Hard to believe that another Combe Martin SAC Fun Fish has come and gone signalling the end of the Summer season in conjunction with the annual Sea-Ilfracombe Festival.
This popular event is very much what it says on the tin so to speak; a fun fishing event with few rules and the focus very much on family fun. Once again a big thank you from Combe Martin SAC for generous sponsorship from High Street Tackle, Ilfracombe Aquarium and Barnstaple Bait and Tackle.
This year’s event saw over twenty taking part with several young anglers catching or seeing their very first fish. The move to use lighter tackle and small barbless hooks has certainly boosted the catch rate ensuring that plenty of fish were tempted.
Nine species were caught including pollock, conger, blenny, red bream, tompot blenny, smelt, ballan wrasse, corkwing wrasse and poor cod. A good number of red sea bream were donated to Ilfracombe aquarium where they can be seen along with other fish caught on previous fun fishing events over recent years.
The Welch Family won a trip to Ilfracombe Aquarium that they kindly donated to runner up family Jesubaul and Becky Mringer. The longest fish was a 54cm conger caught by Louie Cameron and the heaviest a ballan wrasse of 1lb 1oz to the rod of Daniel Welch. The top individual points scorer was Ben Clarke with 25 points and Jesubaul runner up with 24 points.
Daniel Welch with the heaviest fish a ballan wrasse of 1lb 1ozThe Cameron Family with Archie (right) holding his brothers conger
The event cast off at 2.30pm as a strong swell surged close to the pier landings and a heavy shower threatened to dampen the spirits.
Fortunately the storm clouds soon drifted past and a vivid rainbow appeared off Hillsborough as bright blue skies brightened the rest of the afternoon.
Fish were caught from the start despite the murky water stirred up by heavy swells throughout the previous week. Four or five lobster were caught which is far more than any previous Fun fish. Another interesting feature was the large number of small red bream caught throughout the two hour long event.
Apologies if I have spelt any names wrong, a strong breeze, aging ears and a rain smeared score sheet undoubtedly contribute to any errors. Everyone who registered a fish took home a prize from our sponsors and in my view everyone who took part was a winner. I hope that those smiles convert just a few to enjoy the marvellous pastime that can forge a deep and lasting connection with the natural world.
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.
“Peter the conger charmer”
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.
Combe Martin SAC’s Lure competition was won by Seth Tuson who registered a fine bass of 72cm. Runner up was Wayne Thomas with a bass of 61cm and third Toby Craven with a bass of 58cm.
Combe Martin SAC’s Lure Fishing league is shaping up to be a competitive one this year with good numbers of bass being caught from boat and shore. Club member Wayne Thomas enjoyed a good session landing eight bass including fish of 72cm and 65cm to put him into third place in the competition. All fish fell to a Savage Gear- White paddle tail lure. Such hectic sessions are few and far between with several blanks preceding this trip.
1st Mark Brewer – Five bass – 344.5 cm
2nd – Seth Tuson – Five bass – 330.5 cm
3rd – Wayne Thomas – Five bass – 295 cm
4th – Reece Woolgar – Four bass – 263cm
5th – Ross Stanway – Three bass – 176 cm
6th – Robert Hurst – Two bass – 121.5cm
The club are hosting a members only lure fishing competition next weekend so prospects are excellent for this event.
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.
Seth Tuson tempted this fine bass of 72cm using a 4″ Easy Shiner lure. It is Seth’s best bass caught on a lure and boosts his total in Combe Martin SAC’s lure fishing league.
Combe Martin SACs Annual Putsborough Open eventually got underway on the longest day of the year after rescheduling due to an oversight regarding the Spring Bank holiday and severe weather warnings.
The weather proved to be perfect as thirty eight anglers descended on the venue as the sun slowly set casting its golden rays upon sand and sea. I had been slightly apprehensive about the event as my good friend and club secretary Nick Phillips was unable to attend and as we have run this event together for over forty years a solo effort was a little daunting.
It was great to see a good number of familiar faces at the booking in and I am always encouraged by this annual migration to this splendid venue and value the long lasting cooperation of the Putsborough estate and in particular Trevor the security officer who always greets and guides participants to the assembly point.
With all booked in I opted to take the long walk to join fellow club members Kevin Legge and Craig Mcloughlin at the end of the line halfway along the beach. I set up shortly after 9.00pm and was pleased to take a look back along the beach at the anglers wading out into the surf to cast their baits.
Photo – Lee Algar
There is something special and slightly poignant about the longest day as the year turns and we look to the ebbing of another year.
With rods poised and lines stretching into the watery dimension I savoured the scene before strolling over for a chat with Kevin who wound in a small school bass as we talked.
A few moments after arriving back at my rods I noticed a sharp tap on the rod tip followed by a slow pulling over and ticking ratchet. I picked up the rod and pulled into what for a moment felt like a good fish. To my dismay all went solid. Was it a big ray hugging the bottom? Surely I couldn’t be snagged up on the expanse of clean sand? After applying maximum pressure with the rod for a few minutes I placed the rod back in the rest slackened the clutch and waited to see what happened. With no further movement I picked up the rod, pointed the rod to the sea and walked slowly back. Suddenly the tackle pulled free and I wound in a mangled bait. Had I lost a big ray or had I found a snag?
A short while later I caught a small ray of just over 4lb that was an encouraging start. I added another small ray and a smoothound to my own tally but knew I was unlikely to feature in the prize list.
The next three hours passed by in a familiar scene as the tide flooded and stars winked high above in those familiar timeless reassuring constellations.
I packed up at midnight to trudge back across the sand and prepare for the arrival of competitors and the sorting of fish entries. I knew that Kevin and Craig had tempted good fish and was intrigued to see what else had been caught.
At this point I will give my heartfelt thanks to Craig McLoughlin of Braunton Bait Box for offering to assist with the sorting of entries. As anglers arrived back there were undoubtedly mixed fortunes but overall catches were encouraging with good numbers of small-eyed ray and smoothound along with a few bass, a solitary sole and refreshingly few dogfish.
Hopefully we got the results together with accuracy. Many thanks go to all those who supported the event by attending. Special thanks to our generous sponsors Sakuma and Barnstaple Bait and Tackle. The club greatly appreciate the ongoing support of Putsborough Estate in permitting us access to this beautiful venue.
Results of the 2025 – Putsborough Open
1st – Craig Mcloughlin – Small eyed ray – 9lb 8oz 95%
2nd – Stephen Found – smoothound – 9lb 2.5oz 91%
3rd – Craig Mcloughlin – small eyed ray – 8lb 5oz 83%
4th – Nathan Clements – small eyed ray – 7lb 14.5oz 78%
5th – Kevin Legge – small eyed ray – 7lb 8oz 75%
6th – Lee Algar – bass – 5lb 13oz. 72.5%
7th – Rob Hancock – smoothound – 7lb 2oz 71%
8th – Stephen Found – smoothound – 6lb 15.25oz. 69%
9th – Tony Gussin – small eyed ray – 6lb 14oz 68.7%
10th – Steve Webb – small eyed ray – 6lb 13oz 68.1%
Top Junior – Ted Childs – small eyed ray – only fish registered by a junior angler.
Received a tee-shirt and a gift voucher from our sponsor Barnstaple Bait and Tackle.
Craig Mcloughlin received the £150 cash first prize and choice from the prize table.
Runner up Stephen Found received £50 cash and choice of prizes from the table.
The top ten chose prize bundles from our generous sponsors Sakuma who have supported the event for many years. Combe Martin SAC look forward to hosting the event again next year and welcome any constructive comments to help the event prosper.
