Compiling reports for NDANs I see lots of images of good fish and stories of success and these can inspire but can also raise expectations leading to disappointing days. I feel sure I am not the only one who sometimes sets out full of expectation and ends the day feeling slightly deflated.
In my case this disillusionment doesn’t last long for I know that if I keep at it long enough something good will come my way. Basically, effort equals reward and if you can afford to invest time and a little thought good things will eventually happen.
I have enjoyed a few non-productive days recently, fish caught wise anyway. There is generally a positive to be drawn from less productive days in the nature that surrounds or the company that is kept.
I have already swung a fly across the River on numerous occasions in search of salmon and have learnt to accept blank outings as the normal. The salmon just are not present in any numbers so all you can do is believe in the fly and present it to the best of your ability in the places that salmon are known to rest on their migration upriver.
A trip to Chew Valley Lake with my good friend Bruce Elston in early April proved a frustrating day. We set out on a mirror calm lake after a Full English in the Lodge. With bright sunshine and only a light- breeze we knew it was going to be hard going. Plus; we didn’t know what mode the pike would be in pre or post spawning? Local guide John Horsey told us he had seen some big fish but that they were proving fickle following the fly and then turning away.
The mighty Chew holds a certain fascination as the next cast can always bring the fish of dreams.
We drifted the water extensively that day. Twenty pound plus pike followed our flies; glimpses in the clear water that failed to connect.
We took a short break from the piking to have rest and tempt a trout on a buzzer.
But with huge pike to target I find it difficult to stop casting big flies after bigger targets.
We fished until the light faded as the sun sank below the hills. A day full of memories, we exchanged many fish tales and laid plans for future trips.
Chew is a magnet for twitchers and whilst I am no ornithologist I always enjoy hearing the birdsong and watching the many birds that haunt the lake. Grebes, swans, moorhens and coots. We caught sight of a hawk gliding over the reeds and I wasn’t sure what type it was.
We will be back later in the Spring once again.
Upper Tamar lake has been hailed as a mecca for big perch anglers. I headed there full of expectation. A couple of pots of juicy lobworms from Quay Sports a bag of raw prawns and a bucket full of ground bait mixed with mole hill soil. I had been given a tip on a productive swim and arrived at the lake shortly after 8:00am.
It was the day after Storm Noa and the wind had dropped but it was still a tad breezy and cool. Bright sunshine and a cool North West Wind. I was well wrapped up and relished the early signs of spring. It was good to see swallows and martins swooping low over the water.
The bobbins remained stubbornly static throughout the first couple of hours. Eventually I started to get a few twitchy bites on the lobworm baits. As the day drifted past I eventually caught a few tiny perch on lobworm and one on the prawn. A brown trout of around 8oz and a single roach. The fish would have thrilled me fifty years ago as a young angler but with age comes expectation.
As the light faded from another day I headed for home pondering my lack of success and looking forward to the next trip.
The South Molton and District Angling Club was established in 1970 and has 5 miles of fishing on the picturesque River Bray for wild Brown trout. The River Bray is a tributary of the River Mole, which in turn is a tributary of the River Taw. It rises in Exmoor National Park, and our fishing beats are near Brayford on the southern edge of the moor.
We have two main fishing sections:
The first beat is called the Stucley Water, which is approximately three miles long and, for the most part, there is fishing on both banks.
The second beat is the Hunter Water, where again there is fishing on both banks for approximately one mile.
Both beats are very well maintained by way of regular bank clearing sessions, annual redds count, Riverfly inspection, along with Westcountry CSI water quality monitoring. This regular programme of maintenance is conducted by club members, and all members are welcome to join in.
The river is a spate river to a degree but does not stay coloured for very long due to the high water quality coming off Exmoor and not too intensive farming in the catchment. Fishing access for the most part, is easy.
Although some restrictions apply to salmon and sea trout fishing, the sport is usually fishing for wild brown trout, on fly only.
We have a series of six, still water, competition events throughout the year, and our chairman organises sea fishing trips off the coast of North Devon.
As a club, we hold monthly meetings, in the relaxed atmosphere of a local hostelry. Fishing business is discussed and fishing tales exchanged! We also have our yearly, more formal AGM which usually includes a speaker and is followed by a meal.
In the autumn we have our annual dinner to which partners are invited.
