On his latest trip north Harry used his 1.8lb test curve barbel rod to catch his monster bass of 13lb. The fish which beats his previous PB by a massive 11lb was taken on a lure in darkness.

Read more about Harry’s bass here.

http://www.whitbyseaanglers.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=11263.0

After watching the video one thing becomes very clear, and that is that Graham Hill knows his bass fishing. Recently Graham joined our site, so I seized the opportunity and asked if he would do a question and answer session on bass fishing for our forum members.

Graham was only too pleased to oblige, so we collected a load of questions from the lads on the site. So on behalf of all our site members I would like to thank Graham for taking the time to answer our questions. Anyone interested in reading about Grahams exploits or if you want to purchase some of his megabass lures, you should head over to his bass fishing online website. The following is the list of answers kindly provided by Graham.

Questions From Harry The Cod

Q1. This year on our trip to the mull , on two occasions i blanked ,while my fishing mates all caught,we were using identical set up ,rubber eels and rubber lures and a controler method to cast the light lures out. Then on one night two other
anglers blanked , and the rest of us had fish, it was very frustrating at times ,and very perplexing as to why this should
happen. What are your thoughts on this ?

A1 Harry,,
All my fishing life this sort of thing has happened to me both bait and lure fishing i suppose its fishing thats what some will say but its working it out reasons why they may only be small and even unnoticiable but worked out could change your life forever

Q2. Is there anyway to present a live bait at range, without damaging it in the cast, i am thinking of trying live bait if i can get hold of some next season from the shore ,,

A2. Is this a beach casting question? if so i would use the d-vice , if not no, but the freelined Mackeral/launce is a great choice

Question By Ramrod – Ray Maddison

Q1. Hi Graham. First of all may I congratulate you on becoming a millionaire in such a short time, but shame on you by offering your bling so outrageously and leaving our children to go hungry. But enough about them! Perhaps we could reach a compromise regarding Bass/starving offspring. My question is this. How successful is the use of jelly’s from the shore. Taking into consideration that most of the bass caught around this area are in relatively shallow water. If they are any good, which types would you recommend and how would you work and rig them. One last question. Does the
Komomo2 only come in one size as I’m thinking of getting my starving daughter one for Christmas. Regards Ray Maddison.

A1 Ray, I wish i was!!!! Selling lures is just a hobby for me but i try to keep to the lower price bracket where i can,, The jellies from the shore are great i use paddle tail shads these are my mainstay french(DeLaLande) makes up to 150mm with a articulated head from 5g to 35g also worm type plastics such as XSlayers and Sluggos but work out the colours that work before shelling out,, the world of plastics from the shore is massive but there are not many anglers that can pull it off,,in your area look at the rock pools and the waters as i know as a acomplished angler like yourself i am telling you how to suck eggs ,,,but read the gobies and life in there and match the hatch with similar plastics you may get a plesant surprise and the choice of plastic lures is truly amazing,, a larger K2 now theres a thought’.

Questions From Baramundi Bob – Glenn Kilpatrick

Q1. What would you say to a group of anglers who had been fishing for 2-3 seasons with relatively good success, with bass upto almost 6lb all on plugs and all from the rocks/scars. The reason I ask is, that group of lads is us. After 3 years of trying different things Im wondering how we can move our fishing forward in the next few years. Is there any particular
aspects of bass fishing we should really pay attention too

A1. Glen,,,
well all i can say is to you yorkshire lads is Respect,,i know how hard it is to catch on lures even in the south of england and Ireland dont come easy either,,you are 250 miles plus North on the East Coast and much cooler climate so you must have worked something out. I remember the times in yorkshire where a bass caught in a major comp made the headlines, so with that in mind you are doing great, To advance yourself i always tell lads to:

• Learn your area inside out and watercraft is KING
• Get the best lures available to you and work them out plastics and hard
• baits
• On the rugged north east coast get kitted out with clothing ,waders,carry bags boots etc for your own saftey and protection,,
• Early morning fishing first light with a correct tide ,,coincidential of tide ,time ,time of year,and first light is again king

Glen i could go on forever on this its a great question but it just seems unanswerable,,

Q2. Would you expect double figure bass to be present on the Yorkshire Coast. Are there any methods we should look at if we want to try catch larger bass. Is there any time of day or season we should be looking for the bigger fish.

