Charter Boat: Sea Urchin IIl
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Boat and Skipper Details
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Availability Calendar
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Individual Spaces
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Reviews
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Location and directionsMap
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Bait & Tackle
Boat and Skipper Details
Launched in 2016, Sea Urchin is fitted with the latest electronics and a powerful Perkins M300C engine. She can get out to the wrecks fast and outrun the bad weather to get us back in when needed. Onboard, there is a sheltered area to get out of the weather, plus a private flushing toilet to keep things comfortable. The deck space is huge giving everyone ample room to fish. A central area to store tackle boxes and bags, plus bait cutting areas front and rear, keep the deck space tidy. Each angler has a dedicated fish box which is stored in a bespoke drawer system. No more lifting boxes or having them fly around in bad weather. Built for comfort, stability and speed, Sea Urchin has it all.
Trip Information:
General - Throughout Spring, Summer and Autumn we generally fish the wrecks and reefs out of Whitby for Cod, Ling and Pollock. In addition to the wreck and reef fishing, in Winter we offer uptiding trips for Cod on the inshore grounds around Sandsend, Kettleness and Robin Hoods Bay.
Our trips in Spring, Summer and Autumn usually commence at 07:00 hrs; but please be sure to check the evening before (as sometimes we may leave earlier). If the tide level requires the use of the Swing Bridge at 07:00 hrs then we need to be sat on the water waiting at 06:50 hrs. Late anglers can cost the whole party precious fishing time, so if you are late, the boat will not wait for you.
Winter uptiding trips see us leave Whitby around 07:30 hrs and come back in for around 16:00 – 16:30 hrs; Spring, Summer and Autumn trips have us back at the pontoon for roughly 16:30hrs.
If you are not staying in Whitby the night before your trip, we recommend you arrive early (05:00 – 06:00 hrs) in the morning to get a chance at a decent parking place. It can be particularly busy through the summer months and although the pay and display car park on Church Street has space for around forty cars, it fills quickly (parking for the day in the Church Street park costs £10.70 for 24hrs).
Once you’ve got the car parked, it’s worth a stroll to the excellent Singing Kettle for one of their fantastic breakfasts (open from 05:30hrs daily). If you need to tackle for the day, I have everything aboard which you will need to fish effectively from Whitby. Don't waste money buying random stuff; I will give advice and supply you with terminal tackle and leads at very reasonable prices that are fit for the job.
Don’t forget to book your dates for the Whitby Charter Skippers Association Festival early so you get the exact date and tide to suit your or your group. Most years, anglers leave it to the last minute and then struggle to get a good tide and space; don’t let it be you this year. You can view the tide heights on the availability page of the booking calendar. Many anglers enjoy a post-fishing pint, with The Station and Middle Earth Tavern being popular pubs in Whitby, where anglers can always be found discussing their day at sea over a cold beer.
As an Angler and Angling Coach. I have been an avid fisherman from the age of four, my fascination and passion for the sea was ignited by my Dad, who first took me fishing off the Marine Drive in Scarborough for Codling, Dabs and an odd Pollock throughout the 1980's. A twenty five year career in the Armed Forces saw me travel and fish all around the world, for everything that swims, from Sharks to Sea Bass; but the hallowed grounds of the North Yorkshire coast have always stolen my heart.
My first proper "wrecking trip" took place on my birthday in 1992 and having ben told the stories by other Whitby anglers, of boats almost sinking because of the weight of Cod they had caught (three doubles at a time, 20's for fun!!), had me a quivering "wreck" on the day of departure. Two hours later, when I was projectile vomiting like there was no tomorrow and sliding around the deck in a cocktail of fish slime and puke, things didn't seem so glamorous!! However, that was just the start of things to come, and I have boat fished the area around Whitby extensively for most of my adult life.
I am passionate about customer service and will do what is necessary to ensure you have an enjoyable day on Sea Urchin. My goal each day is for all anglers to catch fish and I will put pressure on myself to achieve this. Over the years, on the majority of boats, I have seen little guidance given to the first time anglers (apart from, drop it down there, and wind it up when you get a bite). Everyone starts from somewhere; so if you want to start your sea fishing journey with Sea Urchin, I can guarantee that you will get as much, (or as little) assistance as you require. We all have to start somewhere. There are absolutely no guarantees in fishing, but on Sea Urchin I will never be found lacking.
