CMSAC – FUN FISH 2024

 

         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

A Luring Day on Predator 2 – Ilfracombe

Ilfracombe Harbour an oasis of calm as a glow appears to the East as the sun starts to climb from its overnight absence. The sounds of voices drift across the calm waters of the harbour as boats are readied for the day ahead.

         Dan Welch and Ross Stanway are already on board Predator 2 readying the boat for another mates trip to continue the exploration of the Bristol Channels potential.

As I arrive at the Quay I speak to three anglers sat waiting to board Dan Hawkins Reel Deal. They have driven overnight from Oxford and are hoping to connect with the porbeagle that prowl the waters at the mouth of the Bristol Channel.

         We are heading out to fish with lures hopping from wreck to reef and watching for signs of feeding birds that could indicate shoals of silver bass. Dan Hawkins on Reel  Deal had found some quality bass the previous day whilst travelling back from an unsuccessful foray to the shaking grounds.

         Todays friends group consisted of Skipper Dan Welch, Ross Stanway, Shaun Quartly, Shane Murch, Paul Lorrimore, Callun Gove and myself. Dan is keen to continue to explore the lure fishing potential and today we are heading West to fish marks off Baggy Point and Bideford Bay.

         There is a still a bit of chop on the sea, residue from the previous days stronger winds. We were all full of hope and optimism for the adventure that lay ahead as we bounced over water watching the spectacular sunrise above towering cliffs up channel from Ilfracombe.

         We passed the familiar rock outcrops of Bull Point and Morte Point before reaching the first mark a good distance off Baggy Point. By now the sun was higher in the sky its warm rays illuminating the seascape.

         We all tied on the lures that we had confidence in sending them down into the deep clear water to connect with the fish that lurk around the rusting wreck.

         There are surprisingly many wrecks scattered around the Bristol Channel, symptoms I guess from an era when navigational equipment and modern safety was less advanced. Wrecks provide shelter and food for many fish and I ponder if we could create artificial reefs to improve upon fish populations. Perhaps the new seaweed farms, and off- shore windfarms will create some protected habitat that will benefit fish populations?

         Within seconds of the lures reaching their destination rods hooped over as hard fighting pollock smashed into the lures diving for sanctuary within the rusting hulk. The first drift produced some stunning pollock to around 4lb and bass to 3lb.

         There is a great deal of skill involved in manoeuvring a boat into position so that the anglers lures can be presented to the fish. The wreck or reef is shown on the boats navigation system, but the strength and direction of tide has to be factored in with the wind direction as to the boats starting position that is calculated to give maximum time drifting over the structure.

         It is noticeable that each drift tends to bring diminishing returns as the fish seem to wise up quickly. Changing lures sometimes seems to bring increased success though I’m not sure if this is my perception or simply luck on the day? I change to a Seadra slow jig decorated with a stunning mackerel flank. It looks good to me and I work the lure with confidence catching several bass and pollock.

         Ross Stanway hooks a very powerful fish that powers off testing his light spinning tackle to the limit. Dan assisted by following the fish whilst we all pulled in our lines to watch the drama unfold. We all speculated upon what Ross has hooked hoping that we would at the very least get a glimpse before the gossamer thin braid parted. My guess was a tope as Shaun had had a pollock bitten in half by a hungry tope a few minutes before the fish appearing with the pollock within its jaws before swimming free after shaking its head to tear the fish in half.

         We all peered into the clear aqua water, suddenly a shape appeared below the boat. A sleek and powerful tope of around thirty pounds hooked foul hooked in the tail! Dan scooped the fish into the net and swung the fish aboard. Ross wrestled with the powerful fish and held it aloft for a quick photo before dropping it back over the side where it disappeared back into the mysterious depths with a flick of its tail.

         After a couple more drifts sport eased off and Dan suggested a move to a rocky pinnacle in Bideford Bay. Half an hour steam away we chatted and watched for birds working that could indicate bait fish.

         There is always anticipation on arriving at each new mark asking the question with our lures. Sadly this mark proved to be a pouting haven with these plump fish seizing our lures. Whilst these fish have little sporting value they are a valuable source of food for many predatory fish and their flanks of pearl and beige have a rich beauty in life. Sadly they often perish as their swim bladders are unable to cope with the pressure change as they are brought to the surface. They can be kept for bait or at worst provide a welcome meal for the sea birds that always follow fishing boats.

         The light breeze from earlier in the day had by now dropped off leaving the sea a tranquil calm that seems so rare this summer. A commotion a few hundred yards away caught our attention. Was that a huge tail slashing the water amongst a pod of dolphins? A thresher shark perhaps? There have been several sightings recently.

         We moved closer, the dolphins swam gracefully rolling in the calm sea. We put out lures hoping for a bass whilst we enjoyed the marvellous spectacle of the dolphins.