If you are interested and would like to find out more, then please email:
I had been looking forward to Roger Furniss’s talk at the Lanacre Barn Gallery on April 5th. Situated in the heart of Exmoor a short distance from Lanacre bridge that straddles the River Barle. For two weeks the gallery has hosted an art exhibition focusing on fish and life within water. https://moorlandart.com In conjunction with this Jo Minoprio has invited various speakers to focus on and raise awareness of the tragic decline in salmon and river life.
After a drive across a mist shrouded moor our son James and I arrived at the gallery where guests were already mingling, chatting and perusing the fine fishy art on display.
Roger Furniss has been a keen angler since his childhood days and shares my own passion and fascination with fish and water. He has worked within river authority’s, the water industry and since retirement has worked tirelessly with the Westcountry Rivers Trust the Angling Trust and other bodies to protect the rivers of the Westcountry.
This evening’s talk was entitled, “ Exmoor’s Rivers – A National Treasure”. Roger delivered the talk from the heart meandering through the complexities of rivers and the life within. Drawing upon his own in depth knowledge and experience Roger painted a vivid picture of troubled waters and a desire to put their survival high on the agenda.
Exmoor’s rivers are an integral part of the Exmoor National Park with the names of many moorland towns and villages and the moor itself derived from the rivers that flow through the landscape. Lynmouth, Lynton, Brayford, Exford, Winsford, Allerford, North Molton and South Molton a few examples.
Reflecting upon his own childhood days beside rivers Roger drew upon the words of William Wordsworth. “Sweet childish days, that were as long, As twenty. “Sweet childish days, that were as long, As twenty days are now.”. Poignant words that we can all perhaps relate to as our perception of time passes as our living years tick away all too fast.
The story of rivers and the history of their protection is a fascinating tale that reflects the changing values and vagaries of our political system. In 1923 the Salmon and Freshwater fisheries Act imposed a statutory duty to protect and improve the life within the nation’s rivers.
“The Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1923 was an Act of Parliament passed by the United Kingdom Government which attempted to consolidate fishery legislation, which at the time consisted of the Salmon Fishery Act 1861 and 18 amending Acts which had been passed subsequently.”
The 1995 Environment Act set out that National Parks should conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage. Promote opportunities for understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of National Parks by the public. The Sandford principle states “ If there is a conflict between these purposes the authority shall attach greater weight to the former’. The 1995 Environment Act also updated environmental guidance with a statutory duty ‘ To Protect or Enhance the Environment…so as to promote the objective of achieving sustainable development’. This dual duty introduces Government allowance to prioritise.
The above legislation is there to protect the rivers and Environment but as with all laws they are only effective if adequately policed. In this instance the body that upholds the legislation is the Environment Agency a body that has had funding cut severely in recent years.
River’s matter to us all as they are used for water supply, drainage, Industry, Irrigation, recreation, wildlife corridors and landscape. From the perspective of nature the wildlife corridor aspect is vital in ensuring that local habitats do not become isolated.
There are many threats to the rivers of Exmoor and the UK. These include pollution, sewage, land use, abstraction, obstruction and diversion, climate change, access, non-native species, predation and taken for granted. Roger emphasised that TAKEN FOR GRANTED is the largest threat for without public pressure there is no political will to protect.
Roger gave an in depth description of each threat bringing the reality of each to life with images that illustrated each point. It is fair to say that a significant factor is the dense population of the UK. Roger drew comparisons with other less populated countries that have a greater connection with nature and of course have less pressure. For example; Canada has 3 people/ per SQ KM the UK 200 people/ per SQ KM.
The European Water Framework Directive set out ambitious targets for water quality improvements. Brexit has impacted upon this with the UK governments ambition to enshrine the legislation into UK law complex and drawn out. The Environment Agency is dual purpose with its focus politically motivated.
The picture painted is bleak but there is perhaps some room for optimism with significant efforts being made to address the issues. South West Water’s Upstream Thinking and MIRES initiatives have brought welcome funding to improve water quality with the aim of reducing the costs of water treatment. The MIRES project looks to retain water on the moors maintaining healthy flows in the rivers for longer. The charitable sector including the Westcountry Rivers Trust are undertaking and supporting various projects to protect and enhance the river. They work in partnership with the River Exe and Tributaries Association and Exmoor Rivers and Streams Group. The Exmoor National Park also play a significant role in the custodian ship of the rivers.
The beauty of a wild brown trout
The river Barle and Upper Exe are the key spawning areas for salmon. There is therefore a strong focus upon the health of these areas. The River-fly Monitoring scheme has proved a useful tool in assessing the health of the river. The results clearly indicate that the high tributaries of the Exe on Exmoor are the healthiest areas.
