Anyway Yesterday had been a success and it lifted my spirits for the forthcoming months with clear signs that all we need is some good weather for the fish to start to come out to play. Yesterday I had Richard and his colleagues on. The lads all left with a decent few fish each which mostly fell to the shad.

.

Richard had 4 drops and got 4 fish on the shad.

Paul.

Have finally set a date for the long awaited and promised  father and sons/daughters half day boat fishing trip

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

  open the post then click the link 

  http://whitby-sea-fishing.co.uk/?p=1089

Mick Sea Urchin II

We made our way down to robin hoods and got the boat set on one of my favourite spots. No sooner than the lines were in the water and I was into a fish, only for sammy the seal to literally bite the fish in half at the side of the boat.

Well that was a fine start and to put it bluntly the seal stayed with us for the next couple of hours. We managed a few codlings but I always feel when the seal is about the fish will stay well clear of the area, so I decided on a move.

I said “come on lads lets go and have a go wrecking”. It was such a lovely day and on the plus side the water will be clearing fast. We steamed off for about 1 hour, we started on wreck around slack tide and it wasn’t long before some nice cod were coming over the gunells, plus a couple of nice ling.

The lads were all using squid. As time went by you could see the water was gradually getting clearer. Just before we set off for home one of the lads dropped a shad down with no bait on, and bang he went straight into a fish. On the next drift over the same mark, he went straight into a fish again.

This is the time of year when shads seem to really come into play, and with the weather looking nice for tommorow fingers crossed for some more nice fish. The shads will be put to the test once again.

 So to start, the mackerel is part of the pelagic fish group (fish who spend most of there lives in the upper part of the ocean,) so is the barracuda and tuna and if you look at the species side by side you can see the resemblance size apart of course,

As I explained in a previous post  most of the fishing done on a charter boat is on or near the bottom, mackerel fishing is just the opposite, usually most fish come on the boat from between depths of 15 feet and 60 feet, the tackle need only be light but most anglers use there 20lb class rod which doubles up for shad fishing during the day same thing with the reel really no need for super lightweight gear on a charter trip as the aim is to get your fish in the boat before they can make a mess of yours and everyone else’s line’s,

  Now the usual method for catching these critters is to fish a trace of feathers (FEATHERS) I hear you say? Yes feathers, these are fixed to small hooks around 1/0 in size but they can be as large as 3/0,  when wet the feathers  pulled up through the water give the appearance of small fry swimming one behind the other they seem irresistible to the mackerel, some times instead of feathers refraction tape is fixed to the hooks or silver tape all work well when the mackerel are huge in numbers but when scarce you will need to play around with colours sometimes red do the trick other times black or plain white, I have witnessed one angler pulling them in one after the other while other anglers fail all because of the colour on the day

 If you are the practical type you can easily tie your own own rigs which can be relaxing as well as saving you money, last year I made some simple three hook rigs which were made from red surgical rubber tube and a couple of beads attached to three 2/0 hooks on 30lb mono with a simple loop at each end, they lasted ages longer than the rubbish Chinese imports on the market and only cost a few pence each,

 a quick word on rigs keep the number of hooks down to a minimum, on one trip I remember trying to prove the point by challenging one know it all to see who could land the most in 10 minuets I was using only two hooks while he was trying to fish two 6 hook rigs one on top of the other! so with 10 more hooks than me we started and by the time I had 10 fish on the boat he was still trying to untangle his rig which had tangled all the other anglers on the boat,  he was not a popular man that day so KEEP IT SIMPLE is the advice

  The basic technique I use is to let the lead sink for the count of 10 then stop the the lead by pressing my thumb hard on the spool, I then lift the rod sharp to the 12 o’clock position and then lower the rod tip at the same speed as the lead falls keeping the line reasonably taught so as to remain in contact with the lead, when your tip is just short of the surface lift back up to the 12 o’clock then simply repeat the process around 5 times, if you get no takes release the pressure from your thumb and drop down further to another count of 5  and try again, still no fish drop deeper still another count to five try again, once at around 60 feet wind up and start over again,

 This way you will find exactly at what depth the shoal is feeding beneath the boat, you will know when the fish take within a second you feel the fish fighting and I mean fighting, pound for pound  you will struggle to find a harder fighting fish than the humble mackerel even on heavy boat  tackle

