Liam Stevens fished the estuary, targetting the wily mullet that frustrate many an angler. Liam eventually tempted his prize; a fine 4lb 7oz specimen using bread flake presented in conjunction with a bubble float. The fish gave a great fight and has inspired Liam to fish for them again.
Where has that summer gone, those long evenings full of promise? Tonight I grabbed a couple of hours at Watermouth with James hoping for a few mackerel over top of the tide. The sun was illuminating the high cliffs of Exmoor to the East, porpoises were showing just a short distance from the shore and gannets were swooping and gliding in the evening sky.
It was good to be there with a rod in hand even though things didn’t go exactly to plan! After twenty minutes I eventually hooked a string of small mackerel, then next cast had a birds-nest!! Worst for years. Still plan “B” I launched a whole live mackerel out beneath a standard orange tipped sea float. Time to chill a bit and absorb the scenery with the rod in hand and the hope of a good fish. On two occasions on the retrieve a bass shadowed the bait.
James float-fished beside me and the float only sank once as he glanced away.
There is a mixture of feelings at this junction of the year, a slight sadness that summer has drifted past. Optimism as we enter the three best months of the year for sea fishing.
I received this email today from BASS and thought it worth sharing with readers.
Good evening guys, I hope you do not mind me sending you a copy of these two emails from BASS but I thought I would circulate them in case you were interested and would like to do something to save our bass
The species is at a crucial point in its decline. Anglers have been warning for 50 years that too many bass have been killed and still the politicians have allowed the situation to deteriorate to the present awful stock levels.
The more anglers speak up the better the chance of real success in limiting catches to a level that will allow the species to recover.
It would be great if you could find the time to email European and British fishery ministers and civil servants as BASS suggest. I have already done so.
Kind regards and thanks for reading this.
David Wilson
Urgent Last Chance!
EU Consultation: Fish Sea Bass Sustainably.
View this email in your browser
Latest ICES Sea Bass assessment shows spawning stock at an all time low.
Dear Save Our Sea Bass Subscriber
http://www.saveourseabass.org/en/send-email/
We have some important news for you.
On 30 June, ICES issued a new bass assessment. It warns that the bass spawning stock is now at an all-time low and that there is now a risk that the stock’s ability to regenerate itself is compromised. ICES have therefore recommended a full moratorium for 2017.
We have previously advised the Fisheries politicians and managers that we should restrict the bass fishery to sustainable fishing only: recreational angling and commercial hook and line fishing (excluding long-lines). This advice was not followed and, predictably, the stock is now in deep trouble and so a moratorium is needed.
We are concerned that, even now, the Fisheries politicians may give in to commercial lobbying pressure to allow unsustainable commercial bass fishing to continue. We therefore need to send a strong and clear message to the Fisheries politicians and managers, telling them that their existing policy has failed and that from now on we want the bass fishery managed so as to deliver the greatest long term benefits to society, and that means restricting it to sustainable fishing only.
We hope that a moratorium will create some breathing space for the bass stock to recover. But if it does, will we just see the fishery re-opened to unsustainable commercial fishing, so that the destruction of the stock can start over again? We must not let that happen.
You will see that we have just completely updated the Save Our Sea Bass website. We have also started a brand new campaign to email the Fisheries politicians and managers now that they are digesting the ICES advice and are considering how to react. We would ask you to support this email campaign by sending an email and encouraging members of your family and friends to send an email too. If you can help to promote the email campaign via social media too, that would be fantastic.
And finally, a special word for our French Subscribers and comrades in arms! We understand that your Fisheries Minister, Alain Vidalies, is only interested in supporting the commercial bass fishermen and has no interest in listening to what French anglers or conservationists want. However, he cannot act alone, he has to make his case on bass to other EU Member States and the EU Commission. The more French people send emails objecting to unsustainable commercial bass fishing, the more difficult it becomes for Vidalies to sustain his argument – the other EU Member States in the negotiation will be able to tell him that he is not properly representing the wishes of the people of France. We urge you to take part in the new email campaign and to spread the message widely across France.
Best wishes from the Save Our Sea Bass team.
http://www.saveourseabass.org/en/send-email/
Stefan Jones, Matthew Druce and Sam Longhurst enjoyed a successful boat trip off the North Devon coast with Sam a newcomer to angling landing his first ever bull huss.
The trio enjoyed a great day afloat landing around twenty tope to 25lb, numerous huss and a few conger. All the fish were tempted using frozen Ammo mackerel. The day was made extra special in the presence of dolphins, porpoises and gannets.
Sunday September 4th
1.00pm until 4.00pm
Special Guests: –
Libby Ross – IFCA
Safe Fishing – With the coastguard
Fun Fishing Competition
Sponsored by
When the weather permits private boat anglers are enjoying some fine sport off the North Devon Coast with tope the main target species. Recent rough weather has clouded the water encouraging some species to feed hard with lower light levels. Stefan Jones headed to a mark off Woolacombe in his Private boat and enjoyed a great days sport landing nine small eyed ray between 5lb and 7lb plus smoothound and bull huss. The successful bait was Ammo sandeel wrapped in squid.
Ollie Passmore – bass 7lb 1oz
Ollie Passmore enjoyed a session on Ilfracombe Pier landing a fine bass of 7lb 1oz that was carefully returned to the water after a quick photo. The fish was tempted using a large mackerel bait. The water clarity is reduced along the coast now and as a result bait anglers are enjoying improved sport with mackerel squid or crab baits best.
When the water clears lure anglers will start to catch again. I visited High Street tackle recently and was impressed with their wide selection of bass lures both soft and hard plastics from top brands.
Thin Lipped mullet have been hard to find in the estuary over recent weeks but Combe Martin SAC member Graham Snow persisted and located a specimen thin lip of 3lb 9oz despite strong winds making fishing difficult.
South Molton Anglers boat trip off Clovelly aboard Independent charters saw members enjoy a variety filled day with several species coming to the boat including tope,mackerel, horse mackerel, bull huss, pollock, bass, black bream, pouting and the inevitable dogfish. Club sea trip co-ordinator Eddie Rand’s declared ‘good weather and good company!’
