Chris Bonds enjoyed a successful weekend landing a boat caught pollock of 11lb 3oz using a sidewinder sandeel and a shore caught bass of 9lb 1oz using peeler crab. The pollock takes the lead in Combe Martin SAC Lure Competition or species other than a bass.
Lure Fishing is one of the few growth areas in UK angling with this exciting branch of angling bringing new recruits into the sport each year. The crystal clear waters along the North Devon Coast this year are ideal for searching for bass and other species. Combe Martin Sea Angling Club Members are competing in a two month long competition that commenced on July 1st and culminates on September 2nd with the presentation of prizes at the clubs annual Fun Fishing Event. The competition is generously sponsored by High Street Tackle Ilfracombe who are providing a quality lure fishing rod and reel. Danny Watson is a keen lure angler and ensures that the shop has a vast stock of lures to tempt bass, pollock, mackerel and a range of other species.
IMPORTANT – Please remember that there is a total ban on retaining bass for the table.
https://www.anglingtrust.net/news.asp?section=29§ionTitle=Angling+Trust+News&itemid=4482
Some of the clubs anglers have already enjoyed some lure fishing success with Ross Stanway amongst members to land bass to over 5lb.
I have been lure fishing for bass over many seasons now and have enjoyed success from time to time with bass to almost 10lb. The excitement when a big bass hits the lure is undoubtedly addictive and the quest for the perfect lure costly. I am certain that lures catch far more anglers than fish but that’s all part of the fun. The most important feature of a lure is that it gives the angler confidence for a confident angler fishes with conviction and belief. In truth half a dozen lures will probably be all you will ever need; a few hard plastics,:- shallow diving, surface lures, soft plastics and metal lures.
Bass tempted on a surface lure.
Shallow boulder strewn shorelines are my favourite for lure fishing
Sea anglers are enjoying mixed sport along the coast with bass, mullet and smoothound. It is also good to hear reports of a few mackerel and herring from the boats.
(Below)Nick Job enjoyed a good night fishing with his mate Ian Hooper targetting smoothound they landed several hounds the best this fine specimen of 12lb 4oz. Ian landed hounds to 8lb 13oz.
(Below) Nick Phillips was targetting grey mullet when this 7lb 12oz bass seized his bread hook bait.
(Above) Nathan Clements caught this fine grey mullet on his first attempt after the species this season.
Daniel Welch took his daughter Effie fishing for grey mullet and they both enjoyed success with Dan landing the above mullet of 4lb 4oz whilst his daughter enjoyed success with a nice mullet of 3lb 3oz.
I set out on my first lure fishing session of the summer with Jeff Pearce and took him to a remote rock mark that has been kind to me in the past. I was pleased to see that the water clarity was excellent as we looked down into the bay whilst we strolled down the cliff path. We had timed our visit to coincide with low water and I knew that by the time we arrived at the far end of the bay the tide would be starting to creep in. Lure fishing sessions are generally determined by tide, light and water clarity.
By the time we reached our starting point we were both perspiring from the effort of rock hopping. Jeff was probably wondering if the effort was worth it. I clipped on my favourite shallow hard plastic lure and hopped onto a boulder. I flicked the lure thirty yards or so out and commenced an erratic retrieve. The water clarity was excellent and with my Polaroids removing glare from the water I could watch the lure as I worked it back to the waters edge. On the third cast a dark shape materialized behind the lure. The fish closed on the lure and I kept up a steady retrieve giving the lure a twitch before running out of water. Lure and bass converged, the rod hooped over as I watched the drama unfold at the end of my line. It is magical moments like this that feed the addiction of lure fishing. That moment of electrifying contact especially when its all clearly visible. 
Success so early in the session was just what we wanted and ensured that each cast was made with optimism and belief an essential ingredient in any form of angling. Jeff was into a small pollock a few casts later that that further buoyed our optimism. Half an hour later I once again felt that thrilling jolt down the line as a fish hit the lure but this time the hooks failed to take a hold. Next cast into the same spot and bang! Another bass was gyrating on the line. A similar size to the first fish that I estimated as close to 4lb.
As the tide crept in we decided to make our way back along the bay. Sadly huge rafts of weed had drifted close to the shore and rendered a large portion of the bay difficult to fish. We finished the session fishing an area of the bay that I have found seldom brings any success but with a setting sun and a couple of fish under the belt we were not complaining.
My favourite ground for lure fishing for bass is shallow and boulder strewn. Bass will swim into water barely deep enough to cover their backs and in this terrain they do not have long to inspect the lure. There are thousands of lures to choose from and lure choice is important and needs to suit the conditions so give a little thought as to what you think will work. Confidence in the lure is vitally important and this factor probably influences what is successful. I carry a handful of lures in my Snowbee sling-bag and only use one or two for 90% of my fishing. This doesn’t stop me being tempted when I visit the tackle shop where I suspect the lures catch more anglers than fish.
Danny Watson and Pauline of High Street Tackle Ilfracombe have been out fishing from their local shore marks and have enjoyed success with bass, pollock, rockling and small eels. These have been tempted using lug worm and fish baits. Danny hopes that these catches are indication that things are improving after a difficult spring. Toby Bassett has also enjoyed success a good session of bass and wrasse on lug worm. Paul Lorrimore has had a few spotted ray from the pier.
Combe Martin SAC Member Chris Bonds fished a local mark to tempt this fine bass of 8lb 1oz. The fish took crab and king rag presented on a long flowing trace. The bass was returned alive in line with current legislation that allows no bass to be retained for the table by recreational anglers.
14 Dec 2017 — Thanks to YOUR support the EU Council of Ministers has rejected the Commission’s proposal to ban members of the public fishing for sea bass in the first half of 2018. Anglers, charter boats, bass fishing guides and others will now be able to legally fish for and catch bass throughout 2018.
