Stafford Moor Carp
News From The Torridge
A short period of heavy rain brought a welcome rise in the River Torridge initial optimism from local anglers keen to reap the benefits was temporarily thwarted as a surge of white water descended down river from clay workings. This ongoing issue has brought condemnation from angling bodies who are working hard to improve the Torridge environment.
As the waters cleared anglers enjoyed some exciting moments with Peter Stemp catching a fine brace of salmon from a middle river beat estimated at 14lb and 12lb. Colin Buckingham caught a 12lb salmon from an up river beat and another angler hooked a huge salmon estimated at 20lb that gave the angler a tantalizing glimpse at it leaped from the water before shedding the hook.
I fished a middle river beat one recent evening with my son James and enjoyed a tranquil few hours beside the water. The start of our trip brought optimism as a fine salmon leaped from the water. Whilst we failed to connect with the king of the stream we both enjoyed a pleasing diversion catching hard fighting brown trout using upstream dry fly fishing tactics. The fleeting glimpse of a kingfisher added to our enjoyment.
We left the river as the colour faded from the day and owls began hooting in the nearby woods. If we had the time and no work next day we should have commenced fishing for the silver sea trout that often succumb in the still of the night.
Upper Tamar Charity Pairs Match
Below is a letter I received from Melissa Thomas North DEvon Angling News is always pleased to promote angling related good causes.
I am in the process of promoting Hft’s first charity Fishing Competition, taking place on the 12th- 13th August at Upper Tamar Lake near Launceston. I understand you probably receive a lot of requests for free publicity – and cannot support them all – nevertheless, if you are able to include the attached press release and/or a poster in one of your forthcoming issues/online we would be extremely appreciative.
Hft is a national charity supporting more than 2,500 adults with learning disabilities across England to live the best life possible. Our services range from supported living to residential care – from a few hours a week to 24 hours a day – and we support people with a range of needs, challenging behaviours and specific syndromes like autism spectrum disorders and down’s syndrome. Hft also helps people with learning disabilities to take part in daily activities, make friends and develop relationships, find work, and gain independence. You can find out more about our work on our website: <http://hft.org.uk/Stories/>
A lot of our core work is reliant on voluntary donations, so we organise a series of fundraising events across the year to help support this work. The Carp Open Pairs competition is just one of these events, and is raising money to support the services and facilities at Chy Keres short stay and respite centre in Tregadillet, Cornwall.
It would be hugely beneficial to have some advertising and/or coverage of our charity fishing competition – as it will enable us to: get more people registered to participate and, therein, to raise more money to support our key services at Chy Keres. In return we would be happy to mention you in any online publicity and, of course, would love to have you come along to the event itself. I would also be very happy to show you around Chy Keres if you would like to find out more about the support we provide, or would like to find out more about what we are fundraising for. Please let me know if you have any other ideas that you would like to explore.
Thanks so much for your time and please do let me know if you have any questions or would like more information.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks and best wishes,
Melissa Thomas
Support Worker, Hft Chy Keres
Melissa Thomas
Support Worker
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Variety on the Pier – Feature from Contributor James Wigglesworth
James Wigglesworth and his angling friends often enjoy trips to Ilfracombe’s Pier where they catch a wide variety of species using both conventional tactics and LRF techniques. Many thanks to James for sending me this informative article.
Whether you’ve fished it or not, Ilfracombe Pier should be a venue on any species hunters radar. Throughout the seasons nearly anything is possible from the North Devon Port. During the summer months it can get particularly busy with families and groups targeting the seasonal mackerel that visit our waters so I prefer to head down at quieter times and adapt a mobile approach where I can fish on the move and target different species in different habitats. My favourite style of fishing is using a very light LRF rod (0.5-7g) with a size 16 hooks trying to tempt all the weird and wonderful mini species that find sanctuary in and around the harbour. Tiny bits of ragworm or Isome fished tight to the wall will produce bites for the majority of the day with gobies, blennies, scorpion fish, wrasse and small pollack finding it too irresistible to ignore. If that’s not really your game and you like to fish static with heavier gear then you’d be silly to ignore the piers potential. I haven’t done too much of this myself but good friend and local species hunter George Stavrakopoulos has and he’s bagged a lot of good fish. He fishes light flapper rigs baited with worm, squid or mackerel. Fishing straight off the end of the lower Pier will find your lead landing on rough, rocky ground which will see you getting plenty of bites from wrasse, pout and the likes. Moving round into the harbour the ground cleans up and just a gentle lob will find you on the sand where there are plenty of dabs, flounders, bass and the odd ray or gurnard.
