Jon Stevens sent me this stunning image from Woolacombe Beach;
Searching for a Spring ray -without any luck. But always worth it on evenings like those
A few fish about!
March and April are generally quiet months out on the coast but there are always a few fish to be found and its often good to just be out there in the fresh air. Combe Martin SAC member Ross Stanway fished an Ilfracombe Rock mark with his young son Charlie and they both tempted shore rockling with Ross landing a new personal best of 13.5oz. Between them they landed pollock, dogfish and rockling.
There should be very chance of bull huss from rough ground marks and the fisrt ray should be showing from local surf beaches.
Reel Deal – Arrives in Ilfracombe for Summer Season
Dan Hawkins has brought New Charter Boat Reel Deal into its summer moorings ready for the Summer Season at Ilfracombe. Below is a brief update from Dan on the start of an exciting new venture for this season.
Well we’re home in Ilfracombe and nearly ready to start the season. Well it’s been a roller coaster of a month Adam Bruce,Tom aka marry berry and of course the man himself Mr Swifty Chris Dawson have made me a proud man with a beast of a boat that’s just made the journey back round the bottom half of the country in what I can say was testing conditions and she just ate seas for fun what a vessel. There’s lots of thank you’s todo firstly chris and the guys at swift cats for the boat and making me so welcome. Mr Mark Watts for coming to Essex and sticking in the hours with me on the fit out he’s been a god send ,my wing man Sonia Maslen who also came to Essex and helped with the boat and kept us fuelled up with grub. Peter Watts of Breaksea boats for supplying all the electronics and windlass top man. Kevin Jones of LGS marine for all our safety gear anchor ropes and chain. Rich lines of motor lines for all the unseen bit and pieces. Pete leathbridge and Adam for the stainless steel awesome job and really adds to the look of the boat. Mr steve causey for the engines and coming out of his way to do the rigging and commissioning of them and he extra call out needed. Paul Hutching and Benjamin Hopkins for taking time away and helping me get the boat home in the worst conditions I have ever been in. Wendy Hawkins for the lovely cabin cushion. Shane at design a sign for the graphics . Shannon Marie Sprague shay for the emergency lift home when in need. Thank you all so much for helping us get this boat to where she is today if you fancy booking a day on her drop me a message or call 07850984933 or book online at www.reeldealcharters.uk
Below – A few highlights from last season :-
Sea Angling News and prospects
Sea anglers are certainly having a lean time with just three fish weighed into Bideford Angling Clubs Monthly Rover. Dick Talbot dominated the results with a brace of wrasse for first and second weighing 3lb 13oz and 3lb 6oz. Andrew Clements took third spot with a spotted ray of 3lb 1/4oz. In Appledore Shipbuilders Rover the eighteen competing anglers failed to find a fish big enough to bother the scales. Several members of the club ventured to south coast venues in search of plaice where they enjoyed some success but none above the qualifying weight for the scales.
As temperatures start to creep up fishing should improve and the first bass should soon be caught from the lower estuary. The local surf beaches will produce ray that move inshore to feed on sandeel in the surf. Grey mullet are already present along the coast and the first thin-lipps should be in the estuary’s as soon as the flood water subsides. Rough ground marks on the coast will yield bull huss and the occasional conger.
Anglers fishing Ilfracombe Pier with small worm baits can expect plaice and dabs.
Dogfish will provide plenty of rattles on the rod tips.
In search of spring ray
As spring sets in there is a good chance of catching an early ray from our local surf beaches. Steve Dawe shared these fine images of the sun setting as he waited the onset of darkness and chance of a ray. Whilst he blanked on this occasion the scene certainly illustrates that there is more to this fishing than just catching fish. You can catch up more of Steve adventures by visiting his blog in which he describes his adventures whilst aiming to catch fifty species in a year for charity :- https://stevedawe189.wixsite.com/fishtytwochallenge
Combe Martin SAC member Jonathon Stanway also targetted ray from a local rock mark and was rewarded with a personal best small eyed ray of 11lb 2oz. ( Below)
SEA ANGLING RESULTS
After a very quiet few weeks its good to get a bit of sea angling news coming in. The two cold blasts from the east have certainly impacted upon both fish and fishing effort. Lets hope things start to improve over the next few weeks.
