James Cooney below with his 32lb catch from the beach swim on Beattie’s lake fishing with Sticky Baits Manilla 12mm & 16mm boilies and Sticky Baits signature pops (all sold in the on site shop)
News of stocking Barnstaple & District Angling Association ‘s club course pond at Aller Nr. South Molton
With the help of Paul Carter from the Environmental Agency B&DAA have added stocks of Tench and Crucian Carp plus further quantities of ‘Silver Fish’ for this coming year. Further extensive tree work and pond access is in the pipe line to enable easier fishing access with close car parking.
The game section’s water at Newbridge will, weather permitting be fishable as soon as we get a drop in water heights. The club also has subsidised ‘private beats’ available to it’s members on a day ticket basis on the Upper Taw, Lower Torridge & the famous Blackpool Beat on the River Exe.
There are still membership vacancies in both Course & Game sections at £35 for the whole season.
For further details please contact John Webber [email protected]. or membership secretary Colin Ashby on 01271 323017.
North Devon Tackle AC Result
Results from today’s match at Wooda lakes (lake 4). Well done to Kevin Wilston who won with 33lb 2oz. 2nd was Norman Martin with 27lb 12oz and for his first match with the club finishing 3rd was Andrew Haynes with 22lb 3oz well done lads especially in today’s tough conditions.
North Devon Match Group Winter League No 5 Slade Reservoir – Pike don’t count!
Martin Turner secured victory at a cold and windswept Slade Reservoir putting together a fine net of silver fish.
1st Martin Turner 25lb 14oz
2nd Kevin Shears 19lb 13oz
3rd Andy Gray 10lb 3oz
4th James Grogan 9lb 3oz
5th John Bailey 8lb 10oz
(Above) Kevin Shears
North Devon Match Group Winter League No 5 at Slade Reservoir was a match to forget for most with gale force wind and blustery conditions making fishing very uncomfortable and difficult . The road side produced top 3 all to pole tactics
Catch of the day was undoubtedly a fine double figure pike landed by John Forster sadly pike don’t count in matches!
Huge spurdog
Castaways Sea Angling Club member Gary Hillon fished a North Devon Rock mark to a catch a fantastic specimen Spur of 17-7-8. The fish was tempted on a sandeel squid cocktail fished on a 4/0 pennel pulley rig.
Ryan Dunbreck also had a fine Spur of 14-6-8 a new Castaways Catch & Release record.
After dark carp – Stafford Moor
Night time success at Stafford Moor
Gareth Simpson with his 23lb 14oz catch from the Summerhouse swim on Beattie’s lake using Sticky Baits Manilla pop ups.
Silver Festival – Stafford Moor
Weather conditions were much improved for the Final of Stafford Moors MFS Silver Festival but a bitter cold wind still lingered. The weights on the final day were excellent. ,Tanners fished well with Pines fishing even better! The top weight was 31lb 9oz from Colin Mercer who fished peg 12 on Pines fishing maggot over worm. The Winner of the MFS Silvers Festival 2017 is Colin Mercer who had only 6 points! well done Colin.
Fishery owner Joanne Combes “What a fantastic week Paul and i have had with you all so much fun and laughter and fantastic weights,see you all next year!”
The Top Ten below
- COLIN MERCER (MERCE) Peg 12 Pines: 31lbs 9oz
- MARTIN WEDLEY (CARPY MARTY) Peg 7 Pines: 28lbs 8oz
- STEVE MARTIN (ROLIO) Peg 13 Pines: 27lbs 14oz
- WAYNE KEARNEY (LONG TALL SALLY) Peg 4 Tanners: 27lbs 9oz
- RICH HOSKISS Peg 9 Pines: 26lbs 4oz
- DAVE JOHNSON (SILVER) Peg 36 Tanners: 26lbs 0oz
- CHRIS HAINES (HAINSEY) Peg 10 Pines: 23lbs 15oz
- MARK SAUNDERS Peg 8 Pines: 23lbs 11oz
- ANDY BAYLEY Peg 34 Tanners: 23lbs 9oz
- PETE BAILEY Peg 3 Pines: 22lbs 10oz
Blakewell Double
Blakewell Fishery is undoubtedly the water to head for if you want to land that coveted double figure trout as Duncan discovered when he landed this personal best scaling 10lb 14oz.
Trout Masters at Simpson Valley
Simpson Valley – Jenny Wren Trout Lake near Holsworthy – Latest report from Paul Cozen’s
Jenny Wrens annual trout masters competition went well this morning despite the frequent heavy cold down pours of rain. Attending this year was Terry Allcorn, Richard Cooper and brothers Mark and Richard Hopson.
Fish came on the feed straight away with Terry kicking it off with a nice rainbow caught on a damsel nymph followed closely by Mark with another rainbow on a Montana. All anglers caught their 3 Fish bag limit by dinnertime and we’re glad to get out of the rain.
Winner this year was Mark Hopson from Barnstaple with a bag weight of 8lb 1oz who gets a place in the trout masters final at Draycote trout fishery this October.
Runner up was Richard Cooper from Lyme Regis with 7lb 13oz followed by Richard hopson with 7lb 8oz then Terry Allcorn with 7lb 1oz.
Well done to all and keep sending the trout masters tickets in for your chance of a monthly badge and a place in next year’s Fish offs.
The essence of fishing
I think we sometimes take this whole fishing thing too seriously and that’s quite a statement coming from someone who is seriously addicted to that next piscatorial fix. I have spent years chasing fish of dreams and don’t get me wrong I love to get a big fish on the line and admire it before slipping it back into the watery dimension. But fishing is about far more than fish, its about the chase and as the lyric goes; “The Chase is Better than the catch”.
Last week we fished Anglers Paradises Lure Fishing weekend. The weather was generally dark and gloomy and fish hard to find. Looking through the pictures of the event I noticed something quite striking in the smiles of grown men clutching tiny fish. In amongst the egos and tales of big fish there shone that childish delight that true anglers never lose.
Close to fifty years ago I watched a crimson topped float bobbing optimistically about in Mill Pond at Berrynarbour.
I watched for hours in anticipation delighting in its disappearance as a tiny perch devoured my worm or maggot impaled upon my hook. Fortunately that same joy can still be found in the catching of a fish.
Bigger may well be better but in essence its all about the chase and the expectation.
A few weeks ago I stood waiting for the start of a competition; the fifteen minutes until cast off seemed to last an eternity the following five hours evaporated in a flash. The line in the water is connected to another world strange how this connection is so essential.
