We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to make this happen, and we’re finally ready to share the news…
Bude Bait & Tackle is coming!
With the recent closure of the tackle shop in Bude, we didn’t want to see local anglers left without easy access to bait and tackle. After a lot of effort and planning, we’re excited to announce that we’ll be opening Bude Bait & Tackle in the coming months.
For our juniors and local anglers in Barnstaple, Chris will be staying in Barnstaple, and we’ll be making another exciting announcement later this week introducing the manager of our new Bude store.
We’re aiming to open in April, so please follow our page for updates and progress as we get closer to opening day.
Your support means everything to us — likes, shares, and comments are hugely appreciated, so please help spread the word!
We are very pleased to announce the first Hanak Workshop of 2026 calendar.
This workshop will be running as one of the main events at ‘The Westcountry trout festival’ hosted by the famous, Arundell Arms Hotel in the south west of England. With an aim to get everyoybody underway and kickstart their 2026 trout season.
Saturday 14th March
Location – The Arundell Arms, Lifton (South Devon)
Time – doors open from 9:00am and will go on late into the afternoon.
As well as demonstrations from the team, down by the riverside and Lifton Lake by:
This will be the first time we have so many of our team all in one place.
There will also be casting demonstrations given by, non other than fly fishing legend Charles Jardine.
Fly tying demonstrations and workshops with @Nigel Nunn & Jeff Pearce
Plus a series of presentations from:
Sean Leonard, President of the Wild Trout Trust, will discuss the incredible work the Trust carries out and explore modern fishery management approaches required to support wild fish.
-Jeff Pearce of the South West Rivers Association will talk about the expansive strategies currently being developed by SWRA, including their Sea Trout and Salmon Action Plan and Smolt to Adult Augmentation initiatives.
–Dominic Garnett will speak about fly fishing for coarse species and trout fishing on urban streams.
-Nigel Nunn will discuss his renowned fly patterns and delve into the reasoning behind their design.
-Charles Jardine will talk about the inspiring work he is currently involved in, including Fishing for Schools.
-David Pilkington will discuss the history of The Arundell and will read an extract from his highly anticipated fly fishing book.
But it doesn’t end there.
There will be a series of big name brands and shops on site displaying all the new range of 2026 and selling fly fishing products, such as:
Unique flies – displaying an incredible range of barbless flies both lake & river. Along with A big range of the Hanak product line including three quarters of the entire graphene rod range from Hanak. With the complete new lineup of Hanak rods launched for 2026
This will be an opportunity for please to get their hands on pretty JsPatch FlyFishing to pick up and have a cast in our dedicated cast area
JsPatch FlyFishing – offering and displaying some of the finest had crafted most well thought out Fly Fishing products on the market
For those interested, please get in contact with James Christoforou at the Arundell Arms to book your place on 01566 784666
This will be one of the biggest events in the Southwest celebrating all things Fly Fishing and the beginning of what we hope will be an incredible season.
Angling clubs traditionally hold their AGM’s at the start or end of a season and these events are an important social gathering for the membership. The meeting is a reset point for the club enabling members to guide the committee as to the direction the club should follow and an opportunity for the committee to engage with members.
I attended two AGM’s in the past week the first was that of South Molton & District Angling Club on February 10th and the second was Dulverton Anglers Association on February 12th. Both events were well attended and reflected anglers vital links to conservation of river habitats.
South Molton AGM
This was the clubs 57th AGM and was held at South Molton’s Masonic Hall. Close to thirty members attended and it was very much business as usual as club Chairman Ed Rands addressed the members and introduced the committee officers as they delivered their reports.
Before the formal meeting commenced Daniel Skeat’s and Karen Saunders of the West Country Rivers Trust gave an informative presentation outlying the valuable work undertaken across the region via the Teign and Taw Fisheries plan. The funding for much of this work is from the governments Water Restoration Fund.
Karen and Daniel gave an outline on work with the farming community to effectively manage maize crops to reduce soil run off that is causing serious issues for salmonids spawning sites.
Electro fishing results across the Taw catchment gave some room for optimism with fry counts encouraging across some sites.
