http://whitbyseaanglersassociation.blogspot.com/

Every angler has a favourite river. One they return to, even when others may offer more chance of a fish or are in a more fishable condition. Mine is The Yorkshire Esk, a beautiful river that while small by comparison to the likes of Tyne, Tees and Wear, offers unique challenges and opportunities that mesmerise salmon, trout and sea trout anglers alike. Rising from the rugged, peaty terrain of Westerdale Moor where it is charmingly named ‘Esklets’, the river joins other streams (nearly always locally known as becks), gathering pace, size and momentum until it reaches Castleton where it becomes of real interest to the angler.

The river here is still small by most anglers standards but with a scaled down approach and plenty of stealth the angler can catch brown trout and grayling throughout the season and salmon and sea trout which given a spate can run this far up in a matter of days. A 6ft spinning rod with an upstream worm can take some good fish from the pools, stickles and runs here and the fly angler should use a 7-8ft rod with a 4-5 weight line. North Country Spider patterns such as Partridge and Orange and Snipe And Purple should tempt the fast taking trout from the lairs.

This stretch is mainly under control of Danby & District Angling Club who offer incredible value season permits at around £15, available from Duke Of Wellington in Danby and the Post Office there.

Danby & District Angling Club

Danby Club’s water continues through the fields down to Danby and these slow, deep and snaggy pools are often overlooked by anglers but can contain some fine brown trout which grow fat on the abundant minnows that gather in the margins, terrestrial flies from the tree branches and
worms washed out by the frequent spates. My best Esk brown of 2.5lb came from this stretch on an upstream worm fished in a pool that had very little movement and no signs of fish at all.
From Danby Mill downstream the river gathers pace and widens. The weir itself is a great spot to watch sea trout jumping in October as they make the final push to their spawning grounds. It should be noted though that these fish will mainly be gravid and ready for spawning, making it unsporting to fish for them and they would certainly be poor eating.

The streamier parts of the river between Danby Village and the DDAC Boundary where the railway crosses the river close to Danby Lodge can offer good brown trout fishing and the occasional grayling. Eels also seem keen on this mainly shaded stretch so worming at dusk into night is often frustrating and a fly would be a better option. Spider patterns, traditional wet flies, small dry flies and weighted nymphs such as goldhead Hares Ear have worked well for me on this stretch.

Danby’s stretch resumes at the railway bridge at Ducks Bridge with easy parking and access. Again there are browns and grayling to be had here but stealth is important if you want to catch fish in these often narrow
pools. The track to Crag Farm leads to a popular pool where the bridge crosses the river and it is worth trying a flashier wet fly here such as a Peter Ross or Butcher as we have caught 1lb brown trout from this pool that have been stuffed to the gills with 2-3 inch long fish. The pool below Crag Farm is also a good bet- try casting a worm underneath the branches for decent browns or a fly for the sea trout in the back eddies, though this essentially means fishing the pool backwards due to the difficult currents.

Between here and Fryup Beck which marks the lowest boundary of DDAC’s water there are many tree lined pools that are worth a try and streamier runs where trout will rise freely but shy away from a clumsy cast or shadow on the water.

The water from Fryup Beck to Lealholm is run by a private syndicate who have done some great river improvements in recent years but the next fishing available to the public is at Lealholm. The free fishing here stretches from the Stepping Stones, through the main pool to roughly quarter of a mile downstream of the bridge. The main angling focus is on the large pool in the centre of the village which can hold good amounts of sea trout and salmon. As tempting as they are though, these fish have a reputation amongst Esk anglers for being
difficult and soon become ‘potted’, resting amongst the tree roots until late season, thus becoming coloured and stale. If you are lucky enough to catch them as they enter the pool then you are in with a chance but after that you are better off concentrating elsewhere. Night time fly fishing offers the best chance but the street lights around here hinder your chances and while Summer nights can see fish jumping and splashing you could be fishing over a pool that has had dogs swimming through it and families paddling leaving you tearing your hair out as you try every fly in the box.

