Charter Boat: Sea Urchin IIl
Boat and Skipper Details
Launched in 2016, Sea Urchin III 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 III 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 with Skipper 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 07:00 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 17:00 hrs where you can finish off your filleting, if you haven’t already done it at sea (recommended).
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 £9.00 for 24hrs).
Once you’ve got the car parked, it’s worth a stroll to the excellent Singing Kettle for one of their hearty breakfasts (open from 05:30hrs daily). If you need to grab any bait or tackle for the day, Paula and Malcolm at Hook, Line and Sinker on Church Street, will be pleased to see you, give advice and sort you out with your bait and tackle needs.
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 Fleece and Middle Earth Tavern being popular Church Street pubs, 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 we will never be found lacking.
May 2024
Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
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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: 19-May-2024 |
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Wed 1st May
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Thu 2nd May
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Fri 3rd May
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Sat 4th May
Fully Booked
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Sun 5th May
Fully Booked
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Mon 6th May
Fully Booked
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Tue 7th May Unavailable More Details |
Wed 8th May Unavailable More Details |
Thu 9th May Unavailable More Details |
Fri 10th May
Fully Booked
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Sat 11th May
Fully Booked
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Sun 12th May
Fully Booked
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Mon 13th May
Fully Booked
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Tue 14th May
Fully Booked
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Wed 15th May
Fully Booked
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Thu 16th May
Fully Booked
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Fri 17th May
Fully Booked
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Sat 18th May
Fully Booked
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Sun 19th May
Fully Booked
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Mon 20th May
Fully Booked
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Tue 21st May
Individual Spaces
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Wed 22nd May
Fully Booked
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Thu 23rd May
Fully Booked
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Fri 24th May
Fully Booked
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Sat 25th May
Fully Booked
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Sun 26th May
Fully Booked
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Mon 27th May
Fully Booked
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Tue 28th May
Fully Booked
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Wed 29th May
Fully Booked
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Thu 30th May
Fully Booked
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Fri 31st May
Fully Booked
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Upcoming Individual Spaces on Sea Urchin IIl
Tue 21/05/2024 |
2 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Tide - 4.87m
Carl Madin - x 1
Ian Kellock - x 1
Martin Novo - x 2
Dave Sharp - x 1
Trevor Chambers - x 1
Gary Wilson - x 2
| View details | |||
Wed 05/06/2024 |
1 Space Available
12hr Trip
Wreck & Reef Tide - 5.24m
Tim Little - x 4
Paul Hargreaves - x 5
| View details | |||
Thu 06/06/2024 |
1 Space Available
Wreck & Reef Tide - 5.34m
Marius - x 4
Stan Matthews - x 1
Tony Singleton - x 1
Soran Barber - x 3
| View details | |||
Tue 25/06/2024 |
2 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Tide - 5.38m
Keith Pickering - x 2
Drew Atkins - x 6
| View details | |||
Thu 27/06/2024 |
6 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Tide - 5.31m
Will sail with 5 anglers.
Marius - x 4
| View details | |||
Sat 03/08/2024 |
1 Space Available
Wreck & Reef Tide - 5.11m
Rob Waterworth - x 1
Jamie Britton - x 1
Nick Gray - x 2
Robert Blackburn - x 2
Calvin Dipper - x 2
Leanne Urwin - x 1
| View details | |||
Thu 08/08/2024 |
7 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Tide - 5.43m
Will sail with 5 anglers.
Jeff Turner - x 1
Lucian Timandi - x 1
Stan Matthews - x 1
| View details | |||
Fri 09/08/2024 |
3 Spaces Available
Species Hunt Comp
Ian Kellock - x 1
Dave Sharp - x 1
Ian Steadman - 1
Ken Wood - x 1
Tony Barrett - x 1
Neil Fell-Edwards - x 1
Simon West - x 1
| View details | |||
Sun 11/08/2024 |
2 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Tide - 4.99m
Will Freeman - x 3
Mark Heavey - x 2
Aaron, Andy, Brad - x 3
| View details | |||
Wed 28/08/2024 |
5 Spaces Available
Good Wrecking Tide - 4.54m Tide
Peter Burton - x 2
Martin Novo - x 1
Stan Matthews - x 1
Keith Pickering - x 1
| View details | |||
Sun 01/09/2024 |
4 Spaces Available
Autumn Festival
Wreck & Reef Tide - 5.14m
Richard Cunliffe - x 2
Ian Kellock - x 1
Keith McCance - x 1
Gary Woliter - x 2
| View details | |||
Thu 05/09/2024 |
9 Spaces Available
Autumn Festival
Wreck & Reef Tide - 5.56m
Will sail with 5 anglers.
