As Spring looms fly fishers across the South West are looking forward to a new season. Fly fishing enthusiasts are now targeting a wide range of species in addition to trout and salmon. Pike, carp, bass and grey mullet are among species now fished for using fly fishing tactics. There will be ample chance to seek advice on all of these topics at the various stalls at this year’s fly fair. There will also be plenty of Environmentally focussed associations and groups to spread awareness and increase knowledge.
Blakewell is fishing well now, with anglers bagging up on the fine winter stockfish. Such a beautiful lake. My mate had five solid rainbows on the weekend on Montana nymph. There’s buzzers hatching, too, in the milder weather.
I helped Richie sort out the rainbows last week, they’re like silver bullets! Then we came across some browns…stunning!
Bideford and District Angling Clubs annual presentation night was held at the Conservative Club where members enjoyed an evening filled with good humoured banter and a celebration of a succesful years angling.
A big well done to all the winners of 2022 who have all been recognised and celebrated at the clubs annual presentation night. Guests Wayne Thomas, Simon McCarthy, and Chris Connaughton for presented the trophies and awards.
Matt Kingdon and I arrived at Wimbleball Lake for around 8:30am, misty drizzle drifted across the water and surrounding hills driven by a brisk North Westerly breeze. Wimbleball can be a bleak place in early February but the plentiful full tailed hard fighting rainbows draw anglers from across the West Country.
We headed for the picnic bank giving access to deep water; a reliable area especially early in the season when the recently stocked rainbows tend to shoal up. It was good to wade out into the cool clear waters of this vast lake and put a line out across the water. I had tied a small black Wooley bugger on the point with a small black and green nymph on a dropper, this was presented with an intermediate line. These tactics were the same I had used from the boat a couple of weeks ago with good effect. On each cast I paused for a few moments allowing the flies to sink before commencing a slow erratic retrieve. I often use the analogy of playing with a kitten when describing how to tempt a trout. The movement imparted into the flies or lure can trigger a take as can the pause. Each cast is made with thought, searching the depths and aiming to stimulate a reaction.
I watched Matt to my left employing a speedier retrieve that I thought was more akin to his competitive angling spirit.
Matt Kingdon searchs the water
After a few minutes my line zipped delightfully tight as a rainbow seized the lure erupting from the water in a flurry of spray. Over the next couple of hours another five trout were caught and despatched. All hard fighting full tailed fish between 1lb 12oz and 2lb 8oz. Matt also banked a couple of pleasing rainbows.
Matt in action with a full tailed Wimbleball rainbow
Matts first fish of the day
The relentless brisk cold wind and light rain was not pleasant so despite being where the fish were we decided to move to a more sheltered bank. With the wind at our backs casting was easier and the fishing more pleasant, there is often a balance to be had when deciding where to fish. The whole thing is after all about enjoyment so whilst catching is important its not always vital to catch as many as possible. Unless of course it’s a competition!
We resumed our quest searching the water in various locations and catching trout in each area we searched. Matt worked hard changing flies and tactics earning himself a full bag of five trout by the time we were ready to head for home shortly after 3.00pm. I soldiered on with the same tactics and caught and released a further three trout ending the day with eight trout. A great days’ trout fishing on a dark dank February day.
A perfect February rainbow
As we packed away we plotted to return on those warmer spring days when the fish would rise freely and a floating line would stretch out on a lake riffled by a gentle breeze. Despite the chill air there were signs of spring all around with frogspawn in the shallows and birdsong drifting in the air. Snowdrops were abundant on the roadsides with daffodils budding in every moorland village along the route.
I joined fifteen members of South Molton and District Angling Club at the Coaching Inn South Molton for their AGM. As always the event ran smoothly thanks to the sterling work undertaken by the club’s officers. Club Chairman Eddie Rands and Secretary/Treasurer Roger Bray gave their reports to the membership reflecting upon a year plagued by low water levels. The environment and river health were top of the agenda throughout with grave concerns regarding pollution from agriculture and South West Waters numerous sewage treatment works.
