Trouting In Paradise

Anglers Paradise

I first visited Anglers Paradise over thirty years ago and at the time it was all very new and I wasn’t too impressed with the rather stark collection of large ponds and lakes. At the time I frowned upon the extensive commercialism that was creeping into angling.

Today when I visit Anglers Paradise I rejoice in the amazing transformation of the complex nestled deep within the heart of Devon the thirty plus lakes have matured along with the extensive woodland and wetlands that now provides a diverse habitat abounding with wildlife and fauna.

At the heart of the complex is of course Anglers Paradise the vision of  the colourful character Zyg Gregorek. The  luxury holiday destination for thousands of  happy families over recent decades and famous for its wealth of fishing opportunities.

On this occasion I was visiting the Nirvana Trout lake with Snowbee Ambassador Jeff Pierce. Recent reports had hinted at some rather special trout residing in this 2-acre lake including specimen tiger, rainbow, blue, brown, golden trout and artic char. The lake is strictly catch and release with unhooking matts and rubber nets mandatory along with barbless hooks, single fly and minimum line of 10lb b.s.

We met up in the lakes car park at 9:30am and looked out to the lake across the grass meadow that was punctuated with hundreds of  pale pink cuckoo flowers commonly known as lady’s smock. Wispy white clouds drifted high in the bright blue sky and bird song resonated all around. I passed Jeff a fresh jam doughnut and poured a coffee. A days fishing ahead life doesn’t get much better than this!

We both set up with light 6 -wt rods with floating lines and walked confidently to the lake. The water was crystal clear with tadpoles swimming in abundance along the margins.

            We started fishing on the near bank both of us opting for damsel nymphs. After just a few minutes Jeff called out with his rod well bent and a good trout darting to and fro in the middle of the lake. I rushed over and did the honours with the net, thrilled to share in the moment. A fine tiger trout of close to 3lb was a great start to the day.

            We fished on for half an hour but Jeff and I both eyed up the far bank where several fish broke the surface on a regular basis. The water was deeper on this bank. On just the second cast Jeff was again in action his rod hooped over and his reel singing as line was ripped from the spool at an alarming rate. Several anxious moments followed as the fish headed for the  concrete overspill monk. Pressure from the rod soon told and a fine rainbow that must have been close to 6lb graced the net.

 

            Being catch and release we had both elected to leave the scales at home and not give the fish a number. A quick release of the trout with an absolute minimum time out of the water is essential to maintain these valuable pristine stock fish.

            The day progressed beneath the bright blue spring sky. Swallows swooped over the water and an early brood of mallards navigated the lake. The harsh strum of a woodpecker came from the nearby wood. We both fished hard and I glimpsed a couple of fish close to my flies but nothing actually connected.

            The bright sunshine and light easterly breeze gave us an excuse for a slow day. Large numbers of hawthorn flies were blown onto the water and we assumed it was these that the fish were occasionally slurping down from the surface.

            The morning drifted past all too soon and I suggested we head back to the cars where I fried up some sausages that were devoured with fresh rolls and ketchup. This wasn’t a healthy eating day!

            With the fishing proving hard we discussed tactics and I elected to set up a second rod with a sinking line. I tied on one of Jeffs bead headed damsels and returned to the deeper side of the lake. We both searched the water and I eventually made brief contact with a powerful fish that threw the hook. After six hours without a touch my confidence was given a boost. Jeff had a good take from a fish that he glimpsed in the clear water before it too threw the hook.

            It was now late afternoon and the prospect of a blank was starting to loom. I hooked another trout that again came off after a  few seconds. Surely persistence would pay off? With very few fish now rising I was convinced that my best chance was to persist with the tactics of a deep damsel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Suddenly a savage pull came through the line and I lifted the rod to feel a heavy fish pulsing deep down in the clear water. The loose line was quickly stripped through the rod rings and I let the fish run as I carefully applied pressure. After several tense minutes the fish was holding deep beneath the rod tip. I put the rod into a deep curve and we both peered into the dark water for that first glimpse. Jeff exclaimed “wow what a fish !” as  the flanks of a  large tiger trout appeared. I patiently applied pressure guiding the magnificent fish over the nets rim.

