Mark Jones has extended his lead in Combe Martin SAC’s members bass lure competition catching an open coast bass of 63cm.
Present standings are :-
Mark Jones bass – 63cm, 63cm, 71cm – Total – 197cm
Shaun Quartly bass – 72cm, 60.5cm, 56cm – Total – 188.5cm
Reece Woolgar bass – 57cm, 59cm, 64cm – Total – 180cm
Combe Martin SAC member Jamies Steward is having a good run at the moment tempting this fine specimen smoothound of 13lb 3oz on his latest trip to the coast. He also caught a specimen thin lipped mullet of 4lb 14oz from the Taw estuary.
Jamie and his family have been raising funds for the RNLI following a near miss on the coast during the winter. Jamie has organised various events including two raffles and a 100km charity walk that have raised over £1700 for the Ilfracombe RNLI. The local angling community have been generous in supporting Jamies efforts appreciating the wonderful work undertaken by the RNLI.
(Above) Dean and Gary banked 25 fish from the beach swim on Beatties lake glad you both had a fabulous time especially after driving all the way from Kent !
(Above) Pete Lilley who banked 6 fish from Beatties lake including a new pb stunning 28lb 4oz common.
Combe Martin SAC member Jamie Steward tempted this fine specimen thin lipped grey mullet of 4lb 14oz whilst using baited spinner tactics.
The Taw and Torridge Estaury offer many miles of accessible angling where light tackle and varied tactics can be employed to tempt a surprisngly wide variety of species. Bass to double figures hunt the estuaries and can be found surprisingly high up on the confluence with freshwater as well as at the estuary mouth.
Gilthead bream are a more recent visitor to the Taw estaury with specimens tempted as far up as Fremington Quay. All three species of grey mullet can be found throughout the estuary and can be caught using bait, fly fishing and baited spinners.
Where the estuary meets the sea smoothound to double figures can provide excting tussles as they grab baits often intended for bass or gilthead bream.
( Above) Mullet will push up into the many creeks along the estuary offering a challenge that few anglers are prepared to accept.
The vast estuary with its many mudbanks, creeks and sandbanks offers a wealth of opportunities for anglers with the chance to glimpse a diverse variety of wildlife. The scene is ever changing as the tides ebb and flow beneath everchanging skies. As autumn approaches flounder enthusiasts will line the banks at popular venues. Codling can often provide a decent meal as the nights pull in during late autumn.
Gammaton Reservoir near Bideford is well run by Torridge Fly Fishing Club who arrange regular stockings of rainbow trout to 4lb throughout the season. I recently visited the lake with six fellow members of the Wistlandpound Fly Fishing Club. We had been warned that the fishing would be difficult as on most Stillwater trout fisheries at this time of year but with the date in club diary of events we decided to go ahead.
Club member Robert Chugg kindly met us at the fishery car park at 5:30pm and sorted our permits that are excellent value at £25.00 for three fish.
We all walked up to the top lake which had been fishing the best of the two. Most elected to use sinking lines with reports indicating that what fish were caught recently fell to lures or flies fished deep.
The conditions seemed ideal with a light westerly breeze and occasional sunny spells. The view from the lake is truly spectacular with the vista of the Taw & Torridge estuary basin stretching out to Saunton Sands and the hotel that is clearly visible. Lundy Island is also visible on the horizon far out in the Bristol Channel.
I set up on the West bank of the lake and started searching for a fish. Colin Combe opposite caught a fish early on which was an encouraging sign.
I tried various set ups and after an hour had a solid take whilst fishing a damsel booby fishing back with a pull and pause retrieve. The rainbow was around 1lb 12oz and a pleasing result considering the recent catches. I noted that fellow members were not catching any trout just a few small perch. After a while with no further takes I changed to a Montana on the point and two small dark flies on the droppers. I fished this slowly and to my dismay lost three fish before close of fishing at 9:30pm. Colin opposite landed one more trout.
