25 Jan 2017

Upper Tamar Lake to stock some BIG Carp!

by Wayne Thomas | posted in: Carp Fishing, Sidebar | 0

I have just received this exciting press release from South West Lakes Trust. Upper Tamar is set to receive an impressive stocking of big carp that will make it one of the West Country’s most exciting waters.

South West Lakes Trust would like to announce some exciting news for Upper Tamar fishery in 2017 with the stocking of some fantastic large fish for the first time. In September, 30 carp weighing between 20-32lbs will be stocked. This is the start of a longer term stocking plan that includes a further 25 carp in the same weight range in 2018 and 40 more weighing over 20lbs in 2019. This follows on from the stocking of around 250 smaller carp, transferred from some of other waters, weighing up to 20lbs over the last three years to add to the already good stock of fish that reside in the 81 acre venue.

In recent years catching a fish over 20lbs or 30lbs from the venue has been a challenge but that is set to change!

Upper Tamar forms part of the Tamar Lakes complex of fisheries with Lower Tamar only half a mile down the road. At 35 acres, Lower Tamar is home to a large head of 20lb+ fish with several fish over the 30lb mark and growing very quickly.

The new fish are being sourced from our local supplier Lana Springs Fish Farm in Devon. Owner Chris Mannifold has a great reputation for supplying premium carp.

Ben Smeeth, the Trust’s Angling Technical Lead said “I am delighted to be working with Chris on this exciting project. The majority of fish will be Mirrors to complement the large population of Commons already in the lake. With a really good weed growth providing a rich source of food these fish will continue to grow with the aim of producing a large head of 30lb and 40lb fish within the next 5-7 years.”

Upper Tamar has produced a lot of runs for anglers in the last few years with some anglers catching as many as 25 carp in a single 24 hour session. There are so many swims to choose from each giving a different perspective of the beautiful lake and each presenting different challenges and features.

Upper Tamar is a spectacular venue, set in peaceful rural countryside, spanning two counties with the Devon and Cornwall border running down the middle of the lake.

The fishery benefits from outstanding facilities with a café open from March to November, showers, toilets and a camping field – perfect if the family also want to come along! There is a supply of bait and tackle available from the café and an onsite self-service permit room so you can arrive at your leisure and start fishing! The venue also benefits from a level stoned path all the way around which makes access to swims for everyone really easy. We do also provide a taxi service to any swim if you give us plenty of notice!

There are also two angling lodges which sleep two people and are bookable through our central office on 01566 771930.

Updates to our new fishing website www.swlakesfishing.co.uk will mean you can view a map of Upper Tamar fishery including swim names before even visiting. We also have a very active Facebook page called ‘Coarse Fishing South West Lakes Trust’ so please LIKE our page for regular catch reports, pictures and information about all of our coarse fisheries in the South West.

The stocking in September will be just in time for the Pallatrax Carp Open Pairs competition at the end of the month and it will be interesting to see if any of the competitors can bank some of our new residents and scoop a share of the £3,500 prize money. Anyone who wants to book onto one of our three pairs carp competitions in 2017 needs to call our office on the above number.

Anyone who would like to come along and see the fish stocked are very welcome – we would love to see you at Upper Tamar to share this great occasion with us and witness the start of an amazing future for this special fishery.

Ben Smeeth

Fishery Manager 01288 321262 [email protected]

22 Jan 2017

Blakewell Trout catches

by Wayne Thomas | posted in: Game Fishing, Sidebar | 0

Stillwater Trout anglers are enjoying some great sport at Blakewell Fishery where Peter Shazell landed a 4lb brown trout and Justin Phillips and fine rainbow of 6lb 6oz.

*Justin Phillips and fine rainbow of 6lb 6oz.*

22 Jan 2017

The spurs keep coming

by Wayne Thomas | posted in: Sea Angling, Sidebar | 0

Dan Miles Redmore with a one of a fine brace of spurdog of 13lb 4oz and 12lb 5oz.