A2 Yes,,, i  do believe Doubles frequent all the coast line around the UK and Ireland they could show up anywhere obviously there are well known hot spots in the south and Ireland but a few unfound on the yorkshire coast,, big bass are quite lazy Creatures and like the comforts of life so when looking for a double producing mark look no further than a south facing rockmark or quiet sunny side up estuary its called the abedobe effect,,bass actually love sunbathing and this is what gives them that realy dark steel blue colour,,find this and the 6lb er will be a fish of the past,,,I would Guess September is your month ,,,In Ireland Its November and December

Q3. Why do we never catch bass off the wrecks in the North East.

A3 I think the water is too cold in the deeper parts of the north sea plus 8 deg water temp is a pointer,,shallower wrecks in  warmer waters and look for more Favourable to you lads up there and a run in the tide ,that will form under water dunes and sand bars that will hold bait fish and Bass

Q4 . What are your top 10 bass lures, can you explain what you like about each.

A4.These are what i carry in my lure box:

• 1,Zonk Gataride singesi iwashi….. long casting top bass lure
• Zonk 120 pearl rainbow………..21g long casting sinker
• Xorus Pachenko phospho…superb topper
• MARIA CHASE HOLO silver BW…memories of big fish on film
• IMA komomo sf 125 Aka Kin…early morningsIMA komomo2 anasago flashing plate…can top and crank on the same cast
• IMA popkey ..new kid on the top a fantastic topper
• Tackle house Feed Shallow pearl white,,,, memories of films and pictures
• IMA Sasuke Sand Bora…a superb 1m diver plus long casting lure
• STORM JOINTED THUNDERSTICK silver blue an oldie that all the new stuff has to aspire too a truly iconic shallow runner

Q6. Have you ever heard of anyone mad enough to fish a plug behind a 6 ounce
weight off the top of 100ft cliffs.

A6. NO!! But i recon i will soon,,,,try a 50g head on a delalande shad

Questions From Iain Sellars Quint

Q1 Have you had any experience of plugging at night, if so is the key to success in darkness slowing things right down? If so can you recommend plugs suited to such methods, I would have thought the K2 would be ideal.

A1 My night plugging experience is limited i dont have to do the darkness thin but overall i have found plastics work better after dark and as slow as you can,,the K2 is a fantastic lure in daylight visual conditions i have not tried it in darkness,,,

Q2 If you were allowed only one plug to fish in all conditions, which would you opt for? ,,,,

A2 all conditions,, there can be only one,,Megabass zonk 120 singisu iwashi,,the zonk is the peeler crab of the plugging world

Q3 In your experience which peeler brings more bass to the scales, edible, shore or velvet, or is there little to choose from?

A3 I love fishing with crab of all types a fantastic bait,, in my personal experience shore crab is by far and away the best for bass in SE Ireland my estuaries can produce endless quality peelers through the year,, on the east coast of Ireland on the rocky areas velvets are tops when in season and that is very short may / june a small window but fish with them fresh ,,,well what can i say,,brilliant,,but the downside is i feel they will not compete with fresh shore crab when frozen,,and last the edible red crab i have gathered with the velvets when the peel is on ,,, i personally would look at the velvets and edibles as a massive bonus when i can get them but the mainstay of my bait is the shore crab in compertitions,,,,,,,,, in 2004 and 2008 i qualified to fish for the Irish National team in the Home Internationals as Munster Champion and that was down to simply having the best Crab,,,they very rarely fail me a great bait,,,

Q4 How much should I charge for a 3 hour bass guiding session?

A4. Actually its very rare that i guide nowadays and only at personal request ,i put deals together for ireland in my guest house that are very competitive

Questions From Ducky – John Duck

Q1. Have you ever fished the yorkshire coast for bass. And if not why?

A1. John, Yes i fished the yorkshire coast since i was 9 years old from brid to spurn a long time around 30yrs a beach angler i cut my teeth freezing my balls of fishing Brid pier in the 70s ,,,and this is a fact that up to 1993 i caught in 22 yrs 4 Bass amongst all the cod and whiting and the next 6 or so years there was a steady healty increase in my Bass catches targeting them private fishing and in compertitions ,,

Q2. Will you doing a discount scheme for site members who buy your bass plugs,,

A2 Yes i will

Q3. What is it you love most about bass fishing ?

A3 To be honest JD there are too many things i love about the sport to put one in a singularity would be impossible,,but if i had to choose it would be the release of a fish that had given me so much pleasure in the capture and of course forever learning lure fishing in the sea,, very stimulating working things out,,,

Questions By Somerset Bouy – Name Unknown

Q1. If you could own only 1 Bass lure, which would it be and why.

A1 I have answered this one Megabass Zonk 120 sinigisu iwashi a all rounder

Q2. What is Henry Gilbeys Middle Name.

A2 Dont know, I can imagine it been somthing like vernon,george or mabey Horace, HA!HA!great question i will find out,,

Q3 What is the biggest bass you ever caught, and what did you catch it on.

