Combe Martin SAC member Kevin Legge enjoyed success from North Devon rock marks landing this double figure bull huss of 11lb 3oz and a specimen conger of 26lb 9oz.
Kevin Legge Wins End Of Winter Rover with specimen spurdog
Kevin Legge won Combe Martin Sea Angling Clubs end of winter rover with a specimen spurdog scaling 14lb 15oz. Ross Stanway was runner up with a spurdog of 9lb 9oz.
There has a been a late surge in spurdog sport with good numbers of spurdog landed from North Devon shore marks. Combe Martin SAC member Kyle Bishop has caught numerous spurdog including specimens to 15lb 3oz.
COMBE MARTIN SAC – ILFRACOMBE HARBOUR FUN & SPECIES
Combe Martin SAC have launched a new fishing community project with the help of keen species enthusiast Toby Bassett. The new fun fishing event was launched on February 1st on Ilfracombe Pier with local anglers starting an 11 month long species hunt that encourages anglers to catch as many species as possible from Ilfracombe Harbour area.
The essence of the fun fishing league is to encourage local anglers to socialise and share knowledge. Local business are supporting the event with prizes already pledged from Ilfracombe Aquarium, High Street Tackle, Turton’s Butchers and Quay Sports.
A pop up fishing event to get the event started was attended by a mixture of old and new club members. The weather was kind with a clear sky and a calm sea. Nine species of fish were caught during the three hours including; common shanny, rock goby, pouting, whiting, conger, dogfish, ballan wrasse, plaice, pollock and shore rockling. Prizes donated by High Street Tackle were awarded to Ross Stanway who caught the most species on the day. To Zephyr Laramy the most fish caught by a Junior and the smallest fish prize was awarded to Toby Bassett who caught a tiny common shanny using a size 16 hook!
The intention is to hold a pop up event once a month that will be picked to coincide with a suitable tide and hopefully good weather. Notice will be sent to club members seven days prior to the event. The competition runs until December 31st 2024 with major prizes to be presented early in 2025. Sponsors will be donating prizes with High Street Tackle providing a small prize each month for a category to be decided each month. February prize will be for the most species registered. March will be for the best photograph.
This is not a pure LRF competition as all accepted angling methods are encouraged with bait as well as lures. The use of LRF tactics is a branch of angling that undoubtedly opens an entirely new dimension to sea angling with some becoming totally addicted to the pursuit of the range of species available. It is going to be fascinating to explore the vast range of species that dwell within Ilfracombe waters. We will be sharing our results with the local Aquarium and hope to provide a few exhibits for their extensive display tanks.
We packed away as the flooding tide pushed us off the lower landings. James and I headed to the Bay-side Burger Bar to round off an enjoyable session savouring our spicy chicken and fries in the shadow of Verity.
Combe Martin SAC AGM and presentation night.
Combe Martin SAC held their AGM and presentation night at the White Lion Inn Braunton on Friday January 26th. The club had enjoyed a successful year in 2023 with members registering a good number of specimen fish. The club are introducing a predator award next season for the member registering the best tope, conger, bull huss and spurdog specimen rating total. The winner will receive a megladon sharks tooth for 12 months from club member Daniel Welch.
