Archive for the ‘News And Information’ Category

The whales have arrived in a good few numbers now I am planning a evening trip on Thursday 2nd September (this week) please give me a ring to book your place 07855439380 or leave a telephone number we will depart around 5.30pm on Thursday if I get sufficient interest the conditions are perfect with flat seas and little wind so don’t miss the chance to see these wonderful creatures while they are here

Mick skipper.

P.S. I have tried to contact a few of you whale enthusiasts who left your contact numbers last year but only had one reply so far

How to book a Charter Boat

What sort of tide do I need?
The right tide varies according to the sort of fishing you wish to do. If you want to fish over wrecks, you need a small tide so you get longer periods on your mark when it is easier to get the bait down to the bottom. ground fishing needs a little more tide to cover the ground your skipper will advise you of the type of fishing he will be doing on a given day just ask.

Can i go on my own or with a friend?
l take individuals or groups, Quite often a party will be short of anglers and I may be able to fit you in albeit at short notice. Don’t forget that boat fishing is fun and it’s the people you fish with that can make a day special.

I don’t know if my tackle will be suitable.
When booking the boat, confirm with me that hire tackle is needed or if you have your own if so take what you have and I will advice you on it’s suitability and may hire you some if necessary. If for example you have some gear and you want to make sure that it suits the type of fishing you will be doing just ask.

What should i wear?
In an ideal world, you would wear a flotation suit with a pair of waterproof boots. If this is not an option at the moment, then aim for plenty of layers to keep you warm, with a waterproof top layer which will also keep out the wind. It is important to wear a hat as most of the bodies heat is lost through the head, they also keep the sun off you. (Make sure the hat you wear will stay on as baseball caps can blow away). Do not cut back on warm clothing, even in the summer, it is always cooler at sea you can always take it off if you want.

Skipper knows best.
Remember that no matter how much you fish it will still be a fraction of the hours a skipper spends at sea and he does it all in the same area. As the skipper, but more importantly, listen to him or the crewman because this is their area of expertise. It could well be the different fifty miles down the coast, but they will know what works here. And remember to watch what others do on the boat and how they a faring. Never stop learning.

Can i keep my fish?
You can keep any fish as long as they are sizeable, but ask yourself how many fish you want to kill each month; if you fish to fill the freezer, then go to the supermarket, it will save you money. Angling is for sport, there is nothing wrong with taking a fish home every now and then, but please be sensible about it.

I’m a novice boat angler.
Angling is gradually becoming more like other sports and there are now plenty of skippers in Whitby who are more than happy to show you the ropes. Many skippers are happy to help you in the right direction on how to catch fish and what methods / tackle & bait to use.

When should I phone the skipper?
Don’t phone him at closing time, after you’ve had a skin full, he will not be impressed. Likewise, do not phone him at six in the morning if he is up and gone, his partner may not be impressed. Be sensible about the timing. The skipper may inform you that you must call the evening before the trip, after they have had time to see the weather reports. Usually about 7.30pm is acceptable, but ask the skipper beforehand when you have booked the trip.

What happens if the trip is cancelled?
Trips usually only get cancelled due to bad weather, breakdown or illness and only by the skipper! Remember what is a days fun to you is the skippers livelihood. If the skipper has to cancel due to bad weather, don’t have a go at him, he does not want to cancel, he is losing money. If the trip is cancelled the skipper will do his best to book another date for you as he does not want to lose your custom, but if a suitable date is not available, then any good skipper will refund your deposit. If you are the one canceling the trip, ask the skipper when you book the boat, how much notice he needs if you wish to cancel the trip, this should give him time to take another booking if not expected to loose your deposit.

How to book a Charter Boat

What sort of tide do I need?
The right tide varies according to the sort of fishing you wish to do. If you want to fish over wrecks, you need a small tide so you get longer periods on your mark when it is easier to get the bait down to the bottom. ground fishing needs a little more tide to cover the ground your skipper will advise you of the type of fishing he will be doing on a given day just ask.

Can i go on my own or with a friend?
Most skippers will take individuals on certain weekdays only, but shop around on this site and ring some skippers who you think fit the bill Quite often a party will be short of anglers and the skipper may be able to fit you in albeit at short notice. Don’t forget that boat fishing is fun and it’s the people you fish with that can make a day special.

I don’t know if my tackle will be suitable.
When booki9ng the boat, confirm with the skipper that hire tackle is available on the boat, if so take what you have and the skipper will advice you on it’s suitability and may hire you some if necessary. If for example you have some gear and you want to make sure that it suits the type of fishing you will be doing just ask the skipper, as the target species changes from one area to another.

