Recreational sea angling strategy - good or bad news for the reasons sea anglers ?

Well the first draft of the recreational sea anglers strategy has been published and controversy over the document has ensued. Many anglers see this document as beneficial for the sea anglers of our country. However many including myself think that quite the opposite is true. I believe that the rsa strategy could potentially be damaging to sea angling.

Within the sea anglers strategy measures of control over angling are discussed and these include the possible introduction of a sea angling licence and restrictions on anglers catches through bag limits. With little or no evidence available of bag limits having a conservationist effect on fish stocks and the potential impact such measures could have on the uk's charter fleets and angling this measure I feel should be campaigned against and removed from the sea anglers strategy.

To read more of my thoughts on this issue please visit the rsa strategy page of the whitby sea anglers website.

Another Double

After many years of Cod fishing on the Yorkshire coast I caught my first double figure cod back in Nov 2003. The fish weighed 14 pounds 8 ounces and was part of a 5 fish haul for 30 pounds exactly. I remember the night well (how could I forget it) and remember loosing another fish of similar size right at my feet on the same night. There was a huge south easterly swell running into Runswick bay and the water was the colour of chocolate. I missed several bites and half of the 4 hour match had gone before I got the first fish of about 5 pounds in weight, then on the next cast a felt a slight tap and I wound down hoping it was another bite. After a few seconds the rod lunged forward and when I hit it I knew it was the fish I'd been waiting for for all those years. I remmber how good it felt to see the scales at the weigh in go around to 14 pounds and I remmber hardly sleeping a wink with excitement that night.

Well 3 years later I hooked another. Not quite as big at 10 pounds 4 ounces but it still felt great. This time from Robin hoods bay but the sea direction was the same again although not quite as big. A south easterly with chocolate coloured water seems to be luck for me. Hopefully I'll get around to scanning the picture in soon. A fantastic fish that thought hard all the way to my feet, and again just like last time I lost another decent 1 on the next cast. Perhaps it is true what people say about double figure fish swimming together.

Whitby Fishing Club Results For December 2006

December 2006

Sunday 17th December 2006 - Christmas Match

Sunday saw the members of the Whitby fishing club head out for their annual Christmas match between 2 and 7 pm. Anglers fished a light north westerly swell on a small ebbing tide with heavily coloured water in places. Eighteen anglers returned to the scales with a mixture of cod, whitings, flounders and rockling. William Atkinson was this years Christmas champion with 2 fine cod for 14 pounds 12 ounces. Within this match second place always goes to the angler with the heaviest single fish which this year was Colin Stainthorpe with a fine cod of 5 pounds 14 ounces. After the match all the anglers went to the fleece public house where all entrants of the match received a prize and a free Christmas meal. The club would like to thank Dave Perret for organising all the prizes, and The fleece landlord Mike for his hospitality and excellent cooking.

Results: 1st W Atkinson 14-12(2), 2nd (heaviest fish) C Stainthorpe 5-14 (total of 6-5 for 2 fish), G Kilpatrick 7-9(13), D Thompson 7-8(4), P Hoy 5-5(1), R Allison 4-15(2), P Mead 4-2(3), M Pitman 3-3(2), B Harland 2-12(3), D Waters jnr1-15(1), D Perett 1-15(2), P Kilpatrick 1-11(1), B Vasey 1-8(1), A Craig 1-7(2), D Mcarthy 1-3(2), D Craig jnr 0-15(2), J Kendrew jnr 0-14(1), J Ebbison 0-8(1).

Wednesday 13th December 2006

Gale forced south westerly winds again made the going difficult for the members of the Whitby Fishing club in their 3 hour mid week match fished on a small flood to high tide. Andy Craig had his first win since rejoining the club after several years away. Andy's bag of 8 whiting and 2 flounders weighing 5 pounds 10 ounces gave him joint first with Glenn Kilpatrick who had 9 whiting for the same weight. In third place on the night was Phil Mead with 7 whitings for 4 pounds 7 ounces.

Results: 1st A Craig 5-8(10) and G Kilpatrick 5-8(9), 3rd P Mead 4-7(7), P Kilpatrick 2-14(2), B Harland 1-9(2), M Breckon 1-8(2), T Wright 1-6(2), D Craig jnr 1-4(1), C Stainthorpe 1-3(2), D Perett 1-2(2), M Vasey 0-11(1), P Dryden 0-8(1).

Sunday 10th December 2006

Cloughton Open 2006

Heaviest Fish Match

Open Boundaries

Fishing 10am-4pm

Low water : 1.20 pm 2.2 ebb.

Sunday saw the members of the Whitby sea angling club fish the annual Cloughton Open match which was also the club match for this weekend. A slight north westerly swell and coloured water at most marks gave good conditions in this small low tide match. The winner was Cloughton's Alec Bayes with a cod of 5 pounds 12 ounces. Alec who is the Cloughton club's longest serving club member won £300. Second place went to Whitby club member Dennis Thompson with a cod of 5 pounds 3 ounces. Scarborough Matt Hillaby took 3rd with a cod of 4 pounds 12 ounces. The prize for the heaviest bag of codlings went to Scarborough angler Ray Maddison who caught 4 cod for 9 pounds 14 ounces.

Results : 1st Alec Bayes - Scarborough - 5lb 12oz , 2nd Dennis Thompson - Whitby - 5lb 3oz ,3rd Matty Hillaby - Scarborough - 4lb 12oz

Heaviest Bag of Codlings

Ray Maddison - Scarborough - 4 cod - 9lb 14oz

Congratulations to Alec, the club's Chairman & probably longest serving member.

Thanks to Duane & Julie at the Red Lion for their sponsorship & hospitality, all who gave prizes, the Tackle Shops who sold tickets for us, & finally & not least to all who entered.

Results of the Whitby Match

1st D Thompson 5-3(1), 2nd P Hoy 2-12(1), 3rd D Perett 2-7(1), W Atkinson 1-13(1), C Stainthorpe 1-4(1).

Wednesday 6th December 2006

With the prevailing weather still coming from the south west the conditions for sea fishing on the east coast remain less than perfect. Despite this whenever there has been a bit of swell there has been some good fishing as Dave Perett proved in Wednsday's ebb tide match. Dave managed to locate a venue where a slight long distance northerly sea swell was stirring the bottom which helped him catch 3 fish for 11 pounds 2 ounces, the biggest of which was a fine cod of 8 pounds 15 ounces. Glenn Kilpatrick came second with 16 whiting for 10 pounds 4 ounces. Bernado Vasey found a couple of decent sized codling for 5 pounds 13 ounces which gave him third place on the night.

Results : 1st Dave Perett 11-2(3), 2nd Glenn Kilpatrick 10-4(16), 3rd Bernado Vasey 5-13(2), M Breckon 3-8(4), D Thompson 2-0(2), D Waters jnr 1-10(1), R Allison 1-6(1), A Cass 1-4(2), P Hoy 1-4(1), M Vasey 0-13(1), C Stainthorpe 0-13(1), M Robinson 0-7(1), D Mcarthy 0-6(1), D Smith jnr 0-5(1), P Kilpatrick 0-5(1), P Mead 0-4(1).