Gravel washing of potential redds in late summer and early Autumn is seen as a valuable operation to remove silt and loosen compacted gravel. Gravel introduction has also been undertaken in some areas where gravel depletion has occurred.
The fencing of banks to reduce diffuse pollution from cattle and selected coppicing of trees to reduce overshading and allow natural light to penetrate.
The 30 weirs on the Exe Catchment are a major issue – a salmon heading for the upper Barle has to pass over 17 of them – as does every smolt. Good evidence that delays have a lasting effect on probability of reaching target spawning site. Will get worse with climate change. Smolt losses occur at weirs – if 2% at every weir half of upper Barle smolts don’t get to sea. Many kilometres of impounded reaches useless for juvenile salmon, great for predators.
The efforts to remove and improve the migration routes for fish on the Exe are an ambitious project that will require considerable investment.
Roger emphasised the importance of the three E’s. Economics, Enforcement and Education. Education is vital in the class room, engaging in river quality investigation, river restoration with landowners and via the Exmoor Rivers and Streams group.
I spoke with Roger before his talk and expressed my concerns regarding the future for salmon and how recent talks I had attended had been increasingly depressing. Roger assured me that there would be some optimism with in his talk. This was true as there is a deep desire and conviction to do all that is possible to help nature to heal. Climate change is perhaps the greatest threat to salmon. And to mankind as a species. Some scientists have labelled this as the Anthropocene.
from anthropo, for “man,” and cene, for “new”—because human-kind has caused mass extinctions of plant and animal species, polluted the oceans and altered the atmosphere, among other lasting impacts.
This recognises the fact that mankind has become the first single species to significantly change the worlds complex eco system and climate.
Whilst climate has changed over millions of years nature has adapted to cope and thrive. In this new age where mankind has broken the natural cycles climate is changing at an unprecedented rate that salmon and other creatures cannot adapt to. Without significant intervention salmon may be extinct in the UK within 20 or 30 years.
An angler’s connection with nature is strong. Non anglers will struggle to grasp the passion that anglers like Roger and I share. Perhaps it is as simple as the fact that without salmon there will be no salmon anglers for where fins swim so do we.
Our generation have been fortunate to have enjoyed nature. As a child I played in our rivers relishing simple delights. In the years since my childhood the world’s population has more than doubled.
Our impact on nature is now significant and how we retain that vital connection without destroying it is certainly a challenge.
I expressed my view at the end of the talk that the world needs to refocus and challenge the perception that GDP is how we measure success (Gross domestic product (GDP) is the standard measure of the value added created through the production of goods and services in a country during a certain period. As such, it also measures the income earned from that production, or the total amount spent on final goods and services (less imports).
How do we put a value on the natural world that is vital to our physical and mental health?
Below is my own attempt at poetry and the demise of salmon in Westcountry Rivers during a brief passage of time.
I REMEMBER WHEN
The old guy said,
I remember when the salmon poured into the pools,
Packed like sardines you could have walked across their backs, (1983)
I remember when some anglers caught one hundred salmon in a season, (2003)
It’s been a better season we caught forty from the river last year, (2023)
I remember when there were salmon in the river, (2043)
I remember being told there were once salmon in this river, (2063)
Combe Martin SAC member Kevin Legge joined the Weston Outcasts SAC on a trip to Norway. Many thanks to Weston Outcasts for allowing me to share the entertaining account of their angling adventure. From what I can gather fishing conditions were pretty brutal at times. Despite this the warmth of friendship shines through.
Last week saw 5 of our members of Weston Outcasts SAC embark on a 10 day Norwegian adventure. Luke, Damo, Kev ‘Keth’ Legge ( Combe Martin SAC) and Matt ‘the gaff’ Dallow, all under the expert tutelage of Uncle Phytos. Also, accompanied by former member Sean ‘just my luck’ Anderson. Fishing was hard, battling freezing -15 temperatures and stiff easterly winds, however a few decent fish were caught and a few more bites missed (mainly by Gaff master Matt ).
Day 1. The team was split to maximise space on the marks which were chosen to mainly get respite from the sub zero winds. Fishing was tough, Damo, Keth and Just my luck failing to register bites, while Luke and Matt both missed Halibut runs. The only notable fish of the day was from Luke. His first cast fishing specifically for a wolf fish produced a lovely 12 Lber which took off as he was tightening down on his lead.