What should i wear?
In an ideal world, you would wear a flotation suit with a pair of waterproof boots. If this is not an option at the moment, then aim for plenty of layers to keep you warm, with a waterproof top layer which will also keep out the wind. It is important to wear a hat as most of the bodies heat is lost through the head, they also keep the sun off you. (Make sure the hat you wear will stay on as baseball caps can blow away). Do not cut back on warm clothing, even in the summer, it is always cooler at sea you can always take it off if you want.

Skipper knows best.
Remember that no matter how much you fish it will still be a fraction of the hours a skipper spends at sea and he does it all in the same area. As the skipper, but more importantly, listen to him or the crewman because this is their area of expertise. It could well be the different fifty miles down the coast, but they will know what works here. And remember to watch what others do on the boat and how they a faring. Never stop learning.

Can i keep my fish?
You can keep any fish as long as they are sizeable, but ask yourself how many fish you want to kill each month; if you fish to fill the freezer, then go to the supermarket, it will save you money. Angling is for sport, there is nothing wrong with taking a fish home every now and then, but please be sensible about it.

I’m a novice boat angler.
Angling is gradually becoming more like other sports and there are now plenty of skippers in Whitby who are more than happy to show you the ropes. Many skippers are happy to help you in the right direction on how to catch fish and what methods / tackle & bait to use.

When should I phone the skipper?
Don’t phone him at closing time, after you’ve had a skin full, he will not be impressed. Likewise, do not phone him at six in the morning if he is up and gone, his partner may not be impressed. Be sensible about the timing. The skipper may inform you that you must call the evening before the trip, after they have had time to see the weather reports. Usually about 7.30pm is acceptable, but ask the skipper beforehand when you have booked the trip.

What happens if the trip is cancelled?
Trips usually only get cancelled due to bad weather, breakdown or illness and only by the skipper! Remember what is a days fun to you is the skippers livelihood. If the skipper has to cancel due to bad weather, don’t have a go at him, he does not want to cancel, he is losing money. If the trip is cancelled the skipper will do his best to book another date for you as he does not want to lose your custom, but if a suitable date is not available, then any good skipper will refund your deposit. If you are the one canceling the trip, ask the skipper when you book the boat, how much notice he needs if you wish to cancel the trip, this should give him time to take another booking if not expected to loose your deposit.

How much will it cost?
The cost of booking a boat varies according to the type of fishing you do. Sixty miles out to sea takes a lot of time and diesel and will obviously cost more for the day. It may also depend on the hours you book, if the skipper supplies bait & tackle, this may well be an added expense. This will be ordered on your behalf and have to be paid for even if the trip is cancelled. On some trips you can catch your bait (usually mackerel) on the way out,

Congratulations to Shaun Pickles winner of the recent whitbyseaanglers boat fishing match with a fine ling of 15lb 08oz see full report from the link below

http://www.whitbyseaanglers.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=16531.0

New record ling on sea urchin

This week I had a group of lads on from Helmsley mostly novices who were fishing a big tide of around 5.4m, still there was no wind and the water was clear as a bell, Robin Molesworth was fishing baited Muppet’s on my hire tackle when he hit into a huge fish on some ground close to Whitby.

 We had been catching a steady run of mainly cod around 3/6lb and I decided to keep the same drift while fish were coming up. Drift after drift fish every time even by his own admitions Robin was a newbie only ever fished from a boat some 20 years previous.

 When he hit the big one he had gained much from the codlings that were coming aboard so did not panic at all he just kept steady pressure on the fish as we all stood by in envy the rod bent almost in half.

 I knew from my experience this was a real good fish after around 12Min’s I could see its length beneath the boat this is a big one I said still fifty feet down it looked huge, Finlay it broke the surface at the same moment my gaff hit it under the chin bingo, (believe me I have missed a few in my time but this was unmissable)

 What a fish I knew as I lifted it over the hand rail it was the biggest ling I had seen for many years, at that moment another angler local lad (Mike Butler from the endeavour pub) shouted I have a big fish on get the gaff ready please skipper in all the excitement I had not realised he was still fishing another rod bending ling broke the surface only to meet the gaff again another cracker

so up to my electronic scales and we all hazard our own guess at the weights and the first  ling weighed a whopping 29lb 10oz a new record for Robin and for the Sea Urchin and it’s many years a fish this size has been landed by any whitby charter boat so close in. The second fish of Mikes was just on 20lb, after all the excitement we had drifted a good half mile off the mark what with the big tide and all so I headed back up the same drift while the lads were taking pictures.