Sunday 3rd December 2006

A storm forced south westerly wind made conditions difficult for the Whitby sea anglers as they turned out to fish their 4 hour Sunday night match over low water. A slight south easterly swell and heavily coloured water gave better prospects on the cod front and this was shown in the results with catches being up on the past few weeks. Glenn Kilpatrick had a good night weighing in 5 fish for 19 pounds 4 ounces the biggest of which was a fine cod of 10 pounds 4 ounces. Glenn's bag and fish now lead the way in the club competitions for the heaviest fish and bag for both the month of December and for the season. Paul Kilpatrick came in second on the night with 3 fish for 10 pounds 10 ounces, Paul also had a decent fish of 6 pounds 1 ounces. Brian Harland completed the places on the night with 5 fish for 8 pounds 8 ounces.

Results: 1st Glenn Kilpatrick 19-04(5), 2nd Paul Kilpatrick 10-10(3), 3rd Brian Harland 8-8(5), M Vasey 4-0(2), D Perett 3-12(4), A Kelly 3-2(1), D Mcarthy 2-3(2), P Mead 2-3(1), J Ebbison 1-14(2), D Thompson 1-8(2), T Wright 1-5(2), D Smith 0-9(1), D Sullivan 0-7(1).

Whitby Sea Fishing Club - Results for November 2006

Wednesday 29th November 2006

The autumn storms and northerly swells from the start of the month now seem like an age ago. South or south westerly winds bringing calm seas seem to be dominating the weather at the moment and this means the chances of catching codling are few and far between. In Wednesday nights match the majority of anglers headed to the beaches in search of whiting and flounders, only Paul Kilpatrick managed to find a codling from the rocks. Glenn Kilpatrick won this match with 20 whitings for 12 pounds 12 ounces. Brian Harland caught 5 whiting and a flounder to take third place with 3 pounds 15 ounces. In third place was Mike Breckon with 5 whitings for 3 pounds 13 ounces.

Results : 1st G Kilpatrick 12-12(20), 2nd B Harland 3-15(6), 3rd M Breckon 3-13(5), W Atkinson 3-0(4), D Perett 2-4(2), P Kilpatrick 1-14(1), D Sullivan 1-5(2), P Dryden 1-4(3), J Kendrew 0-9(1), A Craig 0-9(1), B Vasey 0-7(1).

Sunday 26th November 2006 - Whitby Open

Sunday saw the Whitby Sea Anglers Association hold their annual open match between 10am and 4pm. With flat calm seas and bright sunlight, conditions were poor for codling fishing. Eighty Anglers fished and only 12 returned to the scales with fish.

In the senior section which was a cod only match the day belonged to Mick Chadwick of Scarborough who managed to land 5 codling's for a total weight of 8 pounds 7 ounces earning him a cheque for £400. In second place was Whitby angler Norman Brittain whose single fish of 4 pounds 9 ounces earnt him £200 plus an extra 50 pounds for the heaviest fish superpool. Philip France of Scarborough found 3 codlings weighing a total of 4 pounds 1.5ounces and took the cheque of £125 for third place.

The junior's competition was an any fish match with codling taking preference. Dave Smith won this section and had an excellent day landing the biggest fish in both matches. Dan's codling of 7 pounds 11 ounces earnt him a cheque for £50 and also takes the lead in the junior's biggest fish for the season competition. In second place was 6 year old Chris Mcarthy whose 1 pounds 4 ounce flounder won him a cheque for £30. Dan Craig took 3rd place with 1 whiting weighing 1 pounds 0 ounces earning him a cheque for £20

Overall Places

Seniors

M Chadwick 8-7(5) £400
N Brittain 4-9(1) £200
P France 4-1.5(3) £125
W Atkinson 3-13.5(1)
I Thompson 3-4.5(2)
P Mead 2-8.5(2)
H Moon 1-9.5(1)
M Wilding 1-8.5(1)
S Barker 1-7(1)

Juniors

1st Dave Smith 7-11(1) £50
2nd C Mcarthy 1-4(1) £30
3rd D Craig 1-0(1) £20

This match was also a Whitby Club match and the positions for WSAA are as follows :

Results: 1st D Smith jnr 7-11(1), 2nd W Atkinson 3-14(1), 3rd P Mead 2-9(2), D Mcarthy 1-0(1)

Dan Smith with his 7 pounds 11 ounces cod.

Wednesday 22nd November 2006

A slight to moderate sea swell gave good conditions in this 3 hour ebb tide match. Dave Perett continued his excellent recent form finding 7 fish for 17 pounds 9 ounces. Dave's biggest fish of the 7 weighed 8 pounds 2 ounces and is now the heaviest fish for November and the season. Phil Mead came in second on the night with 3 fish for 8 pounds 2 ounces and Paul Kilpatrick took third with a solitary fish of 6 pounds 5 ounces.

Results : 1st D Perret 17-9(7), 2nd P Mead 8-2(3), 3rd P Kilpatrick 6-5(1), J Gilpin 3-12(2), D Thompson 3-8(3), W Atkinson 3-0(2), R Allison 2-11(2), C Stainthorpe 2-7(2), B Vasey 2-5(2), P Hoy 1-13(1), M Pitman 1-11(1), B Harland 1-11(1), D Hansen jnr1-7(1), J Ebbison 1-7(1), D Smith jnr 0-8(1), M Vasey 0-6(1).

Sunday 19th November 2006

Gale forced southerly winds and driving rain made the going tough for the Whitby sea anglers in their 4 hour Sunday night match fished over low water. A slight North easterly sea swell gave good conditions for codling fishing and only the extreme weather kept catches down. Malcolm Pitman caught his first cod in the club this year and came in first with 2 fish for 6 pounds 5 ounces. Mike Breckon continues to find the better sized whiting and returned to the scales with 4 whiting and a billet for 5 pounds 5 ounces. Colin Stainthorpe found 2 decent codling and weighed in a total of 5 pounds to finish the night in third place.

Results : 1st M Pitman 6-5(2), 2nd M Breckon 5-5(5), 3rd C Stonethorpe 5-0(2), D Mcarthy 2-8(4), D Craig 2-5(1), A Craig 2-2(1), G Middlemass 1-9(1), P Mead 1-9(2), D Thompson 1-6(1), A Kelly 1-4(1), D Pereet 1-1(2), J Ebbison 1-0(1), P Kilpatrick 1-0(1), M Vasey 0-15(1), T Wright 0-15(1), D Sullivan 0-11(1), G Shepherd 0-9(1), G Kilpatrick 0-8(1), B Harland 0-4(1),

Wed 15th November 2006

On a flat calm night with one of the smallest tides of the year hopes of catching codling were extremely low and most anglers again headed to the piers and beaches in search of Whiting. The poor conditions did not deter Dennis Thompson who persevered on the rocks and not only found 1 codling but caught a total of four and 1 rockling to take first place on the night with a weight of 6 pounds 2 ounces. Second place on the night went to Dan Mcarthy who weighed in 5 whiting for 2 pounds 5 ounces. Brian Harland with 4 whiting for 2 pounds 8 ounces took third place.

Results : 1st D Thompson 6-2(5), 2nd D Mcarthy 2-15(5), 3rd B Harland 2-8(4), M Breckon 2-5(3), R Allsion 1-14(2), P Short 1-10(2), P Mead 1-0(2), M Vasey 0-15(2), G Kilpatrick 0-8(1), A Cass 0-6(1), P Dryden 0-6(1).

