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.
Andy Birkett’s 5lb 8oz Brown trout from Fernworthy
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:
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]
Fly Fishers are enjoying great sport at Blakewell Fishery with both brown and rainbow trout succumbing to flies in the cool clear water. Greg Arlotte & Neil Butler enjoyed success at the venue with rainbows to 6lb and brown trout to 4lb.
Shaun Antony Ley sent me this account of his trip to Blakewell with his son Danny.
As a keen angler growing up fishing with my dad it’s only natural that I’ve been waiting for my son to show an interest and catch his 1st fish by himself on a fly. New Years Day seemed like the perfect time to try our luck at Blakewell. Danny’s interest was soon established when we saw fish rising and turning as I set up he picked his fly and spot. Not long after he bagged his 1st trout quickly followed by a second which was bigger. A perfect start to the New Year.
This fine double figure rainbow trout brought a smile to Nick Hart’s face as he travelled through the Londons Piccadilly on his way to his work at Farlow’s. Content in the knowledge that his wife Sue is keeping the home lake running smoothly. The cracking fish was tempted from Exe Valley Fishery by fishery regular Danny Ford. Exe Valley wish everyone a fantastic few days break, and a Merry Christmas!
The report below is unfortunately a little short of news from North Devon with little reported from Wistlandpound our local brown trout fishery that has not been fished as much as it perhaps deserved. I know some anglers who fished there enjoyed some fine sport with the brown trout that were stocked and the population of resident wild brown trout. I will speak with South West Lakes Trust over the coming weeks and try to discover what the future holds for North Devon’s Trout anglers.
I caught my first rainbow trout at Wistlandpound Reservoir back in the mid 1970’s and the memory is etched as a vivid memory in my minds eye. Back then the reservoirs were under the ownership of The North Devon Water Board. A great deal has changed since then when several of our local reservoirs were trout fisheries. Melbury, Jennetts, Upper Tamar, Upper Slade and Lower Slade were all stocked with rainbow trout and all had a small head of resident brown trout.
The political and commercial landscape has changed dramatically since those far off days. It is easy to look back with rose tinted glasses at those days and the years that followed. The arrival of small well stocked still-waters with bigger easier to catch fish has to some extent changed many anglers expectations and bred discontent.
To a large extent trout fishings future will be dictated to by the price anglers are prepared to pay for their sport and numbers that buy a permit. There is vast range of fly fishing on offer to suit all the most important factor is going to be number of younger anglers that are motivated to pick up a rod.
Wayne Thomas
A fine Wistlandpound brown Trout
A good number of fish have still been feeding from the surface, which has led to some exciting dry fly sport, particularly with Daddies and Hoppers. Water levels are now starting to rise, while water temperatures are now between 13 ºc and 15 ºc. The Trust’s Brown Trout fisheries closed for the season on 13 October, with the Rainbow waters open until the end of November.
Fishing:
Kennick – Weekly rod averages varied between 1.5 and just under 3 fish per angler over the month, with most fish being caught from the banks (boat anglers did the best when fishing into the margins). Clampitts Bay, Smithacoot Bank and the shallow water off Laployd Bank produced the most fish. When fish fed from the surface in early mornings and evenings, dry sedge patterns and buzzer emergers caught well; otherwise small subsurface nymph patterns (Diawl Bach, Hares Ear Nymphs, Damsel Nymphs and Montanas) fished either singly or in teams on floating lines produced the best results, with deeper fish taking slow fished Boobies. The best fish caught in the month was a 3lb 7oz Rainbow caught by Mr J. Rumbold, while Mr Peppitt, from Newton Abbot, caught the best bag of 16 fish.
Siblyback – Two Meadows and Stocky Bay continued to produce the best sport, mainly for anglers fishing from the banks. While not many fish fed from the surface, they could still be tempted up with Daddies and Hoppers, although the majority of fish were caught on sub-surface nymph patterns (Diawl Bachs, Hares Ears and Pheasant Tails), while Red Blobs and Orange lures caught some of the deeper feeding fish.
Burrator – Longstone Peninsula continued to provide the best fishing from the banks and, with the presence of numerous sedges on the water, Deer Hare and Hares Ear sedge patterns produced good dry fly results, along with Silver Invictas fished on a floating line just under the surface. Parachute Emergers, fished in conjunction with a team of Buzzers and Diawl Bachs, proved to be a productive combination, especially in the mornings, while Kennick Killers fished on an intermediate or sinking line proved to be the most effective deeper pattern.
Stithians – This fishery produced the best surface sport over the region, with a wide variety of floating patterns catching fish, including Dry Grey Goose, Bobs Bits, Deer Hair Sedges, Black Spiders and beige Klinkhammers, otherwise small nymph patterns fished just under the surface (Diawl Bachs, Hares Ears, Hares Ears and small Montanas) on floating or sink-tip lines produced good results. A few deeper feeding fish were caught on White Nomads and Cats Whisker Boobie patterns. The best locations included North Bank, Pipe Bay, Mossops and Goonlaze banks and the deeper water by the dam
Roadford– Numbers of Daddy Longlegs blown onto the water meant that fish were looking up to feed and were caught on Dry Daddies and Hoppers or Gold Head Daddies fished under the surface film. Dark patterns caught well, including Black Pennells and Black and Peacock Spiders, fished on sink-tip floating lines. Bank anglers picked up fish from Davey’s Bank and Gaddacombe Creek, while boats did well in Goodacre Bay, the deeper water near the dam and fishing over the boils.
Drift – Badger Bank continued to provide the best bank fishing, with good fishing to be had throughout the day now that temperatures have started to fall. While there have been some fish showing on the surface on calmer days and late evenings, anglers have favoured sub-surface dark patterns (small black nymphs, UV crunchers and small Woolly Buggers), preferably in teams, fished on a floating line.
