Jack Pike boated this fine smoothound of 16lb 12oz.
Bideford and Appledore Shipbuilders Monthly Rover Results
Graham Snow secured victory in Bideford Angling Clubs monthly Rover landing a fine specimen thick lipped grey mullet of 4lb 113/4oz. Runner up was Antony Smith with a dogfish of 2lb 2oz and equal third were Phil Vanstone with a thornback ray of 5lb 7oz and Nathan Clements with a dogfish of 1lb 13oz.
Daniel Scott won Appledore Shipbuilders monthly rover with a fine small eyed ray of 10lb 51/2oz. In second was Josh Atkinson with a small eyed ray of 9lb 153/8oz and in third Graham Snow with his thick lipped mullet of 4lb 111/4oz.
Appledore Shipbuilders – Boat Competition Result
Members enjoyed great sport with bull huss during their Easter Boat Competition with calm seas and warm sunshine.
1st Kevin Pike Bull huss 14lbs 8 oz
2nd Kevin Pike Bull huss 13lbs 12 oz
3rd Andrew Atkinson Bull huss 13lbs 9 oz
Sea Angling Round Up – Smoothound, bass on lures, 500lb shark!!!
There are encouraging signs along the coast with smoothound showing from regular marks a couple of weeks earlier than expected. Ian Hooper and Nick Job fished a popular local shore mark and landed several hounds to almost 7lb and Cameron Atkinson landed a good hound in Appledore Shipbuilders Competition. ( See Results Below).
Combe Martin SAC Member Mark Jones ventured out with his lure rod and was pleased to Catch and release a pleasing bass of over 4lb.
Reel Deal Skipper Dan Hawkins took a party of anglers in search of an early shark and succeeded with Ross Needs from Bristol bringing a huge porbeagle estimated at 500lb to the side of the boat after a battle lasting 2hours and 10 minutes. The fine fish was carefully unhooked and released and swam away strongly. (Below) See video on Facebook Page).
(Above) Cameron Atkinson took the top three places in Appledore Shipbuilders Monthly Rover landing a dogfish of 2lb 71/8oz for first a smoothound of 7lb 81/4oz for runner up and a dog of 2lb 6oz for third. 19 fished the competition.
Bideford monthly rover results
1st Paul Downing thornback Ray 10lb 6 115.277%
2nd Dick Talbot bull Huss 9lb 101/2oz 96.562%
3rd dick Talbot dog fish 2lb 9oz 85.416%
4th Paul Downing thornback Ray 6lb 5oz 70.138%
5th Jon Stevens dog fish 2lb 0 1/2oz 67.708%
6th Andrew Clements thornback Ray 5lb 11 1/4oz 63.367%
Sea Angling Competition Results
The weekend proved challenging for sea anglers with the first half blighted by a bitter North East wind that chilled to the bone with temperatures overnight rumoured to drop to minus ten.
Shore fishing was generally hard going with deep water less impacted upon by the low temperatures most productive. I will post a full write later on a my trip on Bluefin with South Molton Angling Club.
COMBE MARTIN SAC Winter Rover Results
Kevin Legge took top spot in Combe Martin SAC’s Winter Rover landing specimen spurdog scaling 12lb 7oz. In runner up spot was Wayne Thomas ( Myself) with a boat caught conger of 30lb boated on John Barbeary’s boat bluefin off Ilfracombe. Kevin also secured third place with a spurdog of 9lb 8oz.
Bideford Angling Club – February Rover Result
Dick Talbot won Bidefords Monthly Rover with a three beard rockling if 1lb 3oz. In runner spot was Dan Walbridge with a rockling of 1lb 2oz and third Dick Talbot with another rockling off 1lb 1.5oz. Terry Dymond took third place with a flounder of 1lb 67/8oz. Fifth was Stephen Found with a dogfish of 2lb 1.25oz.
The end of season result was first and second Dick Talbot with his rockling of 1lb 3oz and 1lb 1.5oz
APPLEDORE SHIPBUILDERS Monthly Rover
David John Langbridge took first and second places In Appledore Shipbuilders Rover landing flounder of 1lb 91/8oz and 1lb 71/8oz. Terry Dymond was third with a flounder of 1lb 67/8oz.
SEA ANGLING – COMPETITION ROUND UP
APPLEDORE SHIPBUILDERS WINTER LEAGUE
Graham Snow secured first and second in Appledore Shipbuilders January Winter League competition landing a brace of flounder scaling 1lb 155/8oz and 1lb 77/8oz. Third place went to Andrew Atkinson with a dogfish of 2lb 1oz.
