The latest edition of Eat Sleep Fish always a good read.
Opening Day Chill
The salmon season opened on the Taw and Torridge today but I don’t believe many anglers braved the conditions. Chay Boggis was was one brave soul who did venture to the Taw and sent me these images.
When I saw Chay’s picture on social media I asked him if he could give me a few words and send his pictures.
Below is Chay’s report from the river where a sharp wind was blowing!
“I fished the Taw it was freezing and the river has started to freeze on the sides. I fished my fly’s slowly on a sinking line but no luck the water was gin clear and the wind was sharp!”
I didn’t make it to the Opening day celebration at the Rising Sun but will head there soon for lunch and a look at the River.
A new Salmon season on the way!
A new salmon season gets underway on Thursday March 1st. Hard to believe that winter is on its way out and in just a few weeks the first swallows and martins will be swooping low over the water. Winter is reluctant to release its grip and ice and snow is lining the river bank and it will be the hardiest of anglers who venture out. With the water temperature very low and river levels dropping the best chance of a salmon will be on the lower beats with a fly fished slow and deep.
Those wishing to celebrate the seasons start can call in for a welcome nibble and raise a glass to the new season at the traditional salmon Soiree, beer and nibbles at The Rising Sun; Umberleigh. Snow permitting of course. My guess is that an assemble of anglers will enjoy a warm fireside chat reflecting on past seasons success and renewed hopes for the coming season.
The fisher constantly is as it were in a wild garden, and this very pleasure to be found in the beauty around him he has made a part of his sport itself. It has a spirit: it is not merely the sport of taking fish.
But in England,since the time of Walton, the first thought of your true fisher is of fresh air, the glowing sunsets, the flowers and trees, the birds, and all the river loving things in furs or feathers.
On sunny mornings in some quiet valley he sees the white breasted ‘dipper’ curtsey to him from some stone ere she plunges in again to search for food upon the shallows. or the kingfisher skimming the water with his gleam of blue, or hovering, a flutter of blue and orange, over some luckless minnow. The swallow, sandmartin, water-wagtail, sandpiper are to be seen at every pool, and not seldom a great grey heron slowly and clumsily rise and flaps off at his approach
Taken from that angling Classic from over a hundred years past – LETTERS to A SALMON FISHERS SONS – 1910 – BY A. H. CHAYTOR
The above joys of angling remain unchanged that and the hope of life on the line.
The South West Fly Fair 2018
The South West Fly Fair has become a popular event in the Fly Fishers Calendar and is held on the last Saturday in February each year at Roadford Lake. The event coincides with rising excitement amongst anglers as another River Season approaches and anglers thoughts turn to spring days, daffodil lined river banks, silver salmon and feisty wild trout.
The event is hosted by South West Lakes Trust and was sponsored by Turrall Flies and Cortland. There were wide ranges of demonstrations held throughout the day including Casting, Cooking and Fly Tying. Close to 250 attended the show making it one of the biggest angling events in the West Country Game Fishers Calendar.
Indoors at the conference venue there were a wide range of displays of fishing related interests including fishing tackle, art, media and environmental interests. My wife Pauline and I managed to get a round only a short section of the many stalls as we spent time chatting with the stallholders who were all passionate about fishing and their connection with it.
Conservation Officer Mike Blackmore (Above Right) and his colleague represented the Wild Trout Trust an organisation that nurtures nature to ensure the well being of the native wild trout. The world of the wild trout is a complex one and we learned that the gene pool of the trout is extremely diverse with populations of fish showing a vast differential despite being the same species. Each river population adapts over the years to its own unique environment with variations in colour, patterns, size and even tolerance to water quality. www.wildtrout.org
(Above) Alan Riddell Rod Builder and Fly Tyer displayed his range of quality rods and quality trout and salmon flies.
Mark Underhill Fishery Manager chatted about his plans for Wimbleball Fly Fishery that is due to open on March 23rd an exciting day for West Country Fly Fishing with quality rainbows to be stocked ranging between 3lb and 6lb.
