Autumn arrives with flounder, rays and quality shore catches

The first signs of autumn are beginning to appear, with the leaves on the trees turning colour. For sea anglers eagerly searching for the first flounder of the season, I can report that Gary Knott has landed one, along with mullet and bass, during the same session.

I am sure many more flounder will be caught in the coming weeks as increasing numbers of anglers target the species. However, I believe there are plenty of small bass eager to take baits intended for flounder, so, as ever, patience is required while waiting for the target species.

Shore anglers have produced some good fish this week, with young Oliver Copper once again out-fishing his dad, Russell. This time, Oliver landed a Couch’s bream weighing 1lb 11oz.

Chris Wagstaff, from Newton Abbot, made the trip to Chesil Beach and was rewarded with a double-figure blonde ray. Closer to home, Tristan Rowe fished a Torquay rock mark and found the bull huss feeding, with his best fish tipping the scales at exactly 11lb.

Teignmouth SAS held a competition at Chesil Beach, where nine members took part. Although no big fish were landed, more fish were caught than at the same time last year. Bobby Drew took the honours with a sole and a dogfish, while Joe Drew and Steve Shimmell claimed the next two places.

Honiton SAC juniors fished a match around the docks at Exmouth, where plenty of fish were caught. Most were mini-species, providing the youngsters with plenty of fun. A young angler named Poppy landed an impressive 22 fish during the three-hour match, securing victory with 135 points.

Another notable catch this week came aboard Stuart Pike’s boat, Orca, fishing out of Beer. Honiton SAC member Barry Hawkins landed a spotted ray weighing 4lb 15oz, setting a new boat record for the species.

Newton Abbot Fishing Association held its latest match, the Tuesday Rover Sweepstake, at Bradley Pond. Nigel Jeffrey took the win with a bag consisting mainly of skimmer bream, weighing 16lb. Chris Morris and Dave Sugden finished in second and third places, with weights of 13lb and 11lb 2oz respectively. Chris Morris also landed the biggest perch of the match, weighing 1lb.

Spring Ponds hosted its King of Springs competition, with all anglers required to qualify before taking part. After the pegs were drawn, Jason Fay found himself on the favoured peg one on Pond One and went on to claim victory with a winning weight of 49lb 6oz.

Chris Packer recorded the next-best weight on Pond One, while Steve Barrell took the top weight on Pond Two.

Finally, please keep those pictures coming in for our Fish of the Month competition. Entries can be sent by email to [email protected].