I lost Internet connection for over a week following Storm Darragh hence a lack of reports on the website. Please see a brief round up of news. A Merry Christmas to all readers and all the best fishes for 2025
Bideford and District Angling Clubs Christmas Competition
Keith Mountjoy secured top spot in Bideford and District Angling Clubs Christmas Competition held on their home water Tarka Swims with a fine net of 31lb 6oz. Martin Turner was runner up with 25lb 2oz and Craig Lamey third with 21lb 13oz. Nineteen members braved the tail end of Storm Darragh that decimated fixtures that weekend.
SEA RESULTS
Jon Stevens won Bideford Angling Club 48 hour Sea Rover with thornback ray weighing 11lb 10.5oz
Combe Martin SAC
Ollie Passmore won Combe Martin SAC’s Christmas competition with a bass of 4lb 11oz.
Several quality bass have been caught by Combe Martin SAC members over recent weeks with Kyle Bishop tempting a fine bass of 9lb 9oz and Ollie Passmore a bass of 8lb 4oz.
Shane Hookway fished a rock mark to tempt a fine bull huss of 11lb 12oz.
Appledore Shipbuilders
Only 14 fish came to the scales with the majority released after weigh in swimming away strong.
Winning was Toby Evans with a Flounder of 1lb 7 1/4ozs. Nikki Atkinson was second with another flounder of 1lb 6 3/4ozs and Andrew Atkinson was 3rd with a Flounder of 1lb 5 3/4ozs. Everyone who entered walked away with a Christmas fare prize as there were more prizes than fish caught!
It was also the December winter league this weekend.
Andrew Atkinson took all 3 places with Poutings of 2lb 0 1/4ozs, 1lb 6ozs and a whiting of 1lb 3 1/4ozs.
The latest Storm is forecast to hit the region over the weekend and most local competitions have wisely been cancelled. A storm with winds from the North West forecast to reach 90 MPH is very unusual and a RED WARNING is certainly cause for concern. There are those who will say that the Met Office and the media are hyping it up but they cannot win for they were heavily criticised last week when floods hit Wales and residents said they had not been warned. Weather forecasting is still an in-precise science despite all the technology that is in place. Lets hope its not as bad as forecast. Should be some good fishing in the aftermath of the storm.
It’s December so it seems Ok to start talking Christmas. We are very fortunate in North Devon to have fishing tackle shops in all of our major towns and as local anglers we really need to support them. With Christmas just a couple of weeks away now is the time to buy that fishy present. It might be that you have to pay a little more as compared to the internet but there is no postage, a good after sales service, you get to see what you’re buying and you ensure that you have somewhere to buy fresh bait. Not to mention the vital social benefits of meeting fellow anglers whilst browsing those lines of tempting produce.
BARNSTAPLE
Barnstaple Bait and Tackle offers an excellent range of tackle for all disciplines and is convenienly located in Queen Street, close to the central Car Park and Bus Station. The shop is owned by Chris Connaughton a well known and respected local angler.
ILFRACOMBE
Danny Watson (Above right ) is a lure fishing fanatic a fact that is reflected when-ever you walk into his tackle shop in Ilfracombe High Street. Thousands of lures to tempt every angler and every fish. Danny supplies local charter boats with lures and tackle and has an extensive knowledge on how lures work and their design features. In addition to the vast array of lures the shop also carries an extensive range of sea tackle and coarse fishing essentials.
BIDEFORD
Anglers Heaven is owned by Tom Wade and has recently undergone a significant extension with a large retail area offering fishing tackle for all disciplines. Tom also stocks a range of shooting and country sports equipment.
BRAUNTON
The Braunton Bait Box is run by keen local angler Craig McCloughlin and offers a good range of sea angling tackle and quaility bait. The shop also has a range of coarse fishing tackle and is a stockist for Chillcheater clothing of Braunton.
