I was saddened to learn earlier this week that Summerlands Tackle Shop at Westward Ho! is closing soon a big surprise, it seems that they have always been there. No longer will we be able to pop into Summerlands whilst visiting Westward Ho! In fact Summerlands was generally the main reason for us to visit Westward Ho!
Nick Laws founded Summerlands Tackle back in 1985 close to forty years ago and for as long as I can remember there has always been a cheery welcome from the family run business. Nick has lived in and around Westward Ho! all his life and has fished the local shore since his childhood days when he would fish the beach with his father taking home the occasional bass for his mother to cook.
Nick Laws and his father fishing for bass at Westward Ho!One of Nicks first fish a tasty bass to take home.
Summerlands became the social hub of the local angling community with anglers of all disciplines meeting to swap tales over a coffee and the occasional slice of cake. Local tackle shops are at the core of anglings social network and many a friendship and trip to the water’s edge has been forged.
The original Summerlands Tackle Shop
In recent years Nick and Louise have taken a back seat with the business their daughter Heather and her husband Simon taking the reign’s and keeping it very much in the family.
Simon McCarthy with a smoothound from a few years back.
On hearing the news that Summerlands was closing I headed down to wish the family well for the future. The quick visit soon became a couple of hours as other local anglers called into the shop chatting about the good times they had enjoyed over the years. Heather told me that she was heartened by the warmth that had been evident from the well -wishers who had called into the shop having heard the news.
I asked Heather if she had a message for customers and this is the piece she carefully prepared for the shops social media page.
“So as our family now moves on and explores new possibilities and the founders of Summerlands get their well earnt retirement. All that is for us to say is THANK YOU. It has always been about you the customer and you are the part we are saddest about leaving. The friendships we have made with customers and also within the trade we will always cherish and it has been an absolute honour to serve you and work with you over the last four decades. We hope to see you to say goodbye and celebrate our final chapter with you as we close the book on the best fishing tackle shop adventure ever. Tight lines always we will miss you the Summerlands Tackle family over and out.”
Many local anglers are featured on the shops photo gallery bringing back many happy memories. Heather welcomes anglers to come and collect their photos from the gallery.
Much has changed in the world of angling and beyond in the past forty years and we reflected upon this as we chatted. Nick reminisced fondly about fishing forays to Ireland where he had enjoyed fishing those famous surf beaches for bass. The tackle of the day was very basic in comparison to many of the state of the art rods sold in Summerlands over the past decades.
Nick holds a fishing rod and reel from his formative years as a life long angler.
Over the coming weeks starting on Saturday 31st August there will be an EVERTHING MUST GO SALE.
On a personal note I wish all those at Summerlands the best for the future and would like to thank them for their support with North Devon Angling News since 2016. The closing of Summerlands will leave a void in the local angling scene but we are fortunate that we have several excellent tackle shops across North Devon.
Renewables deliver the cheapest electricity in history. So follow the profits …
If you want to burn money, then investing in a company that’s about to be wiped out by a new technology is a good way to go. History is littered with the wreckage of complacent has-beens mugged by progress. Stranded Assets.
So does this ever happen to countries? Could there be some budding technology, so ignored or sneered at that the threat is overlooked by the masses and their political leaders. Until, suddenly, it blindsides them?
Well, how about renewable energy? Populist opinion says it’s expensive, annoying and tastes like cardboard. And if Donald Trump wins then the fanboys expect to Dig baby, dig and Burn baby, burn. American coal, oil and gas are cheap, right? And a nation that runs on cheaper energy becomes richer than its neighbours. To the winner, the spoils.
The catch in this is that on-shore wind and solar are now a lot cheaper and more profitable to build and run than fossil fuels.
According to the World Economic Forum, the price of solar electricity has fallen 90% in just 10 years, making it “the cheapest electricity in history”. Onshore wind is close behind and utility-scale battery costs have also fallen 90% in a decade (IEA). The days when renewables carried premium prices are gone and the word is spreading: There are fortunes to be made in cheap green energy.
Take Texas, where they subsidise fossil fuels and claim legislative hurdles to obstruct renewables. It’s not working:
Financial Times 2024
Forbes Magazine, not noted for its bunny-hugging, reports that soaring Texan wind and solar energy deployment cut wholesale state electricity costs by $31.5 billion between 2010-2022, with $11 billion in 2022 alone. Whoops. Officially, that’s not meant to be happening.
The Financial Times, also no bunny-hugger, smells profit: “Economics can turn even the biggest climate change sceptic into a clean energy evangelist. This is exactly what has happened in Texas.” So green money is growing political muscle while coal, oil and gas wilt.
