25th Annual South West Trade Match, Shearwater Lake

I was lucky enough to be invited to fish the South West Trade Match, which is a yearly event organised by Mark Harper of Preston Innovations and Dave Drake from Drennan International.

These matches have taken place for 25 consecutive years, which is a credit to the men organising the event and the tackle dealers in the region who attend them.

This year we were fortunate to have Shearwater Lake, part of the Longleat Estate as our venue.

Draw and breakfast took place just down the road at the George Inn, fishing was 10.30am-3.30pm.

Simple rules to keep to, no spodding, no zig rigs, no floating baits, so essentially, conventional feeder tactics.

I drew peg 8 on the road bank, which was roughly a third of the way up from the dam wall. I had a plan of fishing the method feeder at range over a bed of bait and an option to fish passed the bait on a distance setup.

The mico pellet and corn loose feed

Bait for match was to be micro pellet and corn as the loose feed which would be fed via a large 'bait-up' style feeder as an initial and top-up feed. Baittech Karma on the method and damp micro as an alternative (which I didn't use).

Baittech Karma for the method feeder

Hookbaits would consist of dead red maggot and a range of the new Mainline Match 8mm dumbell wafters.

Hookbait selection

To enable me to fish on my bait accurately and if need be, short or past my bait I used the 'carpy' technique of wrapping stick to measure my distance and allow to fish any rod I had with me and the selected distance.

I had a plan to fish beyond the anglers around me and try and intercept fish that could be patrolling further out.

The green algae bloom which greeted us at the lake was going to hamper fishing and the lack of small fish activity proved that.


I settled my box into the water and had 1 rod clipped up at 86m (22 wraps) and the distance rod set to 25 wraps (100m). I also had a carp rod clipped up at 22 wraps with the bait-up feeder to add the loose feed.

At the whistle I began with 8 large feeders full of the micro and corn mix. Then loaded the large Drennan Method with Baittech Karma and a squirt of Korda Goo and out it went.

I was looking to re-cast every 5 minutes on this line to keep bait going in and to hopefully attract fish to the 'plop' of the feeder.

After a few casts I have a firm pull round on the tip and was into a decent skimmer, safely in the net and back out went the feeder. I continued for the first two hours of the match to regularly get bites, rotating hookbaits all the time and topping up the loose feed after an hour when the bites slowed.

The following two hours of the match went very slowly for me, a few fish was getting caught around me, Andy Lloyd two pegs up from me was catching well and I thought with my slow middle of the match he had edged ahead after going 'fish-for-fish' at the start with him.

In the last hour I caught a few fish on the long rod then back on the main area and just short of it also, kept rotating hookbaits and distance to try and winkle out a few extra fish.

When the scales came down to me I could see my section had a 95lb weight (overall winner) and a 68lb (overall 4rd). There was also a guy who fished with new Drennan Acolyte whip and caught 47lb of roach.

My fish went 46lb 6oz for overall 9/10th, I believe, the far bank and dam wall fished very hard, Mark Harper who was opposite myself, had looked very busy though the match and he finished with 73lb 4oz for 3rd in the match.

Mark Harper bent into a carp

My good friend, Kev Hewitt was pegged next to Mark. I had called him a few times during the day and he told me he was struggling on the bream front but had a couple of carp, one ended up tipping the scales to 22lb! Kev finished on 66lb for 5th overall and picked up his section money by default.

Kev's 22lb Mirror

Another of Kev's Carp

We all headed back to the pub for sandwiches and results:

1st. S McCarthy (Tredegar Angling) 95lb 8oz
2nd. Steve Collins (Tom Thick Baits) 84lb
3rd. Mark Harper (Preston Innovations) 73lb 4oz
4th. Andy Lloyd (Ivy House) 68lb

Section winners:
A: Vic Bush (Mosella) 59lb 12oz
B: Paul Sears (Homestores) 59lb
C: Mick Martin (Wilts Angling) 33lb 30z
D: Kev Hewitt (Angling Direct) 66lb
E: Tom Ince (Wests) 33lb 4oz

Hopefully I will get an invite back again next year and as with previous years the venue will be rotated so we could be at Todber, Viaduct or Witherington Farm.

