FLUFF CHUCKERS STILLWATER EVENT – ARUNDELL 2025
Rodney Wevill – Report
That’s a wrap for Fluff Chuckers Events 2025…
On Saturday, December 13th we held the Arundell / Fluff Chuckers Still water event at Lifton on the Arundells lake.
We met at the Arundell Hotel to sign on and Tea/ coffee and Bacon Rolls in the old cock pit.
All well fed and watered we were off to the lake for a 10am start, fishing peg numbers for 30mins and moving on to the next .
Fishing a 2 hour session in the morning, 45 minutes for a on the bank lunch and then a further 2 hr session in the afternoon.
The lower pegs fished extremely well for the morning with more than 20 fish , Browns and a few Rainbows to the net.
The afternoon session was a lot harder with only a handful of fish being caught
Tactics ranged from sink 6 to floating lines, nymphs, lures, and all in between.
Roger Truscott was on fire for the first 45mins landing lots of fish with Wayne Thomas close behind.
At 3pm it was back to the Arundell to tally up the scores, some more Tea/ Coffee in front of the wood burner.
The winners ended up being in first place with 11 fish Roger Truscott
With Andrew Watson being the runner up
The winner of the biggest fish of the day a very nice Brown trout 43cm going to Wayne Thomas
A great way to end the year and a big thank you to YETI Europe , Lakedown Brewing Co. & Tap Room, The Arundell for your continued support with the prizes.
A special thank you to James Christoforou from the Arundell for his time and wonderful hospitality not only today but also the previous 2 events held at the hotel , anyone looking for a fishing break in the South West no need to look further, some great fishing all year round with Grayling, Trout and sea trout in their seasons.
Great guides and fly fishing casting instructors if required.
The Arundell fishing shop with everything you will ever need plus wonderful accommodation and food.
And it’s situated in some of the most stunning parts of this fair Island and where I call home so I am a little biased.
Thank you to all that have supported the events throughout the year and we hope to see you all in 2026 starting with the Fluff Chuckers / SWLT Brown Trout Masters round 1 at the end of March.
A personal account of the day
The winding Devon roads took me over hills and through misty valleys as the sun slowly broke through illuminating the frosty landscape. It was a classic winter morning, sounds of the sixties on the radio and a day’s fishing to look forward to.
I arrived at my destination the Arundell shortly after 8:00am and joined Rodney Wevill and other Fluff Chucker’s in the car park as the days shooting party scurried around in readiness for their day ahead.
After a brief catch up we headed into the historic Cockpit building for bacon baps and freshly brewed coffee. Anticipation for the day ahead was high and fuelled by tales of previous trips and adventures.
In addition to several miles of river fishing for salmon, sea trout, brown trout and grayling the Arundell has its own lake. The lake is an old flooded quarry with crystal clear water that is regularly stocked with brown and rainbow trout. Despite the average stock size being between 1lb 8oz and 2lb far larger trout are known to lurk within the deep dark waters.
James Christoforou is head of fishing at the Arundell so before heading to the lake to compete with fellow Fluff Chucker’s I sought James advice as to tactics and flies. Following his advice I set up two rods one with a duo set up as James thought it likely that the fish would be near to the surface. The other rod was set up with a rather drab gold-head lure on the point with a flexible tail dressing that would flutter attractively in the water.
The competition started at 10:00am with each angler on their drawn peg. Every half an hour each angler would move two pegs ensuring that by the end of the day each peg had been fished.
I had drawn peg one with Roger Truscott to my right on peg two. Shortly after cast off I glanced over to see Rogers rod bent as a trout splashed about on a tight line. Within a few moments of releasing this trout Roger was in again and I wondered just how he has such a knack of connecting with the trout!
I cast my line and watched the leader intently lifting the rod briskly when it twitched slightly as the lure sank in the clear water. It was good to connect and get a fish under my belt. As we moved pegs I asked Roger how many he had caught and he replied “eight or nine I think”. By this time I had managed a brace of rainbows and browns.
As expected the catch rate started to drop for all and by the end of the morning I think Roger was on nine whilst I was on seven.
We stopped for lunch at midday and James delivered hot pasties and coffee to those who requested it. For half an hour we all chatted and analysed the mornings fishing. It was obvious that Roger and I had received a big slice of good fortune as pegs one to four were undoubtedly well populated with recently stocked fish. The two end pegs at the lakes far end producing no trout.
The afternoon was surprisingly slow and I only added one fish a 43cm brown trout that was the biggest of the day. Roger once again proved his dominance of Fluff Chucker events ending the day with eleven trout.