 

            The barbless hook fell easily from its jaws and we admired the fish in the net before lifting it from the water for a quick grip and grin before slipping it carefully back and watching it swim away strongly with a flick of its broad tail.

            I could have packed up then but I wanted to savour the moment and after all perhaps the fish had just come on the feed? Five minutes later my line once again zipped tight and another hard fighting tiger was secured and briefly admired.

            At two all it seemed a good time to pack away for the day. Memories made and plans made for a return visit to Paradise next spring.

Prior to that I have a trip in search of  the catfish of Eldorado during the summer.

Anglers Paradise

Richard Wilsons – Fish Rise

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Many thanks to Richard Wilson for sharing his monthly writing on North Devon Angling News. A fascinating topic this month that I can relate to as I have book shelves crammed with books many of which extol the virtues of various flies. Whilst watching a fishing program on TV a few nights ago the experienced ghillie on the river Spey was asked what fly to tie on? ” She replied “The one you believe in”. Whist this was aimed at salmon a complex fish that undoubtedly has unorthodox tendencies there is much truth in this statement for confidence in the fly is perhaps the fly’s greatest attribute.

Match the Hatch? Phooey!

The war for your wallet.

 

 

Fly fishing is a battle of wits, pitting wily angler against crafty fish. It’s an undisputed fishing fact that it takes a canny fisherman or woman to catch a canny fish.

We know this to be true because clever fisherfolk write books and articles in which their sophistication and guile always win the day. For the rest of us, there are no bragging rights in dumb failure so we scour magazines and the internet hoping for enlightenment.

This quest for wisdom comes down to just one all-important question. It’s the one we ask of every angler we meet on the bank, and it’s the first thing we say to anyone who’s just caught a trout (or salmon, or steelhead): ‘What’s the fly?’ Not ‘how long is that rod’, ‘nice waistcoat’ or ‘that’s a cool net’. Nor do we ask about spiritual incantations or performance-enhancing drugs. Just the fly.

So when it really matters, the summation of centuries of piscatorial knowledge can be distilled to this: ‘What’s the fly?’ There’s nothing wrong with the question, but the answer has caused endless human misery.

Look around you. Magazines promote fancy patterns and bloggers tie sensational flies made with just the hair of their dog. The omnipresent Mega-Weba-Store offers click-bait flies distinguished only by their pornographic names (fish are suckers for sexual innuendo).

This fly-choice conundrum lies at the heart of fly-fishing’s collective neurosis: If we make a bad decision and fish the wrong fly, we will go home empty-handed on a day when everyone else is catching fish on alternate casts. This is the worst humiliation a fly fisherman or woman can suffer.

And there’s no excuse for getting it wrong. Thanks to smartphones we can consult the wisdom of the Interweb 24/7, and even midstream if we are so minded (I’m not). Assuming we have a serviceable rod, line and reel then all we need to do is ‘Match the Hatch’. Who’d argue with that?  It’s all about the fly, isn’t it? Yet this smug little slogan, probably coined by a sharp suit on Madison Avenue, opens the door to a world of pain.

The promise is clear: If you, dear reader, can truly Match the Hatch (MTH) no wily trout will ever outwit you again. The river will be your servant and you will be invited to fish the finest beats. People will point you out wherever the great and the good of flyfishing gather.

 

Becoming an MTH-maestro takes decades of hard graft. Does anybody ever know it all? Of course not. When, eventually, you are confidently armed with enough MTH knowledge you head for the river, observe a major ephemerellid die-in and reach for your spent-wing spinners. Sadly you’ve brought the wrong fly box, so you tie on a Patagonian Gordo Alberto Black & Green Barbless Groucho Bonkster (size 10), and catch the first fish you cast to. And the second. So much for matching the hatch.

The father of all fishing wisdom, Ed Zern, nailed the Match the Hatch myth back in 1945: “Every once in a while, a fly fisherman catches a trout on a trout fly and he thinks this proves something.  It doesn’t. Trout eat mayflies, burnt matches, small pieces of inner-tube, each other, caddis worms, Dewey buttons, crickets, lima beans, Colorado spinners and almost anything else they can get in their fool mouths. It’s probable they think the trout fly is some feathers tied to a hook. Hell, they’re not blind. They just want to see how it tastes.” 

