Chieftain

[Janet]

ok if ya got 300 quid to spare, that would get us a hol in benidorm for week, no fishing is worth that much just my opinon

 

I'd say that trip was better than a week in Benidorm and well worth the money!

 

Apart from a deep sea fishing trip from Lanzarote, I've never done any sea fishing, and I'm incredibly envious of the lads on that boat!

 

Excellent report and videos - captured the atmosphere nicely.

 

Thanks for posting it.

 

Janet

[barry luxton]

I'd say that trip was better than a week in Benidorm and well worth the money!

 

Apart from a deep sea fishing trip from Lanzarote, I've never done any sea fishing, and I'm incredibly envious of the lads on that boat!

 

Excellent report and videos - captured the atmosphere nicely.

 

Thanks for posting it.

 

Janet

 

Can't you get one or two of the lads up near you to take you out on a trip or two, you don't know what you are missing until you give it a go. a few of lasses try it down south and they are more than welcome and also i have seen them do well.

 

Just one example. A wreck fishing virgin until that day. Sharron has been out a few times now and has caught some good ones. You can do it.

 

 

Another trip.

 

 

Apologies Mr M. Very nice trip and report.

Edited July 5, 2009 by barry luxton

[damian]

Great report carl, looks like a gud un !!! weve booked another trip , hope its as gud as yours, ( 14/9/09 70hr )

Well done mate

Damian

[Guest challenge]

Fantastic trip report Carl, looks like you had a good one.

Regardless to what others might say, when the weather is like it was (no sun breezes out there mate) and the fishing is like it was, there’s no cod fishing like it in the North Sea.

It’s not cheep, but neither is vintage champagne.

I was fortunate and privilege with our friend Paddy W to of witnessed many trips the same as you have had Carl with the late JB. Let’s never forget that the grapes to make the vintage champagne would have never been grown so that people could sample the more refined tipple without him.

This takes nothing away from George and his crew, I think that JB would have been very pleased with the way they have taken over and run this very successful business.

Again great report old mate as always. Your persistence to get the best has paid off.

Take care and all my regards to your fellow vintage samplers.

[Paddy.W.]

Fantastic trip report Carl, looks like you had a good one.

Regardless to what others might say, when the weather is like it was (no sun breezes out there mate) and the fishing is like it was, there’s no cod fishing like it in the North Sea.

It’s not cheep, but neither is vintage champagne.

I was fortunate and privilege with our friend Paddy W to of witnessed many trips the same as you have had Carl with the late JB. Let’s never forget that the grapes to make the vintage champagne would have never been grown so that people could sample the more refined tipple without him.

This takes nothing away from George and his crew, I think that JB would have been very pleased with the way they have taken over and run this very successful business.

Again great report old mate as always. Your persistence to get the best has paid off.

Take care and all my regards to your fellow vintage samplers.

 

Nice one Carl.

Shame abut the sand eelers, I think the authorities will only sit up and look round when the last Puffin and all the rest who feed on sand eels has been consigned to history, it's a shame but I think a fact.

The problem is like so many other things that go on out of sight of land the public does not see it so they are not aware, shame.

The fishing looks good, tell me , what were the fish full of when you gutted them?.

Hope you get many more trips of that stamp, all the best.

Regards

Paddy W.

[mr motorola]

Nice one Carl.

Shame abut the sand eelers, I think the authorities will only sit up and look round when the last Puffin and all the rest who feed on sand eels has been consigned to history, it's a shame but I think a fact.

The problem is like so many other things that go on out of sight of land the public does not see it so they are not aware, shame.

The fishing looks good, tell me , what were the fish full of when you gutted them?.

Hope you get many more trips of that stamp, all the best.

Regards

Paddy W.

Hi Charlie.

I couldn't agree more with your views on the sandeels mate , a crying shame but , as you say , out of sight and out of mind so whos going to intervene before it's too late.

 

Your question about the fish is a very good one actually.

 

Our first day of fishing in one particular area(10 wrecks in total i think) , the fish were absolutely stuffed full of everything but mostly crab.