Monday 13th November

Monday Night saw many of the club anglers out pleasure fishing in search of that one big fish to take the lead in the clubs competition for the heaviest fish outside of a club match. Glenn Kilpatrick managed 6 fish but nothing quite big enough to take over the lead from Mike Vasey. However Colin Stainthorpe managed a fish of 8 pounds 5 ounces which now leads the way in this competition.

Sunday 12th November 2006

A dieing north westerly sea swell gave good conditions for this 4 hour high water match. Catches were excellent with the cod appearing to be in abundance at most marks. Dave Perret's bag of 10 cod weighing 18 pounds not only won the match but takes the lead in the heaviest bag of fish competition, both for the season and the month of November. Second place on the night went to Glenn Kilpatrick with 8 fish for 17 pounds 5 ounces. In third was Rob Allison with 5 fish for 12 pounds 15 ounces.

Results: 1st D Perret 18-0(10cod), 2nd G Kilpatrick 17-5(8cod), 3rd R Allison 12-15(5cod), P Mead 10-1(6), D Hansen Jnr 8-7(4), P Kilpatrick 7-10(5), M Vasey 7-7(3), C Stainthorpe 6-11(3), B Harland 4-11(5), W Atkinson 4-0(3), D Craig jnr 3-7(2), A Craig 2-12(1), D Mcarthy 1-14(1), J Gilpin 1-11(1), A Kelly 1-9(1).

Thursday 9th November 2006

Whilst pleasure fishing tonight Mike Vasey landed the heaviest fish outside of a club match to date. Mike's cod weighed 7 pounds 4 ounces and was officially weighed by Bernado Vasey. Mike is four times winner of the club competition to catch the biggest fish outside of a club match, and if he makes it 5 the trophy could be renamed the Mike Vasey Big Cod Trophy. Past winners of this event include : John Butler with fish to 16 pounds, Colin Stainthorpe, Dennis Thompson and Glenn Kilpatrick. To enter the event club anglers simply need to catch a fish and have it weighed on the club scales and witnessed by a club member, or have the fish weighed in one of the tackle shops.

Wednesday 8th November 2006

Calm seas on a still night with an ebbing tide gave poor conditions for codling fishing, However those who persevered on the rocks were pleasantly surprised and 4 of the club members : Colin Stainthorpe, William Atkinson, Rob Allison and Dennis Thompson all managed to catch a small codling each despite the poor conditions. A lot of anglers headed to the beaches and piers in search of Whiting. Glenn Kilpatrick took first place overall with his catch of 14 whitings for 8 pounds 12 ounces, second place went to Charlie Breckon with 8 whitings and 2 dabs for 7 pounds 0 ounces. Brian Harland was third with 7 whitings for 4 pounds 6 ounces.

Results: 1st G Kilpatrick 8-12(14 whiting), 2nd C Breckon 7-0(10 fish - 8 whiting 2 dabs), 3rd B Harland 4-6(7 whiting), P Mead 3-5(5 whiting), P Short 2-5 (3 fish - 2 whiting 1 dab), J Kendrew jnr 2-0(3 whiting), W Atkinson 1-14 (1 cod), R Allison 1-9 (1 cod), C Evans 1-7(2 whiting), D Thompson 1-7(1 cod), C Stainthorpe 1-4(1 cod), D Perrett 1-3(2 whiting), D Craig jnr 1-2(2 whitings), B Vasey 0-10 (1 whiting).

Sunday 5th November 2006

Philip Mead landed his third cod of the season to win this ebb tide to low water match. Philip hooked his 4-4 ounces cod on his first cast of the night and went on to win his second match of the season. Fishing at the same venue, Paul Kilpatrick caught 2 codling and a rockling for second place. Andrew Cass came in third with 2 whiting and an eel for 2 pounds 12 ounces.

Results: 1st P Mead 4-4(1), 2nd P Kilpatrick 2-15(3), A Cass 2-12(3), J Gilpin 2-8(3), C Stainthorpe 2-8(3), B Harland 1-7(4), M Vasey 1-2(1), G Kilpatrick 0-15(1), D Thompson 0-13(1), P Dryden 0-8(1), D Craig jnr 0-6(1).

Wednesday 1st Novemeber 2006

A stormy autumn night greeted the Whitby sea anglers as they headed out to fish this low water to flood tide match. The sea was extremely rough meaning a lot of the usual fishing marks were un fishable and this was reflected in the results with only 8 of the clubs members returning to the scales with fish. Glenn Kilpatrick took first place with 5 fish for 11 pounds 7 ounces, the biggest being a cod of 5 pounds 8 ounces which gets the ball rolling in the heaviest fish competition for November. Mike Vasey found 2 fish for 6 pounds 3 ounces and finally managed to beat his fishing buddy Brian Harland who came in 3rd with 2 fish for 6 pounds 2 ounces.

Results : 1st G Kilpatrick 11-7(5), 2nd M Vasey 6-3(2), 3rd B Harland 6-2(2), T Wright 3-4(1), W Atkinson 2-12(2), C Stainthorpe 1-5(1), D Thompson 1-4(1), B Vasey 1-2(1).

Always Fish The Deep Water ............................. Not.

Sunday 19th November - Remembering it was the Whitby Open on the 26th I started keeping an eye on the weather forecasts and surf predictors. Magic seaweed are giving moderate north easterlies and given the tide next Sunday is a small ebb of 2 metres I have just the place in mind to catch me a sack full of fish and win the open (Dreaming again just like I do every year - something everyone else does no doubt).

Monday 20th Magic seaweed changes its forecast again to a huge easterly. No problem I'm thinking head a few miles further north and another venue which will throw a big bag of fish out. Remember The catch of Dennis Thompson in the Robin hoods Bay victorian weekend comp a few years ago I picture myself pulling in those big fish and winning the event.

Tuesday 21st Again the surf dudes at the magic sea weed prove themselves to be less than magic - the forecast changes to a moderate south easterly and my thoughts switch back to the earlier mark - still confident of some fish.

Wednesday 22nd Forecast changes again to light south easterly. Head south to Robin hoods bay my mind tells me but Ill need an overcast day to get the fish as they dont like to run the shallow scars in sunlight.

Thursday 23rd The forecast changes to south westerly with no swell. I want to murder mr magic seaweed whoever he is. Well the only place I can think of is the deep water at bay ness end. There has been fish there but the tide isnt brilliant with the mark usually fishing on the bigger ebbs.

The forecast changes again and again over the next few days and now i'm convinced the weather forecasters should be on the dole. They are clueless as to what it is actually gonna do.

Saturday 25th Its definately gonna be flat. I get my bag ready for the morning. 30 sinkers (the ground is a touch heavy and with cross winds you can loose a lead a cast). Trace wallet is filled and every thing else readies for the morning.

