Christmas Gift Ideas
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Christmas looms ever closer and if you have not purchased all those Christmas gifts yet why not visit your local tackle shop.
We are very fortunate to have several superb fishing tackle shops in North Devon all offering a vast array of quality tackle and bait. The local tackle shop is of course more than just a shop its also a social hub where anglers meet and talk fishing an essential ingredient for the future of angling. I always try and do a short piece each year to highlight North Devons tackle outlets.
Quay sports has a friendly team of local anglers behind the counter willing to offer useful advice on all disciplines of angling.
(Above) The superb FoxArt limited edition prints are now available in store, only four of each print available
Will make lovely Christmas gift. all prints signed and numbered. More designs coming soon.
Summerlands Tackle in Westward Ho! is a long established family run tackle shop that carrys a vast range of tackle. A warm greeting is always given and it is rare to walk into the shop without meeting a fellow of the angle.
Anglers Heaven is conveniently situated adjacent to Bideford’s Pannier Market. Owner Tom Wade is extending the shop with a grand opening of the extension in the New Year. The shop carry’s a large stock of sea and Coarse tackle and works closely with Bideford Angling Club to promote local fishing.They also carry a wide selection of air rifles.
High Street Tackle in Ilfracombe offers one of the largest selections of lures in North Devon and is the domain of Danny Watson and Pauline Chard. Danny is a fountain of knowledge when it comes to the latest lures for bass fishing and has many contacts throughout the lure fishing community. The shop also stocks a range of essential tackles and baits for coarse and sea angling.
Danny is a keen supporter of Combe Martin SAC and plans to co host an open Lure Fishing competition in the summer of 2023. Danny is also a supplier of tackle for Reel Deal
Braunton based Chillcheater supply high quality clothing for outdoor enthuiasts with warm under layers and tough, wind and water repellent outers.
South Molton Angling Club – Blakewell
South Molton Angling Club members fished Blakewell on a cold and frosty morning to fish for their Mac Trophy. All members managed to tempt rainbow trout from the chill waters but none were big enough to beat Steve Bendles rainbow trout of 5lb caught earlier in the season.
Wistlandpound Fly Fishing Club – Christmas Competition
Wistlandpound Fly Fishing Club members fished their Christmas Competition at Bulldog Fishery where Colin Combe tempted a fine brown trout of 9lb.
Andre Muxworthy took the best bag of three trout totalling 9lb 6oz.
Dave Mock was second with three for 8lb 10oz and Dave Richards third with 8lb 4oz.
Dave Eldred was forth with three for 7lb 13oz.
The icy cold conditions do not deter rainbow trout that thrive in the cold well oxygenated water of winter. A variety of flies worked for members.
River Mole Polluter Pays £18,000 in Damages
River Mole Polluter Pays £18,000 in Damages
A company that polluted nearly 5km of the River Mole, the principal tributary of the River Taw, in Devon has paid £18,000 in damages to local angling clubs and fishery owners following a legal claim. In July 2019 liquid anaerobic digestate deposited by agricultural contractors AJ Sing and Sons Ltd on fields north of South Molton entered the river, causing what was described by one Environment Agency officer as the worst fish kill they had seen in 30 years. An estimated 15,600 fish died as result of the pollution, including juvenile salmon, adult brown trout, sea trout and juvenile brown trout.
Represented by Fish Legal, the anglers’ damages claim followed a criminal prosecution brought by the Environment Agency (EA) where the company and an employee were fined a total of just £2,667 at Exeter Magistrates Court on 28 July 2021.
The anglers are donating all of the damages to help fund projects run by the Westcountry Rivers Trust (WRT) in co-ordination with River Taw Fisheries & Conservation Association (RTFS) that improve and restore the habitat and spawning potential of the River Mole, giving fish populations the best chance of recovery.
Justin Neal, Fish Legal Solicitor, said: “The digestate was being spread at a time when there was rain and the leaking pipe was left for days, meaning that this highly damaging waste washed into what was a pristine river habitat, causing a total wipe-out of fish for a considerable distance.”
He added: “Whilst we are pleased that the EA prosecuted those responsible for pollution offences, we are finding in other cases across England and Wales that the spreading of digestate and fertiliser is not properly controlled with full oversight by regulators. Nevertheless, we hope that the money which was paid to our angler members can now be put to good use to assist the recovery of the catchment.”
Alex Gibson, who was Chair of RTFCA at the time of the pollution incident and is also a claimant said: “It is not just anglers fishing below the polluted stretch, but all those who enjoy the river and its ecology that have felt the devastating effect of this pollution incident and unfortunately will continue to do so into the future. Our collective claim enables us to provide £18,000 to the WRT for river improvement work on the Mole.
