Lunchtime Salmon!
It is easy to cover these fish too with a short range Spey Cast, which remember is merely a change of direction Roll Cast. I often find there seems to be some real mystery surrounding the whole Salmon fishing scene and have met many people who presume that learning the Spey’s is difficult, while Salmon are mythical creatures rarely captured. It’s not true!
Granted you do need conditions and we hit it right last week. I say we because I was fishing with Andrew Maund who has spent most of his life chasing down Salmon, especially in the West Country. It was great listening to him as like all forward thinking anglers he is constantly seeking answers, trying new techniques and conjuring up seductive flies. But in all honesty our tactics for the day were pretty simple. Small doubles fished on floaters and sink tips … standard Salmon fishing. The Lenton beat of the Mole is anything but standard and possibly one of the most important sections of the whole Taw system. Last year Head Weir was demolished and a new pool & riffle system created … the first of its kind in the UK, which should encourage more fish into the river. It didn’t seem that way for a while!
Fishing at close range for Salmon on the River Mole
After a fruitless morning fishing over some prime pools in excellent condition we had nothing between us to show for our efforts. The Exeter Inn and a ploughman’s were calling! But after some discussion we decided that this could be a mistake, after all there was Croy Pool and Wood Pool to thrash, not to mention Sandmartin! It turned out to be a good decision and leads me to recall that other old Salmon truism “If your fly is not in the water …. “
On single handed rods these fish are truly awe inspiring; half way down Croy my first fish just tightened up the line and then sat in the flow. For a moment I thought I would have this fish netted in no time … wrong! When it woke up it just went mental, out on its tail, under the trees … this really is heart in mouth stuff. I ended up walking through the pool to maintain contact but this was no time to think about catching other fish. What a relief when it was in the net. After pictures (thanks to Andrew for hot footing it from Wood Pool where he had just caught a Sea Trout) we safely released the fish and I took a breather.
9lbs of Salmon on a single handed rod is a lot of fun!
Andrew suggested I should fish the pool once more, even after all the chaos, meanwhile he headed down stream. I was not brimming with confidence after all the commotion but the water did look fantastic.
The stunning Croy Pool - River Mole
Half way down the pool and the Silver Stoat was slammed again! An exciting fight resulted in a stunning Grilse of 6lb. Happy days! This was followed by a Sea Trout Peal and then right at the back of the pool on the dangle I was into another Salmon … but this one stitched me up and spat the hook.
This fresh Grilse nailed the fly and gave a great account of itself prior to release
I carried on fishing, picking my way through the trees and trying my luck on the various pools until finally clambering out near the bridge where this Sea Trout gave me a run for my money on a previous Mole session. Arriving at Sand Martin I was pleased to find that Andrew was hard and fast into a fish. It had fallen to an Usk Grub fished so high in the water that Andrew had actually seen the fish take the fly!
Chrome Silver - A seriously fresh 10 pounder from the Mole
Mc Lean Net at the ready we soon had a sparkling 10lb fish, sea liced and glittering in the afternoon sun, safely landed. A quick photo, some video and the fish was on its way. Check out a mini video here. What a session. 3 Salmon, 1 lost and 2 Sea Trout and just think we could have been in the pub just when these fish switched on.
After the battle - Andrew releases his 10 pounder
We are now entering the back end of the season so a late run of fish may soon appear, in which case you could be enjoying a similar West Country Salmon experience. Try looking into some of the Angling Passport possibilities or contact us for guided fishing on the River Mole. This is one of our own exclusive beats and as the fish above show … it is pretty special!
Its Deep
I don’t have a right lot of time for this post as the river beckons and a days guiding. However I have had several requests for pictures of the work carried out recently to Exe Valley. It is safe to say that already the fish are much happier and this morning when I visited the site to make some checks a fish spooked just yards from the bank that a few days ago was just inches deep. Result!
And there is also an island … its only small for the moment but it will certainly act as an interesting fish holding are. The water has filtrated really quickly and so the lake is now open once again and we have anglers down there as I write trying out the new features. Come and give it a go for yourself! Finally the picture of me testing out the new deep water was taken yesterday morning before the water levels were reinstated, so in fact there is another 12″ of depth …. that would have been pretty much inside my chesties! Enough from me, here are a few pictures, they are not fantastic but should give some idea of the result.
Regular Jim Hatim is the first to try out the new "deep water point" at Exe Valley
Looking across the lake to the new point.
Check out the fish rising over the new deep water which was mere inches just a few days ago.
Shallow water now deeper on opposite side of the lake plus a new small island.
Exciting Exe
I am just loving the river fishing at the moment. Yes we do need water, that’s for sure, but the Trout are still willing to feed and it is very pleasing to see how well conditioned many of them are. However on our local stretch of the Exe they are by no means giving themselves up easily and standard Black Klinkhammers on a 10′ leader are meeting with little in the way of results. Instead long fine leaders coupled with tiny emergers have been the way to go.
Well stocked up with the relevant lightweight tackle I started guiding in earnest last week and enjoyed looking after a number of guests, including a party of four which included three generations of the same family. The Innes clan originate from Scotland and John Innes senior is no stranger to fishing, working as a trawler-man for most of his life. Anyone who knows anything about going to sea knows just what a tough (and dangerous) job that is. I marveled at this man who was incredibly agile for his 70+ years and an obvious fishing nut … our mission was to try and get John, his son John and Johns grandsons into their first ever River Trout.