Well said Ed. I especially like the implicit dumbness in “see how it tastes.”

 

I don’t know whether Ed had an epiphany moment or if he laboured hard, testing his evolving theory on fish and fly and fag-end combinations. I like to think that as a prolific and creative writer he snatched it from the heavens under pressure from an imminent deadline.

My enlightenment was not a life-changing bolt of inspiration. It seeped in as part of a long, slow, teenage slouch through life, enhanced by 7-days a week access to a wild trout stream. I could cast well enough, name maybe a dozen flies and had little interest in entomology. And I should ‘fess up to a slovenly intellect.

I was also a teenager with no Mega-Weba-Store on a smartphone to seduce me with centrefolds of shiny tackle (Deadly on Trout Streams!! Buy 5, get 1 free!!). In fact, I don’t remember buying any fly-fishing tackle. It was all hand-me-downs from old people, or acquired from my father, or mongrel flies I tied for myself. In my worldview only grown-ups did entomology – why would anyone do Latin outside school?

Most importantly, whatever it was that I was doing, it worked. I was catching fish, and enough of them to get noticed locally. Hardly fame, but enough to induce a quiet confidence in an otherwise wobbly teenage life.

Hindsight and self-delusion are the two elemental forces of fishing so, like most humans, I needed a theory to rationalise my modest achievement. It was clear to me that fly choice was only cursorily related to catching fish, making entomology dead on the water, just like Latin. Although given the maxim that you can’t catch a fish without a line in the river, it seemed prudent to put on a fly on the end. After that fly size mattered somewhat, but not much else. So that left presentation, which was all about casting – and that suited my slouchy narrative very well.

 

There was, I decided, a commanding skill to be drawn from reading water and wind and then subduing them with my split cane wand. The summit of achievement was landing a fly with delicacy and precision just above the nose of a chosen trout. At the time I didn’t talk about this because I thought any grown-up with half a brain would have seen my approach for the slacking I knew it to be. Only later in life have I come to think there was truth in my stoner logic. And these days I’m rather less fantastical about my much better handling carbon rods.

Most of my fly tying focused on making flies that sort-of resembled proper grown-up flies, but within the limits of materials scavenged at home. I can only claim one original creation and its purpose was to extend fishing time into near darkness without missing closing time in the pub. It was big, fluffy and white and could be seen under the far bank as the last of the grey bled slowly out of the dying day. It caught fish – occasionally big fish – thereby delivering further evidence that whatever it was that flies did, it wasn’t preordained by the pseudo-science of MTH. And it kept me on the bank into that magical time when the light fades and all is hushed, except the bats.

So, fast forward to today. How did we end up in a world dominated by a rigid fly orthodoxy so closely matched to the stock offerings of multinational tackle companies? A world where the vast majority of artificial flies only ever catch humans swimming in an internet awash with fly-porn. Ask yourself how many flies you own and how many fish you caught last year.

What was once a slow-moving evolutionary struggle between fish and homo sapiens has become a turbo-charged arms race fuelled by merchants and influencers keen to sell stuff. And while humanity has made an intense intellectual and financial commitment to the fight, the fish are less bothered.  Indeed, the fish seem to be just as relaxed about it as they ever have been. The canny angler tries to think like a trout and second-guess his enemy, but no trout has ever repaid the compliment. I can’t say whether this makes trout clever or not (OK, it doesn’t), it’s just that fish don’t waste as much time on us as we do on them. They have better things to do.

Nature ensures that dumb fish are as widely distributed as their smarter brethren, and probably in much greater numbers – just like fishermen, you might say. And yet, for reasons I can’t fathom, smart fishermen never waste their time catching dumb fish. At least not in print. Perhaps it’s too easy? Or maybe clever fish make better copy?

Dumb fish, it seems, are only caught by dumb anglers relying on dumb luck. Hmm. It works pretty well for me ….

So, after a lifetime on the bank, here’s what I know: Dry flies come in 3 sizes: small, medium and large.  They have wings, mostly. They are barbless. How well they float depends on their mood.

That’s it.

