There is much talk from politicians regarding the Environment but this is of little consequence without adequate funding for the bodies charged with enforcement. If you care about the rivers of the UK help raise the profile by signing the petition below.
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Cooler temperatures a bit of fresh and the flounder season is well underway. Flattie fanatic David Jenkins has been targeting the Taw flatties catching close to 100 up to 1lb 8oz during a weeks fishing for his favourite fish. He also caught several bass with several over 3lb.
Bideford Angling Clubs monthly Rover was dominated by flounder.
1st Julien Stainer – flounder 1lb 8.5oz 76.562%
2nd Andy Sanders – flounder 1lb 7oz 71.875%
3rd Dick Talbot flounder – 1lb 5oz 65.625%
3rd Julien Stainer flounder – 1lb 5oz 65.625%
Appledore Ship-Builders
Todd Robinson banked this 25lb 12oz beauty from lodge lake at the weekend , Todd caught on Sticky baits krill pop up and a tiny mesh bag of pellets.
(Below) Steve Pullen and Jordan Rowe banked a few out from Beatties Lake fishing the beach swim then moving to the inlet swim , Steve now has a new personal best of 25lb fish were caught on Mainline cell boilies.
(Below) Dave Willcocks who had 3 fish out up to 35lb 2oz from swim 1 up on Lodge Lake fishing with Sticky baits Manilla 16mm boilies and house pellets and C.C Moore northern special pink pop up.
https://www.anglers-nlrs.co.uk
Good to call into Quay Sports today and drop off a load of old line for recycling. Good to hear that there is a 10% discount off new line for angler depositing their old line. This worthwhile scheme is supported by the Angling Trust and helps reduce line getting onto landfill sites where it can ensnare wildlife,
After a long dry late summer and early autumn the rains have arrived swelling the local rivers into a dirty torrent. On the last day of the salmon season following rain earlier in the week the rivers had started to drop. I took my rod to the Middle Torridge and swung the fly more to say goodbye to season as in expectation of catching.
The river was at a good height but visibility was no more than 6″. I put on a big orange tube fly in the hope that it could be seen. The water was dark and turbid and rain beat down. The Bankside trees and vegetation showed little sign of the changing season. I savoured the sights of the river bank, the invasive Himalayan balsam has spread widely in some areas. Its pink flowers added colour, water droplets shone like jewels upon seed heads that popped as I walked past. Rose hips added a splash of colour as persistent rain beat down on this grey final day of what has been a disappointing season. In a few days the river will have fined down and will hopefully be full of salmon and sea trout forging up river to spawn high up on the redds.
We are living in strange times the ash trees suffering from ash die back some already dead and cut into lengths. Nature will heal of course I read recently of the loss of the nations elm trees during the dutch elm disease outbreak during the 60’s and seventies when an estimated 25.000,000 elm trees perished in the UK.
It is hard to believe that another season has passed by and for me a season without a salmon. As an all-round angler there is much to look forward to as autumn arrives and I will be torn as to where to cast my line. Until the wild daffodils once again decorate the banks I will no longer cast in hope of silver.
Daniel Hawkins focused on taking anglers in search of shark during the month of September and enjoyed a great deal of success bringing a good number of porbeagle and thresher shark to the side of the boat. The biggest porbeagle was estimated at an impressive 550lb.
Reel Deal moves up to Watchet for the winter season while the sister boat Predator 2 skippered by Archie Porter remains at Ilfracombe and will be running trips throughout the winter targeting spurdog, bull huss and conger.
Troy Laing and Toby Bassett were amongst anglers to enjoy some great bass sport off Ilfracombe on-board Bluefin. Autumn often provides some of the years best bass fishing over local reefs and this year everything seems to be running a little late so perhaps sport will continue right through the autumn months if weather permits access.
I joined South Molton Angling Club members Edward Rands and Roger Bray on a stretch of their club water on the River Bray to observe work being undertaken to clean the gravel where it is hoped salmon and sea trout will spawn this coming winter. Jeremy Weeks and David Weeks have been working to cleanse potential salmon and sea trout spawning areas over recent years for the Taw Spawning Habitat Improvement Project (SHIP). This important work is coordinated and funded by the West Country Rivers Trust and River Taw Fisheries and Conservation Association. The work entails pumping water into the gravel at the tail of pools to loosen and dislodge the silt that clogs the potential spawning areas (redds). Plentiful oxygen is essential for the successful survival of salmon ova and fry. The South Molton Angling Club have also carried out moderate bank clearing to expose riffles to light and maintain shady pools.
It was unfortunate that sods law intervened with heavy rain the previous night colouring the water to make conditions poor resulting in the work being rescheduled for another day later in the week. Jeremy and David were however able to give a demonstration and talk at length about their work and its value.
The dwindling stocks of salmon and sea trout are of great concern to anglers who invest time, money and effort into habitat improvement. The reasons for the decline in salmon and sea trout are many and complex. Whilst many of these factors are beyond the influence of anglers every bit of habitat improvement can help to ensure the long time survival of these iconic species.