He added: “We hope the fact that anglers on the river have come together to take legal action directly against these polluters will send a message to others in the catchment that they need to take care when dealing with highly toxic substances or pay the consequences.”
Statement from Alex Gibson
“We all remember too well the Mole pollution incident at the end of July 2019. Anaerobic digestate being spread as a fertiliser on fields north of South Molton by Alun Sing, a farmer and contractor, was allowed into the River Mole in large quantities.
The EA estimated that about 15k fish were killed over a 5km stretch. That made it an EA Category 1 incident. Adult sea trout, adult brown trout, juvenile salmon and juvenile brown trout, some of which would have become sea trout, were killed. Also killed were stone loach, bullhead and minnows. In short it was an ecological disaster.
The EA’s prosecution was successful and we then mounted a private action using the services of Fish Legal. This took the form of 5 RTFCA members of Fish Legal acting as claimants. I am pleased to say that our claim has now been successfully settled. The £18k received is being paid by the 5 claimants to WRT for river improvement work on the Mole.
Here are a few conclusions of my own.
- Farmers should not be allowed to get away with polluting our rivers. Category 1 and where possible Category 2 incidents must be prosecuted by the EA.
- Offers of Enforcement Undertakings should be declined as RTFCA did in this case. By offering money direct to affected parties the polluter seeks to avoid prosecution. If farmers are not prosecuted there is no deterrent effect to bad practice.
- Private actions can be successfully brought, but only by concerted action using a specialist service, namely Fish Legal. It was disappointing that only 5 Fish Legal members could be found among RTFCA riparian owners. More members will be encouraged to join Fish Legal and I would make the point more generally for all owners of fisheries elsewhere.
- As RTFCA has always been aware, anaerobic digesters, of which we have 3 on our river system, and the spreading of digestate from them are a continuing threat to our river and need to be properly regulated and overseen by the EA.
This incident happened during my chairmanship and has reached its conclusion during Andy Gray’s. I hope Andy never has to face anything similar. The RTFCA Committee asked me to continue taking responsibility until the file could be closed. Thankfully we have now reached that stage.
Thanks are due to the other claimants and to the RTFCA Committee, both of which groups, I would suggest, have made the right decisions during this long, drawn-out process.
The success of our private claim though is really down to the excellent work done by Fish Legal and in particular by Justin Neal. For many reasons this was never going to be a straightforward case. I have enjoyed working with Justin, but we will both be happy to close the file.”
Alex Gibson
http://www.rivertawfisheries.co.uk/html/current_news.html
Fish Legal is a not-for-profit organisation of dedicated lawyers who use the law on behalf of anglers to fight polluters and others who damage and threaten the water environment. Fish Legal secures compensation for its members to help restore polluted waters and challenges Government and regulators when they fail to protect fisheries.
- Fish Legal represented five fisheries on the Mole and the River Taw including the Barle Fishing Club, the Wampford Syndicate and three riparian owners.
- The River Mole sub-catchment is a highly important spawning and nursery area for salmon in the Taw catchment. The impact on juvenile salmon from this incident will potentially result in some reduction to the number of adult salmon returning to the River Mole in 2021, 2022 and 2023 migration periods.
- The dead fish included 1,127 adult brown trout, 14 adult sea trout, 1,222 brown trout fry, 328 brown trout parr, 1,155 salmon fry and 315 salmon parr
- For details of the River Mole prosecution and sentencing outcome: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/north-devon-company-fined-for-pollution-that-devastated-fish-population
- Fish Legal took legal action on behalf of a member club on the River Leadon in a similar incident in 2016 when an employee instructed to fertilise one of the orchards at a farm near Dymock in Gloucestershire failed to check the valves before turning on the irrigation system designed to take the digestate fertiliser from a lagoon to the orchard. https://fishlegal.net/case-studies/river-leadon/
The River Torridge Fishery Association – Newsreel
The River Torridge Fishery Association
President: Lord Clinton
Chairman: Paul Ashworth Secretary: Charles Inniss
NEWSREEL: WINTER 2022
The Salmon Hatchery
Sadly I have to report that the annual programme to rear 30,000 swim-up fry at our hatchery will once again not be going ahead. The EA would only allow us to access and use the fish pass at Monkokehampton Weir on the River Okement to trap our broodstock if unbelievably strict health and safety rules were followed. Our chairman Paul and vice-chairman Steve have worked incredibly hard in an effort to reach an agreed way forward: sadly to no avail. The main stumbling block has been the inability of the EA to respond promptly to any suggestions that Paul and Steve made. This confirms our suspicions that the EA would be delighted if the hatchery closed down permanently. But we are not giving up and are determined that the hatchery will be operational next year so that we can continue to support the development of a hatchery hub for all the south west rivers at Colliford reservoir.