 

South West Lakes Trout Fisheries Report

 

March 2023

The new season is now firmly underway at the South West Lakes trout fisheries, with the rainbow waters opening on 11 March, and brown trout on 15 March. Where available, boats are now on the water, and should be pre-booked (online or via the telephone). Generally the weather for the opening weeks has been challenging to anglers, with strong winds, rain, and cold temperatures, and the fish mainly feeding in the deeper waters, although fish have been looking up to feed at a few of the waters.

Fishing:

Kennick – Rods averaged 3.7 fish per angler on opening day, with a variety of methods and depths all producing good results. Paul Osborne (from Exeter) caught the best opening day fish – a rainbow of 3lb 8oz, as part of a bag of five fish, while Duncan Kier (from Belstone) caught the best bag – twelve rainbows, using a blob fished from the bank. The week continued well, with the best results coming from using a variety of nymphs (Damsels and Buzzers) and lure patterns (Cats Whiskers, Black and Olive Snakes, Orange Fritz, and Boobies) fished on an intermediate line, with fish well spread out around the lake. Notable bags included ten rainbows to 3lb, caught by Johnny Mac (from Plympton) using a sinking line and stripped snakes, as well as ten rainbows to 3lb, caught by both J.Stainforth (from Brixham) and Mick White (from Bovey Tracey) – the latter caught using a flashy blue damsel on an intermediate line with a slow but constant retrieve. The level at Kennick is now up to 87% and filling.

Siblyback – The lake is full now, and opened the season on excellent form, with anglers averaging 5.3 fish per rod on the opening weekend. Tony Chipman (from Truro) caught nine rainbows (including two nice overwintered fish of around 2lb) using a slowly retrieved floating line with a team of buzzers. Generally intermediate or floating lines with a sink tip have been the most productive, with plenty of fish around Crylla and Stocky Bays, as well as the dam area, with a wide selection of nymph and lure patterns all catching fish. John Henderson (from Falmouth) caught the best bag, with eighteen rainbows to 2lb, all caught on a floating line with a sinking leader.

The Snowbee ‘Teams of Four’ bank competition was held on 2 April, with ten teams competing, and anglers averaging 3.05 fish. Roche Angling Club (Tony Chipman, Dave Perks, Pete Williams, and John Hutchings) were the winners, catching 21 fish weighing in at 32lb 7oz. Runners up were Fishiotherapy Time, and Kennick ‘C’ team came third.

Burrator – Levels are now full, with the best fishing to be had at Longstone Bank, Pigs Trough, and The Point. Al Lawson caught the best fish on opening day, catching four rainbows to 2lb from a boat shared with his brother Andy, who caught five rainbows on a floating line and jerky retrieve. Generally, dark lure and nymph patterns  fished on floating or intermediate lines with a variety of retrieves has proved to be the most successful tactic. Phil Adlam (from Plymouth) caught the best fish – a rainbow of 2lb11oz, using a sink-tip line and roly-poly retrieve, while Rob Slaney (from Yelverton) caught a bag of thirteen fish (including some browns and a blue), using a Black Damsel.

Stithians – The lake is now over 90% full. Opening day fished extremely well with anglers averaging seven fish per rod. Stephen Glanville (from St Agnes) caught the best fish of the day – a 2lb 11oz rainbow, as part of a seven fish bag, while John Henderson (from Falmouth) caught 16 rainbows and a brown, with many fish being taken on a dry Black Gnat (these were hatching on the day). Averages fell to a still respectable 3.64 fish per rod as the month progressed, with fish well spread out around the lake; intermediate and floating lines with a sink tip and various retrieves all caught well, with nymphs, lures and some dries all accounting for fish. Simon Peters (from Cusgarne) caught a bag of 20 fish on a floating line and fast ‘figure-of-eight’ retrieve, and John Henderson caught another bag of ten fish to 2lb 8oz.

Fernworthy – Surprisingly, this high Dartmoor lake (which is usually slow to start), opened the season with some excellent sport in spite of the adverse weather conditions, with anglers averaging eight fish per rod in the opening week. Rodney Wevill fished a Welshman Minnow on a floating line, and with Jack Welshman, the pair enjoyed a superb day’s sport, catching 22 browns, with 17 weighing in at between a pound and 2lb 8oz. With midges on the surface later in the month, anglers using the dry fly (Black Gnat, Black Klinkhammer, and Claret Hopper) were rewarded with some excellent sport, while other fish were taken using Soldier Palmers and black nymphs and tadpoles. Fish were well spread out around the lake, but the south bank, Thornworthy Bay, and area around the old permit hut proved to be particularly productive. Nicholas Freeman (from Andover) caught six browns to 2lb 6oz below the old hut, where fish were eagerly feeding throughout the day.