Bideford 24 hour results
1st Andrew Clements Thornback 7lb 14 1/2oz 80.902%
2nd Nathan Clements Thornback 6lb 12 1/2oz 75.173%
3rd kyle Blackmore pouting 1 lb 2oz 75%
Triple Hook Club – Derek Philiips Memorial
1st Dennis Toleman – dogfish 2lb 3oz
Biggest spur of the season on Bluefin _ It’s a club record!
Kevin Pike boated the biggest spurdog of the season weighing a massive 21 lb 6oz whilst fishing off Ilfracombe aboard John Barbeary’s Bluefin. The party also boated a bull huss and dogfish.
Andrew Atkinson updated my earlier report _
” The fishes official weight is 21lb 6oz. The fish was kept alive and weighed ashore and returned to the water where it swam away. strongly
The fish sets a new Appledore Shipbuilders Boat record for the species.” Andrew commented further that up until the capture of the spurdog it had been “one of the worst days fishing they had participated in. After Kevin caught the specimen it was far from their worst day ever.” Illustrating the fact that its not over until the last line has been reels in.
http://www.bluefincharters.co.uk
Thornback from Muddy shores
Combe Martin SAC member Ali Laird took a trip up channel to land this handsomely marked thornback ray of 9lb 8oz.
Blue Skys and spurdog on Bluefin
Anglers enjoyed a lush spring day with a blue sky and calm sea on Bluefin fishing out of Ilfracombe they landed plenty of spurdog the best a beauty of 18lb to the rod of Bill Cassar.
http://www.bluefincharters.co.uk
Spring Time
posted in: Article, Articles, Carp Fishing, Coarse Fishing, Game Fishing, Match Fishing, Sea Angling, Sidebar |
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Its seems that spring is slow to arrive and just as we think its getting milder another cold snap is forecast. But any day now we will get that first real day of spring when warmth prevails and balmy air descends.
There are of course signs that spring is here as daffodils, primroses and celandine’s line the hedgerows and roadside verges. Frogs spawned a couple of months ago now and their spawn is already transforming into tadpoles. It will be soon be the turn of the toads to converge onto lakes and ponds their birdlike croak echoing around. Any time now we could glimpse that first sand martin and then that true harbinger of spring and summer the swallows.
As anglers we are of course very aware of nature that is around us and this is all part of what fishing is all about. I am always filled with optimism as the days grow longer and the chance to fish evening sessions in daylight arrives. Of course many plans are made and time is as ever less plentiful than desired. In just a couple of weeks the clocks spring forward.
There will be the chance to cast a fly across the river for spring salmon. Flick a dry fly upstream for wild brown trout or fish a buzzer on a Stillwater for hard fighting rainbows.
Carp anglers will relish the warming water knowing that carp will become more active and as a result will search for food maybe even coming onto the surface where a chum mixer will be slurped down with that delightful sound of summer evenings.
If you’re a sea angler your thoughts will be turning to bass, smoothound and ray. It will of course depend upon your favourite angling style what you seek. The bait angler will enjoy sitting back waiting for the nodding rod and screaming reel. The lure fisher will be more mobile searching for fish casting here and there searching for that electric tug on the line.
I could ramble on but I am sure you get the vibes that I am trying to convey that excitement at the arrival of new a season and fresh piscatorial adventures. I hope to report on your catches over these coming months, not just the fish but also an appreciation of all that angling means. So please feel free to send me your successes, stories and any images of the angling world you enjoy.
Many thanks go to those who sponsor this site and support this project.
