Stuart Eynon sent me this superb photo of one of five salmon he caught on a middle Torridge beat at the end of June. His fishing partner David Middlemiss also landed two salmon and a sea trout.
Torridge Salmon
Dave lands a stunning 29lb 8oz carp from Stafford Moor
Dave O Brien with a 29lb 8oz mirror carp caught from the back bays on Beatties lake. Dave was only one hour into a day session when he caught the beauty using mainline cell boilies . Dave was there fishing with the ‘Carp busters’.
Tope sport off Ilfracombe
Anglers are enjoying some great tope sport off Ilfracombe with these hard fighting predators now abundant. Tope have been landed up to 37lb with every chance of bigger fish as the season progresses there is even the chance of one of these fish from shore marks if anglers are prepared to set their stall with a big bait and wire trace.
North Devon Tackle Result
North Devon Tackle Clubs latest Match at Morchard Road saw Simon Poynter secure an impressive win with 156lb 3oz. In runner up spot was was Norman Martin with 84lb 9oz and in third Dean Vickery with 60lb 2oz. Forth was was Wayne Mitchell with 53lb 5oz.
Light touch for Blakewell Double
11lb 6oz rainbow
Jeremy Johnson used a light approach at Blakewell fishery to tempt a fine rainbow scaling 11lb 6oz. Jeremy used a size 12 montana nymph presented using a 4 wt Orvis rod and 4 wt floating line. The montana nymph is one of my favourite patterns and a good choice at this picturesque well stocked water.
Sea Angling reports
Graham Snow secured first place in Appledore Shipbuilders monthly Rover with a grey mullet of 3lb 151/2oz. Andrew Atkinson took the runner up spot with a ballan wrasse of 4lb101/2oz and Joshua Atkinson was third with a smoothound scaling 9lb 23/8oz.
Smoothound and bass are providing some great sport for shore anglers with specimens of both species being landed. I have received reports of several bass caught in recent weeks above the coveted weight of 10lb but the captors have not made their catches public. The next couple of months should see a few double figure bass landed. The biggest specimens tend to fall to large baits fished from rock or beach marks. Spider crab is without doubt the top bait at present with squid and mackerel baits working better as the summer progresses. Lure anglers also tempt big fish each season when conditions are favorable.
Kyle Bishop and Dan Spearman enjoyed another action packed session with smoothound landing close to twenty hounds in a session the best 10lb 14oz to the rod of Kyle. They also landed a bass and a small eyed ray of 5lb small eyed ray all in daylight.
FINE ROACH NETS FROM JENNETS
Martin Turner won North Devon Match Groups summer league match at Jennets Reservoir with a fine net of roach scaling 27lb 15oz. Thomas Downing was runner up with 20lb and Christopher Morris third with 17lb 2oz. The winning net of roach was put together using pole fished hemp and caster tactics.
Dan lands fine ray brace to win Bideford Rover
Anglers gathered at the club house for the best weigh in for several months with some fine fish visiting the scales.
Dan Redmore took first and second in Bideford Angling Clubs monthly rover landing a fine brace of small eyed ray weighing in at 9lb 12oz and 9lb 81/4oz. Graham Snow took third place with a thick lipped mullet of 3lb 15oz. Lee Watts took fourth with a smoothound of 9lb 11 1/4oz and fifth with a bass of 6lb 1oz.
Grilse from the Rivers
The Taw and Torridge are both in perfect condition following recent rainfall and fish are there to be caught. Clinton Marshall fished the Weir Marsh and Brightly Beats of the Taw to land a 5lb grilse and Len Francis fished the same beat to land a 6lb grilse. Both fish were fresh in from the sea with silver flanks and sea lice still attached.
I fished the Middle Torridge with the river in fine trim I expected a fish at anytime but not a pull. The sight of a kingfisher alighting on a branch opposite where I fished was reward for my effort plus the glimpse of two barn owls as I drove home.
At least seven salmon were landed from the Torridge from beats throughout the river all of them grilse up to 4lb. Martin Weeks and his party fish the Torridge every summer specializing in sea trout fishing after dark. Their latest visit to the river saw them land twenty six sea trout to 3lb in three nights fishing.
It is surprising how many sea trout can be in the river with anglers being unaware of their presence. Whilst there are a number of fishers who target the fish after dark there are far fewer than fish the famous sea trout rivers of South Wales. If more anglers adopted nocturnal habits it is likely that far more of these enigmatic fish would be tempted.
The best book on sea trout fishing is undoubtedly Hugh Falkus’s classic work Sea Trout Fishing published in 1962. It is surprising that this classic tome was written so long ago as its is still totally relevant to this day and well worth seeking out. A book that captures the atmosphere of sea trout fishing through the night is BB’s The Pool of the Black Witch.
Stafford Moor Carp Catches
Joshua Vernon enjoyed a session on Stafford Moors Lodge Lake landing nine carp to 20lb 2oz using Sticky baits Krill.
Stuart Hutchings
Stuart Hutchings fished lodge lake to land 18 fish up to 20lb 2oz using chopped boilies and spoding with hemp party mix and mainline cell wafters and also bumble berry Goo and mango-nana goo.