A3 16lb 11oz caught on a viper plug ,a three jointed plug from the US i have a few left but sadly i think no longer manufactured

Q4. Is Cheese any good as a bait for Bass ?

A4 I have never tried it,but you never know

Questions By Rich 7

Q1. Can you ask Graham Hill why can I catch bass 1ft deep on Maria Angel kiss, feed shallows etc yet can’t get a take on popper from the shore. What are the best conditions/stimuli to use a popper.

A1 Rich, Idont want to over complicate this very good question there can be a number of reasons, one i go with is i suspect you may be spooking the fish with the type of popper you are using Bass are not always turned on by that big pop and splash of a lure on the top ,,, try a different type of surface lure (stealth type) expecially in calm conditions like a z claw or popkey it has worked for me when i know the fish are there ,,,

Q2. How much difference does it make using a dark lure on overcast days & a bright lure on bright days

A2. There is one Golden rule that I use when the light starts failing wether that be first or last light or over cast,, i fish with what you call a AKA KIN coloured lure Red/Orange a great colour for low light conditions and it works

Q3. Will you be coming up north to fish with us next year ?

A3. Yes i will and looking forward to meeting up i am sure you lot up there have a few tricks up your sleves we all keep on learning, i am planning to fish a couple of winter matches on my old stomping ground on the holderness coast in November/dec/jan

Andy Stonehouse is a bass angler from the north east of England. He has been fishing for the proverbial “bars of silver” for many years.  Andy has experienced good catches both locally and on his travels across the UK. In late summer 2008 Andy was invited to Jersey to go bass fishing with local expert and tackle shop owner Mick Ward. This is Andy’s report.

What an excellent guide – Mick Ward aka Mr Fish Jersey .

In the latter part of 2008 I was invited to visit Jersey by Mick Ward who runs the local tackle shop mr fish jersey . After consulting my partner for a fishing pass, I checked out the prices of flights to Jersey and found some exceptional prices at Newcastle Airport. A few days later I was landing on Jersey with a bag full of tackle and a head full of eager anticipation.

My first day on the islands was spent sight seeing with my partner who had come along for the experience of visiting the beautiful channel islands, and not to forget the shopping. Mick kept in touch by phone and told us things were looking good for my trip the following day. Throughout the day my phone was red hot with messages of “Just had another bass” from Mick who was already out fishing.

The following morning I met with Mick and a few of his friends down at the boat. These guys are so passionate about their bass fishing and they were eager to show me just what the island has in store for the visiting bass angler. It was clear to see these guys knew their stuff and they meant business. It wasn’t long before we were heading out to sea in Mick’s boat. The run off highlighted the many volcanic reefs that surround the islands and create the huge tidal flows that bass just seem to love. The video below shows the run off to the various marks. If you watch the video carefully you may notice we pass a tower (about 15 seconds into the clip). This Tower is a holiday cottage which is accessible at low tide but completely cut off at high tide. What a holiday let that could be – bass fishing out the bedroom window.

After a few minutes we were over our first bass fishing mark. We all snapped on various plugs and cast out in hope. The first drift resulted in a nice bass for Mick our host. The fish took a hacker 105 in orange and was quickly measured and weighed before safely being returned to the water.

The rest of the day saw Mick skilfully dodging the reefs and putting us over fish after fish. All the lads on the boat managed some excellent bass which fell to a variety of both surface and sub surface plugs. The following pictures are just a selection of the fish we took.

Above : Yours truly with a channel island bass on a surface lure.

All too soon the sun was coming down on my Channel Islands bass fishing experience. One thing for sure is I will be returning as soon as possible. I am eternally grateful to Mick and his friends for their hospitality and willingness to share their bass fishing haven with an angler from the north east of England. A perfect fishing holiday with the perfect host Mick Ward who is not just a local tackle shop owner, but a top bass angler to boot.

The Tackle – Tenryu Rods  “Probably The Best Plugging Rod In The World”

On my trip to Jersey I used the Tenryu plugging rod. This rod is fast developing a name for itself in the bass plugging world. The plugs used were many and varied. Perhaps one of my favourites was the PATCHINKO IN NACRE. Other plugs used included the Feedshallow, Orange Zonk, Z Claw.

All the plugs and other tackle used are available mail order from Mr Fish Jersey

Bass Fishing Question And Answer Session With Mike Ladle

After local angler Dave Adamson from Scarborough had news of his personal best bass capture published on Mike Ladle’s website, we decided to approach the UK bass fishing expert about the possibility of him doing a question and answer session for the bass fishing members of the Whitby fishing forum. After a few hours a return email came from Mike and he was very keen to help out.

