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Charter Boat Diva Sea Fishing Stranraer in Dumfries & Galloway, SW Scotland

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Sea Fishing in SW Scotland

Stranraer to Corsewall, Corsewall to Portpatrick, Portpatrick to Mull of Galloway,
Mull of Galloway to Ardwell, Ardwell to Auchenmalg, Auchenmalg to Isle of Whithorn
and The Isle of Whithorn to Garlieston.

Our new boat ‘Diva’ was built in Cornwall and arrived in her home port of Stranraer in September 2008

Here are a few pics, please click to see larger.

Stranraer – The Sea Fishing Capital of Scotland ?

That’s a bold statement you might think. but let’s look at the past history of the Rhins peninsula – with no less than 20 Scottish records coming from these waters.

Included in the list are:

The current Scottish shore Tope record at 54lb caught in Loch Ryan.
Scottish boat record Thornback Ray of 29lb caught in the famous Luce bay.
Fantastic Pollock fishing can be had from excellent rock marks where the Scottish shore Bass record of 15lb came from.

We’re sure not only will Stranraer be the sea angling capital of Scotland but perhaps the fishing capital of Europe. Come and sample some of the very best sea fishing in the UK.

Diva Charter Boat

DIVA’S SPECIFICATION.

LENGTH 30 Ft – BEAM 10 Ft

FUEL TANK CAPACITY 136 GALLONS

ENGINE CUMMINGS 4.2 230Hp

TOP SPEED 28-30 KNOTS

ELECTRICS:

SIMRAD RADAR

SIMRAD CHARTPLOTTER

KODEN COLOUR DUAL FREQUENCY SOUNDER

FULL MCA CODING

2012 Season costs

FISHING – Available Year Round

Whole Boat Charter –

8 Hours minimum up to 10 people – £350.00

8 Hours minimum up to 6 people – £250.00

8 Hours minimum up to 4 people – £160.00 (Mondays to Thursdays Only)

Individuals – £40.00 per person when available

Rod Hire – £10.00 per person – Including Terminal tackle.

Contact: Mike Skinner

Tel: 01776 820 244

Mobile: 07501 222145

Email: mail @ seaanglingscotland.com

How to Start Charter Boat Fishing

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I was recently asked by a friend who is new to sea  fishing “How do you afford to go charter boat fishing, it is going to cost me hundreds of pounds!” This is a light hearted intro into the basics of Charter Boat fishing, but wont cover getting a line in the water that’s all over here – Wreck Fishing Tips (come back up here once you have read this!)

Getting started in Charter Boat fishing can be difficult. If you haven’t got a group of friends, the thought of paying for a Charter boat can seem a bit daunting.  A days Charter Boat fishing could easily cost 450 to 500 pounds shared between 8 to 12 anglers. However, the cost is generally split amongst the anglers, making it an affordable, but if you are new to the sport it is hard to fill up a boat and share that cost.

the-fishing-boat-the-admiral-morro-bay

Most good Charter boats will have a large data base of regular anglers and trips pre booked months in advance. When you contact a skipper and state your experience and lack of buddies you will be able to make up a place on pre booked days with other anglers, spreading the cost! The other great advantage with this is you get to fish with experienced anglers and learn a few tricks of the trade which money cannot buy. I have learnt most of my fishing tricks and tips by watching what others do and either copying, improving or generally by doing the opposite.

Charter Boat Fishing Personal Equipment & Ettiquete

You land lubbers are going to think that I am crazy now, but a very important rule to learn and so as not to get left on the quay or never be invited to fish again is do not ever say the word… I can’t even say it on this blog. They are the small brown mammals that live in burrows all around UK farms. You know; the ones with big ears! All jokes aside mentioning that animal and whistling is meant to bring real bad luck while charter boat fishing and some skippers will get really pissed with you.

Try your best to clear your bowels before you go fishing on a 12 hour charter boat fishing trip. The skipper, who has your life in his hands generally will reside inside the wheel house, connected to the cabin, containing the heads (boating talk for a toilet). What ever you leave behind, the skipper will be haunted with for the remaining trip, hence many Charter Boat skippers will ask you to go on the foredeck (front of the boat) with a bucket to take a dump. Be warned I have seen it happen in a moderate swell!!

