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NORTH DEVONS TACKLE SHOPS – Buy Local
We are very fortunate in North Devon to have some excellent fishing tackle shops providing local anglers with a wide range of tackle and bait. Tackle shops are at the heart of the local angling community providing a meeting place where anglers can pick up the tools of the trade before spending their hard earned cash. Tackle shops are also a vital social centre where anglers can mingle to plan trips to the water’s edge. I value the support given to North Devon Angling News by our local tackle shops. Over the last few days before Christmas why not pop into your local tackle shop and maybe buy a present or two and stock up with tackle for the Christmas holidays and next year’s fishing trips.
CHRISTMAS SEA COMPETITION RESULTS
CHRISTMAS SEA COMPETITION RESULTS
Thirty Five anglers fished Triple Hook Clubs Christmas Flounder Open and only six of the competitors registered flounder. N. Wilkinson won the top prize with a flounder of 1lb 8.75oz. Runner up was Taz Wotton with a flounder of 1lb 5.5oz. Mark Beer was third a flounder of 1lb 47/8oz and Rob Hancock was fourth with a flounder of 1lb 2oz and Kevin Hancock fifth with a flounder of 1lb 0.25oz and sixth Mark Hancock with a flounder of 15oz.
BIDEFORD CLUB RESULT
Stephen Found won Bideford Angling Clubs forty eight hour rover with a dogfish of 2lb 7oz. Tony Gussin took second and third with a conger of 14lb 5oz and a pouting of 1lb 1oz.
COMBE MARTIN SAC RESULT
Bull huss dominated Combe Martin SAC Christmas Competition with Ross Stanway securing top spot with a huss of 12lb 11oz. David Brooke took second and third with huss of 10lb 5oz and 9lb 14oz. Kevin Legge was fourth with a huss of 9lb 7oz.
Members also caught thick lipped grey mullet, dogfish, conger and codling.
Wistlandpound Club – Enjoy Winter Sport at Bulldog
Wistlandpound Fly Fishing Club held their Christmas Competition at Bulldog Trout Fishery with the club’s entire membership of eight competing.
The grey overcast mild conditions seemed ideal for a good day’s winter sport as members spread out around the lake to cast out into the cool clear water.
I put out a line on the water near the inlet to the lake were I have enjoyed success on previous visits. On the first two casts good sized rainbow could be seen following my fly to turn away at the last minute. I watched other anglers around the lake and noticed a couple of bent rods as is often the case at the start of the day.
After half an hour with no contact I decided upon a move to a fresh spot. I was using an olive damsel on the point and a small drab diawl bach on a dropper with an intermediate line. The move proved to be a wise one as the line soon tightened as a hard fighting rainbow seized the dropper. This was followed a few minutes later by another rainbow of close to 3lb. It seemed that I had either located the fish or they had come on the feed for within five minutes I added a 3lb 12oz rainbow to complete my three fish bag.
I spent the next half an hour chatting to fellow club members and capturing a few action shots as they too connected with the lakes hard fighting rainbows.
Fishery owner Nigel Early and his son Tom arrived at the water’s edge with delicious burgers and warming toddy, hot coffee and a tray of mince pies. Convivial chatter and Christmas cheer filled the grey winters day as we chatted of the club’s future and plans for 2024.
The enlarged trout lake has the capacity for a dozen or more anglers to fish in comfort. The clear waters offer exciting sport with rainbows presently stocked up to 8lb plus with some large browns to be introduced in the New Year.
I left the lake at lunch time with Christmas preparations pending at home. Most members had caught their three fish but a few had yet to finish.
David Richards won with three trout for 10lb 5oz. Andre Muxworthy and Dave Mock were runners up with three fish for 9lb and myself fourth with three fish for 8lb 2oz. Colin Combe banked three for 7lb 14oz.
“Don’t it always seem to go, That you don’t know what you’ve got ’till it’s gone”
Data is vital in telling a story it’s not exciting, entertaining but it can be depressing and in the case of salmon and sea trout it’s a horror story. I caught my first salmon from the River East Lyn back in 1981 a year when 22,190 salmon were landed by rod and line anglers in England and Wales. Most of these fish were killed and taken for the table.
In 2022 the total rod catch for England and Wales was 6,388 of which 6.111 were returned. I doubt if 2023 will reveal any improvement in catches. The most alarming part of this is perhaps the steep decline in stocks since 2017 with catches plummeting from 13,571 to 6,388.
I am no mathematician and I know that data can be manipulated to some extent but this is stark.
To some extent the data is impacted upon by changing fishery regulations and fishing effort.
I am often asked what is the cause and I reply its complex.
An imbalanced eco system, Survival at sea, pollution, consequences of intensive farming, habitat loss, sewage, predation, poaching, salmon farming, overfishing, climate change, pollution, disease.
Beneath each heading there are many variables but I would hazard a guess, no lets google it. The world population in 1981 was 4,524,627,658 (around 4.5 Billion) it now stands at 8,045,311,447 ( just over 8 billion). So, the common denominator is likely to be a rapidly increasing population and an obsession with increasing GDP.
Where on the political agenda is the environment?
Salmon are of course just one iconic species that anglers take pleasure in catching but they are surely an indicator of a wider decline / collapse in the natural worlds eco systems. There is a growing awareness of nature’s decline as marvellous films like Planet Earth bring nature into our sitting rooms where we watch entertained as the splendour of the natural world is revealed and tales of its demise exposed in an unfolding horror story to surpass any Hammer Horror production.