Free Fishing On The Esk – Rakes Common Glaisdale

The next available public fishing is Rakes Common at Glaisdale, which in a falling spate can offer good salmon and sea trout fishing with plenty of room to fish. A size 2- 4 Mepps style spinner is the best bet here fished deep and slow. You will lose spinners here as there are many tree roots but if that is the case then your lure is in the right place. There are lots of little runs and pools here for the fly fisherman with doubles of around size 12 such as the ever reliable Silver Stoat and Thunder And Lightning being a good bet. Some nice brown trout can be taken here and a dry fly is ideal for fishing over the top of those snaggy tree roots. A mile or so downstream is the popular free stretch at Limber Hill which can be productive in a late season falling spate. Most of the fish come to spinner with Tobies in 7-15g, Flying C’s, Mepps and Rapala’s all proving popular. Fly fishing can also work here but takes a little more homework. Try fishing a gold and orange fly when there is just a hint of colour in the water at dusk. I would class this as the start of the ‘middle river’ so to speak and from here down to Sleights is mainly under the control of Esk Fisheries
Association and a couple of local angling clubs who only offer membership to those living in the respective villages.

Egton Estates – River Esk Salmon Fishing

Some excellent fishing is available at Egton Bridge from the Egton Estate. This is prolific water with some of the best pools on the river and as such demand is high and early booking is advisable. Contact Simon Foster at Egton Estates on 01947 895466 for more information. The tactics mentioned above work here with plenty of pools lending themselves perfectly to fly fishing.

Low Newbiggin House near Aislaby have some fishing available and while I haven’t fished it, a quick look at the map shows it to include the first main bend on the river above Sleights, making it an attractive proposition. See http://www.lownewbiggin.co.uk for more details.

The next available fishing is the free stretch at Sleights which runs from the footbridge upstream to a wire fence below the fish pass. This stretch offers the chance of a tide fresh fish for most of the season but timing is everything. You can be there all day and see nothing only to leave and a hefty run to pass through. Spinning during a spate is the most popular method here.

The lowest available fishing is at Ruswarp with permits costing an astounding £2 available from Ruswarp Pleasure Boats. The river slows here due to the weir that marks the tidal stretch and is often overlooked by many anglers but is worth a go. I have had fresh run salmon to 6lb from here and had some good fun fly-fishing at night for sea trout. Worm fishing produces brown trout, eels and even flounder which manage to get up the weir from the tide, though last time I wormed on there we were plagued by gudgeon which seem to only populate this part of the river Here the freshwater fishing on Esk ends but it truly is a delightful, if somewhat taxing river and once it gets under your skin you find yourself going back time and time again.

Pictures courtesy of Clive From Nicepix.net

Article By Bucko From The Whitby Fishing Forum

If you are to fish over submerged rocks, boulders and steep ledges then the pulley rig is the one for you. This simple but effective rig means you can now fish in the roughest of grounds knowing that if you hook a fish you have a very good chance of landing it.

How The Pulley Rig Works

The Pulley rig design means that when a fish takes your bait the weight of the fish pulls your lead weight up the line where it tucks in against the swivel where the rig is connected to your main line. This means that as you retrieve your fish the lead weight is not dangling in a position where it can easily become snagged on the rocks and ledges you are fishing over.

If you want a better chance of landing your fish from the rough grounds then the pully rig is an essential item for your rig wallet.

The Pulley rig described here is optimised for fishing on the north east coast for cod. Depending on where you are fishing and the species you are targeting you may wish to alter parts of this rig to suite yourself. For example anglers targeting bass with the pulley rig may wish to lighten up a bit and use smaller lead weights and a lighter fluro carbon snoodline. Conversely anglers chasing bigger species like the conger may wish to scale things up. Anglers fishing the roughest of grounds may wish to substitute the lead link for some kind of Rotten Bottom Device.

