rudders & props in play it becomes a game of delicate movements and patience. Although this was my first Bluefin Tuna I'm no stranger to Yellowfin and the characteristics are identical- languid circling motions which are largely predictable and the leader man exercising both patients and control whilst directing the helmsman. After a 30 minute duel Jason managed to get the flying gaff perfectly in the gap of the lower jaw and there was collective sigh of relief and euphoria - we had done what he had set out to do.
A quick measure alongside revealed the magnificent fish to be around 78" which placed it in the 350lb - 375lb range. A slow recovery swim and it was upright, full of colour and tail working hard within a couple of minutes so the decision to release as soon as possible was made. A couple of quick photo's and off it went with a few powerful flicks of the tail..... mission accomplished, the first ever Bluefin Tuna caught out of Sussex ��
We immediately set the gear to work again and once again, another bust - then another with fishing going under by the time we got to them and no takes. In all we saw 6 busts with an estimated 50 fish in each, in an area of around 10 square miles so quite probably different fish and plenty of them; that bodes very well for the remainder of the season which runs right up until 31st December this year as more fish will be tracking their way up from the Southwest so the chances are going to get better and better in the coming weeks and months.
We could have had another 3 or more fish to the boat as making our way back there were several busts very close by but time was not on our side and we could have been out there all day and well into sunset such was the proliferation - literally hundreds of fish.
A huge thank you to Pete & Jason for their invaluable expertise onbaord, to all that have (in whatever capacity) supported our efforts and of course to the anglers who have had the faith to book with us on our exploratory trips.
We are now taking bookings for Bluefin Tuna trips out of Brighton, 4 anglers maximum £950 for the whole boat 8hr trip and additional hours charged at £150/hr...... we drive a long way currently and are flexible about times as long as we can agree them at time of booking so if you want to catch one of these magnificent fish out of Brighton drop us a line and come see, feel and experience these amazing fish.
Best wishes
www.brigandcharters.com -
08/07/2024
Fishing Report by Steve Green
8 Jul 2024 by Steve Green
TURBOT SEASON IS OPEN !!!!!
Our first trip of the year looking for Turbot on the Offhsore banks and it didn't disappoint!
Bait inshore was hard to come by so we didn't hang around too long and took the chance that we would be ok for it out deep - and so we were. A few drifts and we were stocked up for the day.
First Turbot of the season fell to Andrew Kennedy, a seasoned Turbot angler who has boated very many with us over the years so only fitting that he should kick us off.
A steady stream of fish throughout the day which included more of those excellent Tub Gurnard we have been boating of late, Bass, jumbo mackerel were also present in large numbers and great to see such an abundance of Launce.
Oh - and we had the pleasure of sharing most of the day with a very friendly gull that had the most unusual eyes - one yellow, the other black.... not seen that before!
Tides in July not particularly suited to Turbot but there are a couple of stand-out days and we have added those to our calendar;
Thursday 11th July - 8hr Turbot
Tuesday 23rd July - 8hr Turbot
24th July - 12hr long distance Turbot, Bass & Wrecking.
That will be it for July.
If you would like to join us please get in touch.
Best wishes
www.brigamdcharters.com -
18/06/2024
Fishing Report by Steve Green
18 Jun 2024 by Steve Green
A fabulous day out fishing the Offshore wrecks today with an even more fabulous crew!
An early start to get where wanted to fish and we of course had a plan which started with putting the hammer down and heading out far. Water clarity improved by the mile and was perfect when we arrived out our first wreck where the crew were immediately rewarded with good quality fish. Pollock, Cod & Bass all coming to the net in quick succession as the tide kicked in and it was constant action until the time came to catch the tide for the next stop. A real mix of fish coming over the next couple of wrecks including a fantastic 7lb 3oz Tub Gurnard which looked ready to burst skilfully landed by Adam and very sportingly released to (hopefully) have an opportunity to pass on that excellent DNA.
Species count for the day;
Jumbo mackerel (45cm+)
Bass
Cod
Pollock
Coalfish
Bream
Wrasse
Launce
Tub Gurnard
Red Gurnard
Scad
Pouting (of course!)
Whiting
Alex Brown and Simon Clark of course both in the thick of it with Bass, Pollock & Cod but hats off to Adam for gamefully releasing a magnificent fish and for taking the fact that we almost left without him this morning in his stride..... my apologies Adam!
We have very limited availability for these long distance Offshore trips this year but if there is sufficient interest we might be persuaded to lay on a couple more which would be absolutely tide dependent so a little flexibility required.... just let us know if your keen!
Thanks all for a wonderful day on the Ocean and bravo on your catches today ������
Best wishes
www.brigandcharters.com -
10/06/2024
Fishing Report by Steve Green
10 Jun 2024 by Steve Green
Another cracking day Offhsore today with Pollock, Cod, Bass, Herring, Jumbo Mackerel, Scad, Launce, Gurnard and do I have to state the obvious ...those 4" lures are pout magnets ��!!
The stunning start the day with flat seas and sunshine gradually detirorated and led to a slow sail home in a confused sea but the guys were baiting fish right up until the last drift of the day.
Very encouraging to see the Cod (more accurately codling) increasing in numbers and they are not the "Unicorns" some would say they are- we expect numbers to increase steadily over the coming weeks. Also great to see those jumbo Mackerel out there, an often underrated table fish at that size and absolutely fnatstic when smoked or made into pate.
Thanks all for a great day at sea, it's getting better and better as the season gets into full swing Offshore.
Best wishes
Www.brigandcharters.com -
04/06/2024
Fishing Report by Steve Green
4 Jun 2024 by Steve Green
After a short break in Norway wrestling Halibut & Wolffish (more on that in a later post) and a couple of days putting smiles on faces inshore Bream fishing we headed to our happy place today - the Offhsore wrecks.
Slated as Pollock & Cod trip as this is the time of year we generally see the Cod appearing and it didn't disappoint. Some fantastic double figure Pollock along with a box full of good table fish in the 4-7lb range and the Cod also were obliging!
Species boated today;
Cod
Coalfish
Pollock
Wrasse
Mackerel
Tub Gurnard
Launce
Dogfish
Pouting .... of course!
A beautiful day to be out on the Ocean on flat calm seas and fishing in T shirts at 0800hrs - really felt like Summer has arrived.
Great fishing next to Alex Brown and enjoying a head to head tussle with a fish a drift each until the arms gave in and we realised there was a couple of hours filleting ahead!
If you would like to join us for some great wrecking in the coming weeks you can view availability on our website calendar.
Best wishes
Www.brigandcharters.com -
08/05/2024
Fishing Report by Steve Green
8 May 2024 by Steve Green
Bream session again yesterday. Slow fishing to start but a little tweak to our approach resulted in an immediate and very positive outcome! Lost count of fish but there were plenty of Bream, a few hounds, eels & of course the obligatory Dogfish!
Great to catch-up with some old friends and to welcome so new ones aboard.
A beautiful day out there made all the better by the wonderful company. Not the most challenging of days fishing, those lay ahead when we start the serious Offhsore trips in the coming weeks venturing out to some of our favourite areas.... always an exciting time of the year!
Due to a cancelled dive trip we have whole boat available this Sunday for either 8hr or 4hr trips.
Best wishes
www.brigandcharters.com