Float fishing through the warmer months will get you mackerel and garfish which is always great fun on light gear. We’ve seen some pretty strange fish come from the Pier since we’ve been fishing it and also some pretty rare ones. One recent session saw myself catch a topknot and a leopard spotted goby in consecutive casts and I know that George bagged himself a cling fish and a tadpole fish in a single session there last year. Get down there and give it a go…. you never know what might turn up!
Blakewell Beauty
A stunning double figure rainbow trout for venue regular Andy Facey.
Ilfracombe Summer Boat Sport
Summer boat sport is on the up Off Ilfracombe where Dan Welch and Ross Stanway enjoyed some superb fishing relishing the calm conditions with North Devons spectacular coastline as a backdrop. Many thanks to Dan for sharing these stunning images.
Tope are starting to show in increasing numbers offshore. To target these hard fighting fish book a trip aboard Reel Deal as Chidgy did recently when he boated this hard fighting tope.
Joy for Young at Anglers Paradise
Jacob Judges aged 9 from Rochester, Kent, caught not ONE but THREE PERSONAL BESTS!! Jacob caught a PB 18lb 4oz Grass Carp and a 3lb 10oz Golden Orfe both from the Main Carp Lake on a simple knotless knot hair rig with a ABS Plan B wafter. Jacob then caught a PB 26lb 15oz Catfish from the Octopussy caught on a double frankfurter bait. Jacob didn’t stop there, he also caught some Stunning Koi from the Koi Lake – landed all by himself at the age of just 9 Years Old!! What amazing catches in just 1 week!
(Below) Molly Cook, age 7 from St Austell, Cornwall caught a Personal Best carp of 10lb 13oz on the Beginners Carp Lake, so she decided that she then wanted to catch another big fish like her Dad and Grandad. She told her Dad to get out the Spam and showed him where she wanted it to be cast to. Then all of a sudden, the bite alarm went off, Molly jumped up and struck it. After a healthy fight, Molly’s Dad helped her land it, Molly had caught her 1st Ever and Biggest Fish to date, a 14lb 14oz Catfish from the Easy Access Lake.
(Below)Sophie Oxehnham, 11 from Charfield, Gloucester, caught her 1st ever Tench from the Tench Lake and it was a special Two Tone Golden Tench too! She caught it all by herself after being taught how to cast, bait up and safely unhook the fish. She baited with sweetcorn and hemp and had a grain of corn on the hook. Sophie made sure she gave the fish a Kiss goodbye before returning her back to the Lake.
Stafford Moor – Over Fifties Festival
Over 50’s festival 2017 The winner was Andy Dare who had a perfect score just 4 points and a total weight of 510lb 7oz, In 2nd place was Mark Layzelle who had 5 points with 277lb 14oz and in 3rd place was Keith Winn with 7 points and a total weight of 339lb 12oz.
Little Warham salmon
Recent rainfall brought a welcome rise in the River Torridge and Anthony and Amanda Milner of Little Warham Fishery took the opportunity to cast a line. Amanda was delighted to tempt a hard fighting silver sea trout on Monday June 12th. Anthony fished the following morning and tempted a fine 12lb fresh run salmon.
This is the couples first full season on this delightful fishery on the River Torridge where they provide both accommodation and day ticket fishing for salmon, sea trout and brown trout. I hope to bring a full report on this fishery in the very near future.
Bideford Coarse Section Monthly Competition
Tarka Swims Results
1st Peter Slade 10lb 10oz
2nd Keith Copland 10lb 3oz
3rd John Lisle 6lb 14oz
4th Chris Lovell 2lb 12oz.
Peter drew peg Q and caught a carp and bream on luncheon meat and bread in the margins. Keith took 2nd with a carp on double red maggot in the margins on the pole.Conditions were blustery and warm. Chris Lovell scooped the silver pool with a bream of 2lb 12oz on a feeder.
