1 Sep 2024

CMSAC – FUN FISH 2024

by Wayne Thomas | posted in: Articles, At the Waters Edge, Sea Angling, Sidebar, Young At Heart | 0

Hard to believe that its Autumn and yet another CMSAC Fun Fish is over. Twenty three anglers braved the initially inclement weather to join the fun of fishing. The forecast gave a warm calm morning with the slight chance of a shower! Wrong; the fishing that commenced at 10:30am was greeted by heavy rain, grey sky and a gusty east wind. Many like myself had looked at the forecast and not even packed a waterproof! After forty odd years of fishing I really should know better!

Despite the weather there were broad smiles as anglers of all ages cast their lines into the harbour from the landing stages of the old pier. The Fun Fishing Competition was run on a simple points basis with 3 points for the first of each species, 2 for the second and 1 for the third. There were also prizes for heaviest fish, longest fish and family with most points.

*Mat Mander and Club Secretary Nick Philips*

Combe Martin Sea Angling Club give grateful thanks to the events sponsors, High Street Tackle, Barnstaple Bait and Tackle and Ilfracombe Aquarium. Our guest Mat Mander Chief Officer of Devon and Severn Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority once again made the long journey from South Devon to join us all on the pier. Mat gave valuable advice to young anglers and was on hand to take any questions about the sterling work undertaken by D & S IFCA.

https://www.devonandsevernifca.gov.uk

There were good numbers of fish caught from the start with ballan wrasse, pouting, poor cod, pollock and small red bream among the catch’s. The stars of the day were the young anglers who delighted in catching the fish with some catching their first ever fish!

I was asked by several about what tackle and tactics to employ for starting off and my advice is to start off with a cheap LRF outfit and target the small fish that abound close to pier. It is possible to get set up with a serviceable outfit for less than £100. I will try and put together a short feature on this in the near future.

Our local tackle shops High Street Tackle and Barnstaple Bait & Tackle are great places to call in for advice with a wide range of suitable tackle and bait in stock.

The exciting thing about the fun fish is seeing what each year produces. This year the appearance of small red bream was a first for the event. There were no mackerel or garfish caught which was a surprise as this summer has been quite good. One year a big fish will undoubtedly show!

Ilfracombe Aquarium donated a family entry to the event and were delighted to receive red bream and corkwing wrasse to house in the aquarium.

Hopefully Nick and I will be dashing around the pier again next Sea-Ilfracombe Festival with camera and clip board. Thank you to all who joined in to make this year another success.

*An Array of prizes from High Street Tackle & Barnstaple Bait and Tackle.*

Winning Family – Stanway Family – 46 points

Heaviest Fish – Jake Stanway – Ballan Wrasse 9oz

Longest Fish – Ted Childs – Corkwing wrasse – 20.5 cm

Winning Angler Ben Clark – 32 points

Runners up –

Ross Stanway – 29 points

Solly welch – 23 Points

Ted Childs – 20 Points

George Gove – 18 Points

Jake Stanway – 17 Points

Dave Welch – 14 points

Finlay Stanway – 13 points

Ollie Hunter – 11 points

Callum Gove – 11 points

Bella Mitchell – 11 Points

Beth Hunter – 9 Points

Archie Cameron – 8 points

Louis Cameron – 8 Points

Aaron Birchall – 3 points

Jack Philips – 3 points

Lila Mitchell – 3 points

Species Caught : – 12

Pollock

Pouting

Poor Cod

Ballan wrasse

Corkwing wrasse

Red Bream

Whiting

Shore rockling

Rock goby

Tompot-blenny

Shanny

Number of fish – 96 Fish – 23 Anglers

5 Apr 2024

CMSAC – ILFRACOMBE FUN AND SPECIES- Latest

by Wayne Thomas | posted in: Article, Articles, At the Waters Edge, Sea Angling, Sidebar | 0

Close to half a dozen members of Combe Martin SAC met up at Ilfracombe Pier for the second pop up fishing session of the Ilfracombe Harbour and Fun Species League. The ongoing dismal Spring weather failed to dent members enthusiasm and I was delighted to find a good number of Junior anglers amongst members attending.