January 2025
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N.B. Not all Skippers keep this dairy up-to-date. Always check with skippers before making any plans. Last calendar update: 20-Jan-2025 |
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Tue 7th Jan
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Wed 8th Jan
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Thu 9th Jan
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Fri 10th Jan
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Sat 11th Jan
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Sun 12th Jan
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Mon 13th Jan
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Tue 14th Jan
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Wed 15th Jan
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Thu 16th Jan
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Fri 17th Jan
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Sat 18th Jan
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Sun 19th Jan
Fully Booked
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Mon 20th Jan
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Tue 21st Jan
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Wed 22nd Jan
Fully Booked
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Thu 23rd Jan
Individual Spaces
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Fri 24th Jan Unavailable More Details |
Sat 25th Jan
Fully Booked
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Sun 26th Jan
Fully Booked
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Mon 27th Jan
Individual Spaces
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Tue 28th Jan
Whole Boat Available
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Wed 29th Jan
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Thu 30th Jan
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Fri 31st Jan
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Upcoming Individual Spaces on Sea Urchin IIl
| Thu 23/01/2025 |
1 Space Available
Wrecking Trip - 4.25m
Joe Clough - x 1
Philip Coupland - x 2
Marcus Horwood - x 1
Steve Ralphson - x 2
Andy Warren - x 1
Mark Thomason - x 1
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| Mon 27/01/2025 |
7 Spaces Available
Uptiding Trip - 4.67m
Will sail with 4 anglers.
Stan Matthews - x 1
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| Wed 29/01/2025 |
4 Spaces Available
Uptiding Trip - 5.17m
Ian Purdom - x 3
Ian Scrivens - x 1
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| Fri 31/01/2025 |
6 Spaces Available
Uptiding Trip - 5.49m
Dave Kent - x 1
Shaun Marchington - x 1
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| Thu 06/02/2025 |
2 Spaces Available
Wrecking Trip - 4.59m
Paul Hargreaves - x 6
Joe Clough - x 1
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| Sun 09/02/2025 |
4 Spaces Available
Wrecking Trip - 4.66m
Dave Johnson - x 4
Howard Chuck - x 1
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| Tue 11/02/2025 |
7 Spaces Available
Uptiding Trip - 5.06m
Will sail with 4 anglers.
Stan Matthews - x 1
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| Wed 12/02/2025 |
7 Spaces Available
Uptiding Trip - 5.20m
Will sail with 4 anglers.
Keith Pickering - x 1
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| Sat 15/02/2025 |
1 Space Available
Uptiding Trip - 5.23m
Jimmy Yeung - x 1
Hubert Perkowski - x 3
Alan Lawson - x 3
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| Tue 18/02/2025 |
7 Spaces Available
Uptiding Trip - 4.86m
Will sail with 4 anglers.
Mark Thomason - x 1
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| Thu 20/02/2025 |
3 Spaces Available
Wrecking Trip - 4.48m
Dave & Del - x 2
Joe Clough - x 1
Shane Brooks - x 2
Mark Thomason - x 1
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| Sun 23/02/2025 |
4 Spaces Available
Wrecking Trip - 4.18m
Steve Walsh - x 6
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| Tue 25/02/2025 |
3 Spaces Available
Wrecking Trip - 4.59m
Stan Matthews - x 1
Steve Whitaker - x 5
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| Mon 03/03/2025 |
2 Spaces Available
Uptiding Trip - 5.59m
Drew Atkins - x 6
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| Thu 06/03/2025 |
5 Spaces Available
Uptiding Trip - 4.83m
Will sail with 4 anglers.
Stan Matthews - x 1
David Craine - x 2
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| Sat 08/03/2025 |
2 Spaces Available
Wrecking Trip - 4.34m
Kev Jackson - x 6
Jimmy Yeung - x 1
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| Tue 11/03/2025 |
5 Spaces Available
Uptiding Trip - 4.78m
Will sail with 4 anglers.
Dave & Del - x 2
Neil Kennedy - x 1
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| Sat 15/03/2025 |
6 Spaces Available
Uptiding Trip - 5.26m
Will sail with 4 anglers.
Steve & Ryan - x 2
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| Thu 20/03/2025 |
5 Spaces Available
Uptiding Trip - 4.81m
Will sail with 4 anglers.
Dave & Del - x 2
Stan Matthews - x 1
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| Sun 23/03/2025 |
7 Spaces Available
Wrecking Trip - 4.15m
Will sail with 4 anglers.
Ben Cope - x 3
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Reviews
Summary:
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Sean Coupland (03/11/2024)
First time aboard Sea Urchin uptiding Andy was fantastic made us all welcome and a hive of information, tips , knowledge we all caught a varied selection of fish , and had a fantastic day
Looking forward to a few trips for next year �� thanks Andy
SeanSkippers Reponse: Thanks very much Sean.