I therefore sounded out the members of the forum whom I knew had an interest in bass fishing and we came up with a set of questions to put to Mike. The following is a list of those questions accompanied by Mike Ladles answers.

1. Question From Forum Member ? “NewDave” – Now the weather has well and truly settled into winter mode the winter cod are showing in numbers which is keeping everyone busy. but I am sure that Bass are still there. how would you target late season fish now the water is murky and cooling down.

2. Question From Forum Member ? “Baramundi Bob” – “During winter In The North East we get the odd bass showing up off the beaches/rocks in small numbers, does this mean the bass stay right through winter or could it just be the stragglers bulking up before migrating off to deeper water ?  If so would it be worth while targeting bass with lures through winter ?

Answer From Mike Ladle – I?ll answer these two questions together as they deal essentially with the same problem.  I haven?t fished in the North East for over forty years and when I was up there bass were as rare as hen?s teeth (apart from a few warm water outfalls like Blyth power station).  Essentially the bass migrate in November-December to the South-west approaches (off Cornwall) and return in March-April.  However, the small, immature fish often hang about all winter and a few big fish will straggle and may turn up at any time in the winter. I put winter bassing in the same category as winter carp fishing ? and don?t bother ? stick to the codling!  To be honest you are likely to catch the winter bass on big cod baits anyway.  Lure fishing is painfully slow in winter and unless you are obsessed with freezing your nuts off while trying to catch a bass on a lure, wait until it gets warmer before you get out the spinning rod.  I guess it might be worth spinning for coalfish and cod in winter ? have any of you tried it?

Answer From Mike Ladle – I kill the odd bass to eat myself and have no qualms about doing it. However, as a longstanding member of the Bass Anglers Sportfishing Society I am concerned about conservation of the species and don?t think that we should be killing more than we need for our own use and certainly shouldn?t be selling them.  If we are conservation minded as anglers it puts us in a stronger position to make demands for reduced commercial exploitation and bigger size limits.

Answer From Mike Ladle – If you want to catch big bass consistently then livebaits (mackerel is good) and BIG deadbaits (crab, squid, fish) are the way to do it. As always, finding the larger fish is the problem ? look for snags, shallow water, strong flows, coloured water, etc.. Of course big fish will take lures and I?ve had many on plugs and poppers but lure fishing is not very selective for the big ones.

With regard to tagging, B.A.S.S. had a very successful tagging programme a few years back and if you contact John Leballeur on jrleleballeur@hotmail.co.uk he?ll tell you what the present situation is.

Answer From Mike Ladle - Bass will feed on the whole range of foodstuffs throughout the season although they will (like most species) concentrate on the most abundant food sources. In the warm weather they seem more inclined to chase fish in the hours of daylight and to feed on the bottom in the dark (you can always find exceptions). Essentially they are shallow water and near surface feeders and dusk and dawn (change of light) are the prime times for catching them. I think that they are more susceptible to surface lures in warm, calm weather but NEVER neglect rough conditions for lure fishing, many of my best catches have been in November storms..

Answer From Mike Ladle - Poppers represent a very exciting method of catching bass. In my opinion they are less productive than sub-surface plugs BUT they are probably the best way of targeting fish in shallow very snaggy conditions and may actually select for somewhat larger fish than diving plugs. Chug Bugs, Skitterpops and Yo Zuri Sliders are all very effective and the best one to use may depend more on how far you need to cast and how much splash you think might be needed to attract the bass in the prevailing conditions. The fish will take poppers in deeper water and it?s certainly not a waste of time.

Answer From Mike Ladle -The ?fight? of bass (and other fish) depends not only on the power and vigour of the fish but on the flow of the current or the strength of the undertow. In a strong tide the fish has only got to open its mouth to rip line off the reel (it?s like playing a bucket). On the whole I?d expect them to give me more of a tussle in a strong surf. Individual fish vary a lot in the sort of struggle they put up even in still water.

This page is linked to this topic in our forum – Mike Ladle Bass Questions

It will be around 3 years now since I was first introduced to fishing for bass with lures after dark.

At first I was very sceptical, It wasn’t the fact of fishing after dark, after all I have fished many years for Cod and other species after dark.

But fishing in the dead of night with lures for bass surely this wouldn’t work.. or would it.

I must admit to have been given some good information which gave me confidence to give it a go, although in my mind I was far from convinced after all how would a Bass see my lure.

Now my appetite was wetted with the information and the story’s and pictures I had seen. I needed to give it a try and so I did and was joined with a few friends who had also heard the story’s and fancied a slice of the action.

