Plenty of Whiting and of course doggies still around.
We are still getting the odd Bass to lug bait, maybe this mild winter is keeping the water temps up high enough.
Rudy & Martins groups have today had a good haul of Skate along with plenty of Whiting, doggies and a Codling!
Still dates available on Duke IV Feb/March so book now to avoid disappointment!
Space available for this Sunday for individuals or small groups!
Tight lines Bob
The sprats are here too but for now the shoals are not heavy enough to make any difference to the fishing. Chris and Rob had a good catch of Codling on Duke IV whilst today Jasons crew from Hertford landed the Skate amongst the smaller stuff. See the pics in the gallery!
Lugworm bait seems the best method for the Cod, add a strip of squid and the whiting are on it!
The Skate fishing is pretty good with herring chunk being the favoured bait. These fish will stay around all winter so if the Cod fishing declines due to the sprat invasion we still have quality fish to chase.
Some weekend dates available in the new year and the thursday individuals trips will continue throughout the winter so plenty of opportunity for a day out fishing on Duke IV
Plenty of Whiting and Doggies to keep the rods nodding while waiting for that elusive Cod.
The bait required for a days fishing is much simpler now just lug, squid and some herrings for the Skate. Baby cuttles a great bait for the better Cod as the smaller species are not so keen, leaving it there for the Cod or large Bass that stay all winter.
Its a lovely day out here today, bright sunshine and light west winds, making the fishing much more comfortable, we have a nice Skate amongst the smaller fish so looking good with some quality Whiting!
Plenty of herring here now so when you bring up a small whiting let it back down, as small fish make up a large part of the Cods diet!
Duke IV is fishing throughout the winter so don't sit at home bored, give me a call and let's go fishing!
We headed south today with Roberts crew from Herne Bay and passing Kingsdown the fish marks on the sounder proved to be herrings that we caught on the feathers. We moved on to the Varne where we had Jumbo Mackerel, Bass and some tasty Turbot, the reason we came here in the first place. We stopped off at a wreck on the way back to Ramsgate where fishing the launce we had caught earlier, Chris lost a fine Bass and Rob landed a Pollack on a sidewinder.
Whiting, Bass, Skate and Hounds and the odd Cod closer to Ramsgate so plenty of species to aim for.
Looking forward to a busy winter with some weekend spaces still available on Duke IV.
On the wrecks the Cod have been feeding up on launce and crab. This has fattened them up well with quite a few being into double figures!
Pollack numbers have also improved with some also approaching doubles!
Most productive lures have been the Redgill/jellyworm type lures!
July is the time the large Bass arrive and their is no better bait than a large fillet of mackerel fished hard on the bottom, or fished live when the water is clear!
Fish lugworm for the smaller Bass or Hokkias or white feathers when a school turns up!
Smoothounds can be caught on lug squid cocktail while the biguns like whole squid!
We are picking up some good Whiting and Pouting now on the worm and fish baits so plenty of species to aim for, just remember to bring a cool box with some ice packs to keep your catch in tip top condition while taking the fish home!
We have been getting a few School Bass and Scad while feathering Mackerel for bait. Always a good way to start the day!
A few Smoothounds although mostly on the small size at the moment but the bigger fish should be here anytime soon! Some good Tope around now just need the right tide to coincide with some calm weather for some great sport!
Plenty of Dabs and Whiting on small lug baits so by moving around to be in the right place at the right time we can keep the fish coming throughout the day! Space available for individuals on most Thursdays on Duke IV
31 May 2011
Despite the weather playing games with us the fishing at Ramsgate is hotting up with plenty of Thornback Ray, Smoothounds, Mackerel and the Bass are starting to shoal.
Attilla and his crew from Dagenham had a fine days fishing yesterday leaving Duke IV with bags of fish. It was mainly a Skate, Whiting and Mackerel day with one Skate topping 14lb 12oz!
Plenty of space this Thursday for individuals looking for a fish meal!