As a young angler in 1981 I thought that salmon would always be present throughout my lifetime. If I am lucky enough to live another twenty years I could witness the extinction of these magnificent fish in UK waters.
“Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got ’till it’s gone”
DATA MAKES FOR GRIM READING
Research and analysis
See Link Below
Salmonid and fisheries statistics for England and Wales 2022
Published 5 December 2023
Figure 1: Salmon stock status in England 2022
Risk value Number of rivers Percentage of total
Not at risk 1 2%
Probably not at risk 5 12%
Probably at risk 6 14%
At risk 30 71%
Is it too late? Maybe not for as nature and its demise climb up the political agenda there is a chance that those who care will do what needs to be done to address the many issues that impact upon salmon and the wider natural world. They say that where there is a will there is a way and there are some clever people out there and if given a chance nature is resilient and can recover.
SNOWBEE FESTIVE OFFERS
WINTER PERCH
Jamie Steward kick started his perch fishing campaign in style on Upper Tamar by landing these two cracking perch of 3lb 8oz and 3lb 3oz feeder fishing prawn.
The lake has great form for big perch and its great to see some quality fish still getting caught on the lake. Two 3lbers isn’t a bad way to start your campaign, best of luck to Jamie for the rest of the winter.
THREE WINTER THIRTYS _ Stafford Moor
Dan Hole and latisha Palmer banked 4 fish out up to 32lb 4oz from lodge lake on spit bay and the gap swims fish weights were a mid 20’s , 30lb 2oz, 31lb 11oz , plus the 32lb 4oz all fish caught on ldm Baits
Bideford and District Angling Club Coarse section Final Monthly, and Xmas competition.
Bideford and District Angling Club
Coarse section Final Monthly, and Xmas competition.
Results:
1st kevin Shears 37lb 8oz
2nd Warren Thornton 34lb 15oz
3rd Colin Cherrington 30lb 14oz
4th Stephen Paul Sheller 29lb 12oz
5th Roger Ackroyd 28lb 15oz
6th Les Polden 17lb 12oz
15 members fished.
George’s lake Tarka Swims was the venue for our final competition for 2023 . It has ,once again , produced a good close finish, despite the strong gusting South Westerly winds and heavy showers.
Kevin has led the field with a pole and corn approach on peg 14, Warren has fished in a similar fashion on adjoining peg 13.
Colin’s 3rd place was taken on peg 10.
Our Overall Champion for 2023 is Nathan Underwood with 126 points , second Kevin Shears 115 and 3rd Les Polden 105.
Bidefords Christmas Flounder Competition Results.
An absolutely brilliant turn out of 95 Anglers even the weather played ball in the end.
Top 20
1st Dave Atkinson 1lb 11 1/4
2nd Matt Cleverly 1lb 11
3rd Holly Allin 1lb 10
4th Andy Aspinall 1lb 9 3/4
5th Nigel Gullen 1lb 9
6th Shaun Kersey 1lb 6 3/4
7th Antony Smith 1lb 6 1/2
8th William Baker 1lb 6 1/4
9th Gary phipps 1lb 5 3/4
10th Martin John’s 1lb 5 1/2
11th Antony Smith 1lb 5 1/4
12th Lewis Collins 1lb 4 1/4
13th Ryan Mayhew 1lb 4
14th Paul Burslem 1lb 3 3/4
15th Derek Walter 1lb 3 3/4
16th Cally Horsham 1lb 3 1/2
17th Scott Bowden 1lb 3
18th Shaun Kersey 1lb 2 1/2
19th Steve Ashmore 1lb 2 1/2
20th Scott Bowden 1lb 2 1/2
Juniors
1st Holly Allin 1lb 10
2nd Cally Horsham 1lb 3 1/2
3rd Holly Allin 1lb 2
4th Preston Kersey 1lb 1 3/4
5th Ivy may mccourt 1lb 0 1/2
6th Bailey Phipps 1lb 0 1/4
7th Preston Kersey 1lb
8th Chloe Sanders 1lb
9th James clearly 15 oz
10th Frankie Kersey 14 3/4 oz
11th Alby Clements 14 1/4 oz
12th Callum Jay Mayhew 13 1/2 oz
13th Alby Clements 13 1/2 oz
14th Finley Eavis 13oz
15th Adam Pert 12 1/2 oz
16th Cally Horsham 11 1/4 oz
17th Frankie Kersey 10 3/4 oz
18th Ivy May Mccourt 10 3/4 oz
19th TJ Ashmore 10 1/2 oz
20th Jacey Ashmore 9 1/2 oz
The pool was won by No’ 42 Scott Bowden £72
Thank you ever so much to all are sponsors we couldn’t do it without you’re fantastic donations.
D S Electrical, Anglers Heaven , Clawford Lakes Resort and Spa, Devon Baits, Gabby Carp Pillows, Honeys Butchers, Parkham Cheese, The Bell Inn, Parkham, Quay Sports , James grigg, Stephen Found , Andrew Clements , Crusher, Debbie Jones , Summerlands Tackle
Also thanks to Sharon who ran the bar and the Reds Rowing Club for letting us use their facilities.
We made £530 which we will share between Chemohero and Hedwigs Hotel Hedgehog rescue.
I apologise if I’ve missed anyone or spelt any names wrong 😅
See you all next year and have a fantastic Christmas from Bideford & District Angling Club !!!