It seemed strange clambering across the weed and boulder strewn shoreline in the dead of night armed with just a lure rod and reel and a small rucksack with the essentials like lures, scales and camera (Should we be lucky enough to catch)  scissors a spare l.e.d head torch and some forceps for unhooking any bass we may catch.

Any true bass lure angler will have the scar’s to show just what damage the sharp spines and gill covers can inflict on us even in daylight its not an easy job removing trebles from an angry Bass, so imagine it in the dark.

When arrived at the chosen mark it was calm with just a slight onshore breeze and little waves just lapping the shore.

I turned off my light and sat for awhile listening for any sign’s after a short time there was a big splash in amongst the bladderwrack weed literally about 10 yards from me, It can’t of been in no more than a foot of water.

I had to give it a go with my eye’s now adjusted to the little natural light there was to be had, I made my way steadily to the waters edge.

I could just make out there was a bed of bladderwrack weed on my right where I heard the splash, this was to shallow to chuck my lure into but my thoughts were when the tide pushes a little more I will work my lure over the top of that bed of weed once it was covered by enough water.

Success did not come straight away and doubt started to creep in.. Was that splash I heard a bass? Was there any bass around? Could they see my lure? was i retrieving to fast or to slow?

So many questions I asked myself but I had no answers. I was lost in thought going through the motions casting and retrieving, the tide had now flooded enough to take a chance running the lure over the top of the weed bed.

Well i cast as far as i could to were I pictured the now covered weed bed to be and started to retrieve and just as i was about to lift the lure to recast there was such a splash as a bass grabbed it at my feet..

Suddenly I felt so awake and switched on even though the watch said 2am, the bass put up a good fight trying its best to snag me in the weed bed but after a short fight I had my first night time bass at my feet of around 3lb 8oz.

Since that night we have had so many magical nights fishing, some so hectic you would swear there was hundreds of bass just waiting to hit your lure. But then again we have also had nights when they just don’t turn up at all, but I guess thats fishing.

My good friend John Powson caught this super 10lb bass on a lure on his first ever night lure fishing session with me…

Forum member speno with a fine night time bass..

Andrew Ariss catches his first night time bass.

Martin and Lee get a double hook up..

I don’t like low or high water, i like the tide pushing or ebbing hard. Most of the better bass we have caught have came after dark and as for lures we have caught on Plugs mostly shallow diving or surface because of the shallow ground we tend to fish. Jellyworms, Shads, Redgill eel’s, and other various soft plastic’s..

Me and Forum member Andy (Shadrap) get a double hook up on a night time bass lure session..

Forum member Lee (brocky) gets some night time bass action..

My Mate Anth finds a good bass on a lure after dark..

One interesting thought and the forum members who have fished with me will vouch for is that black lure’s tend to out fish others after dark, we will often take a black marker pen and colour in lures. I have heard black gives the best silhouette against a dark sky but I am not sure, but if true maybe that’s why.

Forum member and good friend Harry with a 13lb bass on a lure after dark.

Matty Lamb looks pleased with this cracking bass..

Can’t be that hard even I can catch em..

Sam and Matty enjoyed there night time bassing.

Fishing lures after dark for bass has given me and my friends so great fishing and some fantastic memories and hopefully many more to come.

If you haven’t tried it give it a go.

Tightlines!

Our trip starts from West Yorkshire, where we set off after loading our Mitsubishi L200 to the hilt with all the fishing gear we would need and more. We headed down the A1 on good Friday, a mistake most would say to travel on a bank holiday but we actually had good traffic all the way to Harwich, sadly the same couldnt be said for those travelling north on the A1 as it was closed due to a bad accident. We arrived at Harwich docks with plenty of time to spare so a quick nip into Morrisons was in order to stock up on pies. We made our way to the ferry check in and had a brief delay to boarding. The trip on the ferry was a comfortable one through the day, however, the same couldnt be said for the night crossing as we pretty much had to hold on to our beds to prevent ourselves being thrown out of them. Costs of food and drink on the ferry were quite high too. A coffee costs £2.50, a beer £6.50 and food more so. Duty free’s were cheap enough with 200 cigarettes costing around £41.

It was pleasantly surprising when an improvement in the weather was forecast over the forthcoming weekend. Plans were hatched to travel to Wales in the hope of catching a Tope. I’d considered travelling up late on Friday evening, though it would have been a rush job, so the decision was made to leave early on Saturday morning. I’m not sure if I’d been off the water for too long (more than 2 weeks is an eternity) though I seemed to have lost quite some motivation. When the alarm sounded at 4am I hit ‘snooze’ several times as thirty minutes rolled by. I cursed myself and jumped out of bed, gathering together a few items before heading out to a pre-packed car.

