Fishing United
One minute you are there, enjoying the sensation of wading a section of prime Salmon river, plugging into a rhythmical cast and feeling alive as the weather chucks whatever it can at you. The next moment it is over. Fishing trips are never long enough … are they?
But the memories survive and the experience. It’s what it is all about right? And last week on the Deveron was no exception. That trip had everything we needed, great highs, a few lows, plenty of banter and even the occasional bottle of wine.
And what about the fish? Well they were tough to come by, but there was just enough action to keep everyone alert and plenty of stories to share over multiple curries in Banff! But best of all fishing had united a bunch of guys who all herald from various walks of life.
No Fishing on a Sunday! The team prepare for the week ahead by checking out the river.
There was Al who had flown over especially from Dubai, James from Ireland, Stu from Aberdeen and Dom from Edinburgh plus us two reprobates from Devon. I refer to myself and Patagonia man of course, my new nickname for Lewis who appeared on the scene looking more like a Detroit Gangsta Rapper than an angler hell bent on catching a Salmon!
Patagonia Man
It was over all too quickly but at least we have that other great fishing pleasure to revel in now, the anticipation of the next trip. I can’t wait! I will post some memories from the trip over the coming days.
Fishing is not just about the fish - its about the banter on and off the water
Many thanks to Dom for the images which appear with this post, you can see more of his work here. More about Dom and his first ever fish (a Salmon on the Deveron) in future posts.
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!
Dreamy Deveron Salmon Fishing
I guess while I am trying to decide which platform & designer to commission to redevelop my blog I may as well being using this one. Especially when the fishing has been great recently! I have been busy as usual guiding throughout the year and managing the shop, but also made time to enjoy a bit more fishing myself this year. It is an occupational hazard …. become a guide …. go fishing less! But I would not have it any other way, especially when fantastic opportunities to visit venues such as the River Deveron arise. 45 minutes fishing and this fresh little beauty had snaffled a Red Flamethrower.
Salmon anglers often head for well known Rivers in the North East of Scotland such as the Dee and the Spey. But the reality is that the Deveron is a very well kept secret. Checking out the hut (which was closer to a small cottage….. complete with wood burning stove, tables, chairs, magazines and refreshments!) provided by the Marnoch Lodge Fishings my eye was drawn to a large map of the river and the best fish caught during the last few seasons. 30lbs, 25lb 8oz …. my eyes were out on stalks! A few days into the trip and fishing the last hour of light I was hit by the most powerful fish I have ever hooked in UK waters. It literally tore me to pieces, screaming off down stream, before unleashing a turn that Michael Jackson would have been proud of. Stripping line like a mad man, I got back in touch with the fish for seconds. But its plan had worked a treat, the line fell limp and I was left to dribble on the bank. I did not stop shaking for an hour. Seriously.
The weird thing is that although I would have given away a reasonable amount of flies, line, rods and quite possibly blood to see that fish, I was so in awe that I couldn’t be upset. I felt privileged to have hooked it. It always helps when “the one that got away” is witnessed too and I could sense that both Alasdare & Stuart wanted me to land that fish, just as much, so they could take a look too. But alas, it was not to be and I will need to return. In the meantime we still managed some awesome fish. Add to this some great laughs (in fact we rarely were not laughing), stunning scenery, some obliging weather and the hospitality offered to us by the Marnoch staff (in particular, Shaun) and this ranks alongside one of my top 10 trips of all time. And how easy is it? Jump on a plane from Exeter, get off at Aberdeen and why bother heaving bags? We sent our gear up by courier. Talk about easy fishing and it does not get better than hunting down big wild fish with the fly.
This was my best fish of the week tipping the scales at 15lb. Coloured yes, but a magnificent specimen of a Cock Salmon in spawning colours. It too fell for the Red Flamethrower on a pool which produced the majority of our sport, Lower Hummies.
Great company is so important during a fishing trip and it doesn’t come much better than Alasdare Lambert. Laid back, ready for a giggle and a fishing nutter. He also likes a glass or two (make that a bottle!) of red wine and its just lucky that this fantastic 14lb specimen took when it did … yes you have guessed it …. a Flamethrower but this time Orange. Poor old Al was looking a little worse for wear after an evening of cheap red wine and stories of giant man eating Lamprey. Its a long story and not relevant right now! Needless to say that Al’s hangover suddenly disappeared as the adrenalin kicked in and he realised he was hooked up to a decent sized fish. I don’t think he fished for an hour afterwards. Scottish Salmon (in fact all Salmon) are very special and I can quite understand anyone who sits back to relax and savour the moment. Especially as this was Al’s personal best Salmon.
However, if you wish to live the moment all over again … get the fly back in the water. After a full week on the water it was very noticeable how the fish would suddenly start taking and then switch off. Also very apparent were the movements in barometric pressure. Every fish we caught was on a rise or a level Barometer and I have to say that after a few years using my Casio Protrek
watch with a built in atmospheric pressure gauge I am sold on the theory that Salmon rarely take when there is a pressure drop.
Enough technical waffle. Stu, who lives in Aberdeen will no doubt be heading back to the Deveron soon. After a couple of quiet days he cracked it on the Lower Hummies pool, with the Red Flamethrower and an Intermediate line to land this, his largest Salmon to date at 10lbs. What a week, we all landed our best Salmon during the trip. Most important of all, each and every one went back safely. There were more, but these were the best fish. The very best fish …. well … they all got away of course!
More about the Deveron soon. Right now I need to get back home and start putting together my gear for a trip to Ireland next week. And tonight when I close my eyes I will relive that moment when an unseen monster chewed me up and spat me out. Speaking with the owner of the fishery today he tells me that Shaun is reporting a fish resting in a pool (Falconers) that is in excess of 35lbs. Did I hook it? Who knows …. all I know is that the Deveron is the stuff of dreams.
