Boat anglers are enjoying fine sport off Ilfracombe with Bull Huss, spurdog and conger.
Mike Spiller with a fine spurdog caught on Reel Deal
(Below) Bull huss and spurdog caught on Bluefin
Shore fishing has been very slow in recent weeks with high pressure and calm seas not generally good conditions.
Appledore Shipbuilders March Rover
Appledore Shipbuilders March rover was won by Michael Hammett with a Ballan Wrasse of 3lb 141/4ozs. Josh Atkinson was 2nd and 3rd, also with Ballan’s of 3lb 13 3/4ozs and 3lb 131/4ozs.
After a cold start the warmed up to a lovely sunny day with light winds that suited the wrasse.
Combe Martin SAC
Wayne Thomas won Combe Martin SAC’s End of Winter Rover with a grey mullet of 2lb 13oz.
The winning fish an eel of 18lb 10oz was caught by Jonathon Stanway with his brother Ross Stanway securing runner up spot with an eel of 12lb 2oz. Third was Ollie Passmore with an eel of 11lb 15oz.
Jonathon Stanway with his winning eelOllie Passmore with his eel of 11lb 15oz
Conger dominated catches during this six hour evening competition with members fishing various marks on the North Devon Coast. The conger seemed to be on the feed in a big way. I fished with club secretary Nick Phillips and we landed close to twenty eels, sadly all were less than 10lb. I did hook what felt like a very big eel and was dismayed when the 7/0 hook I was using snapped an event that has never happened to me in over fifty years of fishing.
COMBE MARTIN SAC – AGM
Chairmans report
An interesting year with potential areas for the club to grow. The fun and species league based around Ilfracombe has generated an influx of new members and as a club we need to ensure this initial enthiusasm doesn’t dwindle away. How we do that is of course up to the members?
The core of the club is still specimen based but there has been a change in the way we fish with less social interaction and a more insular approach. Reduced access to the coastline is an issue as an increasing population leads to ever more restrictions on parking and access.
The challenges we face as a club are common to most clubs and we need to address areas where we can perhaps offer more to the membership. Though all a club really provides is a place to come together and share a common love of angling. It is a concern that Nick and I have been at the helm of the club for forty years or more! If there is a future then at some point some young revolutionaries will have to kick us out.
Fish recorders report
38 species from Ilfracombe Pier and harbour area!
Toby Bassett caught – 34 of them!!!
Specimens fish – 51 over 100%. Kyle landed – 20 of these
(49 in 2023)
Gilthead bream seem to thriving in the estuary and I suspect there were more 100% smoothound caught than recorded? A big change in what is being caught in the estuary with smoothound and gilthead bream caught as far up as Fremington Quay.
The winter fishing on the Open coast has been difficult with small conger and dogfish dominating catches. Good to see a few big pouting caught but the numbers of pouting and whiting are a fraction of those in past decades.
The summer bass fishing was good in the estuary and for some periods on the open coast.
I am hoping to see a big increase in fish recorded from the boats this season now that we have a Charter boat skipper in our midst. I would like to recruit a few new members wanting regular boat trips. As members they will have secure access to regular trips and a reasonable rate.
As regards to fish entries they are a valuable source of historical data for the club so please send in your fish. Either via email, Watts App, Messenger or good old phone.
I spent an hour or so working through the results of the 2024 Combe Martin SAC – Ilfracombe Harbour fun & Species Competition the results are below.
Well done to all who have taken part throughout the year. We had a very good uptake at the start of the year and special thanks go to Toby for his enthusiasm and efforts in recruiting new members. The number of species caught across the membership was amazing. The club sub group has added a different dimension the club and it is essential that this is continued. The club has its AGM on Friday 31st at the Mariners Arms, Braunton and it would be really good if as many as possible attend. This is your club and ideas are required.
I suggest we have a sub group coordinator or maybe a meeting at Ilfracombe for a chat and get together and maybe a combine with the first fish of the year.
To continue the club species total accumulator on both an annual and ongoing basis.
Arrange events throughout the season maybe Winter, Spring , Summer & Autumn. Plus at least one social meet at Ilfracombe in conjunction with one of these events?
Please Bring ideas to the AGM….
Total Number of species caught by club members – 38
1st – Toby Bassett – 34
2nd – Daniel Welch – 31
3rd – Ross Stanway – 30
4th – Nigel Oliver 24
5th – Gary Prout 21
6th– Lenny Lake – 19
7th Solly Welch – 18
7th – Ted Childs – 18
8th Paul Lorrimore – 13
9th – Charlie Stanway – 10
10th – Andrew Laramy -9
Zephyr Laramy – 9
Wayne Thomas – 9
11th – Jake Stanway – 7
12th – Matt Childs – 6
A sub group meeting is to held to look at how the league will proceed in 2025.
