100 Miles per Fish, South Devon

We had been looking forward to going sea fishing in South Devon since we booked the cottage this time last year. Alas - things we not to go as we'd hoped.

We managed to find the local tackle shop which I'd found on the internet and initially they seemed very helpful, with all sorts of information on where to fish but in our eagerness to catch we were blinded by our own enthusiasm.

The first place we tried was Beesands, a very steep slopping beach, we didn't know what state of tide to fish it or really what bait to use so we took everything... and caught 2 spider crabs in 4 hours!

We tried all sorts of places but most of the rock marks we were pointed towards needed climbing gear or a helicopter to reach the water.

One of the nicest places we fished was Prawl point but after being told the water was deep we were a gain disappointed to find casting out only landed your bait in very shallow water. Wendy did manage to catch a couple of small Wrasse but again, I had nothing.

Another problem we encountered was the lack of bait in the area. The quality of the frozen bait was not up to the standard we are used to and with the weather being so bad there were no Sandeels available.

It became apparent after fishing at another very beautiful area in the Kinsbridge Estuary called Mill Bay but not getting any fish that the information we were getting was also not of the standard we were used to in Anglesey - we were not getting any details on tides to fish, conditions or tactics and we were getting a bit frustrated by this point.

Eventually after nearly two weeks of no fish and watching a few people trying for Mackeral off the beach at Torcross, where we had a very good sea food diner, I resorted to trying for Mackeral. Finally I caught some fish!!!

You could actually see the Mackeral about 10 feet from the edge of the sea so it wasn't skillful fishing by any means but I was desperate to catch.

We tried a few other areas but eventually just decided to enjoy the rest of our break without doing any more fishing.

So what went wrong?

I think we are so used to getting valuable local advice from the tackle shops in Anglesey, North Wales and the North of England that we assumed we'd get the same standard of information from the ones in Devon. We were wrong and a valuable lesson was learned.

So - what now! Well next year we're hoping to go to South West Ireland but we're staying at a place that specifically caters for the needs of the sea angler, with local guides, a boat, bait and tackle and as much information as you could ever need - I hope.

Tags: mackerel, prawl point, south devon, wrasse

14 Damp Days in Devon

Who'd take a holiday in Britain in this weather? We would that's who. We've just returned from a very relaxing, if not a little damp, 2 weeks in South Devon where we stayed at a working farm near a small village called Loddiswell.

Our intention was to do some sea fishing and walking around the area but to say the weather was against us would be to understate the amount of rain drastically. I'll go into the fishing in a later entry but thought I'd give my impressions of the area and show a few photographs fist.

South Devon, around the Kingsbridge Estuary area is a beautiful area and at the time we went was very quiet due to the schools not being closed for summer until just recently. But, it is almost impossible to enjoy the countryside in the same manner that I am used to in North Wales or the North West of the UK due to the massive hedgerows on either side of the many single track roads. When I say massive I mean at least 10 feet tall and with only a few passing places on the roads meeting another vehicle coming the other way was a bit daunting.

Another problem from the fishing point of very was access to the sea from the cliffs. I think the locals must be part mountain goat!

One of the better days out we had was a simple drive to Start Point, sandwiches and drinks packed we parked the car up and walked down to the lighthouse - looking back we could see the whole of Start Bay which in the blazing sun (yes, we did have a couple of days of it) was fantastic.

You can't really see it in the photograph but about halfway along the bottom of the cliff is the remains of the village of Hallsands which 'fell' into the sea during January 1917 after a heavy storm, due to the removal of gravel off shore which used to protect it from the worst of the weather. Hopefully people will learn from this mistake and not take our natural resources for granted although I doubt it.

While we were looking for a way down the cliffs in our never ending quest to find places to fish Wendy spotted this little chap sun bathing in a gap in the bracken. The last time I saw an Adder (Vipera berus) was at Abersoch in North Wales about 14 years ago so to see one and to be able to get a photograph was brilliant.

As for fell walking and bird watching - the weather just put us off and I'm sorry to say our impression of South Devon was probably tarnished by this as well as the other things I've mentioned. And I haven't even talked about the cost of the car parks!

So would I go back?

No - I don't think so. I think we've been spoilt by the fantastic countryside of Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cumbria, North Wales and Anglesey and we were expecting something similar with good access to all places which South Devon just didn't provide. Don't get me wrong - it's a beautiful place but just not suited to our style of holiday - especially as it's about a 5 hour drive!