Pulley Rig Video Staring Alan Yates From Sea Angler

Following its successful debut in 2009, Cumbria – the  Lake District – is to host its  second Fishing Festival in the Spring of 2010. The Festival will run from the 15th to the 23rd of May, and will feature an expanded range of some fifty angling activities aimed at anglers and non-anglers alike, along with a new online pre-booking and pre-payment system. The festival website with the programme of events can be found at www.cumbriafishingfestival.co.uk

In contrast with the 2009 event, there will be more coarse fishing events, and more events aimed at those who’ve never fished before. The waterside masterclasses that proved popular in ‘09 will continue in 2010, with a number of new additions. The festival opening event on Saturday 15th May will again take place at Bessy Beck Trout Fishery, nr. Newbiggin-on-Lune, and those wishing to attend are asked to pre-book online, if possible.

The Fishing Festival was established in 2009 to showcase the fabulous fishing to be enjoyed in Cumbria’s stunning landscapes, and featured a unique mix of waterside events taking place at different locations throughout the county. In 2009 sponsorship was offered by leading UK fishing tackle company Hardy Greys, who offered to supply expert anglers from their Academy to host and tutor waterside masterclasses, and they are continuing to support the event in 2010. Other events will be hosted by anglers living in, or familiar with the county, or who have strong Cumbrian connections.

Festival events fall into six main categories; learn to fish events, trout fishing on rivers, stillwater trout fishing, salmon fishing, coarse fishing and predator hunting. There will also be a sea fishing event, with Lee Cummings taking parties out to catch mullet on the fly on Cumbria’s west coast.

Hosting the events will be Jeremy Lucas, Nige Williams, Andy Charlton, Stuart Minnikin and/or Andy Smith (Hardy Greys), salmon fishers will enjoy presentations and advice from Ally Gowans, Glyn Freeman, and Clive Mitchelhill. Other champions of Cumbrian angling who will be participating include Paul Procter, Eric Hope, Stuart Broadhurst, Patrick Arnold, Bob & Vera Carlson, Chris Bowman, Tony Riley, and David Stocker.

Leading Cumbrian fishing tackle retailer John Norris, have made a major contribution to publicising the Festival, with Cumbria’s largest angling club, Windermere, Ambleside & District Angling Association, taking on the event organization. The Environment Agency are continuing to support the event.

For further information or comment, please contact Neil Birkinshaw on (015395) 35630, or email him at neil.birkinshaw@btinternet.com

Just because the cold days and rough sea’s of winter are now a distant memory doesn’t mean that we have to put our Cod fishing gear to the back of the shed and wait until the next winter for some cod action.

Summer Cod fishing can be very rewarding, yet many anglers will decide to put away their cod fishing tackle during the summer, and in my opinion could be missing out on some very good cod fishing..

Living here on the north east coast of England we are blessed with some very good rough ground fishing marks that stretch from Flamborough in the south up through Northumberland and right up the north east side of Scotland. In my opinion we have some of the best cod fishing in the UK and its right on our door step..

From about May when the weather starts to improve and the temperature starts to rise, the crab will start to moult, shedding their old shell in order to grow bigger and this is when they are at there most vulnerable and become a tasty meal for our friend the COD..

During May and through out the summer, Cod will move into the shallow kelp strewn spots looking for a tasty meal, often taking up residence. Some of the cod which have been living in the weed for some time will take on a deep red/brown colouration, we generally call these “Kelp Cod” “Kelpies”. They are not a different species, they just look different through their colour.. Summer cod fishing doesn’t require any change in tackle from your winter cod gear, but maybe a slightly different approach to venues/conditions/tides/baits etc.

TACKLE.

Most Summer Cod fishing along the north eastern coast of England and up along the eastern coast of Scotland is done in some of the roughest tackle hungry ground, so indeed you will need some strong tackle to drag fish through dense kelp forests and over boulders.

Most strong modern beach casters will cope with this sort of fishing match that with a decent size multiplier “7000/Penn 535″ size multiplier should cope and hold enough strong line for most spots. Line is important and because you are fishing in such heavy ground I don’t think to much about diameter or thinness to lb ratio. I think about abrasion above all else, so use lines of 35lb or above.

