3 Jul 2017

Huge Catfish is Paradise complex best!

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The latest news from Zenia at Anglers Paradise.

FROM BABIES TO THIS…A NEW COMPLEX CATFISH RECORD HAS BEEN CAUGHT, AND IT’S MASSIVE!!!

Huge Congratulations to our Estate Team Member Dion Cooke-Martin, 38 who has caught the Biggest Ever Complex Cat Record at a whopping 82lbs from the Main Carp Lake!!

Dion caught the Monster Wels Catfish using a 6ft Stalking Rod, size 6 barbless hook on a basic hair rig, with a Single Paradise Baits ‘The Twist’ Boilie fishing just off the island nearest the Boat House.

Dion caught the beast during the 5C’s Syndicate Match which he won too!

We are very proud that we have bred these fish from babies to THIS!! We stocked the Cats 20 years ago and introduced them to Anglers Paradise as Kittens the size of your finger which are now as big as this 82lb Cat – That’s some growing!!

WELL DONE DION – WHAT A MASSIVE FISH AND ANGLING ACHIEVEMENT!!! ANOTHER NEW CAT RECORD WITHIN WEEKS!!

Anglers Paradise
2 Jul 2017

Big Sea Trout and several salmon on the Torridge

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On the river Torridge sea trout specialist Martin Weeks landed a fine sea trout of 10lb and lost a far bigger fish when the hook pulled free after the fish tried to empty his reel of line. Dr Jonathon Compson landed five sea trout averaging 1lb 8oz from an upper river beat and Paul Carter landed a 4lb grilse from a middle river beat. Graham Roberts also landed a grilse of 4lb and Adam Baron caught a 10lb salmon and a 3lb sea trout.

I fished a Middle Torridge beat and whilst I failed to tempt a salmon or sea trout I did manage to catch a beautiful brown trout of around 1lb. Unfortunately the picture suffered from some incompetence from me!

2 Jul 2017

North Devon Match Group Summer league

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No 3 Upper Tamar Devon Bank.

1st Neilsen Jeffery 30lb 9oz

2nd Martin Turner 27lb 12oz

3rd Christopher Morris 23lb 13oz

4th Paul Ware  21lb 12oz

5th Paul Elworthy 20lb 11oz


Neilsen fished a 5mt whip , near the bench peg on the Devon arm, with groundbait and caster, Martin caught a mainly roach net shallow on hemp. Chris fished a top kit to hand for 3rd and Paul’s 4th place was a feeder caught net of bream.

1 Jul 2017

Big Bass on a Lure

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Combe Martin SAC member Dan Spearman landed this fine lure caught bass weighing 11lb to set a new personal best. The lure was a Savage Gear 3-D Mullet. The fish was returned carefully to water. Dan also lost another large fish during the session.

From today  (July 1st) anglers are allowed to retain one bass per day for the table. I would suggest that all bass over 8lb are returned alive with bass between 3lb and 6lb making the best fish for the table. Many anglers will I am sure continue to practice catch and release for much of their fishing.

30 Jun 2017

Taw Salmon Brace

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Taw regular Ian Blewett landed a fine brace of salmon from a Middle Taw beat. The fish both carefully released were estimated at 11lb and 8lb and were tempted on a home tied size 10 gold cascade.

Several large sea trout have been hooked including a massive fish that was played for over ten minutes before it headed back down river towards the sea and parted company with the unlucky angler.

30 Jun 2017

Cats on the prowl in Paradise

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Well Done to Julian Winspear and Partner in Crime Caz Osborne who both had a great session on Eldorado’s Bottom Cat and Carp Lake catching 5 Cats to 30lb+ and 4 Carp to 20lbs, all on the popular and faithful Paradise Baits Catastrophic!

Caz caught her Personal Best and Biggest Ever Fish to date with this 25lb Wels Catfish and Julian had his Personal Best 30lb+ Cat and a 20lb Mirror to put the icing on the Cake!

