Latest Fishing Reports: Sea Urchin IIl
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01/08/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
1 Aug 2022 by Andy Savage
Apologies for missing catch reports over the weekend when I did actually go to sea, but quite frankly, I didn’t have much to report on.
As I’ve mentioned before, I won’t fabricate and say it’s great when it isn’t. On both Saturday and Sunday the weather and tide were not in our favour. With it being 5m tide time again, we were mainly on the rough ground. When the wind and tide got together, our drift speed was up to 2 knots at times, which made the fishing tricky.
Credit to every single angler; they all gave it their best and remained positive. We did catch fish over the weekend when the conditions went in our favour, but nothing of any size. Our biggest Ling of the weekend went to Juned Islam at 7lb and we had Codling to around 4lb. The fishing was far from exceptional, but that is the way it goes sometimes. I will always try my best to find some feeding fish.
Today however, was a different story…. with a group of seven onboard, including “Clan McDonald”; father and son team Malc and Alan. Much lighter southerly winds gave us some great fishing conditions in the morning. We took advantage and dropped on a couple of wrecks while the drift speed allowed. We were taking 3-4 fish a drift, with some decent fish amongst them.
I’m pleased to report that at a sprightly 83 years old, Malc was not only top rod, but he also caught the biggest fish of the day at 13lb 8oz! What a legend….
We had plenty of fish in the morning and everyone took away a good few for the table. Thanks to everyone for a great day out in nice weather. -
29/07/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
29 Jul 2022 by Andy Savage
We’re back on the Spring tides again, which means that most of the trips will be spent drifting the rough ground off Whitby for the next few days.
Today we had a group of friends on board who were not hugely experienced boat anglers. They all chose to use my hire tackle, which at least meant they had the right gear for the job. There was a lot of “Micky” taking and banter all day, which was great to listen to. And pleasingly, there was also a decent number of fish caught!
Every drift saw anything from 2-6 fish come up today. It was probably a 50/50 split between Codling and Ling. We didn’t land anything huge, but the biggest Ling went 8lb and biggest Codling just over 7lb.
Every single fish fell to bait traces loaded with either Squid or fresh Mackerel and a 16oz lead today. The benefit of this tactic is; with everyone doing the same, it reduces the amount of tangles in big tides, which you get when people use Hokkai traces/multiple hook rigs. Less is definitely more in big tides.
Once the tide got away properly, the drift speed reached 2 knots, but the lads kept catching because they had the right gear and credit to them, they also fished really well.
Thanks for an entertaining day out boys……same time next year -
23/07/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
23 Jul 2022 by Andy Savage
I’m glad to say, that after yesterday’s below par day; today we were back in business.
Artur Karbarz and six of his friends had the boat booked for the day. All very capable anglers, I knew they were keen to spend the whole day on the wrecks, so we had a look for some fresh Mackerel to start, and low-and-behold, we found some quite quickly for a change! With bait sorted, we chose to make the most of the remaining Ebb Tide and stayed close to Whitby.
To summarise, we went on to fish only five wrecks all day; within five miles of the pier ends. Both Ebb and Flood Tides were productive and each wreck gave us a nice picking of fish. With the exception of three drifts, we caught every single run through, all day long. The consistency was great, along with the average size of the Codling. Marek Kawka taking the biggest fish at 9lb 6oz, but plenty in the 4-6lb bracket.
The wind lifted after dinner, but this didn’t bother the boys. They just kept on fishing well and catching. Hokkai’s and bait traces bait with Mackerel or Squid did all the fish. Nobody bothered with the Shads today.
It looks like a few days off again with bad weather, but today was a brilliant day out. Thanks lads. -
22/07/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
22 Jul 2022 by Andy Savage
Sorry boys, I got that completely wrong…….
Today looked like being a great day for a run off to a few wrecks around the 20 mile range. With light winds and the recent Spring Tides meaning the wrecks had received little pressure; I hoped they had ample time to fill up with plenty of plump Codling.
Unfortunately this wasn’t the case. We arrived just as the flood tide started to get away and I thought the drift was bang on for a few bites. A good few drifts later we moved on with only a handful of small Codling to show for our efforts. Frustratingly, we got a similar result from the next wreck and even less from the third! I must point out that it was no fault of the anglers. We had some very experienced boys on today. It just seemed that they weren’t feeding.
I decided we should run back inside and try to salvage something from the day. Arriving at our first wreck on slack, we had a couple of fish first drift, which really lifted morale. And then just as the Ebb started to move, we had a good few decent fish. 3-4 rods playing fish each drift. Dave Guest taking the biggest Codling of the day at 8lb 8oz. The feeding window wasn’t huge, but at least we got a few.
