Alastair Blundell fished the Lower Torridge and tempted the first salmon of the season using a large orange and yellow copper tube fished on an intermediate line. With the river still running very high it is likely that salmon are distributed throughout the river and increased angling effort should see a few more caught.
http://www.bluefincharters.co.uk
Liam Shipway with Charli had eight carp between them from the inlet swim on Beatties lake in 24 hours. They were using Mainline Cell boilies and Mainline glug. They had 2 lots of double takes.
Dave Forster landed Blackspot at 38lb 4oz just a few hours after setting up for the weekend.
(Above)John Rose banked Measels at 32lb 12oz
(Above) Adam Short with Clover at 39lb 14oz.
(Above) A couple of carp from Willow Lake.
Combe Martin SAC member Ali Laird took a trip up channel to land this handsomely marked thornback ray of 9lb 8oz.
Wimbeball Reservoir reopened under new management on Friday 23rd March and visiting anglers were treated to some fine sport with pristine conditioned hard fighting rainbow trout that averaged well over 2lb. Adam Westcott banked the best fish of the day a fine rainbow of 5lb 12oz that topped a five fish limit bag of close to 20lb. J. Glanfield registered a return of five for 20lb 5oz and G.T Benson five for 18lb 2oz. Anglers practicing catch and release enjoyed frequently bent rods with up to fifteen fish per rod. A wide range of patterns worked well with small dark lures amongst the most successful.
I visited the fishery on Saturday March 24th eager to reacquaint myself with a long time favourite venue. Like many South West Anglers I was very disappointed when South West Lakes Trust downgraded the fishery in 2016 ceasing the stocking of rainbow trout. This was a huge blow to Fly Fishing in the area with the 374acre lake that was built in the 1970’s providing traditional reservoir trout fishing for many years. The Dam straddles the River Haddeo a tributary of the river Exe and is surrounded by stunning Exmoor scenery.
Wimbeball Fly Fishery is now under the fresh stewardship of Mark Underhill an established Fish Farmer and his wife Trudy. I met with Mark at the Fishery permit hut and had an in-depth discussion on the complex world of trout rearing.
Fortunately Mark is a passionate angler and has an understanding of what anglers want from their day at the waters edge. Mark told me that he was delighted with the opening day when all of the fourteen anglers attended enjoyed great sport with the freshly stocked trout that averaged three pounds with plenty of trout between 4lb and 5lb. A five fish ticket is excellent value at £25 for five fish with an option to practice catch and release at the same price with the first two fish caught to be retained with barb-less hooks mandatory.
It was a cold dank morning when I arrived with Exmoor draped in mist and the car thermometer reading just 2 degrees C. After my enlightening chat with Mark I set off for the waters edge as the morning mist started to lift. Early season rainbows are not generally hard to catch with location the key. Based upon the previous days reports I decided to fish the Sailing Club Bay moving to other well-known areas if success was not forthcoming.
I had set up two rods one with a fast sink line and the other with an intermediate. To the fast sink line had tied an 8lb leader tipped with a black lure with long marabou tail and fluorescent green head. It was this outfit that I started with fishing the fly deep with a steady retrieve. After ten minutes I felt that electrifying tug as a trout attacked the lure. To my surprise I glimpsed a flash of golden flanks as a beautiful wild brown trout flashed on the line before being drawn over the waiting net. I admired my prize for moment before taking a portrait and slipping the prize back into the chill waters.
Whilst I love to fish a floating line and a team of nymphs later in the season I also relish this early season fishing that lacks the finesse of the warmer days. There is something particularly thrilling about that moment a trout hits the lure.
It was perhaps ten minutes before I caught my first rainbow of the day a hard fighting full tailed two-pounder. Mark had wondered down to see how I was faring captured the fish and I on camera.
Mark and I chatted for a while on fishing excursions for both shark and salmon swapping stories of our adventures and lamenting the sad decline of salmon catches over recent seasons.