Cadbury Angling Thursday Evening Open Matches Paddock Lake Acorn Fishery

Since we relocated the shop in January our fishing had taken a bit of a back seat, but we had the opportunity to run 9 evening matches on the Paddock Lake at Acorn Carp Fishery where we are now located.

The matches were run between May 4th to June 29th.

The matches we fished from 6pm to 9pm. Winning weights were brilliant, with most matches needing over 100lb plus to win with a top weight by Mark Bromsgrove of 145lb from peg 27 on 11th May.

Hopefully we can organise more matches in the near future on the Paddock Lake.

Our Shop has moved to a new home!

We've been hard at work this week in our new shop getting things all ready for our customers and we are happy to say we are now OPEN

Our new home is now at Acorn Carp Fishery in Kingston Seymour.

Our original shop number 01934 875733 still works but we will be getting a new landline number very shortly which will be 01934 830033.

We look forward to seeing you all soon at our new address!


The Cadbury Angling Team

Cadbury Angling
Acorn Carp Fishery
Lampley Road
Kingston Seymour
North Somerset
BS21 6XS
01934 830033
www.cadburyangling.co.uk
www.facebook.com/cadburyangling
www.twitter.com/cadburyangling

September Barbel Trip on the River Wye

My barbel fishing had taken a back seat of late and once I was contacted by my good friend James Marlow about the the possibilities of a September barbel trip, It was at the forefront of my mind and I was itching to get up there!

We planned to fish the afternoon through until dusk and were aiming to target an area downstream of Ross-on-Wye.

We arrived at the beat and noted only one other angler was present, which was perfect, lots of water to fish.

We looked to target a couple of swims mid-beat and work our way down stream as the day went on, ending on a peg just below some rapids.

The setup was fairly conventional for the Wye, Korum Combi Feeders in the large size, 60g and 90g, 2ft 10ft fluorocarbon hooklengths tied up with Drennan Barbel Specialist hooks.

The Korum Combi feeder did the trick!

The perfect hoobait for the Wye? I think so!

The successful mix

A few catapults full of the Source dumbells were fed into a few swims on the river and we set about mixing the groundbait ready for the first cast. The mix consisted of 2kg of Hinders Blitz Mix, 350g tin of cooked hemp, a few handfuls of crushed Source boilies and a liberal helping of 4mm and 6mm halibut pellets.

(This mix did us proud on the day, we fished all rods on feeders after the straight lead approach failed to get us any bites)





The midday sun was very welcome but very hot, we anticipated a slow start but my right hand rod nodded into life within 20mins, in the shape of the perfectly formed miniature barbel, showing the fine health of the river and the new generation of barbel is looking good!

One for the future!!

 Bites came steadily through the day and we were amazed at times the feeder had hardly settled before we had a bite, which always makes it ultra exciting. As the day went on we moved down to the swim below the rapids, both had instants takes on our first casts, then nothing else. We decided the head back up to another swim as dark was approaching and it was on our way back to the car. This change of swim worked again and James finished the day with the last barbel.

On the day we had 7 barbel and 1 chub (a PB for James at 4lb 4oz), only lost 2 feeders but I did manage to snap my rod, Doh!

Hopefully we can get back up the Wye again soon!!

A Week in Sandbakken, Norway. The Highlight of a Successful August

My new personal best 26lb coalfish

August has been a great month for me. Yet more decent barbel fishing on the River Wye and a fantastic holiday in Sandbakken, Northern Norway. I wont go on about the barbel fishing as I have posted here many times before on the subject. This season though continues to be one of my best with both good numbers of fish and some sizeable specimens too. Sandbakken is something new though, so here's a bit about my week spent there. Four of us, George, Roger, Matt and myself had been looking forward to this trip for sometime after booking it through the excellent Sportquest Holidays. Pre-trip information had told us to expect a great camp in fantastic surroundings and some decent fishing with good cod, coalfish and the chance of some nice halibut. That's exactly what we got! Sandbakken did what it said on the tin and we all had a brilliant week. Day one started well with all of us catching coalfish bigger than any we had previously caught before. These fish shaped rockets were eager to take pirks and jigs worked quickly in some deep water found not far from our camp. Day two and more coalfish were joined by cod, a couple of haddock and a few small redfish. The cod were more in to taking large shads while the haddock and redfish took a liking to feathers. Day three saw me land a halibut of 8lb, I caught it using a mackerel flapper after catching the bait on spinning gear fishing from the jetty just outside our cabin. Days four, five and six continued with some wonderful fishing and saw us catch a second halibut, a wolffish, numerous torsk and plenty more cod and coalies. By the end of the week we had taken cod to 37lb and coalfish to 26lb. All of our expectations had been exceeded. It's impossible to fault either Sandbakken fish camp or Sportquest Holidays from this experience. I would recommend anyone interested to go for it and contact Sportquest Holidays via their website www.sportquestholidays.com