Sunday 26th Get up get ready. Packed all my bait including 30 crabs - 20 gulley worms two pots of mussel and a flask full of my secret bait which is at times deadly. Headed off to Robin hoods bay and on arrival immediately noticed there is a slight south easterly swell coming in and the water is coloured like chocolate. Im certain to catch fish in that im thinking then bang into my mind comes doubt its beaming sunlight the fish dont like the sun when you fish the shallows. Dilema ? what to do ? half an hours walk to the deeper marks or fish the scars at bay ? Half heartedly I decide to do both - fish the scars then if I dont get anything head to the deap water and try there. Cast in about 10.10 am and not a bite for the first cast. Cast in again. Then Philip Mead comes around the corner heading to the deeper water spots. Phils full of confidence and dashes off quickly - I watch him head off around the next corner and out of site. Should I stay here or follow Phil ? well 2 casts and no bites means I should head off - its too bright to fish the shallows my head says so I follow Philip around the corner.

I get around the corner and cast in. It gets to low water and noone has had a bite except Philip who has caught a billet but we cant weigh them in today because its a codling only match. There is 8 of us fishing and nothing is coming out. Phil makes up his mind to go back inside to where I started. Thinking I might get a big fish soon I stay where I am and start casting out a 6o pennel rig full of bait. 3 oclock arrives, philip is long gone and still no fish. Should I go inside and try with philip ? Still looks too bright I'm thinking - Stick it out in the deep water. At 3.30 my day is over and to get safely back to the car without being cut off by the tide I must leave now so pack up and set off on the half hour walk back to the car. I pass Philip on the way back to the car and the smile on my face tells me he has been succesful. 2 small codlings says Philip - perhaps not enough to win but at least its something. MAkes me wonder what could have happened if I stayed there all match. Too late for thet now though so I make a mental not of it for next time - Philip caught fish in bright sunshine.

So next time my head says fish the deep water on a sunny day what will I do ? Well I wont know untill next time will I but At least I'll have the confidence to try it a little longer next time.

We all get back to the weigh in and only 11 anglers have caught fish. Not many of the Whitby lads have even had a bite never mind caught anything. However local JUnior Dave Smith has shown the seniors how to do it and has weighed in a cod of almost 8 pounds - great day for Dave - well done. Philip gets 6th which isnt bad.

The day is rounded off with a great big bowl of stew, a few pints and a laugh with the lads. I spent half an hour trying to get 6 quid im owed from PK but he is that tight his arse is squeeking on the way to the bar.

All in all not a bad day - maybe would have been better for the short casters like me if the earlier predicted swell had been present.

The moral of the story is take no notice of any long term weather and swell forecasts, and you don't always have to fish the deep water on a daytime.

Seniors

M Chadwick 8-7(5) £400
N Brittain 4-9(1) £200
P France 4-1.5(3) £125
W Atkinson 3-13.5(1)
I Thompson 3-4.5(2)
P Mead 2-8.5(2)
H Moon 1-9.5(1)
M Wilding 1-8.5(1)
S Barker 1-7(1)

Juniors

1st Dave Smith 7-11(1) £50
2nd C Mcarthy 1-4(1) £30
3rd D Mcarthy 1-0(1) £20



Niel Ingliss' mate with a nice wrasse




Waiting for a bite - We would probably still be waiting now



Phil Mead down to an early Billet bite

Rotten Bottoms

Rotten bottom rigs are a great help for anglers wanting to fish the rough ground. Rotten bottom rigs are very simple to make and easy to use and I have written an article on the Whitby sea anglers website about how to tie a rotten bottom and use them for rough ground fishing in kelp and rocky areas. A rotten bottom rig is just a simple everyday fishing rig with a weaker line between your rig body and your weight which allows you to snap off your lead weight should it become fast in the rough ground. To read more about Rotten Bottoms please click here

Sandsend Car Park

I have been doing some more work on the Whitby sea anglers website and have added some more venues to the fishing marks database. The most recent additons to the site are Steetley pier in Hartlepool and Sandsend car park near whitby


Sandsend car park is an excellent fishing venue for anglers who want something simple and easy. Cod, bass, whiting, coalfish, flounder and mackerel are amongst the species available at this mark.

Steetley is one of the best pier fishing marks on the north east coast. Cod bass and whiting again form the mainstay of the catches.

To read more please visit :

http://www.whitbyseaanglers.co.uk/steetley-pier.php

and

http://www.whitbyseaanglers.co.uk/sandsend-car-park.php

A shortage of winter storms

When the weather has been kind to us this year the cod fishing has been excellent. Last Sunday saw Club angler Dave Perett land 10 cod in the the 4 hour match, and its a long time since I remember anyone doing that in the Whitby Fishing club matches. There does indeed seem to be an increase in the amount of codling about on the north east coast this year. Lets hope some survive the onslaught of the local trawler fleet and there hoover everything up policy.

Looking specifically at the weather this year, the mild conditions and off land winds have kept my fishing efforts to a minimum in fact I can count on 1 hand the number of times I've been out pleasure fishing since September. There just seems to be a lack of those northerly gales which usually signal its time to get the rod out the shed and head out onto the rocks, and with time passing by so quickly I feel the weather is denying us the opportunity to sample some of the best cod fishing to be seen on the coast for about 10 years. I have my fingers crossed for some Northerlies through December then hopefully we will start to see the cod in numbers and hopefully we will also see some quality fish.

Pictures of Northerly seas on November 1st 2006

Mick Hillerby Memmorial Trophy

Sunday The 12th November was the Mick Hillaby Memorial match day, the 70 odd competitors were met with a fresh North Westerly Sea and bright sunshine, the eventual winner was Ray Maddison whose 12lb 13oz bag narrowly beat Dave Bielby in to second place, in all 22 anglers weighed in which is about average for the size of turnout and due to the generosity of the anglers and the people who attended the charity night over £1400.00 was raised.


Mick Hillaby Memorial Match Result

1-R Maddison, 2-D Bielby, 3-D Gyte, 4-R Allinson(Whitby), 5-D Thompson(Whitby)
6-P Atkinson

Heaviest Single Fish P Atkinson.

Yorkshire And Lincolnshire Associtaion Of Sea Anglers

Over the past few days I've been doing a bit of work on the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire association of sea anglers (YALASA) website. The association is a group of local sea anglers led by Marine Biologist Nigel Procter. The primary aim of the group is to promote and develop the sport of recreational sea angling within Yorkshire and Lincolnshire area. In order to achieve this aim the group will work to influence the policies set by inshore fisheries managers and local government authorities by ensuring an awareness of the considerable social and economic benefits of sea angling.

The main reason of this post is to draw the attention of our readers to this website and the valuable work done by YALASA. So if you have a few minutes spare why not head over to the Yalasa website and take a look.

www.yalasa.co.uk

Policy Statement Of YALASA

About Yalasa

Members Of Yalasa

Minutes of the yalasa meetings

Letters sent by yalasa

Contact Details For Yalasa

Useful Conservation contacts

Whitby Sea Fishing Club - Results for October 2006

Wednesday 25th October 2006

Monsoon like conditions met the members of the Whitby fishing club as they turned out to fish their midweek 3 hour match. Conditions were again favourable for codling fishing with a mixed northerly and south easterly swell in the water. Paul Kilpatrick was the nights top angler finding 3 fish for 9 pounds 1 ounce. Junior member Daren Hansen in second proved his ability to compete well with the seniors with 4 fish for 7 pounds 7 ounces. Dennis Thompson caught the most cod (4) of the night and took 3 rd place with 4 fish for 5 pounds 9 ounces.

