Predator 2 – Species Competition Heat 2

Many thanks to Daniel Welch of Predator 2 for this excellent report on the second heat of their species competition.

We left harbour at 0800 with a group of friends on board for a species hunt, on this occasion we headed down channel fishing various reefs, banks and deeper water marks. The intention was to move around a lot and fish both at anchor and on the drift. The target was to try and beat the previous species day total of 16.

Various tactics were used including floats, lures, and different types of bottom rigs running ledgers and patenosters. Tactics also included different coloured beads and weights various sized hooks and baits. 

Baits used during the day included squid, harbour rag, lug, mackerel, scad, prawns, spider crabs, shore crabs and small fresh bait fish caught during the day. 

It was a very close run competition with Ross Stanway taking an early lead but everyone was in with a chance to take the win. With an hour to go Ross and Toby were tied at the top on with the lead changing regularly until they got to 20 points with 30 minutes to go. Both had very realistic target species to take the win. However by observing successful tactics of others Toby changed baits and took the win by catching two black bream sneaking ahead of Ross for the win and a £70 voucher for future use on predator.

During the day we caught a respectable 20 different species Toby Basset won the day with a total of 23 points consisting of 13 different species, Ross Stanway came a close second place with 20 points but actually had 14 different species. 

The 20 different species landed on the boat during the day were tub gurnard, mackerel, pollack, scad, Bull Huss, tope, conger, black bream, smooth hound, ballan wrasse, goldsinny wrasse, corkwing wrasse, blond ray, smalleye ray, dragonet, bass, pouting, poor cod,  dogfish and Tom pot blenny.

A great day was had by all this is not something we usually do but it makes a nice change especially with the friendly competitive banter all day.

 

A Long Drift of Expectation

The calm waters merged into the misty grey of the morning light. Archie cut Reel Deals engines and readied the shark rods as we began a long drift of expectation.

         The five of us sent down jigs and feathers to catch fresh bait. Archie baited the circle hooks that were suspended beneath brightly coloured drinks bottles that would bob optimistically upon the ocean.

         Mackerel, scad and pollock were swung on board as we drifted. We drew numbers, Peter Robinson drawing number one, Bruce Elston, number 2, Kieran (from Wales) number 3, I was number four so knew from the off that I would only do battle if we had a good day with the sharks. Toby was number five cementing the fact that it was not his day! A broken rod, lost sunglasses sealing that old comes in three saying! Fortunately Toby is a resilient sole who carries an infectious smile throughout.

Archie Porter was Skipper for the day as Reel Deal founder and owner Dan Hawkins was down South chasing tuna, skippering with Happy Days Adventure Fishing.

         Archie has gained valuable experience working with Dan on Reel Deal and skippering Predator 2 before it was bought by Daniel Welch who is now embarking on his own journey with the boat.

         With the rubby-dubby sending out a stream of particles and scent it was now time for a brew and to drift with wind and tide.

         We were drifting over rocky reefs and we all used various jigs and lures to tempt hard fighting pollock from the clear water. Scad and the occasional jumbo sized mackerel were added to the bait stash with fresh baits added to the shark set ups from time to time.

         I love the expectation of shark fishing the mystery of what lies beneath and what could be? Banter and chat flowed freely with tales of fish and the wider world. Topics from toxic politics, music, life and recipes.

         Whilst the sea was mirror calm a rolling swell lifted the boat gently as the immense power of the Atlantic ocean stirred. As the mist lifted we glimpsed white water as the swells crashed into the wild and rugged North Cornish Coast.

         Somewhere on the cliffs Hawkers Hut nestles high up overlooking this treacherous coastline.  Robert Stephen Hawker was an eccentric clergyman who lived between 1803 and 1875. Hawker is said to have spent many hours in the hut writing poems and smoking opium. He is perhaps best remembered for his compassionate desire to provide Christian burials to shipwrecked seamen washed up on the shores. He also wrote the famous Cornish song, The Song of the Western Men” with its chorus line “ And Shall Trelawny die? / Here’s twenty thousand Cornish men / will know the reason why!’.  A song that is sung by Cornish Male voice choirs with great passion. The hut is now preserved by the National Trust and is well worth a visit.

         The day drifted past and after tempting several pollock I decided to change tactics. I baited two size 4 Sakuma Chinu hooks with slivers of fresh mackerel. Down into the clear water to be bounced along the rocky sea bed.