Of course there are times when a lighter main line with a leader can pay off. On venues were you may need distance to reach the fish, you maybe casting over the rough ground onto cleaner ground in search of tide “Fresh run fish” this is a choice you have to make..

As for end tackle goes,  for me I have one rule, I will always try to keep things as simple as possible, the less bits n bobs you have on the less you have to get snagged and loose. With all rough ground fishing you will lose end tackle from time to time but you can minimize it with a bit of thought, after all I dont believe cod come along and examine your end tackle, they are after one thing and one thing only “Food”

My main rig body will be made from 80lb line with a 40lb-50lb snood with a 25lb rotton bottom and 6oz lead, with a hook size  from 3/0 – 6/0 depending on bait size. which brings me onto my next point.

Some tide marks can produce fresh run cod during the summer months.

And Wrasse are also likely to take your crab baits.

BAIT.

Fishing its not an exact science, there is no right or  wrong ways, we all do things different, but one thing I think is definitely right is choice of bait for summer cod fishing. I always try to give the fish the bait they are looking for, and in my opinion there is no better bait for summer cod fishing in rough ground than peeler crab, fresh if possible or a mix of fresh and or frozen..

A prepared Cod bait of frozen and fresh Crab which is bound to the hook with elasticated cotton, note the hook point is not masked by the bait which is important.

VENUES/CONDITIONS.

Again we are blessed with some great cod marks on this coast from Flamborough all the way up through north Northumberland and up along the eastern coast of Scotland there is miles upon miles of coastline littered with great summer cod marks, don’t be afraid to go chuck a nice crab bait into a likely looking spot, chances are there will be a cod lurking not to far away. And a lot of the time during the summer if there is not a match taking place, you will have the spot to yourself, its a great feeling just relaxing in the sunshine, rod jammed in between some rocks waiting for a bite and seeing our beautiful coastline at its best, just taking in all the sights and sounds, even if you go home fishless,  you have still had a pleasant day out in the fresh air…

A likely looking spot to find a cod mooching around looking for crabs..

A decent cod caught on peeler crab at close range..

I have found I prefer calm/clear and settled conditions for summer cod fishing, I also prefer a decent tide I believe the push of a decent tide can fire the fish into feeding..

So those who think Cod only come in shore during winter storms to feed on bait thats been washed out, just don’t put your gear in the shed just yet, spend spring time collecting some crabs and give summer cod fishing a go, you might just get a surprise in the shape of a nice plump red cod…

If you have any question or would like to comment on this article then please feel free to do so.

Tightlines – Garry

You can read more about summer cod fishing at the following links :

Summer Cod Fishing At Arbroath

Summer Cod Fishing At Johnshaven

East Scotland Cod Fishing

Arbroath Shore Fishing In June

As with most fishing techniques, livebaiting for bass sounds complicated to the average angler, but truth be known its no more difficult than trolling a plug behind your kayak, or casting your plugs whilst on the drift. Whats more livebaits are said to be a great way to target the bigger fish. To sucessfully utilise this method you will need to catch some livebait, keep it alive, and present it in a natural manner so that any passing bass cant fail to fall for the trap.

How To Catch Livebaits.

Catching livebaits is really quite simple. By far the best method I have found is to jig “sabiki rigs” over inshore sandy areas or areas you know to hold small fish such as sandeel (or launce), small pollack, wrasse, coalies and pouting. Small pollack etc can usually be located on the ground edges where soft meets hard ground. Also dont overlook small species such as dabs. In an email exchange with Mike Ladle he once told me not to get hung up on species but to utilise what is available locally as this is what the bass will be feeding on.

