LATEST SEA ANGLING RESULTS
March is often a slow month for sea angling as the fluctuating seasons impact upon fish migrations. Bull huss and dogfish are dominant species on the open coast. Bass should start to show in the estuary with ray from local beaches. As the climate changes it is worthwhile experimenting as fish adapt to an evolving marine environment.
Stephen Found won Bideford Angling Clubs 48 hour Rover with a thornback ray of 7lb 12oz . Robert Hancock was second and third with a dogfish of 2lb 5oz and a bull huss of 7lb 1.5oz.
Appledore Shipbuilders held the last leg of their Winter league which saw Andrew Atkinson secure victory with a bull huss scaling 8lb 9.5oz. Jake Moule was second and third with thornback ray of 7lb 5oz and 6lb 14oz.
Combe Martin SAC – SPRING MULLET
Combe Martin SAC held their Spring Rover during the first full weekend of March with the clubs keen mullet fishers gathering at Lynmouth Harbour to fish morning tides on the Saturday and Sunday. Conditions seemed perfect with a light Southerly breeze and mist draped over the coastal cliffs. Every tide is certainly different as regards the fishing as proved the case. A big swell was pushing into the shoreline each day with a few surfers riding the clean breaks.
Saturday saw small mullet in abundance with just one good sized mullet caught by John Avery and numerous very small mullet several of just a few ounces. These small mullet rattled my rod tips throughout whittling the bread off the hooks in minutes.
Sundays tide saw an abundance of specimen sized mullet milling around in the clear water. The majority seemed totally uninterested in feeding but two good fish succumbed including a superb specimen of 5lb 2.5oz to the rod of dedicated mullet angler John Shapland. John has caught a mullet every month since March 2021 a total of 61 months which is certainly an achievement and testimony to both his efforts and the changing climate.
Club Secretary Nick Phillips was also delighted to tempt a good fish of 3lb 10oz.
John Avery added a second mullet of 2lb 7oz to his weekend total. Interestingly all three successful club members only had the one bite.
Members retired to the Pavilion Cafe for a full English with tea and coffee and vowed to do it all again before too long.
Results :-
1st John Shapland – Thick Lipped Grey Mullet – 5lb 2.5oz
2nd – Nick Phillips – Thick Lipped Grey Mullet – 3lb 10oz
3rd – John Avery – Thick Lipped Grey Mullet – 2lb 10oz.
Bideford & District Angling Club Presentation Night 2025.
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Bideford and District Angling Clubs annual presentation night was very well attended with around forty members in attendance at Bideford Conservative Club. Many thanks to Mervyn Beal for sending this report to North Devon Angling News .
The Club would like to thank Chris Connaughton-Mono for presenting the trophies. Big thank you to our guest speaker Alex Van Wienen from the Angling Trust. Also a big thank you to the Conservative Club and staff for the excellent buffet and to everyone who attended making the night a success.
BDAC Coarse section 2025 Cups and Trophies.
Mid Week Series Winner. Dave Anstey Shield Craig Lamey 103pts.
Mid Week Series Runner Up. Nathan Underwood 98pts.
Junior Series Winner. Leo Davies 68pts.
Junior Series Runner Up. Bailey Brambley. 55pts.
Rod & Reel Monthly Winner. Richard Jefferies 133pts.
Rod & Reel Monthly Runner Up. Martin Turner 124pts.
Evening Pairs Winners. Craig Lamey & Richard Jefferies 97Ib 5oz.
Best Weight In Match. Nathan Underwood 96Ib 3oz.
Matchman Of the the Year. Nathan Underwood 122pts.
Matchman Of The Year Runner Up Kevin Shears 105pts.
BDAC Sea Section 2025 Cups and Trophies.
Valentine Bowl – most points in the monthly Rover.
Andrew Clements
Stephen Found
Tony Gussin
All joint 1st on 28 points.