It was great to have you and Phil aboard. You were brilliant company and fished really well. I could tell you were shore anglers by how fast you picked it up!
Look forward to seeing you again.
Best Regards
Andy -
Paul Edwards (31/08/2024)
As always great to be onboard , Andys a guy who will tell you as it is , no bull shit , right or wrong a straight answer.
always on hand to help and give advice to both novice and seasoned anglers . he makes it a pleasure to fish with helping with issues and tangles.(some dont )..we always have a chat to see what the day will consist of ,,, ground / wrecks or a mix of both .taking tide and wind into account .
this day was the first day of the WCSA LATE SUMMER FESTIVAL, and boy did we smash it , Andy put us on the fish on the first wreck . OUR CLUB THE KEEL INN BARNSLEY took 1st 2nd and 3rd for the day, you ask for any better results than that. Always a pleasure to be on SEA URCHIN 111.
BE BACK SOON FOR ROUND 2 WEATHER PERMITTING .....TOG EDWARDS THE COMMITEESkippers Reponse: Thanks very much for the kind words Tog. You and the rest of the Keel Inn Club are an absolute pleasure to have aboard. #ifcarlsbergdidcustomers
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Paul Marsh (20/11/2023)
Excellent day uptiding,none of us had done it before but with Andy's help and knowledge we all got to grips and caught plenty of fish. As far as skippers go Andy takes some beating. Highly recommend.Thank Andy can't wait till April. Paul.
Skippers Reponse: Thanks very much for the kind words and taking the time to do a review, I really appreciate it.
You were all fantastic company and great to have aboard. Look forward to seeing you again next year.
Many Thanks
Andy -
Mariusz Marczyk (16/02/2023)
Great trip with fantastic, very helpful skipper. Andy’s knowledge helped us to catch nice fish. Good fun, comfortable, clean boat. Thanks Andy. See You soon again. Big “Thank You” from my dad Jurek��
Skippers Reponse: Thanks for the kind words Mariusz. I really enjoyed having you and your Dad on board. Hope he’s bought himself a nice new rod after the monster Pouting broke the last one!!
Look forward to seeing you both again. -
peter mccullagh (19/05/2022)
Good day out on Sea Urchin. Cup of tea to start the day most welcome. Extremely clean and well organised boat with plenty of buckets for bait and washing hands.Very friendly Skipper(Andy) took a lot of care and attention to every body especially the beginers who ,I think enjoyed their day(apart from being seasick but he felt better later) All very happy with the trip. I for one will be back soon...Pouting Pete
Skippers Reponse: Thank you for the kind words Pete. It’s great having you on board. The new anglers couldn’t have fished next to a better bloke. I saw and heard you offering help and advice when I was helping other anglers. Hopefully see you again soon.
Location
Bait & Tackle
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SKYLARK TACKLE WAREHOUSE
Scarborough, North Yorkshire, Yorkshire and the Humber, England
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Anglers Choice
Middlesborough, North Yorkshire, Yorkshire and the Humber, England
Catch Stats
- CBUK Catch Log: 18 Species have been caught onboard Sea Urchin IIl, including: Ballan Wrasse | Coalfish (Coley/Saithe) | Cod | Cuckoo Wrasse | European Squid | Garfish | Haddock | Lesser Spotted Dogfish | Ling (Common) | Lobster | Mackerel | Monkfish | Octopus | Pollock | Tope | Tub Gurnard | Whiting | Wolf Fish
Latest Catches 917 photos uploaded
Latest Fishing Reports and News
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17/01/2025
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
17 Jan 2025 by Andy Savage
The run of settled weather continues unabated, so I’ve managed another couple of days out at sea.
Thursday saw John Wilson and a group of mates book the boat for a day out. Being Uptiding virgins, we spent a a bit of time going through the rudimentary’s of feeling down the lead, baiting up the traces and paying off an arc of line. With everyone cast out it wasn’t long before the rods started twitching and most of the boys “popped their Uptiding cherries” with either a Haddock or Codling.
We had a couple of moves during the morning to try and get some lee from the brisk offshore wind, then ran further north to meet the flood tide. As the day progressed it was noticeable how the boys improved. Baits looked tidier, casting wasn’t an issue; it was good to see.
The day was as much about having a laugh as it was the fishing. Everyone was fantastic company and the highlight of the day was a new species boated aboard Sea Urchin when one of the boys brought up a Tadpole Fish! Thanks for a brilliant day lads.