Credit to everyone who came for the trip today. No heads dropped, everyone just kept at it. What a great bunch of boys. It was far from a productive day, but the boys on board were brilliant company. -
21/07/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
21 Jul 2022 by Andy Savage
Great to be back out at sea today, after what I can only describe as a period of wobbly weather and Spring Tides.
The tides are finally falling away and it should be back to a bit of wreck fishing again for a few days. With slack water only 30 minutes after we left the harbour this morning; instead of looking for the Mackerel, we dropped straight on a big wreck, using Squid on bait traces for hookbaits.
The conditions were far from easy to start with, we had a Northerly wind whipping up a few troughs, which made bait presentation difficult. Despite the sea conditions, it turned out to be the right choice, as there were plenty of Codling waiting below, and they took the baits with merry abandon for a couple of hours. Most drifts saw 3-5 Codling and an odd strap Ling.
Nobody took anything of any size, but there were plenty of fish in the 3-5lb bracket. Ian Steadman and Simon West took a fish almost every drift and showed what is achievable with good tackle control.
We picked away on the next couple of wrecks, as the flood tide got away properly. Unfortunately, once the tide was at full speed, the bites really started to slow down.
We kept on the move and took fish here and there, but the morning action was certainly better than the afternoon for us.
A big thanks to all the boys for being great company. Hopefully see you all again soon. -
11/07/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
11 Jul 2022 by Andy Savage
Speaking meteorologically, today we got caught with our pants down!
Looking at the weather forecast last night, all looked hunky dory for a lovely day in the sun. It didn’t quite turn out to be that way for us. The wind was much stronger than expected and turned the fishing conditions on their head. It was a real struggle.
After once again failing to find any fresh mackerel and with a rising tide, we chose to start the day drifting some rough ground. The lines were streaming away, but the more experienced anglers still managed to find a few fish. Sea Urchin regular Jim Lister got stuck in and after a couple of Codling, landed a nice Ling just into double figures. We spent the morning on rough ground, periodically moving further away from land, to try and lose some tide, to slow down the drift.
We admitted defeat at dinnertime and moved back in closer to try a few wrecks when the wind and tide held up the drift. It was a similar story on the wrecks, with odd fish coming up. The drifts were difficult to set and we didn’t get much time in the strike zone, before the lines were streaming again. Absolute credit to all the boys on board, we kept on the move and picked up a few fish here and there. Most fish falling to muppet bait traces mounted with squid. Mid afternoon we moved off the wrecks, back onto some rough ground for the last few drifts.
Pleasingly, we found a nice spot which produced a good few fish. I’d just set up the third drift and was watching the anglers as normal. I saw Gordon Yates lift into what appeared to be a snag, so went to assist with my breaker. Initially it looked like he was caught in some old fishing gear, as very little happened….., then I saw the rod tip nod! Gordon played the fish to absolute perfection and after a good five minutes we saw a large patch of colour below the surface. With a final shuffle, Gordon pulled a lovely Cod of 16lb 7oz into the waiting net.
A great result in some difficult conditions. Well done mate and thanks to everyone for coming out for a trip. -
09/07/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
9 Jul 2022 by Andy Savage
Last weeks fishing wasn’t exactly what you would call brilliant on Sea Urchin.….in fact, I thought it was bang average at best. With three trips cancelled for rubbish weather, Tuesday, Friday and today were the only days we went to sea.
With smaller tides, I had hoped to get a better stamp of fish from some of the inshore wrecks; but it never happened. The lads on board plugged away all day and most took plenty of nice pan sized Codling home, but the average size was on the small side at 3-4lb with only an odd 5lb fish (hence the lack of photos).
All the usual methods produced fish; bait traces, Hokkai’s and Shads. The Mackerel have been elusive for the last few days, so Squid has been the dominant bait. Of the three days at sea, we never had one full day of decent fishing conditions. Either the wind and/or swell spoilt either the morning or afternoon. When the conditions were good we caught, but definitely struggled at other times.
I always try my hardest for the anglers, to put them on fish and get frustrated when the conditions go against us all the time. So if this report sounds a bit negative, I apologise, but last week certainly tested my resolve. It’s definitely not all “Champagne and Skittles” as Del Boy says!! Hoping for a big improvement on tomorrow’s trip.
Tight Lines
Andy -
03/07/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
3 Jul 2022 by Andy Savage
Weekend fishing report aboard Sea Urchin.
Saturday was one of those days that I really didn’t fancy taking people out in. Moderate westerlies hampered where we could fish (most of the day was spent fishing under the cliffs). However, Colin Clarke from Grantham had his annual mates trip booked and really wanted to go out and try, regardless.