Meanwhile, Forbes also reports a massive business opportunity: it says 99% of America’s remaining coal plants cost more to keep running than to replace with wind and solar. And that swapping in clean energy for uneconomic coal would save enough money to finance more than 150 gigawatts’ worth of electricity storage – which, it says, is roughly ten times the total US utility-scale battery capacity as of 2023.
Instead of shutting down these smokestack has-beens, their owners, backed by complicit/corrupt politicians, are investing new capital and tax-payer subsidies to keep them running. They’re increasing utility debt on uncompetitive assets and bilking their customers for the hiked costs. This lays the groundwork for financial disaster. Screwing your customers andtaxpayers on this scale is not sustainable.
Elsewhere, US consumers in states with high renewable generation pay less for their power (Republican South Dakota produced 83% of its in-state electricity from renewables in ‘22). We are witnessing a global flight of capital out of fossil fuels and into renewable energy – and it transcends party politics.
The world is changing, although a lot of people on the left and right margins still believe going green is about hugging trees, hand-wringing and chewing tofu. Forget that: Renewables are the new gold rush. Ask a capitalist. Or read the Economist.
With thanks to Jan Rosenow
Looking ahead, where does this leave major infrastructure investments like refineries, the global shipping fleet carrying oil and gas, and huge pipeline projects? Answer: up shit-creek without the proverbial. Pssst: wanna buy a used oil refinery?
And before someone says electrification needs more mining than fossil fuels; no it doesn’t. The annual hole in the ground needed to service the old energy economy is in the region of 15 billion tonnes (oil, coal & gas). The IEA predicts that by the 2040s we will need 28 to 40 million tonnes of minerals to run the renewables energy economy. On my fingers that’s a big deal. And it creates a lot of stranded mining assets, because there’s going to be a lot less mining.
So the resistance comes from the declining but still fabulously wealthy fossil fuel sector, which faces losing its shirt. Meanwhile, at the political margins, some people can’t see the $s for red mist. Neither the ideologically hard-core anti-growth greens nor their knuckle-dragging opponents in their deeply tedious woke wars (it takes two) are economically significant. So while they hurl brickbats and get lost in click-bait minutiae, the market has left them behind:
And the US is playing catch-up. In the first 6 months of the year it built 20.2 gigawatts (GW) of electricity generation capacity (US EIA), a 21 percent increase from the first half of last year. Which is not as good as it sounds.
Cumulative: 59% Solar, while coal and gas (grey/black top) are disappearing.
We started with the idea that the USA might lose its top-dog status (or worse). So if the future is cheap energy and that buys a big competitive advantage, who wins and who loses? The answer is easy: The amount of wind and solar power under construction in China is now nearly twice as much as the rest of the world combined.
China has 440 gigawatts (GW) of utility-scale renewables underway. The US has 40. As it comes online China will reap the benefits.
Source: Global Solar Power Tracker, Global Wind Power Tracker, Global Energy Monitor. Projects at or above 20MW for solar and 10MW for wind
And what of Net Zero – that red-mist-inducing 2050 target? Well, it seems safe to say that the first 90% of the journey will deliver cheaper more profitable energy to industry and consumers. Imagine saying that even 10 years ago. The last 10% is generally held to be a bigger ask, but given the amazing speed at which renewable tech is evolving would you bet against this turning out to be much easier than we thought? So we’ll get there because it’s cheaper for users and more profitable for investors.
So what price the USA? My take is that the US fossil fuel industry is already losing global market, wealth and friends. This will accelerate. So there are major geopolitical consequences to Burn Baby, Burn.
The winners will be the Chinese and the countries (and companies) leading the charge into renewables as their costs continue to plummet. A nation or company that runs on cheap energy has a competitive advantage over its competitors that don’t. And it just so happens that the cheapest energy is renewable. So follow the money. There’s still plenty to do, not least the grid, but the direction of travel is set and accelerating.
Renewables are too profitable to fail. And what’s not to like about that?
How’s your country doing?
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We have had a long period with no communication as a result of technical problems with our website. The problem has finally been resolved. Richard Nickell gripped it and commissioned a new website with a new address: www.rtfca.co.uk:. This modernised, cleaner, sharper website has been launched to allow us to communicate again. I would like to thank Richard and our web designer Elizabeth Walsh (www.elizabeth-walsh.co.uk), who collaborated so effectively. Liz will hopefully boss us into more regular communications.