 Now here comes the fun you have your fish or fishes hooked the trick is to get them in the boat with as little fuss as possible, these fish are pure muscle and pulling in all directions up down left right across and over each other, and if the bloke next to you is into fish as well then probably the rest of the boat is! so there could well be over 20 or 30 fish on the hooks in the top 50 foot of water going crazy  now is the time not to play your fish, or panic

  As soon as you know you have fish on start winding don’t allow the fish to take any line at all, as soon as your top swivel breaks the surface place you rod against the hand rails reach over and grab hold of the top swivel /clip  with your left hand (if you are r/handed) and lift the rig clear of the water leaving the whole lot OUTSIDE the boat,

 the string of fish will now be hanging outside the boat with the lead in the water helping to keep them steady grab a good hold of the top fish and  UN hook it carefully and after dropping the fish in a bucket to then move on to the next one keeping hold of the hook above it  and so on until all the fish are in the bucket, I find a bucket preferable to a fish box with the mackerel as they are more confined they create less mess,

At all times keep the hooks away from your face, NEVER EVER swing a string of mackerel in over the hand rail on a bent and loaded rod if just one drops off the whole lot will catapult back into the boat with the fish still full of life riving and pulling hooks into somebodies head could be yours, believe me I have seen this done many times by regular anglers who should know better

The procedure I have just given you is the safest method of any, yes you may loose a few fish every time but what the hell there are probably millions under the boat and once a shoal starts to feed they just seem to encourage more fish to join in they often drift with the boat for ages so you can afford to loose a few off in the name of safety.

 I prefer to dispatch and gut the fish I intend to keep for the table immediately by holding the fish upside down in my left hand and placing the thumb of my right hand in it’s mouth, I then bend the fishes head back wards very quickly this kills them instantly, undersized fish are simply returned UN harmed, the only sharp bit on a mackerel is a small spike near the vent which you will only feel when drawing your hand from the tail to the head from the under belie and is no real threat, 

 it’s safer than trying to kill them with a priest they wriggle and rive so much you have more chance of dispatching your hand.

while talking about spikes on fish if you cannot identify your catch ask the skipper before you grab it, some fish can inflict a nasty sting such as weaver fish and gurnards

only take enough fish that you can comfortably eat in a couple of days,

 (you will be amazed at the flavour if eaten on the same day) mackerel will not keep for more than that in the fridge and frozen mackerel turns to mush when defrosted unless cooked first, if you must freeze mackerel do so in vacuumed bags so they don’t taint the rest of your food,

My favourite mackerel recipe,

MICK’S MACKERELLAS………… must be freshly caught

Skin and  bone 4 mackerel fillets, (after skinning I cut out the lateral line leaving two bone free goujons per fillet) then place the fillets in a bowl add just enough white vinegar to cover, leave in the fridge for 3/4 hours or until the flesh turns pure white, (don’t leave too long or the fillets will fall apart) drain and dry the fish sprinkle with olive oil and coarse sea salt and a little finely chopped garlic, this recipe has never failed to impress and is an excellent summer dish served cold on a crisp salad with fresh buttered bread.

   PERFECT

 To sum up mackerel fishing from a charter boat is great fun for all the family as long as it’s carried out safely the mackerel can be caught from early July to late October, its especially good fun for youngsters who tire quickly as there is little winding up and down to be done fishing near the surface, I can still remember my first mackerel trip on a boat Ahhhha those were the days,

during 2010 I intend to arrange a farther and sons or daughters day, which will be during the summer and on a Saturday or Sunday, the trip will be around half a day in duration during the mackerel season, I will post more information up soon on my own website keep a look out here www.whitby-sea-fishing.co.uk  or better still why not join the RSS feed on my site that way you will be alerted of all my posts

 Enjoy your fishing and keep safe Sea Urchin Mick.

Today (Tuesday 25th January) we had Paul and Jimmy on from Southport. We stared on the inshore wrecks on the 4 and 5 mile grounds where we got some nice codling. However the water just wasnt right and so we headed out and ended up on the 9 mile ground. It fished very well with squid doing the damage.

Paul and jimmy get a nice cod on the 1st drift on the 9 mile.

Paul with his best cod it went over 13lb.

The lads with a couple of there best.