         The rods sensitive tip jagged sharply and a small black bream was  briefly admired before being released. Toby Bassett always keen to chase different species followed suit and soon caught three handsome bream two of which were keepers.

         There was a moment of drama when a shark float bobbed and disappeared a large swirl preceding close by. The gulls and fulmars that had been bobbing in the rubby-dubby slick took off. Peter grabbed the rod apprehensively but nothing happened! Was it a wary shark, a tope or cuttle fish? The bait was damaged but the evidence inconclusive.

         As the day drifted into afternoon a breeze came from the North West. We relished the blue sky and warm sunshine, the shark floats spread out perfectly in the slick and expectations grew, conditions were perfect.

         Something large intercepted my tiny mackerel baits and put a serious bend in the rod before biting through the trace.

At the bow of the boat Bruce hooked a powerful tope as he bounced a large scad bait just off the seabed. A good tope of over thirty pounds appeared in the clear water and came off as Archie grabbed the leader.

         A few minutes later Bruce was in action again this time bringing the tope to the boat where it was expertly netted by Archie. At 38lb it was a new personal best for Bruce.

Bruce Elston with his PB tope of 38lb

         In the mean time I hooked two more tope on my small hooks and inevitably suffered bite offs. I couldn’t resist the chance of a tope and tied on a short leader, a 150lb b.s trace a 6/0 Sakuma Kong hook and sent down a side of mackerel. A few minutes later I was locked in battle the spinning rod taking on an impressive battle curve. I piled on the pressure determined to get the tope to the boat without severing the hook-length or wrapping in the mainline. A tope of over twenty pounds was soon secured safely and its image secured.

         The action packed flurry of tope sport brought the day to an end all too soon. Reel Deal bounced comfortably over the lively sea past Hartland, Baggy and Morte Point the wild cliffs and coast as always pleasing to the eye. The occasional gannet was circling searching for fish.

Homeward Bound

         We pondered on the lack of porbeagle, earlier in the year there had been some good days with multiple catches of shark. September is often a prime month and it is likely that they will show in numbers later in the month if of course the bait fish are there. Last year tuna arrived off the coast in late September will they arrive again? The only way of answering these questions is of course to drift in expectation.

Predator 2 Ilfracombe – Species Hunt

posted in: Sea Angling, Sidebar | 0

Many thanks to Daniel Welch for this report on the first of two species competitions this Autumn.

Predator 2 Species hunt.

On Monday 2nd September we held our first species hunt on predator. We were joined by 4 anglers and left ilfracombe at 0900 in calm and misty conditions. We headed up channel against the strong ebbing tide to the Combe Martin Bay Area. Conditions were perfect allowing us to accurately anchor the boat and fish with some finesse. 

Species hunting is often a case of fishing as light as possible but not to the extent that you lose any larger species that are hooked. Various rigs from light 8lb paternosters and one ounce weights to heavy 150lb mono running ledgers for larger species. Anglers brought their own baits which included squid, mackerel, ragworm, king rag, lug, crab, limpet, welks, scad, prawns. Different baits and different rigs need to be utilised to exploit the different feeding characteristics of the fish we were targeting. 

The first mark we fished was a shallow reef on the edge of the tide this produced a number of wrasse, pouting, poor cod, rockling and an octopus but not the bream or trigger fish we had hoped for.  We moved slightly further out into more tide and slightly deeper water and fished back towards a large rock. Bigger weights and slightly scaled up gear was used to catch a number of conger eels and Huss as the tide eased expectations were high for possible trigger fish and bream but the bites became few and far between and the rain began to fall. 

We moved again and tried  different tactics of drifting with lures, baits and baited feathers to target bass and pollack. No bass were caught but pollack were taken on baited feathers. Bites were few and far between and after searching around the reef the fish finder confirmed there was very little life on that particular mark today. 

We moved further offshore to anchor on an area of mixed ground for slack water. The anchor was set, the boat swang round with the tide and the mist and cloud began to lift unveiling the surrounding cliffs and coastline. As soon as baits went down the bites began and the sun even tried to come out. Over the next two hours we caught smoothhound, conger, Huss, scad, mackerel pouting, poorcod, dogfish and tope.

As the boat swang round and the tide increase we moved again this time further inshore back into an area of reef that had quite a bit of tide on it but this just produced more of the same species we had already caught earlier in the day. 