Click on image below for website :-
Landscape Recovery Scheme – Thoughts
We are working on the idea presented at the AGM and, steadily in the background, on a thoughts document. Ian Blewett’s continuing involvement in the North Devon Catchment Partnership helps us stay engaged with other stakeholders. Landscape Recovery projects require an energetic and enthusiastic farmer as a starting point; one has emerged. Large acreages need to be signed up to enable funding to be applied for. This appears to be happening. We are in discussions with the right partners to keep this ambitious and long-term opportunity in our sights. An overview of the Landscape Recovery Scheme is shown as an addendum to this letter.
Our river has many critical Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species, from our salmon and sea trout through to freshwater pearl mussels as well as increasing numbers of rarer species like shad and otters. There will be more and for those with time on their hands, do look at https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/uk-bap-priority-species/and see if you can identify all the species we host in, on and above our catchment’s rivers. As regards UK fish species, it is likely we have 7 of the15 listed. These BAP species add weight to our application.
Sewage Treatment Works (STWs)
Alex Gibson has been waging war on South West Water because of the inadequate STW system in our catchment which is in part responsible for our water quality problems. We all know that the expansion of our towns and villages town puts additional pressure on already inadequate \\\\|\|||||AASTWs. Alex continues to harass SWW ,trying to hold them to account and pressurise them into cleaning up their act. South Molton and Chittlehamholt STWs appear to be the most problematic STWs at the moment, but there are shortcomings all across the Taw catchment which contains about 35 STWs. All these outflow into the Taw and its tributaries. Alex is putting together a table to show the sewage discharges in our catchment. This will be put on the website when finished. To see how the STW in your area has been performing go to The Rivers Trust website –
As referred to earlier, shad are returning to our river and are useful as a lever to acquire funding and bring pressure to bear on improving the water quality in our river. You cannot legally target this rare species when you fish, but if you do by chance catch a shad please return it to the river as quickly as possible. If you keep catching them, I suggest you fish elsewhere on your beat. They won’t be there for long. Please report their presence and recover any dead shad you find for post mortem analysis as we need to prove they are spawning and demonstrate which species we have. We are confident we have the Allis shad; we may have Twaite shad as well.
Addendum
Landscape Recovery Scheme – Overview
There are 4 main distinguishing features of the Landscape Recovery Scheme:
Large scale projects: the scheme is designed to deliver outcomes that require collaborative action across a big area, such as restoring ecological or hydrological function across a landscape.
Long-term public funding (for example for 20years or longer); the scheme will support outcomes that take a long time to deliver, such as peatland restoration, woodland management or habitat restoration.
Bespoke agreements: the scheme can fund activities that contribute to priority outcomes but are specific to the locality and so difficult to facilitate through other schemes.
Blended funding: the features above and the provision of development funding should enable projects to attract private investment
Landscape Recovery projects will be selected in rounds, which will involve a competitive application process.
Generally a very warm and humid month, with water temperatures rising; this has meant that many fish have often sought the deeper, cooler parts of the reservoirs, and while some fish have continued to rise to the surface to feed, deeper fished flies on sinking lines often proved more successful.
Fishing:
Kennick – A more challenging month at Kennick, and anglers have had to vary tactics according to conditions, with both sinking lines fished with lure patterns (Blobs, Black Boobies and Woolly Buggers), and floating lines fishing either dry patterns (Dry Sedges, foam beetles) or nymph patterns (Damsels, Diawl Bachs and Montanas) catching fish, mainly using a slow retrieve. Smithacott Bank, Poplar Bay, Clampitts and The Lawns all produced fish for bank anglers, while boat anglers managed to pick up fish in the deeper central water. Alex Venn (from Willand) enjoyed a great float-tubing session while fishing from early morning through to mid-day – he caught seven rainbows on sunk patterns using a Di3 line while fishing between the dam and Oak Tree Point. Levels are now down to 75% full.
Siblyback – The catch rate fell this month with the hotter conditions, and anglers averaged just over a fish per visit. The most productive locations included Stocky Bay, Crylla Bay, Two Meadows and The North Shore, with most fish being caught on floating lines, using either dry patterns (Claret Hoppers, Bob’s Bits, foam Beetles and Hawthorns) or sunk patterns (Damsels, Montanas, Buzzers, or Orange Blobs and Lures). Ben Lang (from Launceston) caught three browns up to sixteen inches, using a Soldier Palmer variant fished from the bank at Crylla. Levels are now around 70% full.