I set the boat up again then one bloke at the back who spent all morning tangling the reel getting stuck and finding it hard to get to grips with the drift trebble hooks and the rough ground,  hit another big fish at first I assumed he had the bottom again has he had during every other drift but no he was retrieving line and the rod was showing signs of a nice fish with deep bends as the fish nodded it’s head in an attempt to dive this time a cracking cod which weighed in at 14lb exactly.

 What a brilliant day even without the three really big ones there was plenty of cod for everyone to take home, once again just shows small tides don’t mean big fish and you don’t need to be an expert to land a fish of a life time if you have decent tackle and a little guidance.

In an attempt to speed up my bookings and to save lots of wasted calls for you anglers I have just added an online availability calendar to my website which is accessible on every every page,  as well as this post

I will try my utmost to keep it up to date every day or two whilst it is not an absolute guarantee the space is available, it will give a very good indication of my projected availability you still have the option to email me with your requests  but I always recommend you give me a call or email me before you send any payments this saves sending deposits to and fro, and just because the calendar says I am full on a particular day I often have cancellations the day before so keep checking the calendar it will change most days in one form or another.

Hope you find the service useful just hover your cursor over a date for more info

The w.c.s.a. angling festival is behind us now and at last I have had a chance to load up the many photos I promised, this year we had one daily winner with Steve Ackroyd with a fine cod of 12lb 8oz and a third place with local lad Damien Townsend with another good cod of 11lb 13.5oz , as well as a third placed lady overall Donna Wagstaff  with yet another cod weighing in at 5lb 15.5oz, still our catch rate and the quality of the cod we caught were very impressive many cod in the 9/12lb  bracket and we saw a huge number of tiny throw back codling’s close in while mackerel fishing all in all a great sign for the future fish stocks,

I would like to thank all my regular anglers along with other not so regular anglers for supporting me and the boat throughout the festival you all worked as hard as I did to get the boat up on the leader board thank you all.

Now sit back and re live your day through the pictures and video I have put together.

Well done to Steve Ackroyd winning sea urchins first place daily prize of the festival a fine cod just under 13lb the day was a good one with a huge amount of big cod caught by all on board Steve won himself £50 for the daily win which I matched with another £50 earning him £100 for his day not bad for a days fishing in beautiful flat calm weather and plenty of cod to take home,

I will be running this promotion

 http://whitby-sea-fishing.co.uk/archives/1533

for the whole of this years summer festival and anyone has a chance to win the big one really

Looking at my mid week festival bookings I have noticed I have anglers most days, but some days only three or so on, and as the entry is £40 per boat this in my opinion will discourage my small groups and individuals to enter which is there main reason for booking those dates in the first place,

So I have decided to add an extra incentive to anglers fishing off my boat sea urchin during this years summer fishing festival, (as if you needed one with a first place prize of £5000)

but for any angler who enters the competition fishing off sea urchin and wins a daily first prize worth £50 I will match it and pay an extra £50 earning daily winners on my boat a total of

 £100 in cash for a daily win and paid on the day.

and if anyone is lucky enough to win the first prize in the summer festival off the sea urchin as well as the £5000 first prize and the £50 daily plus the £50 you will receive from me as a daily winner, I will also give you another £200 in cash for your accommodation or travel costs to the presentation night in whitby, if you are local ? same deal you will still receive an extra £200 cash from me on the presentation night,

so if anyone has not booked as yet finds they have a free unexpected day off work mid week I have plenty of room most days and only four booked on Saturday 3rd July ,

as usual good luck to all who enter this year

Mick Leonard sea urchin

07855439380

www.whitby-sea-fishing.co.uk

The Whitby charter skippers summer fishing festival is upon us yet again and runs from19th June to the 11th of July

this years total cash prizes runs in excess of £9500 with £5000 going to the heaviest fish overall £1000 second place with £500 for third and an extra £500 for the heaviest cod regardless of what fish wins overall, plus three cash prizes for the daily winners every day of the festival,

the entry fee will be £40 per association boat which will include all anglers for the days entry the boats will depart at 7am and return back under the swing bridge by %pm

I still have midweek space and room for 5 on Saturday the 3rd of July give me a call to book your place on one of the biggest angling festival in the country

07855439380