Euan Mclachlan, 19 from Sunderland who caught his Biggest ever Fish, a Personal Best 41lb Catfish from the Day Ticket Specimen Cat Lake.

Euan’s Story –

“I have never ventured much further than the Easy Access on my previous visits to Anglers Paradise, with my catfish PB being a little over 25lb, however after consulting with some of the members of staff me and my two friends decided that the Specimen Catfish Lake was throwing up the odd fish and that’s what we’d like to target. Before I came I said to my dad that I’d like to beat my Catfish PB by at least 5 pound and reach the 30lb barrier, however a 40 would be out of this world!

At the start of the week we did a night where I managed to get a 32lb 4oz from down the margins on meat, however after seeing this fish I knew I had to give it another shot for a bigger one. So Thursday came, and we hiked all of the gear back down to the Specimen Cat and I pitched up in the same corner swim (peg 3) as I did before and flicked a meat rod down the left margin. After hours upon hours of single bleeps from little Perch etc, I decided I’d try and get some sleep. I managed to zone them out until about 6am in the morning when I was awoken to about 5 or 6 continuous beeps on the alarm and then a massive drop back. I struck into it and knew I had a decent fish on, and after taking me round the back of the island and through the reeds on the far side, a 20-30min fight resulted in a new personal best catfish of exactly 41lb, Anglers Paradise really living up to its name and reputation once again.

I just want to say thank you again to you guys for making the holiday so
special, from the help in the tackle shop all the way up to the welcoming
and accommodating nature of all of you down there.
I’ll sure be back again,”

WELL DONE EUAN – ANOTHER GREAT WINNER!!

Here he is with his Winning Fish and being presented his prizes by Zyggy

Anglers Paradise
30 Jun 2017

RAIN BRINGS WELCOME SUMMER SPATE

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The recent rain has brought a welcome rise in North Devon’s Rivers giving excellent prospects of salmon during the coming week.

I took a walk up the Lower reaches of the Lyn earlier today (June 30th) It looked absolutely perfect for spinning and I received confirmation that a salmon was caught from the river the previous day. This 7lb salmon was tempted on a worm presented on a de-barbed circle hook as supplied with the anglers permit purchased from the E.A. Permits are now available from Barbrook Petrol station from 7.00am.   The Lyn is now 100% catch and release and as a result it is not fished by as many anglers as in past seasons. Whilst the reduction in angling pressure is undoubtedly good for the salmon stocks I cannot help but feel slightly sad as I remember my own days on the river a couple of decades ago when after a spate like this anglers would hurry to the river in large numbers from miles around. There was quite a community back then and many of those characters have passed away. As I jumped up onto familiar rocks to study the water and search for the sight of a salmon I remembered those anglers and almost expected to glimpse them searching the water with worm or spinner.

On a wet summers day I can think of no better place to be. The river holds many happy memories and whilst I only saw this magnificent river as its salmon and sea trout run started to decline I had a glimpse of what it once produced and in my forthcoming book I can reveal some of its former glories.

The Torridge has also risen and should be fish-able within a couple of days as the turbidity drops out of the water. Day tickets are available at Little Warham Fishery and at the Half Moon at Sheepwash.

Day Tickets are also available on the Taw from the Rising Sun at Umberleigh who can also provide tickets for the Weir Marsh and Brightly Beats controlled by Ivan Huxtable.

The Rising Sun at Umberleigh
30 Jun 2017

Bideford and District Angling Club midweek coarse competition.

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Match No 5 results

1st Chris Lovell 22Lb 8oz ,

2nd Colin Gorman 21Lb ,

3rd John Lovell 15Lb 8oz ,

4th Pete Slade 4Lb 8oz.

It was a very wet match 9 anglers braved the weather , hence no pictures taken , it turned out to be the Lovell show & Mr Gorman did not read the script. Well done all.

Match report from Martin Turner who was away catching barbel on the River Severn, ( Below) How could I resist putting up a picture of a barbel a first for North Devon Angling News!!