Burrator – Intermediate, Floating and Sinking lines all caught fish at Burrator, with most fish being caught in the top eight feet of water, usually with a slow or medium retrieve. Longstone, Sheepstor and Back Bay produced the best fishing, although nowhere was easy. Anglers managed to catch some fish on dry patterns (Sedgehog, Bob’s Bits, Crane Fly), but most were caught on Nymphs (Damsels, Buzzers, Hares Ears) or Lures (Goldhead Fritz). The water level is now 65% full.
Stithians – The catch rate at Stithians fell to less than one trout per visit, with Sluice Bank, Hollis, Pipe Bay, Mossopps and Goonlaze proving to be the most likely locations to catch. The fish were still looking up to feed, and so floating lines with surface patterns (Griffiths Gnat, Daddy Longlegs, Bob’s Bits, Beetles and Sedge patterns) or nymphs fished just below the surface produced the best results. Levels are down to 65% full.
Fernworthy – Tough fishing in August, improving to two fish per visit toward the end of the month. Fish were spread out around the lake, with Permit Hut Bank, South Bank, Lowton Bay and the picnic area producing the best sport. There were plenty of midge hatches, which meant that fish were looking up to feed, and so were caught on Bristol Hoppers, Black Gnats, Hawthorns, Sedges and beetle patterns; otherwise subsurface Invictas, Cormorants and Zulus all caught fish. Patrick Murphey (from Plymouth) managed to catch three browns in one session, missing a good half dozen other snatches at his fly – there were the occasional violent rises throughout the day, but these were probably fish trying to grab mating damselflies.
Colliford – Here the excellent sport enjoyed by anglers earlier in the season continued, with anglers averaging four fish per visit (up to 6.7 in one week). Floating lines proved to be order of the day, with fish being caught on the surface (Hoppers, Sedges, Beetles and CDC Emergergers) or just below (Hares Ear, Diawl Back, Bibio, Soldier Palmer, Pheasant Tail, Black and Peacock and Invicta), with fish well spread out around the lake (Middle Car Park, Redhill and the deeper water by the dam all produced good sport). Ben Garnett (from Kenn) caught nine browns, all on various Hoppers, fishing the bank between the Spillway and Redhill Point.
Roadford – Shop Bank produced the best and most consistent sport, with fish rising to Daddy Longlegs and Hoppers fished on a floating line and long leader, or taking Goldhead nymphs just below the surface.
Please see the Trust’s website (www.swlakestrust.org.uk/trout-fishing) for more information on buying tickets, boat availability and booking, and forthcoming events. The Trust, in conjunction with Fluff Chuckers, will be running a Brown Trout Masters competition this season, to be held over three dates at Colliford, Fernworthy and Roadford – please see the website for more information.
Birthdays inevitably come around each year reminding of our progress on life’s journey a time to celebrate life, to reflect and perhaps to recalibrate.
A fine present that oozes quality, craftsmanship with the pleasing fragrance of real leather.
Inspired in part by the belt what better way to spend a birthday than with my wife beside a river that teams with wild trout and the occasional grayling?
Late August is a pleasing time to visit Exmoor with its heather clad rolling hills interspersed with yellow gorse. The roadsides decorated with bright loosestrife in shades of pink. The trees are starting to take on early hues of the coming Autumn, seasons on Exmoor seem to arrive earlier and later than in the lower lands.
We arrived in Dulverton late morning, grabbed a pasty and sausage roll from the deli to enjoy at the water’s edge later. We visited Rothwell and Dunworth bookshop to check out the fishing books of which there are always a good selection. A good old fashioned traditional second hand antiquarian bookshop that it is easy to spend half an hour or so browsing in, so much more aesthetically pleasing than scrolling through the clinically sterile internet. Having been tempted in the bookshop we headed to Lance Nicholson’s to see what beats were available on the https://dulvertonanglingassociation.org.uk/general.php Beats. The Beat I wanted to explore was Old Woman’s the associations latest acquisition and to my delight James told me it was free and promptly wrote my name in the book.
There is always something special about exploring a new water and Old Woman’s Beat oozed a timeless aura from the moment we left the car and strolled into the lush green field that borders the river.
A herd of Friesen cows were grazing at the far end of the field. Old farmhouses were nestled a distance away in the valley, Oak woodland bordered the river with dense oak woods further down the valley.
The River Exe flowed between ancient oaks, at low summer level now peaceful and serene. Swallows swooped over the summer landscape, sunshine broke through the high white cloud and a strong breeze ruffled the leaves that had now taken on the deep darker green of late summer.
