Latest Fishing Reports: Sea Urchin IIl
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25/02/2024
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
25 Feb 2024 by Andy Savage
It’s been great to have another three days back at sea. The tides have been rising and over the weekend especially, the weather was fantastic. Very light winds in the main, with plenty of sunshine. I finally had the chance to get some of my regular anglers on, who I have cancelled countless times over the winter, so we had plenty to talk about and catch up on, which was great.
Trying my best not to sound like a broken record; but in a similar vein to the last report, the actual fishing hasn’t been very good. We have fished plenty of different marks both North and South of Whitby, but haven’t had much consistency or a decent average stamp of Codling. Each day we struggled to find fish much over 4lb and although the fish we caught were mostly pristine fresh run fish, they didn’t appear to be moving through much. At most stops, we’d get a few initial fish, then it just died off and we’d have to move on to get a few more fish. As usual, Squid and Black Lugworm produced the majority of the bites, but Crab Cart did make the difference when it was hard going for the lads who had some with them.
I really think it’s worth mentioning that some of the less experienced “Uptiders” have made a few mistakes (despite advice to the contrary). The biggest one I see regularly is lads throwing their frozen bait straight into a bucket of water and leaving it in there all day. With very little water clarity in the winter, putting a scent trail in the tide is critical to getting bites. By immersing it in water all day, the scent is literally washed out of the bait, which really makes a huge difference to the overall end results.
With all that said; it’s been a really enjoyable few days for me and I’m really grateful for the support from the lads who’ve booked trips with me. Irrespective of the fishing, I will always try my best to give everyone a good day out. Cheers lads -
16/02/2024
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
16 Feb 2024 by Andy Savage
It’s been great to string a few days together this week....
We started on the biggest Spring Tides and through the week they have progressively dropped away. I haven’t been doing daily reports because to be honest, the fishing hasn’t been sensational.
On Tuesday and Wednesday the fishing was a bit more consistent. We ran south both days using the last of the Flood Tide to good effect, then working back to Whitby on the Ebb Tide. A pattern emerged over the two days, which saw only odd fish when the tide was at full strength, but as soon as it began to ease there would be a good spell with multiple fish coming up in quick succession.
The best bait during the full speed tide was definitely Crab Cart or Live Lugworm. I fished two rods on Wednesday, one on Cart and one on Squid and Black Lug. The Cart Bait was always first to go when the tide was at its peak, and the other bait was generally left alone. Once the tide eased, both rods worked equally as the fish switched on to feed more vigorously.
Thursday and Friday proved to be much harder work. The tides were falling and the wind strength increased a bit which meant that the boat swung on the anchor more as the tide ran into slack water, which is always tougher to fish. We had quite a few inexperienced Uptiders on this week (as well as some old Sweats!) and I always like to try and get everyone fishing properly. It was pleasing to see how the lads improved throughout each day and I knew that if the fish were feeding with any gusto, they would get bites.
The difference on Thursday and Friday was the lack of fish moving through. Moving multiple times each day, there would be a few initial bites, but then it just died a death. We kept on the move, but it was frustratingly hard work and I couldn’t deliver the number of fish I hoped to, which was disappointing for me. Each day we managed Codling up to around 5lb, but the chunks evaded capture…for now!!
I must say a big thank you to all the anglers who have joined us this week. There was great conversation and plenty of banter. I saw lads who I’ve cancelled multiple times over the winter, so it was fantastic to catch up again. -
03/02/2024
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
3 Feb 2024 by Andy Savage
We finally got a break in the weather today which allowed us to have a run out.
The original plan was to run off to some distant wrecks, but the wind was too fresh for that, so we would spend the day Uptiding. I gave the lads booked on the option of coming or not (as some don’t like Uptiding) and 6 of the 9 dropped out. I found another three lads who love their Uptiding, giving six plus me for a days fishing.
Using the Flood Tide we ran south a few miles to start off. First time angler Brad was off the mark almost immediately, which is usually the way; giving him bragging rights over his mates Aaron and Andy! There were a mix of fish caught over the next hour. Some Codling, plus Whiting, Pouting an odd Doggie and a rogue Lobster for Brian Milne. We had a short move when the bites slowed up and picked away again until we started to lose the tide.
As the boat began to swing on the anchor, we ran a couple of miles further south to get the first sniff of the Ebb Tide. Unfortunately the wind lifted and we spent a frustrating hour swinging about with the wind against tide…..we needed a change.
