Combe Martin SAC members Daniel Welch and his son Solly had great fun mullet fishing landing a number of fish between them the two biggest came in the first hour of fishing both on float fished bread Solly had a personal of 4lb 4oz and about 20minutes later Daniel hooked a good fish as well which also weighed 4lb 4oz.
The Half Moon Inn at Sheepwash has long been at the heart of the River Torridge angling community and a meeting place for the River Torridge Fishery Association. Many of the anglers who visit the Torridge to cast a line have been visiting for decades migrating to this old fishing Inn in Spring and Autumn.
In Springtime the AGM greets a new season, plans are made for the coming months as swallows arrive to swoop over the spring countryside as life springs forth after winters chill. In early Autumn fishers return for the annual dinner as the swallows depart reflecting upon the season just past.
The salmon season of 2022 will go down in history as one of the worst on record with a long drought keeping the river low throughout most of the season. Fortunately, the Torridge angling community is still bound by its traditions and the Half Moon Inn is an integral part of that bond. Fishing Inns are sadly dwindling along with the iconic salmon that face an uncertain future as many factors combine to thwart a heroic drive to survive.
Pauline and I sat down with forty guests to enjoy a delicious meal sharing stories of life, fishing and the Torridge. Joining the association this year was author Mark Wormald whose excellent book ‘The Catch’ I read earlier this year. The book delves back into the life of the late Ted Hughes, poet Laurette who fished many waters with passion the Torridge being one of his favourite haunts. It was good to chat briefly with Mark about his book that is available to buy at the Half Moon where 50% of any purchase will be donated to the River Torridge Fishery Association. Mark pays several visits to the Half Moon throughout the books narrative with Charles Inniss and Adam vital stars of the books strong cast of characters.
Whilst stories of recent fish were scarce fish from other tributaries of angling provided vital piscatorial content with carp, bass, perch and the occasional trout peppering discussions.
As Pauline and I left on the Sunday morning Autumn sunshine illuminated the village square. I paused to note the plaque that commemorated the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ 1953. It seemed rather poignant to note this just a week after Her Majesty’s Funeral.
Just a few days remain of the 2022 salmon season on the Taw and Torridge and soon it is hoped rain will fall swelling the rivers and bringing salmon forging to the redds that will ensure the future of both salmon and the community that is brought together by their presence in the rivers.
September 2022
Water levels have continued to fall (in some cases well below 40%) in spite of some welcome interludes of rain, meaning that large expanses of muddy banks have been exposed, and anglers are reminded to be aware of the dangers of soft mud. Water temperatures are still high, and the trout, rainbows in particular, are still not particularly eager to look at a fly, and are generally in the cooler deeper parts of the lakes. We should start to see an improvement in the fishing with fresher conditions and cooler nights now prevailing.
Fishing:
Kennick – Boat anglers continue to achieve the best results, with the deeper waters in Boat, Poplar, and Clampitts Bays producing the best sport. Either sinking lines or floating lines with a long leader fished with a slow retrieve in mid-water produced results, using either a variety of Damsel Nymph patterns or Black Tadpoles. Simon Emery (from Winkleigh) caught three rainbows to 3lb using an Olive Damsel fished on a sinking line and slow retrieve, while Chris Whiteman (from Exeter) caught a 2lb 8oz rainbow on a Green Damsel.
Burrator – Sheepstor, Longstone Bay, Pigtrough, and Discovery Point proved to be the best locations to fish, with anglers favouring floating lines with a sink-tip, and a variety of nymph (Blue Flash Damsel, Claret Buzzer) and lure patterns (Orange FAB, Viva, and Cruncher). Alan Bachelor, along with two companions, caught fourteen rainbows to 2lb, while Jon Rood (from Plymouth) caught three rainbows to 2lb using an Orange FAB, with an Orange Blob on the dropper, fishing from Sheepstor Bank.
Stithians – Water levels are very low here – at the time of writing only 25% full. The Dam area, Sluice Bank, and North Bank have produced the best sport, with Black Pennell, Goat’s Toe, and Dunkeld fished on a sink-tip line taking fish, while browns have risen to Daddylonglegs patterns.
Fernworthy – The recent rain has meant that the water level in this high Moorland reservoir has started to rise, with some fish activity. Nick Hawkins (from South Brent) caught two nice browns to 2lb 4oz using a sunk Kate McLaren on a slow retrieve.