I resumed fishing after this short break swapping to the intermediate line with the black lure on the point and an orange blob on the dropper. This allowed me to slow the retrieve down and it wasn’t long before another rainbow slammed into the lure. The next hour saw me hook one or two rainbows that came adrift, one a good fish that could well have pulled the scales to four pound plus. I also banked four rainbows ending with a fine fish of 3lb 8oz that pulled far harder than the scales indicated.
I returned to he fishing hut with a pleasing bag to weigh. Mark had intended to cast a line with me for a while but a damaged rod had kept him from the water. He was pleased to accept my offer to have a few casts with my rod and we wondered back to the water s edge to get a few more pictures. Mark’s wife Trudy joined us and I asked her if she fished to be told that she did not fish now but had once caught two salmon from the Exe illustrating that old adage that women often have an uncanny knack of tempting salmon.
Mark enjoyed half an hours fishing making contact with several trout that refused to stay on the line for more than a second or two. With fish to attend to back at the farm Mark had to leave to prepare for deliveries of fish to venues in the Midlands.
I captured a few images of the lake in its rather stark early spring state. When I return in a few weeks’ time swallows will be swooping over the water and fresh green foliage will decorate the trees. The trout will be sipping flies from the surface and my floating line will tighten at that glorious moment of deception.
Nick Hart was pleased to post the latest news from the Troutmasters event at Exe Valley where Nick was super impressed by “these young lads competing as juniors and all helping one another out. Sam in the yellow had his first 2 fish within 7 minutes!!! We just need more of them …..”
It is imperative that we encourage as many young anglers as possible into angling to enjoy a lifelong pastime that is proven to be for good mental health, social interaction and awareness of the natural world.
BIG congratulations to junior winner James Mockridge with 5 fish for 13lb including a 1 hour time bonus and senior winner Phil Duckett in his first comp with 5 fish and a 2 hour bonus for 16lb. And finally 9 year old Max Mockridge & 10 year old Sam Shepherd both got 4 fish each and weighed in at 9lb 12oz to tie second place!
I was reading a post on Facebook relating to shark and impact of temperature on their migration and behavior and this got me thinking about temperature and fishing prospects. The post was at first relating to blue shark and if the recent beast from the East would delay the start of the shark fishing season off Cornwall. Anglers commented that the optimum temperature for blue shark to feed is around 13 degrees. Porbeagle shark are apparently less affected by temperature and can be found throughout the year around our coastline.
I used to consider grey mullet a fish of the summer months yet we now catch them all year. Does the cold water temperature stop them feeding. I often fish a local venue where the mullet are clearly visible and ignore baits for the majority of the time. They do this all year yet when I fish in winter I blame water temperature. Is this relative? With heavy snow melt dropping the water temperature I would feel success unlikely but will a rise in temperature trigger feeding even if the water rises to a temperature that is still low for the time of year.
A bitter east wind is undoubtedly bad for fishing but why? The temperature of the water does not drop that quickly so why is it so poor for fishing?
Each species we fish for is impacted upon differently by water temperature. Water temperature can impact upon both feeding, migration and breeding. It is this complexity that makes angling so fascinating. Whatever we fish for water temperature impacts upon the behavior of the fish we seek. Each species has its own niche of coarse and we think of winter cod and summer bass. We consider mackerel a fish of summer yet I saw some caught in Norway where water temperatures are far lower than South West England even in mid July when we were there.
In lakes we now catch carp all year and these were once a fish of the summer months. The reason we catch carp all year round is of coarse twofold in as much that we fish for them and expect to catch them. They have more food and are kept more active by anglers fishing for them.
Winter Carp
I have perhaps rambled around a bit casting a few thoughts with no real direction in relation to water temperature and fishing but then that’s what anglers do at times just think of fish and fishing. Temperature is a big factor in fishing for many reasons. For my own sake I say roll on summer but how much does it impact upon the fish we seek?
John Jobson enjoyed a Day ticket session at Stafford Moor Fishery banking four fine carp the best a beauty of 23lb 4oz. Beucuberry and sticky mamilla pop ups , peg 14.
Richard Shelly landed “Measles” yesterday at 33lb 8oz looking stunning in it’s winter colours!!
Other carp caught recently include the mirror carp known as Clover banked at an impressive weight of 39lb 14oz and three scales at 33lb.