South Devon 2014

[mirror]

I have been in quite a lot recently ,( the weather has been too good to do anything else ) but the fishing has been dire , often absolutely nothing seen at all except wrasse ! vis not as good as I have expected with prolonged calm seas , any way, today I went to a common spot and found the same in most areas where I usually get fish, fphk all ! Thought I would try one more spot before getting out , it was high tide and quite deep ( 10- 12 metres )with plenty of current running and finally got some fish !! bass and pollack around 3lb ... due to sea food malnutrition I thought I was going to have to buy a smaller wetsuit soon ! ... It is so warm at the moment I am thinking of using a 3mm surf wetsuit next time . ( vis in S Hams 3-5 metres today )

 

[speerolee]

albeit a later start than usual.....I've had the same sucsess on all dives. 97% of dives 3x a week I've had a fair few bass with one or more over 6lb.
more red mullet than ever....but less grey mullet.
but bass are plentiful. my last two dives in devon I was ignoring the 4lb bass and holding out for the bigger ones.
in Lyme Regis this week,,, so I'll let u know

 

[Dave L]

Back over the border you ! Before we chase you out with pitchforks

 

[Dave L]

Work of the devil night diver !

 

[mirror]

Lee you are diving mostly / always ? at night ! There really has been very very few fish about at all in the day for a while now ! If you are catching so many big fish 3 times a week you will soon need a bigger wetsuit lol !!

 

[speerolee]

day or night...the fish are still there. the vis has been a big issue and the storms throughout the winter have had a huge detrimental effect. I've just changed my dive style to suit and thus reaped the rewards.

if there is no fish.....then there will be no fish at night too. it has been hard going this year...and I've uped the hours in the water and travelled up to 4 hrs to compensate...also walked and swam alot further..to level out the playing field.

you won't go wrong hitting the usual spots around slapton sands over a rising night high tide.

 

[stan7]

I just feel that as hunters we should at the very least be able to identify our prey & know the correct names?
I do have plenty of id books, I can remember looking at the Observers book of British sea fish, while under the covers using a torch when I should of been asleep, probably aged 5-6.
I still use books on occasions if I come across some unusual rock pool creature but generally I am pretty clued up with the majority of local sea fish.

I agree with you ! and I'm sure you don't want to imply that I don't know my catches, as I used general term "flatties". I like the story of your younger days, my eldest aged 7 is up to the same trick. I'm off to finish my beer (IPA)

 

[Trelawney]

First bass of the season taken with my pole-spear this evening! We had to fish a very low tide, so there was not much about. Rowan took a bass and a decent flounder. I missed a big red mullet with my first shot using the pole, but got the bass with second. There were lots of small turbot, sole and john dory about, as well as dozens of squid and cuttlefish.

 

[tribs]

Hi All,

Out yesterday with North1. Bass each but hurling guts most of today. Got caught in stinking river water. Did see lots of reds though not many grey mullet though.

Tribs

Out

 

[Spearmansam]

Went in Saturday. Thought it was going to be a repeat of my last dive - 5 hrs hard swim with no fish seen. It was like that for 2 hrs then moved on to a new mark west of usual spot and was hitting good sized bass every 30 mins or so. Ended up with 3 bass of 3lb and missed twice as many! Largest bass seen was easily double figures. Being a novice I came away with a pb for bass and one of the most enjoyable days of my life!

 

[speerolee]

Went in Saturday. Thought it was going to be a repeat of my last dive - 5 hrs hard swim with no fish seen. It was like that for 2 hrs then moved on to a new mark west of usual spot and was hitting good sized bass every 30 mins or so. Ended up with 3 bass of 3lb and missed twice as many! Largest bass seen was easily double figures. Being a novice I came away with a pb for bass and one of the most enjoyable days of my life!

nice one holmes

 

[steviehype]

Went in Saturday. Thought it was going to be a repeat of my last dive - 5 hrs hard swim with no fish seen. It was like that for 2 hrs then moved on to a new mark west of usual spot and was hitting good sized bass every 30 mins or so. Ended up with 3 bass of 3lb and missed twice as many! Largest bass seen was easily double figures. Being a novice I came away with a pb for bass and one of the most enjoyable days of my life!