Results: 1st Paul Kilpatrick 9-1(3), 2nd Darren Hansen 7-7(4), 3rd Dennis Thompson 5-9(4), G Kilpatrick 5-8(2), D Perett 5-0(2), T Wright 3-2(4), B Harland 3-1(2), R Allison 3-1(2), C Stainthorpe 2-13(2), C Evans 1-4(2), B Vasey 0-14(1), M Vasey 0-7(1), W Atkinson 0-5(1).


Sunday 22nd October 2006

An un seasonally warm night with heavy rain showers greeted the Whitby sea anglers as they turned out to fish on Sunday night. A light to moderate long distance northerly sea swell and coloured water gave excellent conditions for codling fishing through this 4 hour ebb tide match. Brian Harland continued his excellent start to the season catching 6 fish for 11 pounds 14 ounces. Glenn Kilpatrick came in second with 3 fish for 6 pounds 2 ounces. In third place was Rob Allison with 4 fish for 6 pounds.

Results : 1st Brian Harland 11-14(3 cod & 3 rockling), 2nd Glenn Kilpatrick 6-2(3 cod), 3rd Rob Allison 6-0(4 cod), B Vasey 5-0(5), J Ebbsion 4-8(3), P Kilpatrick 4-8(2), C Stonethorpe 4-1(3), D Thompson 3-3(2), W Atkinson 2-14(2) D Hanson 209(1), M Vasey 1-9(3), C Evans 1-4(2), D Perett 1-3(1), D Craig 1-2(1), A Cass 1-2(2), D Smith 0-11(2), J Gilpin 0-9(1).

Wednesday 18th October 2006

A growing long distance northerly sea swell gave good conditions for cod fishing in this low tide match. Catches were the best to date with 23 anglers returning to the scales with fish. Dennis Thompson was the nights best angler with 5 cod for 13 pounds and now leads the way in the competition for heaviest bag of the month. Second place went to George Middlemass with 3 cod for 8 pounds 12 ounces. Last years league winner Rob Allison came in third on the night with 3 cod for 8 pounds 4 ounces.

Results: D Thompson 13-0(5 cod), 2nd George Middlemass 8-12(3 cod), 3rd Rob Allison 8-4(3 cod), B Harland 8-0(2), G Kilpatrick 7-0(3), P Kilpatrick 6-2(5), P Hoy 4-4(2), D Hanson 4-3(5), D Mcarthy 2-14(5), M Robinson 2-8(2), D Waters 2-7(2), M Vasey 2-1(4), A Kelly 1-14(3), P Mead 1-13(2), T Wright 1-11(3), W Atkinson 1-9(1), C Stainthorpe 1-8(2), D Sullivan 1-4(2), B Vasey 1-2(1), D Smith 1-1(2), D Craig 0-12(1), C Breckon 0-9(1), G Shepherd 0-8(1).


Sunday 15th October 2006

Big pollock caught from Whitby west Pier by Dan Craig

Sundays match was fished on a small flooding tide with flat calm seas. As usual these conditions meant the fish were hard to find for most. However the poor conditions had little effect on Junior member Dan Craig who won the match outright with a Pollock weighing 5 pounds 13 ounces. Dan's personal best fish now leads the way in the competition for the heaviest fish within the clubs junior section. In second place was Dennis Thompson with 3 rocklings for 2 pounds 3 ounces, closely follow in third by Dave Perret with 2 codlings for 2 pounds 2 ounces. Charlie the Pollock Breckon also landed a nice pollock which would have taken second place on the night but unfortunately he missed the weigh in due to work commitments.

Results : 1st Dan Craig 5-13(1), 2nd D Thompson 2-3(3), D Perett 2-2(2), A Kelley 1-12(2), D Smith 0-15(1), G Middlemass 0-13(1) A Cass 0-11(2), J Gilpin 0-9(2), C Stainthorpe 0-9(1), M Vasey 0-8(1), W Atkinson0-5(2).

Please double click on Dan's Pollock for a full sized picture.
Wednesday 11th October 2006

After taking second place in Sunday evenings match Philip Mead went one better tonight and won with 14 whiting for 9 pounds 13 ounces. It just goes to show how strange sea fishing can be at times as Phil's fishing partner Dave Perett fished next to Philip most of the night with the same bait but only managed to catch 2 fish whilst Phil landed 14. William Atkinson's years of angling experience shone through yet again as he managed to take the majority of fish from his chosen venue whilst those around him could only stand and watch, William landed 3 cod for 6 pounds 12 ounces and took second place in the match. Brian Harland concluded the nights placing's with 3 fish for 5 pounds 2 ounces.

Results: P Mead 9-13(14), W Atkinson 6-12(3), B Harland 5-2(3), R Allison 2-13(1), J Gilpin 2-5(2), C Stainthorpe 2-2(1), G Middlemass 1-11(1), D Perret 1-6(2), D Smith 1-2(2), M Vasey 1-1(2), D Craig 0-14(1).


Sunday 8th October 2006

Whitby sea anglers turned out to fish a big ebbing tide and flat calm seas for this evenings match. For the second Sunday running Dave Perett caught well and returned to the scales with a mixed bag of 6 codlings, 2 pouting and a dogfish to earn first place on the night with a total weight of 10 pounds 10 ounces. Philip mead took second with 10 whiting for 5 pounds 4 ounces, and was closely followed in third by Glenn Kilpatrick with 9 whiting for 4 pounds 15 ounces.

Results : 1st D Perett 10-10(9 fish), P Mead 5-4(10), G Kilpatrick 4-15(9), P Kilpatrick 3-2(2), B Vasey 2-15(5), B Harland 2-6(5), M Vasey 1-14(3), A Cass 1-7(2), D Mcarthy 1-5(2), J Gilpin 1-1(3), C Stainthorpe 0-15(1), W Atkinson 0-13(2), D Sullivan 0-8(1), D Smith 0-8(1), M Breckon 0-6(1).


Wednesday 4th October

A Light to moderate northerly sea swell provided better conditions for the Whitby Sea Anglers mid week match fished over low water. However this also made things difficult as the sea state meant it was too rough to fish some venues whilst not rough enough for many others. George Middlemass' experience shone through and enabled him to choose the right venue to catch 3 fish for 10 pounds 11 ounces giving him 1st place on the night. George's bag, the heaviest of the month to date, also included a fine cod of 7 pounds 8 ounces which sets the pace for the heaviest fish of the month competition. Wednesday nights second place angler was Brian Harland with 6 codlings for a total of 9 pounds 2 ounces. Aidrian Kelly took third place with 3 fish for 8 pounds 11 ounces and continues to be one of the clubs most improved anglers over the past couple of years.

Results: 1st George Middlemass 10-11(3 Cod), 2nd B Harland 9-2(6 Cod), 3rd A Kelly 8-11(3 cod), P Short 7-14(3), G KIlpatrick 6-11(1), D Hanson jnr 2-8(2), M Vasey 2-7(2), D Mcarthy 1-13(2), D Craig 1-11(2), D Waters1-5(1), D Perett 1-4(1), J Ebbison 1-3(1), T Wright 1-1(1), B Vasey 0-8(1), P Kilpatrick 0-8(1), J Kendrew jnr 0-6(1).