Roadford – Now at 68% full, and slowly filling, Roadford started the season well, with the dam area and Grinnacombe producing the best sport. Rodney Wevill (from Launceston) caught five browns using a Welshman Minnow and a mini Scruffy Tiger on a floating line. Plenty of fish have been in the shallows, and floating lines with Daddy Longlegs, Humungous, and Blue Zulu patterns have all caught fish, with anglers averaging 2.5 fish per rod.

For anglers’ information, this May and September, carp fishing will be introduced at Roadford Lake as a trial venture. Carp fishing will be limited to 12 swims and fly fishing will not be permitted in this area only. The long term aim is to improve Roadford Lake as a brown trout fishery.

Colliford – This water is still only just over 50% full, and so far has been slow to start, with only a few fish caught.

Wistlandpound – This lake North of Barnstaple offers some superb fishing for wild browns with good numbers of fish in the 8oz to 12oz size range and the occasional fish over 1lb. The rudd that have thrived in the lake can offer fun sport on dry fly tactics and its is likley that the bigger browns feast on these fish. Browns to over 3lb have been caught in recent seasons. Small black lures and tradiional wets flies work well.

Please see South West Lakes’ website (www.swlakestrust.org.uk/trout-fishing) for more information on buying tickets, boat availability and booking, and forthcoming events.

 

Chris Hall (April 2023)

Fluff Chuckers Event – Roadford

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The path to the water
Many thanks to Rodney Wevill for the report below.

The Fluff Chuckers Yeti brown trout bank event was held on Roadford Lake on April 8th..

The weather forecast had been showing bright sun all day and that was going to make things a little more difficult.

But the day was warm with sun but a nice bit of cloud cover especially during the afternoon.

Anglers met at 8.30am for a 9.00am start in the main car park.

It was good to see many like minded anglers from Bristol, North Somerset, North Devon and from deep down in Cornwall with the same attitude, have a good fun day and if we catch a good one then we might even win a prize.

We fished from all different sections of Roadfords bank and what stunning country side surrounded us.

The fishing was steady in the morning but the afternoon seen a lot more fish to the nets.

A total of 80 Brown Trout were caught and all safely released for another day.

The competitive side of us boys started to show, all trying to find a bigger fish or just another one to the net before the 5pm finish.

We met back at the main car park to tally up the score cards and it was soon very obvious that things where going to be very tight indeed.

The longest fish was between Roger Truscott and Jack Welshman with Jack sneaking it by a couple of millimetres.

The most fish to the net was also extremely tight

With Simon Peters catching 16 fish and piping Mr consistent Roger Truscott by one fish with Wayne Thomas one behind that with 14 fish.

So a cheery end to a great day with some wonderful fishing with a great set of anglers.

A typical Roadford brownie

Final results 

Longest fish Overall winner

Jack Welshman

Runner up

Roger Truscott

3rd

Pete Williams

Most fish caught winner

Simon Peters

Runner up

Roger Truscott.

Fluff Chuckers- Fly Fishing Fanatics would like to thank YETI for there help with the prizes for the event.

Trout Fishing South West Lakes Trust for their help and prizes

All that came and supported another great event

Notes from the waters edge :- My first trip to fish for trout on this large lake that supplies water for most of North Devon. Despite a wet Spring the lake is still well below top water level and If we get another dry summer prospects are concerning. I very much enjoyed the day finding plenty of brown trout that gave a good account on the light 5wt rod I was using. Most fish took a small black pennel fished on a dropper, my standard set up for early season brown trout  being a small black lure on the point and two small black flies as droppers.

Always good to meet up with fellow fluff Chuckers. Special thanks to head chucker Rodney Wevill

South West Lakes Trout Report

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South West Lakes Trust latest trout reports can be viewed below.

https://www.swlakestrust.org.uk/news/sw-lakes-weekly-trout-fisheries-round-up-we-26th-march?fbclid=IwAR0sCRla99k_74dQdhG4M6my0AcJFYv39Pn5v0HipNH-7SjKWtegyTxqzrs

Roadford Rod Average: 3.00 Per rod day

Regular Roadford angler Rodney Wevill from Launceston caught 5 browns using humungous and blue zulu fly patterns on a floating line on Sunday, after catching 4 on Friday, noting that fish were found in the shallows.