21 Jan 2017

Winter days at Exe Valley

by Wayne Thomas | posted in: Game Fishing, Sidebar | 0

The latest from Nick Hart at Exe Valley. These cold calm winter days are great for the winter fly fisher!

Always good to see new faces on the lake and today Andrew, John, Simon & Roger took the trip from Cheddar on a cold January morning. I got the boat out for a bit of ice breaking and the guys nailed some fish. Rogers were camera shy but the 4 of them landed 19 fish with John taking the best bag of 5 at 19lb 8oz with Andrew on 5 for 17lb. All sorts of tactics used including lures and nymphs with sink tips & floaters. Thanks for visiting guys and hope to see you again.

21 Jan 2017

BIG SPUR FOR JON

by Wayne Thomas | posted in: Sea Angling, Sidebar | 0

Jon Patten has a knack of finding the big fish and enjoyed success this week landing a fine spurdog of 14lb.

The fish was tempted with a large slice of mackerel presented on 6/0 Varivas Big Mouth Xtra hooks.

21 Jan 2017

The perception of change

by Wayne Thomas | posted in: Articles, Sidebar | 0

The perception of change

Everything changes through time just at different rates so whilst our perception may well be that something’s never change the fact is everything does, we are just not around long enough to notice! I of course write this from an angler’s perspective and find myself trying to gauge where we are or I am in piscatorial terms.

We walked down to Watersmeet a few days ago and I stopped to take a photo of the waterfalls. Stood tall and proud in the river was a grey heron patiently stalking his next meal. I thrilled at the sight of a fellow fisher fishing the waters that I have fished. I recalled a salmon of 11lb that took a Mepps spinner in the pool above. I also remembered another salmon I tempted from the little pool below where the bird stood. These great memories are tempered by my knowledge that the rivers salmon stocks are in serious decline. I have many fond memories of the river thirty years ago when salmon and sea trout were abundant. Yet back then I spoke to locals who reminisced about a river when they were young when salmon and sea trout where packed into pools like sardines, tides of silver that moved up river following a spate.

*The good old days – Fish on River East Lyn*

I frequently recall a sentence uttered in jest during a TV comedy show. “They were the good old days, yet no one told us at the time!” How true this is if I fish the river next summer I may well hook a salmon and of course I will now have to return it carefully to the water. I just hope that in thirty years time if I am still around that I don’t speak to a young angler and recall when salmon once swam in this river!

Fish populations do of course fluctuate and hopefully salmon will be ascending and descending our rivers long after I have made my last cast. I am not so gloom ridden when it comes to sea angling for in this huge expanse of water things evolve. Fish populations ebb and flow and whilst there has been a decline there is plenty of room for hope as each season we see superb catches of some species. The adaptable sea angler will always find sport. Thirty years ago we chased twenty-pound cod from the North Devon Shoreline now its spurdog that seem to be the go to fish. The cod have gone but the spurdog have been protected from intense commercial fishing and have filled an ecological gap. I am puzzled where previously bountiful numbers of pouting and whiting have all gone?

*(Above)The good old days – An 18lb plus North Devon cod*

The carp fisher has never had it so good in many ways with big carp now readily available in many waters. The old timers like me can wax lyrical about the old days when we had to work for our fish. Of old waters with overgrown tree lined banks, of carp that were nigh on impossible to catch pre hair rig and boilie.

kevinhosiepb45lb8ozmirrorkrackingcarp — *The carp fisher has never had it so good- 45lb 8oz Anglers Paradise carp for Kevin Hosie*

The coarse fisher has a multitude of waters containing silver fish and handsome perch to specimen size. In some ways we have never had it so good yet we always look back with fondness at those good old days. We should remember that in angling as in life things are so much better when we are young or at least they are looking back. I guess we need to just seize the moment for what it is fish for what’s there and enjoy.