If you are not good on the water or its your first time charter boat fishing take some anti-seasickness tablets and take them as per the instructions. If taken correctly they really do help. You can get bands that go on your wrists and work on a pressure point. I have heard people say they work. While Charter Boat fishing you will learn to do everything unpleasant on the downwind side of the boat. Do not chunder into the wind or you will be washing the boat down, everyone’s tackle and yourself!. Ginger biscuits actually work in my opinion as does a good few slices of bread to mop up that spare acid your stomach wants to produce. The basic rules are if you feel ill, get a view on the horizon with nothing obstructing your view like a part of the boat, stay in the fresh air away from exhaust fumes and try and chill out, eat ginger biscuits and face down wind.

NEVER ware your best wading Wellington boots with lovely sharp studs ready to chip the gel coat of the boat, the skipper will hate you and I have seen it done (the angler fished in socks!). Realistically some warm waterproof boots with a non marking / soft sole are required. Your feet will get wet so wear sensible foot wear.

Get to your Charter Boat on time. If the Skipper requests you meet at 0630 hours on the Quay, be there at 0615 hrs. He will have requested the time for a reason, a tidal sand bank you need to get over to get out to sea or some other sound reason. You being late will hold up others and could even scupper your entire boat fishing trip…

Talking of gel coat, the protective glossy covering keeping the boat looking pretty and keeping the water out of it – keep your leads under control with your hands, do not bounce it along the boats hull. Keep your tackle well secured, show the skipper of the charter boat lots of respect. The boat is his life!!

Check with the skipper at the time of booking your charter boat fishing if he provides tackle, weights, rigs, tea, coffee and food. The chance of getting the last three are remote, so prepare to take a sandwich and Thermos. Confirm the cost of tackle hire and when handed it check it for suitability. A bit of rust is expected, but if it wont wind or makes really bad noises then ask for something else. If you reel breaks do not be tempted to fiddle around with the loops of line using your bare hands. If a finger gets in a loop and a 100lb blue shark runs the line will act as a cheese wire!

Please consider your safety, if you cannot swim wear a life jacket or floatation suite….

Stay safe on the boat, you never know what is going to happen next while charter boat fishing. Keep an eye on the waves while fishing at all times. When you are tackling up beware of others around you and the motion of the sea. Even an average wave catching the boat at an odd angle can really knock you around. If your sinker is swinging around with a hook following it it’s likely to end up in your neighbours hand! You then have to push the point through, cut off the barb and remove in the direction it went in, not nice and no A&E for 20 miles!

Talking about keeping on your feet just keep your witts about you. If you have a hook over the side do not leave your rod unattended, a medium fish will pull your gear over the side. You also never know the size of the fish your are going to hook and if unprepared this could happen…

Okay, nearing the end of this introduction. Hope I have not put you off yet! Lets consider chopping our bait up better known as filleting. Always ask for the filleting board, usually the skippers wife’s kitchen chopping board. Please, please do not be tempted to use the gunwale (the lovely polished teak strip topping the side of the boat) The skipper is likely to fillet you if you do this, nor should you use his lovely flat deck or any other surface of the boat! After you have filleted your mackerel into a flapper and sent it to the seabed, wash down using the deck wash (hose) or the rag provided.

Terms in Charter Boat Fishing

A quick wash up.

  • Front – bow
  • Rear – stern
  • Moving along – Steaming
  • Speed – Knots
  • Left – Port
  • Right – Starboard
  • Going Backwards – Astern
  • Kitchen – Galley
  • Toilet – Heads

Most of all enjoy your charter boat fishing. The skipper is the boss and you are paying for his boat (always known as a she) as well as his knowledge. He is not there to argue with but if you think you are not getting value then let him know, carefully!

Image Credit

How To Present a Hard Back Crab

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Hard backed crabs, a popular Smoothound bait can prove a little tricky to hook and present well. There are two simple solutions for you as follows

Hooking Crab No 1

I am not as keen on this method as crabs have feelings! But you remove a leg and thread the crab on, making sure the hook point is proud.

Hooking Crab no 2

This is much more crab friendly – simply get your crab and use elastic bands or bait elastic to attach the crab to the hook. The knack is not getting nipped.

The most important element is making sure the hook point is well exposed, allowing for a sound hooking action.

image: haemengine

How do you make peeler crabs peel?

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fishing for questions Delboy wants to have a few answers from you regarding this question about peeler crab. He has been fishing for many years and finds his top bait to be the peeler crab. Can you help him out?

There must be someone out there that can help? I have been sea angling for over 40 years and the best bait I have found is peeler crab. But finding them when they are about to peel is the tricky bit.

I have found thousands of shore crabs over the years but finding themready to peel is the hard bit!. Can you induce the peelers to peel byany means? ie popping them in the fridge for a time then bring them
in the warm or popping them in warmer waters, what is the secret andis how do you do it???.

