Just a reminder that our new club year started on the 1st January, 2025 so club subs became due then. I hope that you enjoyed your year with the club and would like to join again and, if you would like to, would be grateful if you could please get them in to the club as soon as possible. However, if you do choose not to renew, you will be missed! Please note, the exception to the paying of subscription fees is if you joined the club between October and December 2024. If you did, then you will get deferred membership with no further subs due until March 2026.
For reference: People can pay subscriptions into the club account directly by BACS transfer. Name of (Nationwide) Account = MR ML GREEN, Sort Code = 07-12-26, Account Number = 01970399. If you do, could you also please email me so that I can put the subscription on the club accounts.
In regard to events, if the weather looks dodgy and an event looks in danger of being cancelled then you can phone me on my mobile number 07704 602180 beforehand to confirm. It is also my hope, over the next few months, to film some more fishing videos. If anyone from the club would like to be involved in that, please let me know. Your help would be much appreciated.
Upcoming Boat Trips:
I have booked one boat trip a month for the rest of the year. For each of them, I have picked small tides - perfect for the reefs where we are going to have a go to see whats around while also going for some bigger fish, like bull huss, smoothhounds etc. You will need to bring along your own ragworms, peeler crabs, squid, mackerel, blueys etc, depending on what you fancy trying out. (We will, depending on season, spend a little time feathering for mackerel to use as fresh bait but frozen is a good backup, just in case.) For tackle keep it simple a running leger with short, 60 lbs trace is as good as anything for bull huss or paternoster tackle for the bream. However, if the reefs end up not being productive, Alan has suggested moving to try some of the inshore wrecks, for which we will all chip in an extra fiver. (We will see on the day.) We could also go onto the Skerries but only if the reefs prove unproductive. In this event, if you want plaice, use raw king prawns, ragworms, lugworms or peeler crabs. If you want anything larger and this year Alan has had tope, spurdog and a variety of rays on the banks use mackerel or squid on larger hooks.
It would be lovely if as many people as possible come out on our boat trips. We need at least seven people to go, but they can be great fun. Many of Alans competitors are much more expensive so it would be nice to see people supporting both him and the club and getting involved. Please try and come if you can.
Time: 8.30 am 4.30 pm, Venue: Pick up at Kingswear, Event: Reef fishing on African Queen, Cost: £60.00, Loan Tackle available on request, bring your own bait
Dates:
- Sunday, 23rd March 2025
- Sunday, 20th April 2025
- Sunday, 18th May 2025
- Sunday, 22nd June 2025
- Sunday, 20th July 2025
- Sunday, 17th August 2025
- Sunday, 28th September 2025
- Sunday, 12th October 2025
- Sunday, 16th November 2025
- Sunday, 14th December 2025
Events:
Friday, 28th February 2025 Time: 5.00 pm 8.30 pm Venue: Babbacombe Pier Event: Social fish and teach-in for adults and juniors High Tide: 6.50 pm Height: 4.8 m. Training Focus: Bottom Tackle
The chances are that most of the fish around will be dogfish and whiting on the bottom though their numbers are now dwindling - but there is always the chance of a surprise or two. Mackerel may appear on float they have in previous years but so might pouting and rockling, especially on LRF (light rock fishing) gear. For bait I would stick to mackerel or squid but, if you manage to get hold of some, it might be worth having a go with peeler crabs or ragworms just to see what else might be there. You will need to make sure that you put a parking ticket on your car. The prices on the car park have gone up shockingly in price so I have reduced the hours that we fish there accordingly.
Sunday, 9th March 2025 Time: 12.00 pm 4.00 pm Venue: Brixham Breakwater Event: Social fish and teach-in for adults and juniors High Tide: 2.29 pm Height: 3.5 m.
There are still a few mackerel around, together with a few garfish and pollack, so you could either try on float for these or try on bottom to see if there are some whiting, dogfish, eels and perhaps the occasional topknot, which tend to be on the wall of the breakwater itself, still around. I am going to get some ragworms and try the bight rig.
Sunday, 16th March 2025 Time: 6.00 pm 9.30 pm Venue: Goodrington Esplanade Event: Social fish and teach-in for adults and juniors High Tide: 7.39 pm Height: 4.6 m.
There are still a few mackerel around, together with a few garfish and pollack, so you could either try on float for these or try on bottom to see if there are some whiting, dogfish, eels and perhaps the occasional bass around. If you can get near the rocks on the end, it may be worth experimenting with a lure.
Sunday, 23rd March 2025 Time: 8.30 am 4.30 pm Venue: Pick up at Kingswear Event: Boat trip - Reef fishing - for adults and juniors High Tide: 11.34 am Height: 3.4 m, Cost £60.00.
With time being short, please email, message or phone me to book your place ASAP.
It is a small tide - perfect for the reefs so we are going to have a go for some bigger fish, like spurdogs, smoothhounds etc. You will need to bring along your own peeler crabs, squid, mackerel or blueys etc, depending on what you fancy trying out. For tackle keep it simple a running leger with short, 60 lbs trace is as good as anything or paternoster tackle for smaller species. However, if the reefs end up not being productive, we will try something else. Bring an extra fiver in case we move further offshore and we need to chip in a bit extra for petrol.
