NEWKID 27,143 Posted June 23, 2022 Report Share Posted June 23, 2022 Managed a couple of hours on the tidal Exe after work last night, nice evening to run a stick through for some dace and chub... or so I thought... I took my lad and he had the first fish, a small bass on maggot on the stick float...I've had a couple like this out of here, and caught loads a few miles downstream on traditional bass baits/gear... but last night all we could catch was small bass... had about half a dozen plus 1 chub... no dace, no roach... where have they gone? Baby bass on the stick when I was leaving I had a quick yap to a lad upstream...fishing lug worm! He had 7 bass the night before biggest 3lb... this is far upstream and traditionally a coarse fishery, I've fished it for over 35 years (lived right behind it) and never caught bass like this so far up the river.. Spoke with my mate who owns the fishery for the comp, he told me a 6lb bass had been caught on maggot under trews weir...the old salmon pool weir has collapsed meaning a further mile or so of river upstream to Trews weir is now tidal, the bass are right up there which is pretty much up to the city... a 6lb bass caught where we have never caught a sea fish before! The nursery zones in the estuaries have been good for the bass, there are thousands of schoolies in the estuary now, but with them and the larger fish moving up so far I think the coarse fish are getting battered...roach and dace are easy prey for a bass, what with the seals that are right up the river, the cormorants and now thousands of bass hitting them I dont think this fishery will be the same....weird night fishing 7 Quote Link to post
socks 32,253 Posted June 23, 2022 Report Share Posted June 23, 2022 With all the bait fish moving upstream it won’t be long before the sharks follow …… 1 Quote Link to post
NEWKID 27,143 Posted June 23, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2022 1 hour ago, socks said: With all the bait fish moving upstream it won’t be long before the sharks follow …… Hopefully! 1 1 Quote Link to post
white van man 3,309 Posted June 25, 2022 Report Share Posted June 25, 2022 There was a seal sitting on a rock up at Salmon pool the other morning. Crazy how things change Quote Link to post
Arry 21,762 Posted June 25, 2022 Report Share Posted June 25, 2022 (edited) I know of a lot of nice Bass caught spinning with harbour rag baited mepps fishing for thin lips last year in higher reaches of Exe and Teign Kev. Was watching a Seal at Totnes weir the other evening White van man they are murdering every thing. Hardly a Flounder caught in the Dart now and Salmon getting hammered by them. Cheers Arry Edited June 27, 2022 by Arry Quote Link to post
South hams hunter 8,921 Posted June 25, 2022 Report Share Posted June 25, 2022 Higher parts of the plym, Avon and tamar/tavi that should only produce mullet and flounder will now produce bass all year. Lad I know well caught a smut at Kingsbridge pump station not too long ago; no rhyme or reason anymore Quote Link to post
Squirrel_Basher 17,100 Posted July 4, 2022 Report Share Posted July 4, 2022 Rising sea levels ? Quote Link to post
twobob 1,497 Posted July 13, 2022 Report Share Posted July 13, 2022 On 23/06/2022 at 08:51, socks said: With all the bait fish moving upstream it won’t be long before the sharks follow …… Looks like you were right shark photographed in the river stour Quote Link to post
socks 32,253 Posted July 13, 2022 Report Share Posted July 13, 2022 2 minutes ago, twobob said: Looks like you were right shark photographed in the river stour See evil b*****ds 1 Quote Link to post
Borr 5,959 Posted July 13, 2022 Report Share Posted July 13, 2022 6 minutes ago, twobob said: Looks like you were right shark photographed in the river stour Had to Google that, I'm on stour tomorrow but it's a different one lol. It was a metre long smooth hound... 1 Quote Link to post
twobob 1,497 Posted July 13, 2022 Report Share Posted July 13, 2022 1 minute ago, Borr said: Had to Google that, I'm on stour tomorrow but it's a different one lol. It was a metre long smooth hound... Could still eat socks i reckon 1 Quote Link to post
Borr 5,959 Posted July 13, 2022 Report Share Posted July 13, 2022 21 minutes ago, twobob said: Could still eat socks i reckon Choke on his fingers.... 2 Quote Link to post
Aled 481 Posted July 14, 2022 Report Share Posted July 14, 2022 Blimey thats interesting, fished some of those Devon rivers mentioned back in the early 90's whilst at Plymouth Poly. Great fishing. So time to hang up the salmon and sea trout flies, and try for Bass on the fly...its great fun and the don't half hit the fly when they take! 1 Quote Link to post
NEWKID 27,143 Posted July 14, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2022 On 04/07/2022 at 17:16, foxdropper said: Rising sea levels ? I think its the success of the nursery zones further down river in the estuary... there are plagues of small bass, I guess they just keep moving up river where its still brackish and carry on feeding.. The rivers SHH mentioned have never been coarse fisheries, this stretch was a very prolific match fishery, used to have 40 or 50 pegged along in 25 years ago and you'd need 20lb of dace and chub to frame, or few big lumpy bream... what was bizarre (for me) is there were no dace, no roach etc.. maggot on a stick float and just bass, one after another... I lived right behind this stretch, years ago done an article for the anglers mail on it, catching chub.. I grew up on it and honestly knew it inside out...not anymore, when a bloke up river is chucking a running ledger with 1/0 hook and lugworm on...and catching decent bass...the jobs f****d! Lol 1 Quote Link to post
NEWKID 27,143 Posted July 14, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2022 On 13/07/2022 at 18:23, Borr said: Choke on his fingers.... FingerS... plural?? 2 Quote Link to post
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