Bideford May Rover Results
1st Nathan Clements Thin Lipped Mullet 5lb 1oz 126.562%
2nd Julien Stainer Dog Fish 2lb 6 1/2oz 80.208%
3rd Paul Downing Thornback Ray 5lb 11oz 63.194%
4th Dick Talbot Rockling 15oz 62.5%
BIG CHANNEL BLONDE
Combe Martin SAC member Dan Spearman fished a Bristol Channel Shore mark (English side) to tempt this fine specimen blonde ray scaling 16lb 6oz.
Bratton Water – South Molton Anglers
I joined a dozen or so members of South Molton Angling Club at the tranquil Bratton Water Trout Fishery for a mornings fishing and chat. This was very much a social event with an opportunity for a mornings fishing. Conditions were perfect for enjoying the scenery and catching up with fellow members but far from ideal for catching trout. The water was crystal clear and the margins alive with tadpoles a fact that encouraged a few members to try small black tadpole type flies.
I had brought along my 10ft 5wt rod and matched it with a floating line and a long leader of 6.5lb fluorocarbon. A small bead head pheasant tail on the point and a black n’ peacock on a dropper. This was cast out and allowed to sink before retrieving very slowly watching the line intently for any twitches. I missed a few but caught my bag of 3 rainbows within two hours then proceeded to chat for a while with fellow members about things country and fishy.
Strange how you perceive that you have found the right method to find that other have caught using a totally different fly and retrieve.
It was time to head home and cook up a Sunday dinner of fresh trout!
SPECIMEN CAT LAKE JUST KEEPS PRODUCING THE BIG CATS!
(Above) Tony Trenary, 65 a retired Stripper/Chippendale joined us at Nirvana’s Day ticket Specimen Cat Lake and caught a 48lb 8oz Wels Catfish on a 18mm krill active and 15mm scopex squid.
(Above) Head baliff Ashley Bunning had a session on Nirvana’s Specimen Cat Lake targeting the Carp but instead catches one of the big girls – a Catfish of 64lbs!
Caught on a single Citruz pop up!
South West Lakes Trout Fisheries Report April 2021
South West Lakes Trout Fisheries Report
April 2021
All of South West Lakes’ trout fisheries continue to be operated under strict Covid19 restrictions, in line with the Angling Trust and Government guidelines. At the time of writing, the on-site permit huts are not yet open, so day tickets, season tickets and boats should be pre-booked online – www.swlakestrust.org.uk/trout-fishing.
South West Lakes are pleased to announce the appointment of Dil Singh to oversee the management and day-to-day running of its trout fisheries – Dil is an experienced fly angler and qualified angling coach, and is a welcome addition to the team.
Fishing:
Kennick – The water is starting to warm up, although cool easterly winds and cold nights (and even some snow!) have meant that this is a slow process. Fish have started to show on the surface, particularly in the mornings and evenings, and are feeding eagerly on buzzers (both mid-water and from the surface), with anglers catching on all depths of line.
Rods averaged 3.8 fish per angler over the month, with the fish well distributed around the lake, and both bat and bank anglers enjoying success. Successful patterns worth mentioning included Buzzers, Damsels, Diawl Bachs and Montana nymphs, as well as Orange Blobs, Cats Wiskers and Boobies. In addition to some excellent bags (several anglers caught over ten fish in a session, with Simon Jeffries and son Ollie catching 22 fish between them), Phil M-R caught a superb 5lb rainbow, Malcom U caught a 4lb 4oz rainbow and Geoff V caught a bag of eight rainbows up to 4lb.
Siblyback – The fish are now becoming more active, with plenty of fish rising to feed (particularly in late afternoon) – some taking flies delicately while others slash violently at the fly. Anglers averaged 2.4 fish per rod, with Stocky Bay, Two Meadows, The North Shore and Small Marsh producing the best fishing. Floating or Intermediate lines are the most productive methods, and with buzzers hatching, Black Buzzer patterns are proving popular, along with Damsels, Bloodworms and Montanas. Productive lures include Orange Blobs, Tadpoles and Cats Whiskers. David Ryder caught the best fish of the month – a 4lb 4oz rainbow caught on a black and green Cats Whisker.
The Snowbee Team of Four Team Floating Line competition was held on 25 April. With a strong southerly wind and bright sunshine, casting proved challenging, especially as the fish moved further offshore as the day progressed. Most anglers caught well however (averaging over four fish per rod), with Rodney Wevill catching the best fish of the day – a 3lb 8oz rainbow. Nine teams competed – the competition was won by the Innis Fishery team (23 fish for 30lb 5oz), with Kennick ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams coming second and third respectively.
Three boats are now available at Siblyback and must be booked in advance.