Today we had a Biggest Bag Competition, where every fish was measured and allocated points. Biggest points tally won the £100 prize and second got £50. We went south today and after a half hour run we dropped the anchor in a sheltered area. Straight from the off we picked up mainly Codling and the boys kept me busy with the net and measure. The sport wasn’t bad at all. Ian Kellock had a 57cm Codling which was the biggest of the day to get him going. Gordon Blyth got three nice 50cm plus fish and Ben Cope caught consistently gaining himself what turned out to be an unassailable lead.
Just as things were looking good, the wind lifted and at times over the next two hours it was unfishable with well over 30mph blasts coming through. Sport dried up and it wasn’t until we ran back north to meet the flood tide that we caught a few more to finish.
There were loads of laughs and lots of conversation, which made the day fly by. Ben Cope won the £100 and second place went once again to Gordon Blyth (4th time in a row!) Altogether we landed 52 Codling, 3 Pouting, 3 Dogfish and a lone Lobster.
Thanks for an excellent day lads. -
15/01/2025
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
15 Jan 2025 by Andy Savage
I was really looking forward to today’s trip, as it was one of the days where I get to fish. Winter Uptiding is one of my favourite things to do, as I know that if I work hard with good bait, there’s every chance of catching some beautiful clean Codling.
We ran South again today, pushing the 5.3m tide a few miles towards Robin Hoods Bay. With only five of us fishing, we all went with two rods each, which gives a bit more scope to experiment with baits.
I only usually take three different baits for Uptiding and today was no different. Dirty Squid, Frozen Black Lugworm and Crab Cart. First stop and before I’d even had chance to cast in, I spotted some rod tips tapping. In next to no time Dave Sharp had a healthy curve in his rod and we slipped the net under a plump Codling of 7lb, which set the benchmark of 65cm for the longest Cod sweepstake.
The breeze lifted mid morning making us swing on the anchor a bit and as we lost tide on the run into slack water, the bites really slowed up, so most of us stopped fishing and had a cup of tea and a sandwich…..very civilised!!
I moved us close in to catch the very first sniff of the Flood Tide and no sooner than it came through, we were back in action for the remainder of the day. With the exception of a 30 minute period where a pack of Doggies moved in, we caught Codling all day. The average stamp wasn’t too bad either, with the majority of them being 3-4lb and only a handful of chuckbacks.
Interestingly, there appeared to be little appetite for the Squid and Lug combo today. Crab Cart was what they really wanted and that’s what I ended up fishing on both rods during the afternoon.
With the sweepstake still up for grabs, I connected with a better sized fish after dinner and after a spirited fight netted something of similar size to Dave’s fish from earlier. It was going to be close, so first we weighed it at 6lb 8oz, but it was long and lean and on the measure went 69cm which was the “longest” Cod of the day, even though Dave’s was heavier.
Loads and loads of banter and mickey taking today, and a fantastic day out fishing for me with some great mates. Cheers boys, thanks for making an awesome day. -
14/01/2025
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
14 Jan 2025 by Andy Savage
It’s been awesome to get the last three days out at sea, at what can be a “dodgy” time weather wise. With building tides of 5m plus, I was hopeful that after the last stir up, we’d have some decent results.
On Saturday, we ran North to try and use the last of the Ebb Tide. Unfortunately the NNW wind didn’t let the boat settle properly so we swung around and caught very little for the first hour. Moving further North to catch the flood tide Simon England started to pick off a fish or two on Crab Cart, Squid, or Black Lug. He’s a vastly experienced angler and had plenty of good bait at his disposal, no surprise he was top rod for the day.
Simon West is a good angler (who I watch to make my tactical decisions) but hadn’t had much success at all during the morning, but on the Flood tide his Black Lug which he pumps himself started to yield results along with Squid and Crab Cart. Overall, the fish didn’t feed well and from what I saw, it was the anglers with the best bait, changed regularly, fished properly, that came out on top.
Sunday saw a similar day. It was hard going again, but Jason Shields still managed to find a few fish. Once again, he is experienced at Uptiding and brought plenty of good bait…..a pattern emerges!!
Today I made sure to let everyone know that having a good quantity and quality of bait would help secure success. Everyone took it on board and we had a much better day. The Ebb wasn’t brilliant, but the boys still managed a few Codling to 4lb or so. The turn of tide brought more consistency and Ian Purdom and Joe Clough maximised it by taking fish regularly, ending with a dozen or so fish each; with a couple over 4lb, but nothing huge. Everyone has been fantastic company and it was good to see a few old friends I’ve cancelled countless times last year.
The message is quite clear….bring plenty of bait (I’ll happily advise), changed it regularly and don’t defrost it in Harbour Water and wash out all the scent. The scent trail is critical to success when Uptiding. -
27/12/2024
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
27 Dec 2024 by Andy Savage
It was great to work off a bit of excess Turkey and Christmas Pud today with an offshore wrecking trip, with a great bunch of lads.
