10 Jan 2024

New Stock for North Devon’s South West Lakes Trust Waters

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South West Lakes –
Title: New Stock Added

___________________________________________________________

Jennett’s has been stocked with 19 new additions to the lake! 15 mirrors between 16 -18lb and 4 bigger mirrors to just over 23lb

Darracott has received a boost in stocks in 2023, to ensure there is a great future of sport in the lake for years to come. 72 fish have been added all together to 23lb. This should be a good venue over the winter to get a few bites and keep you busy on the bank!

Melbury has received 4 new additions to the lake to improve an already impressive stock. Two mirrors were added from from the Roadford lake carp removals, both of these were doubles and two fish were added from Lana springs carp farm (19 and 20 Plus). These are stunning fish and will no doubt be target fish for the future!

 

 

 
8 Jan 2024

Job Opportunity at Ilfracombe Aquarium

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A unique opportunity has arisen at Ilfracombe Aquarium with a position that would suit many keen aquarists. See details of vacancy below : –

https://ilfracombeaquarium.co.uk

Ilfracombe Aquarium Vacancy

Part-time Aquarist/Visitor Engagement Assistant

General Description

Based at the aquarium, the chosen candidate will assist in the overall, daily operations of the aquarium with the majority of time allocated to exhibit area servicing and management.

Responsibilities

These include; maintenance of aquatic life support, daily husbandry work for the animals, meeting nutritional requirements and feeding practises, health and hygiene, record keeping in accordance with Zoo License requirements, engagement with health and safety policies and general planning ahead to support the collection and other colleagues.

The role will be hands-on, assisting in the preparation of front of house and the exhibit area before visitor arrivals, ongoing daily maintenance and carrying out a closing down procedure.

Visitor engagement is a key part of the role. This includes general interaction with the customers, providing educational talks, feeding demonstrations, sharing points of interest and assisting with children’s quizzes.

The exhibit team here is established with many years of experience. They remain a wholly motivated, friendly and passionate team with their primary role being in promoting local wildlife, habitats and environmental awareness to visitors. They currently care for approximately 70 species of native freshwater and marine life in their recreated natural habitats. They look forward to welcoming the chosen candidate and will support their training in order to establish them as a key supportive and valued team member.

Employment details

Job Type: Part-time

Salary: From £11.44 per hour

Expected hours: 10 – 30 per week (subject to seasonal demands).

Benefits: Employee discount

Schedule: Monday to Friday & weekend availability

Start date; 04/03/24

Requirements; Essential and Preferred Skills

  • Education: Certificate of Higher Education (preferred)
  • Experience: Animal care including aquatics: 2 years (preferred)
  • Customer facing work &/or experience.
  • Highly motivated, energetic and reliable team player.
  • To have passion for wildlife and possess environmental and conservation credentials.
  • Excellent communication skills and confidence to communicate clearly with children, disabilities and other audiences.
  • Quick to learn and approve aquarium ethos and practises.
  • Practical and good at problem solving.
  • Dynamic; able to offer ideas. Develop teaching resources for formal and informal education.
  • Full clean driving license

Applicants

Submissions to include expression of interest, CV and referee/reference details. Send ASAP to e[email protected]

Those successful at application will be invited to interview.

Ilfracombe Aquarium
The Old Lifeboat House
The Pier
Ilfracombe
North Devon
EX34 9EQ01271 864533
ilfracombeaquarium.co.uk
19 Dec 2023

Coarse fishing end of year newsletter December 2023 – South West lakes Trust

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Coarse fishing end of year newsletter
December 2023

Dear fellow anglers,

Where has 2023 gone? Another brilliant year of angling on our coarse fishing venues has flown by. There have certainly been some highlights this year and it has been fantastic to see the reports and photos sent in of people’s captures this year.

It was a great start to the year for pike fishing on College Lake, with the lake recently allowing limited pike fishing tickets through the winter season. All the anglers that took up the opportunity to pike fish the lake had a great time with multiple fish caught over the colder months. These tickets are available again this year, please ring the office for details on 01566 771930.

New format a success for Mainline Baits

Soon, spring was upon us and with the pike season coming to a close the other species started to wake up in in the reservoirs with multiple catch reports coming in from Argal and Upper Tamar in early March.

The end of March saw the return of the Mainline Baits Pairs competitions on Upper Tamar. There was a rule change this year on how the final result is taken, where a pair can register their three biggest fish and the final weight is taken from that. This led to a much more competitive and close competition which could be won at any time by anyone.