Running back towards Whitby we stopped at an area where I knew there would be a good bit of tide and pleasingly managed to get the boat back on the anchor against the wind, holding steady.
That turned out to be the last move of the day as the bites kept on coming. We had a good selection of baits including Squid, Black Lugworm, Crab Cart, Mackerel, Razor Clams. Squid and Blacks and Mackerel were the best today.
Whilst we didn’t have a massive average stamp of Codling, I was so pleased when Dave Fowls, who travelled up last minute from Shropshire landed the biggest fish of the day; a lovely Cod of 9lb 12oz. Squid and Blacks doing the business for him.
It was a lovely day out spent in great company. The weather was cracking and the company matched it. Thanks lads, really appreciate the support -
15/12/2023
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
15 Dec 2023 by Andy Savage
It was fantastic to finally get a day out today after another lengthy lay off with the poor weather.
I had a mixed group of less experienced Uptiding anglers aboard and an Uptiding Officianado!! We headed out north at first light and ran a couple of miles to a nice area of rough ground, which gave us some shelter from the fresh SW winds. It was a very steady start, with a few Codling here and there, plus a random brace of Lobsters, but this was the time when I try and get everyone fishing properly.
After an hour or so, with only a handful of resident Codling aboard, we nudged up a little further, to fish a lovely ledge which drops off 4m. Once the boat was in position, the lads dropped down and pleasingly there were a few fish about. We had the initial flurry of the fish which were around the boat, but then we started to get flushes of fresh fish moving through (which we haven’t been getting). After a quiet 15-20 minutes there would be multiple bites at once. Nigel Hughes picked up a couple of lovely Codling around 5lb, and Raimondas Zokas took one the same size.
There were some nice clean fish coming up, nothing huge, but it kept the rod tips nodding. Once the Ebb tide began to ease, the wind took more control and we swung around on the anchor, which was unproductive and frustrating. We took the opportunity to run another couple of miles further up to catch the first sniff of the flood tide. Once the Flood came through, we continued to get a few fish here and there. It certainly wasn’t as prolific as the Ebb, but we kept getting bites and a few fish.
As the Skipper I always want to base my angling decisions on whether we move on or not, on an experienced angler who I know. Today I had Simon West aboard and having fished with him on numerous occasions, I knew that if they were there, he’d get them. Simon always brings top quality bait and knows how to use it. With Squid, Fresh Black Lug, Fresh Razor Clams, Crab Cart etc he had a busy day. He kept five nice clean Codling and sportingly returned a lot more.
It was a really enjoyable day for me in fantastic company. Thanks everyone. -
04/12/2023
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
4 Dec 2023 by Andy Savage
We’ve had a bit of a cold spell the last few days, but still managed to get a couple of days out at sea.
Combined with the Whitby Charter Skippers Uptiding competition. Friday saw the first of the three, free to enter, December competitions that Sea Urchin puts on every year. Friday was our Biggest Bag Competition for the nine anglers aboard . Every legal size fish landed is measured and awarded a certain number of points. The angler with the biggest points tally took home £150.00 at the end of the day.
First stop with the anchor down, Ian Kellock was straight out of the blocks taking half a dozen Codling, one after another, establishing a strong early lead. Inexplicably, the sport just dried up for Ian and things kicked in nicely for Gordon Blyth. Gordon had a good couple of hours and when I added up the points midway through, I thought that Gordon probably had it in the bag…..I was wrong.
The late afternoon Ebb Tide saw Dave Sharp go into overdrive. He picked away steadily and with only 30 minutes to go the gap between Gordon and Dave was only 45 points (one 35cm Codling gained 50 points). It could have gone either way, but Gordon just couldn’t find that last fish and Dave took the competition and the £150.00. All three are brilliant anglers and had good bait with them. Crab Cart was the difference today. It was certainly more productive than the usual Squid and Black Lug. Well done Dave.
Sunday was the last day of the WCSA Uptiding Competition and with nothing massive being caught over the previous two days it was all to play for.
I had a fantastic group of lads aboard and the banter flowed all day. We kept on the move trying search out a better stamp of fish, but it wasn’t to be. We took a few Codling to around 4lb on the Ebb Tide, but things died off on the flood. Everyone kept trying all day, but if the fish aren’t feeding you can’t catch them.
This cold weather should really improve things overall. It was noticeable on Sunday that we caught more fresh run fish than residents, which was great. -
19/11/2023
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
19 Nov 2023 by Andy Savage
It’s been great to finally have a few days back at sea with some better weather. The tides have been perfect for Uptiding, so that’s what we’ve been doing.