Roger with the biggest of the week - a 37lb cod

Hot July Sport

Bass from Lyme Bay....

July has provided some good weather and I have been out making the most of it. I have got out to sea a couple of times aboard Outcast II, skippered by John Wallington of Devon Bass Pro Charters and enjoyed some great fishing. Targeting the inshore wrecks of Lyme Bay with both lures and bait has produced some cracking bass, some nice pollock and a single cod. John is a great guy and a day at sea with him comes highly recommended. Give him a call on 07968953184 or take a look at his website www.devonbassprocharters.co.uk On the freshwater side of things it has of course been my favourite species, the barbel, that has been the target of two visits to the River Wye at Courtfield, Lower Lydbrook. The fishing here has been truly amazing, quality and quantity. Barbel to 9lb 8oz, double hook-ups, bites before I've even had time to put the rod in the rest! It's all been happening. Check out www.facebook.com/LowerWyeFishing for information. Next month sees me travel to Sandbakken in Norway for a week of cod and halibut fishing and I have another two days on the Wye to look forward to also. I'll tell you all about it in a month from now.

....and barbel from the River Wye have kept me
busy during July

June 16th 2016 on the River Wye, Courtfield, Lower Lydbrook

June 16th, first day of the river season. For me that means only one thing, a trip to Courtfield at Lower Lydbrook on the River Wye. I've written many times before about this venue, my tackle, tactics and so on. So I'll skip all that boring stuff and get straight to the exciting part. Eight years I've been fishing here, my favourite river and in that time I've landed well over three hundred barbel, my favourite species, to just ounces shy of 10lb. Today though I caught a very special fish, a barbel that pulled the scales past 10lb, an immaculate example of the species weighing 10lb 2oz. A double! A ten! A dream fish! Finally! And on June 16th too! It doesn't get better than that! This fish means more to me than any other I've ever caught. Record catfish, 400lb sturgeon, 30lb plus carp. They were great. This is better!

Dream come true - A 10lb 2oz River Wye barbel

Porbeagle Shark Fishing Aboard Celtic Wildcat. Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire

Geoff with his porbeagle shark of 144lb

I've been getting out a bit since the last time I posted on here. I've enjoyed an incredible run of luck with the weather and the five charter boat trips I had booked during April and May, unbelievably all went ahead. The fishing has been good with wrecking producing pollock, ling, bass and whiting. A flatfish trip out of Weymouth produced just that - fish that were flat! Turbot, brill etc. When I haven't been out at sea my local Cheddar Reservoir has produced a good number of pike up to 12lb for me, all on lures and light tackle, great sport! The subject of toothy predators though brings me to my most recent boat trip, my first ever try at catching sharks. Porbeagle sharks to be exact. I was booked aboard Milford Haven based charter boat Celtic Wildcat along with friend Geoff and two of his friends Phil and Rob who I had not previously met. Skipper Nick was to be the fifth member of our team and needless to say once we all got talking fishing it was like we had all known each other for years. With much excitement we headed out for the Celtic Deep. Rubby dubby was prepared and our rods set up during the trip out and when the engines were cut after reaching our mark we all tossed fresh mackerel baits over the side. Now all we could do was cross our fingers and wait. This waiting however certainly didn't feel like too much trouble, with a flat calm sea and a bright blue sky it was pretty lush just being there. As if that wasn't enough though we were entertained by common dolphins and even minke whales as they approached incredibly close to the boat. As we sat watching our floats a fin belonging to a very large porbeagle shark broke the surface just behind the boat. An amazing sight and one which got everyone very excited indeed. What a fantastic day this was turning out to be. It was about to get even better though! My float bobbed and slid under, the reel started to scream and just like that I found myself attached to my first ever shark. The fish went on a long dive under the boat bending the rod in to its fighting curve and then all of a sudden the rod was straight again. The shark had come off and I was left reeling in a very torn up looking bait. Would I get another chance? Unfortunately not. That was all the action that came my way for the day. Geoff and Rob later got chances though and both managed to get their sharks to the boat. Fish of 144lb for Geoff and 156lb for Rob were the rewards for their efforts. Well done both of you! Great to see porbeagles for the first time. What a day we had all enjoyed! Everyone was in agreement that the day had been a huge success and as we headed for home we were all wearing big smiles. Information about Celtic Wildcat can be found at www.celticwildcat.com Nick is a great skipper and if it's sharks you're after then he's your man.