The sabiki rig is great for targeting these small species and your sucess rate will be high in comparison to using other rigs with larger hooks such as hokeyes. Simpy jig the rig up and down and if there are any micros species in the area they will be falling over themselves to get on your hooks. If you find the sandeels or fish to be a little thin on the ground, then a good tip is to drop your sabikis to the bottem, nock your reel out of gear and then paddle off untill most of the line is off your reel. Then click the reel into gear and start to wind the sabikis in, using a jigging/spinning style. Using this method helps you cover more ground and catch rates should improve.

Keeping Your Livebaits alive.

Once you have your livebait you need to keep it alive and healthy. Dieing unlively bait will not be natural in the water and bass being a clever species will smell a rat instantly, so you must keep your livebait in top top condition. One option is a simple bucket (You can use an air pump if you like). Frequent water changes are required. If you wish to keep your bait in prime condition then I would advise changing the water every 5-10 minutes to keep it alive. A second easier option is to use a trolling bucket.

Flambeau Flote-Rite Trolling Bait Bucket

The Flambeau Flote-Rite Trolling Bait Bucket is the ideal solution for keeping your livebaits in tip top condition.

Stabilising keel design keeps bucket upright no matter how it hits the water. Flow-through holes keep bait alive longer. Mounting holes provided for attaching a battery-operated aeration pump. Easy opening door for one hand operation.

Simply attach the bait bucket to your kayak with a short piece of cord. The weighted design means the bucket lays on its side in the water allowing fresh sea water to continually flow through the bucket. The only problem we have found is that the bucket cuts your paddling speed in half, However our tests have found that you can take the bucket out of the water for paddles of upto 30 minutes and the bait stays fit and healthy.

Presenting Your Livebait.

There are 2 main ways for presenting your livebait : either below a cigar type float or you can just freeline them, a method I found to be extremely sucessful on my first ever attempt.

Freelining Livebaits For Bass

The method of freeling a sandeel for bass is so simple you really wont believe it can work. Attach a swivel to your mainline and then attach a 4-5 foot hook snood to the swivel. Hook your livebait through the lips and drop the whole lot in the water.

Allow the sandeel to swim down about half the depth of the water you are fishing and then drift along holding the rod. Make sure you have the drag set correctly and hold on tight as the first hit of a bass on livebaits will be like nothing you have experience before. In areas of strong tide it is possible to anchor at the uptide end of the tide run and then let your freelined bait trot downtide. I have caught several decent bass using this method but you must be aware that the further the livebait gets away from the kayak, the more chance you have of loosing any fish you hook.

Another good tip is to consider the use of small 1/4 ounce barrel leads just above your swivel. This will help keep your livebait down in areas of very strong tide flow.

Float Fishing For Bass

Again the method is quite simple. Just set up a sliding float rig and hang your livebait on the hook. Make sure that your float is big enough not to be pulled under by your livebait.

Aim to fish mid water in depths of around 20 foot. If you get a lot of missed bites I have found that bringing the bait up to about 1 foot under the float can bring instant sucess. Another tip can be to leave the reel out of gear with the bail arm off. This allows the fish to take the bait without feeling any resistance from the rod which is known to spook the fish. All the float to go under, count to 4 and then strike. This should allow sufficient time to allow the fish to take the bait and for the hook to become set.

If you would like more information on freelining for bass, or any other kayak fishing related topic then please head over to our fishing forum at : http://www.whitbyseaanglers.co.uk/forum/index.php

Pictures By Glenn Kilpatrick And Simon Everett.

With the growing popularity of “shad” fishing, use of a pirk has fallen out of fashion to a degree. Nevertheless, pirking (jigging or ripping), remains a very effective method of catching cod, ling and other local species. Over the years, I’ve had some belting pollack, loads of ‘nuisance’ whiting, coalfish and even had occasional wrasse and gurnard take an un-baited pirk off the Robin Hoods Bay, Whitby, Kettleness and Runswick areas.

