The Arundell Arms

Newcomers On The Lyd

2008-05-19T20:39:00.003+01:00

This weekend's Beginners' Quickie Course was a washout on the first day... The brave participants persevered in the rain on the lake and the drying room was put to very good use by the end of the morning! The trout proved tricky to catch, with just one rainbow landed by 11 year-old Luke Hillier. The next day was a different story and blue skies graced the Lyd valley and a few wild brown trout made an appearance.

Tim's group took on beat one on the Lyd - a riverside packed lunch was, of course, essential!

The Devon Fly Rod Macnab - EXTRA DATE!

2008-05-15T21:34:00.009+01:00

Following high demand for our exciting new challenge, an extra date (for up to six rods) has been added... Tuesday 19th August.
If you are interested, click HERE for more information.

The Devon Fly Rod Macnab - LAST FEW SPACES!

2008-05-14T08:32:00.003+01:00

Our two dates for the above are nearly full now with only four spaces left on July 1st. If you haven't yet heard about it, click HERE for more details!

A single price of £420 covers two night's dinner, bed and breakfast, a full day's guided fishing for wild trout, bass and sea trout, a packed lunch and VAT.
Come join us; try the challenge for yourself and be one of the first to catch all three wild species of fish in one day!

Financial Times Magazine

2008-05-14T08:26:00.004+01:00

Many thanks must go to Bob Sherwood, contributor to the Financial Times Weekend magazine, for a fantastic article on fishing at the hotel and Anne Voss-Bark. The full story was printed in last weekend's magazine, but a condensed version can be found here: Financial Times - Arundell Arms Story.
Although the weather was less than pleasant on the day, Bob (an AAPGAI instructor himself), Gary Champion and Anne Voss-Bark all caught fish on the Lyd, and the photographer did a superb job!

First On The Chart...

2008-05-12T23:42:00.002+01:00

Tim Smith pinched an hour while David was teaching today and headed for beat 7a. After a fruitless run through Quarry Pool in the sweltering heat, the very first cast in the neck of Lydfoot brought a violent take... the first sea trout of the season was on! Tim eventually landed the fish and carefully removed the size 8 Stoat's Tail from its jaws before returning it to the Tamar. The fish was measured at between 22 and 23in, estimated at four pounds... a nice one to start the season with. Summer is here!

The Devon Fly Rod Macnab - DATE CHANGE

2008-05-10T21:34:00.003+01:00

We've had to change a date for our exclusive challenge... the Devon Fly Rod Macnab
The first of the two available days has been moved from the 3rd to the 1st of July.
If you haven't heard of this awesome experience yet, click on the link above!

The Magnificent Seven (+1!)

2008-05-10T21:24:00.002+01:00

Congratulations must go to the Mitchell party for taking to fly fishing with such apparent ease! The group of shooting pals hadn't tried casting a fly before, and after two days of guidance from David and Tim, were double-spey casting and side-casting wet flies to perfection on the Tamar. It was a shame that the trout didn't appreciate the deft skills, and proved rather hard to catch. Nevertheless, several small fish did fall foul of the flies! We hope to see you all again soon folks... 'twas a pleasure!

Bank Holidays Are Made For Fishing

2008-05-06T23:00:00.004+01:00

(Click on the pics to enlarge them!)
The bank holiday weekend's Beginners' River/Lake Course saw a gathering of lovely folks descend on Lifton in some long-overdue sunshine. The first day saw everyone get to grips with casting quickly, so it was soon only fair to throw a fly or two at a trout...

Tom was first up, and the near five-pound rainbow just wouldn't give up! Taking his time to play the monster, Tom eventually had the fish in the net... what a great one to start on!

The last couple of days saw the course take to Lifton's rivers. Although conditions were perfect and the gorgeous weather more than welcome, no one thought to tell the trout! Although fish were hard to tempt, all of the participants managed at least one wild brown trout from either the Lyd or Thrushel.

Charles gets to grips with wading and the fine art of double spey casting!

Tony and Wendy enjoy a well-deserved al fresco lunch on the banks of the Thrushel.

Andy throws a line to be proud of...

... only to miss yet another lightning-fast brown trout!