View the full Catch Report here

Read our guide to fishing at Roadford here

Check out our Roadford fishing map here

Wistlandpound Reservior near Barnstaple is fishing well with some stunning wild browns tempted bu anglers offering small black flies and lures.

River Torridge Fishery Association – Friday 24th March 2023

 

The River Torridge fishing community gathered at the Half Moon Inn at Sheepwash for the AGM of the River Torridge Fishery Association. Pauline and I always enjoy the twice yearly coming together of the membership for the AGM in the Spring and the annual fund raising dinner at the seasons close at the end of September.

The Inn was reassuringly busy as we stepped inside the familiar bar where many members of the association were catching up on all the latest news. After half an hour of rekindling friendships and fostering new ones  it was time to head the meeting room for the formal proceedings to begin.

As with many angling clubs the River Torridge Fishery Association’s officers are long standing stalwarts with Secretary and treasurer Charles Inniss and  Chairman Paul Ashworth controlling the meeting with an ease born from long experience in their roles.

Thanks to Charles for the below summary:=

“Over 30 members attended the agm on Friday 24th March. The Chairman announced that for personal reasons the North Devon Fishery Protection Officer had been transferred to work nearer his family home. The EA were currently interviewing for a replacement to the vacancy. The EA proposals for the mandatory release of salmon throughout the season had been deferred for twelve months. Members were keen for the hatchery project to continue and several members offered their support. Izzy Moser gave an interesting and informative talk on the work of The Devon Wildlife Trust, particularly the pros and cons of the inevitable spread of beavers into the headwaters of the Torridge catchment. After the meeting The Half Moon provided an excellent buffet.”

            I would suggest that any anglers who fish the Torridge join the association and help support sterling efforts to protect the river for future generations. Subscription is just £20 per year. For details visit their website http://www.rivertorridge.org.uk

            The report from 2022 was very concerning with the drought conditions resulting in perhaps the worst salmon season in living memory. A total of 15 salmon were landed from the river all of which were returned.

            Fortunately, as I write this the rivers are brimming full last summer’s drought seems long ago. However, Roadford Reservoir is still at only 62% and Colliford in Cornwall 47%. In the Spring of 2022 these reservoirs were close to 100%. It doesn’t take a genius to conclude that another drought summer would have serious consequences. There is concern that South West Water would be forced to consider abstracting from the regions rivers an act that would be devastating for the rivers eco systems. Discussion reflected upon the apparent lack of water resource planning with no significant reservoirs constructed since Roadford in 1989. A new reservoir takes many years to come into being with years of consultation, planning and construction my own estimate would be at least 25 years before a new reservoir could be completed. One has to question why with an increasing population and climate change at the top of the agenda this is not happening?

 

            The Associations Hatchery has been an ongoing project that unites the membership. The past few seasons have seen the project stalled by COVID and issues with permissions from the EA ,largely around risk assessments and health and safety concerns. The committee are working hard to progress with significant help and expertise from within the angling community many of whom bring skills from their roles within society.

Torridge members at the Hatchery pre COVID

            The decline in salmon and sea trout stocks is alarming and many feel that the hatcheries are the only hope for slowing this decline. The EA hatchery at Colliford is to be an integral part of the future plans to rear ova to swim up fry stage. This hatchery has the facilities to enable essential temperature control a major problem for salmonoids as global warming takes a hold.

            It is of course essential that the habitat into which these future salmon are stocked is suitable. The Torridge faces many challenges with intensive farming resulting in pollution from sediment and nutrients and sewage discharge resulting in further issues with phosphate levels that promote algal growth.