         After the hectic sport at the start of the day we were now struggling to find feeding fish. We headed back to the wreck where we had started the day. Part way across Bideford Bay we spotted a mass of birds a sure indication along with a couple of fishing boats that bass were in the area.

                  Indications on the fish finder confirmed the presence of fish and so we sent down our lures. I hooked a hard fighting bass of around 5lb and several other smaller fish were added to the days tally before the birds dispersed and the fish disappeared.

         By now a brisk east wind was sweeping down the Bristol Channel creating  white caps on the waves. Judging by the Beaufort scale it was indeed a fresh breeze.

The Beaufort Scale is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort wind force scale.

5 Fresh Breeze 29-38 19-24 17-21 Small trees in leaf begin to sway; crested wavelets form on inland waters. Moderate waves, many white horses 2.0 2.5 4

The Beaufort Scale like the shipping forecast holds a certain resonance and connection with maritime history. That provides me with sense of historical enchantment and fascination with Great Britain’s connection the sea.

         Connection with fish seemed harder to find now as the flood tide pushed against the wind. Natures roulette spins continually and we fished the shallow waters off Morte Point in our last roll of the dice. Shaun foul hooked a specimen mullet that fought hard in the tide. Dan tempted a ballan wrasse before declaring time to head back to Ilfracombe.

         Ilfracombe on a warm summers day at Summers end was a stark contrast to the peace and tranquillity of the early dawn. Hundreds of tourists rested on the beach, strolled around the shops, licked ice creams and savoured those last few days of the tourist season. How quick this summer has flown.  Our son James plays his last game of league cricket as I type this, it is hard to believe, its seems such a short time since he was wielding his bat for the first game of the season.

         September brings much expectation for the sea angler of North Devon with so much promise if natures roulette wheel obliges and we play our hands wisely.

FUN FISHING 2024

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Combe Martin SAC are hosting their annual Fun Fishing event on Ilfracombe Pier on Sunday September 1st 10:30am util 12:30pm.

We will have Matt Mander from the D & S IFCA at the event to answer all those questions surrounding management of our coastal waters. We also hope to have attendance from the RNLI and Coastguard. There will be prizes from our local sponsors and the chance to chat with CMSAC Club members. The fun competition is a species competition with all ages and abilities welcome under 16’s must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

As this coincides with the Sea Ilfracombe Festival there is plenty to do in Ilfracombe after the fishing with live music and street stalls and other activities.

Hope to see you there.

http://www.bristolchannelboatfishing.com/

PREDATOR 2 Catches – plus latest film from Paul Lorrimore

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Daniel Welch is building experience on Predator 2 Charters taking friends to marks off the North Devon Coast intending to extend to wider charters next season. At present Dan is taking customers on short range charter trips out of Ilfracombe.

( Below) A few fish caught on the latest mates day out trip on Predator 2

 

 

Nice little video Paul has put together from the trip out with a few mates at the weekend. Hopefully we can get some more over the coming weeks and months. Give his you tube channel ilfracombe fishing a like and subscribe. He also makes probably the best burgers and special boxes Bayside Burger Bar so if your hungry after a fishing trip you know where to go. .

A day on Bluefin Off Ilfracombe – With South Molton Angling Club

Ilfracombe harbour once again ready to depart for a day aboard John Barbeary’s boat ‘Blue Fin’ with members of South Molton and District Angling Club. It doesn’t really feel like a July morning with a cool North East breeze blowing into the harbour. The predominantly grey sky seemingly typical of the summer of 2024 so far.

The sea is not too rough however and the forecast gives the wind easing throughout the day and with good fishing enjoyed on another Ilfracombe Boat last week I am optimistic for the day ahead. We all climb from the harbour steps and greet John and his deckhand Ted. Club members today include Edward Rands, Dave Hathaway, Nick Stringer, Chris Allin, Steve Edmonds and myself.

         South Molton Angling Club has been established for over fifty years and has several miles of trout fishing on local rivers. Its membership of around fifty are mostly game fishers with a segment of occasional sea anglers. The club has a healthy social side with trips most months of the year with trophies awarded to recognized members achievements. All in all a friendly easy going club without a serious competitive streak.

         The prospect of a slightly turbulent sea raised a few concerns about the sea anglers curse of mal-de-mer that were to prove found less. All concerned members had taken Stugeron tablets as a precaution. Discussion around previous unpleasant trips were recounted with lessons such as abstaining from alcohol the previous night  recalled from observations of past excursions.

         The plan for the day was to stop off on route to catch bait and then drift a few reefs for bass or pollock before dropping anchor in the hope of tope.

         The feathers went down a short distance from port and strings of writhing mackerel were swung on board. Ted the friendly crewman for the day worked hard assisting with unhooking. It was interesting to listen to Ted’s wisdom as he commented upon the effectiveness of different coloured mackerel feathers. A few days previous he had noted how white feathers had proved effective during one tide with blue and silver more effective on another. The mackerel preferences are undoubtedly influenced by many factors including what they are feeding on naturally perhaps combined with light levels, water clarity and tidal state.