Colliford – The fishery continues to buck the trend, with anglers averaging 4.7 fish per rod, and fish well spread out around the lake (Browngelly Bay, Lords Waste, and East Bank producing a lot of catches). Fish are being tempted to take dry patterns (Foam Beetles, Bobs Bits, Foam Daddies, Black Gnats and Small Sedges) fished on a floating line and long leader, as well as sub-surface patterns (Gold-head Daddies, Diawl Bachs, Soldier Palmers, Montanas, and Buzzers). Chris Tilyard (from Fradden) caught ten browns to 2lb 11oz in an early morning session using a Soldier Palmer and Zonka.
Roadford – Sport at Roadford continues to improve, with anglers averaging 6.7 browns per rod in one week. Daveys Bank, East Wortha, and the South Bank produced the best sport, with fish taking a variety of patterns (including Black Hoppers, Ginger Shipmans, Soldier Palmer, Zulu, and Black Tadpole) on floating lines. Dean Boucher (from Gunnislake) caught thirteen browns to 1lb 4oz in one session on pulled wets (Soldier Palmer, Zulu, and Black Tadpole) fishing a floating line. Rodney Wevill (from Launceston) caught seven browns on a floating line with static and medium retrieves.
I met with Ashley Bunning at Lower Slade Reservoir to discuss his new role as head of angling with South West Lakes Trust. Ashley is a very keen all-round angler much like myself and we had plenty to chat about as we walked around the reservoir. Ashley’s new role encompasses Game and Coarse fishing across the South West.
Ashley is very keen to promote angling across the region focussing in particular on encouraging young people into angling with school days a strong possibility. The lakes across the region provide a wealth of angling opportunities for pleasure, Match, Carp and specimen hunters. Getting a balance across all persuasions can be difficult and it is often difficult to please everyone. Being a keen angler himself Ashley has plenty of ideas and has plenty of contacts across the angling world. He acknowledges that there are challenges and that there is ground to make up following the departure of Ben Smeeth last year.
The popular Carp Fishing competitions sponsored by Mainline are due to return next year at Upper Tamar and I will have full details on NDANs as soon as these are officially announced. I might even take part myself!
The reservoirs across the South West offer a wide range of unique fishing opportunities and Ashley is keen to expand these where possible if budgets allow. These are difficult times and as a potential recession impacts upon us all fishing will undoubtedly be affected. It is also worth remembering that angling can be a relatively inexpensive pastime that has great benefits for both physical and mental health.
The social media platforms are to be reinvigorated over the coming months and I hope to share any news on North Devon Angling News. South West Lakes Trust have taken over the running of the famous Royalty Fishery at Christchurch where many historical catches have been made.
Angling is of course not the only pastime that uses the lakes and tolerance is essential if everyone is to enjoy their time at the water.
I spotted this on the Lyn Valley History groups Facebook Page a common skate caught off Lynmouth in 1922. I wrote of the capture of skate off Lynmouth in my book “I Caught A Glimpse” published in 2019. There are a limited number left with the publishers if you would like to purchase a copy.
Looking back at the potential of fishing off North Devon 100 years ago can be depressing for in this relatively short chapter in natures book we have lost a huge amount due to mankind’s irresponsible disregard for the natural world and its complex ecosystems This was the general theme of a talk I attended with our son James last weekend. The complex issues facing the world today were highlighted in a fascinating and at times humorous talk by my good friend Dr Mark Everard. His book “Rebuilding the Earth” is well worth reading.
The River East Lyn one hundred years ago would have been full of salmon and sea trout in numbers that seem unbelievable today. In the past 50 years the salmon runs have crashed to an all time low. This exceptionally long dry summer has resulted in salmon waiting in the bay for a summer spate where they have been prey to seals. Some have succumbed to disease and have been feasted upon by seagulls.
There are perhaps glimmers of hope as nature struggles on and at times species recover or move into waters where a change in the food chain opens a window of opportunity. After a commercial ban porbeagle shark seem to be recovering and there are even good numbers of tuna visiting the waters off the South West. Pioneering local skipper Dan Hawkins has been searching for these huge fish from Ilfracombe travelling to the fringes of the Atlantic with considerable success with shark. If fishery’s are sustainably managed fish stocks and eco-systems can recover.
I purchased a book on the history of Lynton and Lynmouth by John Travis shortly before commencing this book. Contained within its pages is a chapter on “Holiday Pleasures” and within this section a reference to “Monsters from the Deep”. An old photograph shows a multiple catch of huge common skate. Reading through this fascinating narrative it becomes apparent that these huge fish were once a common feature of boat angling trips off Lynmouth in and around 1900. Cecil Bevan a local hotelier took angling parties out in his boat Kingfisher. On December 1st 1908 he set a record catch of 675lb that included 35 conger, two skate, four cod fish and a pollock. The book contains a fascinating account of a day on the boat written by a local journalist.
