Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Makeover for Devon delight
The popular West Country commercial has more than raised its game thanks to new owners. Tom Downing revels in its sport
WHEN the new owners of Stafford Moor signed on the dotted line in 2014, they promised it was the start of something special. Fast- forward just over five years on and they have stuck to their word.
A few new pegs and the occasional stocking of fish was what many expected but those at the helm – the Coombes family – have gone above and beyond that.
Several lakes have been given a complete redesign, with central islands created on Pines and Willows. Both are now fished from the island, with bridges installed from the outer bank to give anglers access. The perimeter of the complex has been fenced to protect the fish stocks from predation devastating fish stocks, while every single peg across all seven lakes has been ripped out and replaced with much more sturdy and spacious pegs.
A pair of new luxury holiday lodges are also being constructed on the banks of Beatties Lake to complement those already onsite and the facilities for camping and touring caravans have been upgraded.
If that isn’t enough, a new tackle shop has been erected, thousands of new fish have been stocked and the roads have been relaid to mark an end to suspension wrecking journeys from the entrance to your peg.
It’ll come as no surprise that the popularity of the Devon venue has increased and Tom Downing is one of many heaping praise upon it.
“Stafford Moor has been a favourite of mine for a long time, but I’ve become an even bigger fan since the changes occurred,” explained the local expert.
“It’s visually stunning and the fishing is getting better and better as the months tick by.”
A fishery for everyone
So many modern fisheries are created with one type of angler in mind.
Some stock thousands of small F1s and silverfish to meet the demands of match anglers while others go down the big carp route in a bid to get the bivvy boys splashing the cash with them.
But Stafford Moor is a true all- rounder. Every lake offers visiting anglers something a little different.
Oak and Willow are the gems nearest the entrance and small carp between 2lb and 5lb are the main attraction, providing stacks of bites throughout the year.
Pines is dedicated exclusively to silverfish and tench, bream, crucians and roach will keep the float going under in even the trickiest of conditions.
Beatties and Lodge are home to some monster carp and a 20lb specimen is easily achievable to those that approach them with the right tactics, and a 30- pounder certainly is not out of the question.
Last but not least are Tanners and Woodpecker which are established match and pleasure lakes with central islands that are perfect for chucking a bomb, feeder or waggler at. The latter is Tom’s pick of the bunch, with the well- established stock of carp a big draw.
“This lake has a big head of quality carp and the beauty is that you can use a wide range of tactics,” he said.
“Casting to the island is the obvious starting point but you can also catch in open water and down the margins.”
More than 35 pegs were previously available on the fiveacre water but in a bid to improve sport for visitors, the new owners reduced that to 20 to ensure that everyone has lots of space to fish.
“Fish stocks always feel more comfortable when they have areas to get away from angling pressure and that ultimately leads to bigger catches,” added Tom.
Working the waggler
A hellish wind battered the complex when IYCF made the journey down to Devon to see the upgraded Stafford Moor. Thankfully, Tom had managed to seek shelter. Tucked away on peg 9 of Woodpecker, he felt confident of putting on a show for the cameras.
“Fish shoals can ball up really tightly in winter at some fisheries, making a handful of pegs brilliant and the rest poor. But big fish have been caught on almost every peg here over the past couple of months which keeps things interesting. You need to use a little watercraft as you never know where they will be on the day.”
His swim for the session was out of the gusts and Tom reckoned this would appeal to fish trying to avoid the harsh elements.
Waggler fishing is one of his true passions and while it would have been a no- hoper of a tactic on many pegs in those conditions, the shelter made it perfectly possible to present the float in the required manner.
“If the rig is blowing around everywhere then the hookbait will look unnatural and the fish will leave it alone. This swim is fairly calm so my float will stay in the same place it lands for long periods.”
The only other area he planned to attack was the margins, convinced there was the chance of a few fish in the shallow water as the light started to fade.
“Casting to the island is obvious but you can also catch in open water and down the margins”
Cheap bait bill
An aerator located around 35m out looked to be a likely holding spot for a few fish and Tom clipped up his waggler to land just short of it every time.
The catapult would ping out three 8mm pellets straight after each cast. No more feed would be introduced until the next cast as he tried to force any carp in the swim to the hookbait as opposed to loose offerings.
“I’ll leave the rig in for five minutes and if I don’t get a bite I will wind in and recast. While waiting I will also twitch the hookbait to try and gain a response. It’s all about keeping active to reduce the time waiting for the next bite.”
Sticking to the five- minute casting routine, it took just over half an hour before the float shot under and a firm strike ended with the rod bent double.
With a light 0.13mm hooklength and small size 18 hook at the business end, he carefully played the fish, allowing it to surge off when required. This patient approach ended with Tom slipping the net under a 6lb mirror minutes later.
Six other carp to 8lb came in the next couple of hours before he had a quick look down the left- hand margin.
“I’ve cupped in a few micro pellets and grains of corn down both margins in 2ft of water and hopefully a few fish have now come in to take a look.”
It failed to produce a bite but dropping the rig down to his right produced a completely different response, with the elastic zipping out of the tip within a minute of the rig going in. Another lump came in the dying stages before the fading light called an end to proceedings.
“It’s been far from easy but if you work hard the rewards are impressive. But Woodpecker is only a small part of the Stafford Moor story. Pay it a visit and you’re bound to be impressed,” concluded Tom.