Jeff Turner - x 1
| View details | |||
Tue 10/09/2024 |
4 Spaces Available
Autumn Festival
Wreck & Reef Tide - 4.79m
Peter Burton - x 2
Nic Morris - x 2
Ian Carter - x 1
Stan Matthews - x 1
| View details | |||
Mon 16/09/2024 |
7 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Tide - 5.14m
Will sail with 5 anglers.
Volker - x 3
| View details | |||
Tue 24/09/2024 |
5 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Tide - 5.08m
David Craine - x 2
Richard Stubbs - x 1
Jane - x 1
Richard Horner - x 1
| View details | |||
Thu 26/09/2024 |
7 Spaces Available
Good Wrecking Tide - 4.39m
Will sail with 5 anglers.
Dave & Del - x 2
Stan Matthews - x 1
| View details | |||
Fri 27/09/2024 |
9 Spaces Available
Good Wrecking Tide - 4.43m
Will sail with 5 anglers.
Jamie Britton - x 1
| View details | |||
Sun 29/09/2024 |
7 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Tide - 4.89m
Will sail with 5 anglers.
Peter Burton - x 2
Neil Fell-Edwards - x 1
| View details | |||
Sat 05/10/2024 |
3 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Tide - 5.49m
Trev Crunkhorn - x 7
| View details | |||
Sun 06/10/2024 |
3 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Tide - 5.39m
Trev Crunkhorn - x 7
| View details |
Reviews
Summary:
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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.
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Rob Noble (17/01/2022)
What a great day out. Andy’s knowledge of the fishing grounds was bob on (always moving to better locations in search of more fish). I’ve been put off charter fishing in the past by various ‘uninterested’ skippers, Andy is not like this, he has a zest for being out and catching fish and will help anyone in need of a few pointers. We will definitely be back very soon! Thanks again.
RobSkippers Reponse: Thanks Rob.
It was great having you on board, thanks for the kind words. You were both great company. Look forward to seeing you again soon. Hopefully Sammy will give us a break next time!! -
Nick Chandley (09/08/2021)
A great day out that my son and I had been really looking forward to. Everything fell into place and Andy, Pete and the other people on the boat went the extra mile to help a pair of novices have a successful and very memorable trip. Highly recommended and I’m sure we’ll be back!
Skippers Reponse: Thank you for the kind words Nick. You both did brilliantly; took on all the advice and fished really well. Looking forward to seeing you on board again soon.
Best Regards
Andy
Location
Bait & Tackle
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At HOOK, LINE & SINKER
WHITBY, North Yorkshire, Yorkshire and the Humber, England
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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: 17 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 | Pollock | Tope | Tub Gurnard | Whiting | Wolf Fish
Latest Catches 774 photos uploaded
Latest Fishing Reports and News
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18/05/2024
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
18 May 2024 by Andy Savage
Well that was a day of two halves!! When you look at the images, you’d think the pictures were taken on different days.
I had a group of regular experienced anglers aboard today. With a somewhat “potentially iffy” looking forecast with North Westerly winds, I gave everyone the option of cancelling, but with almost everyone keen to have a go, we left just after 0600hrs with the radar on and headed out into the fog. With four hours of the Ebb tide to fish, we started on a couple of wrecks only 3.5 miles from the pier ends. The first one produced a few Codling, with my cousin Dave Coverdale taking the biggest at a 5lb, but the action died off after 40 minutes or so.
We hopped to the one next door and whilst this one wasn’t heaving with fish, we took a good sized Codling (along with a few smaller samples) each drift. Dave Bewley took the biggest off that wreck with a nice Cod of 9lb 4oz and Neil Fell-Edwards had a new Pb Codling of 6lb 2oz. For the remainder of the Ebb we fished a further three wrecks and picked fish off all of them. Nothing enormous, but every drift saw a couple dragged up. The usual suspects of muppet traces or Hokkai’s baited with squid or Mackerel did the business as #standard.