South Molton Club is a small friendly club that welcomes new members at a very reasonable cost offering superb wild brown trout fishing on five miles of the river Bray. The club also organise forays to the coast with both boat and shore fishing events.
https://www.southmoltonanglingclub.co.uk
(Below) The cup winners for 2022.
From left to right
Richard Power 30lb tope, Wayne Thomas bass just under 10lb,Steve Bendle 5lb rainbow and Steve Edmonds 7lb pollack.
After the meeting I was priveleged to deliver a talk on my fishing and the variuos paths it has taken me on.
Grayling are scarce in Devon with the River Exe and a few of its tributaries the only stronghold for these ladies of the stream. When I saw that well known South West Angler John Deprieelle had acquired a stretch of fishing on the Exe near Tiverton I was keen to try for the grayling that resided within the fishery.
See below link to video of the fishery produced by John Deprieelle.
Trotting a float down a river seemed the ideal opportunity to catch up with my good friend Martin Turner so on a cold and frosty morning Martin and I both full of cold set off for a stretch of river below Tiverton. Thick mist lay in the river valleys as we travelled to Tiverton stopping off at Wetherspoon’s for full English and a couple of coffees. This was no intensely serious fishing trip just two mates catching up putting the world to rights and hopefully catching a rare Devon grayling.
The fishery consists of around a third of a mile of river much of it difficult to access with steep wooded banks that added a sense of mystery and wildness I had not expected so close to the town. It is always exciting and perhaps slightly daunting to visit a fishery for the first time. John had described a salmon pool in the centre of the stretch that had a deep run that produced grayling on a regular basis.
We scrambled down the bank having located a well-worn fisherman’s path. This was no manicured fishing location but the river and the deep pool looked promising. We fired a few maggots to the head of the pool and set up our trotting tackles. Both of us had elected to use centre pins, mine an ancient Grice and Young Avon Royal Supreme. I paired this with a15ft Dr Redfin roach rod.https://cotswoldrods.co.uk/product/dr-redfin-15ft-float-rod/
I threaded a crimson topped grayling float onto the line, Martin set up with a more streamlined stick float. I waded out onto the rocks at the head of the pool whilst Martin fished from the rocks at the base of the bank. A steady trickle of maggots were introduced and we searched the deep water trotting maggots beneath floats that we struggled to see as the bright sunlight beamed through the trees.
After ten minutes or so my float dipped delightfully and the rod pulsed in my hands. A grayling of perhaps 8oz was guided into the net. Ten minutes later Martin’s float sank and he too enjoyed the plunging of a grayling as it used its large dorsal fin to sail to and FRO in the strong current. The grayling was probably close to a pound and crowned the day a success as we had both caught our target species a rare Devon grayling.
We fished on savouring the delights of trotting a float as dippers flitted past and warm winter sunshine shone into the swirling clear waters of the Exe. From time to time, we managed to tangle our lines as we fished a swim that was really only suitable for one; a good job we are good friends.
We missed a few bites but eventually decided to move on after a couple of hours. We moved to a faster shallower stretch in the Open fields where we could explore a few new swims. I hooked an out of season brownie of around 12oz and lost a reasonable fish hooked at the end of a long trot.
The sun slowly sank beneath the hills and a chill air descended upon the valley. Expectation had drained away and we were both content with our day having caught our target fish. We viewed a spectacular sky decorated in red and golden hues as we headed for home plotting further forays to waters both old and new.
A full English at the George Inn at Brompton Regis with fellow fly fishers was the perfect way to prepare for a day afloat on Wimbleball on February 2nd, day 2 of the 2023 season. We talked of tactics, trout fishers, trout flies and the complexities of modern society before heading to the lake full of expectation.
News from Opening day gave confidence that the fish would be likely to oblige with some anglers catching over twenty trout.