Day 2. Phytos, Luke and the Gaffer headed to Bodø and registered several cod to near doubles, whilst the others visited a mark a little closer to home. 2 decent bites for Damo and just my luck but both failing to connect.
Day 3. Returning to their mark from Day 1, Mr Dallow managed to tame a lively 21lb Halibut. Not to be outdone on the very next cast, Lukes ratchet screamed off and after a short battle he banked a Halibut almost exactly 1lb heavier than Matts, Mr Dallow then showed the world his expert Gaffing skills (hence the nickname).
Day 4. Sean and Phyt fished a known mark and both registered Codling. Whilst the others ventured a bit further afield. The day was fairly slow a few codling and coalies caught and a couple of small halibut for Damo. Just as the sun was setting ‘Keth’ received a timid bite but as he struck into it, he realised that he may have hooked a Kraken! A 3.5 hr battle ensued in a freezing Blizzard. Each time a metre was gained the beast took 2, eventually slipping the hook and skulking off into the deep. Hard luck mate! We also nearly lost Matt to a snow drift on the way back which saw him disappear up to his waist like the Vicar of Dibley!
Day 5 saw a communal fish for all of the lads together, which although no notable fish there was a steady stamp of smaller cod, coalies and Halibut throughout the day.
Day 6 the lads ventured to a new mark further south. Mr Dallow caught his first Haddock and Keth had a decent Plaice around the 4lb mark on his first cast and a beautiful specimen Flounder for Damo.It was looking like it could be a productive day however with the turn of the tide fishing switched off .
Day 7. The A team went on a plaice hunt, ‘ the Gaff’ was on fire plucking out 5 plaice to around the 3lb mark whilst both Luke and Phytos struggled to catch any! Elsewhere, B team missed a few runs but still no decent fish .
Day 8. Matt and Luke decided to charter one of the boats from the accommodation, the fishing was not much better, a decent coal fish pushing double figure being the catch of the day. However, they spent most of their time cruising through the Maelstrom like Crockett and Tubbs. Sean and Kev ventured to a new mark producing just one double figured codling for Kev and nothing for Sean . Phytos was paired up with Damo, feeling sorry for him over his lack of fish, he took him under his wing and put him on a 35lb Halibut. Better late than never!
Day 9 Phyt, Matt and Luke caught a few coalies, whilst the other crew missed a couple of runs.
Day 10. Last chance saloon for some, saw Dimmo, Keth and just my luck wake at the crack of dawn in order to try and salvage a decent fish before packing to come home. Keth managed a lovely 25lb Halibut right at the death. Well done mate.
All in all a cracking trip, despite the lack of fish, genuine belly laughing most of the day. It’s hard to moan really when you are surrounded by breathtaking scenery and stunning wildlife. Eagles, moose and otters being the highlights. A special thanks to Kurt Saltstraumen Brygge for great accommodation and warm hospitality. Can’t recommend the place enough. Until next year!
Lanacre Barn Gallery is situated in the heart of Exmoor a short distance from Lanacre bridge that straddles the River Barle. The gallery is hosting an exhibition focusing on fish and life within water. https://moorlandart.com
‘Fabulous Fish’ will run daily from 25thMarch – 8thApril 2023, from 11am-5pm, at Lanacre Barn Gallery in Withypool, Exmoor, TA24 7SD. It will be open to the public, admission is free, and refreshments will be available.
As part of this event a talk was held with Phillip Turnbull Fisheries Technical Officer with the Westcountry Rivers Trust. The talk entitled The River Exe – A River Full of Fish, gave a fascinating insight into the history of the river Exe and the fish that have swum within.
The River Barle at Tarr Steps
The Westcountry Rivers Trust aims to enhance and protect rivers across the region with the long term survival of fish at the heart. Phillip listed the fish that have been recorded in the Exe including migratory and non-migratory species. Migratory species include salmon, sea trout, eel, lamprey ( sea, brook and River) Allis/ twaite shad, Atlantic Sturgeon. Non migratory fish include brown trout, grayling, bull head, stone loach and minnows.
The River Barle
The salmon are of course the most iconic of these species and much of the talk focused upon salmon and their past and future. The story of salmon on the Exe is an all too familiar tale with a dramatic decline in recent decades. Salmon are believed to have been harvested from the Exe since before Roman Times. Records from 1771 tell of a catch of 1000 salmon in Exeter in one week, A river full of fish indeed!
