Is this a record?

A superb sea trout , 27 inches long and as fat as a pig, for David Pilkington today. The Tamar had risen and coloured after a half-inch of rain yesterday, tempting David to try for an early peal, and this fish took his Black Tadpole at the very tail of Quarry Pool. As a highly experienced sea trout angler, David had cunningly contrived to have a loop of loose fly line wrapped around the handle of his landing net behind his back at the very moment the fish took - somehow he managed to disentangle the line before the fish tried to leave the pool.

The fishy Gods were being kind, the single barbless hook stayed firmly in the big peal's jaw and the fish eventually slipped into the net at the second attempt. Until the fish rolled at close range, David was convinced the fish was small salmon, as it did not fight with the usual terrifying speed and wildness of most sea trout. Weights are subjective, but a chunky early-season peal of 27 inches has to weigh around 7 1/2 pounds. The barbless hook slipped out very easily, and this cracking sea trout should live to spawn many more if its kind.

Mister Hawthorn - You're Late!

At long last, I saw the first Hawthorn fly of the year yesterday. Bibio Marcii is so named because it appears on St. Mark's day, which is 25th April. Being almost a month late demonstrates what a cold, late spring we are having here in Devon. Our little wild brownies absolutely love this big, juicy land-born fly, which falls helplessly to the water on breezy days, and we are having plenty of those.
The trout were rising well in the slower pools, and there is still a good flow after a big spate last week. As well as a few hawthorns, there were plenty of olives, some yellow may duns and more black gnats, and fish caught were fat and full, as they jolly well should be in late May. The Mayfly itself, Ephemera Danica, is at last being seen on the Ottery, where two rods caught 45 trout yesterday. I told them that they could try harder, but it was a reasonable effort.
David Pilkington

Summer is a-coming in - I think!

You may be forgiven for thinking that, after more than 60 years, the sudden realization that summer is actually happening again may not really do much to me - but it still does! Today, despite a cool wind, the fresh green leaves glowed in the odd glimpses of sun, black gnats swarmed over the stickles for the very first time this year, rhododendrons bloomed on the Lifton Park drive - by God it felt good! A few trout rose, more in some pools than others, but they were catchable on dry fly. An inch of extra water after yesterday's rain has helped push more smolts seaward, but they are still not all gone yet.
All things are late this season, not a sign of a hawthorn fly, and in the frenzied melee of hirundines over the river fields there are still no swifts. I am sure they will be here soon, as will the salmon, to catch a salmon at Lifton before the swifts arrive is rare indeed. Rain is falling again as I write, and should give the little smolts encouragement to head down-river tonight - I wish them well on their dangerous journey, and look forward to their return.
David Pilkington