The last hour and a half was spent fishing  on clean ground in the sheltered waters inside Combe Martin bay with the hope of ray, flatfish and gurnard. There were a lot of scad over this clean ground and again plenty of poor cod but we did manage some new species which included multiple dragonets and spectacular coloured red mullet and a tub gurnard.

Before we knew it was 15:40 and time to head home, species were tallied up and the winner for the day was Clive Baddick with 15points second was Rob Pearson with 8 points.

Clive took the first place prize which was a £70 voucher for future trips on predator.  In total there was a modest but respectable 16 species different caught and an octopus. 

 

We are holding another species hunt on Monday the 16th of September if you fancy giving it a go please make contact.

A Luring Day on Predator 2 – Ilfracombe

Ilfracombe Harbour an oasis of calm as a glow appears to the East as the sun starts to climb from its overnight absence. The sounds of voices drift across the calm waters of the harbour as boats are readied for the day ahead.

         Dan Welch and Ross Stanway are already on board Predator 2 readying the boat for another mates trip to continue the exploration of the Bristol Channels potential.

As I arrive at the Quay I speak to three anglers sat waiting to board Dan Hawkins Reel Deal. They have driven overnight from Oxford and are hoping to connect with the porbeagle that prowl the waters at the mouth of the Bristol Channel.

         We are heading out to fish with lures hopping from wreck to reef and watching for signs of feeding birds that could indicate shoals of silver bass. Dan Hawkins on Reel  Deal had found some quality bass the previous day whilst travelling back from an unsuccessful foray to the shaking grounds.

         Todays friends group consisted of Skipper Dan Welch, Ross Stanway, Shaun Quartly, Shane Murch, Paul Lorrimore, Callun Gove and myself. Dan is keen to continue to explore the lure fishing potential and today we are heading West to fish marks off Baggy Point and Bideford Bay.

         There is a still a bit of chop on the sea, residue from the previous days stronger winds. We were all full of hope and optimism for the adventure that lay ahead as we bounced over water watching the spectacular sunrise above towering cliffs up channel from Ilfracombe.

         We passed the familiar rock outcrops of Bull Point and Morte Point before reaching the first mark a good distance off Baggy Point. By now the sun was higher in the sky its warm rays illuminating the seascape.

         We all tied on the lures that we had confidence in sending them down into the deep clear water to connect with the fish that lurk around the rusting wreck.

         There are surprisingly many wrecks scattered around the Bristol Channel, symptoms I guess from an era when navigational equipment and modern safety was less advanced. Wrecks provide shelter and food for many fish and I ponder if we could create artificial reefs to improve upon fish populations. Perhaps the new seaweed farms, and off- shore windfarms will create some protected habitat that will benefit fish populations?

         Within seconds of the lures reaching their destination rods hooped over as hard fighting pollock smashed into the lures diving for sanctuary within the rusting hulk. The first drift produced some stunning pollock to around 4lb and bass to 3lb.

         There is a great deal of skill involved in manoeuvring a boat into position so that the anglers lures can be presented to the fish. The wreck or reef is shown on the boats navigation system, but the strength and direction of tide has to be factored in with the wind direction as to the boats starting position that is calculated to give maximum time drifting over the structure.

         It is noticeable that each drift tends to bring diminishing returns as the fish seem to wise up quickly. Changing lures sometimes seems to bring increased success though I’m not sure if this is my perception or simply luck on the day? I change to a Seadra slow jig decorated with a stunning mackerel flank. It looks good to me and I work the lure with confidence catching several bass and pollock.

         Ross Stanway hooks a very powerful fish that powers off testing his light spinning tackle to the limit. Dan assisted by following the fish whilst we all pulled in our lines to watch the drama unfold. We all speculated upon what Ross has hooked hoping that we would at the very least get a glimpse before the gossamer thin braid parted. My guess was a tope as Shaun had had a pollock bitten in half by a hungry tope a few minutes before the fish appearing with the pollock within its jaws before swimming free after shaking its head to tear the fish in half.

         We all peered into the clear aqua water, suddenly a shape appeared below the boat. A sleek and powerful tope of around thirty pounds hooked foul hooked in the tail! Dan scooped the fish into the net and swung the fish aboard. Ross wrestled with the powerful fish and held it aloft for a quick photo before dropping it back over the side where it disappeared back into the mysterious depths with a flick of its tail.

