Fishing Breaks

The briefest glance at the county map immediately tells you two things about Devon: the first are the vast empty spaces of Dartmoor & Exmoor. The second is the huge number of rivers and for the fly fisherman both these facts are important.

The many, many miles of water means an angler can easily go a whole day without the sight of another person, let alone another fisher and once you get away from the well known ‘hot spots’ many parts of even the most prestigious rivers are barely fished.

As you are travelling further west the dominance of the brown trout as the primary game species lessens, with salmon & sea trout becoming equally important. But one of the magical things about the Devon rivers is that you have the chance for all three; you can quietly venture upon a pool where the little brownies peck away on the surface, the sea trout buzz around like silver jets whilst the dark, torpedo shadows of the salmon wait at the tail of the pool.

Devon may have won its spurs in fishing literature for night time sea trout, but there is plenty more to this West Country county to be discovered for the discerning angler.

Our rivers

RIVER BRAY

The Bray rises in a deep Exmoor gorge behind the village of Challacombe and runs for 18 miles along the edge of the moor through hanging woods of oak until it joins the Mole at Meethe & the combined rivers continue until joining the Taw before spilling into the Bristol Channel at Barnstaple.

The nature of the Bray lies in its source as a true spate river driven by the rains that fall on Exmoor & the geology of the terrain. There is a true mix of fish from the small wild brown trout to plenty of salmon & sea trout that run to the source of the river.

THE CIDER MILL

This is a beat that provides the perfect introduction to a Devon river, where you have the chance to catch all three game species in a single day.

The fishing provides the variety you would expect; long shallow glides that are best for the trout, fast riffled rocky runs for the sea trout & deep pools for the salmon. Wading is an absolute must, but it’s easy wading & there are places were you can fish from the bank if you prefer that option. The trout are free rising & highly opportunistic feeders; don’t get fixated on the right pattern, just get the fly in the right place & be ready to strike fast.

A fly fishing McNabb of a salmon, sea trout & brown trout is something rarely achieved, but two out of three is a regular occurrence on The Cider Mill.

RIVER TAMAR

The River Tamar is an important river, arguably the most important in the southwest. It rises just five miles from the Bristol Channel but then promptly turns south heading some 75 miles to eventually reach the sea at Plymouth. For nearly the whole of this distance the river marks the county boundary between Devon & Cornwall, with some important & spectacular bridges at the 20 or so road crossings.

It is from the great height of some of these mighty bridges that the visiting angler first gets a glimpse of the Tamar as it cuts it way through the hams (meadows) in the valley below, clear in texture tumbling over a gravely or rocky bed from rapid shallow to swirling pools.

LAMERHOOE

The Lamerhooe beat lies in the prime section of the Tamar valley, directly below the famous Endsleigh Fishing Club water.

This is two miles of Devon salmon fishing perfection, ideal for working the pools & runs with a fly.

The river runs through an incredibly beautiful wooded valley, where the trees come down to the water’s edge.

The best months are May & June and then the autumn run commences in late August until the end of the season.

In 2007the biggest salmon was 17lbs (Av 7lbs) and the largest biggest sea trout 6lbs (Av 1.5lbs).

Your fishing guides

Peter Tyjas

Peter waved good by to City life when the dealing desk lost it’s shine & the river bank seemed an infinitely more attractive place to be. An avid fly fisherman for all his adult life, Peter took the AAPGAI teaching exams & quickly established himself as one of the leading guide/instructors in the southwest.

Bob Wellard

There are very few people in Devon who can claim to know the Tamar better than Bob, who was the river keeper on the famous Endsleigh Fishing Club beats for 16 years. He has seen this river in every possible condition from the bare bones of summer, to the terrifying torrents of mid-winter.

For every rock & pool, Bob has a story and there is nobody more knowledge about the lies & habits of the Tamar salmon than Bob who is also a member of AAPGAI. Peter & Bob write...

"The ideal set up for trout fishing the smaller Devon streams is a rod of between 7 and 8 1/2 ft long rated for lines 2 to 4 and 5 at a push. Leaders should be 9ft long with 2 1/2 to 3 lb breaking strain. Make your cast a short one with minimal false casting and cover the water. The fish will generally take pretty quickly if the fly lands in the right spot. Early in the season fish will tend to hold towards the back of pools and as temperatures rise they will move into the faster more oxygenated water. The fish will be opportunistic feeders open to a wide range on flies at any given day on rather than getting locked on to a specific hatch.

Unlike the moorland river’s which can be quite ‘spatey’, the Tamar flows through lowland pasture and as such carries a good head of water during most of the year. It can colour-up significantly after heavy rainfall but fishes for long periods afterwards when other rivers shrink back. As the river is always slightly coloured it is possible to catch sea trout during the daytime. Best times to fish tend to be late spring and autumn for salmon, with grilse and ‘School Peal’ (small sea trout) running during high summer. As the beat is only a few miles up from the tide, there’s every chance of catching a fish with ‘sea lice’."

Places to stay and visit

Fishing advice & flies

The delight of Devon is the diversity of game fish – the dilemma can be the right outfit to carry. Your Guide will carry the right outfits & flies, but if you want to be prepared here are some broad guidelines.

March-September: Hawthorn (size 12), Klinkhammers in black (26), Adams (16) Parachute Adams (sizes 16-20), Tups Indispensable (14-18) & Elk Hair Caddis (14-16)

Recommended outfit: 7-8 1/2 ft rod, rated for lines 2 to 4. Leaders should be 9ft long with 2 1/2 to 3 lb breaking strain. Chest waders essential.

High Water - #1½” – 2” Copper tubes/ Coneheads - Stoats Tail, Tosh, Akroyd, Willie Gunn, Cascade.

Med Water - #1” Aluminium Tubes (As Above) or #8 Doubles - Pot Belly Pigs, General Practitioner, Shrimp.

Low Water - #10-12 ‘Traditionals’ Salar Singles - Silver Stoat, Yellow Torrish, Thunder & Lightning

For high and medium water levels use two-handed rods 13ft #8/9wt or 14ft #9/10wt. In medium and low water a short double-handed or single handed rod can be used DH-12ft #6wt or 9ft #8wt. Sink tip or multi-tip lines are most effective with leaders of 18lb in high water and no lighter than 10lb in low water.

*Salmon ‘catch & release’ applies before 16th June (Additional local restrictions may also apply).

It is possible to catch sea trout during the day, especially in high or coloured water. Fish lightweight tubes through the glides and tails of pools as the bigger fish will adopt the same lies as their larger brethren the salmon. During the summer, when the river is low, it is best to fish late into the evening with small flies, moving up in fly size as it gets darker. Generally the best time to catch ‘peal’ is when the foxgloves are in bloom, the bats come out to play and when everyone else is in the bar!

Maps

Fishing Breaks Ltd, The Mill, Heathman Street, Nether Wallop
Stockbridge, Hampshire SO20 8EW
Tel: 01264 781988. Fax: 01264 782590. E-mail: info@fishingbreaks.com

Salmon, sea trout & brown trout in Devon

Fishing Breaks offer the widest selection of guided sea trout and brown trout fly fishing in Devon.