Keira short trophy – most points in 48 hour Rover. Paul Ackland 13 points
Stephanie Vanstone – best specimen caught from the shore. Stephen Found Common Smoothhound 18lb 14 – 188.75%
Jason talbot memorial plate – Best specimen ray caught from the shore. Stephen Found Smalleyed Ray 11lb 7 – 127.083%
Snake plate – best specimen Conger caught from the shore. Richard Jefferies Conger 14lb 13 – 74.06%
Best round fish from the shore Stephen Found Thinlipped Mullet 5lb 15 – 148.44%
Best specimen flat fish caught from the shore ( no ray) Paul Ackland sole 1lb 10 ½ – 94.64%
Best specimen shark from the shore. Stephen Found Common Smoothhound 18lb 14 – 188.75%
Winner of end of season competition Dale Kiff SpurFound 10lb 3 101.873%
Big Mike memorial vase Paul Ackland Dog 2lb 2 – 70.833%
Species challenge cup Stephen Found 5 Ray totalling 464.582%
New club records
Stephen Found Thinlipped Mullet 5lb 15
Stephen Found Common Smoothhound 18lb 14
Richard Jefferies Blue Skate 13lb 4oz.
Boat Section Winners.
Best Specimen Trophy. Patrick O’ Donnell. Bull Huss 15Ib 8oz.
Most Species Caught Boat Trip. Keith Mountjoy.
BDAC Game Section 2025 Cups and Trophies
1st: BDAC Highest Points Monthly Comps. Andy Clements 44pts.
2nd: BDAC Runner Up Terry Dymond.
Best Brown Trout Caught From Colliford Reservoir. Chris Clements.
Best Rainbow Trout Caught In Monthly Comps. A. Clements.
BDAC Combined Weight From Reservoir Fished. Andy Clements.
Chairmans Clubman Of the Year. Mervyn Beal.
The Club would like to thank Chris Connaughton-Mono for presenting the trophies. Big thank you to our guest speaker Alex Van Wienen from the Angling Trust. Also a big thank you to the Conservative Club and staff for the excellent buffet and to everyone who attended making the night a success.
Club Record Conger – In Testing Conditions
Combe Martin SAC member Kevin Legge has smashed the clubs conger record with a fine conger scaling 37lb 14oz. The big shore caught eel is a new personal best for Kevin who has landed several eels over thirty pounds fishing North Devon’s remote and craggy shoreline over a fishing journey that has already stretched over four decades. Kevin’s enthusiasm and dedication is recognised by fellow club members.
The fish was tempted using Channel Squid and landing the eel was very much a team effort with his good friend Damien Close of Weston Outcasts assisting in landing the eel as a big sea surged against the rocks. A cool head and confidence in strong tackle undoubtedly ensured a successful conclusion in testing conditions.
ANGLING REPORT – February 20th 2026
COMMUNITY SPIRIT IS VITAL FOR ANGLING
Angling clubs traditionally hold their AGM’s at the start or end of the season and these events are an important social gathering for the membership. The meeting is a reset point for the club enabling members to guide the committee as to the direction the club should follow and an opportunity for the committee to engage with members.
I attended two AGM’s in the past week the first was that of South Molton & District Angling Club on February 10th and the second was Dulverton Anglers Association on February 12th.
South Molton & District Angling Club’s 57th AGM was held at South Molton’s Masonic Lodge. Close to thirty members attended and it was very much business as usual as club Chairman Ed Rands addressed the members and introduced the committee officers as they delivered their reports.
Before the formal meeting commenced Daniel Skeat’s and Karen Saunders of the West Country Rivers Trust gave an informative presentation outlying the valuable work undertaken across the region via the Teign and Taw Fisheries plan. The funding for much of this work is from the governments Water Restoration Fund.
Karen and Daniel gave an outline on work with the farming community to effectively manage maize crops to reduce soil run off that is causing serious issues for salmonids spawning sites.
Electro fishing results across the Taw catchment gave some room for optimism with fry counts encouraging across some sites.
The Taw shad eDNA survey results were inconclusive with only a tiny percentage of samples giving a positive indication of the presence of shad. It is known from anglers catches and observations that both twaite and allis shad are migrating into the River Taw and as this is an annual event spawning is probably taking place though there is not yet conclusive evidence.
The West Country Rivers Trust are working closely with the North Devon Biosphere , National Trust and other organisations to improve river and wetland habitat.
The club continues to thrive in an everchanging world with members enjoying excellent wild brown trout fishing on the River Bray. The long dry summer impacted upon fishing during the latter part of the season though a few migratory fish were contacted during the final days as rivers responded to rain.