Our Fishery Enforcement Officer
For personal reasons Callum Underhill, who has been the Fishery Enforcement officer for the North Devon rivers for the last two years, will be leaving to work nearer his family home in Wessex. Callum has been a great support for our river especially with regard to the hatchery and we wish him well for the future.
The Annual Dinner
Over 40 members and guests enjoyed a convivial evening at The Half Moon with good company and an excellent meal on Saturday 24th September. Thank you all for supporting the raffle so generously which made a profit of £1,520. We were delighted that Mark Wormald was able to join us for the evening. He donated a copy of his book, “The Catch: Fishing for Ted Hughes” to the raffle. Much of the book is based on the Torridge where Ted Hughes so enjoyed his fishing. If you would like a copy contact Adam at The Half Moon who has copies: it would make an excellent Xmas gift.
The prize winners of the raffle: the case of wine Anthony Wilmington, the £50 Half Moon voucher Simon Hillcox, the £50 Snowbee voucher Martin Weeks and the book donated by Mark Wormald was won by a friend of Graham Henderson.
The Fishing Season
Due to a complete lack of water the salmon fishing was virtually non-existent and no more than 15 fish were caught by the rods for the whole season. Sea trout fishing was also extremely difficult. On the plus side anglers, prior to the heatwave in July, enjoyed some excellent brown trout fishing with several fish over 2lb caught. It has been suggested that the brown trout are getting larger as they are gorging themselves on baby signal crayfish. One thing for sure the whole catchment is now infested with signal crayfish. 2011 was the last really dry year and this was followed by a very wet year in 2012 with good river flows and good numbers of salmon and sea trout: so here’s hoping for better fishing conditions in 2023: we certainly deserve it.
My very best wishes to you all for the festive season. Charles.
Christmas Opening Times at Quay Sports
Depressing Statistics
We all know that statistics can be misleading but the facts above are pretty depressing taken at face value. The catch return data relates to the 2021 season so this year’s drought hit season will undoubtedly be even worse.
A 50% reduction in salmon caught is in itself a startling figure that is of course to some extent related to the reduction in angling effort as a result of the COVID epidemic. The vast majority of salmon and sea trout caught are now released in an effort to safeguard stocks that have tumbled in recent decades.
When I started fishing for salmon in the early 1980’s stocks were recovering from the blight of UDN a disease that decimated stocks across the UK. The number of salmon caught then was still far higher than today. On the River Lyn some individual local anglers caught in excess of one hundred salmon in a season. They reflected on times when salmon packed the pools like sardines. I suspect this season’s total catch will total less than 25 for the Lyn and little more for the Rivers Taw and Torridge combined.
The reasons for this catastrophic collapse are complex and many. Climate change is undoubtedly a big player along with historic overfishing by commercial fleets. There is also a complex imbalance of the natural eco-system with predators such as seals, cormorants, mergansers and otters taking large numbers of salmon throughout their incredible migration.
A relatively recent impact upon the salmon stocks of the West of Scotland has been salmon farming a toxic industry.
Pete Tyjas a well-known Local Fly Fishing enthusiast and editor of Fly Culture Magazine has launched a campaign to raise awareness surrounding the toxic nature of salmon farming and its devastating impact on wild fish stocks. Pete writes “Please DON’T EAT FARMED SALMON – Here’s Why – Huge and unnatural swarms of parasites (sea lice) that attack penned fish and kill young migrating wild salmon and sea trout. Serious pollution of the sea bed and coastal waters from chemicals, antibiotics and tons of fish faeces that smothers and kills sea life. Worldwide devastation of fish stocks, super trawlers to provide feed for fish farms that is destroying the life of coastal communities.”
Salmon have been migrating into the Rivers of the UK for many thousands perhaps millions of years. The last ice age ended around 25,000 years ago and at some point after this salmon the king of fish established a thriving population forging upriver in abundance. A couple of hundred years ago these fish were harvested and eaten in large numbers but it was not until Victorian times that the salmon was recognised as the king of fish sought after for sport by the wealthy upper classes.
During the early twentieth century salmon populations were able to support both a commercial fishery and a healthy sporting industry that supported many hotels, tackle shops and country estates. It still does in parts of the Scottish East coast where mighty Rivers like the Spey and Tay still have large runs of fish.
It is tragic that we have allowed wild salmon to decline to such an extent that they could be extinct across the South West within a generation. An iconic fish that has forged into rivers for thousands of years threatened with extinction largely due to mankinds failure to support and nurture natures complex system. If we had taken care of salmon and the oceans then surely we could have continued a sustainable harvest. Short sighted greed and failure to appreciate natures worth is a lesson that is only slowly starting to sink in.
