Ross Stanway enjoyed a successful lure fishing session last week landing five fish with some reasonable ones amongst them. 44cm, 45cm, 53cm and 55cm. It was a fairly wild night with some crazy squally showers with thunder and lightning mixed in! The catch bodes well for Combe Martin SAC’s Lure fishing competition for club members that casts off on July 1st and is sponsored by High Street Tackle of Ilfracombe.
( Below) Fellow club member Mark Jones banked this beautiful bass of 65cm.
Leigh-Paul Porter fished a popular Ilfracombe Rock mark tempted this stunning sliver bass of 9lb 1oz a new personal best for Leigh.
A tree creeper flitted up and down searching the bark for morsels of food. The tackle was ready a favourite lure hanging from the rod. I enjoyed the quiet in anticipation of a couple of hours fishing ahead imagining the tide as it pushed into the boulder strewn shoreline below.
James duly arrived and we chatted as we descended to the beach. A gentle breeze wafted the smell of the sea as we approached, the sweet decay of drying seaweed and salty water. I paused to breathe in the air pleased to be released from a lockdown of a couple of months.
A scramble over weed and barnacle encrusted rocks brought us to the waters edge where we chose our ambush points. It was a delight to once again send a lure out watch it splash on the surface before settling into the rhythm of searching the water. The water was clear and calm; James glimpsed a good bass ghosting past along with several mullet.
I searched the water with both my lures and my eyes full of expectation. Thoughts of a troubled world erased temporarily from the mind. Gradually I became immersed in the location the vast waters that are the Bristol Channel. Pleasing cloud formations, sunlight on calm waters and the gentle lapping of the waves on the shoreline. The expectation of that electrifying jolt down the line as a bass seized the lure gradually faded as the early tide pushed inevitably in.
We walked back to the car talking of the next trip as we paused to admire the wild thrift that decorated the cliffs.
Barry Kift sent me this picture of his personal best bass weighing 11lb 3oz, caught from Ilfracombe Pier in 1981
Well, after taking a walk down the pier the evening before, and seeing a 9lb Bass landed myself and my brother, Lee Kift decided to go the next evening. Fishing side by side, Lee went to help land a conger down below. Asking me to look after his rod. Well, 2 small bites later, on his rod,.I was hooked into this. By the time he came back up the fish was nearly at the pier. He shouted, GIVE ME MY ROD, I told him to f*** off and go back down to land it ! He was not best pleased and hasn’t forgiven me to this day 😳😳😳 cant imagine why 🤣🤣🤣
There are some good fish out there to be caught with several bass showing from coast and estuary. A few codling too. Its very much of taking advantage of any window of opportunity with the late autumn weather or just dressing up and getting out there!
Josh Atkinson landed this stunning silver flanked bass of 7lb 10.25oz whilst flounder fishing on the Taw estuary. I asked him if he was targeting bass ?
“Would love to say that I was targeting it but yeah I was targeting flounder. But as we know it is part of the wonderful by-catch that we can have whilst flounder fishing on the Taw.”
(Above) Chay Boggis tempted this 7lb 14oz bass on a mackerel tail fished in a rocky gulley at short range.
Cod for tea – Kevin Kirby landed this pleasing 3lb 12oz codling from a North Devon Shore Mark.
Richard Jefferies fished a mark on the Lower Taw & Torridge Estuary and landed a fine bass of 13lb a fish that is undoubtedly the fish of a lifetime.
Combe Martin Sea Angling Club Secretary Nick Phillips won the clubs latest Open Match at Woolacombe beach with a fine bass of 10lb 1oz caught on the last cast of the competition.
The specimen bass seized a mackerel bait fifteen minutes before the end of the four hour match that attracted twenty keen anglers. The club organised the competition following the ongoing success of their Putsborough competition held each summer. Members had speculated that a match held during the autumn could offer the chance of a good specimen fish or two with ray and bass high on the agenda.
After a week of atrocious weather with strong winds and heavy rain the likelihood of the competition taking place was in question. But on the night the winds dropped along with the swell and even the rain ceased for the four hour duration of the match.
Anglers assembled at the booking in and anticipation was high as competitors ambled down the steep slopes to the vast expanse of Woolacombe Beach. A brisk breeze was blowing from the south east and a moderate surf surged against the sands. The next four hours passed and a range of species were brought to the shore including small eyed ray, small bass, turbot, whiting, codling, conger and the inevitable dogfish. The fishing was for most slower than hoped and spirits had slipped since the start with talk reflecting a lack of fish. As always though at the meet up to collate results a good few fish had been caught. At first it appeared that a dogfish could win the match despite the temporary raising of the specimen size for the competition to 3lb 8oz.
The announcement of Nicks 10lb 1oz bass brought a buzz of excitement and congratulations. The picture taken by Nicks son Jack was eagerly viewed by the huddle of tired anglers. The bass injected a much needed surge of enthusiasm ensuring that many will return to the beach again in search of that dream fish. A double figure bass is much sort after and many have not seen such a fish. I have witnessed several over the past fifty years but never been fortunate enough to actually land one. It is very high on my bucket list and is one of the goals that keeps me going. Autumn is the month if you want a double.
Results :-
1st Nick Phillips – Bass 10lb 1oz
2nd Mark Jones – dogfish – 2lb 4oz
3rd Wayne Thomas – dogfish 2lb 2oz
4th – Dan Miles Redmore – dogfish 2lb 1oz
Best ray – Dan Welch small eyed ray – 3lb 4oz
A short session to a local venue produced a pleasing 5lb 12oz bass tempted on a trout dead-bait. On autumn nights presenting big fish baits close in on light tackle is exciting sport. Not sure it matters too much what bait is used blueys, mackerel, squid and trout all work as would I suspect pouting or rockling. Use a light bass rod or carp rod, 20lb b.s main line with 30lb to 40lb b.s hook length. If there is current free-line the bait or use a small weight to keep the bait down. Use big hooks, 6/0 is ideal. Keep light off the water. Hold the rod and feel for bites, gentle tap is often followed by a heavy pull sighted as the fish moves confidently away with the bait. Its exciting stuff at close range.
Dan Welch enjoyed an evening catching up with old fishing friends on a North Devon rock mark. They had a few fish Including this lovely bass of 8lb 4oz. “Taken on light gear fishing big baits with small weights the next best thing to lure fishing.”
Kevin Hill tempted this fine 10lb 11oz bass from a North Devon beach on a whole Joey mackerel intended for tope.