Nick Galley fished Lower Slade Reservoir and tempted a new personal best landing a fine mirror carp scaling 31lb 2oz. The fish is I believe a new lake record improving on its weight when last captured at just over 29lb.
A 3lb 8oz Perch John Deprieelle caught from Roadford this weekend. Perch fishing (by boat only) is offered alongside game fishing at Roadford. Purchase your permits and check the rules here: https://www.swlakestrust.org.uk/roadford-lake #ItsYourOutdoors
(Below) Steve Dawe caught three specimen bream at 11lb 10oz, 12lb 8oz and 13lb 6oz from Lower Tamar on a recent session.
The 2023 South West Fly Fair was held at Roadford Lake on February, 26th. This has become a very popular event in the West Country Fly Fishers diary heralding the onset of Spring fishing.
The format of the day allows plenty of time for social interaction with anglers from across the South West and beyond converging at the conference centre. There was a range of expert anglers at hand to offer advice on tackle, tactics, fly casting and fly tying.
There were numerous stalls with both new and second hand tackle, a vast array of flies and fly tying materials along with details of where to fish. Representatives from numerous angling club’s associations and trusts were in attendance.
Thanks must go to South West Lakes Trusts head of Angling Ashley Bunning and Dil Singh technical lead for game fishing who organised the event with their dedicated team. The event was opened by the familiar fair’s patron Charles Jardine. The fairs main sponsor was Chevron Hackles.
As always Charles Jardine’s enthusiasm for fly fishing was very apparent and was this year bolstered by the company of angling writer Peter Cockwill. Charles and Peter both highly respected fly fishing practitioners who have witnessed a huge amount of change in the fly fishing world and have remained at the fore front for several decades.
Charles and Peter are joining forces on June 21st at Syon Park to “ Cast A Marathon”. Twenty six miles of casting using a mix of Orvis 4,6 and 8 weights to raise funds for https://www.fishingforschools.co.uk and Castaway and to promote their love of Fly Fishing. Full details to follow.
On arriving at the lakeside venue, it was immediately apparent that the lake is still barely half full following last seasons disastrous drought. This was undoubtedly a widely discussed issue amongst anglers as they debated last season and the coming months. Colliford in Cornwall is apparently even lower prompting the alarming question what if we get another summer of drought? Let’s hope it’s a more traditional British summer with a few downpours to keep the lakes topped up and the rivers flowing.
The experts , Charles Jardine, Snowbee’s Simon Kidd and Gary Champion delivered fine casting demonstrations with impressive flexing of rods and swirling of lines that all looked so simple in their hands despite the chill brisk North East Wind.
The fly tying fraternity created many flies and lures to tempt the most discerning of anglers. Talks were delivered with humour and wisdom with plenty of audience participation.
The trade stands and expertise are an integral part of the show but above all it is the angling community that is at the heart of this event. Each year friendships are rekindled and plans made for the coming year. I’m sure its not just me who discusses plans for the season to then find that time and life intervene as for any keen angler will testify there is so much water and little time.
A cheerful smile from John Aplin of Casterbridge Fisheries LTD
Put a couple of hundred anglers together for a day and there will be a huge amount of discussion. That great angling writer H.T. Sheringham penned several classic books in the early part of the last century the titles of which would cover many of the debates undertaken. Trout Fishing Memories and Morals, Elements of Angling and perhaps more appropriate “Fishing its Cause Treatment and Cure”.
Debate about tactics and morals have raged within angling for centuries. When does an artificial bait become a fly? Is Upstream dry fly fishing superior to upstream nymph. Is the use of an indicator akin to float fishing? Are wild trout more worthy than stocked? What of the future of fishing? Cane, carbon or fibre glass? Is social media toxic or is it the anglers that post upon it? Is competitive angling good or does it bring out the worst in people?
I joined a discussion with well-known West Country Fluff chucker Rodney Wevil debating on how to catch mullet on the fly. Are they the most difficult fish to tempt? Despite considerable success with the species Rodney believes they are indeed among the most challenging of fish.
