WEEKLY ANGLING REPORT – August 28th 2025

            Members of Combe Martin SAC spent a day off Ilfracombe fishing on Daniel Welch’s boat Predator 2. Whilst the hoped for tope failed to show members found ten different species fishing on the seabed as cloudy water hampered lure fishing. The species caught included mackerel, scad, black bream, bull huss, smoothound, gurnard, conger, pollock, bass and dogfish.

             Combe Martin SAC host their annual fun fishing event this Sunday on Ilfracombe Pier with fishing starting at 2.30pm and ending at 4.30pm. This easy going event has been running for several years in conjunction with the Sea-Ilfracombe Festival. All young anglers should be accompanied by a responsible adult. The club would like to thank the ongoing support of High Street Tackle, Barnstaple Bait and Tackle and Ilfracombe Aquarium. Prizes are awarded for anglers under 16 who catch the most species and longest fish. The heaviest fish caught by and the top family points total.

 

            Late summer and early Autumn offer a wide range of species to target in saltwater as the seasons transition. All tactics can work at this time of year with both bait and lure tactics proving effective dependant on the prevailing conditions. An increasing number of anglers are now compiling records of the fish species they catch. A branch of angling I would compare to keen birdwatchers often referred to as twitchers. This can become very addictive with anglers traveling long distances and adapting tackle to target species not caught on standard sea tackle. Some mini sea species are caught using tiny hooks and gossamer thin lines paired with miniature rods. I recently bought Jack Perks excellent book “Field Guide to British Fish- Freshwater and Marine”. The book contains information and quality photo’s of 200 species found in UK waters. It has a useful tick list in the back of the book to record your own tally of species.

The book is a perfect companion to Alwynne Wheeler’s Key to the Fishes of Northern Europe that was first published in 1978. It is fascinating to compare the two books that illustrate the significant changes that are happening in both marine and freshwater eco systems.

            Ben Evenden won Stafford Moor’s Sunday Open with 197lb 9oz.

            Stafford Moor’s Carp Lakes are in fine form with plenty of multiple hauls. Dan Hoskin and his son fished Beattie’s Lake to bank sixteen carp twelve of which were over twenty pounds with the best a fine fish of 28lb. Martin Burton banked four carp to 32lb and Owen Thrumble banked forty carp over five days to 30lb 5oz.

Bideford & District Angling Club – Rod and Reel match results date 24.8.25 at Tarka

B.D.A.C.Rod and Reel match results date 24.8.25 at Tarka All anglers caught fish with some very good weights weighed in today weather was lovely with a light wind blowing. The winner was Nathan Underwood on peg 6 with a fantastic weight of 96lbs 3oz mainly carp with some lovely silvers mixed in as well 2nd place went to Martin Turner on peg 10 with a nice mixed bag of fish for 40lbs 7oz, 3rd place went to Kevin Shears on peg 9 with 37lbs 14oz and 4th place went to Keith Copland on peg 17 with 32lbs 1oz. Next Rod and Reel match will be on the 21.9.25 at Tarka. Congratulations to Nathan Underwood on your win today and congratulations on getting the highest weight of fish caught in a club match. New record now stand at 96lbs 3oz.

WEEKLY – ANGLING REPORT – August 14th – 2025

BIG CARP FROM PARADISE SYNDICATE

George West enjoyed success at Angler’s Paradises Nirvana Syndicate lake banking a fine brace of mirror carp scaling 39lb each. The lake holds a stock of large carp grown on at the venue.

Anglers Paradise

Comment

Carp fishing is constantly evolving as the desire to catch bigger carp drives the sector resulting in  varied venues offering a gradual progression for carp anglers. Day ticket waters that offer large numbers of carp progressing to syndicate waters that have long waiting lists to enter with a high price tag that now exceeds the cost of a rod on an exclusive West Country salmon beat.

Match Fishing

Craig Lamey secured top spot in Bideford Angling Clubs monthly coarse match at their home water with 87lb 10oz. Nathan Underwood was runner up with 44lb 15oz and Keith Copland third with 44lb 10oz.

Sam Powell won last Sundays Stafford Moor Open Match with 248lb 5oz. The Saturday  residents match was won by Martin Heard with 321lb 7oz.

Sea Angling

South Molton Angling Club members enjoyed a boat trip out of Lyme Regis where they enjoyed great sport catching eleven species that included black bream, thornback ray, and bull huss.