The fishing has really turned on here at Ramsgate with the Thornbacks arriving inshore and the Cod on the offshore wrecks along with a sprinkling of Pollack. The Bass are heading around the coast on their annual migration north. We had a good catch of wreck Cod on Duke IV for the individuals thursday wrecking trip and followed up with Pauls group getting amongst the Cod and Pollack on the saturday. The weather has been kind too with sunshine and calm winds, very unusual for this time of year but very welcome. The fishing should continue to improve with the Smoothounds arrival, here one day gone the next!
Still some dates available on Duke IV but filling up fast, so get in quick and let us try and get you amongst the fish! Bob
Fred enjoyed his birthday treat with Mitch and mum Kelly with lots of Doggies and Dabs! Ginters group from Barking had a good day with Skate, Whiting and our first Smoothound of the year! See the pictures in The Gallery!The fishing should continue to improve as the water warms, bringing in the Bass and Hounds. Skate numbers should peak in May with the Mackerel arriving inshore in June! Still dates available for groups & individuals on Duke IV so please email or call me for more information! Tight lines, Bob.
Its been a tough winter but spring is here and the Sprat shoals are thinning out and there's a lot of Cod out there. They should now return to bottom feeding making them catchable again! There's plenty of Dabs and the Thornback Ray have started to arrive with a few being caught, the Smoothies will be right behind them and as the water warms so the fishing should just get better! There are plenty of dates available for booking Duke IV including weekends and prices remain the same as last year! The wreck fishing starts in April and we will be taking individuals and small groups on Thursdays so looking forward to seeing all the old faces and hopefully welcome some new ones! The boat is fuelled up and ready to go so dust off the rods, sharpen the hooks and come down to Ramsgate, I will always do my best to give you a day to remember!
Tight lines, Bob
21st December 2010
Good fishing here at Ramsgate at the moment with plenty of action! Good Whiting and Doggies along with Skate and Pout. The Cod have arrived at last with quite a few being reported. Richard had a 7lb beauty fishing off Margate on Duke IV, lug and squid being the bait of the day! A good mixed bag with some of the Whiting topping 2lb!
We have suffered with wind over the last month, this gives me the opportunity to fish the beaches around Kent with my old fishing partner Rob from Woking Surrey! We have caught plenty of Whiting, Doggies etc from the local beaches but on a visit to the hallowed ground of Dungeness, Rob landed two Cod of 5lb and a fine specimen weighing 14lb 5oz, both caught on Whiting livebait!
Sprats are already with us along with Herrings, this gives the Cod a fine feast, great for fattening them up but lifts them off the bottom making them difficult to catch on Rod + line!
We have Thornback Ray that stay with us throughout the winter off Ramsgate! Great sport provided of course we can get out to them and they are not fished out by the netters! Lugworm can be a problem at this time of year so best to book in advance and don't forget herring bait for the Rays!
Have a very merry Xmas and happy new year! Bob. Duke IV
28th November 2010
Great fishing here at Ramsgate at the moment with plenty of action! Good Whiting and Doggies along with Skate and Pout. The Cod seem to have arrived at last with quite a few being reported. Richard had this 7lb beauty on Saturday fishing off Margate on Duke IV! Lug and squid being the bait of the day! A good mixed bag with some of the Whiting topping 2lb!
( See Richards Cod in the gallery)
11th November 2010
6th October 2010
Plenty of fish around, loads of Whiting Doggies etc. Getting the odd Bass, although there are plenty still here and they will be until November! Still catching a few Skate and we normally get an influx of them in the Autumn so fingers crossed. The Cod have started to show although not in the numbers we would hope for, perhaps they are a bit late this year but we were getting some good catches by mid October last year so lets hope they are swimming our way. The trips have been good lately with fish being caught all day, we manage this by moving around if nessesary to be in the right place at the right time. The Whiting we have been catching have been coughing up Spratts, sandeels, crabs & shrimp so the sea around Ramsgate is a full larder for the fish at the moment! Getting plenty of ladies and kids fishing over the last few months and I think they along with the chaps have enjoyed the day out on Duke IV. We get some of the best fishing of the year over the winter period here at Ramsgate with Cod Skate and Whiting along of course with the ever present Doggies so give me a call & we will see if we can get you out fishing! Dont forget the individuals trips on Thursdays always a good laugh and who knows you might even catch something!