The Taw shad eDNA survey results were inconclusive with only a tiny percentage of samples giving a positive indication of the presence of shad. It is known from anglers catches and observations that both twaite and allis shad are migrating into the River Taw and as this is an annual event spawning is probably taking place though there is not yet conclusive evidence.
Edward Rands taking eDNA samples from the River Taw
The West Country Rivers Trust are working closely with the North Devon Biosphere , National Trust and other organisations to improve river and wetland habitat.
The club continues to thrive in an everchanging world with members enjoying excellent wild brown trout fishing on the River Bray. The long dry summer impacted upon fishing during the latter part of the season though a few migratory fish were contacted during the final days as rivers responded to rain.
The River Bray
The clubs boat trips proved generally productive and enjoyable and more are planned for the coming season.
Trophies were awarded to Jim Ricketts for the best specimen fish with a black bream of 3lb. The Mac Trophy for the biggest Trout was won by Ed Rands with a brown trout of 4lb 8oz and the Hancocks Bass Trophy by myself with a bass of 7lb. The biggest fish trophy was awarded to Ed Rands for a tope of 25lb.
The Dulverton Anglers Association AGM was held at the Anchor Inn, Exebridge, on Thursday, February 12th. The venue meeting room was packed with close to fifty members keen to support the club and hear the talk by Pete Tyjas the new editor of Trout and Salmon Magazine.
The hard working committee briefed the members on a successful year with the club in excellent financial health. The club now has close to 300 members who enjoy access to fishing on nine beats of the Upper Exe, Barle and Haddeo.
Old Woman’s Pool
Habitat improvement was high on the agenda and it was clear that there is a dedicated team who carry out regular work across the associations waters.
Pete Tyjas was given a warm welcome and delivered an inspiring, entertaining and informative talk on West Country Fly Fishing, his life and Trout and Salmon Magazine. Pete was the owner of Fly Culture Magazine for seven years and had built a sound following via this high quality quarterly magazine. He was recently given the opportunity to take on the role of Trout and Salmon Magazine editor. It was too good an opportunity to miss and Pete seized the chance to impart his own style to this long standing publication.
Pete told how he moved to the West Country in 1999 inspired by the writings of John Gierach and Mike Weavers excellent book The Pursuit of Wild Trout. Pete spent several years as a fishing guide & Instructor at the Fox and Hounds Country Hotel. The hotel has a long history as a fishing hotel with waters on the River Taw a river that Pete calls his home river.
Pete gave numerous valuable tips on fly presentation and how to approach the river. He conveyed a deep love for fly fishing, trout and the rivers in which they live. Through Fly Culture a thriving community has been forged that Pete will undoubtedly continue to build upon via Trout and Salmon Magazine.
The future of Fly Fishing and the direction of Trout and Salmon was high on the agenda with social media and AI constantly influencing society and readers habits. Pete oozes passion and optimism for the future believing that there could be a shift back towards traditional print media as what is seen online becomes increasingly false.
The price of Trout and Salmon is now less than a pint of beer and offers entertainment and inspiration from both new and established writers fishing a wide variety of venues. Pete is keen to connect with all fly anglers ensuring that those venues fished by the majority of anglers feature alongside those prestigious rivers like the Tay, Tweed, Test and Spey.
A WEEKEND DEDICATED TO FLY ANGLERS
Trout & Salmon Gathering
CALL 01769 580345 TO RESERVE YOUR PLACE
We’ve blocked off our entire country hotel in Devon exclusively for a special weekend, 27-29 March 2026, to welcome in the new fly fishing season. Presented by Pete Tyjas and Trout & Salmon Magazine, the weekend will feature an exciting line-up of speakers, with exhibitors and demonstrations throughout the weekend. It’s an opportunity to get together with fly fishing enthusiasts and experts from across the country for a relaxed weekend of all things fly fishing.
We’ve blocked off our entire country hotel in Devon exclusively for a special weekend, 27-29 March 2026, to welcome in the new fly fishing season. Presented by Pete Tyjas and Trout & Salmon Magazine, the weekend will feature an exciting line-up of speakers, with exhibitors and demonstrations throughout the weekend. It’s an opportunity to get together with fly fishing enthusiasts and experts from across the country for a relaxed weekend of all things fly fishing.