The largest salmon recorded from the River Exe was caught in a net at the mouth of the River in 1924 and weighed 61lb 4oz. I believe a cast of the fish can still be seen in the museum at Topsham.
Migratory fish (all species) have declined globally by 76% and 93% in Europe alone. This is reflected in global Atlantic salmon populations with a steady decline since the 1970s, with an estimated 50-70% decline in the past 40-50 years. River Exe salmon are classified as ‘At Risk’ meaning we need to work together to reverse the decline.
Salmon are seen as a keystone species the proverbial ‘Canary in the mine’.
An ambitious five point plan has been implemented to reverse the decline in stocks.
Reduce exploitation – Catch and Release, Netting ban
Remove barriers to Upstream migration
Improve Water Quality
Safe Guard Flows
The present focus is to deliver bespoke fish passage improvements at all remaining weirs on the river, whether this be removal or installing site-suitable fish passes.
A similar initiative was undertaken on the River Taw and has resulted in some promising signs.
The River Barle has been identified as the prime spawning area on the Exe system and is an SSSI with good water quality and significant redd capacity.
Climate change is having a significant impact on river flows and weirs are impacted upon with times of optimum flow reduced. Salmon migration both upstream as adults and downstream as smolts is impacted upon by high and low flows. Up to 50% of smolts are thought to perish in the rivers. The slowing descent of smolts disrupts their marine feeding time, water quality is impacted by low flows and predation is increased.
The weirs can be removed or modified to incorporate fish passes. The project involves a great deal of research to determine ownership and complex negotiations to deal with abstraction licences and use. RETA ( The River Exe & Tributaries Association) Is working in partnership with Westcountry Rivers Trust, which is supported by the Environment Agency and South West Water.
The talk also highlighted many factors that can impact on salmon and river life some of which do not immediately spring to mind. The redds are vulnerable to disturbance during the winter and early spring and care should be taken when entering the river at this time. Veterinary products used to treat dogs such as Spot On are highly toxic to invertebrates living within the river. Wild swimming is also a concern with sunscreen highly toxic especially during times of low water when dilution is minimal.
AWARENESS of the river environment is key with education essential. Citizen Science can play a significant role in highlighting issues with regular monitoring of water quality a key initiative. The underfunded EA does not have the resources to carry out adequate monitoring.
The River Fly Monitoring program can also play a significant role in identifying and highlighting problems. https://www.riverflies.org
Connection with our rivers is vital in helping us to understand their delicate and unique eco systems.
Nicky Green gave a talk on the Invasive signal crayfish that are now to be found throughout much of the Exe system. These crustaceans carry a plague that kills the native white tailed crayfish. They predate heavily upon invertebrates, fish eggs, fry and lichens. They also burrow deeply into banks resulting in siltation and erosion.
The crayfish were introduced during the mid 1970’s as part of a failed food industry plan.
Many thanks to Ross Cherrington Senior Farm Advisor for the West Country Rivers Trust who agreed to write this short article highlighting the issues facing our West Country Rivers.
Recently both Paul Whitehouse’s programme “Our Troubled Rivers” and “Countryfile” have spent a lot of time focusing on the problems with nutrients and sediment entering the River Wye concentrating on the issues of intensive chicken farming within the catchment. Interestingly new intensive chicken farms have strict planning and environmental rules called the Intensive Pig and Poultry permits run under the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive IPPC. These plans are where it seems to be failing and should also include a manure management plan and be inspected every 3 years
It’s a shame that Our troubled rivers didn’t have more time to include the filmed Tamar segments, with interviews with an intensive dairy farmer, citizen scientists involved with the Sapputo Issues and a River keeper. I am sure the BBC could have had a complete programme on the Tamar instead of concentrating on a certain person of Scottish descent and his beavers. This is because in Devon and Cornwall our problems are not poultry or pig based but cattle and sediment. Muck and Mud. Too many dairy farms do not have enough slurry storage, or it’s in poor condition, and leaky. I still come across dairy farms in my job with the Westcountry Rivers Trust with No slurry storage just an old 3 stage settlement system with a dodgy pump.
There could be an easy way to service these new stores based on milk price, and tax breaks. The dairy company could offer a guaranteed 2p/litre more than base price for those farms with 5 months Silage Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil (SSAFO) regs compliant stores, with incremental payments up to that 2p limit for those getting there. It doesn’t make sense to me that its easier to get a tax break buying a new tractor but not for a new slurry store. The £3million slurry investment scheme has apparently had 8000 applicants for grants to construct a covered 6 month capacity store which if the average grant is £100,000 only allows for 30 projects.
