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.
Thursday, 23 September 2010
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.
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.
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.
Monday, 30 August 2010
August Report
Trout fishing in August was typically tough with very low water levels for most of the month and little fly on the water. On the few days that trout were seen rising, anglers did well with small stonefly imitations and the usual favourites, the Klinkhamer and Parachute Adams. Most fish however were taken on goldhead nymphs in sizes 14 to 16 or on wet flies fished in the streamy runs and riffles. The month total was 263 wild brown trout. Most of the trout landed were in the six to eight inch size, with a dozen or so fish of 10 to 12 inches. James Palmer had a great day on the Lyd, landing 22 small brownies at the start of the month and several other anglers had double-figure days.
64 sea trout were landed in August, nearly all at night. While reports of large numbers of peal entering the system provided optimism, there were no shoals of fish seen at Lifton. Instead, small pockets of fresh school peal were scattered on the Lyd and anglers worked hard to locate them. Unsettled conditions meant that night fishers tried varying tactics and several fish were caught on two-inch lures fished deep, as well as the usual size 8 to 10 wet flies commonly used in August. The best fish was one of 3lb caught and released by Peter Radford on beat 3 on a 2 1/2inch WMD Stinger. As we write, sea trout fishing has picked up despite the cold weather, with Alex Prentice catching his first two night sea trout within 10 minutes of starting. Well done Alex!
Only two salmon were caught at the Arundell Arms in August – a reflection of very low water levels and therefore low fishing pressure. Mr Impey landed a bright silver fish of 5lb 12oz on a Rapala at Lydfoot on the Tamar, and at the end of the month, Ben Garnett returned a grilse estimated at 3 1/2lb and lost a larger fish at the net, both on a size four Mepps. Ben’s fish came as the river fell and cleared after the first decent spate of the summer. As we write this, the river is once again low and little rain is on the cards. Sea trout fishermen will brave cooler nights and venture out throughout September, although the vast majority of fish will be returned.
64 sea trout were landed in August, nearly all at night. While reports of large numbers of peal entering the system provided optimism, there were no shoals of fish seen at Lifton. Instead, small pockets of fresh school peal were scattered on the Lyd and anglers worked hard to locate them. Unsettled conditions meant that night fishers tried varying tactics and several fish were caught on two-inch lures fished deep, as well as the usual size 8 to 10 wet flies commonly used in August. The best fish was one of 3lb caught and released by Peter Radford on beat 3 on a 2 1/2inch WMD Stinger. As we write, sea trout fishing has picked up despite the cold weather, with Alex Prentice catching his first two night sea trout within 10 minutes of starting. Well done Alex!
Only two salmon were caught at the Arundell Arms in August – a reflection of very low water levels and therefore low fishing pressure. Mr Impey landed a bright silver fish of 5lb 12oz on a Rapala at Lydfoot on the Tamar, and at the end of the month, Ben Garnett returned a grilse estimated at 3 1/2lb and lost a larger fish at the net, both on a size four Mepps. Ben’s fish came as the river fell and cleared after the first decent spate of the summer. As we write this, the river is once again low and little rain is on the cards. Sea trout fishermen will brave cooler nights and venture out throughout September, although the vast majority of fish will be returned.
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