Wimbleball Report – Opening day Report
What a start to our 2023 season… Beautiful start to the day, bit of a shame about the fresh cold westerly breeze, but some fantastic fishing was had with over 30 anglers fishing the opening day, & some great pics from the first couple of days will be posted over the next few days… Tactics included intermediate or sink tip line, small black flies & black & green lures seemed the top takers… Some great returns & some struggled while watching others next to them pulling them in, a few noteworthy catches included James March with 25 fish, Clive Blacker 19 fish, Phil Giles 18 fish, Don Mansell 16 fish, Richard Earnshaw 15 fish, with many others in the 5 to 14 fish bracket, best fish weighed was just over 4lb, many reporting fish in the 3 to 4lb bracket… Happy days & thank you for your support!
I was sharing a boat with Snowbee ambassador Jeff Pearce an option that would allow us to explore a large area of water without having to wade out into the chill waters of late winter. Early season fishing at Wimbleball is often as good or better from the bank providing the shoals of fish can be located.
It was great to be back out on this vast expanse of water nestled within Exmoor’s undulating landscape. Trees towered stark and bare around the lake that was now brim full with water following a wet winter. The last time I had visited the lake was desperately low following the severe drought of 2022 when the reservoir had dropped to around 20% resulting in a premature end to the trout fishing season.
The summer of 2022
The 2022 drought and heatwave proved extremely challenging for fish farming across the UK and will inevitably create issues for the coming season across the country. Anglers will need to accept moderate increases in permit prices and a shortage of big stock fish. It is to be hoped that 2023 brings a more normal summer with average rainfall.
I opted for an intermediate line with a black woolly bugger on the point and a small black and green nymph on a dropper. This followed advice from my fellow anglers at breakfast who suggested that any fly pattern would work providing it was predominantly black with a touch of green.
After a short unproductive drift into Cowmoor Bay we headed for the shallow end of the lake and dropped anchor in a sheltered bay close to an area of dense withy. Jeff and I started the process of searching the water.
It was reassuring to get into the steady motion of casting and retrieving. The line alighted upon the clear cold water and was allowed to sink for a few moments before commencing a slow figure of eight retrieve. It wasn’t long before the line pulled tight as the satisfying pull of the first trout of the season hit my dropper.
Turbo charged full tailed Wimbleball trout are amongst the hardest fighting fish in the country putting a pleasing curve into angler’s rods and ripping line through chilled fingers.
It was supposed to have been a bright day with sunny intervals but on this occasion Carol Kirkwood’s cheerful predictions on BBC Breakfast had proved over optimistic as a chill westerly wind with grey skies and occasional drizzle persisting throughout the day.
The consistent sport kept our spirits up as we savoured the start of a new season looking forward to the warmer brighter days of spring ahead. We ended the day sharing a catch of fifteen hard fighting rainbows the best estimated as close to 5lb.
I look forward to my return trip when those hard fighting rainbows will thrill again on what is widely recognised as the West Countries top Stillwater trout fishery.
At the end of the day pan fried trout with a sprinkling of Cornish Sea Salt -Lemon Pepper
The South West Fly Fair makes a welcome return to Roadford Lake on Sunday 26 February.
The fair is sponsored by Chevron Hackles and hosted by charity South West Lakes at Roadford Lake, between Launceston and Okehampton. The event is a highlight in the Westcountry’s angling calendar ahead of the new fishing season.
Doors open at 10am with a welcome from the fair’s patron and one of the country’s most respected fly-fishing gurus, Charles Jardine, at 10.15am.
Throughout the day there will be fly tying demonstrations from local and national experts, with a chance to ‘have a go’, as well as the opportunity to pick up useful tips and valuable advice.
Other activities include casting demonstrations, fly casting lessons and clinics for both newcomers to the sport and experienced anglers feeling a little rusty after the closed season.
There will be trout cooking demonstrations by Gary Champion and the opportunity to meet members of fly fishing clubs based at lakes across the South West as well as find out more about coaching and tuition available in the region.
Trade stands will be selling new and used tackle and equipment and a bar and refreshments will be available.
The event runs from 10am to 4pm and promises to be a fun and informative family day out with plenty of activities for all ages including arts and crafts.
