Anglers are enjoying great sport oiffshore on Reel Deal with huss and tope. Dan has awell deserved reputation for taking anglers to the sharking grounds off the North Devon Cornish border. Check out his socail media pages for the latest availabiity.
Happy Season everyone hope your all having a nice day. Sorry we have been quite of late but we have had lots going on with sorting out bits and pieces with boats and where we are going moving forward.Also battling this constant crap weather we are having. We haven’t been getting out a lot at all so far we haven’t been able to get to the sharks this season 🥲🥲 but we have done a couple of channel trips on the spurs and Huss. Now with the season changing and the summer species coming in it should start to hot up just need the weather to sort its self out so we can get out. Couple of new things this season we have been working on are as follows : 6 hour bass lure trips based around the perfect state of tide to get on the marks that produced some great sport last season available online asap. Also a slight change to our summer Sharking it’s now going to be summer big game fishing, if it’s booked as a shark trip that’s what we will be doing but if we happen to get surrounded by the BFT’S like last season we can switch up and go and have some fun on them and we’re also able to use new methods this season to exciting stuff and can’t wait to try these out then once the weather puts pay to our season down west we are going to go back to our roots and fish up channel this will be on the nice Time tides for the all day trips and when we have the neaps a lot more 4 hour trips I’ll get on the times and dates for booking as soon as I can. I have decided to take a step away from the summer tourist season and do all day trips through out august again I need to put these online but keep your eyes peeled as July and September are 99% booked out apart from a couple of dates so once I put them on I am sure there going to go quick. That’s enough from me with the update and I look for to seeing you all soon and getting stuck In to some serious rod bending pain locker fishing cheers Dan
Reel Deal Charters have been finding anglers some good bass from Reefs off North Devon and Cornwall.
http://www.highstreettackle.co.uk
Dan welcomes the great news that the CHART program will be running again this year.
The first porbeagle of 2023 has been brought to the side of Reel Deal
A day out fishing for Spurdog on ‘REEL DEAL’ from Ilfracombe.
We met at 7am for bacon rolls and a coffee and headed down to Ilfracombe harbour where we met Dan Hawkins, Owner of Reel Deal Charters and Archie, who would be our crew for the day. There were 8 anglers aboard today but there is plenty of room on Reel deal which is very stable being a catamaran hulled boat. It also has 2 x 325hp motors which means you spend more time fishing and less time getting to the mark.
Weather was set to be sunny but in fact it turned out to be overcast with an OAT. of around 3-4 degrees. I had plenty of layers on but regretted not taking my Penn immersion suit as the wind was bitter at times. Nick was more sensible and donned his Penn boat fishing coat.
We headed out and within 25 minutes or so Dan had put us on the fish. Tackle was braided mainline with a 2-3ft 180lb – 200lb leader using 6/0 circle hooks. small mackerel or squid baits were used but the key to catching seemed to be lime green muppets above the bait. The tide was running strong and at times we needed to use 11/2lb leads.
Nick was in almost immediately landing a Spurdog. I noticed his muppet and immediately reeled in to put one on my trace. Very soon after I was also in with a fish.
A few fish were cut off on the braid which we believe to be the abrasion from the fish themselves. Dan suggested a rubbing leader to stop this. Between the 8 anglers we had around 150 – 200 fish which made for a busy and very enjoyable day out.
The majority of fish were Spurdogs with a Huss and a small conger. Invariably we also had the usual amount of doggies.
Dan and Archie done a sterling job of looking after us with hot drinks, unhooking our catches and untangling some 1st rate tackle wrap ups!
Overall a great day out at sea with plenty of fish and good company.
Reel Deal Charters can be contacted on 07850 984933 and run boats out of Ilfracombe, Watchet and Plymouth depending on season and target species.
Chris Dawson and Sebastion Shillaker fished off Reel Deal to hook and bring to the side of the boat a thresher shark estimated at 480lb. The shark was measured at 96” to the fork of the tail with an overall length of five metres. The mighty fish judged to be close to twenty years old was released at the side of the boat.
Dan Hawkins has now taken Reel Deal to Plymouth for the tuna season and has got off to a flying start,
Sometimes we have to make hard decisions as skippers none are taken lightly. With the weather we are due to have this week combined with big tides we have this week that will stir up the bottom we made the hard decision to end our Ilfracombe shark season on reel deal early. So with that said I took the chance on the weather yesterday to get her round to Plymouth for our chart tuna season and we have arrived at mayflower marina that said it would have been rude not to have a little dabble with Jerry Day and Archie Porter while waiting for our lift home thanks to Sam Narbett, Jerry Rogers, Tom Walker, Chris Gill and Dan Margett’s for the tips and info we managed to get our first tuna to the boat to say we were excited was an understatement now we’re buzzing for the autumn spaces available tuna fishing call or message if you keen.
James asked me the night before our trip; why do you lot have to get up so early? The view the following morning as we bounced across the water on another fishing adventure aboard Reel Deal was I thought answer enough.