Our second days fishing (some 60 odd miles further away) the fish were still stuffed and looked to be eating very well , but the abundance of crab had been replaced with flatties and sandeels.

On the whole over the 2 days of fishing i was amazed at how well the fish were eating compared to 1-2 years ago when they were literally starving and empty. Could this be tied into the sandeel boats working the area that JB talked about. Strange that i haven't seen them for quite a while , maybe giving the area a chance to restore itself only for them to arrive again.

 

Not being an expert on the subject , but would i be correct in thinking that sandeel isn't predominantly a source food for the Cod unless needs be?

[Deepseacodmaster]

Hi Charlie.

I couldn't agree more with your views on the sandeels mate , a crying shame but , as you say , out of sight and out of mind so whos going to intervene before it's too late.

 

Your question about the fish is a very good one actually.

 

Our first day of fishing in one particular area(10 wrecks in total i think) , the fish were absolutely stuffed full of everything but mostly crab.

Our second days fishing (some 60 odd miles further away) the fish were still stuffed and looked to be eating very well , but the abundance of crab had been replaced with flatties and sandeels.

On the whole over the 2 days of fishing i was amazed at how well the fish were eating compared to 1-2 years ago when they were literally starving and empty. Could this be tied into the sandeel boats working the area that JB talked about. Strange that i haven't seen them for quite a while , maybe giving the area a chance to restore itself only for them to arrive again.

 

Not being an expert on the subject , but would i be correct in thinking that sandeel isn't predominantly a source food for the Cod unless needs be?

 

I think Charlie may have more expertise on the subject but here's my twopenerth.

 

The sand eels are a primary food source for cod but when the sand eelers last decimated the north sea as you say Carl the cod starved.

However cod will eat most things and they do feed on crabs, small star fish and pipe fish as well as bait fish.

Unfortunately undernourished cod do not breed well so the vicious circle of cod shortages starts.

 

The only bonus if you can call it one is that the North sea cod, taste better than cod from other areas because they are not so oily from eating the sand eels.

 

On a different subject did you see any algae blooms inshore at Whitby when you came back in.

[iggy]

goes to prove you can travel by water 70 miles plus and still get no record fish to talk about i mean you dont have to travel that far for cod really , was the biggest not caught a few miles off ?

[mr motorola]

I think Charlie may have more expertise on the subject but here's my twopenerth.

 

The sand eels are a primary food source for cod but when the sand eelers last decimated the north sea as you say Carl the cod starved.

However cod will eat most things and they do feed on crabs, small star fish and pipe fish as well as bait fish.

Unfortunately undernourished cod do not breed well so the vicious circle of cod shortages starts.

 

The only bonus if you can call it one is that the North sea cod, taste better than cod from other areas because they are not so oily from eating the sand eels.

 

On a different subject did you see any algae blooms inshore at Whitby when you came back in.

 

I can't say that i did Ivan , but then again i did spend most of my time stooped over umpteen boxes of fillets , sorting them all out into equal bags for our lads from about 3 miles off Whitby, so my answer would be no mate , i didn't.

 

On the point about sandeels , it would be nice to get some sort of verification about what feeds off them. It does make you think , as you know Ivan , Charlie and John (challenge), will have noticed more than me the presence of the boats and tied in with the emptiness of the Cod could indicate a direct correlation between the two.

The fish are there , no doubt about that , but starving the poor buggers of their main staple diet isn't going to help one bit is it? Maybe wrong but i only go on what i see and experience out there and as Charlie said , at the back of beyond where seldom few get to see what is actually happening then it will be a long time or even not at all before the real BIGGER picture comes to the attention of us all. The size of their nets is staggering , George said that a pump is used to extract them out of the nets , but what about the bycatch? Sandeels aren't exactly the biggest of fish so i would assume that very fine nets are used?

 

Any ideas?

[wildcard]

Thats outstanding fishing - well done to George for putting the lads on the money.

 

Alan