Jane and Mandi from the established Get Hooked Guide were at hand to offer advice on where to fish throughout the West Country. There excellent guides and website have been providing an A to Z of fishing venues for close to thirty years.
Pete Tyjas and Duncan from the Devon School of Fly Fishing were at hand to promote the excellent on line fishing webzine Eat Sleep Fish and offer advice on casting and fishing on the River Taw and other local rivers. On Sunday April 22nd they will be busy hosting the West Country Fly Fishing Seminar at the Fox and Hounds Country Hotel, Eggesford. Pauline and I attended this event last year and had a very enjoyable and informative day.
Other exhibitors included Fly Fishing Tackle of Crediton, British Float Tubing Association, BASC, Arundell Arms, Crayfish UK, West Country Rivers Trust/River Fly Partnership, Turral and Cortland (Show Sponsors) Robin Armstrong, Luke Bannister Split cane rods, Chevron Hackles, Weatherbys Dry Fly, Milemead Fish Farm, Torre Trout Farms, Homeleigh Angling Centre, England Commonwealth Fly Fishing Team, Crediton Fly Fishing Club and Virtual Nymph.
Below is the press release from South West Lakes Trust Just in case I missed anything.
Annual Fly Fair Attracts Over 250 People to Roadford
The sixth South West Fly Fair got the Trout fishing season off with a bang on Saturday (24 February) as fly fishermen from all over the region attended the annual show, held at Roadford Lake and hosted by South West Lakes Trust.
The show is always a great place to grab a bargain, watch some fantastic demonstrations from Trout fishing celebrities and speak to the many organisation and trade stands that attend. There was also a free fly casting and fly tying zone for anyone to have go.
The show was launched by Ben Smeeth, Head of Angling for South West Lakes Trust and then officially opened at 10.20am by Charles Jardine, one of the country’s most respected fly-fishing gurus and patron of the show.
Activities throughout the day included casting demonstrations with Charles, who gave an entertaining and impressive display with the Trout rod, and Gary Champion, a local expert who travels worldwide teaching people to fish and give demonstrations. Pete Tyjas from the Devon School of Fly Fishing also gave a great display on river fishing for all to enjoy.
More than 30 people took advantage of the free fly casting lessons and clinics for both newcomers to the sport and experienced anglers feeling a little rusty after the closed season. The Chef from the local angling hotel, the Arundell Arms, gave a fantastic demonstration on ways to prepare and cook your Trout once you have caught it with samples to taste. This was a real treat on a very cold day!
There were a variety of angling conservation organisations including The Westcountry Rivers Trust, The Wild Trout Trust and two local custom rod makers, Alan Riddell and Luke Bannister, who has built up an international following for his beautiful hand-crafted split cane rods. The British Float Tube Association (BFTA) and the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) were also on hand to provide information and advice.
South West Lakes Trust’s Trout suppliers, Milemead Fisheries and Torre Trout Farms Ltd, were on hand to talk to anglers and show a sample of the fish they could expect to catch in 2018. There were some stunning Tiger, Brown, Rainbow and Blue Trout on display for people to view. Those looking for new fishing opportunities in 2018 were able to speak to representatives from various fishing clubs throughout the region and ‘Get Hooked’ magazine who were also on hand to advise.
There was also a large selection of angling trade stands including impressive displays from the shows sponsor Cortland UK, with the opportunity to handle, try and buy this year’s latest equipment as well as an astounding selection of fur, feathers and specialist fly-tying equipment from suppliers based all over the country.
Mark Underhill of Wimbleball Fly Fishery was also on hand to inform everyone of his intentions for Wimbleball and its future as a Trout fishery now he has taken the operation on.
The 2018 Trout fishing season on the South West Lakes Trust Rainbow Trout reservoirs starts on 3 March at Siblyback, Stithians and Burrator and has already kicked off in spectacular form at Kennick reservoir. The Brown Trout season for Roadford, Fernworthy, Colliford and Wistlandpound starts on 15 March. Full details and this year’s prices are on the Trust’s website – www.swlakesfishing.co.uk.
