18 Jan 2024

Kyle Tempts Big North Devon Cod

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Combe Martin SAC Member Kyle Bishop tempted this fine 18lb 5oz cod from a North Devon rock mark. The cod is one of the biggest caught from the coast in over a decade. Kyle tells me that the fish was long and thin and would have weighed considerably more if it was in top condition.

In the 1980’s and 1990’s twenty pound plus cod were a regular feature of catches along the North Devon Coast. Recent decades have seen the fish almost disappear from this area. Cod  numbers have been holding up further up channel but there is concern that numbers are starting to decline there too. The recent cod boat fishing competition held at Minehead saw just two cod registered from most of the Minehead Charter Fleet. This will undoubtedly result in the competition format changing in future years to reflect this and other species will be targeted.

10 Jan 2024

Rare Shore Caught skate sets new club record

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Combe Martin SAC member Kyle Bishop set a new club record when he caught a rare blue skate from the North Devon shoreline. The fish weighing 13lb 8oz beats the existing club record of 8lb 3oz caught in 2020 by Jamie Steward. Skate are a very rare catch from North Devon waters. These fish can grow to well over 200lb and were once common in the Bristol Channel with fish recorded from numerous North Devon ports in the Victorian era.

Kyle has also added specimen tope of 36lb 15oz and a spurdog of 10lb 5oz to his New Year tally following on from last season when he knotched up a very impressive list of specimen captures.

tope – 36lb 15oz

7 Jan 2024

SEA ANGLING RESULTS

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COMBE MARTIN SAC  FESTIVE FISH

Club’s members fished a competition over the festive period that concluded on January 7th. A range of species were caught from the North Devon shoreline, including bull huss, conger, grey mullet. ray and whiting. The winner of the competition was Wayne Thomas with a bull huss of 9lb 11oz.

Runner up was also Wayne with a thick lipped grey mullet of 3lb 11oz.

 

Bideford Angling Club  – January Rover

Bideford Angling Clubs January Rover was won by Julien Stainer with a bull huss of 9lb 5oz. Nathan Clements was runner up and forth with huss of 8lb 10.5oz and 7lb 13.5oz. Paul Ackland was third with a dogfish of 2lb 7oz.

Appledore Shipbuilders January Rover

       19 fished Appledore Shipbuilders January rover.

The Anglers reported targeting several different species with most catching their targets. Some lovely fish were caught today with 4 specimens recorded at the weigh in.

Claudio Pinto had a fine Small Eyed of 9lb 4ozs and Josh Atkinson had a Whiting of 1lb 11 3/4ozs both coming in at 115.87% to take joint first place. Andrew Atkinson was third with a Whiting of 1lb 10 3/4ozs.

17 Dec 2023

CHRISTMAS SEA COMPETITION RESULTS

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CHRISTMAS SEA COMPETITION RESULTS

Thirty Five anglers fished Triple Hook Clubs Christmas Flounder Open and only six of the competitors registered flounder. N. Wilkinson won the top prize with a flounder of 1lb 8.75oz. Runner up was Taz Wotton with a flounder of 1lb 5.5oz. Mark Beer was third a flounder of 1lb 47/8oz and Rob Hancock was fourth with a flounder of 1lb 2oz and Kevin Hancock fifth with a flounder of 1lb 0.25oz and sixth Mark Hancock with a flounder of 15oz.


BIDEFORD CLUB RESULT

Stephen Found won Bideford Angling Clubs forty eight hour rover with a dogfish of 2lb 7oz. Tony Gussin took second and third with a conger of 14lb 5oz and a pouting of 1lb 1oz.

COMBE MARTIN SAC RESULT

Bull huss dominated Combe Martin SAC Christmas Competition with Ross Stanway securing top spot with a huss of 12lb 11oz. David Brooke took second and third with huss of 10lb 5oz and 9lb 14oz. Kevin Legge was fourth with a huss of 9lb 7oz.

Ross Stanway with his huss of 12lb 11oz
Ross Stanway huss 9lb 2oz.

 

David Brooke with huss of 10lb 5oz and 9lb 14oz

Members also caught thick lipped grey mullet, dogfish, conger and codling.

26 Nov 2023

FLOUNDER FISHING COMPETITION RESULTS

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Combe Martin Sea Angling Clubs Annual Flounder Competition

Daniel Welch took first and second place in Combe Martin Sea Angling Clubs Annual Flounder Competition with flounder scaling 1lb 9oz and 1lb. His son Solly caught the only other flounder tempted during the match a fish of 14oz.

Solly Welch with a flounder of 14oz

The Taw estuary flounder fishing has been below par so far this season with specimen sized flatfish very scarce. Fish seem to in small pockets with some anglers finding up to half a dozen flounder whilst other have blanked. The estuary has a ceratin appeal even on a grey November day. I fished the town area of the river with Nick Phillips and his son Jack and moved around to several swims without any indications on the rod tip. The glimpse of a kingfisher brought a welcome flash of electric blue to the day. The cry of curlew, oyster catcher, geese and gulls drifted across the grey estuary. The unpleasant litter of society was strewn here and there a rat scurried on the bank. Urban fishing on a grey late autumn day. I looked up to the bridge and thought of the salmon that had hopefully migrated through in recent weeks to spawn high on the moors.

Appledore Shipbuilders held their Christmas Competition at Heanton Court on the River Taw where the twenty four competitors recorded fifteen flounder. The winner was  with a flounder of 1lb 6.75oz.

 

Appledore Shipbuilders

CHRISTMAS COMPETITION

24 members fished Appledore Shipbuilders Christmas competition.

Fishing was tough with only 13 anglers registering fish. Michael Hammett secured the trophy and customary large turkey with a flounder of 1lb 6oz 14dr.

Michael was certainly in the spot today as he also secured 2nd and 3rd pick of the table with Flounders of 1lb 6oz 8dr and 1lb 3oz 12dr.

Thanks to Quay Sports for donating some prizes.

It was decided to run these for the best brace which you will not be surprised that this was also won by Michael.

Well done to all that fished.

5 Nov 2023

Combe Martin SAC – OPEN RESULT

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Combe Martin Sea Angling Clubs Open competition generously sponsored by Quay Sports was won by Daniel Welch who landed three blonde ray scaling 8lb 11oz, 8lb 6oz and 7lb 9oz to take first, second and fourth place. Third was taken by myself with a grey mullet of 2lb 14oz. Competitors also caught conger, dogfish and rockling.

SAC OPEN RESULT

 

16 Oct 2023

Sea Angling Results – CMSAC and Bideford

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Combe Martin Sea Angling Clubs annual Lyn Fish competition concludes each year at Lynmouth with the meet up afterwards in the pub. This year’s meet up was in the Ancient Mariner where members were pleased to retire to the warmth of the bar after fishing around the harbour as a cold North Wind swept in.

October is generally a good month for targeting thick-lipped grey mullet and most members who fished the competition concentrated on these wily grey ghosts fishing several of the weekend’s tides.

I ( Wayne Thomas) was fortunate to win the competition with a mullet of 3lb 4oz and added a brace of mullet weighing 3lb 3oz each to secure the top three places. Dan Welch also caught several mullet to 2lb 9oz using float and feeder tactics. I was also surprised to catch a pollock of around 1lb 8oz using bread flake as bait.

Bideford Angling Clubs

October’s 48 hour result 

Only 1 fish weighed

1st Andrew Clements Wrasse 3lb 13 1/2oz  85.416%