CARP FISHING NEWS

Chris Connaughton owner of Barnstaple Bait and Tackle has caught a personal best carp from Furzebray Lake. The mirror carp known as ‘Dropscale’ weighed an impressive 50lb 4oz. Furzebray Carp Lakes near South Molton opened in 2007 have matured into one of the West Country’s finest carp waters with numerous carp exceeding thirty and forty pounds.

         Kyle Greenall’s biggest carp prior to his visit to Bulldog Fishery was just over 12lb. He pushed this to just over 23lb within hours of setting up and two hours later netted a stunning common carp of 37lb 4oz.

         The hot weather over recent days has triggered carp spawning across many waters so it is wise to check with fishery owners before setting out to fish. Whilst there are still anglers who lament abolishing the old closed season for coarse fish it is perhaps more sensible to close fisheries at the appropriate time when spawning is witnessed. This ensures fish welfare during spawning and helps maintain the commercial viability of waters.

 

NEW TACKLE SHOP COMING TO BUDE !

 BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to make this happen, and we’re finally ready to share the news…

 Bude Bait & Tackle is coming! 🎣

With the recent closure of the tackle shop in Bude, we didn’t want to see local anglers left without easy access to bait and tackle. After a lot of effort and planning, we’re excited to announce that we’ll be opening Bude Bait & Tackle in the coming months.

 For our juniors and local anglers in Barnstaple, Chris will be staying in Barnstaple, and we’ll be making another exciting announcement later this week introducing the manager of our new Bude store.
 We’re aiming to open in April, so please follow our page for updates and progress as we get closer to opening day.

Your support means everything to us — likes, shares, and comments are hugely appreciated, so please help spread the word!

Barnstaple Bait & Tackle – Doubles its size !

Chris Connaugton his son Alfie Joe (AJ) and Steve Pinn are the Barnstaple Bait and Tackle team giving a friendly welcome to anglers at the extenstion of the shop in Queen Street, Barnstaple just a short cast from Barnstaple Central Car Park. The shop has a wide range of tackle for all disiplines of angling. The team offer  comprehensive advice on all aspects of angling. The shop has now doubled in size giving more stock and more room to browse and of course chat with fellow anglers.

Christmas Fishes – Shop Local

It’s December so it seems Ok to start talking Christmas. We are very fortunate in North Devon to have fishing tackle shops in all of our major towns and as local anglers we really need to support them. With Christmas just a couple of weeks away now is the time to buy that fishy present.  It might be that you have to pay a little more as compared to the internet but there is no postage, a good after sales service, you get to see what you’re buying and you ensure that you have somewhere to buy fresh bait. Not to mention the vital social benefits of meeting fellow anglers whilst browsing those lines of tempting produce.

BARNSTAPLE

Barnstaple Bait and Tackle offers an excellent range of tackle for all disciplines and is convenienly located in Queen Street, close to the central Car Park and Bus Station. The shop is owned by Chris Connaughton a well known and respected local angler.

ILFRACOMBE

Danny Watson (Above right ) is a lure fishing fanatic a fact that is reflected when-ever you walk into his tackle shop in Ilfracombe High Street. Thousands of lures to tempt every angler and every fish. Danny supplies local charter boats with lures and tackle and has an extensive knowledge on how lures work and their design features. In addition to the vast array of lures the shop also carries an extensive range of sea tackle and coarse fishing essentials.

BIDEFORD

Anglers Heaven is owned by Tom Wade and has recently undergone a significant extension with a large retail area offering fishing tackle for all disciplines. Tom also stocks a range of shooting and country sports equipment.

BRAUNTON

The Braunton Bait Box is run by keen local angler Craig McCloughlin and offers a good range of sea angling tackle and quaility bait. The shop also has a range of coarse fishing tackle and is a stockist for Chillcheater clothing of Braunton.

 

Reed – Chillcheater is a North Devon Based company located in Braunton that offers a wide range of high quality outdoor clothing that has gained a reputation amongst local anglers for keeping them warm and dry in the worst of conditions.

EXMOOR

Lance Nicholson’s shop is located in the lively Exmoor town of Dulverton and offers a wide range of game fishing tackle and country clothing. It is also an excellent source on information on where to fish and what is happening across the Upper Exe and Barle catchments.