         It seemed that all our strings of lures were working as be drifted off Ilfracombe’s rocky foreshore. Strings of mackerel were swung on board. John commented that it was like the old days when mackerel were always abundant throughout the summer months. Mackerel numbers seem to vary each year and after several years of poor numbers the last two seasons have been encouraging. It has also been noticeable that mackerel have been present throughout the winter months along with garfish.

         Having caught plenty of mackerel we steamed on down channel passing the cragged slate promontory of Morte Point and the treacherous Morte Stone. The promontory of Morte Point pushes out into the Bristol Channel the rock formation running down its spine resembling that of a huge dragon immortalised in grey stone. The resulting tidal race over the Morte reef is a renowned holding place for bass with huge shoals sometimes present harassing mackerel and whitebait as gannets plunge into the resulting melee.

         We pushed on down across Woolacombe Bay and its sands of gold to Baggy Point its steep cliffs the haunts of climbers and seabirds. We drifted over a couple of reefs catching a handful of pollock and a few more mackerel. It was perhaps surprising that we did not catch more fish such as bass as the huge number of birds present was a sure indication of bait fish and predators. Fish were undoubtedly present with plenty showing on the boats sounder.

A 4lb pollock for Nick Stringer

This whole job of being a skipper can be very frustrating. Finding the fish is just one part  of an incredibly complex puzzle. The experienced skipper will have developed a unique gift of being able to inspire anglers with tales of past successes and explaining the lack of success with a recipe book full of valid excuses.  As the tide eased John put us on a mark slightly West of Baggy and dropped the anchor.

         The rod tips soon rattled to the pull of dogfish. Ed Rands hooked several bull huss and a few small conger put a bend in members rods.

Ed Rands with a bull huss from a rough ground mark

As the tide eased further towards high water John took us out to deep water , tope were our intended quarry. Once again we settled at a new mark located from Johns extensive log book of carefully jotted coordinates.

         Steve Edmonds hooked what was undoubtedly a good tope that bit through his heavy mono hook link after a few minutes.

Steve Edmonds battles a fish that later bit through his trace.

       A few moments later it was my turn and a good fish took off taking line from the reel. The battle ebbed and flowed with the fish hanging deep beneath the boat after its initial powerful runs. I exerted pressure and brought the tope to the boat where it was skill-fully netted by John.

         The fish was carefully weighed pulling the scales to a respectful 35lb. Five minutes or so later I hooked into another tope that was a few pounds lighter.

Throughout the time at this mark a steady stream of dogfish came to the boat along with a few small huss and strap conger.

         As the tidal speed increased I hooked into another fish that powered away using the tide to its advantage. This was undoubtedly a good fish and started to move against the tide a sure indication that it was an above average specimen. Eventually pressure brought the fish within view a sleek tope that hung heavy in the tide causing several anxious moments as it rolled in the leader. Fortunately I had taken the precaution of using a heavy rubbing leader of 150lb b.s mono to protect the braid mainline.

Braid is beneficial in allowing the use of lighter leads and has no stretch ensuring excellent contact with the business end. It is also extremely strong in relation to its thin diameter. Its disadvantage is its poor abrasion resistance and fineness when sorting tangled lines.

         The fish was eventually scooped into the net and brought on board where it thrashed wildly before being secured carefully to remove the hook. This fish proved to be the heaviest of the day scaling 41lb. The fish swam away strongly disappearing into the clear waters from whence it had come.

A 41lb tope

         With the tide now at full strength mid tide we headed back inshore to drift a few more reefs. This proved unproductive and with the tide easing John headed back up channel and anchored at another deep water mark where tope were again the intended species. A couple of small conger, small huss and plenty of dogfish rattled the rod tips. Dave Hathaway hooked a very powerful fish that put a good bend in the rod ripping several yards of line from his reel. Sadly the fish bit through the heavy mono trace of 150lb b.s after a short battle leaving Dave to ponder on what could have been.

Ed Rands with a string of mackerel

 

         By now it was time to head back and John agreed to stop off for a few fresh mackerel close to Ilfracombe. Fortunately the mackerel were still there and we all caught enough for a delicious evening snack when we got home. Is there a better fish fresh from the sea?

         Reflecting upon the day I was obviously pleased to have boated three good tope and cannot help but ponder upon my luck. It is said that luck can be cultivated and there is some truth in this. I was fortunate to secure a prime position at the stern of the boat enabling a bit more freedom as to the weight selection. The anglers at the stern can use lighter weights and trot the bait out ensuring that the fish attracted by the baits scent intercept these baits first. I chose to use larger mackerel flappers that stopped the pesky dogfish devouring the bait before the tope found it. I also opted to use a heavy duty wire trace to ensure I did not get bitten off. There is some debate regarding the pro’s and cons of wire versus heavy mono. An option is perhaps to use circle hooks that tend to hook fish in the scissors of the jaw. Used in conjunction with heavy fluorocarbon they might be an option but for me its heavy duty wire until I am convinced otherwise.