Burrator –Boat and bank anglers enjoyed some excellent sport, with the best fishing at Longstone, Pig Trough, Discovery Point and off The Pines. Plenty of fish have been showing, particularly mornings and evenings, feeding off midges and small buzzers. Anglers averaged 4.9 fish per rod over the month and, depending on the weather conditions, could be caught on dry patterns (Bristol Hoppers, Beetles and Bumble Claret), down deep with heavy lines and lure patterns (Green Fritz, Cats Whisker, Orange Blobs or Tadpoles), or somewhere in between on a wide variety of nymph patterns (particularly Buzzers, Montanas and Damsels). Although no particularly large fish were caught, plenty of full bags (including some wonderful blues) up to 2lb 8oz were caught, with Kevin K catching five fish including a beautiful 40cm blue.
Stithians – Fish are now starting to feed eagerly at Stithians, with plenty of surface activity, particularly in late afternoons and early evening, when anglers have been catching fish on black beetle, hopper and emerger patterns. Floating or intermediate lines have been the method of choice, and fish have been well spread out around the fishery, with Mossops, Sluice Bank, North Shore, Chapel Bay and Pipe Bay all producing consistent sport.
Successful sub-surface patterns have included Diawl Bachs, Damsels and Montanas, with larger lure patterns (Orange Blobs, Boobies and Tadpoles) catching well in the deeper water by the dam. Plenty of full bags were caught, with John H catching eight rainbows to 3lb, Stephen T catching 13 fish to 2lb 4oz and Simon P catching six rainbows to 2lb 8oz.
Colliford – The water temperature here has now reached 12ºc and fish are feeding eagerly from the surface, particularly on bright still days when static dry patterns produced good results, with one angler already reporting some hawthorn flies in the air. The fish are well spread out and, while some fish have been taken on deeper fished lures (Tadpoles and Woolly Buggers), the majority of fish have been caught on dries (Beetles, Sedges and Hoppers) or nymphs/wets fished on a floating line (Buzzers, Bibios, Spiders, Soldier Palmers and Montanas). Simon W caught 13 browns on a selection of beetles, crunchers and Soldier Palmers, while Mark K caught eight fish on a Bibio.
Fernworthy – There have been some large hatches of small black upwings at Fernworthy, which means Black Gnats, Beetles and Hawthorns have worked well; otherwise a wide selection of nymphs and wet patterns fished on floating or midge-tip lines produced good results, with fish well spread out around the lake. Some quality browns have been caught, including a 55cm (3lb) brown caught by Matt B on a Goldhead Montana and Rodney Wevill catching a 3lb 1oz brown (both excellent fish for this acidic Dartmoor water).
Roadford – Boats have been fishing well, with a lot of fish still in the deeper water in the central areas, as well as Grinnecombe and Wortha. Woolly Buggers, Tadpoles and Goldhead damsels fished well, along with Zulus and Bristol Hoppers. While plenty of browns were caught, no notable fish over 2lb were taken.
Please visit the South West Lakes website (www.swlakestrust.org.uk/trout-fishing) for the latest Covid19 updates, as well as details on ticket prices, fishery information, clubs, competitions and boat availability.
Torridge Fly Fishing Club – Gammaton Reservoirs
We called into Summerlands Tackle shop to pick up our Permits for Gammaton Reservoirs and It brought home to me the vitally important role these establishments play in bringing anglers together. Mooching around the shop was long-time friend, angler and local guitar maestro Jim Crawford. We exchanged greetings and once again talked of a joining up for a long awaited foray beside a mysterious tree lined carp water.
Parking up at Gammaton memories flooded back of a time many years ago when I came here to work with the South West Water Authority. The two reservoirs used to provide water to Bideford via a water treatment plant consisting of slow sand filters. A labour intensive process that employed a small team lead by the resident Superintendent who would now of course be a manager. Charlie was a hard working countryman who lived in the water workers cottage. The garden was neat and tidy with rows of runner beans and a few spuds, a vision of Beatrix Potter’s Mr Mc-Gregor’s garden. My memory imagines pink roses somewhere in the garden though the mists of time perhaps enhance the vision.
The house still remains, and some of the old infrastructure still lingers from the water works but the old wooden work mans shed is long gone. A place where we would take a lengthy tea break or shelter from the rain. Charlie was a hard worker and took a great pride in the water works and the reservoirs. I remember the old Allen Scythe grass mowers that would be used to keep the grass dam trimmed. Old hand bill hooks were still used and honed sharp with a carborundum stone. I well remember talking with Charlie about the weather expressing concern about a particularly dry spell. “ Nature has its way of balancing out he told me; rainfall levels tend to average out throughout the year”.
When I started with the water board over forty years ago it seemed a very different world. Charlie and the water board men worked in a stable environment that had flowed along for decades where time seemed abundant. The water flowed from the two reservoirs gravitated through the old filters, a bit of chloros was added to kill the bugs and the water was distributed to the people of Bideford. In the summer the grass was trimmed and in the winter the ditches were kept clean and the fences mended. If it was wet the Allen Scythe would be oiled and maintained its blades sharpened. The old wooden shed would smell of oily rags and topics of the day would be discussed over a cuppa.
No spreadsheets, no technology except the landline that was linked to a bell on the side of the shed.
I digress in a bit of reminisce brought about by the location and the fact that I Leave SWW next week after close to forty two years. Besides it is worth recording a memory of times gone by before its gone.
