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Hi Everybody, and welcome to the 2023 Torbay Sea Angling Festival!

We are running the Festival this year from 1st to 10th September. Since the end of the 2022 as a Committee we have been working hard with feedback on plans and ideas to improve the event for all Anglers this year.

With 13 new changes including new stock and brands/suppliers for improving prizes. 

Angling is a great hobby, and we hope for increased interest in the Festival this year.

All the best and tight lines,

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Graham Dryer

Chairman TSAF

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Here is a list of what is changing for Anglers who enter the Festival in 2023 :-

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1. The 2023 Trophy/Prizelist has been reviewed and updated. The Junior section has been improved to give a better balance between boat and shore fishing, also we have a new prize for the under 13s! Some of the Ladies and Visitor prizes have been re allocated into the other Senior sections, with Ballan Wrasse and Rockling added to Shore Trophies. The Paignton SAA Trophy now covers all Bream species, and the Mike Stone Trophy cover all Mullet species. The Major Cash Prizes and Day Prize Vouchers value will remain as 2022. Please note that as in previous years the Trophies will be awarded in prizelist order and highest percentage precedence. 

 

2. The Committee has upgraded the general and also invested into prizes for the 2024 Festival at 2022 prices!

 

3. We have developed a new agreement with Pure Fishing, and the Festival has again increased the range of tackle to include Penn and Shakespeare for future prizes.

 

4. A new Cup has been donated to the Festival by South Moor Vets Practice at Kingsbridge, and it will be awarded for the Best Fish from the Salcombe Estuary Inshore Boat or Shore. The Prize for this Cup is newly sponsored by Just Windows Ltd. We thank these organisations for their support.

 

5. The Specimen Weights List has been reviewed for 2023 and four changes have been made with Spurdog and Small Eyed Ray specimen weights raised in all sections, Bass raised from Wreck and Blonde Ray raised from Shore (See Website and Brochure).

 

6. The Festival Boundaries will be changing this year.

 

The Western Shore boundary will move from Bolt Head down the coastline to Mothercombe Beach on the River Erme, and will also include the River Avon. The Wreck/Inshore Boat sea fishing box will also move to the West to create a larger area. The Eastern Shore boundary will move back from the Devon/Dorset border to the River Axe, and the Eastern Boat boundary will remain at the Devon/Dorset border. (See Website/Brochure Rule 4)

 

The upper Fishing boundaries in Rivers will be changed to ‘Tidal Waters’ rather than defined boundary limits. It will be Anglers responsibility to obtain any permissions/EA Licences and/or Club permits to enable fishing higher parts of any rivers within the TSAF Boundaries.

 

7. We have clarified some rules

 

Private Boats and Charter Vessels entering the Festival will now be able to embark from ports and harbours OUTSIDE as well as inside the Festival Sea boundaries provided they catch fish to enter from inside the Wreck/Inshore Boat sea fishing box boundaries.

 

Juniors who enter the Festival with the full senior fee to win all Trophies/Prizes will be classed as Seniors. They cannot win Junior Trophies/Prizes and will have to weigh-in fish at the 75% of Specimen Weight minimum size. Under 18’s can only win Tackle Vouchers in lieu of Cash Prizes.

 

The Committee has ruled the Torbay Festival is for Recreational Anglers only in 2023. (See Website/Brochure Rule 9)

Recreational Fishing means a person fishing with rod and line for the purposes of sport, pleasure or tourism from  boat or shore. It is illegal to sell, barter or trade any of the catch from recreational fishing.

 

Commercial Fishing means a person undertaking fishing of any kind with rod and/or line from boat or shore for any kind of reward or gain whether through current employment or not or a financial transaction, barter or trade.

 

Any person entering the TSAF shall neither sell, store any fish for future sale, or trade or barter any fish caught during the dates of the TSAF, either in person or by a third party acting on their behalf for their own reward or gain whether for money or money’s worth.  

 

This applies to, an owner of a Licenced/Unlicensed vessel, worker on board or recreational angler fishing on a Licensed/Unlicensed Vessel engaged in Commercial Fishing, or Shore Commercial Fisherperson or Commercial netter or longliner or handliner is not permitted to enter the Torbay Sea Angling Festival from boat or shore, and no Dispensation to fish the TSAF will be granted.

 

Charter vessel owners with a UK Fishing Vessel Licence, workers on board and anglers who charter the vessel are   considered Recreational Sea Anglers, only if none of the fish caught on any angling charter during the dates of the TSAF are sold, traded or bartered for their own reward or gain whether for money or money’s worth.

 

Fishing Guides are considered Recreational Sea Anglers only if none of the fish caught on any guided boat or shore fishing trip during the dates of the TSAF are sold, traded or bartered for their own reward or gain whether for money or money’s worth.

 

Other rule changes

The Daily Fish Weigh-in/Results Lists will only be published on the Festival Website for clarity.

 

Day 9 (Last Day) Fish/Weigh-in/Results will be published from 2023.

 

Trophy or Prize winners must collect their own awards at the Presentation Night in October. If you cannot attend, you must make arrangements with the Committee by 30th November to receive your award. After that date the Prize will return to the Committee for future use.

 

9. We are improving our processes

 

Paper Weigh-in booklets with a new format are being printed, and will be trialled in HOOKZ this year.

 

An Online Weigh-in Form is being developed for use in future Festivals.

 

The Website Online Entry process that we developed in 2022 was well received, and 25% of you signed on electronically through phone, laptop or tablet. We will make more improvements so online entry is even more simple.

We have simplified the number of tickets available so you only need to buy one ticket and choose whether it is for a Junior or Senior angler

Day tickets will automatically be removed from sale once the fishing day has started eg 7:30pm

Please note when placing an order the personal details for the angler can only be entered once for the angler placing the order. Therefore each order can only be made for one angler and cannot include tickets for other Senior or Junior anglers. For example an angler can purchase several day tickets for themselves in one order BUT they cannot purchase day tickets for friends or Juniors in the same order. You must place separate orders for each angler so that each angler receives an individual Entry number.

 

You will still be able to enter in Tackle Shops and Clubhouses in the usual way with a paper entry tickets as in previous years.

 

10. Sidmouth Sea Anglers are no longer a member club of the Torbay Festival, and we thank them for their past input into the Festival. To replace the lost entry and Weigh-in facility a new Entry and Weigh-in Station is available at the recently opened Exeter Angling Store at Unit 2A, 26 Marsh Green Road West, Marsh Barton Ind Est, Exeter EX2 8PN. Paignton Sea Anglers Assn Clubhouse will not be available for a Weigh-in Station or Sign-on station, and Paignton Tackle & Bait, 42 Upper Manor Road Paignton TQ3 2TL will be a Weigh-in Station in 2023  (See Brochure)

 

11. The Festival Constitution has been updated at the 2023 AGM, this will allow the Festival starting date to be more flexible.

 

12. The Festival Website, Facebook page and Anglers Database has been updated, and with the success of our new text messaging system in 2022 we will be developing this further to keep in contact with you all with key information. https://www.torbayfishingfestival.org

 

13. We are aiming to increase our promotion of the Festival by advertising more widely to local and national press, magazine and social media Angling Forums.

 

We hope the new changes being made for 2023 will improve the Torbay Festival. Your feedback and continued support is appreciated, and we aim to offer an improving quality of prizes for all in the future.

 

For your Angling Diary -  The 2024 Torbay Festival dates are 30th August to 8th September.