Monday 18 December 2017

Winter solstice

Technically, the solstice is in a couple of days time, but the days are so short and the nights so long right now that it matters not. The weather in Devon recently has been all over the place, a lot of very mild days, plenty of rain, and some frost and snow. The Tamar peaked at over 8 feet last week, and Dartmoor was wearing its white cap, today we are fog-bound and totally devoid of any wind. 
The good news is that despite poor salmon catches in what was really quite good water, we have had a relatively good lot of salmon spawning, and the spawning season seems to be a long one. The first salmon redds were seen on the Upper Lyd as early as 21st November, surprisingly early given that the water temperatures were then still quite high, which inhibits the fish ripening. Colder weather brought temperatures down to more normal levels, around 8 degrees C last week, with plenty of salmon cutting redds on the Thrushel and main beats of the Lyd. On December 14th a salmon was seen going up over Hartley weir on the Lyd on Beat 3, indicating that it was a fish still moving upstream and yet to spawn. So with all the doom and gloom about salmon stocks ( watch out for the new catch-and release regulations set to come into force next season) rattling about, there is still hope for future generations of fish.
So, with all this talk of next season, may Alexander Jones and myself wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and Tight Lines for 2018.
David Pilkington 



A pair of salmon on the upper Lyd. Note the small peal and trout lying just downstream, still hopeful that the hen fish will shed a few more eggs. Nourishmest is in short supply at this time of year.





Grayling fishing was possible at times, when river levels were low and clear enough. Our grayling total this season has been at record levels, a product of both excellent stocks of this beautiful fish, and the fact that more anglers are targeting grayling with many of the new styles of nymph fishing. 

A frosty morning on the river Wolf, hoar frost on the dead riverside vegetation. A long wait before the river comes to life next spring.


Otter tracks and a scrape/scent mark on the clean sand left after the last spate, beside Beech Tree pool on the Lyd. Fly floatant bottles for size comparison.

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