Many thanks to Ollie Passmore for his article on wrasse fishing.
After a few successful trips away this winter targeting the ballan wrasse a window of prime conditions was forecasted. I knew a rough area that I believed could chuck up a big fish. All set to go with fresh crab and hand dug rag and prawns was our chosen bait. Arriving at the mark with very simple rigs that consist of a 3 way swivel with a short 80lb hook length and a 2/0 chino hook. Using a rotten bottom set up clipped up with a 15lb line so losing your lead is easily done. This is essential for fishing for wrasse. Wrasse are found generally in rocky areas and getting snags are often part of this fishing. Losing the lead is the best way of getting your kit back and also not tethering these fish up. 70lb braid is what I use for wrasse fishing so almost every time you get snagged you manage to get your trace back with either a bent out hook or lost lead. From first cast to last, baits where getting smashed. Lost count on the amount of fish we had over the two sessions. Most fish being around 3lb, and all being a variety of colours and patterns. Kody and myself where releasing the fish at sea level. This is important for the fish to go back well as they are fragile and tend to belly up if not treated correctly. Deep hooked fish I have found that it is best to just cut the hook length as they will often float away if you start digging around inside to try get your hook back. Wrasse are very important fish for our oceans as they keep the reefs and coral healthy and free from parasites and other things. But with a bit of fish care these fish will go back to carry on doing there important job that they were designed to do. Best fish of the session was a 4lb 4oz and a PB for me of 5lb 6oz. Kody landed lots of 3lb fish and some close to 4lb. It was a shame he didn’t get that 4lb fish. All in all, it was a trip to remember and has continued my passion and eagerness to get back out at the water’s edge targeting these very special fish that we have in our UK waters.
Hi everyone, I’m really excited to be putting on this exhibition, 100% fish !! some amazing artwork by 11 professional artists. Please proceed to the website to find out more about whats’ going on and check out their work.
There will be a talk by Phil Turnbull from The Westcountry Rivers Trust on March 27th at 5.30 (no charge) which you will have to book into via the ‘contact’ page on the website. There will also be groundbreaking footage to watch, available all day everyday, on the life of the salmon taken by Chris Conroy and supplied by The Atlantic Salmon Trust.
Incredibly grateful to all those that have helped me better form my views and have supplied me with equipment, words and advertising, The Atlantic Salmon Trust, The Westcountry Rivers Trust, The Exmoor National Parks, Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust,The Missing Salmon Alliance and The Exmoor River and Streams Group. With much appreciated sponsorship from The River Barle Fishing Club and The River Exe and Tributaries Association.
B.D.A.C 5th rod and reel match results date 26/2/23. 11 anglers fished at HIGHHAMPTON LAKES. The fishing was very hard going with very few bits for most. 1st place went to Darren polden was a nice net of carp for 30lbs 12oz caught in the margins, 2nd place when to Nigel spurr with 21lbs 2oz fishing the tip to the island, 3rd place was Mike Ellis with 20lbs 15oz on the tip and 4th place went to Cyril Found with 16lbs 7oz. The next match is on the 26/3/23 venue to be confirmed.
HORWOOD match anglers have booked the 4th Sunday of every month this year at Morchard Road, cracking venue and always seems to produce decent weights.
Despite a horrid wind and a very cold day it again fished well. It started hard but a few fish decided to have a feed towards the end. Very well done to John Lisle who had some proper lumps for his winning weight of 64lb 12oz from the near left hand bay, as everyone maggots seemed the bait, John pipped Paul Whitehead who fished the bridge peg and had 62lb 15oz Neilsen Jeffery managed third with 53lb 2oz from the first point just edging Graham Curnow who had 50lb 11oz caught from the left point. Cold but very enjoyable day and sure it will be a tad warmer next month, matches are capped at 14 fishing which gives everyone a bit of room.
Neilsen will be contacting all fishing members in March to see if they would like to renew memberships for 2023, numbers are limited.
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
David Brooke secured top spot in Combe Martin SAC’s six hour rover landing a spurdog of 9lb 12oz. Runner up was Daniel Welch with a dogfish of 2lb 6oz. A cold North East Wind made conditions difficult at many marks along the coast. Several Bull Huss and large numbers of dogfish were landed by club members who have their early Spring Rover next weekend.
One of several small Bull Huss caught during the competition.
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:-
As Spring looms fly fishers across the South West are looking forward to a new season. Fly fishing enthusiasts are now targeting a wide range of species in addition to trout and salmon. Pike, carp, bass and grey mullet are among species now fished for using fly fishing tactics. There will be ample chance to seek advice on all of these topics at the various stalls at this year’s fly fair. There will also be plenty of Environmentally focussed associations and groups to spread awareness and increase knowledge.
Blakewell is fishing well now, with anglers bagging up on the fine winter stockfish. Such a beautiful lake. My mate had five solid rainbows on the weekend on Montana nymph. There’s buzzers hatching, too, in the milder weather.
I helped Richie sort out the rainbows last week, they’re like silver bullets! Then we came across some browns…stunning!