We were targeting porbeagle shark today from the renowned grounds off the North Cornish coast an area that once provided superb sport for members of the Appledore Shark Angling Club back in the 1960’s and 1970’s. During those days shark angling practices were less enlightened than today and all shark were slaughtered with many shark sold at market to pay for the angler’s sport. Fortunately, a ban on commercial fishing for the species and catch and release practiced by all anglers the shark have made a strong recovery. All shark caught are now released at the side of the boat with circle hooks used by all responsible anglers.
Dan Hawkin’s skipper of Reel Deal Charters is a pioneering skipper keen to explore the grounds reachable from Ilfracombe and has explored the potential that is available. I had booked this trip with Dan over twelve months ago and had fitted in with two keen shark fishers who had come fully equipped with their own gear. I had brought with me my son James Thomas, and good friends Peter Robinson and Bruce Elston.
Anticipation was high as we passed Hartland Point and cruised into the Atlantic Waters at the mouth of the Bristol Channel. Dan cut the engines a few miles off the Cornish coast and busied himself setting up our sharking tackles. The two anglers we had joined fished their rods carefully amongst our four rods. James, Bruce, Peter and I drew numbers to determine who would go first. Bruce drew 1, James 2, Peter 3 and myself 4.
Six baits were set up at various distances from the boat the furthest set deep and the closer baits proportionately shallower. As Dan started to prepare the frozen block of rubby dubby his keen eye caught sight of a dorsal fin cutting through the waves. Shortly after the rod tip pulled over and the float disappeared from sight and Bruce picked up the rod to set the circle hook.
Frustratingly the hook failed to take a hold and we learnt how wily these large porbeagle shark can be. A few minutes later Bruce was given another chance and hooked into a shark that came off after a short tussle. We decided that we would if possible allow each of us to bring a shark to the boat but if the shark was hooked we would allow two hook ups before passing onto the next angler.
A few minutes after Bruce was in action again and this time he endured a long battle with a large porbeagle. These fish battle far harder than blue shark testing both angler and tackle to the limit. Eventually the wire trace was brought within reach and a specimen porbeagle was at the side of the boat. The fish was neatly hooked in the scissors and was released after grabbing a quick picture of the fish with Bruce leaning through the gate.
This was certainly a very encouraging start to the day. After a short lull it was James’s turn and after an aborted take another run soon developed. This time James made contact and was connected to a very powerful fish that gave him a long and tiring workout for twenty minutes or more.
Eventually the heavy wire trace appeared boat side and Dan grabbed the trace pulling the fish into view. It was a big shark and we were dismayed to see that it had a large wound around its body. A strip of white plastic was wrapped around the shark’s body. Dan was determined to remove the torturous plastic from the shark. With the shark on the port side of the boat It was now necessary to bring the shark to the starboard side.
This appeared to give the shark a second wind at is point and it battled gamely for another twenty minutes before being brought to open gate. The fish was then swiftly brought on board where Dan got to work with a pair of scissors to remove the piece of plastic strapping that had cut cruelly into the shark’s body. Whilst on board the shark was quickly measured and dowsed with sea water before a quick photo. The measurements gave a predicted weight of 179lb. The fish was then slid carefully back into the sea to hopefully recover from its wounds free of the plastic that had been so carelessly dumped.
Many thanks to James for allowing me to add his account of the trip and for Peter, Bruce and James in providing additional images.
A great days fishing out of Ilfracombe. Perfect conditions to be out on a boat and amazing scenery as we steamed out to the fishing mark. Searching for a fish that I’d never caught before yesterday the Porbeagle Shark . When it came to my turn to take the rod the float dipped and the fish was on. The sheer power was quite remarkable… when I got the fish to the side of the boat where they are normally released straight away to keep any stress on the fish to a minimum we noticed some plastic around it’s gills. Dan the skipper brought the fish aboard snipped off the plastic and after a very quick photo we released the fish back into the water hopefully to fully recover from the tangle of plastic. Was shocking to see the damage caused by such a small piece of rubbish and shows the importance of reducing our plastic usage and dumping into the oceans. A great day, good company, stunning scenery and a fish I’ll never forget. Thanks Daniel Hawkins and Wayne Thomas.
With two shark by 1.00pm our hopes were high for another couple of shark and it was Peters turn to take up the rod when a run came.
The boat drifted pushed by tide and wind a slick of oily scent calming the water in the wake of the boat. Whilst shark were top of the agenda lures, feathers and mackerel bait tempted bass in good numbers with fish to six pound plus brought to the boat. A couple of bass were retained for the table.
We chatted and relaxed watching the occasional gannet gliding above the vast ocean. At any moment we expected a float to plunge beneath the water or a rod to keel over as a porbeagle hit the baits. Dan kept us topped up with hot tea and coffee as we waited in tense expectation.
As the afternoon ebbed away our time ran out and Dan called time expressing disappointment at the quietness of the afternoon. The run back to Ilfracombe went surprisingly quickly as we passed familiar landmarks of the North Devon coast. Hartland Point at the mouth of the Bristol Channel, the dunes and estuary mouth of Bideford Bay. The headlands of Baggy Point, Morte Point and Bull Point and the spectacular cliffs between Lee Bay and Ilfracombe.
It had been a great day with couple of special fish along with silver bass, good company and spectacular scenery. I look forward recommencing the search again next year weather and life permitting.