Reed – Chillcheater is a North Devon Based company located in Braunton that offers a wide range of high quality outdoor clothing that has gained a reputation amongst local anglers for keeping them warm and dry in the worst of conditions.
EXMOOR
Lance Nicholson’s shop is located in the lively Exmoor town of Dulverton and offers a wide range of game fishing tackle and country clothing. It is also an excellent source on information on where to fish and what is happening across the Upper Exe and Barle catchments.
CORNWALL
The Arundell is a traditional country hotel on the Cornish Border that offers excellent river fishing throughout the year. The hotel has a tackle shop that stocks an excellent range of top end tackle from Orvis. This is undoubtedly the top venue for West Country winter grayling.
Anglers Heaven in Bideford has had a significant extension with a vast range of products from top brands now available for anglers of all disciplines. I called into the shop last week with my wife Pauline and was very impressed. in addition to top quailty tackle Tom Wade also keeps a good supply of fresh live and frozen bait.
GRAND OPENING/BLACK FRIDAY SALE Friday 29th/Saturday 30th November
Join Tom Wade and family for the new shop extension party.
Strong winds and heavy rain associated with Storm Burt failed to deter competitors from trying their luck along the banks of the Taw Estuary in the second heat of Flukeys flounder competition that raised money for Children’s Hospice South West.
FLUKEYS FLOUNDER COMP Part 2 Report from David Jenkins
What a days fishing. Rain wind and lots of wood. Plenty of people weighed in with some good fish caught. Difficult day but some great results. The charity pot is up around £600 so thank to everyone taking part.
MURRAY REDMORE he was the only junior to catch so took the lot.
Senior Results
1st Tarrant Wotton 1lb 11oz
2nd Nigel Gullen 1lb10oz
3rd David Jenkins 1lb 7oz
4th Sine Pimon 1lb 6 7/8oz
Details of PT3 to come for the 15th December
Big thanks to Simon Pine, Daniel Mackie and Marcus Offield for the prizes, organising, the food and allowing us in the pub.
Combe Martin SAC – Flounder Competition
Nick Philips took first and second place in Combe Martin SAC’s annual flounder competition tempted flounder of 1lb 4oz and 1lb 3oz. Lenny Lake was third with a flounder of 1lb 1oz. Several bass were also caught the best around 3lb.
Nick Phillips with his winning flounder of 1lb 4ozLenny Lake with his third place flounder of 1lb 1oz
Reece Woolgar has won Combe Martin SAC’s club members annual Lure fishing league for the second consecutive year with a five bass total of 334.5cm. Reece was presented with £100 tackle voucher by Danny Watson at High Street Tackle. The club hopes to run the event to the same format next year. It is hoped that more lure anglers will join the club and take part in this event that is free to club members.
I asked Reece about his go to lures and two of his top three are pictured below.
The megabass Dark sleeper and Megabass AYU 5″ Spindleworms certainly deserve a place in any keen lure fishers lure box.
Lure fishing is certainly a fascinating branch of angling with many thousands of lures available. Danny stocks an impressive range of lures to cover every aspect and species within the UK and beyond.
The biggest bass caught during the league was this fine bass of 75cm to the rod of Wayne Thomas using a megabits AYU 5″ Spindleworm
Runner up in the lure competition was Wayne Thomas with five bass for 310 cm, Ross Stanway with five for 293cm and Dan Welch with five for 270cm.
Ross Stanway with a boat caught bass.Dan Welch with a fine shore caught bass
I have been contacted by a representative from North Devon Council regarding parking at Castle Quay. Please note below. Whilst I personally appreciate that anglers have historically parked at this location rules are rules and any infringement by anglers can bring access into question.
“The Castle Quay car park in Barnstaple is reserved for permit holders only and cannot be used by anyone without a valid permit. There is pay & display parking close by; Commercial Road car park, Cattle Market car park, North Walk car park and Civic Centre car park (this one is managed by DCC).