         After a couple more drifts sport eased off and Dan suggested a move to a rocky pinnacle in Bideford Bay. Half an hour steam away we chatted and watched for birds working that could indicate bait fish.

         There is always anticipation on arriving at each new mark asking the question with our lures. Sadly this mark proved to be a pouting haven with these plump fish seizing our lures. Whilst these fish have little sporting value they are a valuable source of food for many predatory fish and their flanks of pearl and beige have a rich beauty in life. Sadly they often perish as their swim bladders are unable to cope with the pressure change as they are brought to the surface. They can be kept for bait or at worst provide a welcome meal for the sea birds that always follow fishing boats.

         The light breeze from earlier in the day had by now dropped off leaving the sea a tranquil calm that seems so rare this summer. A commotion a few hundred yards away caught our attention. Was that a huge tail slashing the water amongst a pod of dolphins? A thresher shark perhaps? There have been several sightings recently.

         We moved closer, the dolphins swam gracefully rolling in the calm sea. We put out lures hoping for a bass whilst we enjoyed the marvellous spectacle of the dolphins.

         After the hectic sport at the start of the day we were now struggling to find feeding fish. We headed back to the wreck where we had started the day. Part way across Bideford Bay we spotted a mass of birds a sure indication along with a couple of fishing boats that bass were in the area.

                  Indications on the fish finder confirmed the presence of fish and so we sent down our lures. I hooked a hard fighting bass of around 5lb and several other smaller fish were added to the days tally before the birds dispersed and the fish disappeared.

         By now a brisk east wind was sweeping down the Bristol Channel creating  white caps on the waves. Judging by the Beaufort scale it was indeed a fresh breeze.

The Beaufort Scale is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort wind force scale.

5 Fresh Breeze 29-38 19-24 17-21 Small trees in leaf begin to sway; crested wavelets form on inland waters. Moderate waves, many white horses 2.0 2.5 4

The Beaufort Scale like the shipping forecast holds a certain resonance and connection with maritime history. That provides me with sense of historical enchantment and fascination with Great Britain’s connection the sea.

         Connection with fish seemed harder to find now as the flood tide pushed against the wind. Natures roulette spins continually and we fished the shallow waters off Morte Point in our last roll of the dice. Shaun foul hooked a specimen mullet that fought hard in the tide. Dan tempted a ballan wrasse before declaring time to head back to Ilfracombe.

         Ilfracombe on a warm summers day at Summers end was a stark contrast to the peace and tranquillity of the early dawn. Hundreds of tourists rested on the beach, strolled around the shops, licked ice creams and savoured those last few days of the tourist season. How quick this summer has flown.  Our son James plays his last game of league cricket as I type this, it is hard to believe, its seems such a short time since he was wielding his bat for the first game of the season.

         September brings much expectation for the sea angler of North Devon with so much promise if natures roulette wheel obliges and we play our hands wisely.

THE ONGOING EXPLORATION OF FAMILIAR WATERS

With strong Southerly winds forecast the planned mates trip on Predator 2 was in the balance so I was pleased when Dan Welch suggested we head up channel to fish in the shelter of Exmoor’s high cliffs. Toby Bassett and I both agreed with Dan that this was a good idea and so at 8:00am Toby and I climbed on board surprised to find that we were the only two joining Dan for the day.

            It was good to have this rare chance to have plenty of space on a charter boat and to be heading up channel to grounds that I have a close affinity with having fished them many times over the years.

Dan was as always full of ideas for the day ahead and discussed a wide range of options that we could try.  This was an ideal opportunity for Dan to try out a few new marks for different species. It was also perhaps good to have two anglers on board who fish in different ways. Toby is very much focussed on his species fishing whilst I tend to target larger specimens if I get the chance.

We steamed out of Ilfracombe beneath grey skies and it was good to watch the dramatic coastline pass by. The familiar shoreline of Watermouth, Combe Martin Bay and then the dramatic and towering cliffs that plunge to the sea beneath Great Hangman and Holdstone Down. We paused for a few drifts over the Copperas Rocks located off Little Hangman to no avail then headed to some sandbanks situated on the edge of the tide.

We put down large fish baits in search of tope and waited in anticipation. After ten minutes or so Toby hooked a good fish that hung heavy in the tide. The guessing game followed as Toby’s rod bent as the fish battled. The towering heather topped cliffs providing a spectacular backdrop to the action.

