Not many anglers set out to fish for the humble but tasty whiting which can be found in plague proportions around our beaches but father and son duo Jason and Shay Upham, members of Brixham SAC, set out on a rare Christmas Day trip to one of our deeper water rock marks in search of a larger specimen.
Both were rewarded for their efforts with plenty of good-sized fish, the best weighing in at a shade over 2lbs for Shay with Jason’s best tipping the scales at 2lbs 3oz.
Marcus Ward from Torquay fished the Slapton, searching for Dabs, and managed one small one.
From East Devon, Kev Madeley has been finding bull huss and Neil Pope fishing the Exe with ragworm found that the bass were still in the rivers, landing a fine fish of 4lbs 1oz.
Ethan Hammond, aged 12, was fishing a local rock with a 4/0 hook and a large ragworm for baiting, hoping for a big fish but caught a small and fairly rare scorpion fish.
A few anglers have managed to get out on the boats with Gary Phippard landing an angry-looking bull huss of 9lbs.
Mike Spiller from Honiton SAC, fishing aboard Lewis Hodder’s Pegasus out of Lyme Regis on the first day of a three-day conger fishing competition, tops the leader board with an eel of 58lbs with Alan Deacon landing another of 50lbs.
Fishing the same boat, Ben Bradstock landed a double figure spurdog.
The coarse fisheries have been quiet in the colder weather. However, Daniel Gayton fished Luccombes Fishery at Exminster and found the carp in a feeding mood.
The new year is upon us and with it comes the start of our new competition for the fish of the month. Sponsors are Sidewinder Lures and Newbarn Farm Fishery with a 24-hour ticket.
The rules are simple. Send your catch reports to johnsherlockfish@gmail.com or via Messenger. A brief detail of capture is to be included with a photo of you holding the fish. The winner will be announced the following month and will not necessarily be the biggest fish but may be something smaller that deserves the prize. The fish must be caught in south or east Devon, or by an angler from those areas. The judges' decision is final.
With the tighter tier restrictions placed on us and Somerset now in Tier 4, please follow Government guidelines and don’t travel. Stay safe. Further information can be found as always on the Angling Trust website.
Tight lines.
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