I first starting pirking in the late 1980’s and since that time, a lot has changed, both in terms of catches, but also pirking tackle. In those days, I fished much further offshore and went out of Whitby with Brian Marsden on Toiler, Stu Johnson on Sea Trek and Alan and Rich Ward on Summer Wine and Shy Torque. In the early days, we fished heavy, with 50lb, or even 80lb class rods and using 1½ lb bar pirks, or 500 gram Norwegian jiggers set up with a ‘killer rig’ of two muppets on 150lb mono above. At the end of a full day’s pirking, I used to be absolutely bushed.

Above :

On the right is the old 1980’s/90’s heavy gear – Big reels, mono line, Penn 80lb class stand up style rod and 500 gram Norwegian jigger. On the left is today’s light gear – longer 7’9” Abu 12lb class rod, braid and 200gram pirk.

In the late 1980’ / early 1990’s, 20lb+ cod or ling were relatively commonplace and more often than not on those trips, someone on board, usually bagged one or more during the day. Now, twenty years on, a 20lb+ fish is something of a rarity. Nevertheless, there are still a good number of cod to be had today, but we have to accept that their average size is now smaller. These smaller fish, the advent of braided line and a more open minded approach to other techniques has led many of us using lighter and more sporting tackle, which for me anyway, has maintained the fun of boat fishing.

Above : Big bar pirk with muppet on treble and big Norwegian jigger that I used to use.

Those early offshore pirking trips taught me a lot.

• Norwegian pirks out fish straight bar pirks, as they offer a more alluring movement in the water.
  Work the pirk as close to the seabed as possible, it should keep just touching bottom, which will mean you need to release a bit more line every few jigs.
• Work the pirk as close to a vertical plane as possible, once your line starts to stream out and approaches a 45º angle, wind in and drop down again. With a streaming line, you won’t catch as many fish and you are far more likely to snag the bottom.
• Keep your hooks sharp, or change them. Regular contact with rough ground soon dulls hook points.
  Muppets on trebles or singles can add to a pirks attraction – again more movement of the lure. I rate the articulated movement a muppet gives a pirk.
• A baited pirk tends to catch more ling – if that’s what you want!
  Particularly when using braided line, you really don’t need to lift the rod right into the clouds on the up-stroke. A subtle flick of the rod tip, moving the pirk only 18” or so, is often all you need.

Those old 30/50 Shimano reels weren’t called ‘Beast Masters’ for nothing, – they weighed a ton! I can’t imagine pirking with one today. They make the reel I use now look tiny.

The bulk of my inshore cod fishing is now from done from small private boats. I favour the shallower reef and rough ground marks and fish within a mile or so of the coastline, in depths of 10 – 25 metres. Here, providing the water is clear enough, the pirk can be very effective, as it can worked exactly where the cod are, hard on the bottom of the seabed. The tactics will also over wrecks, but pirk losses will inevitably be higher.

The rough ground can still be quite tackle hungry, but there are ways of mitigating pirk losses, more of which I’ll come on to later. It’s the cost of these losses which put many novices off pirking, or they choose to use cheap pirks, which they don’t so much mind losing, but in truth, I’ve found are not half as effective as the ones shown below.

The use of braided line (25 – 50lb breaking strain) allows much lighter tackle to be used now. For depths of up to around 40 metres, I use 12lb class gear and pirks of between 100 – 200 grams weight. For deeper water than this, a 20lb class outfit can be better, together with pirks of between 200 – 300 grams weight. You can use either of these outfits all day, without feeling you’ve had a workout at the gym!

These German made 200 gram pirks have caught me loads of fish. They have a circular sweeping action on the drop. Sadly, they seem to be unobtainable in the UK now.

These ‘Mean’ pirks used to be sold by Harris Angling, now Harris Sportsmail. They came in 100, 150 and 200 gram weights. Their fluttering action, enhanced by the additional movement from a muppet, makes these great pirks. Again, no longer available.

A good pirk that’s still available – A 200gram Norwegian shape pirk supplied by Sovereign Superbaits. A lure with plenty of action.

