North Devon Match Group enjoyed a day fishing for the silver fish for which this venue has gained a reputation for some stunning nets.
1st Martin Turner 17lb 15oz
2nd Martin Crouch 15lb 14oz
3rd Richard Jefferies 13lb 6oz
4th Paul Elworthy 9lb 15oz
5th Neilsen Jeffery 9lb 14oz.
Twelve fished Conditions in near perfect although light rain dampened the competitors at the weigh in. The larger roach which normally dominate the the frame proved more difficult to tempt Martin Turner managed to land a decent net of them on peg 2 for 1st place , using long pole with hemp ,casters and tares . Martin Crouch’s first visit to the venue was rewarded with a waggler caught net for 2nd place , which included a fine near double common carp, landed on the stream side peg 10. Richard Jefferies on the adjacent peg 9 also landed a carp and some skimmers on the tip for 3rd spot. Paul Elworthy alternated between tip and pole on peg 1 for 4th place.
Alan Blair has had an amazing perch haul from Upper Tamar lake, on the Cornwall and Devon border. He caught nine perch, five of which were over 3lb in weight with the largest being 3lb 9oz. The smallest was 2lb 2oz! Alan used Nashbait Spod Cloud groundbait to get the small silver fish in the swim before the Perch moved in and seized his prawn hook-baits. Upper Tamar is renowned for its stock of large perch and its only a matter of time before a 5lb+ fish is caught.
Thornbury Holiday Park near Holsworty have two fishing lakes 8 feet deep that have been established for approx 20 years. Both are fully stocked with a variety of healthy Carp, specimen Carp and other course fish.
The lakes are 1.25 and 1 acre in size and fishing is complimentary for guests staying in our lodges and cottages. A daily £8.00 fee applies to all other visitors.
Everyone can fish from dawn till dusk at our beautiful lakes.
We only have a few simple rules;
Barb-less hooks only
Keep nets only permitted when in a managed club competition
Only two rods per angler
A licence is required (not available on site)
Un-hooking mats should be used
All fish must be returned to the water unharmed
For more info on staying at Thornbury Park please either phone
01409 261750, or visit our website www.thornburyholidaypark.co.uk
Above) Paul Baker recently took his son to Anglers Eldorado to show him what a real Catfish looked like up close and they caught this 30lb Wels Catfish from the Bottom Cat and Carp Lake 2 caught on double halibut pellets.
Lovely to see Families on the bank sharing their passion of fishing with siblings – what it’s all about!
(Above)
*PB CATFISH FROM NIRVANA**
David Poolman fished Nirvana’s Day Ticket Specimen Cat Lake and managed to catch a personal best 56lb 8oz Catfish in the early hours.
David caught his PB on a soaked halibut pellet/squid pop up combination.
(Above)Angling Guide Julian Chidgey organised a Cat and Carp Camp weekend at Nirvana. The conditions were tough to say the least, they lost a few but Morgan Lloyd from Oxfordshire saved the weekend by catching his 1st ever Catfish at a whopping 60lbs 3oz and a 15lb Common both from the Specimen Cat Lake.
Julian shared –
‘Well what a weekend that was! Winds that threatened to launch bivvies into the lake, and rain that had me contemplating building an ark! The anglers who attended the Carp and Cat Camp stuck at it despite the weather, knowing that it would only take 1 bite to make the session a success. Morgan Lloyd had the first breakthrough after we spotted a 30-40lb carp top between the waves and a single hookbait cast close by soon gave a bite. Unfortunately the fish dropped off before we got to see it.
Richard and Tony also both had big fish top in front of them and the tension was clear as it felt a bite was on the cards. Morgan was the lucky one again as a single hookbait (Tor baits Squido pop up) produced a bite as darkness fell. A modest mid double common was the result but with the temperature falling and the wind having turned to a bitter North-Easterly it was good to see a fish on the bank. As first light came this morning the keen anglers stood over the rods counting down the final minutes of the session. An alarm sounded and Morgan was again the lucky angler, from the outset it was clear this was a special fish and I soon paddling out with my landing net to scoop up a very long catfish.
It was great to see the teamwork and camaraderie as we weighed and photographed the 60lb 3oz monster. As we packed away our wet gear and headed our separate ways it was great to think of the new friendships formed through a great weekend. I will definitely be organising another event for next Spring so please get in touch to reserve your place for a shot at the fish of a lifetime.’
Ben Moore 11 from Dorchester, fished Nirvana’s Day Ticket Specimen Catfish Lake with his Dad and caught a massive Wels Catfish of 60lbs beating his previous PB by 30lbs!!! The Fish was longer than him!! It took him 15 minutes to land it in wet and windy conditions, but that didn’t faze Ben!!
Ben caught the Monster Cat using 3 x 25 mm glugged Halibut pellets, long hair rig, popped up 12 inches using a size 2, debarbed eagle claw catfish hook on a 3lb test curve ‘Free Spirit Pike Tamer’ rod, 18lb monofilament line with 24 inches of 40lb ‘shock leader’ monofilament end tackle.
Zyg at Anglers Paradise sent North Devon Angling News this latest story……
Here is a photo of the winning Carp from+ the monthly 5’C’S (The Crazy, Crafty, Cunning Carp Catchers) match I am very proud to say that I caught it wearing the same T Shirt I took to Cape Verde and managed to catch a thousand pound plus Blue Marlin which straightened the hook and came off. As the fish was going to be released and the leader was touched according to IGFA rules it counts.
The interesting thing is that the match before we went to Cape Verde I wore the same T Shirt and won the match with a different 20lb Carp. It looks like it works for catching fish. Enclosed is a picture of the straightened hook.
Simon Phillips 36, from Exeter fished Anglers Eldorado for the 1st time and caught his Personal Best Catfish at 35lbs 7oz within just 10 minutes of fishing!!
Some stunning fish from the Anglers Paradise Complex if you want a big cat now is the time to target the species before the autumn arrives.
(Below) Richard Craig who caught a 35lb 12oz Mirror from Nirvana’s Kracking Carp Lake which completely knocked his previous PB of 17lbs off the scale!!
(Below) Tyler Nightingill with a personal best 58lb Wels Catfish from the Main Carp Lake
(Below)Michael Pallett who caught his 1st ever Catfish at a whopping 67lbs from the Main Carp Lake which is pretty awesome for your first ever Catfish!!
(Below)Andy Nettleton joined us for his 1st ever Anglers Paradise Holiday and couldn’t wait to fish the Famous Koi Lake! It wasn’t long before he started catching plenty including this beauty and Andy’s new personal best at 10lbs 6oz!!
(Below)Ben Hazell with a new UK PB at 27.2llb Linear mirror carp. Caught on a 20mm Baitworks Royal Marine hard hook bait which was backleaded and cast close to the lilies. .