Talk of Fly Fishing and twenty years ago most would have thought of trout or salmon. Today fly fishing enthusiast’s target a very wide range of species in both salt and freshwater. Predatory fish such as pike have become top targets as have carp. The tactics used to tempt these species open up an entire new spectrum for anglers to debate.
Another item very high on the agenda is the river environment a topic that is now gathering a far wider audience due in part to the sterling efforts of Feargal Sharkey and the like. As anglers we have a very close affinity with water and are very aware of change.
As waters closer to home suffer from mankind’s actions it is perhaps inevitable that those who can afford seek fish from distant lands. I talked of fishing the richer waters of Norway and Iceland.
I also had a very interesting discussion about the fishing in the Southern Hemisphere. I had seen pictures of adventures with huge seatrout, brown trout and rainbow trout posted by Peter Cockwill.
Peter enlightened me about how these fish have thrived in pristine waters of the Southern hemisphere after being stocked many years ago by us northerners. Waters that had no significant fish populations now have these fish that many think of as wild. They are not of course truly wild but illustrate how mankind can redistribute nature to his own ends. Mankind is undoubtedly decimating the marine ecosystems of the world how nature responds is complex.
The 2023 Fly Fair was a very enjoyable event that will hopefully run as an annual event for many years. I arrived home late afternoon with a head full of fishy thoughts. In the middle of the night I awoke; discussions of fish populations in our rivers swimming through my mind. A common theme amongst anglers is how it used to be. Each generation has its own bench marks.
Keen to record my thoughts I left a warm bed to compose the following:-
The old guy said,
I remember when the salmon poured into the pools,
Packed like sardines you could have walked across their backs, (1983)
I remember when some anglers caught one hundred salmon in a season, (2003)
It’s been a better season we caught forty from the river last year, (2023)
I remember when there were salmon in the river, (2043)
I remember being told there were once salmon in this river, (2063)
http://www.bannisterrods.co.uk
Aaron Bunning: “Had another great day at Jennets reservoir. I managed to get 5 carp with 3 of them 20’s to 26lb. Nash Bait Scopex Squid wafters over a large bed of freebies once again producing the goods”.
September 2022
Water levels have continued to fall (in some cases well below 40%) in spite of some welcome interludes of rain, meaning that large expanses of muddy banks have been exposed, and anglers are reminded to be aware of the dangers of soft mud. Water temperatures are still high, and the trout, rainbows in particular, are still not particularly eager to look at a fly, and are generally in the cooler deeper parts of the lakes. We should start to see an improvement in the fishing with fresher conditions and cooler nights now prevailing.
Fishing:
Kennick – Boat anglers continue to achieve the best results, with the deeper waters in Boat, Poplar, and Clampitts Bays producing the best sport. Either sinking lines or floating lines with a long leader fished with a slow retrieve in mid-water produced results, using either a variety of Damsel Nymph patterns or Black Tadpoles. Simon Emery (from Winkleigh) caught three rainbows to 3lb using an Olive Damsel fished on a sinking line and slow retrieve, while Chris Whiteman (from Exeter) caught a 2lb 8oz rainbow on a Green Damsel.
Burrator – Sheepstor, Longstone Bay, Pigtrough, and Discovery Point proved to be the best locations to fish, with anglers favouring floating lines with a sink-tip, and a variety of nymph (Blue Flash Damsel, Claret Buzzer) and lure patterns (Orange FAB, Viva, and Cruncher). Alan Bachelor, along with two companions, caught fourteen rainbows to 2lb, while Jon Rood (from Plymouth) caught three rainbows to 2lb using an Orange FAB, with an Orange Blob on the dropper, fishing from Sheepstor Bank.
Stithians – Water levels are very low here – at the time of writing only 25% full. The Dam area, Sluice Bank, and North Bank have produced the best sport, with Black Pennell, Goat’s Toe, and Dunkeld fished on a sink-tip line taking fish, while browns have risen to Daddylonglegs patterns.