The River Torridge fishing community gathered at the Half Moon Inn at Sheepwash for the AGM of the River Torridge Fishery Association. Pauline and I always enjoy the twice yearly coming together of the membership for the AGM in the Spring and the annual fund raising dinner at the seasons close at the end of September.
The Inn was reassuringly busy as we stepped inside the familiar bar where many members of the association were catching up on all the latest news. After half an hour of rekindling friendships and fostering new ones it was time to head the meeting room for the formal proceedings to begin.
As with many angling clubs the River Torridge Fishery Association’s officers are long standing stalwarts with Secretary and treasurer Charles Inniss and Chairman Paul Ashworth controlling the meeting with an ease born from long experience in their roles.
Thanks to Charles for the below summary:=
“Over 30 members attended the agm on Friday 24th March. The Chairman announced that for personal reasons the North Devon Fishery Protection Officer had been transferred to work nearer his family home. The EA were currently interviewing for a replacement to the vacancy. The EA proposals for the mandatory release of salmon throughout the season had been deferred for twelve months. Members were keen for the hatchery project to continue and several members offered their support. Izzy Moser gave an interesting and informative talk on the work of The Devon Wildlife Trust, particularly the pros and cons of the inevitable spread of beavers into the headwaters of the Torridge catchment. After the meeting The Half Moon provided an excellent buffet.”
I would suggest that any anglers who fish the Torridge join the association and help support sterling efforts to protect the river for future generations. Subscription is just £20 per year. For details visit their website http://www.rivertorridge.org.uk
The report from 2022 was very concerning with the drought conditions resulting in perhaps the worst salmon season in living memory. A total of 15 salmon were landed from the river all of which were returned.
Fortunately, as I write this the rivers are brimming full last summer’s drought seems long ago. However, Roadford Reservoir is still at only 62% and Colliford in Cornwall 47%. In the Spring of 2022 these reservoirs were close to 100%. It doesn’t take a genius to conclude that another drought summer would have serious consequences. There is concern that South West Water would be forced to consider abstracting from the regions rivers an act that would be devastating for the rivers eco systems. Discussion reflected upon the apparent lack of water resource planning with no significant reservoirs constructed since Roadford in 1989. A new reservoir takes many years to come into being with years of consultation, planning and construction my own estimate would be at least 25 years before a new reservoir could be completed. One has to question why with an increasing population and climate change at the top of the agenda this is not happening?
The Associations Hatchery has been an ongoing project that unites the membership. The past few seasons have seen the project stalled by COVID and issues with permissions from the EA ,largely around risk assessments and health and safety concerns. The committee are working hard to progress with significant help and expertise from within the angling community many of whom bring skills from their roles within society.
Torridge members at the Hatchery pre COVID
The decline in salmon and sea trout stocks is alarming and many feel that the hatcheries are the only hope for slowing this decline. The EA hatchery at Colliford is to be an integral part of the future plans to rear ova to swim up fry stage. This hatchery has the facilities to enable essential temperature control a major problem for salmonoids as global warming takes a hold.
It is of course essential that the habitat into which these future salmon are stocked is suitable. The Torridge faces many challenges with intensive farming resulting in pollution from sediment and nutrients and sewage discharge resulting in further issues with phosphate levels that promote algal growth.
The Torridge River Association are working closely with the Devon Wildlife Trust and the West Country Rivers Trust to seek solutions to many of the issues. Guest speaker Izzy Moser delivered an inspiring illustrated talk on projects to restore the river and the environment. These include slow the flow initiatives like leaky dams, meandering river courses, gravel introduction and creation of wild flower meadows and wetlands. The introduction of beavers was discussed with some concerns about their impact on fish migration and woodland.
There was considerable interest in Citizen Science Monitoring to flag up any pollution incidents and to assess the ongoing health of the river. River Fly Monitoring has also proven to be a valuable tool in tracking keystone species. Data gathering is essential in tracking success in any projects in our rivers.
Invasive species are an ongoing concern with signal crayfish reported from several locations along the Torridge. Any sightings should be reported to the Devon Wildlife Trust.
A good news story on the Torridge is the healthy population of wild brown trout that were caught in good numbers last season with wild fish to over 4lb caught and released. Dry fly tactics also resulted in several good sea trout. With dwindling salmon numbers many feel that the future of the rivers angling very much lies with trout fishing that I hope to promote over the coming season.