156lb for Rob

Wall to Wall Rays at Kingston Seymour Sea Wall (Bristol Channel Sea Fishing)

the first fish of the evening

The tides on the 20th of April looked good for a spot of ray fishing of Kingston sea wall, with a high of 12.4 mts at 19.30 and although there was a north easterly wind I had reasoned that it would be just fishable, my approach was to be  2 rods 1 pulley rigged with Bluey ,and one fished with a 2 hook flapper with rag  worms tipped with Bluey , arriving at 6'o' clock  I cast one the pulley rod 70yds and the flapper rod 40yds, By 7.30 I had a knock on the pulley rod leaving it to develop into a proper bite didn't take long as felt the tell tale resistance of a ray on the end of the line ,this turned out to be a fish of between 6 to 7 lbs which gave a good scrap trying to dive under the rocks in front of the wall,next just as I recast the pulley rod I had a knock on the two worm rod which also turned out to be a ray of roughly the same size, then 15mins later another bite on the pulley rod ray number 3 a smaller one but very welcome ,so a busy half hour followed by a couple of small whitting on the worms but nothing else all evening,

ray no. 3

2nd fish of the evening on rag
 

A Spring Ling (Pollock and Barbel too!)

My new personal best ling of 24lb

I ended my last blog post by telling you that I had some boat trips booked and a trip to the River Wye planned for March 14th, the last day of the river season. I've got lucky with two trips aboard Spot On! of Brixham and my day on the Wye all producing some great fishing and on lovely sunny spring days too. The first of my two boat trips was spent wrecking for pollock and to say we caught a lot of fish would be an understatement. Pollock to 16lb were caught in abundance by all on board and there were a lot of aching arms by the end of the trip. My day on the banks of the Wye at Courtfield changed the pace a little and it made a nice change to sit down and wait for a bite instead of winding lures furiously all day. Two barbel of about 5lb a piece were the reward for chancing my luck on a river that can be very unpredictable at this time of year. Great to end the season by catching my favourite species from my favourite river! Trip number two aboard Spot On! and I was keen to try and catch a ling on bait. There would be a window of opportunity to do this during slack water but until then it was a case of working lures to try and tempt other species. I caught a few pouting (that was the ling bait sorted) and a few nice pollock, biggest was about 12lb. Just before "ling o' clock" I got the rod and reel I had intended to use for the ling fishing in an almighty tangle, losing a lot of braid. I had no choice but to set up my lighter outfit, the one I use for "having a bit of fun with the pollock" with my ling end gear. A 12oz lead was soon plummeting to the seabed dragging behind it a pouting head mounted on an 8/0 hook tied to a short length of 70lb line. Of course the inevitable happened and after only a couple of minutes I found myself attached to a ling that had me fooled in to thinking I'd snagged the wreck below. This fish really did feel huge on a rod and reel that had previously only handled cod and pollock to mid doubles. I slowly but surely gained back braid and after a ten minute scrap that I really enjoyed a big ling lay on the deck of the boat. It pulled the scales round to 24lb, beating my previous best by 9lb. I was very happy and even caught a second, smaller ling soon after as well. Visit www.spot-on-charters.co.uk for all you need to know about trips with Ross aboard Spot On! and www.wyeuskfoundation.org for information on the River Wye. I'll be out again soon no doubt so check back here to see how I get on.


One of two Wye barbel caught on March 14th





Kingston Seymour Sea Wall (Bristol Channel Sea Fishing) Cod at Last!

