Torbay Sea Angling Festival

The competition covers shore, inshore boat and wreck fishing with different specimen weights for each category and prizes awarded for the best specimens overall.

Many fine fish have been landed with the early leader being a magnificent wreck caught Tub Gurnard weighing 7lbs and giving a specimen percentage of 162 per cent to the rod of Wayne Mayhew.

Other notable festival fish included a Small eyed Ray of 11lb and 118 per cent to Jack Marler, 14lb Pollack and 110 per cent to Jack Knight and a shore caught Mullet of 5lbs and 100 per cent to Steve Hadley.

Pleasure anglers are still finding Bass from the shore and rock marks with a couple of good fish falling to the rods of Dan Hale and Saleem Ali. Aaron Colhoun fished a night session in the Bristol channel and landed several Small Eyed and Spotted Rays.

Another fish coming from the Bristol Channel this week was a superb Smoothhound of 20lbs 14oz, caught by Ross Stewart of Newton Abbot. The Mackerel fishing has been sporadic this year but a few have hit the beaches this week chasing whitebait and fish weighing in excess of 1lb have been recorded.

Other competitions this last week have been the latest round of the Kennick Flyfisher Snowbee Top rod and the monthly competition sat Spring ponds. The Kennick anglers travelled to the beautiful Wimbleball reservoir high on Exmoor, where 12 anglers took 35 fish, with the winner being Chris Bolt of Kingsteignton with a top weight of 15lbs 4oz, including a Rainbow Trout of 4lbs 5oz. Andy Gooding and Alec Hoare took the next two places. Darren Penfold won The Raffle.

At Spring Ponds, Elliot Fay took top spot with a bag of 71lbs 10oz from peg 8 using pellet on the pole with Matt Crocker and Jason Fay taking second and third.

Newbarn Angling Centre continues to fish well with regular Steve Brettle landing three fish in a session with the best tipping the scales at 26lbs 8oz and Ste Oliver catching several over a few short sessions.

Saleem Ali with a Bass (Image: John Sherlock)

The winners at Wimbleball reservoir (Image: John Sherlock)

Elliot Fay with his winning bag at Spring Ponds (Image: John Sherlock)

Wayne Mayhew 7lbs Tub Gurnard (Image: John Sherlock)

Steve Hadley 5lbs Mullet (Image: John Sherlock)

John Knight, 14lbs Pollack (Image: John Sherlock)

Jack Marler with an 11lbs Small eyed Ray (Image: John Sherlock)

Dan Hale with a Bass (Image: John Sherlock)

Ross Stewart with 20lbs 14oz Smoothhound (Image: John Sherlock)