








The Taw and Torridge are both running very low and most anglers have given up hoping for fresh fish. It is however always worth having a cast as Simon Hillcox found out when he drifted a fly across a middle Torridge beat. In a short half an hour spell he hooked and landed three fresh run salmon. There are also reports of a few fresh fish lower Taw beats. I addition a shad estimated at 3lb was hooked and carefully returned by an angler fishing the Weir Marsh and Brightly Beat on the Taw. With fish seen jumping in the estuary anglers are hoping for some heavy rain to encourage a good run of fish into the rivers.
Footnote :- Inspired by the news of Simon’s salmon Paul Carter headed to a Lower Taw beat to catch a 9lb sea liced salmon.
Matt Cross has set a new lake record for Bideford Clubs Karens Lake banking a fine common carp scaling 23lb 8oz. The fish was part of a five fish haul.
It is always good when that first bass of the season hits the lure! I have not invested much time in lure fishing for bass so far this year as I have been focussing on other species. My first session after bass a couple of weeks ago was thwarted by dense weed that made fishing the shallow ground I enjoy fishing virtually impossible. The latest session saw clear water and a gentle wave hitting the shoreline. I love this visual fishing in very shallow boulder strewn water bringing a soft plastic through very shallow water. The bass will move in with water just covering their backs and when they hit the lure there is a flurry of spray as the fish fight hard on a tight line clearly visible as they struggle before being brought to the shoreline.
So after nearly 14 months since it’s last capture, the bullet has finally made an appearance at 41.14 … the lucky angler was Josh Critchell who after doing a draw found his swim to be full of carp. We stood and watched probably twenty or more fish in a little bay and there amongst them was this particular fish, it took over 24hrs before the big mirror made a mistake with Josh’s baitworks Atlantic heat hookbait…the fish was also a new pb for Josh and his first English 40 and a Devon one at that!!