            The Torridge River Association are working closely with the Devon Wildlife Trust  and the West Country Rivers Trust to seek solutions to many of the issues. Guest speaker Izzy Moser delivered an inspiring illustrated talk on projects to restore the river and the environment. These include slow the flow initiatives like leaky dams, meandering river courses, gravel introduction and creation of wild flower meadows and wetlands. The introduction of beavers was discussed with some concerns about their  impact on fish migration and woodland.

https://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/northern-devon-natural-solutions

            There was considerable interest in Citizen Science Monitoring to flag up any pollution incidents and to assess the ongoing health of the river. River Fly Monitoring has also proven to be a valuable tool in tracking keystone species. Data gathering is essential  in tracking success in any projects in our rivers.

            Invasive species are an ongoing concern with signal crayfish reported from several locations along the Torridge. Any sightings should be reported to the Devon Wildlife Trust.

            A good news story on the Torridge is the healthy population of wild brown trout that were caught in good numbers last season with wild fish to over 4lb caught and released. Dry fly tactics also resulted in several good sea trout. With dwindling salmon numbers many feel that the future of the rivers angling very much lies with trout fishing that I hope to promote over the coming season.

 

Summer Trout Fishing on the Torridge

Wistlandpound Club – Wimbleball Results

 

Wistlandpound Fly Fishing Club visited Wimbleball for their March Competition and all members tempted trout from various locations around the reservoir. The trout proved more difficult to tempt than expected possibly as a result of fluctuating temperatures with snow melt a potential factor. Prospects for are excellent for the coming months with large numbers of trout stocked. As Spring slowly settles in fish activity will increase with floating line sport likely on milder calmers days that are surely on the way.

A typical full tailed Wimbleball rainbow

Small dark coloured flies proved successful for me with a black lure on the point and black and green buzzers on droppers. Four of the five trout caught were tempted by the buzzers on the droppers. An intermediate line proved the best option it might have been worth drifting a set of buzzers beneath a floating line with a long leader and a gold head on the point.

I addition to hard fighting rainbows several wild browns were tempted with Colin Combe returning three fish to just over 1lb.

The winning bag of five rainbows.

 

March 12th – Wimbleball Result

1st Wayne Thomas 5 – 9lb 1oz

2nd – Andre Muxworthy – 3 – 6lb 10oz

3rd David Eldred – 2 – 5lb 8oz

4th Nigel Bird 2 – 4lb 11oz

5th Dave Mock – 2 – 3lb 6oz

6th – Colin Combe – 3 brown trout to 1lb +

2023 SOUTH WEST FLY FAIR – REPORT

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.

South West Lakes Trusts head of Angling Ashley Bunning( Right) and Dil Singh technical lead for game fishing

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.

Charles Jardine and Peter Cockwill

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.

( Above) Charles casts his magic

 

Gary Champion explaing the art of fly casting

Snowbee’s Simon Kidd

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.

Topping up the tackle – Homeleigh Garden Centre – Angling Department – 

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.

Rodney Wevill

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:-

I REMEMBER WHEN

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)

 

(Above) Zoe Latham keen Dartmoor Fly Fisher – With her fish and fly art works

                                                                                                

http://www.bannisterrods.co.uk

 

Invasive Species – 

WISTLANDPOUND FLY FISHING CLUB 2023

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WISTLANDPOUND FLY FISHING CLUB 2023

            Wistlandpound Fly Fishing Club was formed back in the 1970’s and its members enjoyed fishing the venues from which it takes it name. With the changes in Wistlandpound stocking over the years the club has now adapted and enjoys visiting trout fishing venues across the South West.

Members assembled on February 23rd  at the Ye Old Globe Inn, Berrynarbor. Top of the agenda was the calendar of events for the coming year.

The events were discussed and dates set up with all members looking forward to getting together at the water’s edge for a bit of friendly competition.

The club welcomes new members of all ages and abilities. Membership is just £10 per year. Contact club secretary David Richards for details:-

Mobile 07748685155  email – [email protected]

Club Events – 2023

March 12thWimbleball 10:00am 4.00pm Bank only

April 16th –    Clatworthy  10:00am 4.00pm Bank Only

May 5th – Tavistock Trout Fishery 10:00am 4.00pm

June 25th  Wimbleball – Boat or Bank 10:0am 4.00pm

July 12th – Gammaton – Evening Rise 6.00pm 9:30pm

September TBC

October 8th – Wimbleball 8:30am to 12:30 pm Lunch at the George Inn

November, December, January & February; Winter challenge at small Stillwater venues full details TBC