News from the coast

The bass seem to have woken up after a slow start to the summer... recent trips to the north Devon shorelines with hotel guests have produced many fine fish to over 4lb, all on flies. One of the most effective methods has been to use large surface poppers - an extremely exciting way to fish as the water explodes in front of you!
For more information, or to book guided days on the estuary or off the rocks, phone David or Tim on 01566 784666.


A 3 1/2lb bass taken on a large surface popper.

More June sea trout

A couple of pictures from earlier in the week...


Fish weighed at 1lb 8oz a piece - G.Spiers and T.Smith, Bottom Beat


Fish returned - estimated at 3 1/2 to 4lb - T.Smith, Beat 2


Fish weighed at 2lb - A.Jones, Beat 7a

Early Sea Trout

A picture to whet the night fisher's appetite...



This fish - 4lb 12oz - was caught by Tim Smith last night on beat 3 on the Lyd. It took a variant of Pilk's Bumble on a midge-tip line. Unfortunately it could not be returned due to being deeply-hooked, but the two others that joined it later in the night went back just fine.
Sea trout fishing seems to have started early this year... with a bang!

The Sea Trout Are Here!

There are several early sea trout now lurking in the beats at Lifton. The first of the night fishers late last week reported hearing fish jump, and Mr Norris - fishing beat 3 last night - landed three good fish to 3lb. He released two of them.
David Chapman (pictured) also caught and released a sea trout yesterday (18in - approx 2lb) while fishing Quarry Pool in the evening with a Tempeldog on an intermediate line.
As long as the current unsettled weather doesn't bring any more rain, prospects look good...

May Report

Rivers remained low for the first half of May until a spate on the 15th that brought the main Tamar up by nearly three feet. Until this point, trout fishing had been steady, although cold conditions meant that nymphs and wet flies took most of the fish. As the spate dropped, milder weather kick-started the large hatches of black gnats along with the first of the mayfly. Despite a further couple of small spates ruining trout fishing, overall anglers enjoyed superb sport with well over 650 brown trout recorded for the month on the Arundell Arms water. Many nice trout of around 10 inches were caught, with several around 12 inches landed on dries on the Ottery. A superb grayling estimated at two pounds was landed by Mr Davies on the Thrushel.
The first salmon on the hotel water was landed and released on May 20th, as a spate dropped away. Gerald Spiers hooked the fish in Quarry Pool on the Tamar on his own tube fly pattern, a Mumbra. The bright silver fish was measured at 29 inches, estimated at nine pounds. On the same day, David Pilkington landed and released the first sea trout of around 2 1/2lb in Silver Doctor Pool on the Lyd. The fish was caught in coloured water on a large Black Tadpole during the day.
While the lack of salmon being seen is a little worrying to say the least, reports of reasonable numbers of early sea trout from the lower river bodes well for the onset of night fly fishing at Lifton. With the rivers holding their heights well - even in the hot weather at the time of writing - trout fishing should remain very good thanks to large hatches of gnats, olives and a generous sprinkling of mayfly.