The most common type of boat fishing we do during the Spring, Summer, and Autumn is drift fishing and as its name implies the boat drifts along while you fish, the boat will be at the mercy of the tide and wind for however long it takes to drift the mark we are fishing (could be a wreck or rough ground) when I give the word as quickly as possible and all together drop your baited hook lure or whatever to the sea bed and keep it there until I shout wind up or until you feel a fish on the other end whichever comes first, simple yes? 

Well not quite,  here lies the beginners confusion when dropping the bait he or she expects the (1lb recommended) lead to drop straight down instead it pulls to one side or under the boat why? Well once the lead drops beneath the surface your lead will tend to follow the tides direction as would the boat if it were not for the wind above the surface, if the wind is particularly strong and blowing hard you may find you have trouble finding the bottom in these conditions it’s important to drop down all together to avoid tangles and as fast as possible see drawing example

The tides we can predict smaller tides produce less drift so it goes big tides give a faster drift it’s direction and strength can be predicted the wind is a different matter and sometimes in our favour and sometimes against, the skilled angler will in all but extreme conditions be able to keep his or her bait on the bottom by letting line out from an open reel as the boat drifts away from the mark thus keeping in contact with the fish near the sea bed, we do catch fish in all tides big or small there are no hard and fast rules but less wind will help, still the most important thing is to keep your bait on the bottom that way you will have the most success as most of our quarry are on or near the bottom,

 (except the mackerel fishing  which is done near the surface I will cover this in another post soon, I also intend to cover other basic boat techniques soon)

Here are some tips and angling boat etiquette to help during your trip, which ever boat you use these simple tips will help you fit in with regular anglers and keep on the good side of your skipper, most is common sense and courtesy 

Research from our websites and forums before you come you will gain much info here, you will have much more scope if you can come mid week in summer as weekends  do go fast, 

Bring warm clothing and rain wear as well as waterproof  boots drinks and food, I have witnessed  anglers setting off to sea in  t-shirts with nothing but a can of coke,   warm sunny days can be deceiving in the harbour and once at sea it’s usually very different 

Remember to bring any medication you need along with sea sickness tablets you must check with your doctor first and tell the skipper if you have medical issues fainting, fits, diabetic, heart issues, this is for your safety 

Once on board keep your place it’s courtesy to other anglers to keep your positions for the day unless you are offered otherwise, when fishing there is no best spot the skipper will try share under the boat drifts out equally, the person who usually catches the most will be concentrating on fishing the bottom and not watching what others are doing or catching  

A skippers wheel house is like his second home,your skipper has to be constantly tuned into the radio along with navigational instruments and he has to be always aware of other shipping and it’s direction, even more so in rain and fog so please understand he has an important job to do keeping you safe, I understand anglers are keen and want to chat on the way out and during the day this is only natural and I also enjoy the process , but please don’t expect to spend the day in his wheel house or sit and eat your dinner there or assume it’s a refuge from the weather as I said earlier just a little consideration will go a long way

When sailing out or between marks place the lead and end tackle on the deck or in a bucket that way it wont clank about or swing into somebody’s face also when bringing your gear back into the boat first thing you grab is the lead NOT the line

The best of us sometimes gets the reel tangled but by making sure when winding your gear back in from the sea bed you keep the line level across the whole of the spool you will get few if any tangles when dropping the lead back down, to do this you simply push the line from side to side with your thumb during the winding in process, if you do get in a tangle shout up the sooner you shout the easier it is for me to untangle it

Most modern sea reels are now the multiplying type some reels may have a level wind fitted mine do not, I find them  unreliable for charter use, some boats still use the old big round drum type (Scarborough reel) and while simple in principle they are very robust but still will tangle in use, the thing to remember with the Scarborough reel is you control the drop using your hand as a brake on the drum, there is no need to keep the line level on the retrieve

 Steady winding is the best way to bring your fish up from the depths while keeping the line even across the spool this will aid a fast drop on the next drift, jerking and puling or fast winding is what you see in the movies and will only help pull the hook from the fishes mouth, if you think you have a big fish on just shout me I will get the landing net

 When bringing a fish into the boat place your rod down against the hand rail grab the line hand over hand until you reach the fish do not swing fish in on a loaded or bent rod if the fish drops off the lead and hooks are catapulted back into the boat creating great risk to everyone   lift your catch in or use the landing net