Something that’s always baffled me in recent years, is why more right handed sea anglers don’t use left handed multiplier reels? When pirking, spinning, fly fishing, or coarse fishing, I hold the rod with my right hand. When pirking, I hold the butt of the rod with my left hand and the fore grip of the rod with my right. With a left handed reel, as soon as you get a fish on, you can then use your left hand to wind, or engage the reel straight away, – instead of having to swap the rod from right hand to left hand, which I find so cumbersome. As soon as you get a take, you want to be in a position to wind in and keep tension on the line and fish. Auto engage multiplier reels, like the Abu and Tica below, do help in this regard.

My favoured left hand wind multipliers for 12/20lb. class outfits.
From left to right – Tica Caiman CJ201R, Avet 2 Speed MXJ 6/4 and Abu BG 7001 HS

So coming back to the question of how to avoid losing gear – here are my top tips!

• Just use a pirk by itself, don’t make it a “Killer rig” with muppets, hokeyes or anything else above the pirk. Fewer hooks = less risk of snagging. Don’t get hung up on fewer hooks = fewer fish. The pirk catches the majority of fish anyway.
• If fishing braid as a mainline, tie a 6’ – 8’ length of similar strength mono between braid and pirk, to resist abrasion of the rough ground. Braid is very susceptible to abrasion.
• At the end of the mono use a decent snap swivel link, like an interlock. (I don’t rate American snaps at all). Don’t tie the mono straight onto the pirk.
• Fish the pirk as vertically as possible.
• If you use braid and get stuck on the bottom, you have a brief moment, depending on the speed of the drift, when you can often ‘shake’ the pirk free. Once you hit a snag, you must maintain tension and rapidly ‘jag’ at the pirk. You can often release them if you do this quickly.
• If you’re fishing from a private boat, watch out for flags marking fleets of lobster pot lines and avoid them.
  On really rough ground, use two single hooks instead of a treble. (See pirk below). I find trebles tend to wedge in snags and using two singles reduces snagging by at least 50% and I find increases catches too, as the bottom single catches fish which nip at the muppet on the tail of the pirk. The two single hook arrangement also works without muppets.

This is a ‘Mean’ pirk rigged with two 5/0 singles in place of a treble. It has lasted for three full days jigging, it’s bashed about, lost most of its finish, but is still catching fish – most importantly, it’s back in my tackle box, not lost in the rough ground on the seabed.

So there you have it! If you fancy something different to winding in a shad, give pirking a whirl. If you going to try it, I would suggest this is a method that favours slower drifts and / or smaller neap tides.

Please feel free to leave your comments below, or if you wish to debate this article in our fishing forum please click here – http://www.whitbyseaanglers.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=14245.0

Fishsubsidy.org say

“Illegal fishing contributes to the overfishing of valuable fish stocks, many of which are at dangerously depleted levels. Very limited data on convictions for serious infringements of fisheries rules (illegal fishing) and other criminal offences has been compiled from France, Spain and the UK. Unlike data on fisheries subsidies, it is not official data obtained directly from governments but information collected manually from government websites, press reports and court records. It is therefore certain to be incomplete.”

Further Reading

When Crime Pays – How The EU Subsidises Illegal Fishing

EU Subsidises Illegal Fishing

http://fishsubsidy.org/infringements

You can read more about this ridiculous situation on the fish subsidy website here. If you would like to comment on this news article please use the comments form below. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Match Details

• Date : Sunday July 25th 2010
• Times : 11am Start, weigh in by 4.30pm
• Prices : TBA
• Weigh In Times : TBA
• Presentation Times: TBA
• Prizes : TBA

Forum Topics About The Match

Slideshow From Previous Years Matches

Match Gallery

Fishing On Whitby’s West Pier

Cod, Pollock, Mackerel And So Much More.