The new format has proved a great success with club members registering an amazing 32 species of fish since February 1^st. As this period coincides with what many consider to be the worst time of year for sea fishing off the North Devon coast this is very encouraging.

The leading club members at present are Toby Bassett on 24 species with Daniel Welch and Ross Stanway 22 species each. Gary Prout and Solly Welch are currently joint third on 12. Though this is changing daily and I am struggling to keep up!

With heavy rain pending I was keen to present the prizes for the February and March competitions kindly donated by Danny Watson at High Street Tackle Ilfracombe. The February prize for most species went to Daniel Welch with 22 species and the prize for the best picture also went to Daniel Welch with his stunning picture of a scorpion fish.

*Daniel Welch winner in February and March.*

The monthly raffle prize kindly donated by Quay Sports was won by Toby Bassett.

The water clarity was excellent and as the tide ebbed an abundance of fish were swung onto the pier. Several dogfish were caught by Lenny Lake who has taken an early lead in the April competition which is for the longest fish.

*Ross Stanway carefully measures Lenny lakes doggie.*

Young Solly Welch caught a number of fish adding a shore rockling to his growing species tally that includes a rare topknot and clingfish.

Andrew Laramy caught a plaice.

Ted Childs caught several blenny’s fishing from the Piers inner basin. Inspired by young Ted I added a common blenny to my modest tally of species.

I was pleased to add a common blenny to my tally. As the tide ebbed and the light faded the catch rate dropped and members slowly returned home to dry out.

The gig rowers and Lifeboat exercise added life to the Maritime scene.

It had been an enjoyable evening and I look forward to the next event that will probably be held on a Sunday morning the plan being to alternate monthly between morning and evening.

17 Mar 2024

Combe Martin SAC Fun and Species

by Wayne Thomas | posted in: Sea Angling, Sidebar | 0

Combe Martin SAC are holding a pop up fishing event at Ilfracombe Pier on Saturday March 23rd. Whilst it is a club members only event prospective new members are welcome to come along for a chat and perhaps enter into the Fun and species league.

2 Feb 2024

COMBE MARTIN SAC – ILFRACOMBE HARBOUR FUN & SPECIES

by Wayne Thomas | posted in: Sea Angling, Sidebar, Uncategorised | 0

Combe Martin SAC have launched a new fishing community project with the help of keen species enthusiast Toby Bassett. The new fun fishing event was launched on February 1^st on Ilfracombe Pier with local anglers starting an 11 month long species hunt that encourages anglers to catch as many species as possible from Ilfracombe Harbour area.

The essence of the fun fishing league is to encourage local anglers to socialise and share knowledge. Local business are supporting the event with prizes already pledged from Ilfracombe Aquarium, High Street Tackle, Turton’s Butchers and Quay Sports.

A pop up fishing event to get the event started was attended by a mixture of old and new club members. The weather was kind with a clear sky and a calm sea. Nine species of fish were caught during the three hours including; common shanny, rock goby, pouting, whiting, conger, dogfish, ballan wrasse, plaice, pollock and shore rockling. Prizes donated by High Street Tackle were awarded to Ross Stanway who caught the most species on the day. To Zephyr Laramy the most fish caught by a Junior and the smallest fish prize was awarded to Toby Bassett who caught a tiny common shanny using a size 16 hook!

*Ross Stanway caught 7 species during the launch day event*

*The smallest fish of the night to Toby Bassett*

The intention is to hold a pop up event once a month that will be picked to coincide with a suitable tide and hopefully good weather. Notice will be sent to club members seven days prior to the event. The competition runs until December 31^st 2024 with major prizes to be presented early in 2025. Sponsors will be donating prizes with High Street Tackle providing a small prize each month for a category to be decided each month. February prize will be for the most species registered. March will be for the best photograph.

*A whiting was my first fish of the event.*

*Even this tackle twisting conger brought a smile as every species counts!*

This is not a pure LRF competition as all accepted angling methods are encouraged with bait as well as lures. The use of LRF tactics is a branch of angling that undoubtedly opens an entirely new dimension to sea angling with some becoming totally addicted to the pursuit of the range of species available. It is going to be fascinating to explore the vast range of species that dwell within Ilfracombe waters. We will be sharing our results with the local Aquarium and hope to provide a few exhibits for their extensive display tanks.

