October Salmon Fishing

October has often been our best month for salmon, 2015 being no exception. A series of spates has combined to give excellent water for the last few days of this season and several salmon have been caught, and all released in line with our current policy. A beginners' salmon fly fishing course over the weekend of 10th and 11th October produced two fish for the pupils, with another hooked and lost and fish seen showing in most pools on the Tamar.

David fishing the Lyd in stunning autumn sunshine

Adam Fozard with his first salmon, a coloured hen of between 5 and 6 pounds, from Snipe pool on Beat 8A

The distinctive blunt head of Adam's hen fish

John Bramall with his first salmon, a well coloured cock fish from Lyd Foot pool on beat 7A, taken on a conehead Cascade tube. David reaching for his tape measure.

The fish measured 26 inches.

Observe the much longer jaw and kype of the cock fish. 

A Change of Season.

Two-thirds of an inch of rain overnight has put some extra water and a lot of colour into our rivers this morning. Both salmon and sea trout were leaping at Hartley weir on the Lyd, one sea trout clearing the weir with one single five-foot jump, another running up over the side of the weir from the third box of the fish-pass with a rooster-tail of water pluming behind. 

Before the weather broke we had over a week of Indian Summer. With grayling in mind David fished the Tamar and had a fine out-of-season brownie, six ladies of the stream up to 12 inches, and a shining dace. If we were counting salmon parr it would have been four species in a half-hour.

A ten-inch brown trout in full breeding livery 

The lady could not resist a flashback pheasant tail nymph

Dace like the same fly