Tags: adder, kingsbridge, loddiswell, prawl point, south devon, start point

The Gardeners Friend

A lot of the time we have to go out of our way to see some of the amazing things mother nature has to show us in the country, but sometimes nature comes to see us.

We sere sitting outside enjoying a brief spell of sun before darkness fell and more rain came down when we heard a shuffling at the bottom of the garden, thinking nothing of it and assuming it was one of the many cats from the surrounding homes we carried on chatting until I looked up and spotted this little fellow looking back at me.

I managed to get very close and as you can see, the Hedgehog was in no way camera shy.

We left him to his evening stroll hoping that he would eat as many slugs as he could find, they eat up to 15 a night so that should save a few of the leaves on the plants.

We haven't been sea fishing or walking recently as the weather has been atrocious for June but we're hoping to get out and about once the rain stops but looking at the weather forcast for the coming weeks it looks like we'll have to keep our wellies handy for a while yet.

Tags: garden, lancashire, hedgehog

Angling on Anglesey, May Bank Holiday

We set off last Friday (just over a week ago) for our first trip to Anglesey this year, looking forward to a bit of fishing and a long weekend away. Our first stop was at a new tackle shop in Menai Bridge owned and run by Gareth, the founder of the fishing4u.co.uk sea fishing forum, where we picked up some bait and as usual bought some bits and pieces.

We spent our first evening targeting Bass out of the Menai Straits but all we could catch was weed as the wind was blowing strongly down the Straits, even if we'd had a bite I doubt we'd have seen it! A shame really as last year this venue produced my best ever Bass.

The following day (Saturday) the wind was very strong which made it impossible to fish anywhere on the West of the island, which is what we had planned so after a quick trip to see Gareth again for some advice we ended up on the East side on a beautiful headland called Caim Head.

The place was magnificent and very sheltered from the wind so we proceeded to empty the area immediately in front of us of Dogfish. No matter what bait we put out the call went up - Dogfish! We had a fantastic time and probable caught about 10 or so in total, some up to about 2lbs and we stayed until the light started to fail - another great venue on this beautiful island.

Sunday arrived and with it came the rain...

Rain doesn't really matter to sea fishing but the wind hadn't dropped at all so a very lazy day was had by us both, doing nothing except a bit of reading and watching the snooker final of all things.

Monday - time to go home. We stopped off at Penmon Lighthouse cafe for tea and a lovely slice of lemon sandwich cake and just sat, read and watched the birds and the boats go by. Not many fish this time but who cares - in such fantastic surroundings catching fish is almost a distraction.

Tags: anglesey, caim, dogfish, penmon

Spring is Here And Out Comes The Sun

What a huge difference to the world the sun makes. I've spent all my lunch hours for the past 2 weeks walking through Queenspark, Bolton and the difference in the flora and fauna is truly astonishing.

At the start of last week there were hardly any flowers except the Daffodils but this week the woods are full of Bluebells and Wild Garlic in every direction you look and whenever you stray off the path the smell of the Garlic instantly assails your nostrils.

I was listening to the radio on the way home last week and Wild Garlic is a very good salad ingredient and is good for you and although I haven't tried any myself there are a few recipes using it on the BBC Wiltshire Website.

Another thing that always amazes me at this time of the year is the insects. Where do they come from? I know, I know - they hibernate, then come out to lay eggs and then a second lot turn up that are migrants from the south but it's always a great sight - one day no butterflies - the next, they're everywhere.

I've seen the usual suspects such as Small Tortoiseshell and a few early whites but I've also seen the earliest Peacock butterfly I can remember as well as this lovely Comma (Polygonia c-album) sunning itself on a new leaf.

The birds are also busy with far too many species to list all busy building nests or feeding early chicks - this weather and the early proliferation of insects should give them all a very good start to the year.

I keep seeing the Kingfisher but I still can't find where it's nesting and to be honest I'd be a bit worried about disturbing it so I'll probably just enjoy watching it fly up and down the river.

No pictures of birds this time I'm afraid as they're either to fast, to far away or I'm just to slow with the camera.

And as for the sea fishing, we haven't been out since Christmas as we've been decorating and generally tidying up the house after winter but we're going on our first Bass hunt soon and we can't wait.