With the weather conditions looking settled, we chose to run off to try a couple of wrecks around the 20 mile stream. At this time of year, the inshore wrecks seem to yield very little, so it’s sometimes beneficial to run out a bit further where the water is perhaps a bit clearer. Using the Ebb Tide, we headed north for a couple of hours to fish a wreck which had been left alone for a couple of months, arriving with an hour or so to go before slack water. The lads went over with mainly Squid baited muppet traces or Hokkai’s and 12oz leads.
First drift over we managed three Codling, so thankfully there were a few at home. The lads fished steady away taking fish every drift right up through slack water and into the flood tide. Codling were the main species landed with a couple of fish around 7lb being the biggest, but not a bad average stamp overall. We also had a trio of Ling, a stray Pollock and a handful of Haddock, Whiting and Pouting.
Once the Flood tide got going and a seal arrived, sport slowed up, so we moved on to the next wreck. Disappointingly, this wreck didn’t have the same volume of feeding fish on it, with just one or two fish a drift of a much smaller stamp. With an hours fishing time left, I made the decision to try one more wreck on the way back to Whitby. This wreck was situated much closer to land at around nine miles, so I was unsure what we would find. As it turned out, we found practically nothing and would have been better off not moving. One Codling around 4lb and a couple of Pouting made it a bit of a damp squib to finish the day, but the boys aboard made it a very enjoyable one.
Mike Griffiths had booked on with three of his mates and my highlight of the day was seeing all four of them into fish at the same time. They fished well today and all had a fair few to take home. A couple of the other boys didn’t fare quite so well, but that’s fishing for you.
Thanks for coming today lads, you were all fantastic company. -
13/12/2024
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
13 Dec 2024 by Andy Savage
What a lovely day out we had today.......nice calm flat sea conditions, light winds, good tide and fantastic company. Considering the weather we had with "Storm Darragh" over the last weekend, I couldn't have asked for much better for the "Sea Urchin - Biggest Bag Competition" which we held today. The eight anglers aboard were fishing for the most fish that they could catch. Every fish was measured and then allocated a certain number of points according to species and how long it was. I kept a running tally all day and the two anglers with the highest points total at the end of the day would win the £100 and £50 cash prizes which I happily donate.
We got away just as day was breaking, running North to Sandsend to get as much of the remaining Ebb Tide in as possible. No sooner than I got the anchor down, the fish started to appear. Rods were consistently nodding around the boat and a succession of mainly Codling came up for the next couple of hours. Gordon Blyth had a brilliant. start, catching steadily and also taking the best Codling at just over 5lb. The sport lasted right up to slack water, when we pulled the anchor and ran further North to meet the Flood Tide.
Unfortunately, this move didn't work out well. The tide was running when we arrived, but after 20 minutes with very few bites and no fish aboard, I sacked it off and ran back South. Next stop, we were back in business. We had a reasonable couple of hours, with everyone getting a few fish. Amongst the Codling, Ian Kellock and Rich Winship both managed to find a nice Pollock apiece which was good to see.
We had one last move, to drop onto a nice shelf which I'd fished the previous day.
Thankfully, it didn't fish too badly and kept us entertained for the remainder of the day. Mark Botterill had been catching steadily throughout, but he had a golden hour and gradually clawed back the points deficit that Gordon had established; including catching the biggest Codling of the day at 66cm which weighed in at a smidge over 7lb. I am forever "banging on" about how important good bait is for Uptiding. The fish can see very little in the murky water and come primarily to the scent trail from the baits cast in. Today's top three point scoring anglers were all from Easington Sea Angling Club and all fish from the shore and boats throughout the year. They all had a good supply of fresh and frozen bait, which they changed every cast. Squid, Crab Cart, Peeler Crab, Live Yellow Tails, Mussel, Prawns, Black Lug. I'm 100% convinced that it made the difference.
With an hour to go, Gordon had a 100 point lead, but Mark managed to find a couple more fish and with only 30 minutes to go, took the lead! It could have gone either way, but Mark held on for the win with 1717 points and Gordon finishing just behind (bridesmaid again after finishing runner up last year) with 1641 points.
I'm not normally a "fish counter", but as we measured each fish, I do have some accurate stats today!
72 Cod up to 66cm (7lb 4oz)
12 Haddock (None Weighed)
2 Pollock both 60cm
8 Pouting none weighed
1 Whiting not weighed
5 Lobsters all safely returned
It was a thoroughly enjoyable day for me, which absolutely flew by. Thanks very much to all the lads who were fantastic company.