The Dulverton Anglers Association AGM was held at the Anchor Inn, Exebridge, on Thursday, February 12th. The venue meeting room was packed with close to fifty members keen to support the club and hear a talk from Pete Tyjas the new editor of Trout and Salmon Magazine.
The hard working committee briefed the members on a successful year with the club in excellent financial health. The club now has close to 300 members who enjoy access to fishing on nine beats of the Upper Exe, Barle and Haddeo.
Habitat improvement was high on the agenda and it was clear that there is a dedicated team who carry out regular work across the associations waters.
Devon based Pete Tyjas was given a warm welcome and delivered an inspiring, entertaining and informative talk on West Country Fly Fishing, his life and Trout and Salmon Magazine.
The future of Fly Fishing and the direction of Trout and Salmon was high on the agenda with social media and AI constantly influencing society and readers habits. Pete oozes passion and optimism for the future believing that there could be a shift back towards traditional print media as what is seen online becomes increasingly false.
Angling can by its nature be a fundamentally solitary pursuit and yet its community is vital for it to thrive. Fly fishing like all disciplines of angling continues to evolve as long established traditions are challenged. Club meetings, talks, shows and tackle shops are at the heart of angling and fresh ideas are essential for the pastimes future.
The West Country Fly Fair is being held at Roadford Lake this Sunday and is always an enjoyble curtain raiser to the Spring and Summer Fly fishing season.
Dale Kiff won Bideford Angling Clubs 48hour Rover with a Bass of 5lb 10oz.
NEW TACKLE SHOP COMING TO BUDE !
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BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to make this happen, and we’re finally ready to share the news…
Bude Bait & Tackle is coming! 
With the recent closure of the tackle shop in Bude, we didn’t want to see local anglers left without easy access to bait and tackle. After a lot of effort and planning, we’re excited to announce that we’ll be opening Bude Bait & Tackle in the coming months.
For our juniors and local anglers in Barnstaple, Chris will be staying in Barnstaple, and we’ll be making another exciting announcement later this week introducing the manager of our new Bude store.
We’re aiming to open in April, so please follow our page for updates and progress as we get closer to opening day.
Your support means everything to us — likes, shares, and comments are hugely appreciated, so please help spread the word!
A Danglers Diary – January 2026
Those first casts a New Year are always full of promise and questions. Should I really be descending to the rocky shoreline via a rope at my age?
The rod tips nod to the swell as the storm clouds gather, its certainly been a wet start to 2026
Chasing mullet in January is I guess a sign of the times as our climate warms?
Its good to be out even if its not always successful fish wise.
Chasing silver ladies in the streams reveals the damage done by winter storms and gives welcome glimpses of the coming Spring season.
There are often fishy things to engage the brain in pubs and Inns, glimpse of the past and the hidden stories behind.
Teignmouth Pier is a casualty of a winter storm
Always eyeing up places to make future casts!
Pauline at the waters edge as we wonder if any salmon spawned here during December? Pristine looking gravels..
Frogspawn is abundant as January gives way to January and still it rains….
ANGLING REPORT – February 9th 2026
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ANGLING REPORT
RICHARD DENNIS SECURES DOUBLE MATCH VICTORIES
Richard Dennis won Bideford and District Angling Clubs latest match on their home water Tarka Swims with a bag of 31lb 4oz. Martin Turner was runner up with 25lb 8oz and Paul Elworthy third with 20lb 12oz. Pole tactics proved most successful with members catching carp, silvers and tench.
Richard’s success came close on the heals of victory at Stafford Moors Open match on the Saturday when he clinched top spot with an impressive 153lb 5oz.
Hard to believe but its just over two weeks before the start of a new salmon fishing season on North Devon’s rivers and there should be plenty of water in the river systems ensuring that the winters kelt’s have descended to the sea. Whilst the salmon fishing scene is plagued by the all too real stories of their decline anglers are eternally optimistic and there will those who take a rod to the water and try for that elusive springer one of angling’s greatest prizes. The fresh air and warming sun will certainly lift the spirits on those daffodil lined river banks.