Rock fishing is just another type of fishing. It’s nothing special and can be mastered by all anglers, all that’s needed is time and a willingness to learn the art of rock fishing. Over time the rock angler will learn what areas will hold cod and at what states of tide cod are likely to turn up.

Rock anglers start to learn their marks by fishing lots of different rocky areas including: small reefs that run into or parallel to the shore, patches of big boulders, rock ledges like fingers that extend out into the sea and are surrounded by deep kelp filled gullies.

Also worth a try are the ends of rocky headlands that extend out into sea  such as those at Robin hoods bay, Marine drive in Scarborough, Filey Brigg and Ravenscar where a strong tidal current forms. Food gets washed past these areas and so you often find the north east coast cod sat waiting.

Andy Barmby Rock Fishing At Gristhorpe

Conditions For Rock Fishing

Most of the time rough seas stirred by Autumn and winter storms can give the best fishing. The big sea swells created by strong winds disturb the sea bed and dislodge crabs, peelers, razor fish  and lug and rag  worms from their homes providing the north east coast cod with a banquet opportunity. Although cod are often caught during daylight hours through the winter especially when storms colour up the water, by far the optimum time for winter cod fishing is during the hours of darkness. Anglers often wear headlamps to allow them to see what they are doing during a winters night cod fishing session.

Occasionally and especially in summertime flat calm seas and bright sunlit days give the best conditions for north east coast rock fishing for cod. On the winter spring tides many north east rock anglers also say that they prefer a flat calm sea with the movement of the tide stirring the seabed rather than sea swells. Some say that big tides and big seas often make for poor rock fishing for cod on the north east coast

Clear Water And Calm Seas - Perfect For Summer Cod Fishing

The big channels of the local estuaries such as the Humber, Tyne and Tees can also be good for cod fishing. Also don’t forget the many piers and cliffs (Eg Bempton cliffs) that are found on the north east coast of England. Many a big north east coast cod has been hauled up the side of a pier or a cliff on a cold winters night. In fact cliff fishing is one of the best ways to catch cod on the Yorkshire coast. My good friend Bernado Vasey springs instantly to mind with his 20 pound cod caught from Whitby’s east pier not so many years ago.

Winter Signifies The Start Of The Main Cod Fishing Season.

As already stated cod can be caught at any time of year from the rocks on the north east coast of England. However the start of the main rock fishing for cod season usually coincides with the first winter storms sometime around the autumn equinox in September. The north east coast rock fishing season is usually at its peak by Christmas with numbers of cod tailing off through January and February. However this does not signal the end of  cod season here in the north east as perseverance at this time of year often pays a dividend with the bigger double figure cod coming closer to the shore to spawn during the back end of the winter cod fishing season. A spring run of small cod sometimes occurs along the north east coast during April and may with places like Robin hoods bay long hole, Filey Brigg and spurn point being the favoured venues for a few small codlings.

Moderately Rough Seas Are Excellent For Winter Cod Fishing - Avoid The Very Rough Days Though As It Can Be Very Dangerous

Tides For Rock Fishing.

Although many anglers swear that the big spring tides provide them with the best  fishing I would say that a true rock angler should be able to catch cod at any state of tide on both the spring and neap tides. My personal best bag of codlings came at low tide during the smallest of the neap tides. If you fish hard and learn your venues then you’ll soon find a fishing venue for most tide and sea state.

Andy Barmby With A Nice Cod From the Rocks

Rock Fishing And The Weather.

With regards to Weather I would say that the cod like it rough. However I would not normally venture out rock fishing for cod on the very roughest of nights. In my opinion it is far better to wait until the sea starts to settle after a big storm Dieing seas are said to offer the best conditions for the rock angler.

Best conditions for catching cod at Whitby and the surrounding Yorkshire coast are provided by on shore winds from a North, North west, north east, south east, or Easterly direction. These winds stir up the sea and dislodge crabs and worms from their home on the sea bed giving the fish something to come to the shore for.

Onshore winds also colour up the sea water which gives the cod the confidence to come to the shore in search of food during daylight hours. Many Rock anglers swear that the secret to good cod fishing is water colour more so than sea swell and I have to admit that there are fishing venues I would walk away from if I saw there was no colour in the water.

How Far To Cast When Rock Fishing For Cod.

Although many would have you believe that you need to cast a long way to catch cod I think that this is certainly not the case on the north east coast. I’ve had many big fish in only a few feet of water sometimes fishing no more than 20 yards from where I’m stood. Although being a good caster can sometimes find you a fish or 2 if the cod are feeding at distance it is not essential to be a good caster to catch cod.

