Mark Jones secured first place in Combe Martin SAC’s Breath Of Fresh Air Winter Rover landing a specimen small eyed ray of 11lb 1oz.
Runner was Dan Miles Redmore with a spurdog of 8lb 8oz.
Wayne Thomas was third with a dogfish of 2lb 2oz and Dan Welch forth with a thornback ray of 6lb 15oz. Jack Phillips was fifth with dogfish of 1lb 12oz and Mark Jones 6th with a codling of 5lb 13oz.
The fourteen members fished marks covering a wide area from Somerset down to Bideford Bay. Fishing was generally hard going with dogfish and small conger prolific in some areas.
I fished a local mark and the highlight of the trip was a visit from a hungry shag that was so tame it took bits of bait straight from the hand. Whilst cormorants cause a great deal of damage inland and on rivers I delight in seeing them on the coast where they belong. Gannets were also swooping over the water indicating food fish potentially close to the surface.