Table 15: South West salmon rod catches
| River | Salmon caught | Salmon released | Percentage released |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avon Devon | 12 | 11 | 92% |
| Avon Hants | 88 | 88 | 100% |
| Axe | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Camel | 42 | 42 | 100% |
| Dart | 5 | 5 | 100% |
| Erme | 4 | 4 | 100% |
| Exe | 108 | 98 | 91% |
| Fowey | 94 | 92 | 98% |
| Frome | 42 | 42 | 100% |
| Lyn | 44 | 43 | 98% |
| Lynher | 63 | 61 | 97% |
| Plym | 3 | 2 | 67% |
| Tamar | 178 | 162 | 91% |
| Tavy | 30 | 27 | 90% |
| Taw | 59 | 57 | 97% |
| Teign | 33 | 30 | 91% |
| Torridge | 18 | 17 | 94% |
| Yealm | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Total | 823 | 781 | 95% |
Please Don’t eat farmed salmon this Christmas
In the lead up to Christmas, over 2 million farmed salmon are likely to die prematurely each month on farms along the Scottish west coast and islands. Farmed salmon has no place on our festive menus, and certainly not on sustainable ones.
Salmon Farming: why it’s not a cause for festive cheer
Since the 1970s, global populations of wild Atlantic salmon have declined by around 70%, from 8-10 million to just 3 million today. Open-net salmon farming has been shown to be one of the causes of this decline.
As salmon farming in Scotland continues to grow exponentially it spreads potentially fatal parasitic sea lice from farmed to wild fish. The threat to wild fish is further escalated by a rise in farmed fish escapes and as a result increased likelihood of extinction from genetic dilution.
In 2021, the Scottish salmon industry produced over 200,000 annual tonnes of Atlantic salmon. By 2030 it aims to produce 400,000 tonnes per year.
While the industry looks forward to increasing revenues, the true cost of producing this volume of farmed Atlantic salmon isn’t a cause for festive cheer.
Salmon farming wreaks environmental havoc
Salmon farming is not an environmentally-friendly menu option. It wreaks havoc on the surrounding environment, has severe costs in terms of resources and carbon use and it leads to the immense suffering of millions of fish – both wild and farmed.
The unsustainable practice of open-net salmon farming is a significant cause of the dramatic decline in populations of wild Atlantic salmon and the integrity of Scotland’s coastal ecosystems.
Appledore Lifeboat – Safety Awareness for anglers
As we enter the winter season many keen sea anglers will be targetting the specimen fish that lurk within the waters off the North Devon Coast. Recent events highlighted the dangers that can be faced when fishing from this wild and rugged coast. The angler involved expressed his sincere thanks to the RNLI who undoubtedly saved him from a watery grave. Following on from this I was pleased to work with the local RNLI to promote the wearing of lifejackets and buoyancy aids.
On Saturday, November 26th, Pauline and I visited Appledore Lifeboat Station where my own lifejacket and our sons lifejacket were given a safety inspection. Both jackets failed to pass the criteria as both had inflation mechanisms that were past their use by date. New parts were promptly ordered from Summerlands Tackle at Westward Ho! Of the sixteen lifejackets presented for inspection 50% failed due to mostly minor defects. It has to be remembered that this vital equipment could save your life and failure at a critical moment could be as catastrophic as the brakes failing while descending a steep hill!
Many thanks to Owen Atkinson, David Inwood and Simon McCarthy for their expertise, advice and a fascinating insight into the valuable work undertaken by the RNLI.
RNLI Education Volunteer Matt Cox offered useful advise for anglers and other water users and discussed the merits of modern lightweight bouyancy aids.
The RNLI carry out many rescues throughout the year and undoubtedly encounter many who are Ill-informed about the risks that are ever-present at the waters edge. I know that many believe that they will get away with it and that nothing will happen to them. On average I believe around ten anglers drown each year making angling a statistically dangerous sport.
The key messages to anglers are :-
Always wear a life jacket when fishing from shore or boat
Modern Automatic lifejackets are lightweight and comfortable. Those who wear them often forget they’re wearing them. Remember to regularly check and service your lifejacket inline with the manufacturers recommendations.
Always carry a means of calling for help on your person.
Whicever device you choose to call for help, you must be able to reach it Easily in an emergency. Consider taking a mobile phone with the Safe Trx app.
Always check the weather forecast and tide times
Anglers should check the tide times and predicted swell forecast. This is particularly important for shore anglers to reduce the risk of being swept away or cut off by the tide.
Tell someone else where you’re going and when you’ll be back
They can raise the alarm with the coastguard by calling 999 or 112 if yiu are overdue.
It is reassuring to know that the coastguard are there to work with the RNLI to rescue those who are in difficulty and do so without judging those they rescue. Chatting with those at the lifeboat station it is very apparent how passionate and dedicated they are to ensuring the safety of those who interact with the sea for recreational reasons or to earn their livelihoods.