What Tackle For Rock Fishing For Cod

With regards to tackle a strong beach casting rod like those made by greys , centuary, or Zziplex are required to cast heavy 5-6 ounce leads out into the north sea in the worst of winter weather. It is advisable to go for a strong multiplier reel capable of holding at least 200 yards of 30 pound line. I would advise using the reels made by abu (7000c and 7500 c3 ct), Penn (525 super mag, 535) and Daiwa (slosh 20 or slosh 30). Click Here For More Rock Fishing Tackle Information

Rigs For Rock Fishing

Your fishing rigs for cod fishing on the north east coast should be simple and often a single hook paternoster or pulley rig with 5° hook will do the trick. Rotten bottoms are essential to ensure that you can retrieve your fishing rigs and cod if your lead becomes fast in the kelp. A 5 our six ounce plain or grip lead is then used to ensure to ensure your rig stays on the sea bed.

Rock Fishing For Cod – Best Baits

There are many many baits for rock fishing on the north east coast and the best ones include: Peeler crab, Lugworm, ragworm, mussel, white ragworm, squid and hermit crab. If your targeting the small north east coast cod then sometimes a single lugworm on a 3 or 4° hook will do the trick. If its the big lunker cod your after then the old saying a big bait for a big fish often holds a lot of truth. A big ball of mussel or a large cocktail bait of peeler, lug, mussel and squid can often sort out those better fish.

Peeler Crabs, An Excellent Bait For Rock Fishing

Rock Fishing Marks

There are thousands of rock fishing marks on the north east coast. Some are easily accessed others are for the more adventurous and involve access by rope. To read about rock fishing marks please click here.

How Far To Go To Catch A Fish ??

Rock fishing can be as easy or as difficult as you wish to make it. Just like any sport, there are extremes. Some anglers may choose to sit comfortable on piers all night, whilst others will decend huge cliffs on ropes. Obviously this is quite dangerous (but then again so is riding a fast motorbike).

Rock Fishing Easy Or Difficult - Just Ensure Your Safe And Enjoy Your Sport

If you weigh up the risks and take the right safety precautions you can take the sport of rock fishing as far as you wish. This topic in our forum outlines just how far some people are willing to go to take their sport to the max.  Another interesting topic being this one about cliff fishing at Bempton. Whatever you do, please enjoy your fishing and make sure you stay safe.

Rock Fishing Safety

he Coastguards Health And Safety Publication Is Available Here :

http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/safety_guidelines_for_sea_anglers.pdf

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.

What Is Needed To Set Up A Peeler Crab Tank

You will need the following to set up the tank system for keeping Peeler crabs: A tank – I use a plasterers bath for my crab tank which does the job just fine, a Pump – You will need a pond pump with the ability to circulate over 600 litres of water per hour, a pond filter – I use a green genie pond filter which cost me roughly £40 from Argos, enough pipe of the right diameter to connect the pump to the filter, at least 10 gallons of saltwater (use as much water as possible – more water means you can safely stock more crabs), a hydrometer (to measure water evaporation), de chlorinator (available at pet shop to replace evaporated water), although not essential you may wish to purchase some form of chiller to cool down the water in the hot summer months (in the last 3 years however I have never used a chiller), and Last but not least – electricity to run the pump.

Please click on images for full sized pictures

Hydrometer	Tank and filter	Peeler crabs in tank	Water from filter

Setting Up Your Bait Tank

1. Fill up the tank with your saltwater.

2. Place the filter above the tank so that the water may fall back into the tank.

3. submerge your pump and connect it to the filter with the piping.

4. Turn on the pump and allow the water to circulate through the filter and back into your tank.

You must now allow the water to go through the nitrification process for at least 2 weeks before placing any crabs in the tank.

Maintenance – Too Much Salt Will  Kill  Your Peeler Crabs

Once your system is up and running it will need little maintenance. I would advise changing 25 percent of the water at least every 6 weeks. One thing to keep an eye on is the salinity level of the water within your peeler crab tank. As saltwater evaporates it leaves behind it the salt, so what happens is the remaining water becomes as saline as the dead sea and as we all know nothing lives there hence the name dead (which is what your peeler crabs will be if you don’t watch the salt level). On a weekly basis you should therefore check the salt water level in the tank with your hydrometer. The hydrometer should read 33 or 1.022. If the level has gone above this you will need to replace the evaporated water with de chlorinated tap water. Just follow the instructions of the de chlorinator bottle. Add the water a little at a time until you hydrometer shows the salinity has returned to its normal level. Although this process sounds quite complicated I assure you it is quite the opposite.