We packed away as the flooding tide pushed us off the lower landings. James and I headed to the Bay-side Burger Bar to round off an enjoyable session savouring our spicy chicken and fries in the shadow of Verity.

2 Sep 2023

Its Fun Fish Time at Ilfracombe – Sunday September 3rd 2023

by Wayne Thomas | posted in: At the Waters Edge, Sea Angling, Sidebar, Young At Heart | 0

COMBE MARTIN SAC FUN FISH – The weather is looking perfect for the Fun Fish on Ilfracmbe Pier with sunshine and light winds forecast . We have guests on the day including Mat Mander Chief Officer of Devon & Severn Inshore Fisheries & Conservation Authority, Dean Asplin from the Angling Trust and representatives from the Coastguard and RNLI who focus on water safety.

Bring along a rod and enter the fun fishing competition or just come along for a chat with club members and our guests. Its only two hours and once a year. There is also lots to explore around Ilfracombe’s Sea Ilfracombe Festival.

The event is generously supported by High Street Tackle Ilfracombe with an array of superb prizes for the competitors.

Ilfracombe Aquarium. https://ilfracombeaquarium.co.uk

Below an array of top quality prizes from HIgh Street Tackle.

12 Aug 2023

Combe Martin SAC Fun Fish 2023

by Wayne Thomas | posted in: Sea Angling, Sidebar, Young At Heart | 0

Combe Martin SACs annual Fun Fishing Event coincides with the Sea Ifracombe Festival. This years special guests include Mat Mander from the D & S IFCA, Dean Asplin from the Angling Trust and hopefully members of the Local Coastguard and RNLI. There will be a friendly competition as in past years and the opportunity to talk with local anglers and our special guests.

The club look forward to meeting up with local anglers as participants or just for a chat on the day.

The event is free to enter. All junior anglers must be accompanied by an adult.

5 Sep 2022

FUN FISHING 2022

by Wayne Thomas | posted in: Sea Angling, Sidebar, Young At Heart | 0

Combe Martin SAC hosted their annual Fun Fish on Ilfracombe Pier in conjunction with the 2022 Sea Ilfracombe festival. The event was once again a resounding success with several families taking part in the Fun Species competition.

Special guests on the day included Mat Mander Chief Officer of Devon & Severn Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority and the Ilfracombe Area Coastguard. The event gave the opportunity for members of the public the talk with the guests about the valuable work that they do.

The event was generously supported by High Street Tackle, The Angling Trust and Ilfracombe Aquarium.

The whole aim of the event is to give the opportunity for young anglers and their families to participate in angling. The Angling Trust provided Certificates, Angling books and caps. High Street Tackle provided a top prize for the overall winner of the event along with numerous prizes for all who took part. Ilfracombe Aquarium gave a family entry to be used by the winning family at a time of their choosing.

The competition started promptly at 3.00pm as the tide receded from the landing stages. Close to twenty anglers of all ages cast out and fish came regularly from the start. Eight species were registered including, pollock, ballan wrasse, pouting, corkwing wrasse, rock goby, tompot blennies, Shanny and dragonette.

Smiling faces lit up what was at times a grey afternoon as dark clouds drifted above with occasional drizzle.

Small ragworm baits proved most effective with mackerel and squid also producing good numbers of fish.

The competition closed at 5.00pm with the prize presentation at 5:15pm.

The winning individual was Effie Welch who was presented with a superb Rockfish LRF rod and reel donated by High Street Tackle. The winning family were the Stanway family, Ross, Charlie and Jake who received a family ticket for Ilfracombe aquarium.

All junior anglers who took part received a prize and each family were presented with a book on Angling from the Angling Trust.

The club hope to host the event again next year and thank all those who made the effort to attend.