A fine perch for Chris Lambert

19 Jan 2017

Spurdog Days

by Wayne Thomas | posted in: Sea Angling, Sidebar | 0

Times they are a changing! There was a time twenty odd years ago when winter saw anglers flock to the North Devon Coast in search of big cod and in those far off days they were caught by those who put in the hours. With the demise in cod along the North Devon coast it is now spurdog that seem to be flourishing and providing the incentive for anglers to brave the cold nights. Unfortunately it is not just the spurdog that seem to have increased in numbers for their relative the humble Lesser spotted dogfish also seem to have increased in numbers as I found out last night when I hoped for a spurdog and wound in numerous LSD’s!

The last couple of weeks have seen numerous spurdog landed in addition to Michael Toogoods stunning haul of eight reported earlier this week.

Top tips for spurdog – Deep water, whiting shoals and use fish baits with a wire trace hook size 4/0 to 6/0…

16113120_10158101553150284_4802840642039552226_o — *Ross Stanway – 11lb 10oz*

Ollie Passmore 9lb 4oz

Dan Miles Redmore 11lb 1oz

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17 Jan 2017

Litter a sad reflection!

by Wayne Thomas | posted in: Carp Fishing, Coarse Fishing, Sea Angling, Sidebar, Young At Heart | 0

I have just heard of a threat to a popular local fishing mark as a result of the idiotic behavior of a few anglers. This unfortunately is a very common problem that has lost anglers access to many marks across the country.

I took the above photograph earlier in the year whilst on holiday in Cornwall where we visited a picturesque viewpoint that overlooked the stunning River Fowey. There were no anglers present at the time except me, I was not fishing just admiring the view. A young couple scrambled past and I heard them remark about the disgusting stench. The smell of stale urine hung in the air and the detritus that lay around was a clear sign of the culprits. At that moment I felt ashamed to be an angler.

There is no excuse for leaving the places we fish in such a disgusting state, litter should be taken home. Ensure leftover bait is discarded with care, if its not going to be taken home then ensure it goes into the sea where it will be washed away and eaten. Never leave hooks and traces lying around, there have been numerous incidents with dogs becoming injured resulting in costly visits to the vet. The stench of urine is another blight on the anglers who should either use the public toilets or have a pee where the tide will wash clean.

Many of the places we fish are shared by sightseers who want to sit back and enjoy the beautiful scenery that North Devon has to offer. What do you think there reaction is going to be when the place stinks of urine and the ancient cobbles are strewn with litter. If it was your property would you welcome anglers?

I know that some of you reading this will be guilty of the above and that my words will fall on stony ground. Angling is a wonderful pastime, pursued in stunning surroundings and I have often sung the praises of what anglers do for the environment and how they care about fish stocks. Those who leave behind their dirt tarnish us all. I have written this in the hope that it will make a few think about their actions. If it doesn’t then don’t grumble when we lose another easily accessible fishing mark. Don’t walk by if you see litter pick it up and bin it.

16 Jan 2017

Stafford Moor Open Result

by Wayne Thomas | posted in: Match Fishing, Sidebar | 0

Stafford Moor Open/ League Match continental payout.

The match was on Oak Tree & Tanners with Twenty Competitors

The winner was Andy Dare on peg 12 with 99lb 9oz fishing 6mm down the edge .

In second place was Phill Waters peg 3 on Tanners with 40lb 1oz

In third place was Ian Croxton peg 9 on Oak with 78lb 3oz

The silvers winner was Ian Gray peg 36 Tanners with 10lb 8oz

16 Jan 2017

Appledore Shipbuilders and Bideford 24 hour Rover Results

by Wayne Thomas | posted in: Sea Angling, Sidebar | 0

Michael Toogood’s terrific haul of eight spurdog that included seven double figure fish took the top three places in Appledore Shipbuilders twenty four hour rover. The three biggest scaled13lb 4oz, 12lb 8oz and 11lb 7oz. Cameron Atkinson landed a fine flounder of 2lb 4oz and returned the fish having heard of Michael’s staggering haul of spurs.

Phil Vanstone won Bideford and District Angling Clubs twenty four hour rover with a specimen whiting of 1lb 81/4oz. Dick Talbot was runner up with a whiting of 1lb 71/2oz and Phil Vanstone third with a bull huss of 8lb 15oz.