Some of the finest fishing literature is drenched in sun-kissed hedonism and fuelled by drink, drugs, sex and fighting. So what am I doing wrong?
It’s early March and, at last, I’m on a real river. It’s the moment of transition out of my close-season daydreaming. A rude awakening.
Every year this re-entry induces a psychological shock as a churning ice flow crashes into my expectations. So why, after so many years of winter prepping, is this always a surprise?
Before we go chasing fish, please come back with me to my close-season habitat. My den is a place of comfort, clutter and a friendly armchair. There are plenty of fishing books, very few of which are of the ‘how-to’ genre. Real books offer tactile pages and vicarious riverbanks.
Meet the righteous stuff of my Dreamworld: From my armchair, I can prepare for the coming season with a dabble in Hemingway’s knuckled prose, sun-kissed marlin and drunken machismo. Surely (I hope) he would have been knocked senseless by Norman “A River Runs Through It” Maclean and his brawling brother.
And, from my playlist, what exactly did Louis Armstrong mean by his summery “Gone fishin’ – I’m real gone man”? Or how about John Gierach’s story of meeting a familiar face, knowing only that it was last seen “under the Haight-Ashbury sign” in a late ‘60s summer?
For more context, I could turn to flamboyant jazz maestro, author and fishing junkie George Melly. He was truly well gone, but back then the only snow in the jazz clubs went up your nose. And let’s not forget the Great Gonzo angler-provocateur Hunter S Thompson whose sun-soaked drink and drug-crazed fishing exploits would have been fatal for most of us.
It’s heady stuff and, back in my den, I’m left wondering if self-medicating my lengthening midlife crisis counts as exuberant hedonism. On reflection, I decide probably not – but live in hope.
Many of the best fishing books live hard and fast, mixing the profound with the earthily profane. And nowhere do these two primal urges collide with more urgency than in the timeless prose and jaw-dropping life story of Negley Farson, author of Going Fishing. He was the real deal; a buccaneering, hard-drinking, hard-living, hard-fishing all-American writer who really did drink Hemingway under the table. And, whisper it quietly, isn’t Hemingway’s branding looking a bit past its sell-by date? Just sayin’.
No list could be complete without the soothing influence of Harry Plunket Greene. He was light on drink, drugs and fighting, even though he had a direct family link to Mary Quant without whom the psychedelic 60s would have been beige. His utterly charming 1924 book Where Bright Waters Meet is a page-turning delight about favourite beats, some of which I know intimately. He transports me to a time when it’s always June and the evening rise is dappled perfection.
That was then. Now I’m in northeast Scotland where, thanks to my winter book-worming, I have arrived primed to hit the water with rod loaded and dander rampant (that’s a Scottish heraldry thing).
This is the Oykel, a river I have long wanted to fish – but harsh reality is not quite the image I’ve spent the winter incubating. Spring, it isn’t. The baby rabbits, lambs, migratory birds and the damsels a-dancing are nowhere to be seen. It’s immediately clear that my cock-sure arrival is hopelessly misjudged.
The view from the hut.
Today the river is vengeful and the gillie is insanely lightly dressed. I’m wearing every layer I have because the wind, rain, hail and even the top 6 inches of the foam-flecked water are all travelling upstream. Everything is flotsam except the salmon, of whom there is no sign – and who can blame them? They’re all tucked up warm, comfortable and far out at sea.
It gets worse. I am on the right bank fishing down and the only cast that might work doesn’t. So another cack-handed Snap T variant disappears upstream, a flailing line spun from angry eels. And I’m still in mid ‘Snap’. I may remove the fly for my own safety and I’m starting to hallucinate with cold.
My face is blue, my hands are rigid and soon I’ll be the late departed and shuffling off to meet Isaac Walton. I think I see my fishing partner Charles float past, face down. Perhaps he’s a log. Whichever, I’m not going in to retrieve his corpse in this. Hopefully, he left his Winston rod on the bank. I can’t yet find the words I’ll use to tell his widow I’ve retrieved only the Winston, but I have 5 more days solo fishing to work that out – and enjoy the rod.
This, emphatically, is not the armchair fishing I have perfected over winter. What was I thinking of?