ENDS
Issue date: 26 February 2018
For more information, please contact:
Rosie Vine
Communications Manager
South West Lakes Trust
01566 771930
Blakewell Browns
As winter inflicts its final chill trout anglers can enjoy top rate sport with Blakewell’s handsome brown trout. Some fine browns have been tempted over recent weeks and their is always the chance of one of the double figure rainbows that are regularly stocked. A trip to a still-water is an ideal way to warm up for the start of the salmon season next that commences on March 1st.
A floating line fished in conjunction with a long leader generally does the trick with a damsel nymph fished on the point or even a team of buzzers and nymphs. There are plenty of flies for sale in the well stocked tackle store along with a range of tackle from West Country Tackle company Snowbee.
South Molton & District Angling Club – Vacancies
South Molton & District Angling Clubs AGM was held on February 20th at the Coaching Inn, South Molton. A good number of members were present to listen to reports from the clubs officers. Eddie Rand’s delivered a humorous account of the clubs year focusing on the rivers health and plans for sympathetic work to be undertaken at a suitable time to both improve fishability and fish habitat.
Roger Bray stepped into the role of secretary following the resignation of Ian Binding following many years of loyal service to the club.
Ian Binding was one of the clubs founding members and has fifty years of fond memories of his years with the club. Ian told me that the club was initially formed as a sea angling club with members enjoying excursions to local venues. They often fished from local ports aboard local charter boats including the Combe Martin boats whose skippers included Mickey Irwin and George Eastman. When fishing became available on the River Bray courtesy of the Poltimore Arms they took on the fishing and have remained tenants on the water via the Stucley Estate. The rivers are primarily wild brown trout fisheries that offer fine sport for the dry fly fisher using light tackle.
The club has room for a few new members with game fishing membership allowing access to 5 miles of fishing for just £50 per year. Social membership stands at £10. The club holds monthly meetings at the Coach and Horses, regular outings to local still-water trout fisheries including Blakewell, Bratton Water and Exe Valley. There are also boat trips throughout the years from local ports. Anyone interested in joining this friendly and active club should contact Roger Bray on 01271 371506 or via email – [email protected]
Matt Kingdon gave an enlightening talk to the membership outlying his experiences of fly fishing for Team England at various venues including the renowned Chew Valley Lake. He also gave a fascinating insight into the rules, tactics and effort involved.
Following the formalities and talks Eddie Rand’s presented trophies to Rob Kingdon for his capture of a 30lb + tope on one of the clubs boat trips in 2017.
Mike Latham won the clubs Fly Fishing Trophy with a 4lb 5oz trout.
There were of coarse plenty of fishing tales exchanged throughout the evening covering all disciplines of angling. Eddie had several tales of a recent trip to Spain’s River Ebro where he caught catfish of over 40lb and a fine carp of 37lb.
2018 Pre-Season Trout Fishing Newsletter From Ben Smeeth
2018 Pre-Season Trout Fishing Newsletter
South West Lakes
2017 – A season in summary
As I reflect on last season it was a real story of two halves with a really good first half and very difficult second. The fishing at the majority of waters until the end of June was really good, some cracking fish were caught and good rod averages. From July onwards it was tough, although some waters provided some really good sport at times, particularly for Brown Trout.
We stocked Brown Trout at Kennick and Stithians instead of Rainbows in July as they are much hardier in warm waters and I hoped rod averages would be maintained while the Rainbows didn’t play ball. Plenty of Browns were caught but not as many as I had hoped. With the price of Browns being so much higher than Rainbows and Blues, I decided against this for 2018 and we will be back to stocking quality Rainbows and Blues from Milemead Fish Farm but with an increase in fish
Are times changing? Are the seasons changing? Many fisheries across the UK are struggling in the second half of the season with warm water temperatures making fishing hard. I read an article in Total Fly Fisher Magazine in 2017 which suggested seasons have changed and fishery managers would need to embrace this in the future and perhaps change season opening times and avoid stocking fish in July and August. It was real food for thought and something which has stuck with me in planning for 2018.