On Sunday, February 22nd South West Lakes Trust host their popular Fly Fair at Roadford Lake. The event is always well attended as a curtain raiser for the coming trout and salmon season. There will be casting demonstrations and talks from top anglers and organisations including Charles Jardine, World Champion Fly caster Hywel Morgan and Shaun Leonard, Director of the Wild Trout Trust. South West Lakes Trust’s Head of Fisheries, Leon Fisher, said: “This year’s Fly Fair is set to be an amazing event with lots of activities on offer for the whole family. We have some fantastic guests lined up with world class knowledge of the sport. Attendees are in for a real show, whether you are an experienced fly angler or you are just starting out”.
I won Combe Martin SAC’s winter rover with a thick lipped grey mullet scaling 3lb 5oz. Kevin Legge was runner up with a conger of 16lb. Members caught conger, dogfish, rockling and bull huss.
Anglers are on the front line in witnessing the changes brought by climate change. It seems that frogs are spawning far earlier with spawn seen across the Westcountry from mid-January. Spring Flowers are also abundant with many daffodils and primroses already in bloom. The relentless rain is swelling rivers and will undoubtedly impact upon salmon and trout spawning areas.
Carp anglers are perhaps reaping the benefits of a warmer climate as carp continue to feed all year and pack on the pounds reaching weights that would have seemed incredible just a few decades ago.
It is perhaps at sea that the greatest impacts are being seen as fish populations fluctuate. During the winter months cod once considered the main quarry of sea anglers have all but disappeared with hardly any reported from the Bristol Channel this winter. Bass are now being caught on a regular basis from our estuaries throughout the year. Grey mullet once deemed a fish of the warmer months are now caught by enthusiasts fishing in the depths of winter.
The influx of tuna, bonito and gilthead during Summer and Autumn months are also cited as being the result of climate change. In truth nature is complex and only time and scientific data will bring greater clarity. As anglers we can explore exciting possibilities and adapt our tactics to exploit these new opportunities.
ANGLING REPORT – February 1st -2026
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ANGLING REPORT
BIG BROWN TROUT AT BULLDOG
Big brown trout were the highlight of Bulldog Fisheries February Trout Open Competition with three double figure brown trout gracing the scales at the days end. The top angler was Andy Facey who tempted a fine brace of brown trout weighing 10lb 12oz and 9lb 2oz which when added the other three fish he caught gave him a winning weight of 29lb 4oz. Runner up was Dave Chapman with five trout for 23lb 10oz a bag that included a fine brown trout of 11lb 1oz. Third was Chris Dunn with six trout for 22lb 13oz and fourth myself with five trout for 22lb 2oz. I was fortunate to tempt the biggest fish of the day; a stunning brown trout scaling 13lb 7oz. All competitors caught fish including good numbers of rainbow trout and spartics of 5lb 7oz and 6lb 2oz.
Combe Martin SAC held their AGM and presentation night at the Mariners Arms, Braunton. Members reflected upon a successful 2025 during which some superb specimen fish were recorded. Shane Pavio Hookway won the clubs specimen league with five specimen fish that included a shore caught tope of 43lb 6oz and a pouting of 2lb 2oz. Best specimen fish from the shore was a gilthead bream of 5lb 10oz to the rod of Ollie Passmore. David Brooke won the clubs top Medway Cup for best caught specimen boat with a gilthead bream of 6lb 4oz. Daniel Welch was awarded the clubs Merit Award for his outstanding contribution to the club invigorating the boat sector of the club via his boat fishing enterprise Predator 2.
SPURDOG PACKS ON THE HUNT
John Barbeary’s Charter boat Blue Fin is now back in the water at Ilfracombe taking anglers to deep water marks where huge packs of spurdog are on the hunt. A party of anglers fishing last weekend caught an estimated 150 spurdog to almost 20lb. They also boated conger, bull huss, dogfish and rockling.
Nathan Clements won Bideford Angling Clubs monthly sea rover with a dogfish of 2lb 3.25oz.
Michael Hammett won Appledore Shipbuilders monthly sea rover with a thornback ray of 7lb 6oz. Jack Sharrock was runner up with a small eyed ray of 6lb 13oz and Andrew Atkinson third with a thornback ray of 6lb 10oz.
North Devon Match Group fished their latest Match at Stafford Moor saw good catches for members on both Tanner’s Lake and Woodies. Roger Ackroyd was top rod on Tanners with 116lb 14oz and Dave Stockton winner on Woodies with 101lb 1oz.