Tom makes a relaxed cast with style... nice work.
And, of course, last but by no means least... the star of the show...

Thanks must go to Charles, Tom, Andy, Tony and Wendy for being a thoroughly enjoyable bunch to teach and to spend time with. We hope to see you all again soon!

The First Of Many!

2008-05-04T23:55:00.003+01:00

After a busy day on a beginner's course, David and Tim dashed to beat 7a on the Tamar to try their luck. Just half a dozen casts later in the tail of Quarry Pool, and David's size 4 Pilk's Bumble was snaffled by something silver...

During the lively fight on the 7-wt sea trout outfit, Tim snapped away with the camera, and the fish tired

Just about fitting in the sea trout net, David estimated the first salmon of the year on the AA water at around 7lb.

Unfortunately, the fish wouldn't keep still for the 'grip and grin' shot, and flipped back into the Tamar to continue it's upstream journey!

Just to top a memorable hour's fishing, David and Tim spotted these characters as the light went. The red deer could hear the camera shutter over the noise of the river at 100 yards!

Go Wild In The West!

2008-04-30T16:12:00.008+01:00

Do you like catching wild fish on the fly? Why not try the Devonshire Fly-rod MacNab - a wild brown trout, bass and sea trout... on the same day!
On the spring tides of July and August, sea trout run the rivers of Devon and school bass swarm in the estuaries. Sieze the opportunity to enjoy a full day's guided fly fishing for these truly wild fish, in spectacular surroundings at the Arundell Arms.
If you think this is for you, if you can cast competently and walk a mile, then contact the hotel for details.

We now have three dates available (Tuesday 1st July, Monday 18th August and Tuesday 19th August), for up to six anglers (between two guides) each day. These dates are bookable on a first-come, first-served basis, exclusively for hotel residents.

Typical Itinerary

10.00am Trout fishing on hotel rivers

12.00pm Drive to Torridge Estuary (approx. 1hr)

1.00pm Packed lunch on the water

2.00pm Bass fishing on the flooding tide

6.00pm Drive back to hotel

7.30pm Dinner

9.30pm 'til late! Sea trout fishing on hotel rivers

Ideal Tackle

It is possible to achieve the MacNab with one outfit - a 9ft 6-wt. However, here's a basic guide to tackle...

Trout: 7ft 6in to 8ft 6in 3-wt to 5-wt outfit
Bass: 9ft 7-wt to 8-wt outfit (plus line tray)
Sea trout: 9ft 6-wt outfit
Waders essential

Tackle can be hired at the hotel. Suitable flies, leaders and accessories are also available.

Spotting Otters

2008-04-17T21:25:00.002+01:00

While on the rivers, David and Tim have seen lots of evidence of a healthy otter population. Silt banks on the edges of pools are places to track the shy creatures...

This otter print was spotted today while trimming overhanging trees on beat 6a at the Thrushel / Wolf confluence...

Perfect dry fly water for the wild trout fisher!

First Time Success

2008-04-14T08:52:00.002+01:00

The first Beginner's Quickie course of the 2008 season was a great success despite changeable weather. Saturday saw a hectic schedule of casting lessons, knot tying, video replays and demonstrations, culminating in an afternoon's fishing on the lake. Most participants managed to hook fish, with several good rainbows landed on buzzers, dry flies and olive lures.
Unfortunately, heavy overnight rain coloured the River Lyd for the start of Sunday, but it remained fishable and everyone took to fishing the downstream wet fly instantly. Although conditions were less than ideal (everyone got a good soaking at some point!), some lively wild brown trout were caught and released. David and Tim were impressed with the progress made by the group, and hopefully a seed was planted for a fishing future for all!

A squad of new anglers! Plus David (far right) makes the first ever honest judgement of the one that got away!

David demonstrates the art of classic upstream dry fly fishing.

Alas, the two residents of the banks of Blue Charm Pool weren't really that fussed...

Spring is (nearly) here!

2008-04-09T19:40:00.004+01:00

Grins all round: Sean and Fionnoula Gammons with their first rainbow trout from Tinhay Lake.