CORNWALL

The Arundell is a traditional country hotel on the Cornish Border that offers excellent river fishing throughout the year. The hotel has a tackle shop that stocks an excellent range of top end tackle from Orvis. This is undoubtedly the top venue for West Country winter grayling.

 

DAN MILES REDMORE MEMORIAL OPEN 2024

posted in: Sea Angling, Sidebar | 0
An amazing turn out of supporters, both on the bank and at the weigh in!!
This year’s flounder comp saw 101 ENTRIES including 29 JUNIORS which has to be an all time record!!
Here are the competition results:
ADULTS
1st Alex Brine 1lb 12 3/4 oz
2nd Tarrant Wotton 1lb 12 1/2 oz
3rd Josh Snow 1lb 11 1/4 oz
4th Mario Manley 1lb 10 1/4oz
5th Steve Wilkinson 1lb 10 oz
Prizes went as far down as 22nd.
BEST BRACE
1st Tarrant Wotton 3lb 73/4 oz
2nd Mario Manley 3lb 6 1/4 oz
JUNIORS
1st Alfie Sanders 2lb 1/4 oz
2nd L.Gratton 1lb 7 3/4 oz
3rd Kayden Wotton 1lb 6 3/4 oz
4th Belka Mitchell 1lb 5 oz
5th Millie Jago 1lb 4 3/4 oz
A massive thanks to everyone who took part and a huge well done to Dave Jenkins for putting the whole event together!!
Also, we must give a big thanks to everyone that got involved with donating prizes, we couldn’t have done it without you!!
Over a whopping £750 was raised for charity…….what a result!!
More pictures and comment on Barnstaple Bait & Tackles Facebook Page
DIARY DATE FOR NEXT YEARS COMP
NOVEMBER 30TH 2025 9am to 2.30pm

Open Flounder Competition

posted in: Sea Angling, Sidebar | 0

North Devon Flounder fisherman are looking forward to the first big competition of the 2024 Flounder season. There is plenty of interest with a good number already registered at Barnstaple Bait and Tackle.

SUNDAYS RULES

FISHING 9am to 3pm
Alan’s Rock to IRON BRIDGE Rock PARK.
2 rods 3 hooks max in total
Minimum 12”
Max 2 fish to weigh in.
1 prize per person
Goody bags for all juniors

Prize for all ladies fishing too.

Dan Miles Redmore Memorial Competition

posted in: Sea Angling, Sidebar | 0

The flounder fishing season traditionally gets underway at the time of Barnstaple Fair and plenty of these obliging flatfish should be present in the estuary for the Dan Miles Redmore Memorial Competition that is to be held on October 13th. The event is sponsored by Barnstaple Bait and Tackle and Bullet Baits. Entry forms are available at Barnstaple Bait and Tackle.

Barnstaple Bait and Tackle Opening Saturday July 13th

Barnstaple Bait and Tackle Opens on Saturday July 13th ensuring that Barnstaple anglers continue to have a well stocked tackle shop to visit for all their needs. I called in to the shop prior to its opening and chatted with Chris who is full of enthusiasm for the new venture. The shop carries on the legacy of Quay Sports where Chris was the manager. A wide range of bait and tackle from well-known brands is stocked. The shop caters for Coarse, Carp, Sea and Fly Fishers. It is essential that anglers use all of our excellent local tackle shops that provide far more than just bait and tackle. Friendly advice, a social meeting hub and convenience add value not found on line.

Chris Connaughton
💥 READY FOR YOU!! 💥
So, after a lot of hard graft from friends and family, we are 99% kitted out, stocked up and ready for your presence at our grand opening on Saturday (13th)!!
You will find us at 6 Queen Street, EX32 8HJ. Currently, the large carpark nearby is closed but you will find a smaller one to the rear of the shop and another, Belle Meadow, just the other side of the bus station.
🪱🦀🪰
We should have a full compliment of baits for sea and freshwater, both frozen and live.
Can’t wait to see you all!!
BBT
Opening Hours – Monday       9:00- 18.00
                            Tuesday.      9:00- 18.00
                            Wednesday  9:00- 18.00
                             Thursday     9:00- 19.00
                             Friday.         9:00- 18.00
                             Saturday      9:00- 17.00
                             Sunday.      10.00 – 14.00