Keeping Peeler Crabs – Conclusion

In conclusion all the information above will help anyone who keeps their peeler crabs in tanks to bring them to the popping stage without the constant hassle of having to change the water every 2 or 3 days. Although a little costly at around £100 this system has certainly saved me a lot of time and effort over the past 3 years that I have been running the filter.

Holding Back Peeler Crabs

How To Slow down the peeler crab moult

When Your peeler crabs start to get a hairline crack around their shell they are at their very best for use as a fishing bait. Usually at this point anglers will peel them and freeze them down for use at a later date, or they will take them and use them straight away before they pop out of their shell and become softies (softies are not considered as  good a bait as a crab you have peeled out of the shell yourself – their uptake of water at the popping stage seems to dilute the fish attracting juices). However if your not going fishing until the weekend and want to keep them until that fishing trip there is one way to stop them from popping out of the shell.

Holding Peelers In The Fridge

Keeping your peelers cool at around 6 degrees will slow down the moulting process, keeping them between 2 and 6 degrees will slow it to an almost stop. Therefore keeping your peeler crabs that are about to pop in trays within the fridge will hold them at the cracking stage until your next fishing trip.

Keep Your Peeler Crabs Damp

It is a good idea to keep your peeler crabs damp while storing them in the fridge so it is a good idea to keep them in a couple of millimetres of sea water or to keep them covered with a damp (but not soaking) cloth.

• cod fishing in norway

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• Kayak Fishing For Tope - Well Done Rob

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• Mull Of Galloway Pollack Fishing

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• Baramundi Fishing In India - Jacko

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• Trout Fishing In Argentina - Dave Adamson

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• Skinnigrove Kayak Fishing

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• Norway Cod Fishing 40lb boat cod for Mr Lee and Friends

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• Whitby-Halibut-Fishing-Rich-Cope-mistress

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• Whitby Halibut Fishing - Rich Cope's 56lber - Top Catch !!

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• Jellyworms 12lber A New PB

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• Bowseys First Double Figure Cod - Well Done Simon

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• Dizzy Fish - Kayak Fishing For Plaice.

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• Kayak Fishing For Turbot - Andy M

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• Ian (Big Cod) Thompsons 11lber. Another Belter !!

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• Dave Gytes 10lb Cod - Its A Whopper

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• Andy Money - Kayak Cod Fishing

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• Dogfish For Silver Fox Matty

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Shore Fishing – Cod Section

1. Jellyworm – 12lb 12oz – Scarborough Marine Drive – See The Picture – Read The Story
2. Ian Thompson 11lb – Scarborough Marine Drive – See The Picture – Read The Story
3. Dave Gyte – 10lb 15oz – Scarborough  – See The Picture – Read The Story
4. Simon Bowes – 10lb 11oz – Cowbar Jetty Staithes – See The Picture – Read The Story

Shore Fishing – Pollack Section

1. Congerball – 2lb Pollock – Mull Of Galloway – See The Picture – Read The Story

Shore Fishing Any Other Species

1. Silver Fox Matty – 2lb Dogfish – Cowbar Jetty @ Staithes – See The Picture – Read The Story

Kayak Fishing – Cod Section

1. Garbutts – 8lb – Skinnigrove – See Picture - Read The Story
2. Andy M – 4lb – Saltburn – See The Picture – Read The Story

Kayak Fishing Any Other Species

1. Rob Appleby – 30lb Tope – Wales – See Picture – Read The Story
2. Dizzy Fish – 2lb Plaice – Darn Sarf – See The Picture – Read The Story
3. Andy M – 1lb 4oz Turbot – Runswick Bay – See Picture – Read Story

Boat Fishing – Any Other species

1. Rich Cope – 56lb Halibut – Whitby – Mistress Charter Boat -  See Picture – Read The Story

International Catches

1. Mr Lee – 40lb 05oz Cod – Norway – See Picture – Read The Story
2. Jacko – 20lb Baramundi – India – See Picture – Read The Story
3. Dave Adamson – 4lb Brown Trout – Argentina – See Picture – Read The Story

Hall Of Fame Gallery For 2012

A list of all hall of fame years can be viewed here.

To enter a fish into our hall of fame you must -

1. Be a member of The Whitby Fishing forum.

2. Catch a fish and weigh and photograph it.

3. Make a post to the forum detailing your catch giving details of weight of fish, tackle and bait used, area fished (no need to be over specific if you don’t wish to) and as much other information as possible. Please also post up a picture of your catch.