Ollie Passmore tempted this specimen thornback ray of 11lb 3oz from a North Devon Rock mark. Thornback ray are not often caught from North Devon rock marks but recent seasons have seen an upturn in these captures.
Huss and spurdog brace
Dan Miles Redmore enjoyed a successful session on the North Devon shoreline landing 10lb 10oz bull huss. a spurdog of 9lb 13oz and a small ray.
Smoothound Packs give top sport
Shore fishers have been enjoying some great sport with smoothound from many marks. Combe Martin SAC member Dan Spearman landed a fine hound of 12lb 14oz. Fellow club member Ollie Passmore landed a hound of 12lb 6oz.
Dan West also enjoyed a hectic session with smoothound landing several fish to double figures from his mate Keith Bullards boat whilst fishing in Bideford Bay.
Spurdog Reward
Tarrant Wotton set out on a bitterly cold evening and was rewarded with a fine specimen spurdog scaling 10lb 8oz. With the winds expected to via away from the North East this coming week there is every chance of enjoying some late winter sport before thoughts turn to spring.
BIG SPUR IS DELIVERED
Veals Mail Order Managing director Harry Brake has undertaken several trips to North Devon in search of the elusive spurdog and was rewarded with a fine personal best scaling 13lb 10oz. The fish was tempted with mackerel head and guts whipped on to a pair of Varivas 6/0 Big Mouth Extras, 25lb Varivas yellow sport.
Spurdog still there to be caught
There is still time to land a spurdog from the shoreline this winter with several landed during the past week by anglers targetting the species. James Atkinson landed a brace of spurs weighing 10lb 7oz and 8lb 4.5oz both fish were tempted using a squid mackerel and herring cocktail.
Jon Patten also enjoyed success landing a brace of spurs weighing 11lb 1oz and 12lb 10oz using large mackerel baits.
CATCHS FROM THE COAST – Topped by spurdog haul
A bitterly cold North West Wind battered the North Devon coast last weekend making fishing conditions difficult. Those that ventured out did manage to find a few fish that often move close inshore during rough weather feasting upon food dislodged by the surging waves. Michael Toogood fished a local shore mark in the early hours to make a terrific haul of eight spurdog seven double figure fish the best 13lb 4oz.
Combe Martin Sea Angling Club postponed their club event at Clovelly as a result of the conditions. A few members did venture out though and fished various marks along the coast that they judged to be safe enough to fish. I enjoyed a short session and was pleased to land a bass on my first cast a change from the more seasonal codling I was hoping for. A reminder, all bass have to be returned alive now with a total ban on retaining fish until July 1st. Rob Sciones landed a near specimen dogfish of 2lb 11oz.
