Poole: Silver Spray: Sam Cumming
I’ll stick to the positives rather than moaning on about the poor tweather. Silver Spray anglers have managed plenty of top-quality fish recently. The shorter-range trips have been producing good numbers of bass on the right tides. Not all monsters like Dave Mynors’ 9lb 5oz fish, but still good fun on the light tackle. Bream fishing is strong with some bigger fish starting to show up to 3lb 4oz. Our fishing holidays to Guernsey have been tough due to poor conditions but that hasn’t put the guys off. They are still keen whether its rain, wind, or shine. The bank fishing for flatfish has been great, compared to the last couple of years, with plenty of good brill and turbot. Karston Murray caught a personal best turbot of 15lb shortly after a false alarm which turned out to be a blonde ray, not something you usually see on a live sandeel.
We have just returned from our first Cherbourg trip of the year on which there was enough cod and pollack to keep everyone happy along with nice bream. We explored some new ground and were rewarded with a new boat record in the shape of a 1lb 3oz greater weaver; a truly beautiful fish that fights well above its weight. Notable fish on the wrecks have included an amazing 5lb 9oz tub gurnard for Peter Rae caught on a Sidewinder and a 63b conger for Mike White.
Call on 07787 375386 to get booked up
Brixham: Optimist Charters: Nigel Lihou
Here in Brixham we have had a month of Skerries and reef trips with plaice still being caught although not in the size and quantity we would expect at this time of the year. Rays are still providing good sport. The reefs are producing some nice bull huss up into double figures as well as conger and pollack up to about 4lb. One recent trip saw us targeting bass on a well-known local mark although there were no bass we had nine different species. Spaces are still available for August and September so give us a call
Nigel Lihou can be contacted on 07817136505 www.optimistcharters.co.uk
Paignton: Our Joe-L: Sean Pedley
In June we hosted yet another Devon Sea Fishing Holiday with mixed fishing due to the weather. We started wreck fishing which was hit and miss. Some days we had to fish over 6 or 7 wrecks to find some sport. We’ve caught some hard fighting double figure pollack and nice cod to 8lb. On one occasion with nobody needing to be home on time, we stayed an extra 2 hours on the last wreck catching every drift. As the month went on the wreck fishing (50 miles off Berry Head and in the Herd Deep) delivered small fish from 4-8lb in weight, with only the occasional double. More gurnards are showing up this year and the best lure seems to be the Sidewinder Skerries Eel.
When west winds dominated we had a couple of interesting days fishing very close to shore on the rough ground and reefs. We found a couple of new spots and managed double figure bull huss along with the usual mackerel, wrasse and dogfish.
Next on the agenda was my very first Channel Island Fishing Holiday to Alderney with a small group of anglers aboard. We found several wrecks on the way but the main event was to fish on the Banks the next day where we had seven turbot. The biggest weighed in at 8lb, 6oz with most inside the 3 – 4lb mark. Although it was cut short due to a strong easterly, we all had a brilliant time and enjoyed the fishing. The next trip across the channel is planned for St Peter Port, Guernsey this coming August.
Shaun Pedley shaun@ourjoe-l.co.uk 07876 623 054
OUR JOE-L Charters and Fishing Holidays www.ourjoe-l.co.uk
Weymouth: Fins Up Charters Dan Clarke
Here’s a great story. Mark Calver was targeting tope on board Dan Clarke’s boat, Fins Up out from Weymouth. The fishing suddenly died and next thing he knew he’d hooked something very big. He was only fishing with a 20lb class rod and no wire traces. It turned out he’d hooked a massive porbeagle shark. After an epic battle they managed to get bit to the boat
The fish was released unharmed and at 7ft long was estimated at between 200lb and 250lb
Mark’s account of the battle was: “I was using my ‘Norway’ set up that has been faithful me many years. Gold Class 20lb Ugly Stick (20yrs old) Shimano TLD 20 with 800mts of 60lb braid, 40lb shock leader and 150lb mono to hook, size 7 hook with a weighted muppet. Two fillets of mackerel and two whole squid all just hooked once through the tip. Fished on the bottom and teased fish once I felt a few tugs. I kept pulling bait away from fish and then dropped it back. The fish took 500m of line and pumping the rod eventually slowed and turned the fish. 45mins later it broke surface and the real battle began with the fish tearing off in all directions. When the fish eventually came along side. Daniel Clarke with his friend Simon Homewood were brilliantly skilled to bring on it on board. A big thanks to Dan and the crew for their support in helping me catch this fish of a lifetime.”