BIG WINTER MULLET
Combe Martin SAC member John Avery landed fine winter thick lipped mullet scaling 5lb 1oz.
Bideford Angling Club
24hour results
1st Antony Smith blonde Ray 13lb 14oz 115.625%
2nd Antony Smith smalleye Ray 9lb 12oz 108.333%
3rd Nathan Clements thornback Ray 9lb 11oz 107.638%
SEA ANGLING NEWS ROUND UP
Calm conditions with high pressure dominating has resulted in open coast fishing slowing down with dogfish and small conger dominating catches. Flounder fishing in the estuary is starting to tail off as the flounder start to migrate out to sea to spawn. If the wind swings to the west and Atlantic weather pushes in sport on the open coast should pick up with spurdog, bull huss and conger moving inshore to feed on dislodged food.
During calm weather boat anglers can expect some hectic offshore sport as the spurdog packs hunt the mid channel waters.
TRIPLE HOOK CLUB
John Passmore won the Sportsmans Cup with a flounder scaling 125/8oz Ian Cairns was runner up with a flounder of 121/8oz.
Dennis Toleman caught a fine bass of 5lb 6oz from Fremington Quay but being a flounder only match it did not count.
APPLEDORE SHIPBUILDERS
Jack Sharrock won Appledore Shipbuilders January Rover with a cod of 7lb 43/8oz. The fish was tempted from the expanse of Chesil beach in Dorset and was not a North Devon fish. Cod are very scarce off the North Devon coast in recent seasons which is a mystery as twenty years ago they were prolific.
In second and third was Terry Dymiond with flounder scaling1lb 121/4oz and 1lb 115/8oz.
Seventeen anglers fished.
BIDEFORD ANGLING CLUB
Rover results
1st Terry dymond flounder 1lb 12 1/2oz
2nd Terry dymond flounder 1lb 11 5/8oz
3rd Graham Snow flounder 1lb 8 1/4oz
4th Graham snow flounder 1lb 5 5/8oz
5th Paul Downing thornback 5lb 10oz
Next competition 19/20th Jan 24hour
Appledore Shipbuilders Result
Winter League – Comp 1: November 2018:
A big well done to the twelve Appledore Shipbuilder members who braved a cold North East wind to secure some good fish.
Results:
1st – Graham Snow Mullet 4lb 9 1/4ozs
2nd – Josh Atkinson Small Eyed Ray 8lb 2ozs
3rd – Josh Atkinson Small Eyed Ray 7lb
Sea Angling Results
Bideford Angling Club and Appledore Shipbuilders hold their monthly sea rovers on the first Sunday of each month and both clubs allow competitors to fish over a very wide area of the South West including Devon, Dorset and Cornwall. Their results highlight the vast the vast range of species available to anglers in the South West.
Bideford Monthly Rover results
1st – Antony Smith garfish 15 1/2 oz 77.5% (Above)
2nd -Andrew Clements dogfish 1 lb 13 60.416%
Appledore Shipbuilders Monthly Rover Results
1st- Josh Atkinson – black bream 2lb 7.5oz
2nd – Michael Hammett – garfish 1lb 2oz
3rd – James Mayhew – small eyed ray 7lb 1/8oz
Junior section – Jack Pike – ballan wrasse 4lb 3oz
Triple Hook Club – WYCO EWB – Club Flounder
1st – Mark Hancock – flounder 1lb 1/4oz
2nd – Kevin Hancock – flounder 15oz
Time to catch a bass
September and October have always been prime time for the bass angler with every chance of that fish of a lifetime showing. If water clarity is good lure fishing could bring its rewards though a big fish bait anchored off a beach is a method with a well proven track record. Don’t rule the estuary either as big bass often prowl into areas that many consider the home of flounder and school bass.
Recreational anglers will be delighted to hear that the total ban on retaining bass is to be lifted from October 1st 2018 with one bass per day to be allowed for the table. Whilst the majority of anglers return the fish they catch most will be pleased that they can take the occasional fish for the table.
(below)Ali Laird enjoyed a successful session on a local beach beaching two small ray a brace of bass of 3lb to 4lb and this fine bass of 9lb 12oz.
(Below) Tony Slade won Appledore Shipbuilder’s Bass Competition at Westward Ho! with a bass of 7lb 4oz.
(Below) James Atkinson took second and third with bass of 3lb 5oz and 2lb 12oz.