Richard Dennis won Bideford and District Angling Clubs latest match on their home water Tarka Swims with a bag of 31lb 4oz. Martin Turner was runner up with 25lb 8oz and Paul Elworthy third with 20lb 12oz. Pole tactics proved most successful with members catching carp, silvers and tench.
Richard’s success came close on the heals of victory at Stafford Moors Open match on the Saturday when he clinched top spot with an impressive 153lb 5oz.
Hard to believe but its just over two weeks before the start of a new salmon fishing season on North Devon’s rivers and there should be plenty of water in the river systems ensuring that the winters kelt’s have descended to the sea. Whilst the salmon fishing scene is plagued by the all too real stories of their decline anglers are eternally optimistic and there will those who take a rod to the water and try for that elusive springer one of angling’s greatest prizes. The fresh air and warming sun will certainly lift the spirits on those daffodil lined river banks.
On Sunday, February 22nd South West Lakes Trust host their popular Fly Fair at Roadford Lake. The event is always well attended as a curtain raiser for the coming trout and salmon season. There will be casting demonstrations and talks from top anglers and organisations including Charles Jardine, World Champion Fly caster Hywel Morgan and Shaun Leonard, Director of the Wild Trout Trust. South West Lakes Trust’s Head of Fisheries, Leon Fisher, said: “This year’s Fly Fair is set to be an amazing event with lots of activities on offer for the whole family. We have some fantastic guests lined up with world class knowledge of the sport. Attendees are in for a real show, whether you are an experienced fly angler or you are just starting out”.
I won Combe Martin SAC’s winter rover with a thick lipped grey mullet scaling 3lb 5oz. Kevin Legge was runner up with a conger of 16lb. Members caught conger, dogfish, rockling and bull huss.
Anglers are on the front line in witnessing the changes brought by climate change. It seems that frogs are spawning far earlier with spawn seen across the Westcountry from mid-January. Spring Flowers are also abundant with many daffodils and primroses already in bloom. The relentless rain is swelling rivers and will undoubtedly impact upon salmon and trout spawning areas.
Carp anglers are perhaps reaping the benefits of a warmer climate as carp continue to feed all year and pack on the pounds reaching weights that would have seemed incredible just a few decades ago.
It is perhaps at sea that the greatest impacts are being seen as fish populations fluctuate. During the winter months cod once considered the main quarry of sea anglers have all but disappeared with hardly any reported from the Bristol Channel this winter. Bass are now being caught on a regular basis from our estuaries throughout the year. Grey mullet once deemed a fish of the warmer months are now caught by enthusiasts fishing in the depths of winter.
The influx of tuna, bonito and gilthead during Summer and Autumn months are also cited as being the result of climate change. In truth nature is complex and only time and scientific data will bring greater clarity. As anglers we can explore exciting possibilities and adapt our tactics to exploit these new opportunities.
Big brown trout were the highlight of Bulldog Fisheries February Trout Open Competition with three double figure brown trout gracing the scales at the days end. The top angler was Andy Facey who tempted a fine brace of brown trout weighing 10lb 12oz and 9lb 2oz which when added the other three fish he caught gave him a winning weight of 29lb 4oz. Runner up was Dave Chapman with five trout for 23lb 10oz a bag that included a fine brown trout of 11lb 1oz. Third was Chris Dunn with six trout for 22lb 13oz and fourth myself with five trout for 22lb 2oz. I was fortunate to tempt the biggest fish of the day; a stunning brown trout scaling 13lb 7oz. All competitors caught fish including good numbers of rainbow trout and spartics of 5lb 7oz and 6lb 2oz.
Combe Martin SAC held their AGM and presentation night at the Mariners Arms, Braunton. Members reflected upon a successful 2025 during which some superb specimen fish were recorded. Shane Pavio Hookway won the clubs specimen league with five specimen fish that included a shore caught tope of 43lb 6oz and a pouting of 2lb 2oz. Best specimen fish from the shore was a gilthead bream of 5lb 10oz to the rod of Ollie Passmore. David Brooke won the clubs top Medway Cup for best caught specimen boat with a gilthead bream of 6lb 4oz. Daniel Welch was awarded the clubs Merit Award for his outstanding contribution to the club invigorating the boat sector of the club via his boat fishing enterprise Predator 2.