As the light faded we walked back to the car park. The friendly club sortie had been highly enjoyable despite just three fish being landed. Colin Combe was the winner with two rainbows for 3lb 4oz and myself runner up with 1lb 12oz.
Earlier this year Defra reopened the UK Spurdog fishery to commercial fishing. Recognising that the female breeding stock needed to be protected to give the fishery longevity they restricted the slot size to 100cm.
To understand the significance of this you need to know that female Spurdog do not reach sexual maturity until they are around 15 years old and that their pregnancy lasts for up to two years. The younger female Spurdog have smaller pups which have a low survival rate but as the females get older and larger, their pup sizes increase and so does their survival rate. A 100cm female Spurdog is around 20 years old whereas a 120cm female Spurdog is around 40 years old and her pups have a significantly increased survival rate.
We were therefore very surprised when we heard recently that Defra are now considering a request from the commercial sector to increase the maximum landing size to 120cm.
The recreational angling community regularly access the smaller shark fishery on a catch and release basis and it represents a revenue stream which our recreational charter skippers and coastal communities rely on.
The situation was discussed at a recent Pat Smith Database trustee meeting where it was agreed unanimously that our smaller sharks (Spurdog, Smoothound, Bull Huss and Tope) need our protection as much as their larger cousins (Blue, Porbeagle, Thresher).
Our sport has a seat at the Fisheries Management table but if we don’t use this opportunity to make our views known we will be sidelined by the other players so as a first step we have decided to send a letter to the Fisheries minister signed jointly by as many charter skippers, angling clubs and angling related organisations as possible.
If you would like to be a signatory and help protect the fishery from future closure please get in contact with the Pat Smith Database at [email protected]
Anglers, Angling clubs and Charter boat skippers are encouraged to contact their local MP to raise awareness of the issues and the urgent need to protect these small sharks for over fishing.
Letter sent to Selaine Saxby on behalf of CMSAC
Dear Selaine Saxby,
You may already be aware that Defra recently opened the UK spurdog fishery this year. With spurdog having a low, even negligible commercial value in the UK, this was a decision I found difficult to understand but recent events are even stranger. It has now come to the attention of the recreational sea angling sector that Defra are considering a request from the commercial sector to increase the slot size to 125cm from its current level of 100cm. This will allow the targeting of larger spurdog which will predominately be female.
To understand the significance of this you need to know that female spurdog do not reach sexual maturity until they are around 15 years old and that their pregnancy lasts for two years. The younger female spurdog have smaller pups which have a low survival rate but as the females get older and larger, their pup sizes increase and so does their survival rate.
In short this species have a very challenging reproductive cycle that requires the female stock to be given protection. Targeting the female breeding stock will, as we have witnessed previously, lead to the demise, and perhaps even closure of the fishery once again.
The RSA sector, who contribute £1.5 billion to the UK economy, access the spurdog fishery on a catch and release basis which provides a much needed revenue stream for recreational sea angling charter skippers and their local coastal communities. Continued access to this fishery requires it to be managed in a sustainable manner which is not consistent with a slot size increase.
We believe that Defra do understand the needs of the fishery as Mark Spencer MP was quoted as saying,
“The UK and EU will also prohibit landings of spurdog over 100cm in length to discourage the targeting of larger females and provide protection for the breeding stock” (source Communications and Management for Sustainability – April 2023)
Having made these comments its difficult to understand why Defra are even considering an increase in slot size for spurdog.
For the reasons above I am requesting your support to ensure that the slot size remains at 100cm. If Defra are of the opinion that it is correct to allow an increase in slot size then I am asking to see the scientific evidence which confirms that increasing the slot size will not damage the breeding stock within the fishery. In the absence of this evidence then in my opinion the precautionary principle, as stated in the Fisheries Act (2020) should apply.
I look forward to your urgent response
Your Sincerely,