Dan Clark on Fins-up Fishing Charters can be contacted throughbhis Facebook page or www.finsup-charters.com
Minehead: John Sherlock
What a brilliant month, sunshine and calm seas on many days giving the boats a chance to visits the clearer water further west and travel to the Welsh side of the channel. The boats have been busy with numerous charters. The fish have been obliging with June being one of the best months this year for the bull huss with many fish coming to the net, many reaching double figures in weight. The tope are in good numbers one day and difficult to find the next as they chase mackerel. The rays are still coming in good numbers with some quality fish among them and the smoothounds seem ever present. The next month should see the tope fishing continue and with Lundy and Shark trips coming up there should be some great fishing to come.
Teddie Boy Charters – 07894 536672 – www.teddieboycharters.co.uk
Osprey Charters – 07967 362132 – www.ospreycharters.co.uk
Shoreham: She Likes It II: Mark Vale
There have been some good days for Mark and his crew recently. One example was a recent trip with a mixed bag of bream, undulate rays to 19lb, thornback rays, tope, mackerel and congers, plus a couple of other bits and pieces. There are still some bream showing on the Kingmere but they’ll start to disperse during July but the ray and bass fishing will take centre stage. Mark can be contacted in 07754324270
Weymouth: Flamer IV: Colin Penny
June has been a pretty busy month. The Flamer IV team won the annual plaice competition against Top Cat. Sadly, this is the last of these events as Ivan, skipper of Top Cat, is retiring. Flamer IV teams have won four annual competitions against Supanova II, Meerkat, Top Cat, and now hold all four trophies. The wreck fishing has been challenging but still produced some reasonable size cod, bass and pollack. Kevin Clark won the three-boat competition with a 9Ib cod. David Hawker won the annual Red Gill competition. The inshore fishing on the reefs, banks and mussel beds have produced turbot, brill, plaice, rays, Tope, smoothounds, congers, bull huss, black bream, bass, gurnards etc. It is nice to see black bream up on the reefs. Mick Nunn landed a 3Ib 8oz fish using a 6/0 hook baited with whole calamari squid and mackerel strip. It’s always nice to see youngsters catching decent fish. Fourteen-year-old James Black had a lovely 2Ib 12oz plaice. He bagged it on ragworm and squid presented on a flowing trace with coloured attractor beads and a size 1/0 Sakuma Stinger hook.
Contact Colin on 01305 766961Mobile Telephone: 07968 972736
Lyme Bay: Pegasus Charters: Lewis Hodder
Spring fishing in and around Lyme bay has been quite encouraging. Inshore we have had a good run of black bream with the best fish of 3lb 12oz for Andy Gregory. There have been plenty of congers over 30lb, a variety of rays, smoothounds to 9lb 8oz, and huss to just shy of 10lb. Plaice fishing has been slow but the fish we have been catching are mostly over 2lb. The pollack and cod fishing on the reefs and wrecks hasn’t been at its best this year, it’s been harder than usual.
We did our first trip Alderney during May and found the turbot fishing on the banks much better than last year despite the testing weather conditions. We have found this to be the case on banks closer to home as well which can only be a good sign! Spurdog and tope fishing anchored offshore has been good, the best tope has been 29lb and spurdog 17lb. Looking forward to a summer full of sunshine and lots of fish!
Some availability left for the summer months. Call 07519160020 to book a trip.
