COMBE MARTIN SAC – Species Hunt – Its a two horse race!

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Two club members have taken a virtually unbeatable lead in Combe Martin Sea Angling Clubs Species Competition. John Shapland has a slender lead with 36 species. Just one species behind is Dan Welch with 35 species. With just two weeks remaining it will be fascinating to see if either member can break through the forty fish barrier.

The competition has certainly demonstrated the vast range of species that can be caught along the North Devon Coast if a wide range of tactics are used.

Ross Stanway is currently in third place with a commendable 22 species.

The competition ends with the Clubs fun-fishing event on Saturday September 2nd. High Street Tackle are sponsoring both the Species Competition and the Fun Fishing Event.

 

VARIETY ON THE PIER – PLUS OUT OF SEASON VISITORS!!!

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George Stavrakopoulos is a keen species enthusiast and enjoys trips to Ilfracombe Pier. Their latest venture saw them land whiting, pouting, poor cod, pollack, shanny smelt, rock goby, 3 bearded rockling, shore rockling, conger, tadpole fish and a cling fish it was non stop action. A big surprise was the sight of four big mackerel trapped alive in the pool behind the pier. These out of season visitors were soon caught and dispatched by local anglers who either enjoyed a tasty meal some quality bait for the freezer.15936562_1205632436140884_288454774032320973_o15844318_1205632432807551_1916418358137326132_o15874782_1205633826140745_7612768736862414544_o15844720_1205633822807412_878308959416871112_obanner

JOHN SHAPLAND IS THE SPECIES SEEKER

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(Above) John Shapland on a previous fishing trip

A few years ago Combe Martin SAC member John Shapland set out to catch fifty sea species in a season and succeeded. Knowing Johns keenness on species hunting I felt sure he would excel in a one day species competition and so it proved on Sunday November 6th. The bitterly cold North Wind that was forecast deterred the vast majority of club members who had shown an interest in the event with just four of us eventually venturing out. John elected to fish an estuary mark and Ilfracombe Pier and from the two venues caught an amazing eleven species including bass, sand goby, flounder, common blenny, scorpion fish, pollock, sand smelt, ballan wrasse, pouting, poor cod, rock goby and poor cod. His fishing partner for the day was Louis Rooke who managed four species;pollock, pouting, ballan wrasse and rockling.

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I fished a mark in Combe Martin Bay with Rob Sciones where we landed 7 species between us, whiting,pollock, ballan wrasse,conger, corkwing wrasse, tub gurnard and a pleasing grey mullet to my rod that weighed 4lb 14oz.

Despite the icy wind Rob and I did manage to find a little shelter from the wind and was rewarded with the sight of a pod of porpoise showing a few hundred yards from the shoreline.

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