We retired once again to the warmth of the Cockpit for the prize giving and a hot coffee. Rodney Wevill does an exceptional job at organising these friendly events and securing sponsorship from Yeti, Lakedown Brewing co & Tap Room. And of course the Arundell whose waters are always a joy to fish.
Sea Angling News –
Combe Martin SAC’s Christmas Rover was won by David Brooke with a bass of 5lb 13oz. Kevin Legge was runner up with a smoothound of 6lb 15oz and Wayne Thomas third with a bull huss of 6lb 3oz. Members caught dogfish, spurdog and conger.
Michael Hammett secured top spot in Appledore Shipbuilders monthly Rover with a bull huss of 9lb 9.5oz. Josh Atkinson was second with a huss of 8lb 3oz and Chris Slade third with a huss of 8lb 2oz.
ANGLING REPORT – December 4th – 2025
posted in: Articles, At the Waters Edge, Casting around North Devon, Coarse Fishing, Game Fishing, Lure Fishing, Match Fishing, Sea Angling, Sidebar |
0
ANGLERS RAISE OVER £1200 FOR
CHILDRENS HOSPICE SOUTH WEST
The flounder fishing season is in full swing with last weekend’s BBT Dan Miles Redmore Open attracting over one hundred competitors who raised over £1200 for Children’s Hospice South West. The competition was won by Mario Manley with a fine flounder of 1lb 15oz. David Atkinson was runner up with a flounder of 1lb 14oz and David Jenkins third with a flounder of 1lb 10.5oz. The best brace was caught by David Atkinson with two for 3lb. olive Atkinson was top junior with a flounder of 1lb 5oz with AJ Woodger runner up with a flounder of 1lb 4.5oz.
Bulldog Fisheries November Trout Fishing Competition was won by Ian Conabear with six rainbow trout for a total bag weight of 15lb. Aiden Revie was runner up with six for 14lb 15oz and Nick Tamlin fourth with six for 14lb. The biggest fish of the day was a fine tiger trout of 6lb 14oz to Aiden Revie.
Bulldogs monthly trout competitions are very much a social occasion with plenty of coffee, biscuits, bacon rolls to start the day with burgers and chips for midday lunch. The events are limited to twelve anglers and generally sell out quickly. Novembers competition was blessed with sunshine and light winds which may not have been ideal for the trout but were certainly perfect for the competitors.
Bideford Angling Clubs latest Rod and Reel Match on their home water Tarka swims was won by Colin O Hagan with 39lb 2oz. Runner up was Ian Sedgewick with 24lb 9oz and third Keith Copland with 23lb 15oz.
Anglers Paradises Lure Fishing weekend was hotly contested with a wide range of species tempted from the complex. Sixteen year old Harrison Woodham was the weekends champion landing seven different species including pike, rudd, common carp, mirror carp, perch, brown trout and rainbow trout. Runner up was Scott Way with five species. The biggest pike of the weekend was caught by Nikki Williams and measured 89cm. The biggest perch of 35cm was caught by Matthew Colegate. Nat Worsfold banked the biggest catfish at 78cm. Thomas Wilson caught the first chub to be tempted during the lure fishing competition. Fox Rage were the winning team with nine species. The event was generously sponsored by Capital Angling, Rapala, Fortis Eyewear, Fox Rage, Okuma Europe, Devon Baits and Okuma Freshwater UK.
A Danglers Diary – November 2025
November can be a great month for angling full of opportunity. But as is often the case these days I struggle to get out to the waters edge as often as I would like.
Late afternoon flooding tide.
Mullet fishing in late Autumn and at night would once have been unthinkable.
Not that mullet always take the bait.
A big Spring tide and a full moon casts its light across Lynmouth Bay. Its sights like these that make it worth getting out there.
Out with Kevin and the big rods… dogfish, small conger and hopefully one of those nights something better…
An afternoon on the rocks where once there were cod…..
A trout competition at Bulldog Fishery to end the month….
BULLDOG FISHERIES – NOVEMBER COMPETITION
Bulldog Fisheries November Trout Fishing Competition was won by Ian Conabear with six rainbow trout for a total bag weight of 15lb. Aidan Revie was runner up with six for 14lb 15oz and Nick Tamlin fourth with six for 14lb. The biggest fish of the day was a fine tiger trout of 6lb 14oz to Aidan Revie.
Bulldogs monthly trout competitions are very much a social occasion with plenty of coffee, biscuits, bacon rolls to start the day and burgers and chips for midday lunch. The events are limited to twelve anglers and generally sell out quickly. Novembers competition was blessed with sunshine and light winds which may not have been ideal for the trout were certainly perfect for the competitors. Heavy rain showers had hit hard the previous day and weather warnings were in place for the following day.