During the inevitable tangles please listen to the person with his hands in the middle of the tangled hooks usually me no pulling or yanking even if you have a fish on I have had many a hook pulled into my hand by anglers saying he can feel the fish when all the while it was me

Keeping your reel in free spool until you get a bite  it will help you in paying line out to stay on the bottom, also it will help if you get stuck on the sea bed you can simply let a yard or two of line quickly out and wrap the loose line from the last eye of the fishing rod around either a short breaking out stick or the butt of the rod, held against the hand rails as the boat drifts will save many a broken fishing rod

And never be tempted to wrap the line around your hand if stuck on the bottom use a break out stick or the butt of the rod as described

Another useful bit of advise for your first time boat fishing is to use a fast drop lead of around a lb in weight this may seem over the top and to the experienced boat angler it will be, but until you are used to finding the bottom consistently with mono line and in all tide strengths, stick with the lb lead, you can try a smaller size leads in smaller tides with less wind  on another trip please don’t be tempted to use whatever you have in the shed such as nuts and bolts, old taps, horse shoes, these will float down wrapping everyone’s gear up in the decent a fast drop lead will have you on the mark like lightning

    WRONG!!!!

 PERFECT

Please keep your fish in one of the fish boxes provided all are numbered nobody will take your fish, and leave the box in the rack this frees up the deck and keeps your catch out of the sun 

Please don’t try to fillet fish while underway with a blunt knife you will make a much neater job at home in the kitchen, and a major cut at sea we do not need, and please don’t ask to use my knife, you may use your own for gutting and bait cutting but please be careful and use the cutting boards provided and not my boat please.

 I will be on hand to help with any other questions you may have and please ask most is  common sense and nearly everyone picks it up during the day

I do hope you try your hand at boat fishing from our beautiful port here in Whitby I will do my best to make your day a memorable one

Mick Leonard skipper Sea Urchin II

www.whitby-sea-fishing.co.uk

read more – http://www.whitbyseaanglers.co.uk/fishing-with-a-pirk

For about a decade now, the sea anglers at Whitby have been utilising a revolutionary cod bait by the name of CART. Credit for uncovering the cod luring properties lies with the pioneering shore anglers from the region, however in recent times, anglers fishing on the Whitby Charter Boats have also found Cart to be an excellent cod bait for both winter uptiding and summer drift fishing over the wrecks and rough ground for cod.

So – What Is Cart ??

Cart is nothing other than the insides of a large edible crab. Anglers often buy a few stone of live edibles and scoop out their insides into either bait sized finger bandage, or cling film wraps. Some anglers also use sausage machines, whilst others prefer to freeze it in blocks and cut it into bait size pieces once frozen.

Some of the local tackle shops sell cart in Kilo Blocks which supply enough for about 30 -50 baits (Depending on size).

How to fish Cart

As already mentioned, Cart is an excellent bait for uptiding and drift fishing for cod. The bait parcels are simply whipped onto your hook using a good quality elasticated cotton. For uptiding it is a good idea to mix your cart in a cocktail presentation with other baits such as worm and mussel. When drift fishing in the summer, Cart can be used on its own or in conjunction with Squid.

As with all baits, Cart is not always going to catch you a fish. But if the fish are on Cart on the day of your trip then you would be foolish not to carry any. For more information on Cart and its availability please speak to your skipper or make a post in our fishing forum

Also Worth A Read.

Cart – A Great Shore Fishing Bait
Forum Topics On Cart

but the fishing season produced plenty of fish and it was a good year for large cod the largest was just over 18lb and the largest ling went over 24lb along with a host of other fish  remember this is 2009 and not 1989 when fish were in abundance  not many anglers can claim  to have caught fish of this size last year from whitby me included, lets hope 2010 will prove to be even better than the last,

over the next few months I will be modifying the boat with the intention of giving anglers even more comfort, I intend to add folding seating which can be used when steaming between fishing marks and quickly folded back when not needed alsoI will be raising the forward hand rail giving me the option when conditions are favaroble to allow anglers to fish down one side and across the stern of the boat without lines working under the keel, anyone who fishes on boats will know how uncomfortable this can be especially during big tides, I will also be changing the colour this year back to the old and familiar sea urchin orange below is a gallery of some of your best fish last year well done and thank you for your business

Mick Leonard skipper

Please click on the thumbnails to view the following images in full size.