Brighton: BF1: Robin Howard
One of the best Brighton bass guides based in Brighton Marina, Robin Howard, has been having a great summer putting his clients onto bass, plaice and wrasse with excellent regularity. If you want a slice of the action on the south coast contact Robin on his Facebook page or on 07970112774https://www.brightoninshorefishing.co.uk
Brightlingsea: Sophie Lea: Lee Bolingbroke
Well we now are into our summer fishing and all the summer species are being caught. We’ve had some cracking hound sport, all good strong fish testing our anglers to the limit and in shallow water too. Hermit crabs stocks seem to have recovered after the Beast from the East wiped them out. Now we are getting plenty although there is a cost the anglers have to bear. A lost pot comes to around £50 add the fuel to pick them up, set and bait them and it adds up.
On one recent trip we had some great fishing early in the day but the weather was atrocious with winds gusting upwards of 25mph. There were plenty of rays, hounds and bass until the strong flood tide put paid to the sport. Big tides do play a big part in our fishing.
Tope are on the agenda in the next few weeks. Let’s hope we can have as good a season as we had last year. Success often hinges on mackerel as the freshness of bait is imperative. There are lots of anchovies being caught on Walton pier. I have never heard of this before so it may be a new species for our part of the coast. Bass fishing has been great again but has tailed off a bit now. The heavy May bloom has saved many bass from the commercial fishermen’s’ mono nets as this algae hangs in the net making them very visible to fish.
Contact me on 07774482856 www.sophieleacharters.co.ukInfo@sophieleacharters.co.uk
North East reports
Sunderland: North Eastern Charter: Richard Carr
Our recent weekend fishing started off pretty well – starting with a Friday evening trip. It was nothing very hectic but some good cod were boated and kept for the plate. Without doubt, the star of the show was one of our lady anglers, Wendy Solomon. She out fished all the lads by a long way and had some lovely big fish but just got pipped for the heaviest of the night which was a 5.5lb fish.The Saturday morning trip started off well although we found it hard to get a few mackerel. We only managed to get them after the tide turned. Tony Robson had a cracking morning boating 11 fish and included a lovely 6.5lb cod and 9.5lb pollack; both lovely fish. The fish of the day, a 15lb ling, fell to one of our regulars, Paul Longstaff. Then a south east breeze blew up which pushed us inshore and the fishing declined. Lots more mackerel and half dozen cod made it a half decent day.
To get out on Richy’s boat contact him through the Facebook page or by email richycarr1979@yahoo.co.uk>
Tyne and Wear: JFKII Allan Skinner
One of JFKII’s regulars, Phil Wagget, of Northumberland, had a great trip out bagging a couple of ling weighing 10lb 8oz and 11lb 12oz respectively – both taken on fresh mackerel baits.
The crew boated around 40 plus on the day plus 60 mackerel. On another trip we had a surprise fish; a lovely 11lb 8oz halibut caught by Geordie Halliwell, a rare fish for these waters. We have only ever had around six halibut in over 40 years of chartering. On the same trip Ken Eggleston had nice cod of 10lb 8oz and Chris Youngman of Gateshead boated a ling of 15lb.
Contact Allan on 07808684358 or 0191 2764863
Irish reports
Galway, Ireland: Brazen Hussey2: John Fleming
June was a tough month here in Galway. The weather was not on our side and we spent the majority of the month inshore due to strong northerly winds. We did, however, have some fantastic sport over the inshore reefs which are very close to the harbour allowing a lot of extra fishing time, which is always good. We had some cracking ballan and cuckoo wrasse fishing on bait, soft plastics, and light speed jigs along with plenty of nice pollock and gurnards. All in all, a nice month’s fishing and great to get to explore the inshore stuff more than usual.
We sail from the small fishing port of Rosaveel, County Galway, which is approximately 40 minutes from Galway city on the west coast of Ireland.
There are on site toilets and car parking facilities and we sail from the main marina there. We can also provide accommodation and a packed lunch if needed.
www.facebook.com/bluesharkanglinggalway
Email. john@bluesharkangling.ie Phone. 00353(0) 877571320