Within this account he tells of a skate caught that weighed 196lb.
A friend found further evidence of the skate and porbeagle fishing in the book, “Saltwater Game Fishes of the World and Illustrated history”. Within the pages of this tome are a couple of pictures from the “Fishing Gazette” July 4th 1896 that show a huge skate and a catch of large cod and conger.
Local angler Bob Harrop fished over the sandbanks off Lynmouth in the 1970’s and tells me that he hooked a couple of large skate that he estimated to weigh around 50lb. During this time and in the years running up to this he tells me that the banks were much bigger. Heavy dredging for building sand is believed to be a major factor in the reduction of the banks. It is told that at one time the banks became exposed at low water to such an extent that a cricket match was once played upon the sands!
The banks can at times provide exciting bass fishing during late autumn. Ray can also be caught from the banks with blonde, spotted and small eyed regularly hooked. Large skate are probably a feature of the past but who knows perhaps they will return.
The Lynton and Lynmouth book also contains a picture of a porbeagle shark. These hard fighting predators have been caught off North Devon’s coastline on a regular basis for many years. The top area for these sharks is probably the area off Hartland Point at the mouth of the Bristol Channel.
https://thelittleegretpress.co.uk/product/i-caught-a-glimpse-ltd-edition-hardback/
BDAC 6th course feeder match results date 18th September. 12 anglers fished and fishing was very hard with the colder nights now coming in and the fish not wanting to feed much. The weights was not so good with some not weighing in this month. First place today went to Nigel spurr on peg 6 with a mixed net of fish for 11lbs 3oz 2nd place was Colin Gorman on peg 16 with 9lbs 15oz 3rd place was Keith copland on peg 11 with 9lbs 13oz and 4th place was Richard Jefferies on peg 19 with 8lbs 12oz this was the last of the 6 feeder matches in this series. Well done on your win today Nigel spurr. The winner of the 6 matches on points was John Lisle with 60 points and second place went to Keith Copland with 56 points.
Earlier in the Summer I had enjoyed some success with carp on the Fly at the club Lake so before the Autumn set in I was keen to once again try my hand with the fly. A brisk North wind was blowing as I arrived at the Lake with white clouds scurrying across a blue sky. The occasional swallow swooped over the water a sight I savoured knowing that in a few weeks they will swooping over the vast plains of Africa where buffalo, Lions and elephants roam.
I had come armed with a 7/8 weight Fly Rod, a floating line and a 10lb leader. A deerhair Fly tyed to imitate a dog biscuit was tied on. I catapulted a steady stream of Krill floaters on the lake and watched the water carefully. I was concerned that the cool wind would put the fish down but within a minutes a few carp started to slurp down the loose offerings.
Once the carp were feeding confidently I put out the fly and waited in anticipation. I didn’t have too long to weight before carp appeared and sucked in my fly. I strip striked and was thrilled to feel the power as the carp surged away. I kept a tight line putting on as much pressure as I dared allowing the line to cut through the dense weed. After a tussle the a mirror carp of around 13lb was safely in the net its bronze and gold flanks a refection of the coming season.
After landing the carp I had to wait another half an hour before the carp began to feed again. A low double succumbed after missing numerous takes as the carp seemed to have an uncanny knack of ejecting the fly before I could set the hook.
Two more carp and a small tench ( a first on the fly) followed before I ran out of time and headed for home.
James asked me the night before our trip; why do you lot have to get up so early? The view the following morning as we bounced across the water on another fishing adventure aboard Reel Deal was I thought answer enough.
We were targeting porbeagle shark today from the renowned grounds off the North Cornish coast an area that once provided superb sport for members of the Appledore Shark Angling Club back in the 1960’s and 1970’s. During those days shark angling practices were less enlightened than today and all shark were slaughtered with many shark sold at market to pay for the angler’s sport. Fortunately, a ban on commercial fishing for the species and catch and release practiced by all anglers the shark have made a strong recovery. All shark caught are now released at the side of the boat with circle hooks used by all responsible anglers.
Dan Hawkin’s skipper of Reel Deal Charters is a pioneering skipper keen to explore the grounds reachable from Ilfracombe and has explored the potential that is available. I had booked this trip with Dan over twelve months ago and had fitted in with two keen shark fishers who had come fully equipped with their own gear. I had brought with me my son James Thomas, and good friends Peter Robinson and Bruce Elston.
Anticipation was high as we passed Hartland Point and cruised into the Atlantic Waters at the mouth of the Bristol Channel. Dan cut the engines a few miles off the Cornish coast and busied himself setting up our sharking tackles. The two anglers we had joined fished their rods carefully amongst our four rods. James, Bruce, Peter and I drew numbers to determine who would go first. Bruce drew 1, James 2, Peter 3 and myself 4.
