Fishing
Fishing is popular in Devonport, for both men and women. Here's some images of a
couple fishing off North Corner pontoon, in July 2003. The pontoon is at the bottom
of my street, so I stroll down sometimes with my camera - on this particular day
the people fishing were Rob Tennant and his partner. From this spot the view is
across to Torpoint - the Torpoint Ferry is visible in the background.
I came across a website with some fishermen chatting away to each other, and they
mention some of their preferred spots in Devonport, including North Corner and Mutton
Cove. The members of this site seem to be a friendly bunch, and very knowledgeable
about the fish that can be caught around the Coves and Quays of Devonport. Below
are the comments from just two of their members - I'm sure they won't mind me publishing
this info ...
Fishing at Mutton Cove
'Flaming Zebu' writes the following about Mutton Cove….
"It's where I took my seven year old daughter for her first ever fishing trip, and
she got quite a reasonable Pollack (about 3/4lb) on the float with ragworm, in near
the wall. There's a reasonable array of cod relatives down there, I've had some
pout and whiting on the bottom with worm baits. You might see some small ling, codling,
poor cod. Also there's wrasse, doggies and bass, though the bass may have moved
offshore for the winter. Try lugworm tipped with squid for the winter species. Ragworm
and shellfish for the wrasse. Fishy baits or prawn for the dogs."
"Spinning could produce some of the bigger Pollack or some bass."
"I had a few decent mackerel and some garfish down there on the float in the summer
months, but not sure how much they're still around for the winter months."
Fishing at North Corner
'Mike' writes … "the pontoon has a multitude of mullet and bass to the left hand
side."
And 'Flaming Zebu' mentions the following about North Corner …. "Some nice mullet
hang about under the pontoon, especially on the left. To the left, at about a 45*
angle, roughly 30 - 40 yds out is a deeper gulley where some of the bad boys like
to hang. To the far right and out a bit, is a sand / shingle bank (apparently)".
"Cast further out and straight, for rays ( try prawns for these ). There is a chance
of a cod if the water is coloured, though I don't know their habits there. Oh, and
I've seen nicer wrasse there than at Mutton Cove."
Further Fishing Information
Their web page, if you’re a local fisherman and want to join the above chat, is
Southwest Seafishing
The main link to their site, which is a must-read for fishermen, is
here.
Liz Cook. November 2009