We arrived at Old Woman’s Pool and hut half way down the beat. A picnic table providing a pleasing spot to take our lunch as we savoured the timeless scene. Fishing Huts are undoubtedly places that absorb angling history as anglers from generations pause to take a lunch and debate the issues of the day.
We scrambled down the bank to the rocky foreshore where I threaded the line through the rings of my 7ft Snowbee Classic. I had purchased a couple of deer hair dry flies in Lance Nicholson’s after asking advice on what fly pattern to try. Pauline gave me sound advice and suggested I sit a while and watch the water as she had spied a couple of fish rising in the pool above.
A kingfisher flashed downstream a streak of iridescent blue that always inspires. Large dragonflies hovered above the water and a wagtail paused upon a rock on the far side of the river. It was indeed good to pause before casting in haste savouring the ambience and scenery of the river.
I waded carefully into the shallows and worked my way slowly up the pool flicking the bushy dry fly into likely looking spots as I tried to read the water.
I didn’t really expect to catch in the smooth water as I have always found the fish easier to tempt in faster riffled water with plenty of oxygen especially during the days of low summer flows and higher water temperatures.
After exploring Old Woman’s pool with the dry I decided to head down river and fish back up exploring the faster deeper water with a New Zealand style set up. After fishing a couple of likely runs to no avail I removed the bushy indicator fly and tied on a heavy nymph.
I plopped this upstream allowing the heavy tungsten nymph to search deep down in fast dark water. The lines tip paused as I followed the progress and I lifted to feel that thrilling life transmitted through the line. A beautiful wild Exe brown trout was admired before releasing back into the cool water.
I fished on and hooked a bigger trout in the next pool. The fish darted to and fro causing a few moments of anxiety as it momentarily became snared in some weed. Gentle pressure brought it free and I slipped the net under another pleasing trout of over 10”.
After lingering for a chat with Pauline who was reading the latest Exmoor Magazine at the water’s edge I returned to explore Old Woman’s pool again sending the heavy nymph into the deep dark waters.
At the head of the pool I waded carefully across the shallow shingle that runs into the pool. I noted that the shingle gives way, the water plunging into the dark mysterious depths of Old Woman’s Pool. I pondered upon the history of the pool and how it had got its name. Had those deep dark waters that offer so much life also taken life in the distant past?
I messaged James at Lance Nicholson’s later enquiring about the pools name. He told me he would seek details from Michelle Werrett who may be able to elaborate upon the legend of the old lady who was taken by the river. Several anglers have talked of a presence they have felt by the river at this spot. I can well imagine the atmosphere of the pool as the light drains from the day beneath those ancient oaks.
I plucked my copy of Michelle Werrett’s fine book Song of the Streams and opened its pages to rediscover her accounts of fishing the Old Woman’s beat. I suggest you look out a copy and enjoy her evocative and descriptive prose.
I fished a few runs and pools upstream reverting to the new Zealand set up. With no further takes and no fish showing it was a good time to depart and head off in search of an evening meal to complete those birthday celebrations
I visited Wistlandpound for a short evening session coinciding with the fading light. I arrived at 7.00pm and walked to the far end of the fishery intending to search the East Bank working my way slowly back to a promontory that has produced regularly for me in the past.
I was surprised how much lower the lake was since my last visit at the end of July. The benefit of low water levels is that there is far more bank space to fish with withy growth that restricts access when the reservoir is full left well behind on the foreshore.
I tied on a black spider and a Zulu and commenced my exploration. A few fish were rising with small rudd dimpling the surface close to the bank. There was plenty of weed growth in the margins but this caused no problem as it was easy to reach deeper water where I hoped the fish would be feeding.
The first hour brought two 8″ wild browns that gave a spirited account on the light tackle.
As the light faded I decided on a change of tactics upgrading the leader to 7.5lb b.s and tying on a black lure. I cast this and commenced a speedy retrieve hoping to connect with one of the venues larger predatory browns that undoubtedly have the potential to grow large on the abundance of rudd fry.
Three browns of around 8″ came over the next half an hour as the light drained from the day. Several fish were missed as they boiled at the fly chasing it in the ripples. This was exciting fishing with each cast bringing expectation. A savage pull and a flurry of spray resulted in the best fish of the session a fin perfect brown trout of around 1lb.
I fished on for another ten minutes but with no further takes and the light going I headed for home. The short session had resulted in half a dozen wild brown trout highlighting the healthy level of fish present. Wistlandpound is undoubtedly an overlooked gem that seldom receives the attention it deserves.
