Thursday 23 September 2010

Salmon fishing is looking up...

Nearly an inch of rain fell in Lifton last night, meaning that the water we so badly needed in the rivers has now arrived.
The Tamar and tributaries are all up and coloured, which is great news for salmon fishers. The extra water has nicely coincided with the big spring tides, which should encourage numbers of fish to run.
If you are able to grab a last minute day or two with a salmon rod, now's the time!
You can catch David or Tim on 01566 784666 between 9am and 10am and 6.30pm and 7pm for more information.

Sunday 19 September 2010

River Report

Four salmon have been landed and released on the Arundell Arms water this week, following a rise of a few inches last weekend. Dennis Mitchell landed his first two ever salmon - a 10-pounder on fly at Lydfoot on Monday, followed by a 9lb fish on spinner in Railway Hut Pool on Tuesday. David Pilkington landed a grilse of around 4lb and lost a much bigger fish in Silver Doctor on the Lyd on Wednesday on a Sunray Shadow. Yesterday evening, young Freddie Wordie landed a fish of around 6lb on a Sunray Shadow in Tunnel Pool on beat 7B. Several fish have been showing, but a little rise in water would bring more to the beats and give more favourable conditions in which to catch them. At present, the Tamar and Lyd are both running relatively low.
Trout fishing is good with fish freely rising to black gnats, small, dark sedges and stoneflies. Some good trout of 10in + have been caught, mainly on dry flies and small goldhead nymphs. Sea trout fishing has petered out rather, with low night time temperatures providing difficult conditions in which to catch fish.
Overall a little rain should provide a good back end to the salmon season.

Tuesday 7 September 2010

River Levels Online


The Environment Agency has just launched its new website which gives access to daily river levels... of every river in England and Wales! Absolutely superb (although perhaps a little confusing to read at first). Here's the link to the Tamar & tributaries levels page.

Follow the link below. Each green spot represents a gauging station; click on one to get the level information.

EA RIVER LEVELS - TAMAR

River Ottery Webcam



Below is a great link to a new live webcam of the River Ottery (Beat 16) and wildlife cameras, courtesy of the ingenious folks at Waterloo Farm. The camera also works in the dark via infra-red... sea trout running at night have been spotted! Select Camera 3 from the drop-down menu for a large view of the river.

RIVER OTTERY WEBCAM

River Report

Salmon prospects looking good!
With a near 3ft spate running on the Tamar at present and (hopefully!) not too much more rain to come, salmon fishing conditions could be perfect for the weekend. Good numbers of grilse have been seen on our Tamar beats this week, but the low water made them hard to catch. Young Seb Perry did well on Saturday, landing two small sea trout, also returning a grilse of 5lb on a size 10 Silver Stoat's Tail. Another couple of salmon have been hooked and lost, although plenty have been splashing about in beats 7a,b and 8a. This extra water should be just the ticket to bring more fish up and bring them on the take.
We do have some availability on our prime salmon beats this weekend, so it's best to book now (01566 784666) to avoid disappointment.
The Lyd is currently too high for night fishing for sea trout, although it should hopefully drop back within a couple of days. Several large sea trout have been seen and even connected with, with Gerald Spiers landing a three-pounder and losing a much bigger fish. September can be a very good month for night fishing, although most fish will be coloured and are best returned to the river.
Trout fishing is today limited to the smaller tributaries due to spate conditions on the main rivers, but once they drop back, the last few weeks of the season are usually superb.