         Choice of tackle when boat fishing is very much a matter of personal  preference. There is balance to found between using tackle strong enough to subdue most fish hooked in a reasonable time without detracting from the joy of bringing the fish to the boat.

       

         

Evening Tope Fishing off Ilfracombe

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I was delighted to be invited to join a few friends on Dan Welch’s new boat Predator 2.  Dan had spotted a window of opportunity with light winds forecast over the evening high water. Strong winds were forecast to sweep in overnight irradicating any boat fishing trips over the weekend.

Five of us climbed onto Predator 2 at 3.30pm. Skipper Dan Welch, Dave Welsh, Derek Stevens, Jonathon Stanway and myself.

The sea was calm and the water clear as we set out from Ilfracombe’s harbour. I relished the familiar scenery of North Devon’s rugged coast and landmarks. It is always refreshing to leave the hustle and bustle of the town to reach the tranquil detachment of the open sea.

We stopped for a drift off the tunnels outfalls catching a few mackerel for bait. We then steamed out to drift over a few reefs for bass. I stuck with the feathers and ensured that we had a full bucket of fresh bait for the main event.

Our intended target was tope over the high water slack. After  several drifts without bass Dan suggested we head out and drop anchor. The tide would be running quite hard but would soon ease ensuring that we capitalised on the maximum time for tope action.

I always feel a sense of anticipation as the boat settles at anchor and the engine is cut. A peaceful silence descends, just the gentle slurp of water against the boats hull and the occasional cry of a seagull.

Several manx shearwaters were circling gracefully above the water. I was unsure if they were shearwaters but a quick google as I write this confirmed my identification. I was fascinated to learn that the manx shearwater are long lived birds sometimes living beyond fifty years of age. A fifty year old bird has it is estimated flown over 600,000 miles on migration throughout its life.

         Looking up the Bristol Channel the dark towering cliffs of Great Hangman and Holdstone Down were capped with wisps of white mist. The sea was oily calm, thousands of jelly fish drifted past in the clear water. To the West weak sunshine struggled to break through a sky of grey.

         I prepared a mackerel flapper and sent it into the depths with 1lb 8oz of lead to combat the strong tide. With all our baits in place we chatted of our appreciation of the evening and the prospects ahead. A couple of dogfish rattled the rod tips and were brought to the surface often just hanging onto the baits letting go at the side of the boat.

                  Dan was first to hook into a hard fighting tope bringing a fish of perhaps twenty five pounds to the boat after a good tussle in the strong tide.

         Jonathon hooked a good fish that came off after a few seconds. I felt a sharp rap on my rod tip and paid out a couple of yards of line. I waited until the rod tip ripped over hard and tightened into a powerful fish that headed off down tide at a rate of knots ripping several yards of line from the reel. I leant back bending the rod, relishing the powerful force at the end of the line.

         After the initial powerful runs the fish started to succumb to constant pressure and I pumped a heavy weight to the surface. From time to time there came heavy lunges and I was forced to give a little line. As the fish neared the boat we peered into the depths to catch a glimpse of the sleek shark like creature.

         The tope was a good fish and caused a few anxious moments as it thrashed at the surface demolishing Dan’s tailor in the process. Plan B of a large landing net eventually secured the prize.

         The fish was carefully weighed in Dan’s capacious weigh sling registering a weight of 36lb. After a quick photo the tope was returned and swam strongly away.

         The next couple of hours saw tope caught by all on board most around 25lb.  Several fish were also lost as hook holds gave way or in one case the braid was severed as the fish probably rolled in the line.

Jonathon Stanway holds a fine tope

Dave Welch with good tope

         Derek Steven’s was thrilled to catch his first tope and told me that he has fished all over the world but still relishes the beauty of the North Devon coast that is undoubtedly his home territory.

Derek Stevens is delighted with his first tope

         Weak sunshine broke through the grey sky illuminating the seascape. We chatted making plans for future fishing forays all keen to join with Dan on Predator 2. At present Dan is only doing a few trips for mates with a limited number of short range local charters. In the longer term Dan will expand his Chartering to compliment Ilfracombe’s fleet. Offering exciting options for both local and visiting anglers as Ilfracombe’s reputation as a recreational boat fishing destination grows.

Skipper of Predator 2 Dan Welch

         As the tidal flow increased and holding bottom became difficult Dan suggested it was time to head back to port. The boat bounced over the calm water seagulls following in the slipstream as always keen to savour any discarded bait.