The Stone wall piers at Whitby have been in existence since 1632 when they replaced the old wooden piers that used to protect the harbour entrance. The new wooden extensions which now give extra protection to Whitby harbour were added in 1913. Whitby West as it is affectionately known by the locals is home to a diversity of fish species and provides convenient easy access to anglers of all ages and abilities. In the early days it was possible to drive as far down the west pier as the stone lighthouse and fishing was possible from your car boot upon the stone pier. With today’s health and safety regulations the pier is only accessible on foot, however there is plenty of parking space in the surrounding areas and less than a 5 minute walk sees you on the end of one of Yorkshires top fishing marks.

Summer Fishing At Whitby West Pier

The summer fishing at Whitby west pier is second to none with a wide variety of species on the cards including Mackerel, Pollock, Flounder, Coalfish, Shad, and more recently Bass.  As with all summer fishing best tactics involve lure fishing and the favoured methods are : mackerel spinners, hokeye rigs, Jellyworms and bass plugs. Catches on the pier are usually driven by the tides and the best fishing usually coincides with high water. However fishing at other times is not to be ruled out and some exceptional catches have been taken at all states of tide by anglers willing to put in time fishing the pier. The best tackle for summer fishing is a 7-9 foot spinning rod coupled with a light spinning reel filled with 8-12 pound mono line.

Above : Local angler Philip Mead catching mackerel on Whitby West Pier

Winter Time Is When The Real Fun Begins

The autumnal equinox signals the start of winter fishing season at Whitby, and this is when hordes of shore anglers from across the region dust down there trusty beachcasters and multiplier reels in anticipation of some excellent cod fishing. Whitby itself has long been known as the cod mecca of the UK and the west pier has given up many a decent sized fish to the many anglers that fish the pier in anticipation every winter.

September usually sees mixed bags of Cod, Pollock, Coalies and Whiting falling largely to peeler crab baits. Fishing at this time of year is most productive over high water on relatively calm nights. As the seasons move on and winter bites hard its usually big cod that are the target of those brave enough to fish on in the worst of the winter weather. A diening northerly swell will see the pier lined with die hard anglers all hoping for that fish of a lifetime. Best baits for the true winter months include peeler crab, mussel, fresh lug, ragworm and frozen blacks, remember to bait up big for the larger fish. Best rigs include the Pulley and pennel rig and breakaway type leads of 6 ounce or more are essential. Best rods are the middle to top range beachcasters coupled with a 7000 size reel filled with 30 pound mono. Many anglers now also fish lighter lines with heavy shokleaders.

Big Cod

Make no mistake. Whitby west pier is a big cod venue in every sense of the word. In Winter 2007 well known Whitby angler Paul Kilpatrick ventured onto Whitby west pier just as he had done many times before since he first fished the pier as a young lad many decades earlier. What happened next is something Paul will never forget as he hooked into a monster cod of 16 pounds, the battle that ensued last fully 45 minutes and ended with Paul the winner when he landed the fish 1000 yards up Whitby harbour at the bandstand. You can read more of Paul’s story here.

Above : Paul Kilpatrick with his 16 pound cod.

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How To Find The West Pier At Whitby

The west pier in Whitby is all but un-missable. Simply drive from the swing bridge, down pier road and you will find the pier at the junction of pier road and khyber pass.
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Health and safety

Angling from the shore in the UK is very hazardous to say the least. Every year lives are lost whilst pursuing our fascination with sea angling. Anglers of all levels of ability need to be very very careful indeed – having fallen badly myself last year I’m as aware as anyone of the dangers of rock fishing. At this point I would like to offer a few words of advice to anglers.

Never attempt to fish a new area without the help and advice of someone experienced in fishing that area.

Always check the tide and ensure you will be safe to access and exit your chosen area. Watch out for cut off points. If unsure don’t go. Its not worth it.

Be aware of the weather forecast. Conditions can change fast.

Don’t access closed areas, eg piers whilst the storm gates are shut.

Carry some form of communication.

Tell someone where you are going and when you intend to return. Ask them to raise the alarm should you not return.

Do not fish heavy seas. Its very dangerous and your wasting your time anyway, fish don’t like really rough seas. Leave it a day or 2 until the sea is dieing.