Over the year we offer three pairs competitions on Upper Tamar with £3,500 of prize money up for grabs. All anglers get a goody bag from the match sponsor Mainline Baits. We look forward to running these again in 2024 (dates to be announced at the start of the year).

Upper Tamar on top form for matches

Springtime also marked the start of the matches on Upper Tamar. Upper Tamar is such an amazing venue and once again it showed its form with some cracking weights of bream, perch and roach from the matches through the year, it’s no wonder it is regarded as one of the best venues in the country. It was great to see familiar faces this year and once again there was some top banter to go with it.

The match calendar for Upper Tamar is already full for 2024, we apologise for any disappointment. There are still dates available for Jennetts and a couple of other venues, please get in touch for details.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the match organisers and competitors for their support in 2023. We hope 2024 will bring another successful year of matches on our reservoirs and we look forward to seeing you in the new year.

Get Fishing Awards at Porth and Darracott

As summer started, plans were well under way to try to show a wider audience just how amazing our sport is. Through the month of August, we aimed to roll out the Angling Trust ‘Get Fishing Awards’ at Porth and Darracott. This was a gateway for newcomers to try fishing and have the confidence and knowledge to get out there and go fishing by gaining a Bronze, Silver and Gold award after three sessions.

A massive thank you to the volunteers who helped at the events, we aim to carry on these sort of events in 2024 and plans are in place to try and kick on from this to encourage more into the sport.

Carp removal project at Roadford Lake

September saw the start of the carp removal project at Roadford Lake. Due to fish spawning in the first week of May we had to put a hold on it until September. This gave the opportunity for people to fish the 700+ acre venuefor carp for the first time.

Due to agreements and legislation when Roadford was created, the lake can only be run as a brown trout fishery. Therefore, the aim of the project is to remove carp to improve the brown trout fishing and at the same time use the fish to improve the stocks in some of our reservoirs. Throughout September, over 200 carp were caught and moved to other venues to improve the stocks of the lakes.

Pike, Catch and stock: a busy end to the year! 

As the year draws to an end it has seen the matches finish on the venues until next year, the pike season has started again, the day tickets have moved onto the Catch app and we have invested in some new stock for the lakes, with over £15,000 of carp being stocked (including this stunning mirror at Melbury, below).

A big thank you to all those that took part in the season ticket survey.

Notable catches and results on the lakes

There have been some notable catches and results on the lakes this year. Longham has been on fine form producing a bream of 20lb to Chris Harrison and a new lake record 48lb 4oz carp to Alan Thurlow.

Lee Kerry was crowned the Feeder Masters champion for the third time at Upper Tamar. The close competition was won with a winning weight of 65lb 10oz after two days, beating second place and last year’s champion Zak Williams by 2lb 6oz.

Lower Tamar has once again produced some fantastic bream (see photo below) with multiple double figure fish getting caught through the year. The lake has also been producing some cracking 30lb carp and some great tench to over 7lb.

Trenchford has had a great start to the winter with a 24lb pike making Julian Fraser’s day, it was his first ever pike! Porth and Argal have seen some stunning carp landed this year, Jennetts has been producing some lovely carp with a good number being over 20lb and the silver fish fishing has been fantastic on the venue with a 20lb plus bag of silvers not uncommon.

There are many other great catches on the lakes this year but we can’t list them all.

 
19 Dec 2023

NORTH DEVONS TACKLE SHOPS – Buy Local

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We are very fortunate in North Devon to have some excellent fishing tackle shops providing local anglers with a wide range of tackle and bait. Tackle shops are at the heart of the local angling community providing a meeting place where anglers can pick up the tools of the trade before spending their hard earned cash. Tackle shops are also a vital social centre where anglers can mingle to plan trips to the water’s edge. I value the support given to North Devon Angling News by our local tackle shops. Over the last few days before Christmas why not pop into your local tackle shop and maybe buy a present or two and stock up with tackle for the Christmas holidays and next year’s fishing trips.


 

 

13 Dec 2023

WINTER PERCH

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Jamie Steward kick started his perch fishing campaign in style on Upper Tamar by landing these two cracking perch of 3lb 8oz and 3lb 3oz feeder fishing prawn.

The lake has great form for big perch and its great to see some quality fish still getting caught on the lake. Two 3lbers isn’t a bad way to start your campaign, best of luck to Jamie for the rest of the winter.