The competition got underway shortly after 9.00am and the trout were obliging for the first hour with most anglers catching a brace or two with lures working well.
My own morning session resulted in four rainbow trout to 3lb 12oz all tempted on my favourite olive damsel. I enjoyed an hour chatting with fellow anglers and capturing a few images of this last day of Autumn.
The afternoon session proved hard going with just a few trout tempted a fact that proved frustrating for Tom and Nigel who had recently stocked some very large brown trout, spartics and tigers. These large fish will undoubtedly succumb to anglers over the coming weeks or maybe at the Christmas Competition on December 14th.
I Caught A Glimpse – Six Years on
posted in: Articles, At the Waters Edge, Casting around North Devon, Coarse Fishing, Game Fishing, Sea Angling, Sidebar |
0
Back in 2019 I was proud to have my book ‘I Caught A Glimpse’ Published by the Little Egret Press. Six years later I often skim through the book to refresh my mind on local fishing history. I believe there are a still limited number of copies left from the original limited print run. These are available at https://thelittleegretpress.co.uk/product/i-caught-a-glimpse-ltd-edition-hardback/
Anglers Paradise 2025 – Lure Weekend Results
posted in: Articles, At the Waters Edge, Coarse Fishing, Game Fishing, Lure Fishing, Sidebar, Uncategorised |
0
The 2025 Anglers Paradise Lure Fishing Weekend once again proved to be an enjoyable and productive event that proved that awide range of species can be tempted using artificial lures. Lure Fishing is perhaps the fastest growing aspect of UK angling. Congratulations to all the winners below and credit to Anglers Paradise for being creative in running the event across their many lakes.
The event was generously sponsored by Capital Angling, Rapala, Fortis Eyewear, Fox Rage, Okuma Europe, Devon Baits and Okuma Freshwater UK.
THE WINNER OF THE 2025 LURE WEEKEND
The Champion catching 7 different species was HARRISON WOODHAM! Not only was this Harrison’s first ever Lure Weekend with his Dad, but he’s the youngest to have ever won it at 16 years of age!!
Harrison caught – Pike, Rudd, Mirror Carp, Common Carp, Perch, Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout.
Absolutely amazing angling Harrison, massive congratulations from us all!! What an achievement beating 35 other anglers!!
Harrison has won a week’s holiday for two to Anglers Paradise, 3 rods (from Okuma and Fox Rage), a £200 voucher from Capital Angling, a pair of Fortis Finseeker sunglasses, a reel from Fox Rage, LOTS of Lures from Rapala, and LOTS of other goodies from our other amazing sponsors!!
WELL DONE HARRISON – OUR YOUNGEST EVER WINNER
THE 2025 LURE WEEKEND WINNING TEAM & CHAMPION OF THE CAPTAINS Was…Team FOX RAGE and the Champion of the Captains was BEN HUMBER!
The Team won with 9 species caught between them which consisted of – Pike, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Perch, Rudd, Mirror Carp, Common Carp, Catfish and Chub!
That is some amazing angling, massive congratulations and well done to you all, very well deserved.
Teamwork makes the dream work and you guys all fished your socks off and certainly worked as a Team!
Massive thank you to our sponsors for the amazing prizes!
BIGGEST CATFISH
The Winner was…NAT WORSFOLD! Nat caught a 78cm Wels Catfish from the Easy Cat Lake after losing one.
Congratulations Nat and WELL DONE! Great angling!
This was a close one with just 1cm between the 2 Catfish that were caught by participants, shortly after Nat caught hers, fellow team member Tom Wass also landed a Cat but his was 77cms!!
Certainly an action packed Lure Weekend that’s for sure!
BIGGEST PIKE
The Winner was…NIKKI WILLIAMS, who caught a 89cm Pike from Valhalla!
Congratulations and well done Nikki! There were plenty of Pike caught and you caught the biggest!! Great angling!
BIGGEST PERCH
The Winner was…MATTHEW COLEGATE who caught the biggest Perch measuring 35cms from the Specimen Tench & Orfe Lake!
This was the 1st Fish caught in the competition too, Matthew had all the anglers trying to beat it but they just couldn’t quite beat 35cms!!
Congratulations and well done Matthew!! Amazing angling and an awesome Perch to win this category!!
FISH OF THE WEEKEND
The Winner was…THOMAS WILSON who caught a CHUB from the Mystery Lake!
This is the first ever time that a Chub has been caught during the Lure Weekend and was without a doubt the Winner for the Fish of the Weekend Category!
