Early tope are arriving off Ilfracombe. This fine fish was tempted on John Barbeary’s Bluefin.
SEA ANGLING HOTS UP AS SPRING UNFOLDS
APPLEDORE SHIPBUILDERS May Rover
9 People fished the May rover today. It was nice to have a calm day although the rain did get a few people wet!
Congratulations must go to Josh Atkinson the winner of the Competition with a Personal best Smoothound of 16lb 14 1/4oz.
Josh also came second with another fantastic Smothound of 15lb 15 3/4ozs. Andrew Atkinson was 3rd with a Specimen Smothound of 11lb 1 1/4ozs.
BIDEFORD ANGLING CLUB – MAY ROVER
Results
1st Jon Stevens Smoothound 10lb 3 1/2oz 102.187%
2nd Stephen Found Bass 7lb 1 1/4oz 101.115%
3rd Antony Smith Small-eyed Ray 8lb 12 1/2oz
Other fish caught Jon Stevens Bull Huss 9lb 5oz Antony Smith Smalleyed Ray 6lb 13oz Andrew Clements Thornback Ray 6lb 8 1/2oz
ILFRACOMBE BOAT FISHING
Dan Welch took a party of anglers on Predator 2 to wrecks out of Ilfracombe where they employed lure fishing tactics to temps quality pollock and ling.
They are also catching good numbers of stunning wrasse from reefs on lures.
My first lure fishing session of the season proved encouraging with two small bass succumbing to my lure. It was good to be back chasing these silver beauties in the shallow rocky waters of North Devon.
PREDATOR 2 – BACK IN ACTION – LURING WAYS
Predator 2 Charters are back out of Ilfracombe taking anglers to enjoy great early season sport in the clear waters at the mouth of the Bristol Channel.
“At last we’re back at it, it’s been a long winter and it was fantastic to get back out on the lures, mix of slow jigs and soft plastics delivering plenty of pollack and wrasse and a stunning coloured cuckoo all taken on the lures. Weather prevented us pushing out to the deep water wrecks as planned so we focused on the reefs the stamp of fish seemed smaller but still great sport.” Daniel Welch
Click link above for details
AUTUMN LURE SPORT ON PREDATOR 2
Daniel Welch of Predator has been putting anglers amongst some fine bass and pollock over recent weeks. If weather permits October could see some of the biggest bass of the season boated.
Looe Basher 25
My sea angling journey started many years ago fishing from the Banjo Pier in Looe, South Cornwall so each year when we return to join what has become known as the Looe Basher group many memories are rekindled. I was booked onto the Reef Fishing trip on the Friday of the week which turned out to be a lucky break as two days of the six booked for the group ended up being cancelled due to inclement weather.
The Looe Basher is organised with military precision by Lee Armishaw of Watersmeet Publications who navigates many hurdles to put together this highly enjoyable convergance of friends each Autumn.
I joined six other anglers on Dan Margetts, Sowenna and we sailed out of Looe on a grey morning eager to connect with the many species that dwell on the offshore reefs. The previous days highlight had been the sighting of a fin whale breaching close to the boat.
I hope to cover the trip in a future Sea Angler Feature so will not go into too much detail. But the trip resulted in some stunning fish that brought much colour to the grey Autumn day. Two of us boated nine species each on the day with a total of at least a dozen species to the boat including three comber.
The week concluded with a gathering and a delicious meal in the Golden Guinea where the annual ‘Evans Top Rod award’ was presented to Dickie Howell who landed ten species in a single session and assisted Dan Margetts with crewing. ‘The Evans Top Rod engraved Tankard is presented in fond memory of Peter Evans who was a regular attendee of the Looe Basher. He brought a warm presence, optimism and humour to the event and is greatly missed following his passing earlier this year.
Jack Perks was also congratulated in catching a comber to bring his tally of Uk species to 100!
Combe Martin SAC – Predator 2 Boat Trip
Combe Martin SAC’s Boat trip on Predator 2 was a trip we had been anticipating eagerly and with a fine day forecast optimism was high as we set out of Ilfracombe harbour on a calm morning.
As expected Skipper Dan Welch had a plan and it was to be a down channel day. Buoyed by stories of bass and tope we bounced over the calm waters and were overtaken by ever speedy Dan Hawkins on Reel Deal who was destined for the reefs of the North Cornish coast.
First stop was the turbulent tide race off Morte Point where bass and wrasse were targeted with lures. The water clarity was disappointing and after a short drift it was decided to head to mixed ground a short distance off the headland and drop the anchor. I opted to fish my light rod with a two hook paternoster baited with small strips of squid on size 4 Sakumu Chinu hooks. The rod tip was soon rattling as scad hit the baits, these were kept fresh as they would surely prove good baits for tope later in the day.
