Blowinghotandcoldin questtogetamongfish
INDIFFERENT sea conditions have made it difficult for anglers fishing from boats or shore from the east to the west coast where finding shelter from the wind has been a problem, but when this has been achievable catches have been quite good.
Boats finding shelter around the Mull of Galloway have taken good numbers of pollock to 4lb, wrasse and a few hounds.
Shore anglers fishing New England bay down towards Drummore have taken hounds and bass and, up until December 31, anglers can keep one.
Locally when boats have been out they have found fish.
Northeastern Charters took 33 ling to 11.5lb, codling to 5lb, and some decent pollock.
Sapphire, fishing the hard ground, took good numbers of codling to 4lb, even though an eight-foot porbeagle was swimming around the boat.
JFK TWO reports taking plenty of fish but of no great size, with the best going around 12lb.
Down at Whitby it has been the same story – when boats have been out plenty of fish but of no great size, with the best just over double figures.
Shore sport has also been slow, with only a few bags to around 10lb taken and individual fish to 5lb. Whitburn and Marsden have given a few wrasse to 2lb along with cod to 4lb.
Sport has been the same all the way down to Whitby, with only a few fish being taken from the rough ground.
The region’s piers have certainly been the place to ensure some sport with the mackerel on light tackle, and the number of species that are appearing for those on a species hunt is quite remarkable.
During a BOTAC retired members’ match, cod, coalies, mackerel, whiting, lesser spotted dogfish, plaice, dabs, flounder, launce, weavers, dragonet and a yarrells blenny were taken, along with a few octopus.
Anglers spinning from the piers for mackerel have also taken some decent pollock, with Blyth giving up good numbers of pollock.
The Tyne and Wear have still been giving good numbers of flounder with the Aln, Coquet and Wansbeck not far behind, with the open beaches giving decent sport for flounder when the sea drops, with a bit of lift on these beaches should produce the odd bass.