An Open held on JRs lake at Clawford Fishery resulted in a great days fishing with all fish caught in stunning condition. In first place was Nick Jones with 73lb 4oz, predominantly carp around 5lb, second was Chris Haynes who weighed in 63lb and had a great net of small pasties, and third was Andy Seery with a net of 50lb exactly. All good practice for next weeks Clawford festival as will be this Sunday’s open which will be on Edwards with Fletchers on standby depending on numbers.
I look back on the seventies with fond nostalgia at my early year’s sea angling with my teenage friends who were junior members of the Combe Martin Sea Angling Club. The tackle we used then was generally inferior to the equipment we use today yet am I alone in having a strong connection with past memories when I glimpse familiar items of tackle? I was peering into the window of a second hand shop in Minehead last weekend. On display was a Mitchell 624 boat reel a workhorse of a reel that I well remember clamped to my ABU Pacific 6; where it went I cannot remember. I do however remember those days afloat on the sturdy old wooden boats of the day.
I was prompted to write this when a friend at work showed me an Intrepid Sea Streak he had undoubtedly looked after with a degree of care. I recalled that as youngsters we all treasured our latest tackle as if it was the latest sports car. The most popular shore reel of the day was the Ambassador 7000 with red side plates. I clearly remember being given a 7000 for either Christmas or Birthday. Other popular shore reels of the day were the Mitchell 602 and Mitchell 600. Both had black plastic or fibre glass spools and were very prone to bird-nesting. That brings back memories of tangled blue Sylcast line produced by Modern Arms.
If you Coarse fished you may well remember the Efgeeko Green Vinyl seat box? Everyone had a Mitchell 300 with a Match spool and a specimen spool. It would be interesting to see what vintage tackle pictures readers could send me. The appeal in old tackle is not in its usefulness but the memories that are rekindled of good days fishing.
I was struggling to remember the small black reel that every Junior angler took fishing in the seventies. A quick search on Google brought the answer; the Black Prince. http://www.intrepidreel.com/reels.html
Chris Wilson read this article and sent me a couple more images including this Mitchel 602
The latest report from Anglers Paradise contains images of some superb carp from Kracking Carp Lake and other waters on the famous complex.
Jamie Fox from Manchester was a Happy Chappy when he landed this 45lb 8oz Mirror from the Kracking Carp Lake, he even got in the water for pictures! The Best Pictures are in Water and also best for the Fish! Jamie caught the Mirror amongst the Lillies Free Lining with Fake Corn as the Hook Bait.
Steve Bradshaw, from Towcester, caught his UK Personal Best in the shape of this Kracking 36lb 4oz Common from the Kracking Carp Lake caught on Sticky Baits, it made it even more special that his wife was there to witness it and he won our Fish Of The Week Competition. Steve Said – ‘”This has made year and I can’t stop smiling”. It really is great to see Anglers so passionate about their catches (-;
Ellis Titheridge, caught a lovely 23lb 12oz Mirror from the Specimen Carp Lake on a Active-Bait-Solutions Custom Boilie fished as a single hookbait.
Father and Son, Alan and Shane Burns from Merseyside, decided to give the Main Carp Lake a go and did really well between them. Alan caught a Personal Best 28lb 2oz Common and Shane caught a Beautiful Scaley 20lb 12oz Mirror and a 24lb Mirror using bottom Bait Rigs with Cell topped with Corn.
Alex Bishop, 18 from Southend had a surprise Catch from the Specimen Cat Lake when he landed a New Personal Best 31lb 8oz Mirror rather than a Cat!! It’s the only Carp in there and Alex caught it! Alex caught the Mirror on a Halibut Pellet topped with Fake Pop Up Corn.
Stuart Eynon sent me this superb photo of one of five salmon he caught on a middle Torridge beat at the end of June. His fishing partner David Middlemiss also landed two salmon and a sea trout.
Dave O Brien with a 29lb 8oz mirror carp caught from the back bays on Beatties lake. Dave was only one hour into a day session when he caught the beauty using mainline cell boilies . Dave was there fishing with the ‘Carp busters’.
Anglers are enjoying some great tope sport off Ilfracombe with these hard fighting predators now abundant. Tope have been landed up to 37lb with every chance of bigger fish as the season progresses there is even the chance of one of these fish from shore marks if anglers are prepared to set their stall with a big bait and wire trace.
North Devon Tackle Clubs latest Match at Morchard Road saw Simon Poynter secure an impressive win with 156lb 3oz. In runner up spot was was Norman Martin with 84lb 9oz and in third Dean Vickery with 60lb 2oz. Forth was was Wayne Mitchell with 53lb 5oz.
Jeremy Johnson used a light approach at Blakewell fishery to tempt a fine rainbow scaling 11lb 6oz. Jeremy used a size 12 montana nymph presented using a 4 wt Orvis rod and 4 wt floating line. The montana nymph is one of my favourite patterns and a good choice at this picturesque well stocked water.
Graham Snow secured first place in Appledore Shipbuilders monthly Rover with a grey mullet of 3lb 151/2oz. Andrew Atkinson took the runner up spot with a ballan wrasse of 4lb101/2oz and Joshua Atkinson was third with a smoothound scaling 9lb 23/8oz.
Smoothound and bass are providing some great sport for shore anglers with specimens of both species being landed. I have received reports of several bass caught in recent weeks above the coveted weight of 10lb but the captors have not made their catches public. The next couple of months should see a few double figure bass landed. The biggest specimens tend to fall to large baits fished from rock or beach marks. Spider crab is without doubt the top bait at present with squid and mackerel baits working better as the summer progresses. Lure anglers also tempt big fish each season when conditions are favorable.
Kyle Bishop and Dan Spearman enjoyed another action packed session with smoothound landing close to twenty hounds in a session the best 10lb 14oz to the rod of Kyle. They also landed a bass and a small eyed ray of 5lb small eyed ray all in daylight.
Martin Turner won North Devon Match Groups summer league match at Jennets Reservoir with a fine net of roach scaling 27lb 15oz. Thomas Downing was runner up with 20lb and Christopher Morris third with 17lb 2oz. The winning net of roach was put together using pole fished hemp and caster tactics.