Fernworthy – The recent rain has meant that the water level in this high Moorland reservoir has started to rise, with some fish activity. Nick Hawkins (from South Brent) caught two nice browns to 2lb 4oz using a sunk Kate McLaren on a slow retrieve.
Colliford – The fishery continues to buck the trend, with anglers averaging 4.7 fish per rod, and fish well spread out around the lake (Browngelly Bay, Lords Waste, and East Bank producing a lot of catches). Fish are being tempted to take dry patterns (Foam Beetles, Bobs Bits, Foam Daddies, Black Gnats and Small Sedges) fished on a floating line and long leader, as well as sub-surface patterns (Gold-head Daddies, Diawl Bachs, Soldier Palmers, Montanas, and Buzzers). Chris Tilyard (from Fradden) caught ten browns to 2lb 11oz in an early morning session using a Soldier Palmer and Zonka.
Roadford – Sport at Roadford continues to improve, with anglers averaging 6.7 browns per rod in one week. Daveys Bank, East Wortha, and the South Bank produced the best sport, with fish taking a variety of patterns (including Black Hoppers, Ginger Shipmans, Soldier Palmer, Zulu, and Black Tadpole) on floating lines. Dean Boucher (from Gunnislake) caught thirteen browns to 1lb 4oz in one session on pulled wets (Soldier Palmer, Zulu, and Black Tadpole) fishing a floating line. Rodney Wevill (from Launceston) caught seven browns on a floating line with static and medium retrieves.
I met with Ashley Bunning at Lower Slade Reservoir to discuss his new role as head of angling with South West Lakes Trust. Ashley is a very keen all-round angler much like myself and we had plenty to chat about as we walked around the reservoir. Ashley’s new role encompasses Game and Coarse fishing across the South West.
Ashley is very keen to promote angling across the region focussing in particular on encouraging young people into angling with school days a strong possibility. The lakes across the region provide a wealth of angling opportunities for pleasure, Match, Carp and specimen hunters. Getting a balance across all persuasions can be difficult and it is often difficult to please everyone. Being a keen angler himself Ashley has plenty of ideas and has plenty of contacts across the angling world. He acknowledges that there are challenges and that there is ground to make up following the departure of Ben Smeeth last year.
The popular Carp Fishing competitions sponsored by Mainline are due to return next year at Upper Tamar and I will have full details on NDANs as soon as these are officially announced. I might even take part myself!
The reservoirs across the South West offer a wide range of unique fishing opportunities and Ashley is keen to expand these where possible if budgets allow. These are difficult times and as a potential recession impacts upon us all fishing will undoubtedly be affected. It is also worth remembering that angling can be a relatively inexpensive pastime that has great benefits for both physical and mental health.
The social media platforms are to be reinvigorated over the coming months and I hope to share any news on North Devon Angling News. South West Lakes Trust have taken over the running of the famous Royalty Fishery at Christchurch where many historical catches have been made.
Angling is of course not the only pastime that uses the lakes and tolerance is essential if everyone is to enjoy their time at the water.
Having met Ashley Bunning while he was working at Anglers Paradise I feel sure he will promote angling across SWLT’s waters following on from the excellent work undertaken by Ben Smeeth in recent years.
September 2022
Hi all, I’m Ashley Bunning, the new Head of Angling at South West Lakes.
I am a keen angler who has fished the South West Lakes reservoirs all my life. I grew up in Holsworthy and when I finished school I moved away from home and studied Fishery Management and Aquaculture to a Bachelor of Science level at Sparsholt College in Winchester.
After completing my course, I worked at various fisheries around the country, then settled at Anglers Paradise in Devon for the last six years.
Over the years I have volunteered for South West Lakes and when the opportunity came about to have a role here as Head of Angling I jumped at the chance! I look forward to pushing fishing forward and improving the experience for anglers on our waters.