It's been busy this week for beginners and improvers, most of whom have managed fish from the lake, and some that have braved the cold and fished the rivers. While the sun has shone and given some much-welcome warmth, morning frosts and a persistent, chilly northerly breeze have slowed insect hatches.
Yesterday, nine-year-old Fraser Bell showed his Dad how to land trout, by catching and releasing a fine two-pounder, while his father Mike managed to lose not one but two at the net!
Jamie Thompson, fishing with father Hugh and son Oskar, did well to land four trout on the Tamar today, which all fell to heavily-weighted shrimp patterns. Young Oskar caught his first grayling yesterday when wet-fly fishing with David, and has shown real promise, firing tight loops under the Lyd and Tamar's over-hanging trees... good work!
The warm weather last week saw the arrival of sand martins and swallows to Lifton... they must be confused by the arctic blast we've had this week!

Casting For Recovery

2008-04-01T18:40:00.002+01:00

The past weekend saw the hotel hosting a Casting For Recovery retreat - it was a tremendous success! Here is the full press release from the Countryside Alliance...

Arundell Arms hosts “magical” weekend for breast cancer angling initiative

Nine brave ladies enjoyed a weekend of fly fishing at the Arundell Arms in Devon from 28-30 March as participants in Casting for Recovery UK & Ireland, a unique outdoor-based programme specifically designed for women who have, or have had, breast cancer.

Casting for Recovery provides fly fishing programmes at idyllic retreats around the UK and Ireland. The Arundell Arms retreat was only the second to be held in the UK, and further retreats are planned for Wales in April, West Sussex and Northern Ireland in September. Venues for 2009 will be announced over the coming months and will include Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.

Any woman who has experienced breast cancer is eligible to apply to attend a retreat (with medical clearance from their doctor). Retreats take place over two-and-a-half days and all accommodation, meals, counselling, and professional instruction are provided at no cost to participants due to the financial backing of the Countryside Alliance, although Anne Voss-Bark, owner of the Arundell Arms, generously donated the recent retreat to the programme. Trained medical staff and fly fishing instructors are on hand at all times and the fishing tackle and appropriate clothing is provided by Orvis UK.

Fly fishing offers proven benefits for recovering breast cancer patients. The casting action provides the gentle exercise recommended by physiotherapists for joint and soft tissue mobility. Fly fishing also offers participants a chance to reflect and escape in tranquil surroundings. Casting for Recovery was founded in the United States in 1996 and has since helped almost 3,000 breast cancer survivors.

The UK and Ireland Programme Co-ordinator is Sue Hunter, who recovered from breast cancer to become an international gold medallist fly fisher. Sue said: “The retreat in Devon was a huge success and we are immensely grateful to Anne Voss-Bark and her staff for their hospitality and enthusiasm for the programme. The participants arrived on the Friday not knowing exactly what to expect and left on Sunday having made friends for life and having thoroughly enjoyed their time in the beautiful Devon countryside. The delight on some of the ladies’ faces as the caught their first fish was magical and left no one in any doubt that Casting for Recovery is an immensely rewarding initiative that will continue to help many other ladies across the UK and Ireland.”

It's smiles all round for the participants, guides and organisers at Tinhay Lake.

First-time anglers and CFR participants Maureen (left) and Ava with Ava's first trout!

Dancing dries on the River Thrushel

2008-03-27T21:10:00.004Z

David and Tim stole an hour this afternoon to do a recce on the Thrushel (it's hard work but someone's go to do it). Even though the river was still high and a little coloured, several brown trout succumbed to carefully-presented dry flies. The guys gave a one-weight (yes, one-weight!) rod a trial - fantastic fun on a river this size!
With the spring flowers making a welcome appearance, there are certainly worse places to be at this time of year...

Tinhay Lake gets the thumbs up!

2008-03-27T20:59:00.003Z

Louis Norman showed the pros how to do it this morning by landing five fantastic rainbow trout from Tinhay Lake. Using a dry fly to suspend a Black Buzzer and drifting them in the ripple, 10 year-old Louis released three fish and kept this brace of 3lb 12oz and 4lb 4oz. Great work Louis - an expert in the making!