New date arranged for our Trevor Telling Memorial Fishing Competition…
Wimbleball Lake, Sunday the 8th September 2024…
2 Fishing competitions in 1, from the boat and the bank, trophy & prizes for each.
Normal price for fishing plus £5 donation to charity.
The charities being supported are the South West Fishing for Life and the Exeter Hospicecare team.
For those that knew Trevor, and for those that didn’t, we are holding this match to commemorate a man who simply loved all fishing but especially fly fishing. His local knowledge of Wimbleball, Trout feeding habits and what flies and line to use and when, were readily shared with fellow anglers, he was much respected and a “one of a kind”.
The day will start with registration at the gazebo by the boat ramp between 8:00 and 9:00. The Fishing Competition will start from 9:30 with a weigh in at the end to be determined.
Entries on the day can be paid either by cash or cheque, boats should be booked in advance as normal, bank fishers can book online or turn up on the day & pay in the hut.
Some of Trevor’s “recommended” and favourite flies will be on sale on the day, all monies raised will also go to the charities.
2 shields are awarded, one for boat fishing and one for bank fishing. The winner keeps the shield for the year and is asked to ensure it is returned ready for the competition next year.
Karen, Charlotte, Matthew and Arthur thank you for supporting these 2 charities which meant so much to them during Trevor’s illness and hospice care and Trevor of course supported the South West fishing for life charity, teaching ladies to cast and enjoy the peace and tranquility of fishing after their own personal experiences of cancer.
Please share and get as many anglers who knew Trevor to come along, enjoy a fish and pay their respects…
We were wandering around the Exford Show Last year when I came acrossBorder Country Beltswho produce high quality leather belts with unique brass buckles portraying aspects of country Life.
Chatting with Henry the stall holder I said it would be good if there was a fish emblem with perhaps a trout or salmon. I thought that there would be a place in the market for this and hopefully sowed a seed. Twelve months on and Border Belts are producing a limited number of brown trout inspired belts. The Exmoor wildbrown trout belts are hand stitched using oak bark tanned leather.
The buckles are always created as pairs – one is “heavy” with the design inset and the other is “light” with the design raised – this corresponds to a difference in weight, but not that you’d notice when wearing them. The buckles are cast in bronze – we have done a test casting, six of each to start with to see how they go. We will be doing an edition of 25 each in the autumn so they will be ready for Christmas. The belts are handstitched and available both in standard – small (24″-30″), medium (30″-36″) and large (36″-42″) and made-to-measure. Both options are the same price £160 (including delivery). We offer 10% off if you follow us on Instagram and they are normally 20% off at shows – such as the Mid Devon. Thanks for your interest in the belts – hope the fishing community approve!
It’s no secret that our piscatorial triumphs sound so much better in the telling if the heroic angler out-wits a wily foe. So we embellish our trout with fishy superpowers like intelligence and emotional guile. Even when we lose them, we’re never beaten by a run-of-the-mill fish: It was ‘big, arrogant and knew exactly what it was doing!’
I suspect it’s mostly male vanity that needs to prove its mettle in combat with a 12” fish, although with time most of us learn there isn’t a trout physically mighty enough for victory to transform us into warrior princes or princesses. So we also need clever fish to make us look good. Size isn’t everything. Is it?
And yet. Type “Think Like a Trout” into your search engine and admire the flood of results. They all agree: To catch a trout, we must first know its thoughts and so anticipate its deeds. In the telling of this eternal and epic struggle, we humans are always one step behind the fish. Trout, we are told, can outwit us.
This warning is intended to open our wallets because, back in the human world, Trout-Thinking sells. You can buy the books, subscribe to the podcasts and clickn’gift your data. It’s a thriving market that gets bigger every year. Enthusiasts dream of fluency, others monetise it and a proud few say they learnt it from a parent.
This fish-think market is distinctly weird because, at some elemental level, all these anxious, charge-card wielding anglers are worried about being out-thought by a fish. Which, I hope you agree, is a very low bar.
So what might these devious fish be capable of? The irrepressible jazz maestro and fisherman George Melly set that bar high by extending a thinking trout’s repertoire into personal harassment. He attributed “a malicious sense of humour” to a large trout that he’d lost several times over a season, effectively granting it brains, cultural sophistication and serial bitchery. It’s fair to say that a fish armed with a malicious sense of humour would have met its match in George, who had a razor-sharp wit of his own. There’s also a very old adage that advises us never to let the facts get in the way of a good story. Perhaps some seriously-minded trout-thinkers have felt persecuted by a fish, but I’m sure George wasn’t one of them.