12th September 2010
Autumn has most certainly arrived with wind & rain along with reports of the first Cod and quality Whiting!
The water has been coloured by the wind so brought an abrupt end to the Mackerel fishing which is a pity as fresh, it is the best bait for the large Bass and Thornbacks that frequent our area!
Hermit crabs remain scarce which has been a problem all summer regards the Smoothound fishing that has not been good as would be expected!
The Cod should have arrived in numbers by late September, add them to the Bass that will stay around until November we should be in for some good fishing over the next couple of months! Lugworm & Squid cocktail will probably be the best bait for the Cod & Whiting while given some clear water Hokkies & pirks for the shoal Bass!
The coloured water will bring the Herrings inshore which will replace mackerel as the top Thornback bait!
The odd Tope should be caught with Spurdogs a possibility on the deepwater marks.
A Bass weighing 23lb 15oz was landed by a net boat from a local mark so shows that we do have some fantastic fish in our waters, what a catch that would have been on rod & line!
31st July 2010
Excellent fishing here at Ramsgate with good Thornback Ray and Smoothounds. The big Bass have started to show with a fine pair weighing 8lb 12oz to Sam aged 15 who was in line to win the pool for the biggest fish of the day, some suggested that £40 might not best be paid to such a young lad when Dad Nigel weighed in with a last minute Bass of 12lb 4oz. Nice job Nigel! Both fish caught on mackerel fillet on Ramsgate charterboat Duke IV. See pic in gallery!
27th July 2010
Just found a video produced by one of Mark Kingsmill's group on Utube. You may like to see it, Bob
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcbmYtMIQVg
28th June 2010
The weather Gods are smiling on us here at Ramsgate with calm seas and plenty of sunshine, this all makes the fishing so pleasant, the fish are playing ball too!We are getting good catches of Thornback Ray from the many banks in our area, the Bass are shoaling and we are catching some quality Smoothounds.Mackerel are also around but not in the numbers we would expect at this time of the year, this is the second year where they are relatively thin on the ground, could this be due to bad luck or possibly something more serious like overfishing in other areas?I keep thinking of the thousands of tonnes being trawled in the north of Scotland! Could these Mackerel have been making their way south?
July and August are probably the best months of the year to try for large Bass using whole squid or large mackerel baits. Pick a large tide and sit in the rips around the North Foreland or up in the Thames Estuary, be patient and you may be rewarded with a double figure fish! Please bare in mind these fish will be females, with huge spawning potential so to return them is a great service to the future Bass stocks and great to see them swim off after a quick picture!Malcolm Andersons crew from Corby landed 17 Thornbacks on Duke IV, releasing most of them unharmed, this followed a tough day on the wrecks so well done chaps, hope you enjoyed your trip to Ramsgate!
All fish taken on lures on the drift so great sport and as Duke IV is a sportfishing boat all small or unwanted fish were returned to fight another day. Well done chaps!
Inshore fishing has been good one day then quieter the next, with Thornback Ray, Smoothounds, Bass and some cracking Whiting! Martin's crew from Gravesend had a good day inshore with Smoothounds (all returned) and Thornbacks along with Whiting and Dabs, see pic. The Bass should start shoaling on the banks now, you can't be sure where or when, just be in the right area at the right time, keep your eyes open and have some hokkies in your box! Don't worry we've got plenty on board Duke IV!
29 April 2010
The wreckfishing season has started here at Ramsgate and blessed with some fine weather we got out there on Duke IV. As with everything in nature it appears that things are running a couple of weeks later than would be normal. We tried a few wrecks before we got amongst the fish! The water is still cool and carrying some colour which is not best for our favoured method of drifting the wreck with lures but after a slow start on both days we got amongst the Pollack, fine hard fighting fish they were too! We also caught a few Cod, not as many as would be expected but I am sure numbers will improve throughout May!
Inshore fishing has been pretty good with fair numbers of Skate, the odd Bass and the first of the Smoothounds arriving. Mackeral should be here soon and they will bring their predators with them.
