Devon Rivers

[exerod]

Exe up 4 inches to highest level since early June, in fact it's nearly back up to normal summer low level

Andy

[robmason]

I had a day on the Tamar at Endsleigh today. The river was up 6 inches to 10 inches this morning dropping back to 9 inches as I left this evening. Alot more rain is needed. Nothing caught, several residents in attendance to keep me amused and interested. I'm led to believe that a good head of grilse await high water from the salt.

[robmason]

My season here in Devon is fast reaching it's usual terrible conclusion. I have days not yet taken on the Dart, off to Paris this weekend, just as it starts to rain .

I have the Exe extension to look forward to though.

Thank heavens for low cost airlines.

[exerod]

Don't worry Rob, you wont miss anything, all the rain will just soak into the ground. At this rate we will be lucky to get the fish up onto the redds Poor bloody fish will end up spawning in Exeter!

Andy

[robmason]

Is the Exe webcam out of action? Don't seem to be able to get it online.

[smigel]

Seems to have died about 10 days ago - probably got washed away?

[robmason]

Evapourated more like!

[robmason]

Fishing in Devon until Dec 15th

Have a look at the new improved web site:

www.twpfishing.net

I've walked a bit of the Plym and it's an interesting little river, lots of small pools between falls, certainly challenging at first glance. Maybe it's time to take a rod and give it a bash. Anyone with personal experience?

[exerod]

I fished the Plym in Oct/Nov/Dec a few times over a couple of seasons 10 years ago, never saw a salmon but I hear its gone downhill since then You will get some nice out of season sea trout.
The TWP club stopped issuing day tickets after 14th October a few years ago but this may have changed.
The Avon (Devon) ends 30th November and has better fly water. If you get in touch with the Avon club ask them where I am on the waiting list, only been on it since 1998!

Reports from the upper Exe are of no salmon today, it is thought that they haven't got that far in numbers yet. So they must all still be down the bottom end waiting for Rob to catch them on Monday

Andy

[robmason]

Ready and waiting.......

[robmason]

exerod said:

The Avon (Devon) ends 30th November and has better fly water. If you get in touch with the Avon club ask them where I am on the waiting list, only been on it since 1998!

Which reminds me. I wrote to said secretary over 12 months ago........not a d1ckie bird......

[robmason]

Last day of my (extended) season on the Exe today. Andy all the fish are now up your end! Water was a nice height, falling and clear. No fish seen or caught. To cap it all, large tree blocking one of best pools. Dead I think rather than washed down stream.

My last day on Stoke Canon, I won't be renewing next year. I will venture out on the later rivers- Plym and Avon, you never know.......

[exerod]

robmason said:

Andy all the fish are now up your end!

If all the fish are up with me we are in trouble, there ain't many of them! It will be interesting to see what turns up on the redds.
Madcaster came and fished with me yesterday and had one and we saw two others. This brings the years grand total on the beat I fish to 2. Ten years ago when the upper river fishing was largely in the hands of hotels fifty to one hundred fish was considered a normal season on these beats and that was without a two week extension. Of course back then it used to rain all summer!
I'm going to give it one more season and see what happens, surely we cant go May to October without rain again next year.
I hear that the Tamar has had its worst season ever.

Slack lines

Andy

[robmason]

I suspect the Exe will record a record low also. Andy, you fish upstream of the Carnarvon Arms water (as was) don't you? The Exe Carnarvon FC catch records make depressing reading also.

www.execarnarvonfc.co.uk/homeset.html

[sewin]

robmason said:

I suspect the Exe will record a record low also. Andy, you fish upstream of the Carnarvon Arms water (as was) don't you? The Exe Carnarvon FC catch records make depressing reading also.

www.execarnarvonfc.co.uk/homeset.html

What would worry me as much as the low catches is the fact that so many of the salmon are so small. 5lb -7lb fish being MSW and not grilse is a bit of a worry.

[exerod]

The Exe has never been known for big fish and the bulk of the catch has been made up of grilse since UDN in the sixties and seventies. In the last few seasons there seems to have been a slight upturn in spring catches with some better fish being taken again. The grilse do seem a bit smaller than they were 15 years ago (4 - 6lb rather than 4 - 7.5lb) and this is presumably because the Irish nets get many of the better ones. We do see the occasional very small fish but they are not thin and have no trouble getting right to the upper reaches. I've never seen any of the very skinny grilse that are being caught up north, maybe fish in such poor condition don't have the strength to swim this far south?
All we need is summer rain!!!

Andy

[robmason]

Good to see the webcam back in action now we've finished fishing

I was speaking to Andrew Maund in March before venturing out to fish his beat. He filled me with confidence with tales of his grandfather fishing the same water at the same time of year and having a prolific time of it. How times have changed.

[exerod]

Just spoke to a friend who went up to 'my' home beat for the last day of the (extended) season today. Five hooked, two landed. All coloured fish around 5 or 6lb. Better late than never

Andy

[robmason]

A generous benefactor as ever Andy. Do you have anything else planned for the coming months? When do the sea trout finish on the Frome?

[exerod]

robmason said:

Do you have anything else planned for the coming months?

Overtime to pay for next years fishing

Two more weeks on the Frome for sea trout. I've been watching one for a month now, I swear its three foot long its bigger than any of the salmon down there! It doesn't seem very interested in my flies and I'm not sure I want to hook it now anyway.

Andy