Sunday 1st October

The smallest of neap tides, flat calm seas and gin clear water meant the conditions were not good for sea angling in Sunday nights 4 hour match. There seemed to be a lot of fish about that were just under the legal size limit but finding any above that size proved difficult. Dave Perret was the top angler on the night with 4 codlings and 1 pouting from his chosen mark. Glenn Kilpatrick came in second and Colin Stainthorpe third, both with mixed bags of fish. The matches so far this year have seen an increase in the amount of pollock being brought to the scales, tonight's match saw both Mike Vasey and Charlie the Pollock Breckon catch decent sized fish.

Results : 1st D Perett 6 pounds 4 ounces (5 fish, 4 codling 1 pouting), 2nd G Kilpatrick 3-10(5 fish, 3 Billet 2 Whiting), 3rd C Stainthorpe 2-9 (3 fish, 1 codling 2 rockling), W Atkinson 2-8(3), J Gilpin 2-5(4) M Vasey 2-4(1 Pollock), M Breckon 1-10 (1 pollock), B Harland 1-1(1), P Mead 1-1 (1), R Allison 0-15(1), G Shepherd 0-12(1), D Sullivan 0-7(1).


Wednesday 27th September 2006

Wednesday saw the start of the 6 month season for the Whitby Sea Anglers fishing club. Strengthening winds and heavy showers met the anglers as they turned out to fish at their chosen fishing marks. Catches were reasonably good given that the sea was flat calm and there was little colour to the water. Glenn Kilpatrick won the evenings match with a mixed bag of 1 codling, 1 coalfish, and 2 whitings for 3 pounds 7 ounces. In second place was Colin Stainthorpe with 2 codlings for 3 pounds 5 ounces. Paul Short from Guisborough took third with 1 codling and 2 coalfish for 3 pounds 4 ounces.

Results : 1st G Kilpatrick 3-7(4 fish), 2nd C Stainethorpe 3-5(2), 3rd P Short 3-4(3), A Cass 3-0(2),D Smith 1-14(3), B Harland 1-14(2), J Gilpin 1-14(2), T Wright 1-11(3), G Shepherd 1-3(2), D Perett 1-2(2), M Vasey 0-15(2), J Kendrew 0-15(2), C Evans 0-14(2), P Atkinson 0-8(1)


League positions are available on the Whitby sea anglers league table page

Rough Seas At Whitby - 27 th October 2006

It appears the weather men got it wrong today. With only light to moderate swell forecast some of the Whitby fishing boats put to sea early this morning. But the sea swell came much bigger than expected and the lifeboat had to go out and escort some of the boats back into port. Thankfully everyone got home safe and well.

Whitby Trawlermen could be out of cod quota in 3 weeks time.

THIS year's cod quota could run out in three weeks a local fishing industry head has told the Whitby gazette.



Dave Winspear, managing director of Whitby's Alliance Fish, said the Government's limits mean fish caught accidentally will have to be thrown overboard and left to die as fisherman will not be allowed to land them.
The stark warning comes in the wake of year-on-year warnings that traditional North Sea fish stocks are seriously depleted.
And scientists from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas have again said a complete ban on cod fishing is the only way to prevent the species dying out in the North Sea.
But conversely industry experts report an upturn in the numbers of fish being caught in the North Sea.
It overturns government warnings about low stocks, the basis of its clampdowns on fishing levels.
The East of England Fish Producers Organisation (EEFPO) says there has been a "phenomenal" increase in catches this year, particularly of fish such as cod, whiting and saithe.


To read More please visit the Whitby gazette website

Fishing At Filey Brigg

Filey Brigg is no different to all rock fishing venues in that it is extremely dangerous to fish. Anglers should not think of fishing any rock fishing marks for the first time without the assistance of a local with expert knowledge of the area. Filey Brigg is notoriously dangerous and largely in accessible to most anglers except those with local knowledge. Restricted access to the brigg at low tide only gives access to some excellent fishing marks though.
Filey Brigg is known to most anglers right across the UK - Filey brigg - a large rocky outcrop just north of filey holds some excellent fishing for those willing to learn the venue. Cod well into double figures, pollock and bass of good sizes are caught there every year.

To read more about fishing at Filey Brigg please visit the Filey Brigg advice page on the whitby sea anglers website

Keeping Peeler Crabs In The Fridge Untill You Need To Use Them

Your Peeler crabs are at their very best for use as fishing bait when they start to get a hairline crack aroun their shell. At this point in time many anglers peel the crabs, wrap them in cling film and freeze them down for use at a later date. Sometimes crabs are ready for use at the same time as you are going fishing so they then make an excellent bait to use whilst still fresh. At certain times of year Fresh peeler crabs will outfish those that have been frozen. You are simply wasting your time fishing next to an angler who has fresh crabs on their hook. In order to have fresh peelr crab for their next fishing trip many anglers store there peelers with cracks in the shell in cat litter trays in the fridge. Storing peeler crabs at low temperatures halts the moulting process and allows you to keep peeler crabs that are ready for use for up to a week (sometimes longer). To learn how to keep your peeler crabs in the optimun state for fishing untill your next trip please visit the Keeping Peeler crabs page on the Whitby sea anglers website

Keeping White ragworms

There is an extreme amount of effort in locating and digging white ragworms, far too much effort to get them home and let them die before your next fishing trip. The fishing trips where you will use your white ragworms may be well into the future. Some people often keep them many months before they actually thread their white rag ono the hook. It is essential therfore that you do your very best to keep them in prime condition untill that time when you plan to use your white ragworm. This guide on keeping White rag will give you all the information to enable you to keep these deadly baits in prime condition for several months. To read the report in full please visit the keeping white ragworm page on the whitby sea anglers website.

6 Pound Pollock For Whitby Club Junior Member

Whitby sea anglers match on Sunday 15th October 2006 was fished on a small flooding tide with flat calm seas. As usual these conditions meant the fish were hard to find for most. However the poor conditions had little effect on Junior member Dan Craig who won the match outright with a Pollock weighing 5 pounds 13 ounces.

For more info about the whitby fishing club please visit www.whitbyseaanglers.co.uk/index.php

Sea Otter 2 - 2006 - The Best Year For A Long Long Time

September 2006 - Well He did it again. For the second time in a year one of Pauls anglers won one of the 3 annual boat fishing festivals. John Egan from Hull landed a 22 pound ling on one of the last days of the festival to take the £1000 first prize. John is seen here accepting his Prize money from Paul Kilpatrick far left and Aidrain laws from Mister chips whitby in the middle.
Other catches this month included cod to 20 pounds and pollock well into double figures.



August 2006 - Some years August can be a quiet month but not this year - Things just couldnt get any better. Cod, Ling, Pollock, Coalfish, Mackerel, Catfish and Haddock were amongst the many species that turned up for Paul Kilpatrick;s anglers onboard sea otter2. Shads and jelly worms again seemed to be tempting the majority of the fish. These things have been a revalation for sea anglers at Whitby allowing them to use light gear to temp fish well into the double figures.



JUNE 2006 - June once again proved it is the month when pirking really starts to take cod in a big way at Whitby. The big sprat shoals set in on the rough ground at Whitby. Stacks of cod were taken, at times on pirks but a lot of anglers now seem to prefer fishing with shads over wrecks and rough ground to take the cod and Pollock. This method of fishing with the light gear saves on the arms at the end of the day. The mackerel shoals also arrived in vast numbers with a ready supply of bait for the big ling.