Writer John Gierach has also made an astute observation: “The things fishermen know about trout aren’t facts but articles of faith”. I think he’s onto something.
Which, I suggest, is why Trout-Thinking is only ever found in people. Never trout.
There are many good reasons why this is a skill too far for fish. Top of the list is that trout lack the sophisticated Cerebral Cortex we use for sentient thought. So although they’re not brain-dead, they’re brain-lite. They can learn from experience (hook / bad), but no trout has ever produced anything as clever as a conscious idea, let alone one intended to outwit us.
It gets worse. Fish brains are about 7% the mass of similarly sized birds (which do have a cerebral cortex). Chicken-Thinking is, by comparison with trout, classy and sophisticated. This is all rather awkward for the trout-thinkers: If they’re struggling with a fish, they’re going to be humiliated by a chicken.
Thanks to neuroscience we know trout are hard-wired to feed reflexively, just as they do most things reflexively. So we are told they are primarily triggered to take a fly by its shape, size and position/movement in the water. They don’t think about it, they just get on with it.
Then there is the fierce competition from other fish. Survival dictates that trout eat first and ask questions later (for the trout-thinkers, that’s a metaphor). Perhaps they have a bit more reaction time in still-waters than rivers, but in both settings this urge to get there first works in our favour. We’ve all seen a fish surge a couple of meters to snatch a fly.
So if the trout are feeding freely and we’re not catching any, it’s not because they’re being capricious. Clearly, something else is going on.
This something is most likely us, the human with a rod in its hand. That and Murphy’s Law (if a thing can go wrong, it will).
Happily, we have our own super-power: We can Think Like A Human. So, we can read the river and the weather. We can choose a fly to resemble those on the water – or not, or even something stand-out different. We can consider colour, smell and sound. Or sunlight, shade, water temperature and more, all of which may set off different hard-wired feeding patterns. As can a fish’s lateral line.
Next comes by far the most important part: We must apply all our skill, knowledge and experience to put the fly in the right place on or in the water. Once there the way it moves can also seduce or repel fish. It’s not easy, perfection is unattainable and there will always be fish we can’t catch. And when we fail it’s a very lame excuse to blame a scheming trout.
We humans have opposing thumbs for casting and a huge brain-powered edge over trout. Dumbing down and projecting Trout-Think onto a fish won’t impress it, although it’s pretty good at hooking humans.
So perhaps we could stop pretending that trout see themselves as fey schemers intent on frustrating our noble designs. Heck, they don’t even know they’re fish.
The bottom line is that our ancestors emerged onto land about 400 million years ago and fish have a lot of catching up to do. And so do some people.
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The weather has been warm and humid, and, in spite of some rain, the water levels have now started to drop; water temperatures have remained cool enough generally for fish to keep active. There has been plenty of insect activity and the fish have continued to feed keenly, both on the surface and below.
Fishing:
Kennick – Rods averaged around 1.5 fish per angler, with fish well spread out around the fishery; bank anglers enjoyed slightly more success than the boats, with Clampitts Bay, The Narrows and Poplar Bay fishing particularly well. Floating lines with a long leader with a variety of retrieval methods proved the most successful, with Claret Hoppers, Sedge patterns and Beetles catching surface feeding fish, and either nymph patterns (Damsel, Hares Ear, Diawl Bach and Buzzers) or lures (Viva, Cats Whisker, Tadpoles and Muddlers) catching the deeper feeders.
Siblyback – Here anglers are enjoying some quality sport, averaging 4.3 fish per visit. Stocky Bay, Two Meadows, Crylla and the West Bank are producing the most consistent fishing and best results, using either floating or intermediate lines. Fish have generally tended to be just under the surface, rising to feed on beetles and hatching midges (when CDC buzzers, Hawthorns, Bobs Bits, Hoppers and Beetle imitations have worked particularly well). Deeper feeding fish have taken Damsels, Buzzers, Diawl Bachs or lures (such as Orange Blobs, Vivas, and Tadpoles), all with a slow retrieve. Al Lawson (from Plymouth) caught five rainbows to 2lb, with fish hitting both the buzzers, fished washing-line style, or taking the Claret Hopper on the point.
Burrator – The fishing here has become more challenging as the month progressed, with a few fish rising (when Claret Hoppers have worked well), but most fish have stayed to feed in the deeper water. Floating, Sink-tip, Intermediate and sinking lines have all caught fish, with a slow retrieve producing the best results. Sub-surface feeding fish have taken Montanas, Damsels, Buzzers and Hares Ear patterns, with Back Bay, Longstone, Bennett’s Lawn and Pig Trough all holding fish.