3 Sep 2022

Combe Martin SAC Fun Fishing

by Wayne Thomas | posted in: Sea Angling, Sidebar, Young At Heart | 0

Top prize in tomorrows Fun Fish competition is a Rockfish LRF Rod and reel worth over £80.00. Special thanks to High Street Tackle. Plenty of other goodies plus a family Aquarium ticket. Special guest is Mat Mander from Devon & Severn IFCA. I have free starter rigs and bait supplied by CMSAC. There will be a limited number of light rods set up to use.

The Angling Trust have supported the event and there will be Certificates and books for entrants.

Competition is a fun friendly event top prize is for most points,

2 points per species with 1 point per fish for next two of each species. Only 3 fish of each species to count.

Longest fish

Heaviest Fish

22 Aug 2022

FUN FISH 2022

by Wayne Thomas | posted in: Sea Angling, Sidebar, Uncategorised, Young At Heart | 0

Combe Martin SAC Fun Fishing event is on September 4th details below. Would be great to see you on the day.

18 Apr 2022

Anglers Paradise – Get Fishing Family Fun Day

by Wayne Thomas | posted in: Coarse Fishing, Sidebar, Young At Heart | 0

The Angling Trust are always at the forefront of events to promote angling ensuring its future for generations to come. Anglers Paradise was founded by Zyg Gregorek over forty years ago and has undoubtedly sowed the seeds for many anglers who have visited the venue with their families. On Easter Sunday 2022 I attended a family fun fishing day at the day ticket Eldorado complex that was supported by Anglers Paradise, The Angling Trust, Shakespeare, Angling Direct, The Environment Agency, Dynamite Baits and Nash Tackle.

*Dean Asplin from the Angling Trust with Zenia Drury Gregorek*

Zenia Drury Gregorek was undoubtedly the driving force behind the event that attracted over seventy eager participants. Coaches from the Angling Trust were joined by keen local anglers to introduce families to the joys of angling. All tackle and bait was provided at this free event with a wealth of expert advice on tap for both total beginners and the more experienced angler. All juniors who took part earned a Get Fishing Certificate Award and badge from the Angling Trust presented by Dean Asplin who is Angling Development Manager for the South of England and South West Angling Development Officer.

I arrived at the venue shortly before the start and enjoyed chatting with the coaches who had travelled from far and wide to assist and support on the day. Amongst the coaches were Roly, Tony King, John Thompson, Andy Payne, Joe Drury, Hassan Khan, Steve Manley, Dan Murrell, Joe Dietrich, Callum Regan and Mark Thorneycroft.

*Mark Thorneycroft – Angling Trust Volunteer*

Andy Payne

It was to prove a busy day for the coaches with families descending on the venue from far and wide. The event was blessed with warm sunshine during the morning session with the sounds of children’s laughter and adults banter filling the spring air. A few swallows swooped over the water as the coaches explained the finer details of fishing. The majority of families gathered around a lake stocked with a wide variety of smaller fish with whips used in conjunction with float tactics. The young anglers were fascinated by the brightly coloured wriggly maggots and soon focussed upon the brightly coloured floats that bobbed optimistically upon the water to disappear delightfully from time to time as a bejewelled fish from another dimension was lifted from the cloudy waters.

Many caught their first fish and it was great to see the joy and fascination upon so many faces. The coaches gave guidance on how to unhook the fish carefully and return them to the water with minimal harm.

On the lower Lake Hassan Khan of Nash Tackle was joined by Steve Manley and Dan Murrell of Catch to explain the complexities and technicalities of carp fishing. During the morning session the carp showed on the surface in abundance allowing Hassan and his friends to demonstrate the frustration of carp fishing as the carp ignored the carefully presented hook baits. They made up for this in the afternoon session helping a young angler to bank two fine double figure carp.

*Leon Mortimer with a fine double figure carp*

*Leon Mortimer with his dad Floyd Mortimer with the biggest fish of the day.*

The event proved a huge success with many families being introduced to angling for the first time. For some this could prove the gateway to a lifetime spent in the great outdoors gaining an in depth appreciation of nature. Angling is recognised as providing a great deal of well-being with significant benefits for mental health.

*Joe Drury of Fat Mammoth with a family of happy anglers with a fine koi carp*

During the day I attempted to capture a few images of the fishing that will hopefully do more justice than words alone.