I like to report both good, average and poor days as I think it’s important to provide balance. Not every day can be a Red Letter Day and the last three trips I’ve done, have certainly been wide of the mark on being a “Red Letter Day”. The three trips have seen varied levels of angler experience. Thursday saw Igors Fortuna and his mates book the boat. With no Uptiding experience at all, it was a learning curve and whilst we did get a picking of small Codling, the lads underestimated the importance of bait and ran a bit short of worm (which I find essential).
Friday was one of my fishing days with some friends who all love Uptiding. We had a lot of good bait and everyone knew the drills. We had just started getting a few fish, when a seal turned up and took the fish off we hooked. The rest of the day was spent moving from place to place, trying to string a few fish together. Tony Barrett took the best of the day at around 5lb.
Today I had a group of mixed experience anglers aboard. To be fair, they all fished really well and kept at it all day. There was a small picking of fish, but once again, nothing exceptional. What we seem to be experiencing is that on arrival at a new spot, there have been a few bites from the fish that are in the immediate vicinity of the boat, then it quietens down. There don’t seem to be many flushes of fresh fish running through, so we’re not getting a second, third, fourth run of fish and have to keep moving to find bites.
The usual baits of Dirty Squid, Black Lug, Crab Cart/Wings have been doing the majority of the bites on running ledgers and flowing traces. I believe it’s only a matter of time before we get some fresh fish of a bigger average size moving through. A bit of a cold spell certainly wouldn’t go amiss.
Thanks to everyone for the support and being great company on these more difficult days. -
15/11/2023
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
15 Nov 2023 by Andy Savage
It's been a long time since I've posted a catch report, due to the fact that I've not been out to sea!! We've endured Storms Babet and Ciaran which have really stirred things up. Pretty much putting us straight into Winter Uptiding mode.
The first trip out for a few weeks was last Thursday. Originally the trip was advertised as a wrecking trip, as it was a small tide. The winds were moderate and "off land" which meant we couldn't run off to the 20 mile wrecks. If we were going to fish, it would be an Uptiding trip, or nothing. Giving everyone the chance to drop out if they didn't fancy it, I was pleasantly surprised that everyone was still keen for a day out.
We spent the day on the Northern Uptiding grounds and it didn't take long for the lads to get to grips with the fishing. First stop on the Ebb saw a steady stream of small Codling, an odd Pouting and a "Berried" Lobster (which was returned immediately).
We had three moves during the Ebb Tide and and picked up fish at every move. Slack water wasn't great (as usual when Uptiding) but the first sniff of the Flood Tide saw a few better sized Codling come up. The Flood wasn't great, but everyone got a few to take home. As usual, Squid and Black Lugworm did all the bites.
Sunday saw a similar sort of day, but with a slightly bigger tide. Running North again, the lads picked away, but the average size was still small (50/50 on throwbacks to keepers). There were a couple of experienced Uptiders aboard and they demonstrated that with good bait and good presentation, there are plenty of bites to be had.
Experienced angler Jason Shields had fresh worm and crab cart with him, but for whatever reason, the undersized fish just terrorised him all day. It was a real head scratcher, as fishing next to him, Dave Fowls managed to get a stream of slightly better sized fish ending up with a dozen Codling to keep.
Apologies for the lack of fish pictures, but we didn't get anything above 3-4lb, with the majority being smaller. The fishing was far from prolific, but it was great to finally have a couple of days back at sea, spent in great company. Thanks Lads -
12/10/2023
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
12 Oct 2023 by Andy Savage
The weather forecast for today, had looked ok for a few days and pleasingly that turned out to be the case. A group of mixed experiences on board today, from brand new, to “Salty Sea-Dog” and all points in between.
With the tides back over 5m it was always going to be a mixed day of wrecks and rough ground. To start with, we clonked a load of fresh Mackerel to accompany the Squid the lads brought for bait. With seven hire rods aboard, we kept everything very standard, which is essential to help reduce tangles. Muppet bait traces with Squid and/or Mackerel and 16oz leads to combat the wind and tide. With there being a chance of a few better sized fish about, we left the Hokkai’s (which also cause more tangles) in the bag.
To start the day, we ran out to the five mile ground for a few drifts. Everyone had got into the routine of controlling the tackle and it wasn’t long before a few fish started to come aboard. We had a mix of Codling, Ling, Haddock and a few Whiting. We had started at the South end of the ground, but the bites became less frequent, the further North we pushed.
