[Poughill Reef?]

Woke up this morning at 5:30am and blatted to Yelland via the garage and a chocolate milkshake... Ahhh.. breakfast of champions

I'd not fished for getting on 2 weeks and was very excited.. driving a lttle faster than the limit and speed walking to the mark.

When I got there the tide was lower than I expected. Checked tables to see if BST taken into account. It was. I fished for about 20 mins with both baits (Lug/squid) thrown the the direction of Barnstaple so I could maybe let them settle in the deep carve pit on the corner and miss the worst of the water flow. I decided it was too silty and packed up. I decided to head to Ilfracombe and was a bit miffed at myself for wasting time as that was my original plan. I'm an Ilfracombe virgin!!!
Well I got there and the surf was surging up over the top deck on the sets but I decided to go for it anyway :blink:
The 2 old boys and the girl who were fishing alongside me wen't as fortunate as I. They got soaked by several waves as they surged over the deck. I put my tackle box on top of one of the wooden struts and my bait bag was tied to the railings.

I hurled a 4/0, 2/0 Pulley pennel squid parcel filled with lug (having been stabed with the grip wire) out into the abyss not knowing what the bottom contours or features were like. I opted for a half hearted flick. No luck on this even when I tried Maccy.
I then got a pollack on float (12ft trace, 4/0, sandeel) close to the pier leg and he hit it hard with a double lip hook. Put him back as he wasn't a keeper. Still nothing on the pulley so moved it both long and short.
Then had a whiting on float (4/0, maccy strip, 9ft trace) and sent him back too.

About this point I started to fear for my safety as the feather checkers were gathering strength and I started to worry about getting a rig through the ear. So as they were piling down mob handed I went the other way. Just as well... it was 10am and I didn't want to have to pay for parking. Cheapskate

I then went to explore. I parked at Hele beach and took the cliff path up. I soon realized that to get to some rocks I was gonna have to create my own path as the previous tracks had well overgrown. I carved a path through the brambles and decended the cliff to Swallows hole... SWALLOWS HOLE???? LOL... a lot!!! :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:

*Ahem*

So... The last few feet looked a little dodgy at the bottom. You know the grey clay/shaley stuff. I slip on that when I'm roped up let alone carrying all my gear and no mobile reception at the location. So I went vertically up again and forged a way through more brambles as sweat was pouring down my face and flys were sticking to me I hoped I could find somewhere to fish. Eventually I decended down to Blythes rock where I chucked out different baits and tried float fishing and even had a go with a dexter wedge (not caught on one yet!). I missed 2 good bites to squid/old salted lug and the other to frozen black tipped with half a squid head. That'll teach me to muck about with 2 rods.

In the end the tide went out and I was able to walk back up the beach. Much easier. I met a couple of chaps heading out that way and I must say it was looking like it had potential more so at that stage (1.5hrs to low) then the mid tide but I had responsibilities so had to crack on.

Sorry no photos. They're on my phone and can't download em on this computer,

I hope to get out at Bude tonight. Will report if I can.


Good luck all.

 

[billynobassman]

Good post mate, The jetti can be good, but best fished around high tide.

Was thinking about the brakewater myself tonight, but a couple of stellas has knocked that idea on the head. Good luck anyway

Leigh.

 

[wilkybarkid]

good read matt..went past yelland quay twice today.the surf was too big to get over the bar safely and return 12 hours later.(good call pauly)

ps,,,you must of been the only virgin in ilfracombe:blink: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:

 

[Skeletor]

Good read m8, must catch up again soon

 

[Slippy]

Just got back from Ilfracombe Pier. Me and the missus had 13 Pollack out between us in 2 hours - 5 to me and 8 to 'er !!
All were small ( up to about 3/4 lb ) and taken on a float , on either Mackerel or Harbour Rag.
Pleasant way to spend a couple of hours and it wasn't packed out either.

 

[donkeydawe]

Just got back from Ilfracombe Pier. Me and the missus had 13 Pollack out between us in 2 hours - 5 to me and 8 to 'er !!
All were small ( up to about 3/4 lb ) and taken on a float , on either Mackerel or Harbour Rag.
Pleasant way to spend a couple of hours and it wasn't packed out either.

out fished by the other half again lol. does mrs slippy wanna come to the cornwall leg?

with mrs S and the illusive octopus we would be unstoppable!

 

[4Fox Hake]

Cracker, Matt.

Particularly interesting to hear about Hele Bay. I've tried it once, in darkness and without a daylight recce, and found nothing but kelp. Thought it looked promising, just never got around to going back. I've heard of lots of pollack and a few decent conger coming out of there.

BTW, I'm consider myself a born-again Ilfracombe virgin.


Every time I think of fishing the pier, I can't be f***ed.

 

[Slippy]

out fished by the other half again lol.

If I knew how she did it , I'd make a million !:g:

 

[4Fox Hake]

A million Mrs Slippys?
There'd be no fish left for us.

 

[Slippy]

A million Mrs Slippys?
There'd be no fish left for us.

I think she's had 'em all anyway !!

 

[DoZZa]

The pier is just not fishing right at the moment. I have tried so many different rigs and baits that I know have worked at this time of year before, and yet all I manage to catch are small pollack and of course the ever present doggies.

Even the conger seem to be scarce at the moment.

Not sure what else to try, apart from a stick or two of dynamite.

 

[Poughill Reef?]

Good post mate, The jetti can be good, but best fished around high tide.

Was thinking about the brakewater myself tonight, but a couple of stellas has knocked that idea on the head. Good luck anyway

Leigh.

Hey there Leigh

I dunno if you made it or not but the wind and surf came right up. I think there were 2 guys on the end but surf and spray was making it look quite uncomfortable.

Rather than go make it more uncomfortable for everyone I went to the lock gates for a half hour before dark and on the top of the tide.
1 float near the weed by the side of the lock gates with maccy. Nothing. Lug and squid pulley pennel thrown at the surf on the edge of the beach in amongst the whitewater. Nothing as expected. Nice end to the day but a lttle cold.

Local fishmonger returned to his van after a walk with reports of Sea Trout up the river with lots of em jumping.

Also a sign now up stopping people netting for elvers on the edge of the channel.
I wondered what they were collecting.