I have caught more fish on peeler crab than any other bait. Bass loveit, dogfish howl for it, smooth hound snap at it, wrass whack it, rayrave it, flatty flap at it, Cod, whiting and pout gorge on it. Its agreat bait when you can get it, and its only certain times of theyear you can find them and fresh is best.
Any help will be greatly received.
Kind regards
Delboy!

What is up-tiding and how to do it

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sea fishing questions A reader recently asked “have heard the term up-tiding when reading articles in magazines and listening to anglers but what does it really”

The world of sea fishing has many facets. The common ones being, beach casting, spinning, wreck fishing and up-tiding. Most of these could be broken down into sub-categories, for example spinning could be dead baiting, plugging or gilling. Sea fishing has formed a huge collection of techniques each with it own name depending on where in the world you are fishing and how you are fishing.

The species being targeted, the skill you are perfecting, the platform you are using (shore/boat) and the environment you are targeting them in, all require you to use differing techniques. The term up-tiding is relevant to shallow water boat fishing (Generally 50 feet deep or less).

So what is up-tiding?

Well, its not rocket science and it’s really doing as it says, fishing up-tide of the anchored boat. But why bother? Well this can be answered in two ways.

  1. Firstly if you are fishing from a boat in shallow water the noise from the boat, often referred to as the foot print can effect the way fish feed and behave below it. The slapping of the tide against the hull, the sound of people moving around and mechanical actions will be reflected in the water and magnified. This noise will effect the fish. Have you ever been snorkelling near boats? You can here props and clunks from a long distance. They often only sound like clicks and ticks until the boat is above you, but they are very noticeable and draw your attention. A fish has amazing receptors that can detect the most subtle changes in it’s environment and this will cause them to change there behaviour. Course and Game anglers stalk their fish and use surprise and stealth as there main techniques, allowing the fish to be un-disturbed.
  2. A secondary reason and a valid one is that when you are fishing from a charter boat there are only so many places to fish from with out ending up with a huge nylon birds nest. By using up-tiding and down-tiding you can fish from the front/sides of the vessel as well as the stern, allowing more rods to fish from the boat with success.

Just because you are in the stern down tiding does not mean you have the short straw. You can use the tide to take your rig away from the boat and fishing working up tide, following the scent trails will find your bait first!!!

How do I up-tide?

This is a sort of hybrid between beach casting and boat fishing. You need to cast your gear up-tide at around 45 degrees minimum from the boat. The two factors determining the distance should be the depth of the water and the strength of the tide. Both requiring a longer cast. When you cast think about casting into the wind, the stronger the wind the more wellie you need to project your bait to the required location. The same goes for up-tiding, you need to cast longer than you require, allowing the tide to carry your rig back as it sinks.

Once your rig has hit the water allow line to spill form your reel. You need to achieve a large belly of line. This will let your rig to dig into the substrate allowing you to hold bottom and prevent your gear going down tide making a huge birds nest.

Up-tiding rods and reels

You can up-tide with almost anything as long as you are good at it!! The preferred gear is a stubby looking rod that is a semi casting rod rated to cast 4 – 8 ounces at least. Generally these rods are about 8 – 10 feet in length.

A reel that is matched to this will do. Consider heavy beach casting reels that help you to prevent over run with some sort of breaking system. Newbie’s will have to consider the wind and all the usual pit falls that come with beach casting and one of the larger beach casting reels should help you.

Remember as a point of safety that you need a shock leader and that should be 10lbs per ounce of casting weight. I know that there is not somebody further along the beach you are likely to kill but you could injury your boat mates. You also need to cast from out side the boat. I am not for one minute saying that you get out of the boat, but your gear should be outside of the boat when casting and make sure others are aware when you cast.

Rigs and baits for up-tiding

Grip leads are considered the norm. Ask your skippers advice as he / she will have the best knowledge about the substrate you are fishing over. Fixed wire leads provide more grip than breakaway wires and grip is what is required in this fishing scenario.

Any rig will do. The are no hard and fast rules. Consider your species and the bait presentation when sea fishing. Often rigs with more decoration and wider booms will attract fish but they will be greater effected by the tide and you could require a heavier sinker to hold bottom.

You need to consider that the larger the bait again the more drag it will create, requiring you to select a larger weight to hold bottom.

The bottom line is to create a balanced rig with an attractive well presented d bait for your chosen species, cast outside of the boats foot print. The bite will generally be indicated with the line going slack.

If you are a keen up-tide angler or have any questions regarding up=tiding please comment on this post.

image: alexcarvallio