South Devon report 2007

[Mr. X]

English Riviera? It's fish-a-rific!

Got back from South Devon late last night - had a fabulous time. Weather was perfect (...well "more perfect" than you dare hope for in the UK).

Will post more details later but here is a quick summary:

Weather: fab
Viz: poor to quite good. Always milky, mainly fair.
Fish: Yes lots, good ones, various types.
Locations visited:
Shoalstone/Berry Head, Bigbury-on-Sea, S. Milton (S. Thurlestone Sands), Meadfoot, Babbacombe, Blackpool Sands, Torcross/Slapton,... (Several other promising locations were suggested on the West & South Coast -- either side of Thurlestone & round to Plymouth -- enough for a separate holiday in fact).

Catch: 17 good scallops, 2 bass, 2 mullet (one 3.5lb 52-55cm in the last hour before we left!), 2 pollock (one quite large), 2 large wrasse (4lb-5lb - not as big as on the Lizard but hefty none the less -- one was brown top silver bottom -- have seen these before & wondered if they might not be wrasse ... certainly appear to be wrasse on close examination though), 1 pair of semi-cool sunglasses.

I had to stop fishing mid-week for 2 days because we had as much fish as we could eat, freeze and refridgerate.

Most of the fish (inc. both bass) went to aspetto in about 10-20ft of water. The rest went to Indian technique through shallow weed (inc. both mullet).

S. Milton/Thurlestone seemed unusually lacking in primo fish when we first arrived, for what appeared to be an amazing shallow water snorkelling location (although I entered just before low tide turned) - with talk of even better fishing off the deeper edge of the reef. Turned out there had been a spearing competition that morning!:head With some huge fish (inc. a massive plaice) taken. Still managed a decent size pollock (an older gent had pulled out 6 or 7 of similar size just before I got in).


BTW I left a little bounty behind -- will PM some details.

 

[scottie3030]

YES! Red Mullet

Thats what it was. I watched it for a while, seemed very content digging into the sand. I estimate it was approx 20cm long.

How commen is it to see them? First 1 I have seen, although usually dive on the north coast.

i think they come out more at night! i seen my first one a week ago on a night dive and there were hundreds of them all feeding in the sand all around 6inches or less in length!

 

[foxfish]

Sounds like you had a great time Mr X, I will look forward to all the details.

 

[Mr. X]

South Devon ROCKS!

Here are a few pics. The vis. was never great but unusually that seemed to work in my favour for the most part, especially on aspetto. Several of the fish were shot in very poor viz & at least one mullet in quite choppy conditions at low tide (wasn't expecting anything on that swim). Caught on all states of the tide but incoming was best, just after the turn & an hour or 2 before and at high tide seemed best. Just before and at low tide seemed least bountiful - but even then, there were pollock & wrasse around.

The scallops were a lucky find. I noticed one old shell & dived to take a closer look -- usually that yields nothing but this time it paid off.

Also saw a huge blue-black lobster in somebody else's pot. I laid my own pot a couple of times. The first time I looked up after adjusting the position of the pot and a shoal of 16-20 small & medium bass were stopped there all looking at me! Of course, I'd left my speargun on shore. I quickly front-crawled back as fast as I could -- the splash of which scared up 3 large bass that were in weed in a line very close to the beach (maybe 30-40feet from the beach). Of course all were gone when I returned with the speargun but I did get a mullet & did get a glimpse and one shot later at what was probably the same shoal of bass.

Looking for flatties (never did find one), I saw two small, near invisible mullet swim past the legs of a guy swimming just 10 feet from shore. All fish were speared within 100 feet of the shore.

I saw a very big bass the first day & as I struggled to bring the speargun round a second huge bass (the biggest I saw on the trip) came in -- too close to shoot. I got one shot after it turned as it started to leave (missed).

I reckon the mullet below, caught just before we left, is probably a thin lip grey mullet, judging by Jersey Spearfishing Club

 

[Pav]

Scallops. This is new to me. I think I would recongise one. Brief idea please as to when, where (terrain! , not where. where!) and how to find them. I sometimes break off from Bass hunting for a bit of lobster seeking , especially when the viz is poor. This could be another distraction for me ;>)

North and south coast?

 

[sunfish]

South Devon was good to you Mr X! Great post. The bit at the end is a familiar story to me, big fish coming inside the speartip. Sometimes the bigger fish seem harder to hit too. I've missed loads.

 

[geebee]

Sandy bottoms, or sandy gaps in rocky bottoms. They make their own "well" in the sand to hide in. Look for a crescent shape fringed with a "fuzz" of small tentacles.

 

[scottwilson]

Mr X You didnt bump into a spearo on the reef in thurlestone on Thursday did you?

Spearheads I think I saw you at the comp On Friday morning How did you get on?

 

[Mr. X]

Sandy bottoms, or sandy gaps in rocky bottoms. They make their own "well" in the sand to hide in. Look for a crescent shape fringed with a "fuzz" of small tentacles.

I'm no expert but the ones I found were on a sandy bottom in a small clearing on the edge of weed covered rock, just as geebee describes. Only the old shell was visible initially, it was necessary to lift nearby weed to find others. Some were jammed at odd angle between rocks. They are about the size of your palm plus some & look like the symbol seen at Shell garages. The ones we got were very meaty -- excellent quality & quantity of flesh (eat everything - white disc & pink corel - bar the black stomach & shell).