Award winner for 2023 were as follows :-
2023 Trophy Winners
Cod Trophy Mark Jones. 6lb 12oz
Bass Trophy David Brooke – 12lb 6oz
Mullet Cup Kyle Bishop = Thin Lipped grey mullet 5lb 3oz 129%
Conger Cup Shane Pavio Hook Way – 23lb 7oz
Flatfish Cup Daniel Welch. Flounder 1lb 9oz
Shore Shield Kyle Bishop tope 61lb 9oz 205%
Medway Cup Mark Jones Porbeagle Shark 151% calculated by formula
Ray Shield Jamie ~Steward small eyed ray – 12lb 13oz
Wrasse Trophy Daniel Welch 5lb
Burgess Trophy Charlie Stanway – ballan wrasse 4lb 15.5oz 110%
Scouse Shield Wayne Thomas – rockling 15oz
D Kyte Award Wayne Thomas 4 mullet total 312%
Out Of Limits Ollie Passmore – ballan wrasse 5lb 6oz
Thornback Cup – Mark Jones 13lb 10oz
Specimen League – Kyle Bishop
Bass 10lb 6oz 129.688%
Bull Huss 15lb 5oz. 153.125%
Spurdog 13lb 3oz. 132%
Thin Lipped grey mullet. 5lb 3oz. 129.688%
Tope 61lb 9oz. 205.208%
Ballan wrasse 4lb 15oz. 109.722%
Total – 859.306%
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Runner up Jamie Steward
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Top four boat specimens
Mark Jones –
| bass | 9lb 1oz | 113.281 | B |
| porbeagle | 265lb | 151.43 | B |
| tope | 36lb | 90 | B |
| pollock | 7lb 4oz | 72.5 | B |
| 427.211 |
Club Records
Kyle Bishop – Skate 13lb 8oz
Shaun Quartly – blue-mouth 6oz
Kyle Bishop – bull huss 15lb 5oz
Daniel Welch – bonito 3lb 15oz (Boat)
Shane Pavio Hook Way – Thresher Shark – 300lb ( Estimated)
Fish of the season –
Winter 22/23 David Brooke – bull huss 15lb 2oz 151%
Spring 23 Jamie Steward – Gilt head bream 4lb 4oz 141%
Summer 23 Kyle Bishop. Tope 61lb 9oz. 205%
Autumn 223– David Brook. Bass 12lb 6oz 154.688%
Merit Award – Kyle Bishop outstanding catches throughout the year.
The club are also launching an Ilfracombe based species league that will be run in conjunction with keen Ilfracombe anglers
Species competition Format
- Most species wins
- All fish to photographed with captor and proof of location
- Boundaries from lime kiln to Cheyne beach
- CMSAC Club members
- Comp starts 1st of Feb 2024 until December 31st 2024
Subsequent years will be as per calendar year
- Entry for CMSAC members is free as part of membership
- Fishing to club rules – 2 rods, four hooks
9 . Prizes upfront
1st, 2nd , 3rd
Season Ticket for aquarium ( Family TBC)
£25.00 Voucher High Street Tackle
Voucher for local butchers ( TBC)
- Catch a Release encouraged
Entries to be sent to Fish Recorder Wayne Thomas or Toby Bassett.
Photos required clearly showing fish, captor and location.
League will be kept updated by Fish Recorder and in addition to individual entries a tally will kept as a club tally as a collective team effort.
Will try and arrange a few pop up species days throughout the year to encourage social interaction with members.
Kyle Tempts Big North Devon Cod
Combe Martin SAC Member Kyle Bishop tempted this fine 18lb 5oz cod from a North Devon rock mark. The cod is one of the biggest caught from the coast in over a decade. Kyle tells me that the fish was long and thin and would have weighed considerably more if it was in top condition.
In the 1980’s and 1990’s twenty pound plus cod were a regular feature of catches along the North Devon Coast. Recent decades have seen the fish almost disappear from this area. Cod numbers have been holding up further up channel but there is concern that numbers are starting to decline there too. The recent cod boat fishing competition held at Minehead saw just two cod registered from most of the Minehead Charter Fleet. This will undoubtedly result in the competition format changing in future years to reflect this and other species will be targeted.
Rare Shore Caught skate sets new club record
Combe Martin SAC member Kyle Bishop set a new club record when he caught a rare blue skate from the North Devon shoreline. The fish weighing 13lb 8oz beats the existing club record of 8lb 3oz caught in 2020 by Jamie Steward. Skate are a very rare catch from North Devon waters. These fish can grow to well over 200lb and were once common in the Bristol Channel with fish recorded from numerous North Devon ports in the Victorian era.
Kyle has also added specimen tope of 36lb 15oz and a spurdog of 10lb 5oz to his New Year tally following on from last season when he knotched up a very impressive list of specimen captures.
SEA ANGLING RESULTS
COMBE MARTIN SAC FESTIVE FISH
Club’s members fished a competition over the festive period that concluded on January 7th. A range of species were caught from the North Devon shoreline, including bull huss, conger, grey mullet. ray and whiting. The winner of the competition was Wayne Thomas with a bull huss of 9lb 11oz.
Runner up was also Wayne with a thick lipped grey mullet of 3lb 11oz.