It’s not just the books that have led me astray. I’ve also followed a lackadaisical close-season training routine. I have occasionally sat in my armchair making perfect, minimalist Snake Rolls and Double Speys with, machismo alert, just my bare hands. Anyone who knows the mesmeric rhythm of Spey casting intuitively does this: Lift, roll and whoosh. Now try a Snake Roll. Always a perfect cast. We all do this boastful in the bar after fishing and in private as an angle-maniac’s onanism. Even when refined to the most compact of movements my imaginary rod loads and fires perfectly every time, if a little late in life.
It’s self-delusion of course and, worse, makes me look like an idiot in the eyes of my family. And, damn the hubris, my indoor training has now dumped me bereft of talent in the maw of a blizzard.
A break in the weather.
I retreat to the fishing hut and a mug of chicken soup, mercifully hot from the flask. Disappointingly, Charles is alive and already in here. So I won’t be getting his Winston, yet. But he hasn’t seen or caught anything either, which is good. Fishing is a brutal zero-sum game. My gain is your loss, and vice versa.
And where’s the gillie? Have we been abandoned? We wonder if a fishing party has ever been found, days later, frozen to death in a fishing hut with snow drifting into the eves. Is there any nutritional value in cork? At that moment the door opens: “Sorry lads, had to move the pickup. How’s it going?” He looks pink, smug and warm. We exchange suspicious glances.
So whose fault is it that I always arrive bankside with plans-akimbo? Why, I wail into the gale, why didn’t someone tell me? Well, I already know the answer to that and can name names. I have a rogue’s gallery of culpable bastards whose fishing worlds promise warm, cosy waters stuffed with hard-fighting fish.
So here’s the shortlist: Hunter S Thompson for dazzling my teenage years with aspirational derangement. Plunket Greene for living the dream at the expense of his marriage (no, I can’t). Farson for showing that there’s no such thing as excess provided writing, fishing and drinking all travel together. The siren Taw Fishing Club for the sexiest fishing website ever. Simon Gawesworth for making Spey casting look ridiculously easy. The Beatles for staying at a favourite hotel, The Edgewater in Seattle, and fishing from their bedroom windows. And Led Zeppelin, who went one better and had a live fish in their Edgewater suite. Although what they did with it is not entirely wholesome and their drug-fuelled orgy might still, even now, have legal repercussions. Proper rock and roll fishing. So why wasn’t I invited? All bastards.
I could go on. There are many, many more and you may have your own to add (name some; it’s cathartic). In fishing, like politics and childhood, someone else is always to blame.
Finally, I would urge you to heed my favourite definition of fishing: “Getting away from everyone for a few hours to talk about stupid things and act like you’re catching fish.”
So next year I should spend February and March warm and cosy in my den reading stupid things and acting like I’m catching fish. So: Lift, roll and whoosh – then mend and … strike!
But I won’t: How else will I get the Winston?
A print version of this essay can be found in the March edition of the excellent Fly Culture Magazine. For the online North American take, please try this: The Hatch Magazine
Tom Wade has been the owner at Anglers Heaven for ten years and is celebrating with an open day at the shop on Saturday, April 1st when there will be selected discounts of up to 25%.
We are very fortunate in North Devon to have a wide range of local tackle shops that are at the heart of the local angling community. Anglers Heaven has been operating for over twenty years and is a well established shop
located in the heart of Bideford adjacent to the Pannier Market with plenty of short stay free parking.
The shop has a wide range of Carp, Coarse and Sea Tackle with popular brands including Century, Pure Fishing, Thinking Tackle and many more. They also stock a wide range of shelf life baits, live baits and frozen baits for both fresh and saltwater anglers. Early in 2023 Tom invested in an extensive expansion of the premises providing a spacious bright space in which to browse.
In addition to fishing tackle Anglers Heaven is a registered fire arms dealer stocking an extensive range of air rifles and accessories. They also stock an extensive range of knives and clothing for Country sports and pastimes.
The shop is open six days per week. Mondays and Tuesdays 9;45am till 5.00pm Thursday 9:30 till 3:00pm Friday and Saturday 9:30 till 5:00pm.
It was the day after Storm Noa and the wind had dropped but it was still a tad breezy and cool. Bright sunshine and a cool North West Wind. I was well wrapped up and relished the early signs of spring. It was good to see swallows and martins swooping low over the water.
The River Torridge fishing community gathered at the Half Moon Inn at Sheepwash for the AGM of the River Torridge Fishery Association. Pauline and I always enjoy the twice yearly coming together of the membership for the AGM in the Spring and the annual fund raising dinner at the seasons close at the end of September.
