Steve Pinn posted these splendid images of North Devon carp lakes capturing that essence of the sport that is so often overlooked as anglers pose with their big fish.
Autumn and winter reflections.
Conger and codling for Christmas Anglers
Nathan Clements enjoyed success on a North Devon rock enjoying the fresh air instead of the crowds of Factory Friday. This conger scaled 23lb 13oz and is one of the biggest shore caught eel reported so far this autumn. The biggest eels of the winter often show after Christmas so lets hope there are a few more to come. So far this autumn there have been large numbers of small eels that are nuisance but are perhaps a good sign for the future?
(Below) Young Charlie Stanway will be hoping for some chips to go with this cod he caught at Ilfracombe whilst fishing with his Dad.
Prospects for the Festive period are excellant with South West Winds and mild conditions. Matt Jeffery tempted a tope of 25lb 4oz and I expect one or two more of these toothy critters to show over the christmas holiday period along with spurdog and huss.
(Below) Ian laird landed this spurdog on a recent trip and is hoping to hook a bigger one before the winter is over.
RIGS FOR TOOTHY CRITTERS – Article by Kevin Legge
Kevin Legge as a well earned reputation for catching specimen fish from the North Devon shoreline and having fished with Kev for close to forty years I know he is meticulous in his preparation and leaves nothing to chance. Kevin has been testing the latest terminal tackle from Veals Mail Order and sent me this short article.
I have been asked recently about wire traces for toothy critters. I have been using the Mason Wire for a few years now in 175lb b.s this wire is both strong and extremely kink resistant a plus when the straps and dogfish are about in plague proportions.For hooks I use good old Varivas extras or the recent catfish hook. I have always been a fan of stainless steel swivels and the latest from Seadra are exceptionally robust with the 1/0 crane swivel rated at 525lb! To connect the trace to hook and swivel I have been using Seadra double barrel crimps 1.2mm. The crimped joints are protected using Mustard shrink tube (3mm) this creates a neat finish and protects the fingers from shards of wire that can give a nasty cut.
At snaggy marks Kevin often uses a single hook instead of the more commonly used Pennel rig.
TRIPLE TWENTY FOR JOHN JOBSON AT THE MOOR
John Jobson enjoyed a fantastic day winter carp fishing at Stafford Moor landing a trio of carp weighing 23lb 7oz, 20lb 5oz and 20lb 10oz. The fish were all tempted using Krill Boilies over pellet.
North Devon Match Group Final Championship and Christmas Competition @ Oaktree Fishery
Results
1st Paul Elworthy 42lb 4oz
2nd Paul Morris 39lb 13oz
3rd Neilsen Jeffery 35lb 15oz
4th Stuartshelley Burridge 32lb 1oz
5th James Grogan 31lb 5oz
6th Dave Dodgy Hooks 30lb 6oz
22 members fished our final comp of the year , 11 on each pond. Conditions were still and cold to start but deteriorated into rain. Paul Elworthy drew on peg 2 in the middle of the dam on the top pool his first fish was a near double on paste on the pole , he added 6 more and crucially 7lb of sivers to secure a victory , Paul Morris was on peg 15 on the bottom lake he also landed a large carp early he went on to net 9 fish, all on the pole, for 2nd place. 3rd went to Neilsen Jeffery with a pole and corn approach on peg 9 , The first competition for the new year kicks off on Jan 6th 2019 on Morchard Road.
New salmon and sea trout byelaws:
Charles Inniss has sent this news to members of the River Torridge Fishery Association. It is great news for angling in North Devon.
NEWSREEL: XMAS 2018.
New salmon and sea trout byelaws:
At long last DEFRA has confirmed the new salmon and sea trout byelaws, which will become law and come into force on 1stJanuary 2019.
As far as the rivers Torridge and Taw are concerned:
- All salmon netting in the estuary will cease. Currently there are three licensed netsmen and their licences will not be renewed. Following on from the ban on drift netting for bass and mullet in the estuary twelve months ago, this means that all estuary netting (apart from netting for sand eels) has come to an end.
In my wildest dreams I never thought the day would come when I would write the above!!
- Being classed as rivers “Probably at Risk” there will be voluntary catch and release for salmon with the expectation that release levels are above 90%.
To support the new byelaws and to ensure as many salmon and sea trout are able to spawn successfully, the Torridge Fishery Association encourages anglers to return all migratory fish. In recent years the decline in sea trout numbers has been more pronounced than salmon, so returning sea trout is just as important as releasing salmon.
You can find all the details of the new byelaws on the EA website.
Have a great Xmas. Charles.
Dont forget tio send in those catch returns :- https://www.gov.uk/catch-return
Christmas Gifts for the North Devon Angler
These are difficult times on the High Street with many shops struggling as many shop online to secure the best deals. This is understandable but we must not forget the local tackle shop for they provide us with an invaluable service. Fresh bait, tubs of maggots, the chance to pick up and look at the product and that social benefit of meeting fellow anglers. Tackle shops have always been at the hub of the angling world a place to learn and become motivated by fellow anglers. If your thinking of what to buy the angler for Christmas why not head to your local tackle shop of which we have a great choice in North Devon.
Danny Watson runs High Street Tackle in Ilfracombe with his partner Pauline and has a passion for lure fishing that is reflected in the huge range of lures on offer in the shop. They also stock qaulity Ammo frozen bait along with sea angling tackle and essential items for the coarse angler.
Jamie Miller (Below) runs North Devon Tackle in Queens Walk, Barnstaple (in the arcade adjacent to Queens Street and Bear Street Car Parks). They specialise in carp, Coarse and Sea Fishing with Gift Vouchers available to ensure the angler gets to choose the perfect gift.
Summerlands Tackle are North Devons longest established tackle shop. A family run business that has traded for over thirty years. They carry a range of tackle covering all three disciplines and are actively promoting safety at sea this year with Crewsaver Life jackets on offer at a very reasonable price. What better present for the angler you care about?
Chillcheaters in Braunton offer a range of qaulity garnets for combating extreme weather conditions. See link below.
Blakewell Fishery boasts a well stocked tackle shop with Fly Fishing Tackle, clothing and a range of flies from West Country company Snowbee. Whilst there you can enjoy a coffee in their tea room and even choose a Christmas Tree.
Choose a good book for those cold winter nights from River Reads book shop near Torrington.
Five Pike Haul from Lower Slade
Richard Ball landed five pike to 11lb 8oz in a day session at Lower Slade Resevior for a total weight of 41lb 4 oz all but one fish were tempted using sardine the other preferred a herring.
Winter Carp Haul at Upper Tamar
Bude anglers Chris Hudson and Matt Pepperell enjoyed a great session at Upper Tamar lake on the Cornwall and Devon border over the weekend landing 8 carp from the Lookout Tower swim. Chris had this cracking 24lb 1oz mirror that was stocked in 2017 at 22lb. The majority of fish were mid doubles. All caught on CC Moore Live system with white pop ups fished over the top.
STAYING ALIVE AT SEA
There has been a concerted campaign by the RNLI to encourage anglers to were life jackets and this has been supported a by a few high profile anglers including Henry Gilbey. The vast majoroty of anglers do not wear lifejackets and this is something that needs to change if the number of lives lost each year due to drowning are to be reduced. I visited Summerlands at Westward Ho! recently and was delighted to see that they have embraced the campaign and are selling Crewsaver 165 Sport Life Jackets at a very reasonable price of £65.95. This could make the perfect Christmas present with the potential to save a life.
Many experienced sea anglers if challenged will admit to having near misses and with an average of ten shore anglers drowning each year it is time to consider investing in this valuable kit that could save your life.