2018 – A season in anticipation
The season is now upon us already, it only seems like yesterday we closed for 2017. I am really looking forward to the new season and hopefully the few changes we have made will improve the fishing for all of you.
We are stocking a lot more Rainbows and Blues into Kennick. The season opened two weeks early, on 16 February for season permits and 17 February for day ticket anglers, and the first weekend of the new fishing season went really well. The weather was pretty kind to us and the water temperature of 6 degrees hasn’t put the fish off feeding. More fish arriving this Friday (23 February) from Milemead Fish Farm.
There have been some really good bags of fish caught with Phillip Watts banking 6 Rainbows for 13lbs and Mike Boston managing a full bag of 6 fish which included a 3lb 12oz specimen. Well done also to Chris Bee who caught and released the best Brown so far at 3lb 8oz. Damsels, Montanas and Tadpoles have been the most successful flies and not surprisingly nothing reported to dries just yet. Clampitts Bay and down through the narrows have been the best locations so far.
Warden Mark Baxendale and Senior Warden Kit Hancock will again be on hand to assist you at Kennick.
Stithians will also receive more Rainbows as a result of not stocking any Brownies. The fishery has been really consistent this last couple of seasons and some really good Rainbow Trout sport has given way to some great fun on the stocked and natural Brownies in the summer. Senior warden Beth Cross has been working hard during the winter with the CAST fishing club volunteers to get banks and back casting areas cleared. We have also installed some new signage to encourage dog walkers to abide by the reservoir regulations. There will be in increase in Rainbows stocked this season.
Burrator will also be having more Rainbows and our new warden Sam LeBailly has been busy bank clearing with the great help of Burrator Fly Fishers members. Sam is a qualified angling coach and will be on hand to help with any fishing enquiries at Burrator.
The wakeboard system at Siblyback is in the process of being removed and will be gone before the season starts, enabling access to Crilla Bay by bank or boat for the entire season. Siblyback stocking will be very similar to last season with some cracking Rainbows to around 6lbs and plenty of Blues. The adventures of Ron and John, our bailiffs which featured in the weekly catch reports, were great stories of ‘the one that got away’ as well as some terrific sport and experiences they had while being at the lake. Ron and John will feature again in 2018 with some top tips and information to help everyone enjoy their fishing at Siblyback. We have plans to make improvements to the permit room and introduce a signature fly which won’t fail to catch at Siblyback! Senior Warden Nigel Tomkinson, ably assisted by John Davies, will be around on site to help with any enquiries and will help direct you to the fish!
Fernworthy was our most consistent fishery in 2017 and I expect more great sport there this year. Our team of volunteers are planning some improvements to the permit room and will be out bank clearing to make sure casting areas are ready. Roadford will be very similar and we will be out bank clearing their also before the season gets underway. There will be 4 boats ready to go and the highlight of 2017 was Andy Birkett’s 5lb 8oz Brown. Bailiff Nick Coleman worked tirelessly policing the banks last season to stop poaching and to help anglers make the most of their visit. Nick has a wealth of knowledge in Trout fishing and I am sure you will bump into him around Roadford in 2018.
Colliford fished hard in 2017 but I am optimistic we can return it to the spectacular fishing from 3-4 years ago. We will continue to stock double the number of Browns that we did a few years back and with the Ruffe dying last season this should encourage the Trout to show themselves again.
Unfortunately Wistlandpound will not be stocked in 2018. The fishery will be open for low cost Brown Trout fishing and I anticipate some really good sport will be had. Although this is a great shame, fisheries have to be sustainable and I will look at the options for Wistlandpound’s sustainability during this season.
Drift fishery is no longer under our management as we will be concentrating more on Stithians. I would like to thank bailiff David Williams for his very hard work for the past few seasons.