Have yet to see a flattie or lobster sans pot. I have a goal to get a flattie of some kind this year - I'm not optimistic though. Haven't even seen any crabs worth eating this year either (saw a pathetic little female spider crab in a pot & a good size lobster in another -- really close to shore).

Mr X You didnt bump into a spearo on the reef in thurlestone on Thursday did you?

Spearheads I think I saw you at the comp On Friday morning How did you get on?

Hi Scott, I was there on Friday just after noon, before & after low tide.

 

[sunfish]

On the subject of scallops, any area sheltered from storms [estuary, inlet, sea loch etc.] with a bottom of muddy or dirty sand seems good to me.

 

[Trelawney]

I had a nice dive off Plymouth breakwater on saturday, the viz was quite good, the deeper you went the better it got. Not many fish though, just a couple of big mullet that were circling just out of vision and lots of small Pollock. Moored off in Cawsand bay for an hour or so afterwards. I dived onto a patch of sand next to a stringweed bed, and as I was laying just off the bottom I looked down and thought "That piece of sand looks just like a big flatfish" So I tapped it with my gun, and WOOOSH!!, a massive flounder shot off over the sand.:duh
I think the phrase rhymed with Clucking Bell.

 

[Old Man Dave]

On the subject of scallops, any area sheltered from storms [estuary, inlet, sea loch etc.] with a bottom of muddy or dirty sand seems good to me.

Natural habitat for scallops is lots of tide but no swell and any "soft" bottom. They are sometimes found in areas of little tide where they have been introduced. Good examples are harbours etc but this is not their choise ground. Deep water and pissing tide, often in the shelter of reefs is where you find the biggest and best scollies. Beware of those that come from inshore harbours and esturies and around outfall pipes. Remember they filter the water, so what's in the water ends up in them.

Dave

 

[waterbird]

COR BLIMEY - How I love spearfishing.... I've even sorted out a weight belt that keeps me bouyant at about 4metres which seems pretty good.
Managing to bag some yummy fish.
Not yet found a decent identification chart for what I'm seeing out there.
Reckon I saw a load of bib the other day mating or just snuffling in the sand...
then met the weirdest fish that freaked me out.
He was big and looked somewhat like a John Dory (but no spot and a bit unicorn horn)... so after a little chat I shot at him - (double barrelled Picasso) - missed, so shot again... one spear in front of his nose, one behind his tail... and he still didn't move. then, whilst reloading he swam right in front of my mask - and eyeballed me .
freaky fish out there

 

[scottwilson]

Dived Livermead yesterday just to see what was about. Viz was a murky 3 meters but I saw tons of baby pollack and a few dogfish which I left alone.

I lost my spear for my 90 after the
mono snapped :headI searched High and low for that damn thing but the kelp is that thick that I gave up.

Went to venture sports and bought a new spear with thread on so I can change the tip which is a bonus.

Dived meadfoot at about 5pm today and bagged 2 mullet viz was pants in shore but cleared up a bit further out to a misty 3 meters.
The tip on the spear is deadly. It seems to pound the crap out he fish, as the mullet looked like they had been hit by a freight train. the tip is pictured between the 2 mullet.

The only problem I have with the tip getting it out the fish:ko but otherwise im really stoked with it.

 

[daveduvet]

hi to all,
I have been able to get back in the water this week after having to take two months off because I burst my ear drum spearfishing in june. The ENT guy has just given me the all clear! Getting back in the water has been blissfull as my doctor said he thought it would be at least 6 months before I could dive again. I Dived babbacome last night just after sunset and caught what I thought was a bass but appears to be a 5lb salmon! Does anyone know if it is normal to catch salmon here, or is god making it up to me for having to sit the summer out?

 

[Spaniard]

Sorry mate but you are not allowed to take salmon/sea-trout as they are 'game' fish!

 

[foxfish]

Surprising how often this come up!!!

 

[Jez]

Dived Budleigh last night over low tide. Viz was a bit reduced with a red mist on the surface (not red tide, probably Devon's red soil from the river) but still 4-6m down below. Nearly had a small yacht drift over my head, the guy at the helm was busy watching his fishing rod as the boat was idly pushed along by the slight breeze, I was directly in line with the sunlight so he probably didn't even see me, I didn't bother saying anything.

Had a bass early on, the same length as one landed last week but probably only 2/3rds of the weight, a bit hungry lookin'. Saw a few decent mullet, two mackerel (out of range) and a bunch of the usual pollack/wrasse/bib. The current was flowing the opposite direction than usual (towards Exmouth) and so getting the reef was harder work than coming back, which makes change. Was able to spend more time exploring the reef. Found a number of good overhangs and crevices but nowt in them.

Hope to get in tomorrow, maybe I'll try Torquay.

I haven't heard a sausage about the competition at Thurlstone last week. Is anyone going to post anything?

 

[Spiderman]

How's the viz in Torbay guys? Hopefully got the day off tomorrow and desperate to get back in the sea.

 

[tribs]

Jez,

I'm looking to get in tomorrow pm if you're about? Give us a buzz back maybe.

Tribs