09 April 2010
Fishing on Duke IV now much improved with the arrival of the summer species. This along with the spring run of Cod and Thornbacks we are keeping the angler’s busy! Also being caught are some quality Whiting and Dabs!Smoothounds and Bass, although mostly small are here and feeding so by moving about we can have a good mixed bag of fish.Some large Bass being landed in the nets, it would appear that these fish are travelling so not interested in our baits, mores the pity!The Cod will be moving off to the wrecks by the end of the month to join the Pollack that will be there already. Shads, Redgills and jellyworms are the way to fish the wrecks here off Ramsgate with Hokkies and pirks on the banks. A Ramsgate restaurant was recently offering local caught Halibut steaks, getting ready to report them to trading standards under the Bulldung heading I was surprised to find that a local netting boat actually landed the fish, weighing 65lb just three miles out from the harbour, this same boat has also landed some good Turbot and Brill, so they are here, just got to get em on rod&line!
27 March 2010
Jane's family group from Deal, Kent finally got out and enjoyed a fine break in the weather. They managed to catch some nice Whiting and Doggies along with four quality Cod aboard Duke IV. Jane's homemade Pastie was superb,many thanks! I am sure the Cod will taste just as good ! See pic in gallery.
26.March 2010
Duke IV has just been relaunched following the annual service & we are ready to go!
Best of all the Cod & Skate along with a few Bass & Tope have arrived off Ramsgate!
Shake off those winter blues & come fishing!
Space available throughout April & with prices the same as last year.
You know it makes sense!!!
March 2010
Fishing remains tough on Duke IV, largely due to winter refusing to loosen its grip upon us. Despite this the water temp is rising, although slowly! Thornbacks have arrived and we are getting increasing numbers. These fish are disgorging Sprats! just goes to show even Skate will rise off the bottom to feed on these fish when in abundance. Cod remain elusive, maybe they are still high in the water, the netters are not getting many either! The Sprats run between 15’ to 20 feet below the surface and at times appear as a solid mass on the fish finder, although they are thinning and should be gone by mid march???We are catching Dabs and Whiting along with some Dogfish!A few small Bass showing up on the east pier, so they are coming along. So despite the gloom, better fishing is just around the corner.We should have the spring Codling run by now, maybe the cold weather and the Sprats have put this back a couple of weeks, this should run through until late April so plenty of time yet! Not many anglers at the moment so a big thank you to all those that have braved this long and very cold winter, without you the boat would be gone too!
February 2010
We were enjoying great fishing on Duke IV early in Jan with a fish a chuck, Whiting, Pout and Dogs and amongst all this the Cod. They seemed to be very mobile, here one day somewhere else the next. A strong tide stream was when you got the Cod. The smaller fish would slow off and then up comes a Cod then maybe a couple more then back to the smaller stuff, the tide slacken's so we move find a bit more tide and we are back amongst the Cod. Keeps the fishing interesting and we are lucky here at Ramsgate with the English Channel meeting the Thames Estuary and the North Sea on our doorstep there is always a good tide somewhere. Lug and Squid the bait of choice with whole Squid next.
Then the sprats moved in!
I have never seen them so thick! The sounder would show a constant line of them around 15 feet below the surface and at times the screen would show them as the seabed so thick are they in places.
With all this fodder around its hardly surprising that the Cod along with everything else has come up in the water to feed on them, totally ignoring our baits. The fish I think, are here but we cant catch much at the moment.
The upside of this situation is that the fish are having a good feed and putting on weight so we can look forward to some good Codding when the sprats move on, this should be anytime now!
Where do all those sprats go the rest of the year?
Plenty of spent Skate purse’s on the beach so the Skate must be here, although we are only getting the odd one. The weather has'nt helped either, with the water temps dropping to around 41'f.
Skate will move into the area in large numbers throughout Feb and March and good catches are possible. They are still an ‘at risk species’ so its good policy to return what’s not required in particular the females, every little helps as they say!