24 Nov 2023

Anglers Paradise 2023 Lure Fishing Weekend

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THE WINNER  OF THE 2023 LURE WEEKEND 
A massive congratulations to Mark Sharratt who WON 🏆 as the overall CHAMPION by catching 5 species consisting of Tiger Trout, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Perch and Rudd which made him…THE CHAMPION OF 2023
A Big THANK YOU TO ALL The Sponsors Mark went home loaded with amazing prizes, including Rods, Reels, Lures, Clothing, Luggage, AND a week’s holiday for 2 at Anglers Paradise!
THE WINNING TEAM OF THE ANGLERS PARADISE LURE WEEKEND 2023 – CONGRATULATIONS TO TEAM FOX RAGE CAPTAINED BY THE LITTLE MENACE BEN HUMBER
Ben’s team caught 7 species 🎣
• Catfish
• Pike
• Rudd
• Tiger Trout
• Brown Trout
• Rainbow Trout
• Perch
A great achievement by the team and excellently lead by Ben who showed us all with some superb angling exactly why he’s the most decorated captain of our lure weekends!
Second place – Okuma/Rapala
Third – Drennan/ESP
Fourth – Rozemeijer/Voodoo
Well done to all the Teams and their awesome Captains, you all fished your socks off and we are proud of every single one of you
Thanks to all the sponsors for the great team prizes
2023 – TEAM FOX  RAGE ARE THE WINNERS
(Below) One of the Lure Weekend Captains Dave Drake representing Drennan ESP with a very impressive Rainbow  Trout caught during the competition
RUNNER UPOF THE 2023 LURE WEEKEND
Congratulations to Nigel Kingston who was the Runner Up with 4️⃣ species consisting of Tiger Trout, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout and Perch
A Big THANK YOU TO ALL The Sponsors Nigel went home very happy loaded with amazing prizes, including a Rod, Reel, Lures, Clothing, Luggage and a pair of Fortis eyewear sunglasses  the list goes on!
WELL DONE NIGEL!
Special thanks to @fox_rage_fishing
@rapala
@okuma_fishing
@outlaw_pro_predator @fortiseyewear @rozemeijerfishing @drennantackle @espcarpfishing Voodoo and Bryan Davies 

Anglers Paradise
8 Nov 2023

NETTING IN PARADISE

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NETTING IN PARADISE

Anglers Paradise was created by Zyg Gregorek around forty years ago a man who had a vision to transform a few acres of marshy ground into a fishing paradise. Visiting the complex to attend the annual netting event it is apparent that Zyg’s vision is still going strong.

Each year one of the complexes thirty plus lakes is netted to ensure fish stocks are kept at optimum levels. The netting also signals the start of the venue’s charity week.

This year the float lake was to be netted, a lake of around one acre that holds koi, barbel, golden tench, carp, goldfish and a large population of rudd. The plan was to remove  a large number of the rudd, transferring them to the pike lake. The koi, golden tench, ghost carp and barbel would be returned to the lake along with a few new additions including chub and blue orfe.

 

I arrived at around 9:00am and found the netting party assembling at the side of the lake. I took a walk around the lake capturing a few images of the partially empty lake. Late autumn sunshine illuminated the scene highlighting autumn colours on the trees.

 

I chatted with Joe and Zenia who between them run the complex that is very much a family business. As the working party slowly gathered one or two were undoubtedly nursing hangovers from a night before in the renowned Safari Bar.

Netting a lake requires a degree of planning and after many years the operation is a well-rehearsed project. The first task being to ensure that the lake is at the right level. Too much water and it becomes dangerous, too little water and there is a risk to the valuable stock.

 

 

There is always a sense of anticipation as the net draws together and the contents are slowly revealed. The fish within were sorted with carp, rudd and a selection of koi removed for relocation across the complex.

The enthusiasm of the team for the task at hand was impressive with no one grumbling about the mud and cold water.

The netting day signals the start of a week of events to raise money for charity. This year’s charity is Tackling Minds. Tackling Minds is a charity formed in 2020 that offers support to people from all walks of life who are suffering from a huge range of issues. In 2022 Tackling Minds teamed up with Angling Direct and Anglia Ruskin University to highlight the measurable benefits of angling for both mental and physical health conditions.

I think we can all relate to the massive increase in mental health issues over recent years. I chatted with several present about mental health and how angling provides a valuable link to the natural world that is good for the mind. Speak with young people today and it is frightening how many know of friends they have lost to suicide. This is I believe the largest cause of death for young men. A fact that is often reported in the national media.