Once the Flood Tide pushed through, we had wind and tide together, which made the drift a bit quick for fishing the wrecks effectively, so we spent the afternoon on the rough ground. The five mile ground looked very green, so after only one drift we moved out a couple of miles and found a bit more water clarity. This also coincided with the fog lifting and a beautiful afternoon spent in the sun.
That kept us entertained for around 90 minutes taking a few each drift, then we finished up on the nine mile ground. Everyone fished well and the rods ticked over nicely all day, which to be honest far exceeded my expectations. It was another day spent in great company so a big thanks to all the lads….top dangling today -
16/05/2024
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
16 May 2024 by Andy Savage
It’s fair to say, that today was the most productive day we’ve had this year! Mark Johnson, Bob Nicholls and Jeff Hoggard had the boat booked for themselves and are great anglers and always fantastic company.
Having looked at the forecast the day before, it appeared that the Northerly wind would begin to lift a bit, late morning which could make for difficult fishing conditions. The lads were all happy to get away early and make the most of the favourable early morning conditions. We departed shortly after 0400hrs just as first light broke, and ran 90 minutes North across a flat, glassy sea…..it was a stunning morning. However, it turned out to be short lived as we ran into a fog bank after 7 miles and spent the rest of the day on the radar!!
On arrival at the first wreck there were feedmarks everywhere; I’ve never seen that wreck “lit up” so much. I set up the first drift and with the small tide and no wind, we barely moved. Within a minute the rods were buckled over and we had a great three hour stint, clumping plenty of fish. The first half prior to slack water, we had mainly Codling, but a good stamp; with Bob taking the biggest at 8lb and Jeff chipping in with a couple of 7’s along with plenty in the 4-5lb class.
As we lost the Ebb Tide, the Ling came on the feed and we had a number of fish in the 6-8lb range, then Jeff took the biggest of the day at a very honest 9lb 15oz winning the “Greatest Angler Trophy” that they always fish for.
Muppet bait traces with Squid or Mackerel dominated, but Bob also did well on a set of Gummimacks.
We chose to run to another wreck six miles away to finish off the day. The wind had just begun to lift a notch as we arrived, but pleasingly all three rods went in again on the first drift. It fished well for about 45 minutes with a nice mix of Codling and Ling and a couple of Pollock, then gradually as the wind increased and the lines started streaming, sport slowed right down. We took only five fish in the last 45 minutes before calling it a day at 1130hrs and steaming back to Whitby.
A fantastic day out, with great fishing and great company….see you in July lads. -
15/05/2024
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
15 May 2024 by Andy Savage
After a long weekend off with pesky South Easterly winds, today we had a nice settled day with a small neap tide. With a group of my regular experienced anglers aboard, I knew we’d have a good day before I even cast off from the pontoon. Everyone was on early, so we got away just after 0600hrs using the last of the Ebb and ran North to have a go on a few of the inshore wrecks, as there are signs that the water is beginning to clear out nicely.
First stop there wasn’t much tide, but we had half a dozen drifts and picked up a couple of fish each drift. Ian Kellock took the best Codling at just over 5lb. We pushed on after 45 minutes or so and tried a couple of small wrecks, for very little return. The drift line of the boat had us running straight out to sea, which I don’t think is the best as we were crossing the small wrecks, as opposed to running along them. I moved us to a bigger wreck to give us more time on the drift and that worked quite well.
We spent the next couple of hours picking away nicely. We caught plenty on squid baited muppet traces, but we also had a good return on the shads. Just as I was about to move on Charlie Hewitt connected with something a bit better and without incident, he brought up a nice Ling just short of 11lb. We fished a further three wrecks for the day which all produced fish, it was just a lovely day out.
Sean O Brien hadn’t done much Shad Fishing before, but was keen to have a go and I think he did a great job, catching regularly throughout the day. The lads christened him “Sean the Shad” which made me chuckle.