Parking on the Castle Quay slipway is prohibited at all times – this includes the muddy areas to the side of it.
If the Civil Enforcement Officers approach it would be appreciated if customers would remain polite and co-operative, they are carrying out duties required of them as part of their job role.”
Any enquiries regarding this should made to :- Car Parks Manager, North Devon Council, Place, Property and Regeneration.
Bideford and District Angling Club held their AGM at Bideford Con Club on Friday November 15th, the event was very well attended. The club is North Devon’s largest angling club with a membership of over 500 that includes over fifty Junior members many undoubtedly attracted by the clubs two well maintained fishing lakes. Tarka Swims consists of Georges Lake and Karen’s Lake that between them provide excellent pleasure, match and carp fishing. The lakes manager Steve Bailey resigned from the post after many years of sterling service and was presented with gifts from the club in appreciation. The new lake manager is Mike Jones.
Club Secretary – Mervyn Beal says :- Farewell Steve. At last nights AGM the club said farewell to our outgoing Tarka Swims manager. Over the past 20yrs Steve has been the backbone of our club, his grit determination, hard work and commitment has made Tarka Swims what it is today. On behalf of the committee and club members we would like to say a massive thank you Steve and to Lorraine for giving up so much family time over the years. Hopefully you can now enjoy more family time and get some well earned fishing in. Thank you.
The clubs holds well attended coarse fishing Matchs each month and a summer series of events for Junior anglers. The club also hosts regular sea angling competitions and game fishing events.
Bideford and District Angling Club Match Secretary’s Report 2024
The Senior matches on George’s Lake, Tarka Swims have once again, been very well supported. With an average of 20 members regularly competing.
Our Junior Section has also been extremely well supported with 35 different youngsters enjoying the 3-hour Saturday events held throughout the summer. The 5-match series was won by Ethan Broom on 46 points, close second Lewis Hathaway on 45 points.
The 10 match, Summer Evening Series attracted 22 different anglers, we were blessed with some great weather for the 3-hour contests. Runaway winner was Nathan Underwood on 130 points with Kevin Shears 2nd on 92 points. The 3-hour pairs event was won by Rhys Elyes and Darren Polden with a remarkable total of 96lb 12oz.
Richard’s ‘Rod and Reel Only’ Competitions have been fully attended; organiser Richard Jefferies currently leads the league with 2 matches remaining.
At present, in the monthly Sunday Matches, Craig Lamey has an unassailable lead with Nathan in 2nd place.
Our 2-leg team match against Plymouth resulted in a resounding victory for us 713lb to 219lb. I hope to set up a more challenging contest against Bude Canal anglers.
This club offers a fantastic variation of disciplines; from the game beat on the Torridge to boat trips, shore fishing contests and, of course, the Tarka events. The lakes provide a host of opportunities to get involved; as members we need to be mindful that the membership is diverse and each of us find pleasure and fulfilment in our chosen pastime whether helping with the working parties, camping out overnight after the ‘Big One’ or witnessing the joy of watching the juniors catching their first fish.
Openness and understanding are essential if the club is to prosper; division is not healthy. As a club we must be respectful of members choices.
Regular matches, I believe, provide a very useful indicator as to the condition of the water and its inhabitants. Recorded results provide accurate information and trends can be monitored.
Once again, I must thank those people who have supported events but especially those who have ensured that they run smoothly. Mervyn for his support scrutinising and publishing results. Steve and his team for providing us with a well maintained and safe environment to enjoy our chosen discipline.
Finally, I must comment on the shock of the closure of the institution that was Summerland’s Tackle; we wish the family well and thank them for all their support over many years.
Martin Turner stands for another term as club match secretary.
The first of the series result was as below : – Attracted forty anglers with Stefan Jones taking the top prize with a flounder of 1lb 81/4oz. Runner up was David Jenkins with a flounder of 1lb 67/8oz and third Taz Wotton with a flounder of 1lb 63/4oz.