Above the dam little has changed over the years. It’s the last day of April and primroses line the banks. Fresh growth burst forth from the trees and birdsong emanates all around. Lambs skip about in adjacent fields and the panorama of North Devon stretches out beneath a bright blue sky.
The fishing is controlled by Torridge Fly Fishing Club established in 1959, day tickets can be purchased from Summerlands Tackle permitting visiting anglers to keep three fish at a reasonable cost of £20. The trout are predominantly rainbow’s averaging 2lb to 4lb stocked by Bulldog Trout Fishery.
Several anglers were fishing when James and I arrived and made us very welcome offering much advice on flies and tactics.
We started on the lower dam searching the water with a floating line and long leader. The water was crystal clear rippled by a cold North wind that had prevailed throughout this April. A few fish broke the surface beyond casting range and after half an hour we decided to move to a promising looking area that had been made vacant by a successful angler.
The water here was deeper and I cast with greater confidence. After ten minutes James exclaimed surprise as a rainbow erupted from the water on a tight line surging away at speed the rod arching in battle. After a few tense minutes a full tailed rainbow of close to four pounds was safely in the net and given the last rites. The catching of the trout was given additional provenance as the rod James was using was the treasured possession of James fiancée’s grandpa who loved fly fishing for trout in the reservoirs close to London. A nine foot six inch Silver Creek Reservoir rod that has a rather forgiving soft action in line with the time it was manufactured.
Ten minutes later another rainbow was hooked by James and promptly threw the hook. By this time, I had not had a pull and was wondering what I was doing wrong. A feeling that was added to when James added a second rainbow to his tally.
Several small yet handsome perch seized our flies between trout bringing a bit of variance with their pleasingly smart defiant manner.
Persistence paid off eventually and the line zipped tight as a pleasing and very hard pulling rainbow seized my blue flash damsel.
As the afternoon passed I suggested we wander up to the top lake and try our luck. The familiar path had not changed over the years as it lead us to the slightly more open top lake.
The water here appeared deeper and I was confident of success especially when I spied the bent rod of a fellow angler on the far bank.
After ten minutes my line pulled tight and another fighting fit rainbow was brought to the net. Followed a cast later by another stunning fish of close to four pounds that pulled beyond its size.
With my bag completed it was time to relax and take in the view. I took the camera for a walk and captured the scene as swallows swooped in the cool evening air.
James persisted trying for his third trout but it seemed that luck had deserted him for the day and eventually after several last casts he decided it was time to head off for portions of fish and chips on the way home.
And so ended another almost perfect day in an angling life especially so in sharing it with James after a long break from fishing together in part due to the COVID times we have all endured.
Boat Sport Up Channel
Paul Grisley sent me this report on his trip to Somerset to fish on Charter Boat Lorna Doone.
Amazing day on Lorna Doone brilliant weather and company, low point 34 dogfish but 3 blondes 13.5 to 15lb,2spotty rays 1 just under and 1 just over 4lb,2 thornbacks 9 and 12.5lb,2 smothounds 9 and 12lb and a 9lb huss blown away Tommo is some skipper ! mostly on squid and mackerel but some crab cart and bluey thrown in for a change. even honours between up and down tide.
Early Bass on Lures
Combe Martin SAC member Mark Jones has been enjoying some early bass action on lures landing six during his latest session using soft plastics.
Stafford Moor Carp Galore
Stafford Moor has been producing plenty of carp despite the cool Spring weather.
Findley with his uncle John Bailey and between them they banked nine carp to 24lb 8oz from Fraggle rock swim 8 up on lodge lake.
All fish were caught on Sticky baits Krill wafters.
(Below) Ben Hopkins who was fishing on the inlet swim on Beatties lake and had 15 fish out up to 30lb (common ) all fish were caught on home made boilies.
(Below)Matt Dryer (Brixham bait and Tackle) had 9 fish from swim 1 on the dam wall on Beatties lake up to 27lb 8oz. All fish were caught on CC Moore live system boilies.
(Below)Harvey Chamberlain who stayed with us in Silver birch specimen lodge on Beatties lake with Ebony who are now engaged !
(Below)Matt Thomas and Beth who fished up on Albert square on lodge lake and had six fish in a 24 hour session. All fish were caught on Sticky baits krill and house pellets. Matt’s best carp weighed 28lb 1oz and Beths best scaled 18lb 3oz.
( Below) Lewis Tregale who had 31Lb 6oz mirror out from swim 6 up on lodge lake caught on DNA slk boilies over slk pellets.
Big Bags From Stafford Moor
The latest open match at Stafford Moor was held on Tanners and Woodpecker Lakes with a full house and continental payout.
Sam Powell was top angler with a bag of 261lb 15oz from peg 1 on Woodpecker lake fishing long pole.
In 2nd place was Paul Goulding (lodge guest) with 216lb 8oz from peg 4 on Tanners.
In 3rd place was Dave Romain with 182lb 7oz from peg 20 on Woodpecker
Next weeks Sunday match is already full but there are still have some this Wednesday so please Jo at Stafford Moor know if you would like to join the match.