A steady trickle of species were caught including a bass, red gurnard, pollock, smoothound, dogfish, small conger and scad. As the tide eased Dan suggested we move out into deeper water with more tide flow.
This was big bait territory and large fish baits were sent to rest on the sea bed. Peter Robinson proved to be the conger charmer tempting a good fish of around 20lb along with others throughout the day. A few bull huss seized our baits and bent the rods. The tope proved elusive and we moved again further out to an area that had been producing some good tope in recent weeks.
The water was very murky and Dan thought this was the result of algae blooms and the dead algae being stirred up by the big tides. Bideford Bay had been alive with bait fish, bass, dolphins and birds a few days before this trip. It seemed devoid of life today with no signs of activity and little or no action as we dropped our baits to the seabed.
An increasingly frustrated Dan could only suggest we head back to where we had started the day and resume sport with the multitude of species that lurk close inshore.
We enjoyed the last couple of hours fishing off the spectacular headland of Morte point. Black bream, bull huss, conger, mackerel and pollock were brought to the boat with Peter Robinson catching a good number of fish from the boats stern.
Dan said it had been one of the toughest days of the season. But we all had a very enjoyable day boating ten different species of fish without actually focussing on amassing a large tally. The next few months will offer an array of opportunities and when the water clarity improves I feel sure sport will take off as it so often does in early autumn.
BASS & BONITO for ILFRACOMBE BOATS
Lure anglers are enjoying superb sport off Ilfracombe with Reel Deal Charters and Predator 2 finding specimen bass and bonito to 10lb.
WIRE OR HEAVY MONO FOR TOPE ?
When targetting tope there is some debate about whether to use heavy mono or wire? I have always been a wire man but on recent discussions with Dan Welch on Predator 2 I have been questioning which is best? Heavy mono can result in more runs and is kinder to the fish and skipper. Wire is less likely to get bitten through. Hair rigs, dongle rigs and circle hooks can also be added into the equation.
PREDATOR 2 – LUNDY ISLAND
I joined fellow Combe Martin SAC members on a trip on Predator 2 out of Ilfracombe. With a promising weather forecast and a good tide Lundy Island was our destination with many options on the days agenda including lure fishing, drifting the sandbanks and anchoring for tope.
It was a civilised 9:30am sailing from Ilfracombe harbour to coincide with the morning tide and it was a cheerful and optimistic group of anglers who watched Ilfracombe slip into the distance as we sailed down the coast passing the spectacular cliffs West of the port. The sea was lively off Morte Point as the ebbing tide pushed over the rocky strata.
Skipper Dan suggested stopping off to drift lures over a wreck a few miles off Baggy Point. We dropped a variety of lures to seek fish over the rusting hulk 100ft or so beneath. Rods were soon hooped over as powerful pollock with olive and silvery flanks seized our offerings in the clear water.
After several drifts the sport slowed as it often does and Lundy Island beckoned far out at the mouth of the Bristol Channel.
Despite a forecast of high temperatures and sunshine the grey cloud still shrouded the sky and Lundy was hidden by a misty haze. We steamed across smooth waters and watched as Lundy slowly appeared as warm sunshine burned away the cloud.
A trip out to Lundy is always special the granite outcrop towering above the sea always seems to have a hint of Jurassic park or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘Lost World’. Those fabulous tales that have enthralled the young at heart.
There were no dinosaurs as we drifted the North of the Island though several puffins bobbed cheerfully upon the water. A large swell caressed the base of towering granite cliffs. The white water, aqua marine and blue sky of a perfect hot summers days lifted the spirits. A few wrasse and the occasional pollock succumbed to our lures but fishing was slow. Dan tried several marks before moving to the tidal race off the North end. Again fish proved hard to find and all soon agreed it was time to move to the sand banks and drop the anchor for a go at the tope.
After several hours steaming about and drifting it was good to relish the silence as the boats engines were cut and the boat settled at anchor. The tide was still running but 1lb of lead was adequate to keep the baits on the sea bed. We all opted for large offerings of fresh pollock or mackerel mounted on large strong hooks. My own choice being Sakuma 8/0 465 Kong hooks crimped to Sakuma 130lb B.S 49 Strand stainless steel wire. On the way out I discussed the pros and cons of wire versus heavy mono when fishing for tope. Dan showed me a couple of his tope rigs that he had based upon carp fishers hair rigs. The use of circle hooks and a 250lb plus mono trace could indeed have an edge over the traditional heavy wire trace from both a number of fish hooked and fish care?