Feb/ March will also be the start of our spring run of Cod and if last year’s was anything to go by should be a good one. They should stay around through April, then gradually move offshore to the wrecks. The Bass, Hounds along with all our summer fish will be heading our way by now So to sum up, once the Spratt’s move out we should have some excellent spring fishing to look forward to, so dust off your rods and get down here, do some fishing!
28/Dec/09
Bens group from Eltham had a fine weather day on Duke IV and along with some cracking Whiting they got amongst the Cod. The fish preferred a tip of squid with their lug today. The fish just kept coming and even the sun came out. Happy days!
23/Dec/09
Despite the weather we are getting out and getting amongst the Cod. Lug & Squid or just plain Squid doing the buisiness. The fish are between 5lb To 10lb. Chris Terry & Ric all Duke IV regulars enjoyed the day with these Cod along with some nice Whiting Pout and of course the Doggies. Still a few dates available over the holiday period so come out and test that new gear!
It appears the protection given to the Cod is paying off, they are well spread over our area and of a good average size, this was not the case two years ago so lets hope fisheries keep up the good work and not allow the over fishing that very nearly finished them off five years ago.
Bass still around although more likely to be caught by accident while fishing for the Cod but when you hook into one it may well be a bigun.
Skate also still around although with all the other fish picking up the baits they don’t get a look .Again, these fish are being protected to some degree and are around here all year with many into double figures. Possibility of a Tope as they pass through or maybe even a Spurdog, a few were landed last winter. 
18th Oct 09
A change in the weather from Indian summer to winter has coloured the water and brought in the Cod. Bens group of Firemen from London had a good day with plenty of fish including Cod Skate and some quality Whiting. The wind is blowing again as I write so perhaps the Bass will move out now. The Cod numbers should increase with plenty of doubles if last years fish have continued to grow as they should. We have been catching some fine Dabs lately, a small species but one that has been quite rare for a few years now. The fishing seems to be getting back to that of years gone by when there was plenty of species around with good numbers of large Cod. Its time to dig out the flotation suits & get out fishing!
They cant be far away as the Large Pout and Whiting are here already
After a long and interesting summer with excellent Cod fishing on the wrecks with good numbers of doubles, we are finding them inshore now early September, this is early and may, we hope, be a prelude to an excellent winter. Plenty of Whiting around, the Bass seem to be chasing these more since the decline in sandeels. Seeing 12oz Whiting being chased to the surface and the herring gulls trying to eat what’s really too big can be amusing as they fight over the unfortunate fish. The Bass fishing has been sporadic, shoaling some days and others can’t find them anywhere with just the odd fish showing. Quality Skate still around just last week we returned a pregnant female of 13lb. Mackerel still thin on the ground, perhaps due to the winds constantly stirring up the water, fresh mackerel the best summer bait for Skate, frustrating when you struggle to get enough. The Bass should stay around until October so on a good day it’s possible to get a Ramsgate grand slam of Bass, Cod, Smoothound and Skate all in the one day !
Sea Angling News Report Aug 09
Fishing remains generally good despite the unseasonable weather, the wind stirs up the water, that’s not good for the mackerel, making it difficult getting them for bait and the Skate love fresh mackerel. Despite this we are still getting a few! Bass fishing taking off now with some good fish being taken. Lugworm the bait of choice with mackerel fished hard on the bottom for the big girls, Chris came close to a double yesterday with the one below caught on mackeral bait.
Whiting are still around along with Pouting and the odd Codling inshore.
September usually sees an influx of pin whiting, favourite food of the Bass. When the right weather, tides and clear water come together we can enjoy some excellent fishing with pirk and hokkai lures over the rough ground and banks.
The Hounds will be heading back out of the estuary, somewhat larger than when they arrived due to a summer of crab crunching, giving some excellent although sporadic fishing. This winter could be good for Cod provided they have survived the summer with last years 4lb average now into double figures and hopefully some 20lb’ers and maybe the odd thirty? Just like it used to be!