Angling provides a vital connection to the natural world that is recognised as being extremely beneficial to mental health. There is of course also a social benefit from mixing with like-minded people who share the passion for angling.

I fear that mental health is going to be increasingly high on the agenda in future years. Elon Musk raised the possibility of AI removing the need to work and that this will result in people searching for meaning in life. As social media continues to polarise opinions and religion becomes less relevant to many mental health will become increasingly challenged.

Fishing and other pastimes will perhaps play a vital role in exercising our minds and ensuring a vital link with the natural world.

Each day of the annual charity and netting week see fund raising activities such as quiz nights and bingo nights. The week culminates in a fireworks bonanza. This year’s event raised an impressive £3000 + for tackling minds.

         The complexes thirty odd lakes are now well established and offer rich and diverse habitat where wildlife abounds. Many of the visitors to Anglers Paradise have been visiting for years and as each generation grows they bring their families. Those who first fished as children now returning with children of their own to share the joys of angling.

Anglers Paradisehttp://www.anglers-paradise.co.uk

Report from Zenia below :-

£3000 raised for TACKLING MINDS ‼️💖🎣✨🥳
We are absolutely delighted to share with you all that from last week’s fundraising events and events throughout the year that we have raised 3K for the inspirational Tackling Minds 💖🎣✨🥳
The Events that helped us reach this total were –
Charity Wine – Anglers Paradise
Thumbnail painting – special thanks to Nicky Lock
Bingo – special thanks to Di and Andy Mepham
Fishing Match – special thanks to Sam Wahid and his boys
Pool and Darts 🎯 matches – special thanks to Adam, Georgina and Harry Smith
Quizzes – special thanks to Paul Tegg
Tombola – special thanks to Kathryn and Ellis Williams
Treasure Hunt – Anglers Paradise
Raffle – special thanks to EVERYONE
The GUY – special thanks to Di, Di, Trace, Georgina, Adam, Harry and Dawn and to Sam Wahid for bidding for him!
Badges – special thanks to Di Mepham
Party Games – special thanks to Kathryn, Ellis, Mark and Dawn
Waxing of chests and backs – special thanks to the volunteers Toby Hayward and Devon’s Austin Powers aka Will Peyton and to Jaz Trent for getting the waxing strips
Chilli party night – special thanks to Georgina and Adam Smith
Fireworks- Step Pearson, Spen and Paul. Thank you for a fantastic display and finishing the week in style 👏🎇🎆
A ‼️MASSIVE‼️THANK YOU 🙏TO EVERYONE THAT HELPED AND DONATED TO GET US TO THIS AMOUNT!! THANK YOU TO EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU 💖👏🏻✨🙏
7 Nov 2023

South West Lakes Trust – Partner with Catch

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Message from South West Lakes Trust

Hello fellow anglers

We’re very excited to tell you that we have partnered with Catch to be our fishery management and booking partner.

From 16 November 2023 day tickets will only be available through Catch. Season tickets remain bookable through our website, but will be available through Catch from next year.

Catch are giving our season ticket holders a six-month free subscription so you can book day tickets via the app and enjoy the other benefits. If you already have a Catch account this will automatically be applied. If you don’t, Catch will be sending you an email shortly with details on how to access and begin your free subscription.

Download the Catch app from App Store or Google Play, create a free account and take advantage of all the great features straight away:

  • Interactive lake maps
  • Masses of information at your fingertips
  • Receive catch reports, news and events in real-time
  • Upload your own catch reports directly to our fishery pages
  • Book your next session days, weeks or even months in advance
  • Receive automatic reminders when your next session is due

… and much more!

These guys know what they are doing and have your (and our) best interests at heart. They’ve made the platform easy for everyone to use and we strongly believe that we’ve made the very best decision possible: by partnering with Catch we’ve brought our fishery administration bang up to date which will, in turn, benefit you as an angler.

We appreciate you may have questions so feel free to contact us directly or the Catch team at [email protected] for more information. There is also a live chat option on the Catch website.

Thank you
Ashley
Head of Angling

22 Oct 2023

BIDEFORD AGM

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A.G.M.

Notice is hereby given that the 2023 AGM will be held at the Bideford Conservative Club on Friday 17th November 19:30 – 20:00 sharp.

Please note that all proposals for changes to our rule’s or applications to join the committee need to be received by our secretary before midnight on Friday 27/10/2023.

Rule changes need a seconder.

Proposals for committee membership must have the agreement of the person, with a proposer and a seconder in writing.

All proposals must be with the secretary via email at [email protected]