Sunday, 30th March 2025 Time: 3.00 pm 9.30 pm Venue: Slapton Sands, meeting on the beach at Memorial Car Park Event: Social fish and teach-in for adults and juniors High Tide: 8.06 pm Height: 5.0 m.
There have been a few spurdogs turning up at Slapton, with a number of other species turning up too, including the regulars pout and dogfish. Peeler crabs or ragworms both good baits for the time of year but, if you cant get hold of them, then it might not be a bad idea popping out a couple of hooks baited with mackerel, sandeels or squid strip just to see what else comes up. For tackle, at this time, I would probably stick to a couple of bottom rods with an up and over leger and a biggish bait on one and a double paternoster with smaller baits on the other.
Sunday, 6th April 2025 Time: 11.00 am 3.00 pm Venue: Brixham Breakwater Event: Social fish and teach-in for adults and juniors High Tide: 1.45 pm Height: 3.4m
If the mackerel behave as they did last year, there should still be a few to catch from the Breakwater now, along with the chance of a few herring. Resident species, like various wrasse, will be around and starting to feed a bit more actively too. For tackle, I would stick to float or light rock fishing while mackerel strips and ragworms should be good for bait.
Sunday, 13th April, 2025 Time: 5.00 pm 9.30 pm Venue: Slapton Sands, meeting on the beach at Memorial Car Park Event: Social fish and teach-in for adults and juniors High Tide: 7.38 pm Height: 4.6 m.
There may still be a few spurdogs around at Slapton, with a number of other species turning up too, including the regulars pout and dogfish and, hopefully, plaice and bream too. Peeler crabs or ragworms both good baits for the time of year but, if you cant get hold of them, then it might not be a bad idea popping out a couple of hooks baited with mackerel, sandeels or squid strip just to see what else comes up. For tackle, at this time, I would probably stick to a couple of bottom rods with an up and over leger and a biggish bait on one and a double paternoster with smaller baits on the other.
Sunday, 20th April 2025 Time: 8.30 am 4.30 pm Venue: Pick up at Kingswear Event: Boat trip - Reef fishing - for adults and juniors High Tide: 11.08 am Height: 3.7 m, Cost £60.00.
If you could please email, message or phone me to book your place, it would be very much appreciated.
It is a small tide - perfect for the reefs so we are going to have a go for some bigger fish, like spurdogs, smoothhounds, rays etc. You will need to bring along your own peeler crabs, squid, mackerel or blueys etc, depending on what you fancy trying out. For tackle keep it simple a running leger with short, 60 lbs trace is as good as anything or paternoster tackle for smaller species. However, if the reefs end up not being productive, we will try something else. With the voluntary code of practice on pollack now in full swing, we might move out further offshore so bring along an extra fiver, just in case we move and we need to chip in a bit extra for petrol but it might be a bad idea to bring along a packet of supermarket, raw king prawns if we end up having part of the day on the banks.
Sunday, 27th April 2025 Time: 4.00 pm 8.00 pm Venue: The Point Car Park, Teignmouth Event: Social fish and teach-in for adults and juniors High Tide: 6.55 pm Height: 4.9 m.
Funny old place, Teignmouth, it can fish really well or it can do the total opposite. For myself, I will bring ragworms and peeler crabs tipped with a strip of squid to see if there are any smoothhounds around. There should still be a few bass, though probably very varied in size, and there should be other species like flounders, strap congers, small spotted catsharks etc around. Beachcasters will be the tackle to use on the day, especially with a tide this strong and the chance of periods of heavy weed.
Advance Notice
I have booked a camping weekend at Woodlands Leisure Park on Friday, 4th July 2025 to Sunday, 6th July 2025 coincidentally the tides for this weekend are awful for fishing - in the hope that there will be enough people interested to make it viable. (Your friends are most welcome the more the merrier.) The idea is that you go to the park after 1.00 pm on Friday, camp overnight and get entrance (at no extra cost) into the park on what remains of Friday and all-day Saturday. You then camp over Saturday night and have entrance (at no extra cost) to the park all day Sunday although your tent must be removed from the site before 5.00 pm.
On the Saturday night, we hold a free bingo session for the children followed by a raffle, which is a chance to raise some money for the club. This has always gone down well. Many of the prizes for the bingo were donated by myself and Julie, before she passed away, while extra raffle prizes were often given by other campers on the day, especially Lisa and Geoff - thank you both. These extra prizes are always gratefully received, especially this year when my own funds are rather more limited than I had hoped. I will buy what I can but I would be grateful for any help in this regard.
All of this is, of course, provisional upon us getting enough people for the rally, which means that we will need eleven pitches minimum. However, if we do get enough people, then the cost will be £115.00 per unit (family of four) for the whole weekend, which is excellent value for money and cheaper than a family ticket for a family of four going into the park for a single day. However if we can put together a group with more than 23 units then we should be able to get a further reduction. Electrics are available at £12.00 per night and you can take additional people at a cost of £20.00 per person (£10 per night). If you have a caravan or camper van, you are quite welcome to use these instead of a tent but there are rules that you will need to see the rally steward about. (There are also a few loan tents available from Baywater Anglers.) If you, or any of your friends, are interested in the trip, could you please let me have a £10 deposit. The balance must then be paid by 27th June 2025 if you please.
Considering that a single days entrance into the park for a family of 4 in July is £121.00, this is really good value for money.
If you are interested then please let me know as soon as you can.
Look after yourselves!
Martyn Green