Stephen Found has been enjoying some great smoothound sport from the North Devon shore landing specimens of 14lb, 15lb 6oz and 18lb. Recent seasons have seen unprecedented numbers of these hard fighting fish move close inshore and at times moving into the estuary an area that historically did not see these fish in any numbers.

Several bonito have been caught from boats fishing the water at the mouth of the Bristol Channel. These powerful fish that average 2lb to 4lb are a hard fighting predatory fish that can be glimpsed as they erupt from the water as they smash into shoals of baitfish.

I enjoyed a day fishing for porbeagle shark on Ilfracombe boat Predator 2 and ventured to the recognised sharking grounds West of Hartland Point. Whilst we caught no shark we caught numerous tope, gurnard, bass, mackerel, gurnard and scad. Several shark have been caught in recent weeks but fishing seems to have been impacted upon by frequent algal blooms that are unusual for this time of year.

Rivers

Barnstaple and District Angling Club have once again suspended fishing on their river beats as high water temperatures and low oxygen levels bring grave concern for the rivers wildlife.

Comment

As I add the finishing touches to this week’s angling report the BBC news is reporting on the fact that ‘The UK’s seas have had their warmest start to the year since records began, helping to drive some dramatic changes in marine life and for its fishing communities’.

In my weekly angling report above I mention the influx of smoothound, unusual algal blooms and river temperatures that are concerning for fish survival. All of these could be linked to climate change and as an angler I observe these changes from the water’s edge.

            I personally accept that the evidence points to rapid change in our climate and yet this is tempered by the fact that climate change is linked to events that have happened before as marine eco systems are cyclical and complex. Tuna are not new to UK waters and were abundant during the mid-twentieth century. Octopus population explosions occurred previously at the start and middle of the twentieth century. I would also point out that the frequently used phrase since records began is emotive terminology as since 1980 when records started is probably less alarming as forty odd years is little more than a blink of the eye in the evolving climate of the planet.

Bideford Angling Club – Coarse Results

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       Bideford Angling Club scored an impressive victory over Plymouth and District Coarse Angling Club totalling a weight of 300lb 9oz to Plymouth’s 114lb 14oz. The top four individuals were all from Bideford with Keith Copland netting 68lb 10oz, Richard Jefferies 49lb 3oz, Martin Turner 34lb 7oz and Ian Sedgewick 25lb 10oz. Top Plymouth rod was Tom Worth with 21lb 3oz.

Midweek evening competition No. 8
Results:
1st Martin Turner 34lb 13oz
2nd Nathan Underwood  34lb 9oz
3rd Darren Polden  29lb 15oz
4th Kevin Shears 29lb 6oz
5th Antony Bentley  28lb 10oz
6t Ian Croxton 21lb 11oz
13 fished.
Tonight’s 3 hour competition was held on George’s lake in a brisk westerly breeze .
Martin won on peg 19 mostly using paste in the margins, his net included some good tench and bream.
Nathan came a very close 2nd on peg 13 , again using paste and meat in the margins .
Darren was third on peg 14.

Bideford Angling Club – Midweek Competition Result

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Midweek evening competition No.2
Results, :
1st Nathan Underwood   52lb 13oz
2nd Steve Johnson 27lb 12oz
3rd Ian Croxton 23lb 6oz
4th Kevin Shears 22lb 13oz
5th Keith Mountjoy 22lb 1oz
6th Richard Jefferies 21lb 3oz
20 members enjoyed another pleasant evening on George’s lake.
Nathan, last year’s midweek series winner, drew on what’s now becoming the infamous, peg 4.
He has made no mistakes and fished the long pole for a clear victory. Luncheon meat over micros was his choice of tactics. Steve and Kevin have had a next peg battle on 21 and 22 , Steve has added 4 carp to his silvers bag to secure 2nd spot .
Ian has taken 3rd spot on peg 6 using both pole and feeder tactics.
Kevin’s mainly slivers net was taken on the pole on corn for 4th place overall.

Horwood Match report and Fishery update

Horwood’s regular Friday match turned up some cracking weights this week, using both lakes with the fish finally feeding after a difficult spawning period.

Lakes are looked after by Neilsen Jeffery and with good help from members both lakes are now looking fantastic, with all 16 pegs having great inside features and shelves to fish on. You can literally catch double figure carp from under your feet.