We ran up north and spent much of the morning drifting the Uptiding grounds from Upgang up to Staithes. Periodically we found pockets of small Codling which mostly fell to baited feathers, small Hokkai’s or Sabiki’s.
At slack water we pushed out to a wreck a mile off land, and with the lines streaming, we picked up a few more fish. The biggest Codling of the day came just as the Ebb tide got away at 6lb 2oz. It was hard work, but everyone caught.
Today saw much lighter winds, so we pushed out a bit, concentrating mainly on the rough ground and wrecks in the 3-5 mile stream. We had a couple of drops for Mackerel, and finally got a good few strings coming up; bait sorted.
The flood tide wasn’t too bad, with a nice picking of Codling and strap Ling coming to Hokkai’s baited with Mackerel and Squid or bait traces. We had to endure a lot of tangles every drift (not using enough lead) and most fish came up tangled in someone else’s line, which cost us a lot of fishing time during the day. Top rod by some margin was Tony Firman who put together a really decent bag of fish; a very tidy angler indeed.
Everyone got a few to take home, and it was a nice day out overall. Thanks lads. -
01/07/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
1 Jul 2022 by Andy Savage
After a few days off with poor fishing/weather conditions, we went back for a look on Thursday and Friday (today) this week.
With us being back on larger 5m tides, we spent Thursday chasing fish on the inshore wrecks and rough ground. A firm believer in telling it how it is; we struggled to put many fish aboard. We tried rough ground at five, seven and nine miles, along with some inshore wrecks.
For whatever reason, the bites were hard to come by. Most drifts would see one or two fish come up, but nothing of any size. A wreck at nine miles provided some reasonable sport for an hour, which was the highlight of the day. Ian Kellock was top rod (no change there then!) with a dozen Codling to 4lb.
With a similar tide today, I thought it best if we had a run off to some wrecks a bit further out. Arriving at the first wreck half an hour before slack water, with a mixed abilities group on board, some of the lads struggled to control their gear through what is a “chewy” wreck. That said, Keith McCance and Jim Lister got stuck straight in with a couple of Ling and Codling apiece to 6lb.
Slack water itself was fairly unproductive, but as soon as the Ebb tide got away, “first timer” Joe Mould took the biggest fish of the day; a nice Ling at 13lb 8oz, much to the surprise of his mates. The second wreck we visited also produced well, in periods. Top rod for the day Keith McCance, took the biggest Codling at a smidge over 8lb along with a fair few others. A switch to baited Hokkai’s certainly brought about more bites on this wreck.
Everyone persevered and everyone got themselves a few to take home. In terms of fishing, it wasn’t right up there as the best day out ever, but we kept on trying and picked away all day. Thanks to all the boys for a nice couple of days out. -
24/06/2022
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
24 Jun 2022 by Andy Savage
A slightly delayed catch report covering two days. The long hours this week caught up with me and I needed an early night!!
Thursday and Friday were full boat bookings for two groups of friends, which are days that I really enjoy. The weather this week has generally seen very light winds in the morning and then a bit of SE breeze coming in the afternoons, making the fishing more difficult. For that reason we left early, to make the most of the better fishing conditions.
On Thursday we headed south to do some inshore wreck hopping. The first couple of wrecks gave us a few fish, to get everyone off the mark. With plenty of choice, I picked the ones which matched our drift, to increase our length of time spent on the wreck. It became apparent that the further south we moved the greener the water looked and bites became harder to come by.
We made the decision to run back up above Whitby, where the water proved to be far clearer. Bait traces, shads and even John-Will’s Christmas decoration (see picture) caught fish. Top rod by some margin was Norman Taylor, who literally had a fish a drift all day long and fished outstandingly. His concentration when drifting through the wreck is always great to watch.
On Friday we planned to repeat the inshore wreck hopping, but use the wrecks above Whitby where the water clarity was better. During the Ebb tide in the morning, the fishing wasn’t spectacular, but we took fish off every wreck we visited. There was almost a 50/50 split between bait fishing and Shad fishing. We spent a bit of time at slack water on a wreck which was by far the best of the day…….so far.
Once the flood tide got away, we moved onto a couple of wrecks closer in, which turned out to be a good move. We took 3-4 fish a drift for the remainder of the day. Again, split 50/50 between bait and Shads. Ling to 11lb and Codling to 6lb made it into a decent afternoon.
The lads on board kept some nice fish to take home. But credit to them, they threw back alot more Codling than they took home; which was nice to see. I enjoyed both days and really appreciate the bookings/support which I’ve had this year.