At all of our Rainbow Trout waters we will not be planning to stock Rainbows or Blues during July and August unless weather conditions and water temperatures are favourable and I am confident the fish will survive. We will be stocking Rainbows again as soon as conditions suit stocking in September. However, we are stocking more fish as a whole.
I wish you an enjoyable and successful trout fishing season
Ben Smeeth, Head of Angling
Around the Clubs
Around our fisheries there are different clubs – why not become a member and get involved. If you are interested in joining a club here are the contact details:
- Kennick Fly Fishers Assocation – [email protected]
- Burrator Fly Fishers – [email protected]
- CAST (Stithians) – [email protected]
- Wistlandpound Fly fishing club – [email protected]
Catch more fish with our catch reports
The weekly catch reports at our fisheries are a great source of information to help you catch fish. The reports feature interesting information like hatches of flies observed, best flies of the week, best locations for catching, notable catches of fish and some fantastic pictures. We also do a monthly summary from around the fisheries so, if you would like to receive the weekly or monthly reports for any of our waters or all of them, please email me [email protected]
Find us on Facebook
We have an active Facebook page called ‘Trout Fishing South West Lakes Trust’
We post the catch reports, pictures, events and interesting information on this page so ‘LIKE’ the page for regular updates.
Website
Find all of the information you need about our Trout fisheries, competitions, catch reports, prices and contact details on our website www.swlakesfishing.co.uk
Buy your permit online
Did you know you can buy your fishing permit online through our website www.swlakesfishing.co.uk? When you land on the home page for Trout fishing scroll down and on your right hand side is a box which says ‘BUY YOUR PERMIT ONLINE’.
Online catch returns
You can complete your catch return from the comfort of your own home after your days fishing through our website www.swlakesfishing.co.uk. On the Trout homepage scroll down and you will see a purple box which says ‘CATCH RETURNS’. It is absolutely vital you complete a catch return, even if you don’t catch a fish, as this can help us work out stocking schedules and stock levels. Please also include any Brown Trout on your catch return if you’re fishing a Rainbow water.
Competitions 2018
We have a series of team and individual competitions across our waters this year. The Snowbee sponsored team of four competition kicks the season off at Siblyback, the Cornish Open Float Tube competition at Stithians is in May and there is a pairs competition at Kennick as well as a singles in early summer. The season culminates with the final of the £2000 Best of the Best sponsored by Snowbee in October at Kennick. Here are the dates, if you would like to enter any of them please contact me [email protected]
Snowbee Siblyback Team of Four – 15 April
Kennick Bank Pairs – 6 May
Snowbee Cornish Open at Stithians – 12 May
Kennick Peninsula Classic Singles – 24 June
Best of the Best Final Singles at Kennick – 7 October
Thousands of pounds worth of prizes are available during the season through these competitions and the chance to win yourself a season ticket for 2019 at some of them too!
Anglers’ survey:
During this season I will be sending around a survey to all of our Trout anglers. The aim for the survey is to consult with you, the anglers, to help shape the future of Trout fishing across our waters. I would like to know what you want or would like to see at any of our fisheries. I can’t promise anything but I do promise that all comments and suggestions will be discussed and we can implement positive changes to ensure the fisheries are sustainable for the future. Please take a short time to complete the survey when it arrives and have your say. I would love to hear from you.
Wimbleball
I am delighted to announce that Wimbleball will be open for Rainbow Trout fishing in 2018. Mark Underhill of Rainbow Valley Trout Farm has taken it on and has some really good ideas for the future of the fishery. Mark plans to install 10 boats this season and stock his home grown Trout of high quality with lots of fish in the 3-6lb size range. Mark is contactable on 07814324925 or [email protected]
Videos and photos
During the season we will be posting some videos of fish being stocked and people catching fish as well as loads of photos so keep an eye on our Facebook page and website. If you want to appear please send us in your pictures [email protected]
Threats to the vital arteries of the land!
Spring seems to be in the air today and thoughts are turning to running water, spring salmon and crimson spotted wild trout that thrive in Devon streams.