That sort post makes me want to get in the water Nice one, sounds great.

I've been in a couple of times recently but nothing to write about. Hoping the milky waters will clear soon.

 

[scrumpy]

Well night dives are anything but boring.
Ended up with 7 bass, nothing bigger than 4.5lb.

It all started like this!

On kitting up I realised I'd left my knife behind, no 1
Taking my float out I managed to slice it almost in two with my stringer, no 2
I had tie off some line around one section to give me a bit of buoyancy.

Anyway teignmouth 0 viz, strange strange summer. Fishing seems affected by the on going sea wall repair, not so much the viz as there has been some but the place is like a ghost town. Haven't heard of any spillages into the sea, maybe it is the noise from the machinery or drilling as they're working 24/7 ?

Moved on a couple of miles and soon found some fish, viz max 2m and murky.

Now for no 3.

As I exited the sea in about 2ft of water, the stringer release arm decided it would open and distribute the fish back to the sea!
Throwing my gun, mask, snorkel, fins and remains of my float onto the beach, I ran up and down the shallows looking for 7 missing bass. Finally after retrieving them I walked up the beach to find various items of diving gear missing. Oh f**k, f**k, f**k went the saying!
Eventually all items found I walked up the slipway to be met by a man and his dog, now 2.30 in the morning. 'I did find that rather funny' he said.
My reply? Lets just say he didn't hang around for a conversation!!

 

[stan7]

went in yesterday morning off East Devon beach, bit of a swell made things a little difficult fishing in shallow water. Vis was good for fishing 3-4m with a lot of weed in water and murky. came home with a good bass and a 5 lb mullet. Lots of sand eel and small pollock about.

 

[MrCoombe]

Anyone know what the vis is like after that rain yesterday, was thinking budleigh but still not having much success up here so open to suggestions

 

[scrumpy]

Teign is brown and area around. Budleigh has been pretty poor for viz, think it will need few days to settle. Only place that looked ok was babbacombe

 

[MrCoombe]

Thanks for the heads up,so dropped in between Teignmouth and Torquay, vis was patchy, best was probably 2m, water showing as 19 degrees. Spent 1 1/2 hours swimming in wall to wall sandeel and baitfish, very very small pollack and if you looked closely into the murk microscopic lobsters everywhere. Plenty of big shrimp in the crevices (anyone worked out a way if getting these??). Not a bass sighted, 1 mullet spotted through the gloom, 48cm felt happy to break my Devon blanking habit and put something on the stringer. Nothing else seen and plenty of boat traffic. There was a lone scuba bubbler with a pneumatic gun and a sack of scallops getting out as I arrived. Been having problems with breath holds this season topping out at about a minute 20 bottom time, lack of fitness, less time in the water, the murk and unfamiliar waters not helping I think.

 

[denian]

Can you scallop down your way all year?and a diver with bottles with a spear gun am I missing some thing here?

 

[MrCoombe]

Lets just say I didn't run over to make friends

 

[stan7]

Thanks for the heads up,so dropped in between Teignmouth and Torquay, vis was patchy, best was probably 2m, water showing as 19 degrees. Spent 1 1/2 hours swimming in wall to wall sandeel and baitfish, very very small pollack and if you looked closely into the murk microscopic lobsters everywhere. Plenty of big shrimp in the crevices (anyone worked out a way if getting these??). Not a bass sighted, 1 mullet spotted through the gloom, 48cm felt happy to break my Devon blanking habit and put something on the stringer. Nothing else seen and plenty of boat traffic. There was a lone scuba bubbler with a pneumatic gun and a sack of scallops getting out as I arrived. Been having problems with breath holds this season topping out at about a minute 20 bottom time, lack of fitness, less time in the water, the murk and unfamiliar waters not helping I think.

Did the guy with the tanks have a flash of ginger hair, if so i saw him last year with under sized bass and an even smaller pollock, he was diving between Teignmouth and Torquay.