MAY 2006 -May turned out to be a good month for cod but the weather was a bit up and down but when PAul on Sea Otter 2 was able to go to sea the fishing was very good indeed.
The inshore wrecks fished extremely well with shads once again doing most of the damage. Pollock also made a big show with occasional ling being taken. Although they had not arrived as yet it was felt that the mackerel should not be to far away.



APRIL 2006 Saw Paul Kilpatrick on sea otter 2 win the Whitby spring angling festival for the second year on the trot. Although the weather was very poor Pauls anglers saw some good fishing throughout the month. The second half of the month changed for the better weather wise and fishing then came on with a bang at Whitby. Fishing with shads seemed to beat everything else out of site and the cod seemed to be commiting suicide over these lures. The odd better pollock had started to show and Paul felt positively optimistic for the coming month of May..



MARCH 2006 - The weather for this month was very poor and did not allow Paul a great deal of time at sea. Fingers were crossed for better weather as Paul was certain the Great Wall of death area would be lifting with quality cod.






FEBRUARY 2006 - What a pleasant surprise February turned out to be. Better than average weather for a large part of the month allowed Paul to get out to the marks around the great wall of death 26 miles off Whitby. As can usually be the case at this time of year fishing at the wall produced some fantastic catches. I would go as far as to say that catches this month were better than anytime over the winter with many cod being taken on squid baits dropped onto the ground.



JANUARY 2006 - January as usual was a struggle due to the inclement weather conditions. Paul managed several good trips towards the end of the month with the inshore wrecks producing many quality fish with several going well into double figures. Best Method this month was bait fishing with squid.




Sea otter Cod Sept festival

John Egan Festival winner 2006 22 pound ling

Sea Otter 2 with Chieftain Charters in The Background

News From Scarborough fishing clubs - 10 pounder for Mick in the Bridlington Open

Anglers venturing out over the last week have had some good returns and the slight bit of sea that appeared mid week last week encouraged a few more cod to show on the northern marks that have not faired as well over the recent weeks, the best catches have still come from the south of the town with Filey Brigg and Bempton tops still providing the best results and with the nights drawing in rapidly the whiting are on the increase for the pleasure angler. On Sunday a good number of anglers turned out for the Phil Rounding Memorial Trophy run be Bridlington Sea Angling Club, the winner who took first place and £250.00 with a nice cod of 10lbs 5ozs from Filey Brigg was Scarborough angler Mick Chadwick, Mick also took second place with another cod of 6lbs 6ozs. This Thursday should have seen the start of the Angling League but unfortunately due to a lack of teams the league has been disbanded.
This weekend sees the first matches in the Rocks and South Cliff Angling Club's calendars with Dave Bielby and Pete Dunn defending their club championships they won last year, and next Thursday night sees the start of the South Cliff Open Night Matches.

Phil Rounding Memorial Trophy Result

1-Mick Chadwick- 10.5.0, 2-M Chadwick 6.6.0, 3-S Aklam(Bridlington)5.2.8 4-M Cliff(Bridlington) 4.14.8, 5-I Thompson 3.14.8, 6-D Medd 3.14.0

Juniors

1-T Cliff 2.3.8, 2-T Marshall 2.2.8,3-T Marshall 1.0.0


Thanks to Pete Atkinson for allowing us to use his Evening news report

Match Fishing - Fishing the Whitby Fishing Club Matches

Ive enjoyed fishing the Whitby Fishing club matches the past few years, but have to admit at times I also find it a touch stressful. My aim is always to do as well as possible. I must admit I never have thoughts of winning the fishing club (too many good anglers about) but every year I hope to do my best.
There are nights when things go really wrong, like last night for example. The sea just want as rough as I had hoped meaning my first choice venue was really out of the question, yet it was still too rough for some of the marks I would fish had it been calmer. I spent a while looking at the sea yesterday teatime and settled on a mark I knew could provide a fish or 2 if the sea state dropped just a little.
I got there at 6.45pm and immediately noticed the tide hadnt ebbed as far as I would have liked, Still 2 hours to low though so I opted for another mark near by. Knowing it was really too rough for this mark I cast in anyway but was faced by white water for most of the time and the conditions just didnt look right for a fish. However I got one bite but missed it. I cast in again hoping there may be others about but the sea just seemed to get rougher. Not a chance of a fish here I thought so I headed off to another mark the other side of the one I really wanted to fish as the tide still hadnt ebbed far enough - However conditions werent really right for here either - not rough enough this time. On the first cast I had a good bite, most likely a small codling but it never returned, upon winding in after 20 mins I noticed there was a huge dogger crab attached to the hook, infact the hook was right inside its mouth. The fish had obviously tried to shake the dogger of the bait but as the hook was in the crab there was nothing to catch the fish on - More bad luck I though - what more can go wrong. Had another cast in the same place, whilst waiting for a bite I noticed a lot of activity at the next mark along "are they catching lots of fish ???? should I move to them ????" I decided to stay where I was - I always thinks its best to ignore everyone else and concentrate my efforts on the place I have chosen. After 10 mins I saw one of the lads from the other mark pack up and head back past me heading for the mark I really wanted to fish. Noticing the angler looked in my bag for fish on his way past I knew it would be Paul Kilpatrick - Well who else would go poking about in your bag.
I quickly wound in and followed him knowing the tide would be far enough out to fish the one place I knew I had chance of some fish. Its now 8.45 and the night was getting on. First cast I had a bite but it never came back. Quickly cast in again and waited (all the time with Paul in my ear telling me we were in the wrong place, with the wrong bait at the wrong time, other people would be catching, and listing 50 different places that would be far better than the one we were fishing. Again I told myself to ignore my thoughts and Paul and stick to what I know. If I was going to get a fish from anywhere now it would be here. Paul eventually moved on and left me on my own. 2 more casts gave me a small undersized Billet. With the tide now floding in I waded out and had what I knew would be my last cast of the night where I knew I had chance of a fish. Its 9.20 and I let a load of slackline out and go back to my bag - where it was safe as standing waste deep in a flooding tide is not the best of ides. I felt what I thought might of been a bit but nothing significant. After 20 ins I went to wind in knowing my night was over without a fish. I thought i was snagged on the bottom but then noticed I was retrieving line. I winched in a dead weight knowing it wasnt a fish. Must be a great ball of weed I thought. By the time I got it to the side my arms were aching. I finally retrieved the weed and went to pick it out the water. As I sone my light on it I noticed it wasnt weed at all but a nice big cod foul hooked through the tail. Well that rounded off a dreadful night nicely. One more cast without the chance of a fish (to far back now due to incoming tide). I packed up and headed of to the weigh in. The fish that I thought was weed was just short of 7 pounds and gave me 5th place on the night. Not a bad way to round off a poor nights fishing.

Match fishing can do your head in but I will be back on Sunday for more of the same.

New Blog On The Block - East Anglia Sea Angling

A recent addition to sea angling blogs on the net comes from Holmsey off The Anglers Net Forums.
His blog entitled East Anglia Sea Angling details the fishing activities of Aitch and his mates down the coast in East Anglia - of all places. His early posts show the diversity of sea fishing on that part of the coast with Sole, Bass, Smoothound, Spotted Rays and Codling being amongst the reported catches.