 

A tope of around twenty five pounds appeared on the surface and was safely tailed by Dans expert wielding of a wire tailor of the type once used for salmon.

This was a good start and we fished on expectantly for half an hour or so more with just a few dogfish to show.

It was time for a move and so we headed out for a drift over a few wrecks and reefs. It seemed that the bass and pollock were not feeding as our lures were ignored.

            With the tide easing all the time we decided to head into the sheltered waters of Woody Bay and fish the sandbanks for ray and tope.

I dropped down a large mackerel bait and flicked out a sliver of mackerel on my spinning rod hoping for a ray or maybe even a turbot.

Toby caught a beautiful  micro tope on small hooks.

            My spinning rod tip nodded a couple of times and I picked up the rod feeling for the fish. Tightening the line I felt a good pull and set the hook. The light rod took on a good curve and line was pulled steadily from the reel. A game of give and take eventually resulted in a pleasing small eyed ray of around 8lb.

            I decided to try a squid bait and on opening the box found that I had previously stashed a whole prawn in with the squid. Worth a try I thought and threaded on the large prawn.

            A few minutes later  the spinning rod signalled that something had picked up the prawn. After a similar tussle up came another small eyed ray.

            As the tide eased further and no further bites materialised we decided to try out on the reefs again with the lures. A couple of small bass were caught by Dan and Toby on the first drift boosting our confidence. But this proved to be a false dawn as nothing came from the following half a dozen drifts.

            We chatted about various options and decided to head back close inshore for the last hour of fishing. By now the wind that was forecast to increase later in the day was gusting strongly arriving earlier than forecast. Fortunately the direction was as predicted and although probably gusting to 40mph plus the sea remained flat.

            Dan manoeuvred the boat into position anchoring so that our baits would be trundling back into some rough ground. We both fished two rods a large bait on one and smaller baits on the spinning rods. This was when Toby’s species tactics came into play with size ten hooks employed baited with tiny strips of squid and mackerel. A succession of small pouting and poor cod rattled the rod tip, proof that we were in the rough stuff.

                        My heavier rod tip plunged over as something grabbed the large mackerel flapper impaled upon the 8/0 hook. Several yards of line were taken from the reel as the rod absorbed powerful lunges of what we guessed correctly was a good sized conger. As is often the case the eel looked larger than the 24lb the scales were to read as it appeared in the clear water behind the boat.

 

 

            Moments after this Toby hooked into another conger of perhaps 10lb that gave a great account on Toby’s lighter set up.

            The boat swung to and fro on the anchor as the wind strength continued to increase and bites dried up. It seemed a good time to up anchor and head back to Ilfracombe. The boat cruised comfortably across the windswept waters of the Bristol Channel. I once again admired those towering cliffs and recalled the many tales I had been told of their history. It is well worth seeking out a copy of  “ The Hidden Edge of Exmoor” a book that tells of Kester and Elizabeth Webb’s exploration of this fascinating shoreline.

            We arrived back in Ilfracombe Harbour thanking skipper Dan Welch for another good day afloat exploring the rich potential of the Bristol Channel. I look forward keenly to the next adventure.

PREDATOR 2 Catches – plus latest film from Paul Lorrimore

posted in: Sea Angling, Sidebar | 0

Daniel Welch is building experience on Predator 2 Charters taking friends to marks off the North Devon Coast intending to extend to wider charters next season. At present Dan is taking customers on short range charter trips out of Ilfracombe.

( Below) A few fish caught on the latest mates day out trip on Predator 2

 

 

Nice little video Paul has put together from the trip out with a few mates at the weekend. Hopefully we can get some more over the coming weeks and months. Give his you tube channel ilfracombe fishing a like and subscribe. He also makes probably the best burgers and special boxes Bayside Burger Bar so if your hungry after a fishing trip you know where to go. .

ILFRACOMBE OFF-SHORE LURE FISHING

Boat anglers off Ilfracombe are enjoying some superb boat sport with bass and pollock caught over wrecks and reefs. Reel Deal Charters targeted bass with the anglers on board tempting numerous good fish topped by a 69cm specimen to the rod of Danny Watson of High Street Tackle. Danny has done a great deal to promote lure fishing in North Devon with his shop stocking a vast range of lures.