Six baits were set up at various distances from the boat the furthest set deep and the closer baits proportionately shallower. As Dan started to prepare the frozen block of rubby dubby his keen eye caught sight of a dorsal fin cutting through the waves. Shortly after the rod tip pulled over and the float disappeared from sight and Bruce picked up the rod to set the circle hook.
Frustratingly the hook failed to take a hold and we learnt how wily these large porbeagle shark can be. A few minutes later Bruce was given another chance and hooked into a shark that came off after a short tussle. We decided that we would if possible allow each of us to bring a shark to the boat but if the shark was hooked we would allow two hook ups before passing onto the next angler.
A few minutes after Bruce was in action again and this time he endured a long battle with a large porbeagle. These fish battle far harder than blue shark testing both angler and tackle to the limit. Eventually the wire trace was brought within reach and a specimen porbeagle was at the side of the boat. The fish was neatly hooked in the scissors and was released after grabbing a quick picture of the fish with Bruce leaning through the gate.
This was certainly a very encouraging start to the day. After a short lull it was James’s turn and after an aborted take another run soon developed. This time James made contact and was connected to a very powerful fish that gave him a long and tiring workout for twenty minutes or more.
Eventually the heavy wire trace appeared boat side and Dan grabbed the trace pulling the fish into view. It was a big shark and we were dismayed to see that it had a large wound around its body. A strip of white plastic was wrapped around the shark’s body. Dan was determined to remove the torturous plastic from the shark. With the shark on the port side of the boat It was now necessary to bring the shark to the starboard side.
This appeared to give the shark a second wind at is point and it battled gamely for another twenty minutes before being brought to open gate. The fish was then swiftly brought on board where Dan got to work with a pair of scissors to remove the piece of plastic strapping that had cut cruelly into the shark’s body. Whilst on board the shark was quickly measured and dowsed with sea water before a quick photo. The measurements gave a predicted weight of 179lb. The fish was then slid carefully back into the sea to hopefully recover from its wounds free of the plastic that had been so carelessly dumped.
Many thanks to James for allowing me to add his account of the trip and for Peter, Bruce and James in providing additional images.
A great days fishing out of Ilfracombe. Perfect conditions to be out on a boat and amazing scenery as we steamed out to the fishing mark. Searching for a fish that I’d never caught before yesterday the Porbeagle Shark 
. When it came to my turn to take the rod the float dipped and the fish was on. The sheer power was quite remarkable… when I got the fish to the side of the boat where they are normally released straight away to keep any stress on the fish to a minimum we noticed some plastic around it’s gills. Dan the skipper brought the fish aboard snipped off the plastic and after a very quick photo we released the fish back into the water hopefully to fully recover from the tangle of plastic. Was shocking to see the damage caused by such a small piece of rubbish and shows the importance of reducing our plastic usage and dumping into the oceans. A great day, good company, stunning scenery and a fish I’ll never forget. Thanks Daniel Hawkins and Wayne Thomas.
With two shark by 1.00pm our hopes were high for another couple of shark and it was Peters turn to take up the rod when a run came.
The boat drifted pushed by tide and wind a slick of oily scent calming the water in the wake of the boat. Whilst shark were top of the agenda lures, feathers and mackerel bait tempted bass in good numbers with fish to six pound plus brought to the boat. A couple of bass were retained for the table.
We chatted and relaxed watching the occasional gannet gliding above the vast ocean. At any moment we expected a float to plunge beneath the water or a rod to keel over as a porbeagle hit the baits. Dan kept us topped up with hot tea and coffee as we waited in tense expectation.
As the afternoon ebbed away our time ran out and Dan called time expressing disappointment at the quietness of the afternoon. The run back to Ilfracombe went surprisingly quickly as we passed familiar landmarks of the North Devon coast. Hartland Point at the mouth of the Bristol Channel, the dunes and estuary mouth of Bideford Bay. The headlands of Baggy Point, Morte Point and Bull Point and the spectacular cliffs between Lee Bay and Ilfracombe.
It had been a great day with couple of special fish along with silver bass, good company and spectacular scenery. I look forward recommencing the search again next year weather and life permitting.
A new Lake record carp for lodge lake at Stafford Moor. Steve Tancock caught this 43lb beauty using Mainline cell boilies , there were 4 other witnesses on the lake to verify the weight , Steve popped in the day before and said it was quiet up on the lake then had a few out including a 28lb, 32lb, 35lb then smashed it with this 43lb!
