Combe Martin Sea Angling Club Members Kevin Legge and Derek Ferret have a knack of finding quality fish from the North Devon shoreline throughout the year. their latest catches include a 9lb 10oz bull huss to Kev and a 7lb 4oz bass for Derek!
Spring Ray dominate Rover
James Thomas won Combe Martin Sea Angling Clubs Spring Rover with a specimen small eyed ray weighing 11lb 13oz. James father Wayne Thomas took second and third places with a small eyed ray scaling 9lb 10oz and blonde ray of 14lb 2oz. The fish were all caught off Minehead aboard Steve Webber’s boat Osprey. The clubs party landed around 25 ray, small eyed, thornback and blonde ray. They also landed smoothound, bull huss and dogfish.
Shore anglers in the competition landed several quality fish the best and fourth place in the competition went to Daniel Welch who landed a small ray of 9lb 5oz. This bodes well for the clubs open competition at Putsborough beach next month.
COMBE MARTIN SAC – End of Winter Rover
With sport dropping off on the coast there was a low turnout for this club event with just seven members fishing marks all along the coast. Bites were few and far between for some members with small conger and dogfish providing most sport. Rob Scoines fished small baits close in to successfully target rockling landing close to a dozen the best three weighing 1lb 2oz, 1lb 1oz and 15oz to take the top three places.
SLIPPERY AS AN EEL
Combe Martin SAC member Ross Stanway fished a rock mark near Ilfracombe and hooked a specimen conger weighing 22lb 8.5oz after carefully weighing the eel in a weigh sack it was time for a photo. The eel proved camera shy and took its opportunity upon being released from the weigh sack and in Ross’s words; “Took off like a Bob sleigh team down over the rocks.”
The eel was one of twelve eels caught with four of them over 10lb.
(Above) 10lb eel that posed for the camera!
Ilfracombe shore marks are producing conger, whiting, dogfish and occasional ray. Proceed with caution particular if fishing at Capstone one of North Devon’s most productive marks but also one with many dangers.
LATEST SEA ANGLING NEWS
There is still time to hook into a spurdog from shore marks all along the North Devon Coast and with things roughing up this week and evening tides and expect to get a few reports. Kevin Pike rose early at the weekend to tempt a fine spurdog of 10lb 4oz. Many thanks to Kevin for letting me use this excellent image.
Combe Martin SAC members fished their roving match at Clovelly on Saturday 28th January and it was Matt Jeffery who won the mixed brace competition with a plump dab of 11.5oz and a whiting of 1lb. The hoped for spurdog failed to materialize though Matt confided that something grabbed a whiting on his last cast of the night.
GUY BAGS A BRACE OF BLONDES
Combe Martin SAC Member and shore caught stingray record holder Guy Spriggs ended 2016 in style landed a fine brace of blonde ray scaling 12lb 4oz and 16lb. The fish were landed on 30th 31st December.
NEWS YEARS DAY- CMSAC- ENDURE ICY BLAST
Thirteen members of Combe Martin Sea Angling Club set forth to fish as an icy cold North Easterly Wind lashed the coast. Fishing was hard going for most but Colin Emery and Liam Stevens consulted Google Maps to find a sheltered mark where they found some sport. Colin secured the top three spots with a specimen bull huss scaling 10lb 12oz and a plump dogfish of 3lb 2oz and a conger of 17lb 4oz.
COMBE MARTIN SAC _ CHRISTMAS COMPETITION
Eighteen club members fished in Combe Martin SAC’s Christmas Rover and it was a grey mullet caught by Daniel Welch that took top spot.
A few years ago few would have considered fishing for grey mullet at the end of December but times are changing and five members targetted the species. Dan’s mullet of 3lb 7oz was the only one landed though despite several bites.
The local rock marks produced a variety of species including whiting, pollock, dogfish, huss and conger. Larger species were hard to find though and it was Rob Scoines who took runner up spot with a rockling of 1lb 6oz. In third was Dan Spearman with a bull huss of 7lb 10oz and in forth Rob Scoines with a bass of 3lb 15oz.
Bull huss wins Combe Martin Competition
A bitter North East wind blew down through the Bristol Channel making fishing conditions difficult for the dozen who booked into Combe Martin Sea Angling Clubs Lee to Lee Competition on Sunday 27th November. I was fortunate to take top spot with a specimen bull huss weighing 10lb 9oz that was tempted on high water using an Ammo Bluey, mackerel and squid cocktail presented on a pennel rig using 6/0 Sakuma Manta Extras. Thanks to Rob Scoines who got soaked through whilst netting the fish amidst a torrent of spray.
Wayne Thomas – bull huss 10lb 9oz
Daniel Welch took second spot in the competition with a pouting of 15oz and Ross Stanway third with a dogfish of 1lb 11oz. Daniel Welch also landed a pleasing pollock of 2lb 10.5oz. A few other dogfish, rockling and small conger were landed.
COMBE MARTIN SAC – FISH OF THE MONTH – OCTOBER
Wayne Thomas took top spot in Combe Martin Sea Angling Clubs Fish of the Month Competition with a thick lipped grey mullet scaling 5lb 2oz.
In runner up spot was Daniel Welch with another thick lipped grey mullet of 5lb 1oz and in third Ross Stanway with a tope scaling 34lb 1oz.
November has already got a few good fish on the board and if weather permits I feel sure there will be some quality fish caught with November historically one of the best months of the year for specimen fish.