Congratulations and well done Tom!! Amazing angling and you have now made Lure Weekend history in being the first angler to catch a Chub
Changing Times For Sea Angling
I fished a North Devon Rock mark with Combe Martin SAC secretary Nick Phillips it was due to be a club competition but we were the only two members fishing and in the circumstances decided to just enjoy an afternoons fishing.
http://www.highstreettackle.co.uk
It was after all a pleasing day with sunshine reflecting from the sea as a good surf rolled in. There were a good number of surfers enjoying the day and another couple of anglers were fishing the mark.
I reflect upon a few things that have changed over recent years. For there has been change in both the fishing and the anglers that fish. Are the two related perhaps or is it social behaviours that have radically changed?
The mark we were fishing will be recognised by many who read this post and some may well criticize me for blatantly revealing where we were fishing. I generally maintain a degree of discretion when posting images as many worry about large numbers of anglers descending upon good marks. But how big an issue is this these days? Yes keeping good marks under wraps is probably sensible but looking back to previous decades there was often intense competition to secure the top marks.
If you had fished this mark in November thirty years ago cod would have been the target species but at present cod are virtually non-existent along the open coast. In the 1980’s through until the mid 1990’s open coast marks like Capstone would be fished by anglers from all over the West Country. If you wanted to get a space you would have to get there early morning or at least a few hours before the tides peak.
Weekend sea angling club competitions would attract good numbers of anglers. Many of my generation will remember with fondness the weigh-ins on a Sunday night at the Bastille in Ilfracombe when twenty or thirty anglers would gather around the scales. In recent years local sea angling clubs struggle to attract more than half a dozen competitors.
Whilst the decline in cod may have impacted upon Winter fishing there are other species that have filled the niche with bass, ray, bull huss, spurdog and tope now caught pretty well all year.
It‘s not as simple as a decline in fish resulting in less anglers for I believe society has changed dramatically. The normal working week of Monday to Friday has been replaced with more seven day working. This has undoubtedly impacted upon competitions. The cost of living also impacts as does the cost of fuel and bait.
Access to the coast is also a worrying issue as more marks are closed off to anglers. Parking is both expensive and restrictive with night fishing at some marks now impractical.
Another factor that is impacting upon angling is the aging dynamic of anglers with the number of new young anglers in decline. The majority of anglers I know are over fifty whilst twenty years ago there were plenty of anglers in their twenties. Angling is recognised as good for mental health and brings participants close to nature.
What is the future of angling? It has been a big part of my life for close to sixty years and I would like to see it flourish into future decades. So what would reverse the decline in angling and bring a new generation into the sport?
Barnstaple & District Angling Club – AGM 2025
Barnstaple & District Angling Association’s AGM was held at the Ebberley Arms on November 18th and a large proportion of the clubs membership were in attendance. The meeting commenced with an informative presentation from Hannah Parvin of the West Country Rivers Trust. Hannah outlined the challenges facing the rivers of the South West and in particular the Teign – Taw Fishery Management plan. Hannah outlined the work being done working with the farming community to reduce harmful impact on rivers from slurry and sediment. Adjustments to practices can have a very positive impact on the health of rivers with cost benefits from reduced lost soil and longer term sustainability. The main focus on the River Teign catchment is on removing migration blockers such as weirs.
Hannah highlighted results of recent fish fry surveys with some good news amongst the data showing good numbers of salmon fry across some areas of the Taw catchment.
The Taw eDNA study is ongoing and it is hoped that results from this years sampling carried out by anglers trained during the summer will soon be released. In recent seasons anglers have reported significant numbers of shad caught whilst fishing for trout and salmon. The presence of a breeding population of shad could bring significant funding that will in turn benefit salmonid populations.
The Club is undoubtedly in good hands with a longstanding and hard working committee good it is good financial health and has a strong membership. The club owns two stretchs of fishing on the Taw with salmon and trout along with a delighful coarse fishing lake at South Aller.
The 2025 salmon fishing season was hampered by low water levels and high temperatures. The last month of the season brought an encouraging number of salmon caught by anglers fishing the Lower beats above the club water. Close to forty salmon were caught between Newbridge and Umberleigh with only a handful of fish caught from higher beats despite good water in the closing weeks. Most of the fish caught were believed to have been in the river for sometime and had become active with a rise in water levels and oxygen.
The club has resurrected several of its old trophies and three trphies were presented on the night. Dave Winter was awarded the bass on the fly trophy for a bass reported at 8lb in Trout & Salmon magazine. The fine bass was tempted over a mile above the tidal limit.Scott Bowden received the Salmon Trophy and Nick McMurtrie was awarded the committee Cup for his sterling and meticulous work as club archivist.
The evening was an enjoyable social occasion that brought its membership together with a very positive vibe despite the challenges that face our rivers. An auction of fishing books and memorabilia was held at the end of the meeting with proceeds going to the Air Ambulance.