On the same day I was on board Predator 2 last Sunday on a trip with friends of the Skipper Dan Welch. We set out with the intention of fishing for shark but the conditions prevented us from reaching the prime sharking grounds. Fortunately we were able to shift our attention to other species and enjoyed great sport with bass and pollock. The best bass boated was a good fish of 67cm to the rod of Callum Gove.

       Lure fishing is a growing sector of sea angling. This is in part I feel because it suits the modern sea anglers life style. The light tackle employed enables great sport with the bass, pollock and wrasse giving exciting accounts. There is no bait collection, no unpleasant odours and less pre trip preparation. Shore anglers can grab a rod reel and a bag of lures and enjoy a short session at the prime time.

 

 

A day on Bluefin Off Ilfracombe – With South Molton Angling Club

Ilfracombe harbour once again ready to depart for a day aboard John Barbeary’s boat ‘Blue Fin’ with members of South Molton and District Angling Club. It doesn’t really feel like a July morning with a cool North East breeze blowing into the harbour. The predominantly grey sky seemingly typical of the summer of 2024 so far.

The sea is not too rough however and the forecast gives the wind easing throughout the day and with good fishing enjoyed on another Ilfracombe Boat last week I am optimistic for the day ahead. We all climb from the harbour steps and greet John and his deckhand Ted. Club members today include Edward Rands, Dave Hathaway, Nick Stringer, Chris Allin, Steve Edmonds and myself.

         South Molton Angling Club has been established for over fifty years and has several miles of trout fishing on local rivers. Its membership of around fifty are mostly game fishers with a segment of occasional sea anglers. The club has a healthy social side with trips most months of the year with trophies awarded to recognized members achievements. All in all a friendly easy going club without a serious competitive streak.

         The prospect of a slightly turbulent sea raised a few concerns about the sea anglers curse of mal-de-mer that were to prove found less. All concerned members had taken Stugeron tablets as a precaution. Discussion around previous unpleasant trips were recounted with lessons such as abstaining from alcohol the previous night  recalled from observations of past excursions.

         The plan for the day was to stop off on route to catch bait and then drift a few reefs for bass or pollock before dropping anchor in the hope of tope.

         The feathers went down a short distance from port and strings of writhing mackerel were swung on board. Ted the friendly crewman for the day worked hard assisting with unhooking. It was interesting to listen to Ted’s wisdom as he commented upon the effectiveness of different coloured mackerel feathers. A few days previous he had noted how white feathers had proved effective during one tide with blue and silver more effective on another. The mackerel preferences are undoubtedly influenced by many factors including what they are feeding on naturally perhaps combined with light levels, water clarity and tidal state.

         It seemed that all our strings of lures were working as be drifted off Ilfracombe’s rocky foreshore. Strings of mackerel were swung on board. John commented that it was like the old days when mackerel were always abundant throughout the summer months. Mackerel numbers seem to vary each year and after several years of poor numbers the last two seasons have been encouraging. It has also been noticeable that mackerel have been present throughout the winter months along with garfish.

         Having caught plenty of mackerel we steamed on down channel passing the cragged slate promontory of Morte Point and the treacherous Morte Stone. The promontory of Morte Point pushes out into the Bristol Channel the rock formation running down its spine resembling that of a huge dragon immortalised in grey stone. The resulting tidal race over the Morte reef is a renowned holding place for bass with huge shoals sometimes present harassing mackerel and whitebait as gannets plunge into the resulting melee.

         We pushed on down across Woolacombe Bay and its sands of gold to Baggy Point its steep cliffs the haunts of climbers and seabirds. We drifted over a couple of reefs catching a handful of pollock and a few more mackerel. It was perhaps surprising that we did not catch more fish such as bass as the huge number of birds present was a sure indication of bait fish and predators. Fish were undoubtedly present with plenty showing on the boats sounder.

A 4lb pollock for Nick Stringer

This whole job of being a skipper can be very frustrating. Finding the fish is just one part  of an incredibly complex puzzle. The experienced skipper will have developed a unique gift of being able to inspire anglers with tales of past successes and explaining the lack of success with a recipe book full of valid excuses.  As the tide eased John put us on a mark slightly West of Baggy and dropped the anchor.

         The rod tips soon rattled to the pull of dogfish. Ed Rands hooked several bull huss and a few small conger put a bend in members rods.

Ed Rands with a bull huss from a rough ground mark

As the tide eased further towards high water John took us out to deep water , tope were our intended quarry. Once again we settled at a new mark located from Johns extensive log book of carefully jotted coordinates.

