3 Jun 2016

SMOOTHOUND AND BASS FOR SHORE ANGLERS

by Wayne Thomas | posted in: Sea Angling, Sidebar | 0

Shore anglers are enjoying some fine sport with smoothound packs prowling their regular haunts all along the coast. CMSAC member Dan Spearman landed a personal best specimen of 13lb 6oz. Fellow member Matt Jeffery also landed a smoothound of 10lb 6oz.

Lee Watts won North Devon Leagues Champion of Champion match with a smoothound scaling 12lb 4oz. Steve Luxton was runner up with a hound of 11lb 4oz.

Thin Lipped grey mullet are now providing sport in the Taw and Torridge estuaries with baited spinners the tried and tested tactic. Recent seasons have seen specimens to over five pounds landed.

Mackerel are being caught off Ilfracombe but numbers are patchy at the moment with Pollock also being tempted on feathers. Garfish are also being tempted by anglers float fishing off the pier.

I fished a short LRF session with fellow Combe Martin SAC member Rob Sciones and whilst I failed to tempt any fish Rob tempted a fine bass of 6lb 3oz using a single king ragworm presented on a weighted jig head.

Dan Spearman landed a corkwing wrasse of 9oz. These brightly coloured wrasse are often caught by LRF anglers and do not grow to a large size the British Record standing at 360 grams. (Approx.12oz). The more commonly caught ballan wrasse seem to have declined in North Devon waters with large specimens seldom reported in recent years. Five pound plus fish were relatively common thirty years ago. The number of wrasse caught could be in part to a lack of anglers targeting the species as commercial fisheries do not generally target the species.

31 May 2016

LITTLE COMFORT MATCH

by Wayne Thomas | posted in: Match Fishing, Sidebar | 0

Kevin Shears won an Open match at Little Comfort Farm near Braunton organized by John Forster with a 48lb 8oz net of predominantly silvers. In runner up spot was Andy Gray with 41lb 1oz and in third Nathan Underwood with 39lb 10oz. John Lovel was forth with 21lb 4oz and John Forster fifth with 18lb 13oz. This picturesque venue is nestled in a quiet valley and has a very healthy population of rudd, roach, bream and carp and is an ideal venue for new comers to coarse fishing especially family’s. John Forster is holding a second open match at the venue on June 18^th and can be contacted on 07447132528.

31 May 2016

HUGE PORBEAGLE ON REEL DEAL

by Wayne Thomas | posted in: Sea Angling, Sidebar | 0

Dan Hawkins Charter Boat ‘Reel Deal” has moved to Ilfracombe for the summer season and has taken customers in search of porbeagle shark from marks West of Hartland Point. The early season big porbeagle proved challenging with several huge fish hooked but not brought to the side of the boat. Perseverance eventually brought its reward however when a huge porbeagle estimated at 450lb was successfully brought to the boat. The huge shark was carefully unhooked and returned to the sea where it swam strongly away. The fish was attracted to the boat using rubby-dubby supplied by Ammo baits. The shark took over 150yards of 50olb b.s line on its first run and was tamed by two anglers. Alex Steal hooking the fish and playing it until he passed the rod to his mate David Brooks who brought the battle to a successful conclusion. The fish was hooked less than a mile from the rocky shoreline and was tempted used a Pollock hook bait.

31 May 2016

HONOUR OBEY & GO FISHING EVERY DAY

by Doug Matthews | posted in: Sidebar, Young At Heart | 0

Another couple went through their wedding blessing in a very fishy way at Anglers Paradise. Emma and Mark from Bookham, on holiday decided to bid for and won a designer wedding dress at one of our charity auctions and then decided to have a wedding blessing down at the Koi Lake, revised vows are taken very seriously amongst anglers, substituting the normal vows for:-

Dearly beloved we are gathered here together in the sight of God, nature, fellow fisherman and fish to renew our eternal vows and proclaim your everlasting love.

Do you Emma promise to take Mark for good days and bad days, big fish and small fish, blank days and loads of fish.

Will you look after each other’s tackle, wash it and clean it after use

And do you promise to honour and obey and go fishing every day

I now pronounce you fisherman and fisherwoman, husband and wife and with this net I now re-join you for ever and a day.

The weather stayed fine for the couple, needless to say Mark proposed officially to Emma and they now await a date, Good luck and Best Fishes to both of them.

31 May 2016

BLAKEWELL DOUBLES

by Doug Matthews | posted in: Game Fishing, Sidebar | 0

Blakewell Fishery is in top spring form with anglers enjoying fine sport as summer sunshine raises the water temperature encouraging good hatches of fly. Gavin Colwill from Bude a regular visitor to the fishery landed a fine brace of rainbows weighing 16lb and 14lb part of six fish bag that totalled 38lb.

The Fisheries Spring Competition saw some fine bags of trout despite the bright sunshine that was enjoyed by the competitors. Chris Rorstad won the events top prize of a twenty fish season ticket for Blakewell with a six fish bag weighing 18lb 2oz. In runner up spot was Stuart Avion with six trout for 17lb 6oz and third Neil Young with six for 16lb 11oz. The day was punctuated with a BBQ where anglers enjoyed their food and few beers whilst discussing past and future forays in search of trout.

Numerous double figure trout have featured in catches over recent weeks with some large fish glimpsed in the clear water as they cruise the margins.

Andy Facey with 12lb 8oz Blakewell Rainbow

BRATTON WATER

John Vaughan took top spot at Triple Hooks Clubs Fly fishing competition at Bratton Water with a four fish bag of 12lb 4oz that included a rainbow trout of 6lb. Robbie Hancock was runner up with a four fish bag of 11lb 3oz and Dennis Toleman third with four trout for 10lb. Bags were a mixture of brown trout and rainbow trout with fish moving well early and late in the day.