Everyone got a fair few fish today, but considering their experience and the small wrecking tide, it didn’t surprise me at all.
There was a lot of mickey taking and great banter all day. One of my most entertaining and enjoyable of the year. Thanks lads. -
11/05/2024
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
11 May 2024 by Andy Savage
To go, or not to go……that is the question!
With a decent weather “forecast” yesterday, giving mainly light winds, we had a run out. It was a Spring Tide (5.6m), but without the wind, it would certainly be fishable (as it was the day before). A group of mixed experience anglers joined us for the day.
With less than 2 hours before slack water, we started the day on the 5 mile rough ground, with a view to dropping on a nearby wreck at slack. We clipped a few fish on squid baited Hokkai’s just as the tide began to ease, then shuffled across to the wreck. The wreck gave us a fair few fish to Squid baited muppet traces, but nothing of any size. The biggest Codling being around 4lb.
As the Ebb tide got away, we fished the seven mile ground and then moved out to the nine mile ground. Simon and Diane Mulgrave fished with their lines running under the boat all day and caught consistently in very tricky conditions. Most people struggle under the boat, but they both handled it like Pro’s.
Unlike the forecast predicted, on the turn of tide the South Easterly wind began to lift and build. Within the hour, we went from 1.2 knots on the drift to 2.5 knots (which was almost unfishable).
Credit to everyone aboard, they kept plugging away. The lines were streaming off even with 16oz leads, but odd fish kept coming up. Mainly Whiting and an odd Codling. Soran Barber took the sweepstake with a Codling less than 5lb. It very quickly turned into a day that if I had known the actual outcome of the weather, I would have cancelled in a heartbeat.
I completely understand that anglers want to get out fishing, but sometimes it’s not about dangerous sea conditions. In my mind, there is absolutely no point going out to sea when you won’t be able to fish effectively. Fishing is meant to be fun and enjoyable, not a war of attrition. The South Easterly winds this weekend, whilst not strong, are enough to make fishing conditions very difficult/pointless.
All I can say is, I rely on your support and business to keep Sea Urchin going, but I’m not prepared to take anglers out to fish when I know in my heart of hearts, that we’ll be flogging the proverbial “Dead Horse”
If you’ve managed to get to this point in the post without falling asleep, well done. -
06/05/2024
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
6 May 2024 by Andy Savage
Two day report aboard Sea Urchin……
Sunday was a 14hr trip and we planned to run offshore to try a couple of wrecks which are rarely visited. I had a great bunch aboard who understood the high risk strategy and were prepared to potentially run out there for nothing, but hoping (as I was) that we may contact a couple of bigger than average fish due to the lack of pressure.
After a 4hr steam with loads of banter we arrived at the first wreck, which was the smaller of the two. We ran four drifts for one small Codling and I moved us on. With an hour of the Ebb tide to go until slack water, we started drifting the next wreck. Pleasingly there were some fish present and some drifts saw a couple of fish, whilst others gave four or five. A mix of Codling and Ling kept us entertained until slack, when it quietened off.
We held out until the Flood came through and started catching again, with similar frequency as before. Unfortunately the wreck seemed to have some old net or rope through it as we lost quite a lot of gear. Pawel Perczynski had a good day taking a fish most drifts on baited Hokkai’s, whilst Ian Kellock won the sweep with a small Ling of only 5lb 8oz.
We rode it out for the remainder of the day, but it was a bit disappointing/frustrating that we didn’t find a fish over 5lb 8oz all day. But; as they say…..nothing ventured nothing gained.
Today we had a group of mixed experience anglers and a bigger tide. We planned to spend the day exploring the rough ground; running out to the five mile to start off. We took half a dozen Codling, then we pushed out a couple of miles and managed to find a few fish every drift and everyone was getting regular bites on the baited Hokkai’s. We took mainly Codling, some small and a few around the 4lb mark. We also had, Ling, Pollock, Coalie’s, Pouting, Whiting, Dab’s and a Cuckoo Wrasse!
With only eight anglers aboard, I had a go with the Shads and managed to pick up fish regularly all day. The water is definitely clearing out.
Star of the show was Charlotte Clough who tried hard all day and had a couple of lovely Codling. Thanks everyone, you were great company and fished really well.