We must not take these delights for granted as there are threats to these vital arteries of the land brought home to me as I read through the latest emails from Chairman of the River Taw Fisheries Association Alex Gibson.
Open the below link to see what a badly managed dairy operation can do. The pollution here was on the Taw system, but fortunately did not affect the main stem of the river. Nevertheless the damage to fish stocks was extensive. If you come across anything of this kind when at or around the river please report it immediately to the EA Emergency Hotline – 0800 807060
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dallyns-dairy-stream-thick-with-cattle-dung-near-barnstaple
The Pollution Threat from Sewage Treatment Works (STWs) on the Taw System
As we are all well aware, the importance of water quality in our river cannot be overstated.
The Committee has come across a new, to us, cause for concern in this area, namely the STWs on our system which are owned and managed by South West Water (SWW). Simply put – Are these STWs currently fit for purpose and will they be fit for purpose when all the planned house-building in our catchment’s towns and villages has been completed? For example, South Molton is planning over 1,200 homes and Chulmleigh over 90. Is the right amount of maintenance being carried out by SWW and is sufficient investment committed for the future?
There are at least 35 STWs on our system, all of which discharge into the main stem or its tributaries. SWW like other water companies runs STWs on the basis of “operator self-monitoring” which immediately raises an amber or even red warning light in our opinion. Also there is a question about how rigorous the Environment Agency is or indeed can be in this area given recent cut-backs.
This is not a Taw specific problem and we have raised it regionally with South West Rivers Association so that individual rivers in the south-west can take their own action. From discussions with Angling Trust we understand that they are aware that this is a national problem and are working with World Wildlife Fund.
As for the Taw specifically, we are working with Fish Legal to discover whether in relation to STWs the EA is fulfilling its role to protect and improve river quality under the Water Framework Directive and carrying out its duties towards fishermen. Other initiatives to raise awareness of this problem are being undertaken.
The Committee believes it is important that members are aware of this threat, particularly those who fish directly below STWs. Any obvious signs of pollution from STW sources should be reported to the EA emergency hot-line – 0800 807060. Also, as we understand more about the STW situation it may be that we will need to mount a campaign with the support of our membership.
Alex Gibson
Netting Ban Latest
I received this notification from the River Taw Fishery Association. This long awaited bye-law will not only protect salmon and sea trout stocks but will also help protect valuable sporting sea fish like bass and grey mullet.
The new IFCA netting byelaws for Devon & Severn have finally been signed by the Minister. This means an end to the salmon and sea trout by-catch in the Taw/Torridge estuary by those netting for bass and mullet. The only netting permitted after 1 March this year will be by the 3 licensed salmon netsmen, who are themselves under the threat of a possible ban, and by those netting sand eels. This is a major step, the result of a long and difficult process.
http://www.devonandsevernifca.gov.uk/
Bratton’s Hard Fighting Browns
I joined members of Wistlandpound Fly Fishing Club at Bratton Water Fly Fishery on February 11th and enjoyed excellent sport with the venues hard fighting brown trout. it was a day of sunshine and hail showers with the occasional rainbow decorating the sky. The day started slowly for me three trout coming unstuck in the first hour. Paul Grisley fishing a few yards away showed the way and landed what was to be the biggest fish a of the day a stunning brown trout of 5lb 1oz in a total bag of 11lb 4oz.
The water at Bratton is generally crystal clear but heavy rain the previous day had coloured the water so it was likely that the normal small imitative flies would not work well. For this reason I persevered with black bodied lures with long marabou tails that fluttered enticingly in the water. After a couple of moves around the lake I eventually found fish in the the top corner of the lake and converted several takes into a four fish bag in half an hour of exciting fishing.
After bagging up I enjoyed hot coffee from my flask and chatted to fellow club members who were also enjoying some great sport with Bratton’s brown trout.
All in all an enjoyable few hours at this picturesque fishery that is sheltered from most winds. Fishery Owner Mike Williams told told me that improvement work is planned on the access road over the coming weeks.