Tope are providing great sport off Ilfracombe with Reel Deal putting anglers amongst these hard fighting members of the shark family. There is also a very good chance of contacting these powerful fish from shore marks all along North Devon.
Shore Sport
Dan Miles Redmore landed this stunning 8lb 7oz bass from a local shore mark.
(Above) Ollie Passmore with a double figure conger from a local shore mark.
(Above) Ross Stanway with a fine bull huss of 11lb 9oz tempted whilst bass fishing with a light weight 2oz to 4oz bass rod.
John Shapland has a slender lead in Combe Martin SAC’s two month long species hunt sponsored by Ilfracombe’s High Street Tackle adding the a above gilthead bream to bring his total to 33 species. Dan Welch is currently on 30 species but will am sure be gong all out to catch up.
FISH FARMS – A few thoughts
I once rather naively thought that fish farms were a good thing in that rearing salmon would reduce the demand for wild fish and eradicate the threat of poaching and commercial harvesting. Many years later I see fish farms as a menace and a very real threat to wild salmon stocks and other fish. The much publicized concerns regarding sea lice infestations and potential genetic issues with farmed fish mingling with wild stocks are just a couple of issues.
The Angling Trust have just publicized a campaign to halt the use of West Country Wrasse to control sea lice infestations in Scottish salmon farms.
Whilst I have not got any degree of scientific expertise I have grave concerns regarding other aspects of fish farming. I have recollections of statistics revealing that 5 kilos of fish meal is used to produce 1 kilo of salmon. Fish meal is basically ground down fish such as sandeel and mackerel both vital links in the aquatic food chain.
Whilst in Norway recently we caught cod and halibut with their stomachs full of pellets. These fish had undoubtedly been feeding from the spillings of food from the growing number of salmon farms. Many of the cod, coalfish and halibut also had large numbers of sea-lice on them. I do not know if this is normal or if numbers of sea lice have multiplied in recent seasons? At times there appeared to be an oily slick on the water was this pollution from the salmon farms? It is alarming if as I suspect this pristine arctic environment is being tarnished by commercial farming of salmon.
These issues are of course complex as we need to eat and we have probably all eaten farmed salmon and have not given any thought to the costs to the environment.
More tope on Reel Deal
Ammo baits and Veals mail order gear at work on Reel Deal Charters a tope estimated at 40lb made a great start to a recent day afloat.
SEA ANGLING ROUND UP
Graham Snow secured first and second in Bideford Angling Clubs Monthly Rover landing a fine brace of mullet. A thick lip of 5lb 21/4oz and a thin lip of 4lb 53/8oz. He also took first in Appledore Shipbuilders Monthly Rover with the thick lipped mullet of 5lb 21/4oz Jazza John took runner up spot in Appledore Shipbuilders Rover with a smoothound scaling 11lb 15/8oz and Graham took third with his thin lipped mullet of 4lb 53/8oz.. Jack Pike dominated the Junior section with ballan wrasse scaling 3lb 13oz, 3lb 8oz and 2lb 14oz.
Combe Martin SAC members continue to compete in their two month long species competition. John Shapland is currently leading with 31 species with Dan Welch very close behind of 30 species.
I have had a couple of visits to the coast to try and add a couple of species to my own tally but have struggled to catch a fish let alone species and those that I have caught tended to be those few I have already caught. Bit of a reality check after a week in Norway catching big fish!
Ross Stanway got among the spotted ray at Ilfracombe landing five in a short session.
Combe Martin SAC’s Fun Fishing Event has been rescheduled to Saturday September 2nd as a result of boat landings on the Sunday. Full details of this event will follow shortly.
Record Clingers on the Pier – Fishing In miniature
George Stavrakopoulos is a great fan of LRF fishing and using the techniques to tempt a wide range of species from Ilfracombe Pier. His comments below will come as a revelation to many died in the wool traditional sea anglers who wield tackle strong enough to subdue fish far larger than generally encountered close to the English shoreline.
“I caught the shore cling fish otherwise known as a Cornish sucker on my 0.5 to 7 g rock fish ultralight lrf rod mated to a shimano stradic 1000 loaded with 4lb braid on a drop shot size 18 Kamasan b980 specimen barbless hook using 2lb flouro trilene imported from the states. Was kind a funny as in the last month or so I have witnessed 3 Connemara cling fish off the pier one of them being one I caught and on the way down to the pier on that day I was saying to my fishing buddy Tim Poat how I’d love to catch a Cornish sucker and I did !! A lot of people laugh at the mini species but I love them and think they’re soo…. cool. I watch people on the pier blank time and time again using hooks that are too big and tackle that’s too heavy, whilst on the light rods it’s nearly always non stop action. There’s no Bristol Channel or British record for this fish species so I have submitted claims for both. The fish was obviously returned alive after a few photos and a weigh in. I’m waiting for a positive ID confirmation from BRFC they’ve sent the photos to the Natural history museum in London.”
Big Tope for Sarah on Reel Deal
Sarah Towel landed this cracking tope estimated at 45lb when fishing on Ilfracombe Charter Boat ‘Reel Deal’ skippered by Dan Hawkins.
Bideford Angling Festival
Reel Deal tope for six year old
Six year old was on holiday with his dad and took a trip on Ilfracombe Charter Boat Reel Deal where he boated a fine tope on Ammo mackerel with rods reels and a 8/0 varivas big mouth extra from Veal’s mail order.
CMSAC SPECIES Competition Latest
After a month of Combe Martin SAC’s species competition John Shapland has a slender lead with 30 species. In runner up spot is Daniel Welch on 28 and in third Ross Stanway of 21.
The event seems to have stimulated some very interesting fishing with a wide range of species recorded including dragonets, cling fish and various mini species. Strangely no one has registered gilthead bream, garfish or golden grey mullet!
The competition is sponsored by High Street Tackle Ilfracombe.