By the looks of it Paul Kerry is one of his fishing buddies and perhaps may make the odd appearence on the blog.

Anyone interested in reading the blog should head on over to The East Anglia Sea Angling Blog by clicking here. Ill be a regular reader myself and have added the site to my rss feed.

Tope Consultation - We need your help - Time is running out - Dont sit there thinking this does not concern you - as an angler it does so please reply

Right lads we need your help. Anglers need to reply to the Tope Consultation Plan currently being undertaken by DEFRA.

Ive had this email from Leon at Sea anglers conservation network and feel it needs a wider audience.

Would those of you from this forum who have replied to defra please put their names below. Anyone who hasnt replied by the closure date will be deleted from the forum - So there ;)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

email from Leon

To all SACN Members,

Just a gentle reminder that time is running out for the opportunity to respond to the DEFRA consultation on Tope, which closes on 20th of this month.

As the value of shark fins soar in the Far East, it is important that as many people as possible respond to the consultation to drive home the need to protect this species from the growing market for tope products.

So whether you currently fish for tope or not, please try to get in a response supporting option 2, and convince your club and friends to do likewise.

If this opportunity is lost, and a directed fishery is developed whilst tope remain unprotected, future regrets will be too late.

DEFRA are particularly anxious to attain any data that can be used to illustrate the value of the Recreational Tope fishery, and how that has been affected by the decline in large tope, and the potential of the sector should tope populations be recovered, so information about personal expenditure, or from club records etc will be welcomed.

For details of the consultation, and other information, please see the menu to the left of the SACN main website, which includes links to Save Our Sharks which contains much additional information and discussion on the forums there.



Regards - Leon Roskilly

Sea Anglers' Conservation Network (SACN)

http://www.sacn.org.uk/

Whale Watching At Whitby - Minke Whales Sited In Whitby Bay

Whilst fishing on Sunday night on the west pier at Whitby we noticed that the Eskbelle pleasure trip boat was advertising Whale watching trips. Interested in finding out more I visited their site. It appears there have been Minke whales sited a couple of miles off Whitby for the past few days now and passengers on the eskbelle have been enjoying watching them.

If your interested in taking a look there is some pictures available at the following link

http://homepage.mac.com/dr_pete/Whales/index.html




Not the Minke whales in question but borrowed from another site.

Picture of Minke Whale courtesy of : http://www.orcahome.de/orcapici.htm

Whitby east pier - reply from councillour G Allanson

Pier pressure in finding the money for essential repairs

From: Coun G Allanson, Scarborough Borough Council, West Street, Muton, Filey.
I REFER to the letter from Mr Glenn Kilpatrick regarding East Pier, Whitby (Yorkshire Post, August 18).
In the letter, Mr Kilpatrick says that "the Borough Council always passes on the blame, saying that there is no budget for repairs".
I would like to reassure him, and your readers, that the council is not seeking to attribute blame in this matter. However, with some 14 km of coastal defence structures to maintain, it is not always possible to effect repairs or enhancements as quickly as we would all like.
The piers at Whitby are several hundred years old and there is no doubt that works are required.
However, the degree of funding required will be extensive and will require the support of National Government to deliver.
A recent bid by the council to Defra has not been successful and so the council will need to proceed in a prudent manner to see if other avenues for funding are available.
Mr Kilpatrick alludes to the coastal protection works at Scarborough. These works were carried out due to the fact that there was an imminent risk of failure of the defences and Defra funding was made available, without which there would have been little prospect.
The council is, as always, mindful of the needs of Whitby having spent many millions of pounds there over recent years.
It is proud of the town's heritage and status and will continue to pursue initiatives and schemes which will preserve and enhance the reputation of the town.

Tope Fishing - Fishing for tope at Bridlington and Flamborough

My fishing is a bit slow at the moment so I have little to post up onto the blog. The long term weather forecast is giving little in the way of autumn weather and so it looks like the rough seas we require for cod fishing from the shore may not materialise for a while yet. Its been one of the mildest and most settled Septembers I can remember. To be honest this is quite annoying, Im longing for a big northerly gale to fetch in those winter cod.
Anyway Although I have little post about my own fishing I was sent some pics and a report from Martin Wilding and Chris Scaife who have been fishing for Tope and Bass from their boat out of Flamborough which is down near Bridlington. I thought I would share the report and pics with you here.

Sunday 10th September 2006 - Tope Fishing

Scarborough angler Chris Scaife and his fishing partnet Mick went Tope fishing on Sunday, they had 9 in total, Chris had 5 and Mick 4, they also lost 3 more [dam cercal hooks ] all in about 4 hours. At one point it all got pretty hectic and Chris had 2 tope at once on one occasion [fishing 3 rods] shame it was the north of England cod champs that day as Chris would have liked to have fished that , but the temptation of bigger fish was too much. As you can see in one shot from a previous trip all thats neaded is a good egg beater spinning real and a spining rod

all thats neaded is a good egg beater spinning real and a spining rod

says Chris










Bridlington Tope Fishing - Sunday 24th September 2006

This weekend saw the conclusion of the Scarborough fishing festival but Chris Scaife, Martin Wilding and Jeremy Robinson Didn’t bother with the All-England match on Sunday – Instead they opted for the Brid tope option – They launched at South Landing around 0700, & wished for about an hour or so that they hadn’t bothered – a snidey North Easterly wind, bit of swell, rain & white horses while they had a troll for bass (Jeremy caught the only schoolie) made them think that it wasn’t going to be fit for topeing. They had a run across to one of new found marks and once they were past the shallowest bit, the conditions improved greatly, although mackerel were pretty well non-existent at the start, probably due to the strength (strong!!) of the tide. They eventually found a few near to where they were going to fish for tope, & as soon as they put the anchor & ruby-dubby bag in, then the mackerel found them … & there were literally thousands once the tide slackened a bit!!

Again, Chris and Martin thought the tide was running just a bit too hard for tope at the start, but as the flow started to slacken, Chris had a couple of bites. The first dropped the bait, but he made brief contact with the second – unfortunately his trace wire gave way…..shop-bought as well!! Then shortly after Jeremy had a run, missed it, but left the bait & it got taken again straight away. He eventually landed a very nice male tope of around 50lb – his first ever tope & after quite a few trips!! He got another about 25-30lb pretty soon after & that was it until after slack water.

A while after slack water, when they were about ready to give up, Martins uptider showed a real screamer of a run – he hooked it & despite pretty strong drag it just carried on running, & was getting within about 30yds of getting “spooled” when all went slack –

"I think the mainline (20lb mono) must have rubbed against something on the seabed!! I’m sure I didn’t have that much drag on to break the line!!"

says Martin.

That was the only chance they had on the flood, but they trolled 7 or 8 bass up on their way back in, biggest a nice 3lber to Chris.

Looks like a tope has had his teeth into this mackerel bait



Martin Wilding With 1 of Sunday's Tope



Jeremy Robinson from Scarborough with his first ever Tope - Approximately 50 pound - Not a bad start.



Thanks Go To Martyn, Chris, Mick and Jeremy for sending the report and pictures. Cheers lads keep them coming and good luck with the tope - Dave Brown reckons we have potential 80 pounders around here.