Carl and Lou Wheeler joined David and Tim for two half-day enhancement sessions on the lake and river. After a casting brush-up, Tim showed them the finer points of spring nymph fishing on the lake yesterday; they landed nine fine trout between them! David took the lead this morning, teaching Carl and Lou the gentle art of the upstream dry fly on the Lyd - surely the ultimate skill for any trout fly fisher.

Trout in a Hurricane!

2008-03-23T20:41:00.002Z

Yesterday England International fly fisher Simon Kidd and son Matthew fished Tinhay Lake in what can only be described as a hurricane. The wind was relentless and from all directions, making casting near impossible at times. Nevertheless, Simon and Matthew caught and released over 10 fine rainbows between them, including this beauty of 3lb 8oz. As ever, the monster (estimated at around 7lb) got away! The day was a photo-shoot for an upcoming issue of Total FlyFisher magazine in which Simon demonstrates the finer points of sinking line fishing. The intermediate seemed to do well, but young Matthew took all of his trout on a floater and buzzer patterns.

Rainbow trout perfection!

Although casting was tough, the trout kept on coming.

Young Matthew Kidd used buzzers to deadly effect!

Working for the Future

2008-03-20T19:10:00.004Z

We visited the new Tamar salmon hatchery yesterday at Endsleigh. The set up is fantastic - the modern equipment, and stringent organisation and hygiene controls were very impressive. Many thanks must go to hatchery manager Jim for showing us around.

Anne Voss-Bark and David Pilkington watch thousands of young Tamar salmon at the new Endsleigh hatchery.

Hatchery manager Jim shows a typical box used to house alevin before they become fry and inhabit the larger tanks...

Tamar salmon of the future!

The Cockpit tackle shop - open for business!

2008-03-14T15:08:00.004Z

Dawn of the brown trout season. Rods, reels, flies and all the fisherman's gadgets ready for sale.

Searching for a Springer

2008-03-07T18:41:00.009Z

David and Tim shared a rod on the Lower Tamar fishery today at Gunnislake Weir. With only a handful of fish through the counter so far, hopes of connecting weren't high but you'll never know unless you've got a line on the water!
With blue skies, a warm sun and just a breath of wind, it was a beautiful day to be out, and the flora and fauna were certainly waking up to spring. The only fish seen were a grayling and a sea trout smolt to David's Mepps Long no.3 spinner, and all manner of flies were swum to no avail. But what a day to be alive!

Gunnislake Weir - not a bad day for early March!

Purple Toothwort; a rare flower of the British Isles, but common in the Tamar valley during early spring.

David searches the water as the tide starts to lift...

... and the result! Not the first springer of the season, but a welcome grayling nonetheless.

Tinhay Lake... in the cold!

2008-03-03T22:11:00.001Z

When the rain, sleet and bitter winds subsided today, Roy and David took the opportunity to sneak an hour on the lake. Typically, as soon as the first casts went out... the heavens opened!
The fishing was less than a walk in the park, and although several fish were seen rising lazily to small midges, they proved tricky. The one that eventually graced the net however, was the most perfect little rainbow that any angler could wish for - it was great to see that the fish have over-wintered well and are in fine fettle.
On the rivers front, the salmon season started last Saturday and the first salmon of 2008 is yet to be caught. A handful of fish has been clocked through the Gunnislake counter, so it won't be long until the first falls to rod and line... watch this space!
We've spotted small hatches of grannoms and large dark olives while trimming the riverbanks recently and, on milder days, trout and grayling were seen rising even in mid-February. It all bodes well for the months ahead...

Harry would have rather stayed in the warmth of the fishing office...

This little rainbow - taken on a Pilk's Nymph - just wouldn't give up. It fought like a fish twice its size.

Roy shows the typical quality of this season's fish in the lake.

Chasing Grayling

2008-03-03T22:02:00.001Z

Between days of serious bank maintenance, ladder building, tackle repair and river inspection, we've managed the odd hour or two chasing grayling! Beats 8b, 9a and 9b have been the most productive, with David and Tim taking several great-conditioned fish to 34cm on goldhead nymphs and pink shrimps. Several out of season brownies have also put in an appearance, and on the few days when the sun has shone, it's been lovely as ever to be on the Tamar...