23 May 2018

Historic Lower Tamar

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Lower Tamar Lake is an historic water that often gets overlooked by anglers who hear more about the fabulous catches from the Upper Lake. Lower Tamar has some fabulous carp and a head of bream into double figures along with specimen perch and eels. In the past the water has produced specimen rudd that sadly seem to have all but disappeared.

Lee Graver fished Lower Tamar Lake, on the Cornwall and Devon border, at the weekend and was rewarded with this stunning 23lb 14oz Fully scaled mirror. Lower Tamar is open to everyone for day or 24 hour tickets.

 

17 May 2018

Some stunning catches of carp from Stafford Moor

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(Above) Karl Hutchings and friend Edward Cochran who fished up on the inlet swim on Beatties lake they had 10 fish out up to 28lb fishing with Sticky baits white Manilla pop ups (Edward had a new pb of 28lb )

 

(Above) Matt Everill caught 5 fish up to 22lb 5oz on the dam wall of lodge lake fishing with Nash scopes boilies in a 48 hour session.

(Above) Darren Rundle landed 3 fish  in a day session on swim 3 up on lodge lake fishing with Sticky Baits Manilla 16mm boilies.

(Above) Joe Slater banked 5 fish up to 29lb from the summer house swim on Beatties lake. Joe was fishing with Sticky baits Manilla 16mm boilies and spodded hemp and Manilla pellets combined.

(Above)Mark Downing and Dave Dymond’s haul of 41 fish in a 48 hour session on Beatties lake, Mark fished with Dave on the summer hut swim then Dave had a session on the inlet swim all caught on Sticky Baits Manilla bodies and Uberbaits.

 

 

 

16 May 2018

Fun Fishing at Agapi

by | posted in: Articles, Coarse Fishing, Sidebar, Young At Heart | 0

Agapi Fruit & Fishing is a small lake that nestles in a secluded valley a few miles from Torrington and is reached via quiet country lanes that make its discovery all the more rewarding. I had not visited since last September when I had visited with my wife Pauline and son James and wrote a review on the fishery. http://www.northdevonanglingnews.co.uk/2017/08/24/unique-fishery-agapi-fruit-fishing/

This is a fun fishing venue teaming with rudd and a few carp that have probably grown to a little over 5lb maybe more. I had persuaded Snowbee ambassador Jeff Pearce to join James and I on a fun trip to try and catch a carp using fly fishing tactics. James would act as back up using free lined stalking tactics to get a carp for the camera if Jeff and I failed. Jeff is a dedicated Fly Fisher and loves to catch his fish on Fly Tactics whilst I tend to be a little more flexible in my approach generally using whatever tactics are within the rules to catch. On this occasion however I was going to remain strictly Fly Only!

James adopts simple free line tactics to try and catch a carp                                                                                                                                      Jeff being the fly Fishing purist ties on a small nymph pattern whilst I elect to use a deer hair chum mixer fly. To increase our chances I catapult pre-soaked mixers out into the lake so that they will drift slowly down the lake with the breeze. When the carp start slurping them down I will flick my fly into their path. That was the plan but the carp proved elusive whilst the rudd swarmed around the baits in their hundreds with an occasional glimpse of a bigger than average rudd that would have been close to 1lb!

Jeff was first to tempt a fish a small golden scaled rudd.

This was closely followed by a couple more tiny rudd on Jeff’s small nymph patterns. The fascinating aspect of this being that once a couple had been caught it seemed that the lakes population had been briefed for catching consistently became frustratingly difficult.

James was persisting with the traditional bread tactics and caught a pleasing rudd early in the evening and glimpsed a couple of carp cruising the margins.

After a couple of hours we retired to the lakeside Summerhouse for a well earned cuppa with delicious ham and chutney sandwiches, salad, crisps and Kit Kat’s. Special thanks must go to Sandra for making us welcome and ensuring we didn’t go hungry.

Fortified we returned to the fishing I dabbled my chum mixer fly in the margins and watched the rudd nudge and nibble at it whilst I hoped to see a carp materialize from the green tinged water and devour my offering. Jeff and James had crept up to the shallows where James had spotted a few carp. I strolled up to see how things were going and Jeff said a good carp had slurped up a bit of floating crust from amongst the reeds. James had modified his tactics and was using a chum mixer on the hook that slowly sank with the weight of the hook. This tactic proved successful as the line suddenly zipped tight and the rod hooped over as a carp surged to and fro stirring up clouds of silt as it fought gamely before eventually slipping over the rim of the net. Sandra appeared at this moment to congratulate James on catching the first carp of the season a handsome mirror carp of around 4lb.

Agapi is the perfect venue for a family fishing excursion with hordes of small rudd to ensure plenty of action and the chance of a carp to set the pulse of the young angler racing. This is thie sort of water all young anglers should start off on for many anglers today set their sights so high that they reach the summit too early without enjoying the journey. Of course old timers like me still get immersed in the fascination of the chase and the challenge of catching whatever the lake holds.

If you are going to Agapi I suggest you give Sandra a ring for directions and to book the lake and secure a few hours of tranquil seclusion deep in the countryside.