The hundreds of willows that have been planted help create good protection now and obviously being able to drive and park next to your peg is a great bonus.

Please contact Neilsen if you wish to have a look around and are interested in possibly joining the friendly group of fishers.

Contact Neilsen 0n 07484325343

Best weights from Fridays match below.

Bottom Lake

1st

Graham Curnow with 125.14lb 2nd 

Stuart Russell with 114.0lb 

3rd 

Mark Lynch with 99.15lb

Top lake

1st 

Gary Sullivan with 81.03lb

2nd 

Mario Manley with 34.07lb

Match results: Bideford and District Angling Club Versus Bude Canal Angling Club

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Match results:
Bideford and District Angling Club
Versus Bude Canal Angling Club
Tarka Swims, George’s lake.
Individuals:
1st Adrian Hill        Bude. 44lb 8oz
2nd Richard Jefferies Bideford 40lb 5oz
3rd Craig Lamey          Bideford. 36lb 5oz
4th Simon Allen     Bude 22lb 7oz
5th Keith Mountjoy      Bideford. 22lb 1oz
6th Martin Turner        Bideford 19lb 1oz
Overall team total Bideford 120pts
Bude. 90pts
This Sunday we proudly played host to our friends from Bude on Tarka Swims the weather has been kind and the Pollyfield centre has provided a fantastic breakfast and a superb after match spread.
The fixture is fished as a 10 aside home and away match
The lake has proved tricky although Adrian from Bude on peg 13 has put together a very decent bag of mainly carp on pole fished meat, closely followed by Bidefords assistant match secretary Richard on peg 16, his catch of all carp were taken on the pellet waggler.
Bidefords , Craig fished on peg 14 , and finished 3rd,
Simon from Bude was best of the rest , in 4th on peg.
19.
We have a 30 point lead to take into the return leg on the Cornish canal in October.

Bideford and District Club Coarse Section Monthly competition – April

Bideford and District Club
Coarse Section Monthly competition
Results:
1st Kevin Shears 48lb 2oz
2nd Keith Mountjoy 46lb 9oz
3rd Colin O’Hagan 36lb 5oz
4th Richard Jefferies 29lb 11oz
5th Darren Polden 28lb 13oz
6th Antony Bentley  26lb 13oz
7th Paul Elworthy   19lb 12oz
23 members fished.
Kevin, our league leader, has further extended his lead to 8 points , with the match win on peg 13 ,he fished the pole with maggot over groundbait.
Second in the league and second on the day was Keith
with another pole caught net on peg 19 , using soft pellets.
Third of off peg 10 was Colin, he has fished the straight lead and hard pellets.
Richard has fished the pellet waggler for the fourth.
spot.

Bideford and District Angling Club Coarse section monthly competition

Bideford and District Angling Club
Coarse section monthly competition
Results:
1st Martin Turner  33 lb 7oz
2nd Warren Thornton 27lb 3oz
3rd Kevin Shears 23lb 2oz
4th Richatrd Jefferies 18lb 10oz
5th Nathan Underwood  17lb 8oz
6th Stephen Sheller  16lb 12oz
7th Les Polden  15lb 14oz
24 members fished.
Almost every peg was taken for this 6 hour event, bright sunshine and a stiff South Easterly breeze has kept the weights modest.
Match organiser Martin has drawn the last peg in the bag ,number 16, a straight lead with pellet or meat , fished out to the cage has accounted for the bulk of his winning catch. , backed up with some good fish on caster on the short pole.
Warren’s second place from peg 9 consisted of larger carp on the pole to maggot over pellets.
Third place was our current league leader Kevin on peg 6 , he’s caught a nice mixed bag on pole fished maggot .
Richard has landed 5 carp for 4th place off of peg 13.
Once again the shallower section has proved tricky, Roger Ackroyd took the honours with 2lb 5oz on peg 2..

North Devon Match Group at Stafford Moor

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The match this weekend was at Stafford Moor Fishery. A bitter easterly wind was the main foe of the day mainly.
Winners on the day were
Woodpecker
1st Graham Currington 155lb 08oz
2nd Ian Croxton 149lb 13oz
Section A. Tom Downing 143lb
Section B. Mark Lynch 85lb 12oz
Oak
1st Roger Ackroyd 129lb 14oz
2nd Paul Whitehead 90lb
Section A. Darren Polden 86lb 13oz
Section B. Daniel Underwood 75lb 14oz.