The AGM was attended by 19 club members. The only substantial change was that competition entry for standard competitions has risen to £10 reflecting changing times and relative value of money. A £5.00 entry fee had been in place for over twenty years. The increased entry fee makes the prize money more attractive.
Fifteen club members fished in Combe Martin SAC’s ten day long Festive Fish and the winning anglers found some exceptional fish. Shane Pavio Hookway secured first and second places tempting a fine tope of 43lb 6oz ( 144%) and a specimen pouting of 2lb 2oz (141%). Kyle Bishop was third with a conger of 26lb 1oz ( 130%) and Ollie Passmore forth with a bull huss of 10lb 9oz.
Members also caught rockling, bass, dogfish and turbot.
Reece Woolgar has won Combe Martin SAC’s club members annual Lure fishing league for the second consecutive year with a five bass total of 334.5cm. Reece was presented with £100 tackle voucher by Danny Watson at High Street Tackle. The club hopes to run the event to the same format next year. It is hoped that more lure anglers will join the club and take part in this event that is free to club members.
I asked Reece about his go to lures and two of his top three are pictured below.
The megabass Dark sleeper and Megabass AYU 5″ Spindleworms certainly deserve a place in any keen lure fishers lure box.
Lure fishing is certainly a fascinating branch of angling with many thousands of lures available. Danny stocks an impressive range of lures to cover every aspect and species within the UK and beyond.
The biggest bass caught during the league was this fine bass of 75cm to the rod of Wayne Thomas using a megabits AYU 5″ Spindleworm
Runner up in the lure competition was Wayne Thomas with five bass for 310 cm, Ross Stanway with five for 293cm and Dan Welch with five for 270cm.
Ross Stanway with a boat caught bass.Dan Welch with a fine shore caught bass
Combe Martin SAC members have been catching some fine specimen fish from North Devon’s rocky shoreline. Kyle Bishop registered bull huss of 11lb 11oz and 10lb 2oz. He also made the long trip to Scotland where he landed a fine skate of 136lb. Shane Hookway caught a 20lb 5oz conger at a local shore mark.
Graham Snow caught a specimen thick lipped grey mullet of 4lb 8oz.
TRIPLE HOOK CLUB OPEN RESULT
Mario Manley won Triple Hook Clubs South West Water Open with a flounder of 1lb 121/4oz. J.Martin was runner up with a flounder of 1lb 121/8oz and Mark Hancock third with a flounder of 1lb 12oz. Junior angler Max Chapel was fourth with a flounder of 1lb 111/8oz.
Combe Martin SAC held a weekend long competition for the mullet anglers in the club that was fished between seven keen members. Fishing a variety of marks a total of 32 mullet were caught over six tides.
( Above) Daniel Welch with 3lb 14oz thick lipped grey mullet
( Above ) John Avery with a 2lb 8oz grey mullet
( Above) First light Combe Martin Bay
( Above) An open coast mullet – Strange how they always seem to show between 1.5hrs and 2 hrs ebb at this particular mark ?
A colourful wrasse that took a liking for bread flake.
The winning fish, a fine specimen thick lipped grey mullet fell to the rod of Callum Gove and weighed 5lb 2oz. Daniel Welch was runner up with a thick lipped grey mullet of 3lb 14oz.
( Above ) The winning mullet of 5lb 2oz for Callum Gove
Members concentrated their efforts over high waters that coincided with first and last light each day with members fishing from pre-dawn until after dark on some tides.
The competition concluded with a full English and tea and coffee in the Pavilion.
Reece Woolgar has extended his lead in Combe Martin SAC’s Lure Fishing League tempting a fine bass of 73.5 cm. The fish had a good sized mullet of close to 30cm in its throat.
With just three weeks remaining in the competition Reece will take some beating though October is a good month for big bass.
Reece Woolgar has taken a commanding lead in Combe Martin SAC’s Lure Fishing League sponsored by High Street Tackle. Reece banked a fine brace of bass measuring 66cm and 65cm to push his combined total for five bass to 321 cm. Wayne Thomas is in runner up spot with 310cm. The league closes on October 31st with the prizes presented at High Street Tackle.
Combe Martin SAC member Kyle Bishop enjoyed success with the big rods at the end of summer landing three tope to 44lb 10oz at a North Devon Shore mark.
Fifteen club members fished in Combe Martin SAC’s ten day long Festive Fish and the winning anglers found some exceptional fish. Shane Pavio Hookway secured first and second places tempting a fine tope of 43lb 6oz ( 144%) and a specimen pouting of 2lb 2oz (141%). Kyle Bishop was third with a conger of 26lb 1oz ( 130%) and Ollie Passmore forth with a bull huss of 10lb 9oz.