SPURDOG PACKS ON THE HUNT
John Barbeary’s Charter boat Blue Fin is now back in the water at Ilfracombe taking anglers to deep water marks where huge packs of spurdog are on the hunt. A party of anglers fishing last weekend caught an estimated 150 spurdog to almost 20lb. They also boated conger, bull huss, dogfish and rockling.
Nathan Clements won Bideford Angling Clubs monthly sea rover with a dogfish of 2lb 3.25oz.
Michael Hammett won Appledore Shipbuilders monthly sea rover with a thornback ray of 7lb 6oz. Jack Sharrock was runner up with a small eyed ray of 6lb 13oz and Andrew Atkinson third with a thornback ray of 6lb 10oz.
North Devon Match Group fished their latest Match at Stafford Moor saw good catches for members on both Tanner’s Lake and Woodies. Roger Ackroyd was top rod on Tanners with 116lb 14oz and Dave Stockton winner on Woodies with 101lb 1oz.
The South West Fly Fair makes a welcome return to Roadford Lake on Sunday 22 February.
The fair is hosted by charity South West Lakes Trust at Roadford Lake, between Launceston and Okehampton. The event is always a highlight in the Westcountry’s angling calendar and this year’s is not to be missed!
Throughout the day there will be fly tying and casting demonstrations, ‘have a go’ fly tying rooms and several talks by a range of experts including world champion fly caster Hywel Morgan and Shaun Leonard, Director of the Wild Trout Trust.
Returning favourite, expert Charles Jardine will be giving a casting demonstration – a must see for all attendees, whether you are newcomers to the sport or experienced anglers.
Trade stands will be selling new and used tackle and equipment and food and drink will be available at the onsite café.
The event runs from 10am to 3pm. South West Lakes Trust’s Head of Fisheries, Leon Fisher, said: “This year’s Fly Fair is set to be an amazing event with lots of activities on offer for the whole family. We have some fantastic guests lined up with world class knowledge of the sport. Attendees are in for a real show, whether you are an experienced fly angler or you are just starting out.”
Bulldog Fisheries Fly Fishing Competition – 1st February 2026
Many thanks to Tom Early for his report on the competition below ;- My own account follows
Our latest fly fishing competition at Bulldog Fisheries took place on the 1st of February 2026, and on arrival the conditions looked absolutely perfect. Overcast skies paired with still air set the scene nicely. Over a cup of tea and a bacon roll, plenty of fish were already showing, rising steadily along the far bank. Much of the early conversation centred around the recent stocking, with Nigel and Tom boasting of monster browns that had been introduced — excitement levels were high before a line had even been cast.
Following a quick peg draw, keen anglers made their way to their designated spots, patiently awaiting the starting horn. When it sounded, the ‘stocky’ rainbows came hard and fast during the opening hour of the competition.
Then came the first real moment of the day. Out on the point, with his rod bent double and a huge splash at the end of the line, it was clear Dave Chapman was connected to something special. After a lengthy fight and some expert netting from his son Freddy, the first big brown of the day was landed. Weighing in at just over 11lb, it was a cracking fish and gave Dave’s total weight a serious boost.
As the day went on, the rain arrived — heavy at times — and the fishing followed a familiar rhythm of sudden flurries and quieter lulls. There were moments when multiple anglers were playing fish across the lake at once, followed by brief pauses before the action fired up again.
Big browns continued to make an appearance throughout the day, particularly for Andrew Facey — quickly earning him the nickname “the man of many browns”. Fish after fish came to the net, including a double-figure brownie and a second biggen not far off, prompting a running joke that he’d soon need a wheelbarrow to carry his fish bag.
Just before lunch, the biggest fish of the day decided to show itself. North Devon Angling News editor, Mr Wayne Thomas, found himself locked into the battle of a lifetime. When the fish was finally landed, it was nothing short of spectacular — fin perfect and a prime example of what Bulldog Fisheries is capable of producing. Weighing an incredible 13.7lb, it was not only the largest brown taken from Bulldog’s waters in several years, but also a brand-new personal best for Wayne!
