PORT SPOTLIGHT
Find out all about Scarborough.
Scarborough is a very popular northern fishing port where cod and ling are the main winter species. During the summer, apart from the superb inshore cod fishing, there are usually plenty of mackerel and some decent pollack on the wrecks and rough ground marks.
Much of the fishing is done either inshore over reefs and rocky ground, or offshore on the wrecks, which can be found 20-30 miles off. However, there are some cleaner areas inshore where there is the chance to pick up thornback rays, dogfish and dabs. You can also catch a few whiting and pouting over the cleaner ground too.
In recent years there has been a slow return of the haddock, and these can also be targeted when conditions are right.
GREAT SPORT
Anglers and charter skippers from Scarborough have changed the way they fish in recent years. Most of the cod and ling sport is now done with 12lb or 20lb-class boat rods, braided mainline and a single artificial lure during the summer.
During the winter many of the boats anchor up and fish the uptide method with bait, which has proved extremely effective.
As far as the wreck fishing is concerned, a lot of anglers still like to use a single pirk, simply to get down to the wreck quickly. If you bait the pirk with a fillet of mackerel, you stand the chance of catching a big ling, while the bigger cod can also be caught using this method. Otherwise, you can take the lure-fishing approach, and fish a single lure.
Whereas the wreck fishing is often limited to the summer and autumn because of the weather, the inshore fishery is available all year, with the winter providing some fantastic inshore cod and ling action. It’s not uncommon to catch 50 of more cod in a day per boat during the winter when the fish are feeding, and anglers are advised to take more bait than they think they will need for such occasions.
Lugworms, squid, mussels and cart are all good baits to use inshore on simple flowing traces with either a single or pennelled hooks.
During the summer, you can catch mackerel in abundance on feathers, and this fresh bait is perfect for targeting rays. ■