Kevin Legge secured first prize in Combe Martin SAC First Casts Out Of Lockdown competition with a fine bull huss scaling 10lb 15oz. Runner up was David Brooke with a huss of 9lb 12oz.
Third was Wayne Thomas with a thick lipped grey mullet of 3lb 1oz and forth Nick Phillips with a thick lip of 2lb 6oz.
Combe Martin SAC member Jamie Steward enjoyed Spring ray action from a Bristol Channel Mark landing a personal best blonde ray scaling 13lb 9oz.
Jon Stevens landed a fine brace of double figure smoothound fishing a North Devon mark over the recent big spring tides the best hound scaling 11lb 2oz.
Combe Martin SAC Member Mark Jones took a trip up channel in search of Spring ray and landed a stunning brace of small eyed ray scaling 13lb 15oz and 12lb 1oz both fish were “caught on a flooding tide both rods went at the same time the first rod I played and landed a lovely male small eyed at 12lb 1oz. Was really hectic for 20 minutes caught on Braunton Bait Box dirty squid and ammo sandeel! “.
The larger of the two fish sets a new club record for Combe Martin SAC.
Liam Loveday tempted this stunning 13lb bass from a North Devon surf beach. The fish took a peeler crab bait presented on a 4/0 Chinu hook cast 30yards into the surf an hour before high water. The fish gave a strong account for close to ten minutes before being beached safely.The fish measured 87cm.
This is an encouraging catch from the surf early in the season.
Combe Martin SAC member David Brooke caught this 11lb 8oz specimen bull huss on a recent trip to the shoreline.
Combe Martin SAC Member Shane Hookway fished a North Devon Rock mark to tempt this smoothound of 9lb 7oz.
Combe Martin SAC members Ollie Passmore and Kody Chugg fished the Somerset coastline to tempt ray and smoothound. A smoothound scaling 13lb 5oz a new personal best for Ollie.
Many thanks to Kody Chugg and Ollie Passmore for sending me this account of their recent trip to Cornwall in search of wrasse.
Got up early hours of the morning, and set off down to Cornwall. Sun shining and a favoured wind in search of a big ballan wrasse. Several marks ventured, fishing crystal clear water. Lots of little taps with baits getting stripped by little wrasse. Last mark we went to we were fishing over low. Missing some really good runs from hook pulls. We both managed to catch a good few fish together.
Fish care with wrasse is vital. These are fragile fish that need to be taken care of, unhooking carefully and resting in pools. Wrasse definitely are in decline compared to years gone by, due to commercial fishing, and taken to Scottish salmon farms. Wrasse are so valuable for the seas Eco system and keeping reefs and corals etc healthy. Great fun fishing and each one being so different and remarkable colours. Crab and hermits doing the business. All on running ledger rigs with 1/0 circle hooks. All in all a great day fishing!
Footnote :- Reading Ollie and Kody’s article takes me back to a trip I enjoyed to the South Cornish coast almost forty years ago with Combe Martin SAC secretary Nick Phillips. A couple of days were spent exploring the rugged coastline where we landed several specimen wrasse the best If my memory serves me correct pulled the scales to 6lb 8oz a fish that is still my PB. Wrasse of over 5lb were comparatively common back then both in Cornwall and along the North Devon coast where I landed fish to 5lb 15oz. I mention this as it highlights how fishing for wrasse has declined over four decades.
The winner will receive a £25 bait voucher and a box of bakes from