         Steve Edmonds hooked what was undoubtedly a good tope that bit through his heavy mono hook link after a few minutes.

Steve Edmonds battles a fish that later bit through his trace.

       A few moments later it was my turn and a good fish took off taking line from the reel. The battle ebbed and flowed with the fish hanging deep beneath the boat after its initial powerful runs. I exerted pressure and brought the tope to the boat where it was skill-fully netted by John.

         The fish was carefully weighed pulling the scales to a respectful 35lb. Five minutes or so later I hooked into another tope that was a few pounds lighter.

Throughout the time at this mark a steady stream of dogfish came to the boat along with a few small huss and strap conger.

         As the tidal speed increased I hooked into another fish that powered away using the tide to its advantage. This was undoubtedly a good fish and started to move against the tide a sure indication that it was an above average specimen. Eventually pressure brought the fish within view a sleek tope that hung heavy in the tide causing several anxious moments as it rolled in the leader. Fortunately I had taken the precaution of using a heavy rubbing leader of 150lb b.s mono to protect the braid mainline.

Braid is beneficial in allowing the use of lighter leads and has no stretch ensuring excellent contact with the business end. It is also extremely strong in relation to its thin diameter. Its disadvantage is its poor abrasion resistance and fineness when sorting tangled lines.

         The fish was eventually scooped into the net and brought on board where it thrashed wildly before being secured carefully to remove the hook. This fish proved to be the heaviest of the day scaling 41lb. The fish swam away strongly disappearing into the clear waters from whence it had come.

A 41lb tope

         With the tide now at full strength mid tide we headed back inshore to drift a few more reefs. This proved unproductive and with the tide easing John headed back up channel and anchored at another deep water mark where tope were again the intended species. A couple of small conger, small huss and plenty of dogfish rattled the rod tips. Dave Hathaway hooked a very powerful fish that put a good bend in the rod ripping several yards of line from his reel. Sadly the fish bit through the heavy mono trace of 150lb b.s after a short battle leaving Dave to ponder on what could have been.

Ed Rands with a string of mackerel

 

         By now it was time to head back and John agreed to stop off for a few fresh mackerel close to Ilfracombe. Fortunately the mackerel were still there and we all caught enough for a delicious evening snack when we got home. Is there a better fish fresh from the sea?

         Reflecting upon the day I was obviously pleased to have boated three good tope and cannot help but ponder upon my luck. It is said that luck can be cultivated and there is some truth in this. I was fortunate to secure a prime position at the stern of the boat enabling a bit more freedom as to the weight selection. The anglers at the stern can use lighter weights and trot the bait out ensuring that the fish attracted by the baits scent intercept these baits first. I chose to use larger mackerel flappers that stopped the pesky dogfish devouring the bait before the tope found it. I also opted to use a heavy duty wire trace to ensure I did not get bitten off. There is some debate regarding the pro’s and cons of wire versus heavy mono. An option is perhaps to use circle hooks that tend to hook fish in the scissors of the jaw. Used in conjunction with heavy fluorocarbon they might be an option but for me its heavy duty wire until I am convinced otherwise.

         Choice of tackle when boat fishing is very much a matter of personal  preference. There is balance to found between using tackle strong enough to subdue most fish hooked in a reasonable time without detracting from the joy of bringing the fish to the boat.

       

         

Evening Tope Fishing off Ilfracombe

posted in: Sea Angling, Sidebar | 0

I was delighted to be invited to join a few friends on Dan Welch’s new boat Predator 2.  Dan had spotted a window of opportunity with light winds forecast over the evening high water. Strong winds were forecast to sweep in overnight irradicating any boat fishing trips over the weekend.

Five of us climbed onto Predator 2 at 3.30pm. Skipper Dan Welch, Dave Welsh, Derek Stevens, Jonathon Stanway and myself.

The sea was calm and the water clear as we set out from Ilfracombe’s harbour. I relished the familiar scenery of North Devon’s rugged coast and landmarks. It is always refreshing to leave the hustle and bustle of the town to reach the tranquil detachment of the open sea.

We stopped for a drift off the tunnels outfalls catching a few mackerel for bait. We then steamed out to drift over a few reefs for bass. I stuck with the feathers and ensured that we had a full bucket of fresh bait for the main event.