 Since before Christmas I have made numerous visits to the sea shore of the Bristol Channel in search of a PB shore caught Cod,

Which stands at a Lowly 2 1/2lb caught some years ago, so with the tides spot on this week and rumours of fish being caught I planned a visit Tuesday evening my approach was to be two rods one with a whole squid fished at range and another two hook flapper rig with rag fished closer for a flounder or smaller fish,

First cast at around 6.30pm produced a couple of small rattles on the rag worm rigs which I left followed by an almighty drop back which I promptly wound down too, this was no flounder not what I need a good size fish on a size 2 thin wire hook pumping it in from 60yds the fish kited right then tried to make for the rocks under my feet by this time, I still hadn’t Seen the fish but was now convinced I was connected to a Cod, not massive but certainly a PB,

It’s at times like this you need some luck and tonight I had some a freak wave lifted the fish out of the rocks right to my feet where I pick it up and carried to the shore,  it was hooked by the most tenuous of hook holds with the thin wire no.2 practically straight ,

Between 4 & 5 pounds

Not a Breath of wind

Sadly I had not packed any scale’s but put the weight at between 4 and 5 pounds And feeling so pleased with myself I decided to return it alive , I fished on until 8.30pm with only a couple more small pin whiting to show for my efforts , and not a bite on the whole Squid , so if your struggling for a Bristol Channel Cod go Flounder Fishing ,

2016 Starts With Quality Pollock

Not one but two successful trips aboard charter boat Spot On! of Brixham, Devon has seen my 2016 kick off in fine style. Plenty of quality pollock have been eager to accept lures worked near deep water wrecks some thirty miles offshore and I have enjoyed some pretty hectic fishing. Standard wrecking tactics of a lure fished on a long trace of 30lb line, a 12oz ball weight, 50lb braid and a 12lb or 20lb class rod and reel combo have done the trick, hauling up fish to low double figures. A bit of bait fishing for ling over slack water has unfortunately proved unsuccessful so far, a little early still for this species perhaps?! Now is the time to book yourself a boat trip with the pollock fishing sure to get even better in the coming weeks and with spring just around the corner the cod shouldn't be far behind them. To book a place aboard Spot On! visit www.spot-on-charters.co.uk or call Ross on 07878668662. More boat trips coming up for me and a visit to the River Wye for a last chance barbel before the season ends so check back here soon to see how I get on.

A pair of quality pollock for Dan and I

A Winter Session on Barrow Tanks Reservoirs, Bristol

Bristol water who control barrow tanks 3 concrete bowl shaped reservoir's just south of Bristol, this year they have decided to open all year for trout fishing ,
So at a  loss on Tuesday where to go a few hours  a local venue not to far from home it seemed to be a ideal choice,
Loading a 5# 9 rod and reel loaded with a slow sink intermediate line and a pocket full of lures
I set off arriving a 11'0'clock ,my tactics where to be walking around reservoir 2 casting every 25 steps covering as much water as possible, and by 12.30 I had caught one fish and dropped 2 the bites being very timid with just a very slight indication on the line,

Biggest of the Day from Barrows no.2

 Time for a move to Barrows no1 the biggest of the 3 reservoirs tactics where the same using black and green damsel patterns fished mid water ,the wind by the afternoon had dropped to a breeze and fish where showing but to far out  to cast to so fishing short I managed one more fish and a couple of pulls before the light faded, so a very productive day and a ideal outing on a short winters day ,
tickets are purchased from a hut in car park  a 6 fish ticket is £14.50

Sun setting over Barrows no.1

  

Pike Fishing at Cheddar Reservoir

Cheddar reservoir is a 400 acre concrete bowl,  set in the shadow of Cheddar Gorge. On the right day the venue can be a very pleasant location so taking advantage of a unseasonably warm December day I set off with my friend Roy for a spot of pike fishing. We had chosen a swim on the south side of the reservoir with the wind to our backs enabling us to use our Fox Rage Predator drifter floats to their best advantage. These we set these up at 22ft with sea baits, we also fished a popped up ledgered bait close in. 

fishing the south bank

First cast I had an instant take which turned out to be a small pike of around 3lb on the drift float, followed by one of around 8lb. Roy also had one of similar size on the ledgered rig them a 15lber at distance on the drift float, a very nice fish and fighting fit, so in all a very productive day.