I ran us back to the southern end and we had a decent hour. Everyone got off the mark and Adam Maguire started to put together a nice box of fish. Daron Grant took the biggest fish of the morning, a nice 10lb 12oz Ling.
We opted to run out to the nine mile stream for slack water and have a go on a wreck. For a few of the lads it was their first time on a wreck and I thought they did well. The wreck wasn’t too bad, giving a few Codling and Ling. Just as the first sniff of the Flood Tide came through Daron struck again. This time he had a nice plump Cod of 10lb 12oz, which was great to see.
The remainder of the day was spent on rough ground, picking odd fish here and there. A revisit to the five mile ground and the last drift of the day gave Andy Cooper a nice 11lb 4oz Ling to finish with.
A very enjoyable day for me, it was great seeing the lads who haven’t done it before getting a few fish. Thanks everyone, see you next time. -
09/10/2023
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
9 Oct 2023 by Andy Savage
Today was one of my own fishing days with five friends aboard. Having looked at the forecast, we decided to have a bit of a later start, as there looked to be a fresh breeze against tide first thing.
We all met at 0900hrs and were away shortly after to look for some fresh Mackerel. Unfortunately that didn’t go so well, with us only picking up a handful between us. Everyone had squid to use as well, so we dropped onto the first wreck of the day. I wasn’t too optimistic as the water looked quite green and with nothing much doing after twenty minutes or so, I moved us further out to a wreck in the five mile stream.
Water clarity looked a bit better and we spent the next hour taking two or three fish a drift. Nothing massive; Dave Sharp taking a Ling around 9lb as the biggest. With everyone off the mark, we fished two more wrecks as the tide ran into slack water. The sport was steady, but not amazing.
With having experienced anglers aboard, all the different tactics were tried. On the third wreck, we found the Shads worked well, with a number of nice Codling up to five pound falling prey. Although Tony Firman got a surprise when his Shad was snaffled up by a Squid!!
As is usual, the Muppet bait traces loaded with either Mackerel or Squid provided some nice fish around slack water. Simon West caught consistently and then he got “rumbled” when we noticed he was slipping a Black Lugworm on as well as the usual baits!! Unfortunately he didn’t mange to land the seal which he played for fifteen minutes, while we ripped into him….
It was a really, really enjoyable day and my own fishing days are something which I cherish. The banter was brutal, but hilarious in equal measure.
Thanks for a brilliant day out lads, I needed that. -
05/10/2023
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
5 Oct 2023 by Andy Savage
After another weeks lay-off with poor weather and big Spring Tides, we took the chance to have a run out today.
I had a mixed group of anglers on, who were all fantastic company and I immediately knew we’d be ok. We ran out to the 3 mile ground to gather up some fresh Mackerel for the day. It took a bit longer than I would have liked, but we got what we needed in the end. With a 5m tide, I knew we wouldn’t be able to spend the day on the wrecks, so we started off drifting some lines on the rough ground.
It wasn’t sensational, but we picked up 3-4 Codling and Ling every drift, so stuck with it. The lads fished with either baited Hokkai’s or a Muppet Bait Trace (as is standard). We did note that the Hokkai’s were being out-fished so everyone went over to fishing a bit bigger bait. Whole Mackerel Fillet being the choice of most. The wind lifted on the run into slack, so we moved closer inshore. With the lines streaming, I (wrongly, as it turned out) took the decision to move closer in to get some shelter off the land. No sooner than we got in, the wind fell away again. We had three drifts for nothing, so we had to move.
The tide was slack, so we dropped on a couple of wrecks. An odd fish came up, but it wasn’t what we were looking for. Michael Adams was aboard for his first trip in many years and chose to use my hire tackle. Just as we drifted off a wreck, his rod went over and I worked out by the steaming run, that he must be into a Tope. He played it like a star and after five minutes or so, we netted a beautiful Tope of at least 40lb. Definitely the highlight of the day. It took a Mackerel Fillet on a regular bait trace that I tie up. It was a close run thing as the line was very badly chafed and once unhooked I could break the doubled-up 100lb line with my hands!
We finished the day off on the rough ground and it wasn’t too bad on the Ebb. Everyone got a few to take home, our biggest Ling was around 6lb and Codling to 4lb. It wasn’t a prolific day by any measure, but the company aboard made it very enjoyable. Thanks everyone.