Sea Angling News report July 09
The fishing off Ramsgate carries on apace with Quality Smoothounds here in numbers. Chris Wards group from London landing 16 to 10lb along with Bass and a solitary Thornback. Daniel Hays group also from London upped the anti with 23 Hounds to 12lb along with Mackerel and the obligatory Skate, both groups fishing on Duke IV elected to return all the Smoothounds bar 1 that was badly hooked.
The Bass and Mackerel are still patchy with double figure Bass few & far between, hopefully the big girls will arrive soon with August usually the best month for these fantastic fish. The Cod still on the wrecks although declining in numbers. Pollack will increase in numbers along with Bass and maybe Black Bream to keep the wreckfishing interesting but with the inshore fishing so good, why go wrecking?
Quality Whiting still around, these fish have been here since last September giving good sport over the slack tide period. Thornback fishing still good with Mark Kingsmills group from Kent landing some 16 fish to 10lb
14th June: Getting amongst the Thorbacks again with some quality fish. Mark Kingsmills group from Kent having a fine day landing some 15, along with Whiting Bass and dogs. Wreck fishing still good although slowing slightly for the Cod with more Pollack turning up. Mackeral around although the northerly wind stirring up the water makeing them a bit hit or miss. Summer fishing should be at its best over the next month !
Plenty of species available inshore now with Smoothounds, Bass & Thornbacks along with quality Whiting all available. The offshore wreck fishing remains good with plenty of Cod to double figures along with Pollack and Bass.
The fishing in the Thames estuary remains top class with quality Thornbacks along with Smoothounds to 15lb. Hermit crab or live shrimp top bait for the hounds, not easy to buy but drop a baited net at slack water and get free bait that will catch all the species in the area.
The dreaded may weed has now gone, this should improve the Mackerel fishing that is often difficult here due to the coloured water.
The quality Whiting we are catching at the moment are unusual at this time of year, we usually see them late summer, we are also catching them offshore on the Mackerel feathers.
Large shoals of school Bass heading up the estuary, here one minute gone the next.
The Skate fishing has turned on with good catches all over the area. Derek Edmond's group had a good catch in the Thames estuary with 14 up to double figures, along with quality Whiting . Thursday saw us visit the wrecks where Terry Gage's group caught 25 Cod to around 12lb.On the way back we feathered up some Mackerel on the Falls bank. The fresh mackerel forced us to stop and try for Skate landing 5, the best weighing 13lb 8oz, again quality Whiting made up the numbers. Len Hoopers group were hoping to get on the wrecks today but the NE wind stopped us so we tried for Skate, landing 7 before the wind forced us inshore.
Dates available if you want in on the action! See gallery for more pics,
Sea Angling News. Boat fishing report for March 09
The fishing is holding up well with plenty of Codling and Thornback Ray in the area. The Sprat shoals are thinning out and the Cod are feeding up on the small crab that have arrived here in abundance. This puts the fish back on the bottom where we can catch them more easily.
Some large female Thornbacks showing that are heavy in roe, so best to return these fish, anyway its always a pleasure to watch these majestic fish swim off and a photo keeps the memories.
Just back in from today’s trip, (4th March) with Grahame Lovedays group from Gravesend and the Codling kept coming all day with fish to 9lb, along with a few Skate and quality Whiting an excellent day.
This followed Len Hoopers group trip on 28th Feb where the Thornbacks dominated the day.
Lug & Squid cocktails fished uptide on a flowing trace seems to be the killer rig at the moment although lug only baits also good. The fish baits not so effective now the Sprats have thinned out.
The water has warmed a couple of degrees now, so along with the winter species, expect the first of the summer fish to show. Always one or two large Bass caught by accident this month.
The spring codling fishing should continue now till late April when they will drift offshore. This past winter has been the best for a number of years and just when you think its slowing down it picks up again so make the most of it and check out our website on www.fishingramsgate.com for latest reports.
See more pics in gallery
Lee and Paul had a good day today 14th Feb with a catch of Codling to 7lb and 10 Thornback Ray to 11lb. All the female Rays were returned. The fish were taken on lug and squid or lug and herring cocktails from a mark off Margate. Sprats are thinning out. So it looks good for the spring codling run. See pics in gallery