Our intended target was tope over the high water slack. After  several drifts without bass Dan suggested we head out and drop anchor. The tide would be running quite hard but would soon ease ensuring that we capitalised on the maximum time for tope action.

I always feel a sense of anticipation as the boat settles at anchor and the engine is cut. A peaceful silence descends, just the gentle slurp of water against the boats hull and the occasional cry of a seagull.

Several manx shearwaters were circling gracefully above the water. I was unsure if they were shearwaters but a quick google as I write this confirmed my identification. I was fascinated to learn that the manx shearwater are long lived birds sometimes living beyond fifty years of age. A fifty year old bird has it is estimated flown over 600,000 miles on migration throughout its life.

         Looking up the Bristol Channel the dark towering cliffs of Great Hangman and Holdstone Down were capped with wisps of white mist. The sea was oily calm, thousands of jelly fish drifted past in the clear water. To the West weak sunshine struggled to break through a sky of grey.

         I prepared a mackerel flapper and sent it into the depths with 1lb 8oz of lead to combat the strong tide. With all our baits in place we chatted of our appreciation of the evening and the prospects ahead. A couple of dogfish rattled the rod tips and were brought to the surface often just hanging onto the baits letting go at the side of the boat.

                  Dan was first to hook into a hard fighting tope bringing a fish of perhaps twenty five pounds to the boat after a good tussle in the strong tide.

         Jonathon hooked a good fish that came off after a few seconds. I felt a sharp rap on my rod tip and paid out a couple of yards of line. I waited until the rod tip ripped over hard and tightened into a powerful fish that headed off down tide at a rate of knots ripping several yards of line from the reel. I leant back bending the rod, relishing the powerful force at the end of the line.

         After the initial powerful runs the fish started to succumb to constant pressure and I pumped a heavy weight to the surface. From time to time there came heavy lunges and I was forced to give a little line. As the fish neared the boat we peered into the depths to catch a glimpse of the sleek shark like creature.

         The tope was a good fish and caused a few anxious moments as it thrashed at the surface demolishing Dan’s tailor in the process. Plan B of a large landing net eventually secured the prize.

         The fish was carefully weighed in Dan’s capacious weigh sling registering a weight of 36lb. After a quick photo the tope was returned and swam strongly away.

         The next couple of hours saw tope caught by all on board most around 25lb.  Several fish were also lost as hook holds gave way or in one case the braid was severed as the fish probably rolled in the line.

Jonathon Stanway holds a fine tope

Dave Welch with good tope

         Derek Steven’s was thrilled to catch his first tope and told me that he has fished all over the world but still relishes the beauty of the North Devon coast that is undoubtedly his home territory.

Derek Stevens is delighted with his first tope

         Weak sunshine broke through the grey sky illuminating the seascape. We chatted making plans for future fishing forays all keen to join with Dan on Predator 2. At present Dan is only doing a few trips for mates with a limited number of short range local charters. In the longer term Dan will expand his Chartering to compliment Ilfracombe’s fleet. Offering exciting options for both local and visiting anglers as Ilfracombe’s reputation as a recreational boat fishing destination grows.

Skipper of Predator 2 Dan Welch

         As the tidal flow increased and holding bottom became difficult Dan suggested it was time to head back to port. The boat bounced over the calm water seagulls following in the slipstream as always keen to savour any discarded bait.

 

 

South Molton Angling Club – Lyme Regis Boat Trip

posted in: Sea Angling, Sidebar | 0
A quick report from SMAC Chairman Edward Rands  on the clubs trip to Lyme regis.
Jim Rickets picked up myself, Danny Boyles, Nick Stringer and Nick Jackson from Witheridge and off we went, we arrived at Lyme regis 1hr 15 minutes later and met up with Richard Power and then our skipper Shawn Trinder of “Jurassic boat trips
We were soon aboard and steaming to our first drift we had pollack, pouting and mackerel. Then sat at anchor on 3 different marks depending on the tide.
We had scad, poor cod, cuckoo wrasse, bream, a dogfish, a bull huss and conger, I had one estimated at 60lb+ on bream gear, size 2 hooks and 25lb line.
The weather was kind, the sea was pretty flat and again shawn looked after us admirably with first class gear,bait and instruction if needed.
Thanks to Jim for driving and those attending for supporting the cause and enabling the trip to go.
Regards Ed Rands ( chairman)