Team Innes, wadered up and ready for their first ever river fishing session
Prior to the session we set up the obligatory team photo and then it was down to business with an hours refresher lesson on the lakes tuning up the casting; such an important part of river fishing. Instantly Lewis and I were impressed by the two sons Keiran and Tom, both teenagers showing some real casting skill and before long the two Johns were improving their loops while learning about those all important side casts. Lesson over we all headed off in earnest for the river with anticipation at fever pitch!
Lewis made a quick getaway for the upper beat with John senior and Keiran while I opted for the lower section. The sun was up which I like but this was the first day of the gusty downstream wind which we have been experiencing recently and an absolute menace when trying to cast long leaders upstream! Its a guides job to overcome these problems which are not solved by changing a fly but by continually offering encouragment and tuition where necessary to improve the cast. Practice tight loops when it is windy, coupled with high line speeds and it is quite possible to enjoy your fishing even on a blustery day.
Keiran with a Wild Trout. Who says we must dress in green to catch Trout?!
This was proving the case for John junior who started to pop some really nice presentations into an inviting looking run, often meeting with an acceptance of his emerger pattern. All we needed to practice now was the strike! We missed a few, hooked one that got off and then the silence was shattered by …. yes of course Lewis! Kieran had hooked a stunning wild Brown of above average size and Mr Calamity himself (I have many loooong stories!) had dropped his mobile phone into the river while trying to photograph it, all because he had forgoten to pack his camera. I can forgive Lewis quite easily because he is a top guide; indeed one of the best with an infectious enthusiasm. He grabbed my camera and ran back for a quick photocall …. well done Keiran, what a superb first ever wild Trout.
We got back to business and meanwhile little did I know that Lewis had hopped out of the River with John senior for a quick visit to Island lake. This is a sediment pool within the Exe Valley complex but fish thrive there on a rich soup of Bloodworm and Buzzer. Just look at the Brown that succumbed to dry fly tactics on a lightweight river outfit, I hear it put up quite a fight before once again being safely released.
John Innes senior gets in on the action with a nice Brown during an Island Lake raid.
Meanwhile we were still after a first fish which came in the form of a 6 incher to John juniors rod. I could see that Tom was desperate to get on the scorecard too as during his short fishing career he had taken part in four sessions and blanked every time! There was no way I was letting that happen again, but I could see Tom needed encouragement … we all know how important it is to bank that first fish. Post lunch we climbed into the back of Bend Pool and started to carefully fish up a smooth glide; the fish were feeding. I was blown away by the quality of Toms presentations considering his lack of experience and felt sure that any moment it would happen. It did!!! It is a privilege (and a huge buzz!) to stand next to someone when they catch their first ever Wild Brown Tout and even more special when it is their first fish ever. Small yes, but perfectly formed, wild and captured while fishing a dry upstream. It doesn’t get much better … Toms smile says it all.
Toms first ever fish!
He was now in the groove, confidence boosted and the sibling rivalry had kicked in. He wanted a bigger fish than his brothers. I reckon I had been gone a maximum of 10 minutes, guiding his father John along Bridge Run when I heard a shout and looked up to see a Trout mid air and Toms rod hooped over. Out of the water and off up the bank I went arriving just in time to net Toms 2nd fish, an absolutely stunning Brown with tons of condition and a definite contender for the best river fish of the day. All good but as I explained to Tom the fact that he had spotted the fish, made the cast and hooked up without any assistance was first class. Once again his smile says it all.
Tom with a cracking Wild Brown which fell to an emerger pattern
Later that day John senior and I hooked up for a quick session fishing emergers and I am pleased to say that he also managed to hook one although it managed to slip the hook, but as I explained river fishing is far more about the experience rather than just landing fish and it is only right that a few manage to get the better of us. Fortunately a quick visit to the lakes resulted in a few Rainbows for the table! All in all a day that both Lewis and I enjoyed organising from start to finish and made all the more special when we received this email from John junior the next day. Many thanks guys, it was pleasure to meet you and we hope to fish with you again someday.
Dear Nick and Lewis,
Sincere thanks for the time you spent with me, my boys and my father yesterday. I had set myself high hopes that the day would be good but you exceeded my expectations with your knowledge, patience, manner, good humour, and extremely professional delivery. You taught us an immense amount during the day, and if we can retain even a fraction of that, we will be richer anglers by far. The expressions on faces, laughter, and enthusiasm around the dinner table as each of us retold episodes from the day was proof of how successful, enjoyable and well received the day had been.
I will most certainly recommend both of you, the shop and the fishery, to any other angler, novice or otherwise, and look forward to visiting you again soon.
Many thanks for making yesterday so memorable for us, for the fish we caught and lost, the fish we caught and kept, and for the fish we caught and released. You covered everything I’d asked for in my original requests, and more. I couldn’t have asked for a more complete day.
It was an absolute pleasure meeting you both, and I wish you every success as you certainly deserve it.
Kind Regards
John
Nick Hart Fly Fishing on Facebook
Just recently I have been updating a number of aspects of our online activities including uploading the new blog and taking the plunge into the world of Facebook. If you would like to take a look at our page please click here. During the next few weeks we will also start to populate the favourite flies area of the new blog you see here (all important for the new season!) and there is a clutch of great new gear coming on to the market which will feature on our tackle pages.