Cheddar day tickets are only £6 a day and can a bought in advance along with all relevant tackle and baits from: 
Cadbury Angling 
Within Cadbury Garden Centre
Smallway 
Congresbury 
BS49 5AA
01934 875733

Roy with the days biggest fish

Flattie Fishing Aboard Flamer IV of Weymouth, Dorset

Tuesday saw Dan, Dave and I hop aboard Flamer IV of Weymouth, Dorset. Skipper, Colin Penny runs trips targeting all species of sea fish but I think it's fair to say that the majority of his customers book up to fish for flatfish species. Colin has built up an enviable reputation for locating and catching large plaice, turbot and brill and it was these three species that were our main targets on this occasion. All on board enjoyed a great day with both Dave and I catching the target hat trick of flatfish, Dan caught plaice, along with some nice black bream and the rest of the boat added gurnard, mackerel and pouting to the list of species caught. Similar bait and tackle was used by all with ragworm, squid and prawn fished on rigs made up of coloured beads and flashing spoons and tied to 20lb line. To book a trip with Colin aboard Flamer IV visit www.flamer4fishing.co.uk



A plaice of nearly 3lb for me

Dan with a nice black bream





A Mixed Bag. Fishing in Spain With CatMaster Tours

Roger with 8 feet, 7 inches and 230lb of catfish

I have recently returned from a weeks fishing in Mequinenza, Spain with CatMaster Tours. My dad, our friend Roger and I spent our time targeting not only the catfish that this part of the world is famous for but carp and roach too. We got very lucky indeed and during our time there we landed catfish to 230lb, carp to 33lb 8oz and roach to over 2lb. The catfish and carp tackle was provided by CatMaster Tours whilst our own float and feeder gear was flown over with the rest of our luggage. Large halibut pellets fished on braided hooklengths accounted for the catfish and carp. Roach, some small carp and a couple of perch took a liking to maggot or corn presented on the float or feeder tackle. It's worth noting that Rogers catfish of 230lb is a real monster fish and one of the biggest ever caught in Spain, at a whopping 8 feet and 7 inches in length it is also the longest catfish ever landed by CatMaster Tours. So well done Roger! Dads carp of 33lb 8oz is a new personal best for him and my roach of 2lb 3oz sets a new best for me. Great results all round! CatMaster Tours continue to provide great holiday packages and all the information you need can be found at www.catmastertours.com  

New personal best for dad - A 33lb 8oz carp

 

My biggest roach weighed 2lb 3oz

A Bumper Day With Spot On! Charters

Two Boat trips in a row something of a record for me , this trip was to be an inshore wrecking trip mainly for bass but hoping for other Species as well , Kicking off from Brixham at 7'0'clock the day promised to be a good one weather wise and expectations where high , 50 minute's motoring to the first wreck and we where in to fish from the off , Bass off around 3lb up to 6lb being brought to the boat,

My best Bass around 6lb

 All methods and Lures where tried over the day from bass wedges to multi coloured shads fast retrieve and slow , all caught fish to varying degrees ,so a bumper day was had by all with 40 odd bass a couple of Cod to the boat, its worth noting that the new rule of only keeping 3 bass each was strictly observed and it was good to see them swim off back to the Depths,   