Stithians – Continued to fish well, with plenty of fish looking to the surface and eager to feed. Floating lines with a very slow retrieve produced some excellent sport, with a variety of dry patterns (Beetles, Daddies, Adams, Sedge patterns, Hoppers, Bobs Bits and Hawthorns) all catching well; otherwise, Diawl Bachs, Buzzers and Black and Peacock Spiders fished just below the surface caught the deeper feeders. Popular locations included Yellowort, Golden Lion Point, North Bank, Pub Bay, Goonlaze and Pipe Bay. Simon Peters (from Cusgarne) managed to catch eight rainbows, one blue and one brown trout in one session – starting early in the morning (5.30am), and fishing along Sailing Club Bank using Dry Foam Beetles, to finish by 8am.
Fernworthy – The sport picked up at Fernworthy as the month progressed, when anglers averaged just under three fish per visit. Generally fish were well spread out around the lake, although Thornworthy, Brownhills and Permit Hut Bank produced the most consistent fishing. Sporadic hatches of small black buzzers brought fish to feed on the surface, when they could be caught using Black Gnats and Hoppers; otherwise shallow-fished Pheasant Tail Nymphs, Black and Peacock Spiders, Invictas, Bloody Butchers and Damsel nymphs all produced some great sport.
Colliford – The excellent sport continued at Colliford, with anglers averaging just over five fish per visit; most of the banks held fish, with Lords Waste, Spillway, Pines and the Dam Car Park Bank producing particularly consistent sport. With plenty of insect hatches (midge and sedge) as well as beetles blown onto the water, the Colliford browns proved eager surface feeders, either taking dry patterns (Bibio Hoppers, Beetles, Hawthorns and Sedges), or nymphs and wets fished in the top two feet of water (Diawl Bachs, Black and Peacock Spiders and Orange Pheasant Tail nymphs in particular). Generally floating lines and long leader and a slow retrieve proved to be the best method. Mark Lambert (from Hitchin) caught twenty fish, all on dries, keeping on the move to cover as much bank as possible.
Roadford – Anglers averaged 3.7 fish, with the banks at Anglers Car Park and Wortha proving to be the best locations. Few rising fish meant that sub-surface patterns fished on floating lines produced the best results. Popular patterns included Cormorants, Iron Dun, Damsels and Bibios. Duncan Kier (from Belstone) caught eight browns to 1lb 8oz in a session, while Alan Judd (from Seaton) caught eight browns to 1lb fishing from a boat, using a variety of sunk patterns on a floating line.
Please see the Trust’s website (www.swlakestrust.org.uk/trout-fishing) for more information on buying tickets, boat availability and booking, and forthcoming events. The Trust will be offering beginners’ taster days at Roadford, Burrator, Stithians, and Kennick throughout the season, assisted by local experienced guides and instructors. The Trust, in conjunction with Fluff Chuckers, will be running a Brown Trout Masters competition this season, to be held over three dates at Colliford, Fernworthy, and Roadford – please see the website for more information.
Chris Hall (July 2024)
Wistlandpound
Wistlandpound in North Devon often gets overlooked which is a great shame as it is a delightful fishery with some hidden gems. Derek Spears sent me this image of a superb wild brown trout he tempted during a short evening session.(Estimated at 2lb 8oz to 3lb ) I met Derek whilst enjoying a short session there myself.
It was a murky overcast evening with occasional drizzle. The loosestrife was glistening with water droplets as I navigated the lush colourful perimeter path. Arriving at the water’s edge it was immediately apparent that there was plenty of fishable bank space now that the water level has dropped.
I set up with a black spider on the point and a black pennel on the dropper. Second cast I hooked a beautiful crimson spotted brown of perhaps 10″. On the next cast a very good brown trout converged on the fly but I failed to connect.
I searched the area further with no further result. Moving on I looked across the lake to see another angler doing battle with what was undoubtedly a good fish. (This was Derek with the trout pictured above).
The top inlet area of the lake produced another wild trout and half a dozen bronze flanked Rudd. As the light faded I changed to a small black Wooley bugger and was delighted to catch a couple of trout topped by a hard fighting brown of over 1lb. Another much larger fish swirled behind the lure fuelling my enthusiasm for a return visit. The large numbers of rudd fry now present ensures a good food supply for the larger wild browns that lurk within the water. I feel sure that some lucky angler will hook into a surprisingly large trout before the season ends.
