Combe Martin SAC member Ross Stanway set his alarm for the early hours of 2021 and embraced the icy conditions to get his angling year underway. Fishing from a local rock mark spurdog, bull huss, conger or cod were the expected catch. The first fish to rattle the rod was small conger of around 6lb. Then Ross hooked into a good fish that fought hard and swam deep in the water. Ross was hopeful that he had hooked a rare double figure cod. To his surprise the culprit was a specimen smoothound scaling 12lb 9.5oz a fish more often associated with the spring, summer and autumn!
Autumn hound 15lb
Brace of big mullet secure victory in Bideford Rover
Bidefords 24 hour results
Andrew Clements landed superb brace of mullet to secure victory in Bideford & District Angling Clubs 24 hour rover.
1st Andrew Clements – thick lipped mullet 5lb 2.25oz 128.516%
2nd Andrew Clements – thick lipped mullet 5lb 0.5oz 127.344%
3rd Nathan Clements – smooth hound 9lb 13 98.125%
Superb Estuary sport
Specimen smoothound
Huss and Smoothound for Kevin Legge
Smoothound packs give grand sport
Inshore Boat Sport – Off Ilfracombe
Hounds are still about !!
Late October but summer species are still about. Kevin Kirby sent me this report of smoothound caught from a North Devon shore mark. The hounds scaling 10lb 6oz and 8lb 9oz were tempted using whole squid baits. I have noticed that each autumn the hounds are staying later with some specimens showing light up until Christmas they also seem more inclined to take squid baits at this time of year.