Book in advance to avoid disappointment. Entry is £6 for adults and free for under 18s. Entry includes car parking and a raffle ticket for an all water permit worth £600. Tickets are available from www.swlakestrust.org.uk/trout-fishing
For every season ticket purchased on the day South West Lakes will fund a taster session for a new entrant to fly fishing.
For more information please contact South West Lakes on 01566 771930 or email[email protected].
Keen local angler Tony Watkin’s joined with protesters in Barnstaple to raise awareness regarding the plight of UK rivers and the horrendous discharging of sewage by water companies. I publicised this protest on North Devon Angling News and I wondered how many anglers would make the effort to attend. I personally tend to try and raise awareness via my writing using reasoned argument and feel slightly ill at ease with protest groups. The state of our rivers and the decline in Wildlife and nature across the world indicates that reasoned and rationale debate is not working. Frustration at the failings of politicians to address the system leads to ever stronger protests. It is time for all of us with a passion for nature to work together in a common cause forcing those who have the power to act now. It is time to re-evaluate how we measure progress and move away from GDP to appreciating how nature and the Environment is key to our survival as a species.
Tony Watkins reports –
Ask yourself this question would you say that almost 6 Million hours of dumping sewage into rivers on 775,704 separate occasions over just 2 years might qualify as ‘Exceptional’?Or the fact that South West Water was branded the Worst Polluters in the UK by ofwat Dec 2022. Yesterday local Catch n Release Salmon Fisherman Tony Watkins himself campaigning here https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/627440
Joined a peaceful group of over 170 protesters in Barnstaple yesterday to protest against Sewage, joined by groups The Baggy Blue tits part of the International Swimming group The Bluetit Chill Swimmers, Surfers Against Sewage, Plastic Free Devon, Xtinction Rebellion, marched from Castle Green to present a (mock)blue plaque to local MP offices Selaine Saxby (see pics).The peaceful march continued up the High Street with a joyous lively samba band to Green Lanes where various speeches were given by the groups in highlighting the Sewage Crime upon us.
A few details of the Fly Fair programme for the day with timings however this may be subject to a little change. As per last year for those looking set up the day before the main Exhibitor room and the Tying Lounge is available from 5pm – 7pm, it’s worth noting that parking may be restricted on the morning 26th morning. For anyone looking to get breakfast from the Café this will be open from 9am so please allow some additional time as it was particularly busy last yearJ
FLY FAIR SCHEDULE
Time
Event
Location
Duration
10am
Doors Open
Burrator room
10:15am
Welcome – Charles Jardine
Burrator room
10 minutes
10:25am
Gary Champion – Fly Tying
Burrator room & Onscreen
30 minutes
10:55am
Charles Jardine Casting Demonstration
Waterside area Outside
45 minutes
11.40am
Lee Hooper – Fly Tying Chevron
Burrator room & Onscreen
30 minutes
12.10pm
Q & A with Charles Jardine and the Panel
Burrator room
20 minutes
12.30pm
Cooking Demonstration with Gary Champion
Outside on Balcony
45 minutes
1:15pm
Steve Skuce – Fly Tying Grayling Bugs
Burrator room & Onscreen
30 minutes
1.45pm
Charles Jardine – Fly Tying
Burrator room & Onscreen
30 minutes
2.15pm
Rodney Wevill – Pike Fly Tying
Burrator room & Onscreen
30 minutes
3pm
Gary Champion – Casting Demonstration
Waterside area Outside
30 minutes
4pm
Charles Jardine – Raffle Draw & Closing
Burrator room
ALL DAY EVENTS
10am – 4pm
Café/Restaurant is open for food & hot drinks
Restaurant/Café
10am – 4pm
Free ‘Have a go Fly dressing’
Fly Tying Lounge
John Rumbold, Ron Wildhay & Dave Matthews
10am – 4pm
Free ‘Have a go Casting a Fly Rod’
Outside on grass
Andy Waton, John Dawson, Dave Mathews, Mike Kent, David Lynch, Harry Chance
10am – 4pm
Tip & Advice’ from Snowbee Fly Rods and Reel demonstrations