Bideford Angling Club – January Rover
Bideford Angling Clubs January Rover was won by Julien Stainer with a bull huss of 9lb 5oz. Nathan Clements was runner up and forth with huss of 8lb 10.5oz and 7lb 13.5oz. Paul Ackland was third with a dogfish of 2lb 7oz.
Appledore Shipbuilders January Rover
19 fished Appledore Shipbuilders January rover.
The Anglers reported targeting several different species with most catching their targets. Some lovely fish were caught today with 4 specimens recorded at the weigh in.
Claudio Pinto had a fine Small Eyed of 9lb 4ozs and Josh Atkinson had a Whiting of 1lb 11 3/4ozs both coming in at 115.87% to take joint first place. Andrew Atkinson was third with a Whiting of 1lb 10 3/4ozs.
CHRISTMAS SEA COMPETITION RESULTS
CHRISTMAS SEA COMPETITION RESULTS
Thirty Five anglers fished Triple Hook Clubs Christmas Flounder Open and only six of the competitors registered flounder. N. Wilkinson won the top prize with a flounder of 1lb 8.75oz. Runner up was Taz Wotton with a flounder of 1lb 5.5oz. Mark Beer was third a flounder of 1lb 47/8oz and Rob Hancock was fourth with a flounder of 1lb 2oz and Kevin Hancock fifth with a flounder of 1lb 0.25oz and sixth Mark Hancock with a flounder of 15oz.
BIDEFORD CLUB RESULT
Stephen Found won Bideford Angling Clubs forty eight hour rover with a dogfish of 2lb 7oz. Tony Gussin took second and third with a conger of 14lb 5oz and a pouting of 1lb 1oz.
COMBE MARTIN SAC RESULT
Bull huss dominated Combe Martin SAC Christmas Competition with Ross Stanway securing top spot with a huss of 12lb 11oz. David Brooke took second and third with huss of 10lb 5oz and 9lb 14oz. Kevin Legge was fourth with a huss of 9lb 7oz.
Members also caught thick lipped grey mullet, dogfish, conger and codling.
Kyle finds tope, huss and ray
Combe Martin SAC Member Kyle Bishop continues to find specimen fish along the North Devon Coast.
“Picked my tides and weather last month and fishing some new marks, payed off Nicely with four Tope to 37lb didn’t weigh the smaller ones nice smalleye and a pleasing white Huss”.
FLOUNDER FISHING COMPETITION RESULTS
Combe Martin Sea Angling Clubs Annual Flounder Competition
Daniel Welch took first and second place in Combe Martin Sea Angling Clubs Annual Flounder Competition with flounder scaling 1lb 9oz and 1lb. His son Solly caught the only other flounder tempted during the match a fish of 14oz.
The Taw estuary flounder fishing has been below par so far this season with specimen sized flatfish very scarce. Fish seem to in small pockets with some anglers finding up to half a dozen flounder whilst other have blanked. The estuary has a ceratin appeal even on a grey November day. I fished the town area of the river with Nick Phillips and his son Jack and moved around to several swims without any indications on the rod tip. The glimpse of a kingfisher brought a welcome flash of electric blue to the day. The cry of curlew, oyster catcher, geese and gulls drifted across the grey estuary. The unpleasant litter of society was strewn here and there a rat scurried on the bank. Urban fishing on a grey late autumn day. I looked up to the bridge and thought of the salmon that had hopefully migrated through in recent weeks to spawn high on the moors.
Appledore Shipbuilders held their Christmas Competition at Heanton Court on the River Taw where the twenty four competitors recorded fifteen flounder. The winner was with a flounder of 1lb 6.75oz.
Appledore Shipbuilders
CHRISTMAS COMPETITION
24 members fished Appledore Shipbuilders Christmas competition.
Fishing was tough with only 13 anglers registering fish. Michael Hammett secured the trophy and customary large turkey with a flounder of 1lb 6oz 14dr.
Michael was certainly in the spot today as he also secured 2nd and 3rd pick of the table with Flounders of 1lb 6oz 8dr and 1lb 3oz 12dr.
Thanks to Quay Sports for donating some prizes.
It was decided to run these for the best brace which you will not be surprised that this was also won by Michael.
Well done to all that fished.