Toby Bassett fished a wet and windy Slade reservoir to tempt a 10lb 8oz pike. The stunning looking fish was his first of the species. Anglers are reminded that before fishing for pike they need to use a wire trace at all times and carry adequate handling and unhooking equipment.
Wistlandpound Fly Fishing Club Members enjoyed a good mornings sport at Bratton Water with the eight competitors all completing their three fish limits. Winner was Paul Grisly with 7lb 4oz. David Eldred and Dave Richards were runners up with 7lb 3oz and Nigel Bird fourth with 6lb 13oz.
Fifth – David Holmes 6lb 11oz
Sixth – Colin Combe 6lb 9oz
Seventh – Dave Mock 6lb 1oz
Eighth – Andre Muxworthy 5lb 4oz
Kevin Dobson and friend Ben fished on Stafford Moors Lodge Lake on swim 1. They had 4 fish out up to 24lb. Ben smashed his personal best twice ! Bens old pb before he arrived was 9lb he then had an 18lb 8oz then smashed it again at 19lb 4oz. They were fishing with Nash squid & Krill boilies.
Melbury Reservoir is in fine form producing a number of quality carp.
(Above) Ashley Bunning banked nine carp to 23lb 8oz using Nashbait Scopex Squid fluro pop ups or 20mm wafters over 18mm freebies.
(above) Mervyn Beal banked this fine mirror of 19Ib 8oz. Merv also had a 16Ib mirror and a 10Ib common all caught on Nash Scopex Squid boilies.
Ollie Passmore enjoyed success on recent shore trips landing a pleasing blonde ray of 8lb 14oz and a conger of 16lb 2oz.
The minds eye stores many thousands of images some of which lie dormant whilst others linger on the surface never fading completely. As a teenager I fished from the Banjo Pier at Looe in Cornwall a place I have revisited on numerous occasions since those formative angling days in the early to mid seventies. Strange how certain things stick in the mind, I just checked out the year Carl Douglas released Kung Fu Fighting. For some reason I remember this playing in the amusement arcade in Looe all those years ago in 1974. I was thirteen and by then fishing at Looe with the local lads. ( I never actually liked the song but it stuck in the mind!)
My father had introduced me to sea angling during our annual holiday to Looe which almost always fell during the last week of September and first week of October. Then as now fishing was prohibited from the Banjo until October 1st. prior to 1974 I had fished with my parents and it was garfish, mackerel and Pollock that would drag a brightly coloured sea float beneath the surface. The garfish would toy with the bait causing the float to dither before sliding beneath the surface or lying flat as the garfish swam up with the bait. I probably caught my first fish from Looe when I was seven or eight.
Those childhood and teenage days are long gone, the essence of those days remain etched in that marvelous minds eye. Strange to say that whilst I have revisited the Banjo on many occasions with Pauline watching the ebbing and flowing of the tide, the coming and going of boats and the vast seascape I had not taken a rod in hand at the venue since my last holiday with my parents back in around 1976/7. This was I guess partially due to timing as it was generally out of bounds due to it being summertime.
I remember clearly how I had fished for grey mullet on the ebbing tide in the eddy formed as the estuary meets the open sea beside the old banjo. When discussing a trip to Looe with the Combe Martin Sea Angling Club where better to fish for mullet than my old haunt? My connection with Looe had resulted in a long-term friendship on Facebook with fellow angler Matt Pengelly. Matt is a fanatical sea angler who has fished Looe all his life. I have exchanged stories of Looe with Matt on many occasions and over the years he has freely shared a vast amount of information to which I owe him a big thank you.
As regards to the Looe mullet Matt confirmed my thoughts in that several generations of mullet later little has changed. Hence close to fifty years after catching my first sea fish I find myself on the banjo pier rod in hand along with our son James and five other members of the CMSAC mulleteers.
Quiver tips and floats are employed and mullet are caught up to around three pound.
I drop my orange tipped float into the ebbing flow. After drifting a few yards it dips slowly beneath those familiar clear waters. I lift the rod in expectation and feel a familiar gyrating motion transmitted through the line. I swing the garfish up into my hand, “Look a swordfish”, cries out a young child. I remember such comments being made all those years ago. The green scales stick to my hands and that distinctive small of fresh garfish triggers childhood memories.
I chat with Matt who has joined us on the Banjo for a while and he tells me of plans to redevelop Looe and its Harbour. I am saddened to hear of these plans to bring prosperity to this old Cornish town. The pleasures of Looe are simple and special and locked in my minds eye and I am sure in many others who have trod a similar path.
Looking back, I have a wealth of memories relating to fishing and the places it has taken me to. I also have memories of Ilfracombe when it had a pier and how the removal of that pier has contributed to the loss of a community. I Remember how on cold winter nights we would gather on the pier safe above surging waters; ever hopeful. Sadly I feel the essence of angling holds no tangible value to planners and councilors. The social benefits are overlooked in the search for marinas and visions of splendor.
Where lies the value in a garfish and a disappearing float?
West Country Fly-Fisher’s have enjoyed an exceptional fishing season at Wimbleball Reservoir where Mark Underhill has transformed the quality of the fishing stocking regularly with hard fighting rainbow trout.
The season at Wimbleball continues until November 30th and will when conditions permit offer anglers the chance of some superb sport. I intend to make at least one more visit to the fishery before it close for the winter.
On Sunday October 27th they hosted Kennick Flyfishers for the final round of their Snowbee Top Rod Competition 2019. The weather was kind, considering recent conditions, providing the 14 anglers taking part with a dry, sunny day & cool northerly breeze. After a good day on the water they managed 52 fish between them, with 8 anglers getting their bag limit, the action was mostly in the Bessoms & Ruggs areas. Best fish of the day went to Alan Riddell of Newton Abbot with a fine Rainbow of 8LBS 6OZ, (pictured). Top 3 anglers were:
1ST ALAN RIDDELL OF NEWTON ABBOT – 5 FISH 19LBS
2ND TOM HENDY OF CHUDLEIGH – 5 FISH 15LBS 11OZ
3RD ANDY WATSON OF BOVEY TRACEY – 5 FISH 15LBS 3OZ
(Above) Alan Clarke banked13 fish from fragile rock swim 8 up on lodge lake. Alan was fishing with DT baits super fruit and oily chicken and white wafters.
(Above) Steve Penn who fished on the back bays (swim 9) on Beatties lake and had 6 fish out fishing with Baitworks Atlantic feat boilies.
(Above) Tony Woods who fished on swim 12 on the spit up on lodge lake. Tony had 2 fish out up to 28lb caught on Sticky Baits Manilla & Krill boilies.
(Above) Jim Gillard who had 12 fish out up to 26lb 12oz which is Jim’s new personal best from the inlet swim on Beatties lake this weekend. Jim caught on Sticky Baits Manilla boilies in pva bags.
Autumn nights give the chance of a wide range of species with ray, tope, conger, bass and Huss all on the agenda. Shaun Quartly fished a wet and windy night at a popular Ilfracombe mark and caught a small eyed ray of 8lb 10oz.