A Bonus Cod

A pod off 30 plus Dolphins followed us home,

Wreck Conger Fishing With Spot On! Charters

Geoff with the biggest of the day at 52lb

Tuesday saw Dan and I accompanied by Geoff and Roy (friends and customers of Cadbury Angling) hop aboard Ross Parham's Brixham based charter boat Spot On! for a days wreck fishing targeting conger eels. First job was to catch the bait and after half an hour of feathering we had a load of mackerel. A quick trip to one of the many inshore wrecks and we were soon anchored up and dropping our baited hooks down to where we hoped the eels would be lurking. We didn't have to wait long for the action to begin and I soon brought conger number one along side the boat, a strap of about 10lb. Roy soon hooked a bigger one, about 25lb. Dan was next with an eel similar in size to mine and it wasn't long before Geoff caught his first, an eel of about 15lb. Others on board were off to good starts as well, one of them getting very lucky and landing a bass of 11lb on his conger gear. Dan, Geoff, Roy and I all soon hooked our second conger each and more and more followed. Averaging 15lb or so the eels were great sport and put up great scraps, fighting all the way to the boat, often making dives for the wreckage below. A bit of black bream fishing for an hour or so gave our aching arms a rest but the bream weren't as forthcoming as the congers and all we managed were a few pouting to strips of squid fished on paternoster rigs. Time for round two with the conger and we all reached for our heavier gear again. 30lb - 50lb class rods, large reels loaded with 50lb plus braid, running leads to 200lb mono traces and 12/0 hooks were our chosen set-ups and did the job just fine. More eels were caught including a personal best for me of 35lb, a strange capture as the greedy conger had taken two baits, both mine and that of one of the other guys on board! Two hooks in one fish is a first for me! Anyway, Geoff was next to bend in to an eel and it was obvious to all that this was a big one. After fighting hard for a long time it finally surfaced and Ross was able to gaff it and heave it on to the boat. At 52lb it was a personal best for Geoff and the biggest conger Dan, Roy and I had ever seen. Well done Geoff! With the tide picking up it was time to pull up the anchor but before heading in we set up lure rods and did a few drifts over the wreck. We didn't catch much but did manage a few small pollock and pouting. As always another great day out with Ross and Spot On! Charters. Information can be found at www.spot-on-charters.co.uk 



Light Tackle Bass Sport. Devon Bass Pro Charters, Seaton, Devon

Yesterday saw Geoff (friend and customer of Cadbury Angling) and I spend the day with John Wallington of Devon Bass Pro Charters aboard his charter boat Outcast II. As always when fishing with John, bass are the target species and light, sporting tackle is supplied. Bait fishing, typical wrecking tactics and spinning/lure techniques are all used by John and so we set out to see which of these methods would produce the fish on this occasion. As it turned out every method we tried caught bass! The fish were obliging from the very start and the frantic fishing continued up until it was time to stop and head for home. I've never seen so many bass caught and a good number of pollock showed too! No cod on this trip but I wasn't bothered having recently spent a week catching them in Norway. Another great day out then! Information on Devon Bass Pro Charters can be found at www.devonbassprocharters.co.uk I urge anybody who likes the idea of a bit of light tackle sea fishing to book up a day with John as a good time will no doubt be had! Next week should find me trying my hand at conger fishing with Ross and Spot On! Charters of Brixham. Will I get to tangle with a monster from the deep? Check back here to find out.

One of the many bass caught on light spinning tackle

Back on Top. Return to Skjervoy, Northern Norway

Dave with the weeks biggest at 31lb

It's been a month since my last post on here and during that time I've enjoyed a couple of successful trips to the River Wye where I've caught barbel to 9lb 8oz and chub to nearly 5lb. The highlight of the last four weeks though has to be the holiday to Skjervoy in Northern Norway that my friend Dave and I have just returned from. This was our second visit to this part of the world and we had six days to catch a few fish. Day one and after only five minutes we were doing just that! Cod to 10lb, coalfish and a small ling were soon boated which meant we had dinner sorted! Day two saw some bigger fish to the boat. I had cod to a new personal best weight of 19lb and Dave caught his first ever halibut, it weighed 14lb. The next couple of days saw lots of fish caught. Plenty of cod, more coalfish, a small halibut for me and a torsk. We were however struggling to find the bigger fish that Norway is famous for and so we asked for help from a friendly bunch of Geordie lads that were staying in the camp. They had been doing well catching cod to over 30lb and a 60lb plus halibut and were more than happy to offer advice, even suggesting that we follow them out to a couple of marks that they thought would produce a few lumps. We were quick to accept their kind offer and the evening of day five was spent drifting over a plateau some six miles out. We were straight in to fish and they were, as hoped for, bigger! Cod of 18lb and 19lb kicked things off before Dave hooked in to something clearly a lot bigger. Stripping line and fighting for a long time, the fish turned out to be a cod of 31lb. What a result! I soon found myself in a similar arm aching situation and after heaving it up from the depths I was holding up a new personal best cod of 28lb. I was very happy! More good cod followed but these two fish were to be the biggest of the day and indeed the week as day six produced only smaller examples. A great week! We arranged our trip through Anglers World Holidays and flew with Norwegian.

My biggest cod weighed 28lb

A 14lb halibut for Dave