By lunchtime, anglers were soaked through and thoroughly hungry, so lunch was very welcome — cheeseburgers and chips all round!
Competition Results
1st Place: Andrew Facey – 5 fish, total weight 29.4lb
2nd Place: Dave Chapman – 5 fish, total weight 23.10lb
3rd Place: Chris Dunn – 6 fish, total weight 22.13lb
Biggest Fish of the Day: Wayne Thomas – 13.7lb Brown Trout
Many fish were landed throughout the day, including multiple Spartics and browns in the 4.5lb to 6lb range.
Overall, this was definitely one of the better competitions we’ve held. It’s always great to see everyone enjoying the venue, and knowing that our hard work is appreciated makes it all worthwhile
Onwards to the next one
The Cultivation of luck
Those big moments in angling are often the result of a bit of luck and there are many sayings used in relation to the luck factor. ” The harder I try the luckier I get” is perhaps one of the biggest in angling. Chatting with Nigel about the carp lake I pondered upon the investment of time when he commented on an angler having caught one carp in eight days fishing. Carp fishing by its nature is a discipline where the amount of time spent on the bank can be seen as hours invested results in success.
Fly Fishing and in particular competitive fly fishing is time constrained meaning that the decisions made on the day within a strict time frame are perhaps more focused. Thinking back over my many years at the water’s edge many of my personal best fish can be attributed to a big slice of luck that has to some extent been cultivated.
The luck of the draw
The big brown trout I caught during Bulldogs February Competition is a good example. I had started the day in peg 10 determined by a random draw. As is often the case the first twenty minutes are often hectic with the fish seizing anglers offerings with gusto. I capitalised on this early spell banking two rainbows though I could and should have done better as numerous fish came off after a few seconds of brief connection. A lesson that I have learnt is that in a competition keep at it if the fish are playing ball for they will often switch off quickly as a result of angling pressure.
The competitive format is that every twenty minutes the horn is blown and all move two pegs along. The next three moves resulted in just one fish for myself and by late morning I had still to catch that fourth fish to complete the morning quota. Colin Combe a friend from Wistlandpound angling Club had come for a chat and we talked of previous successes at various lakes. Fly choice is a widely debated topic amongst fly fishers and we both agreed that Bulldog Trout seem to respond to larger lure patterns. My own favourite is an olive damsel whilst Colin reflected upon recent success with a cats-whisker. Now I know the cats whisker is a very successful fly but it is not a fly I tend to use often.
Half an hour or so later I was fishing the point a good peg but success was eluding me. It was by now lashing with rain and there were only three of us left on the striving for that fourth fish whilst all other anglers chatted in the warmth of the hut beside a roaring woodburner with hot drinks and biscuits. Tom walked over and perhaps taking pity upon us told us we could fish where we liked during the last twenty minutes.
I took the opportunity to walk ten yards to peg ten where I had started the day. I carefully tied on a catswhisker and checked the hooks bend for it was a fly that had resided in my fly box for quite a while. I cast the fly to what I perceived was the hot spot and after two tweaks of retrieve all locked up as a big fish hit the fly. Five apprehensive minutes or so later a big beautiful brown trout slid over the rim of the net.
It was a very lucky cast destined by being in the right place at the right time with a fly at the lines end that tempted the trout. In a stocked Stillwater big fish are no wiser than small fish. If there is any skill it is in the landing of the fish as a big fish can break free as they often do. Checking those knots, hooks and removing those line weakening wind knots are key to capitalising upon luck.
The burger and chips went down well as we chatted of fishing, country sports, healthy eating, cooking, local meetings with rock stars and a wide range of wider topics wisely keeping clear of politics and other contentious issues.
The afternoon session proved harder going with most struggling to complete their six fish limit. I did add another brown trout of a couple of pounds and lost a good rainbow of perhaps four pounds when the hook pulled. Chatting later it was obvious that the trout were nipping at the tails of the flys without fully committing.
It was cheery bunch at the weigh in as the days catches were admired and memories captured before heading home with plenty of trout and prizes.