THE BEST
The Trust’s prestigious ‘Best of the Best’ final, supported by Snowbee UK, was held at Kennick on 15 October, with 43 qualifying bank anglers taking part. Weather conditions were perfect, with a good ripple and plenty of fish showing all day. Takes were tentative and a frustrating number of fish were lost before netting, although 70 Rainbows, 20 Browns, and 1 Blue were landed. Last year’s Runner-up, Rob Gale, out-fished everybody and managed to bank six fish for 10lb 14oz to take the Winner’s trophy and a cash prize of £1500. Runner-up Paul Jones landed five fish weighing 10lb 3oz to take the £750 cash prize and Runner-Up Trophy.
The lake will be closed for essential maintenance for up to one week from Tuesday 19th September 2017 we intend to re-open on Monday 26th September.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We will endeavor to complete the work sooner and we will advise via our website email & Facebook if this is the case.
All our other facilities at Blakewell are open as usual, including the family fishing ponds and the cafe.
South West Lakes Trout Fisheries Report (August 2017)
Stocking quality rainbows
General:
Although water temperatures dropped slightly (to around 18 ºc) in August, the reservoir fishing across the region proved challenging, particularly with Rainbows. Generally bag numbers and the size of fish caught were down on previous months, with Brown Trout, particularly in the evenings, providing the best sport. The Trout, particularly Rainbows, have been lethargic and not keen to feed, preferring to retire to the cooler, deeper waters of the fisheries. Water levels continue to drop, exposing fresh areas of bank.
Stocking quality rainbows
Fishing:
Kennick – The Top End, Narrows and Boat Bay proved to be the most productive areas for both boat and bank anglers, with the best sport to be had in the mornings and evenings. The most popular fly patterns included Damsel Nymphs, Diawl Bachs and teams of Buzzers fished at varying depths, with deeper fish taking Boobies and Tadpoles. The occasional fish would rise to small midges and Black Gnats, particularly in the evenings. The best fish caught included a 3lb 12oz Rainbow, caught by Mr R Goss from Exeter, using a Booby and a 3lb 9oz Rainbow, caught by Phil Bryant from Ermington, using a Cruncher. Barry Ware from North Tawton caught a bag of 11 fish whilst fishing from the bank early in the month. The majority of fish stocked and caught during August were Brown Trout.
Siblyback – The majority of catches during August were taken either from Stocky Bay or Two Meadows, with late afternoons and evenings the best time to fish. Although few fish were feeding from the surface, the occasional fish could be tempted to rise to Hopper patterns, sub-surface Montanas and teams of Buzzers as well as deeper-fished weighted dark patterns (Black Tadpoles and Gold-head Nomads in particular) which proved to be the most successful method.
Burrator – The banks at Longstone Peninsula and the South Bank produced the best fishing over the month, with Bobs Bits, Buzzer Emergers and Black Gants all taking rising fish. The majority of fish, however, have again been caught on sub-surface nymphs (Damsel Nymphs, Montanas, Black Crunchers and Black and Peacock Spiders) fished on either sink-tip or intermediate lines, with more fish now being taken on dark lures (Boobies and Tadpoles) fished on sinking lines. Local angler Alan Lawson caught the best fish of the month, a 3lb 3oz Rainbow caught on a drowned Black Gnat.
Stithians – The presence of midges and beetles over the water meant that fish continued to look to the surface for food, with a variety of dry patterns, including Sedges, Hawthorns, various emergers patterns, Muddlers, F-Flies and Black and Peacock Spiders fished in the surface film, all producing results. The majority of fish, however, were taken on nymphs and wet patterns, particularly teams of Buzzers, Caddis pupa, Pheasant Tail Nymphs and Hares Ears. Fish were well spread out over the fishery, with the best locations including Pipe Bay, Sluice, Goonlaze Bank, Pub Bay, Carmenellis Bank and Yellowort Bay. Mr R Lambourne from Lanner caught a number of Rainbows of around 2lb using a dry Deerhair Sedge and Claret Emergers.
Roadford – With fish rising in the mornings and evenings, small dry patterns (Black Gnats and Black Spiders in the surface film) have been fishing well, particularly off the banks (Daveys and Gaddacombe). There are also large numbers of damsel and dragonfly nymphs present and Roadford’s Brown Trout are feasting on these. Damsel and large olive nymphs are producing good results. Boat anglers are enjoying success, either fishing nymphs into the banks or pulling muddlers and lures over the boils.
Colliford – Large Browns are chasing shoals of sticklebacks in the shallows near the dam – pulled lures and muddlers should produce some exciting sport.
Wistlandpound – Anglers averaged just under two fish per rod, with the best fishing in the deeper water by the dam and from the jetty, generally with small nymph patterns.
Nick Hart at Exe Valley writes : I Just love introducing new people to fly fishing and this weekend I have been looking after The Crawfords … and how well did they catch?! Celebrating Robins 60th birthday, his sons Adrian and Gary treated the 3 of them to a weekend away on Exe Valley. After casting tuition yesterday they got stuck into the fishing and in tough bright windy conditions picked out 4 nice Trout (and a whitebait!) using a washing line with Blobs. Better was to come as today they excelled with Robin fittingly topping the leader board with 4 Trout to 6lb. Their total bag of 10 pulled the scales down to 36lbs … and they lost at least another 6. All fish caught on #14 quill buzzers in the top 2 feet. Very well done guys it has been a pleasure to fish with you this weekend!
Russell Hill and Samantha Fullerton joined NIck Hart on Exmoor’s wild streams chasing the beautiful wild brown trout that abound in these clear waters.
