Calm weather has enabled John Barbeary to take anglers off Ilfracombe to enjoy some frantic sport with spurdog and bull huss. Each winter huge packs of spurdog prowl the Bristol Channel hunting for whiting, herring and sprats. The commercial ban on fishing for these members of the shark family has resulted in a population explosion that is generally welcomed by anglers who return the fish to the water.
Shore Fishing has been difficult along the North Devon Shoreline with those big fish hard to find. Fish those prime marks with big baits and heavy tackle and the results will eventually come its just a case of being in the right place at the right time.
Nathan Clements ended 2019 with this fine conger of 26lb 9.5oz tempted from a North Devon Rock Mark.
Stefan Jones caught this specimen bull Huss of 12lb 10oz whilst fishing a North Devon Rock Mark
Mark Jones secured first place in Combe Martin SAC’s Breath Of Fresh Air Winter Rover landing a specimen small eyed ray of 11lb 1oz.
Runner was Dan Miles Redmore with a spurdog of 8lb 8oz.
Wayne Thomas was third with a dogfish of 2lb 2oz and Dan Welch forth with a thornback ray of 6lb 15oz. Jack Phillips was fifth with dogfish of 1lb 12oz and Mark Jones 6th with a codling of 5lb 13oz.
The fourteen members fished marks covering a wide area from Somerset down to Bideford Bay. Fishing was generally hard going with dogfish and small conger prolific in some areas.
I fished a local mark and the highlight of the trip was a visit from a hungry shag that was so tame it took bits of bait straight from the hand. Whilst cormorants cause a great deal of damage inland and on rivers I delight in seeing them on the coast where they belong. Gannets were also swooping over the water indicating food fish potentially close to the surface.
Triple Hook Clubs Annual Christmas Turkey Competition was plagued by raging flood waters that made fishing conditions challenging. Despite this several good fish were brought to the scales by the thirty-seven competitors ensuring turkeys for the successful anglers. John Passmore won the competition with a flounder scaling 1lb 91/8oz. In runner up spot was Julian Stainer with a flounder of 1lb 81/32oz.Third was Junior angler Ian Cairns with a flounder of 1lb 71/4oz and in forth Antony Smith with flounder of 1lb 41/2oz. In fifth was Tarrant Wotton with a flattie of 1lb 43/4oz and in sixth Mark Beer with a flounder of 1lb 31/4oz.
Shore sport along the North Devon coast has been slower than expected with the water coloured following recent winter storms I expected to be swamped with pictures of specimen fish. CMSAC member Dan Spearman caught this blonde ray of 12lb 11oz. James Gubb Fradgley caught a pleasing whiting of 1lb 8oz. This weekend see CMSAC and Triple Hook Club holding competitions it will be interesting to see what is tempted.
Dan Spearman
The rough weather has encouraged a few ray to move close inshore with small eyed ray, spotted ray and blonde ray tempted.
Jonathon Stanway and Ross Stanway enjoyed a successful session from a North Devon Rock mark landing conger of 19lb 6oz and 16lb 4oz.
Matt Jeffery made the best of a session between the storms tempting a hard fighting tope of 34lb 2oz. The fish was tempted using whole squid.
(Below) Early this autumn Matt caught a tope of 39lb.
Kevin Legge secured top spot In Combe Sea Angling Clubs Christmas Competition with a fine specimen bull huss scaling 11lb 12oz. Members endured some stormy conditions during the competition with a heavy swell battering the coast. Mark Jones was runner up with a small eyed ray of 9lb 6oz.
Third – Alex Mcleish – bull huss 6lb 3oz
Forth Dan Welch – small eyed ray – 6lb
Fifth – Dan Welch – dogfish – 1lb 12oz
Sixth – Ross Stanway – dogfish – 1lb 10oz.
Julien Stainer secured first place in Bideford Angling Clubs Twenty Four Hour Rover landing bull huss of 8lb 15.5oz.
Cameron Atkinson won Appledore Shipbuilders Wintere League Rover with a whiting of 1lb 4oz.
As winter storms colour the water it’s time to don those waterproofs and get out in search of specimens. Kevin Legge found this near double figure huss on the feed during a recent trip to a rocky North Devon Shoreline.
An impressive 72 anglers lined the banks of a wind swept Torridge Estuary to take part in Bideford Angling Clubs Christmas Competition and plenty of flounder were tempted.
1st R. Slade flounder 1lb 9 1/2oz
2nd D. Jenkins flounder 1lb 5 1/2oz
3rd D. Talbot flounder 1lb 4 3/4oz
4th M. John’s flounder 1lb 4 1/4oz
5th R. Harris flounder 1lb 3 1/4oz
6th A. Mccourt flounder 1lb 3oz
7th M. Druce flounder 1lb 1 3/4oz
8th C. Curtis flounder 1lb 1 3/4oz
9th D. Bailey flounder 1lb 1 3/4oz
10th A. Clements flounder 1lb 1 1/2oz
Prizes went all the way to 26th place.
JUNIORS
1ST B. Lee flounder 0.310g
2nd B. Lee flounder 0.306g
3rd B. J. Less flounder 0.302g
4th B. Phipps flounder 0.288g
5th B. Phipps flounder 0.256
Nathan Clements wrote :-
“I would like to say thank you to everyone that fished today 72 angler’s produced 39 flounder it’s been a brilliant day.
Thanks to Paul and Lisa done a fantastic job again.
Thank you to all are sponsors.
Thanks to the reds for letting us host the competition.
Congratulations to all the winners
See you all again next year”
Appledore Shipbuilders fished their Christmas comp today. Winner and 2nd was Owen Atkinson with Flounders of 1lb 14 3/4ozs and 1lb 12ozs 3rd was Cameron Atkinson with a flounder of 1lb 2 3/8ozs 22 members fished.
Twenty-Three anglers fishing in Triple Hook Clubs Open Flounder Match with good numbers of flounder landed. Mark Beer was first in the senior section with a flounder of 1lb 6.75oz. In runner up spot was Joan Cairns with a flounder of 1lb 4.5oz.
In the Junior section Lennox Pine took top spot with a flounder of 1lb 63/8oz and Levi Beer was runner up with a flounder of 1lb 33/8oz. Ian Cairns was runner up in club only Junior section with a flounder of 1lb.
The ladies section was secured by Joan Cairns with her flounder of 1lb 4.5oz. Runner up in the ladies section was Levi Beer with her flounder of 1lb 33/8oz.