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.

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

1^st – Craig Mcloughlin – Small eyed ray – 9lb 8oz        95%

2^nd – Stephen Found – smoothound – 9lb 2.5oz         91%

3^rd – Craig Mcloughlin – small eyed ray – 8lb 5oz         83%

4^th – Nathan Clements – small eyed ray  – 7lb 14.5oz  78%

5^th – Kevin Legge – small eyed ray –  7lb 8oz                  75%

6^th – Lee Algar – bass – 5lb 13oz.                                      72.5%

7^th – Rob Hancock  – smoothound – 7lb 2oz                    71%

8^th – Stephen Found – smoothound  – 6lb 15.25oz.       69%

9^th – Tony Gussin – small eyed ray – 6lb 14oz                 68.7%

10^th – 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.