It often takes a while for the scent trail to build but on this occasion it was only ten minutes before I had a powerful take from a tope that shed the hook after a few moments. This signalled a flurry of activity as several rods took on fighting curves as tope ripped into baits. Several were soon boated with Peter Robinson boating a beauty of 37lb. This pattern followed throughout our time at anchor with flurries of activity resulting in eight tope to the boat with several close to thirty pounds.
As late afternoon approached the tide turned and action slowed. Dan suggested we head back and stop off for a short lure session in the racing turbulent waters off Morte Point.
Lundy slowly faded majestically away into a bank of mist as we steamed towards the North Devon coast .
It was early evening when we started to cast our lures close to the maelstrom of Morte race. It wasn’t long before rods were hooped over as silver flanked bass seized the lures along with a few mackerel. The best bass topped five pounds for Peter Robinson and Bruce Elston with several fish in the 3lb to 4lb size range.
After enjoying a thrilling session to end the day it was time to head back to Ilfracombe and the bustling harbour on a warm summers evening. We thanked Dan for a great day afloat and all look forward to the next adventure on Predator 2.
PREDATOR 2 – COMBE MARTIN SAC – BOAT TRIP
June 12th 2025 was Combe Martin SAC’s first club boat trip out of Ilfracombe aboard Predator 2 with Dan Welch. I hope that it will be a new chapter in the clubs long history and I look forward to plenty more trips with Dan who works hard to find the fish that are all too often hard to find.
We headed up channel as a result of strong Westerly winds that would have made the waters closer to the mouth of the Bristol Channel uncomfortable. It is always enjoyable watching the familiar coastline from the boat as those landmarks pass by along with a lifetime of memories. The headland of Rillage and the coastguard station, Widmouth Head, Watermouth and the Sexton Burrow, Burrow Nose. Broadsands, Sandy Cove, Combe Martin, Wild Pear Beach and Little Hangman. North Devon’s dramatic northern edge looked splendid with verdant lush green providing a glorious back drop. As we surveyed this beauty I also reflected on the access that has been lost to us as anglers over the last fifty or so years. Restrictions due to private ownership and Coastal erosion all contributing and exacerbated by human behaviour, an increasing population and of course funding for access projects.
Past Combe Martin Bay and the dramatic sea cliffs immortalised in the book “The Hidden Edge of Exmoor”. Access to this shoreline restricted by geographical splendour has always been difficult and it is fascinating to reflect upon past generations who descended these cliffs to harvest natures gifts.
“While over a thousand people may have climbed Mount Everest and may thousands may have walked England’s South West Coast Path, very few have traversed the whole of the Exmoor Coast down at sea level along what we have called The Hidden Edge of Exmoor. The Exmoor Traverse is a serious mountaineering venture that is compounded by a tide that can rise vertically at six feet an hour and by cliffs that tower over six hundred feet in places. Out of sight of civilization it is an awe-inspiring wilderness, boasting the highest marine cliff in England, a waterfall as high as Niagara and a colony of ancient stunted yew trees that may prove to be the largest in Britain.”
The book goes on to record the historical stories of those who descended the cliffs in Victorian times to gather birds eggs, laver, driftwood and botanical data. Not to mention the scars still visible on the cliffs from mining operations.
On this day as a brisk west wind blew up channel it was without a doubt the dramatic scenery that stole the show for the fishing proved difficult. The morning started well as we dropped anchor off Woody Bay. We hoped for tope that had been abundant over recent days. These proved elusive but a couple of small eyed ray proved encouraging along with a few huss and the inevitable dogfish. A couple of pollock succumbed to baits when we moved a little inshore over the rough ground to avoid the stronger tide and this prompted a short lure session with several pollock brought to the boat.
The wind was steadily increasing as we moved out to fish offshore where we once again hoped to find the hard fighting tope. The wind buffeted the boat causing it sit awkardly at anchor making keeping contact with our baits challenging resulting in a few minor tangles. There was little that Dan could do and we chose to move closer inshore seeking shelter and perhaps that illusive tope. An hour passed and with just a few dogfish Dan suggested we call it a day and paused for few mackerel on the way home to top up our bait freezers and perhaps savour for tea.
A few drifts in a lively sea off Rillage produced a few nice mackerel one of which was consumed a couple of hours later after pan frying with a dash of pepper and lemon juice. We all look forward eagerly to the next trip when we hope for better weather and a few more fish.