However, as things stand no member of the public fishing recreationally will be able to keep a single bass to eat in 2018, while commercial hook & line vessels will be able to land up to five tonnes each in 2018. This isn’t fair BUT our pressure has helped to ensure that, following the results of a science benchmarking to be completed in March, the EU Commission will reconsider whether the public should be able to retain bass for some months in the second half of 2018. We are confident that this benchmarking will reduce the estimate of the impact of angling and open the door for anglers to be allowed to keep fish to eat within sustainable limits and whilst allowing the stock to recover.
We will therefore be keeping the petition open so we can update you on progress. In the meantime, please keep sharing the petition with your friends, colleagues, family and neighbours. It has become apparent that despite the important message of the campaign, and the amazing support of nearly 18,000 people, it is extremely difficult to communicate with the estimated two million people across Europe who fish recreationally for bass.
Thanks again for your amazing support. Each one of you should be very proud of standing up for your right and helping to influence the EU decision-making process. Generations of anglers and recreational fishers to come will owe you a debt of gratitude for making a stand and defending the right of the public to access a publicly-owned resource.
For more news and information about how EAA, EFTTA and their members are representing the interests of anglers and those whose livelihoods rely on it please take the time to visit http://www.eaa-europe.org/ http://www.eftta.co.uk/
We know that angling cousins from across Europe have supported the petition. In order to help support what we do please consider joining the EAA organisation from your country which has been involved in protecting your right to fish:
France: FNPP – www.fnppsf.fr/
UK: Angling Trust – www.anglingtrust.net
Netherlands: Sportvisserij Nederland – www.sportvisserijnederland.nl/
Denmark: Danmarks Sportfiskerforbund – www.sportsfiskeren.dk/
Belgium: Sportvisserij Vlaanderen – www.sportvisserijvlaanderen.be/
Stories of big fish captures do not always make the news immediately as many anglers choose to keep success close to their chest for various reasons. This is understandable to some extent to deter the fish chasers who are inspired to head out after hearing of others hard won success. Many thanks to Tarrant Wotton for allowing me to use this story and pictures of a fantastic catch of bass made early in the year from a mark in North Devon.
The biggest three bass caught by Tarrant and his angling buddy Alex Brine weighed an impressive 12lb 5.5oz, 11lb 3oz and 9lb 5oz. The fish were all tempted on that classic bass bait of whole fresh mackerel. All of the bass were returned to water
New proposals from the European Union Commission would have a devastating impact on recreational bass fishing. Now is the time for anglers to make their voices heard. Whilst angling’s representative bodies do a great deal of work to represent anglers its is surely imperative that individuals also make their views known. There are plenty of keyboard warriors on Facebook and the like who rant and condemn saying that speaking up is a waste of time. How many of these have written to their MP? Below is a letter I have sent to our local MP. I suggest that those who care about their bass fishing do the same.
Peter Heaton-Jones MP
Member of Parliament for North Devon
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
01271 327990
Dear Peter Heaton-Jones
I have been a keen and dedicated angler for over fifty years and whilst I fish for a wide range of species I have enjoyed fishing for bass in North Devon’s coastal waters for most of my adult life.
I am Chairman of Combe Martin Sea Angling Club and run a local website www.northdevonanglingnews.co.uk I have also written an angling column in the North Devon Journal for close to twenty years.
North Devon’s coastline has a rich history as a bass angling destination and recreational sport fishing makes a significant contribution to the local economy. The proposals by the European Union Commission would have a catastrophic impact on coastal tackle shops, charter boats and the holiday trade. The majority of experienced sea anglers already practice catch and release taking just the occasional fish for the table. Anglers are on the whole passionate about the safeguarding of future fish stocks and have campaigned passionately for many decades to restrict commercial exploitation. These proposals would be an injustice that could see angling severely restricted whilst commercial fishing continues.
Many anglers will be furious at these proposals yet will not bother to voice their concerns as they feel that protesting is waste of time. I would urge you to take time to listen and show your support as our local MP.
I have included below a summary of these issues as penned by the Save Our Bass campaign.
Yours Sincerely,
Wayne Thomas
The contents below summarise my concerns regarding the future of bass angling in the UK.
I’m writing to express my serious concerns over the recent proposal by the European Union Commission that that sea anglers should no longer be allowed to retain a single bass caught in 2018 and face a complete ban on even catch & release bass angling for 6 months of the year.
This has sparked outrage amongst angling groups, tackle shops, fishing guides and charter boat skippers, particularly because the Commission is proposing that some forms of commercial fishing should continue and is clamping down hardest on the sector that has had the lowest impact on bass stocks.
Members of the public who enjoy fishing for bass from the shore or from pleasure or charter boats make a significant contribution to hard-pressed coastal economies – estimated by DEFRA to be as much as £200 million a year and far in excess of the value of the commercial fishery. Not only is it ridiculous and utterly unenforceable to suggest that anglers can stop a bass, rather than a pollock or a wrasse from biting on their bait or lure, it is monstrously unfair and completely unenforceable.
As my MP, I would like you to raise these matters in the House of Commons, if possible at the forthcoming Annual Fisheries Debate, and to write to Fisheries Minister George Eustice calling on him to:
The sea angling community and those businesses which it sustains will be most grateful for your support.”
Flounder enthusiasts are enjoying some good sport on light tackle with quality flounder from all the regular estuary marks. Combe Martin SAC Ian Laird landed several to 1lb 7oz in a recent session. 
CMSAC member Rob Pearson also targetted the flounder landing 10 to 1lb 14oz along with a fine bonus bass of 7lb.
