Merry Christmas everyone!

Well, we are approaching the end of 2013. I am sat in my living room and all I can hear is a storm brewing outside. The rain is lashing down and the wind approaching gale force! For various reasons I didn't spend as much time on the river as I would have liked this season but I still managed a 9 lb and a 3 lb sewn, both on the fly and of course a fox and a Jack Russell! I don't think there were many fish about from what I saw but as I didn't spend much time on the river then maybe my perception was not quite as it really was. I haven't heard any reports from anywhere else so I'm in the dark a bit. So what about the future I wonder? With ever increasing fuel costs I know that I will have to choose my trips more carefully especially as I am now retired. I doubt whether I will be alone in this. Crewel Pool was a disappointment for me and from what I could see was continually hammered by a small number of anglers. I still think that there are better pools on the beat. I must say that Sandy's ladder is a god send and was used quite a few times by me and others over the season. His bench and rod rack seemed to be used frequently as well I think. So what will the 2014 season bring I wonder? Lets just hope and pray that we are all around to enjoy it, fish or no fish! Merry Christmas all and a Happy New Year - tight lines!

Nick gets a 3 lb sewin!

Nick has just returned from a 3 day fishing trip and reports having caught a 3 lb sewn. He also says that he saw a good 10 lb salmon which hew tried to catch but it wouldn't play ball. Clearly the river needs water now so I won't be making another trip until we get substantial rain and there is nothing forecast in the near future. Just a case of enjoying the wonderful summer we are having I guess!

1 good sewin in 3 nights fishing!

Rod and I went fishing on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Thursday was pretty much a right off because of heavy rain which started just as we about start fishing around 10.00 pm. We abandoned ship soon afterwards with Rod not having cast a line even!

Friday was a lovely night and I caught a 9lb sewin which fought like hell. I managed to return the fish successfully! There were however a number of fish on the move and Rod heard some really big lumps splashing in the runs. Saturday night was dead every where despite being a reasonable night weather wise. We gave up at about 3.00 am with not so much as a pull.

John loses a good fish before the heavens open!

John called me today to say that he fished on Thursday and Friday nights. Thursday night he had a good pull despite the water not being very clear. Then Friday night everything looked really good - warm with clear water! He lost a good fish early on but unfortunately the heavens then opened and the rain set in for the night. That is often the way things go. Bad luck John!

I hooked a fox in the river with a Jack Russell attached to its throat - CRAZY or what?

Warning!

Before you read this post please beware that it does not have a happy ending for the fox!

Rod and I strolled down to the river as usual on Tuesday evening from our caravan site. We passed the farm at Devanah and Patch, the farm terrier, came out and joined us on our 11/2 mile journey, something she has done many times before. We both crossed the river at the ladder above Crewel Pool but as usual Patch chose not to. We were optimistic of a good nights fishing as it was warm and dark - just the way we like it. We started fishing Crewel Pool as soon as it got dark and it wasn't long before I noticed Patch patrolling up and down the far bank, in and out of the water. Whilst I was fishing the tail of the pool Patch swam across to join us, although she never really interacts with us, she just seems to use us as an excuse to go for a wander!

Later in the night I was fishing about half way down the pool when I noticed a dog sized animal running very fast past me along the shingle in a downstream direction. The unidentified creature very quickly disappeared from view. Patch then appeared in pursuit of it! I had no idea what the animal was! Was it an otter or a fox? I had no idea. Within a minute or two the said animal came running back towards me along the shingle. As it approached me it seemed to panic a bit and in desperation dived into the river heading for the opposite bank. Unfortunately my fly line lay on the surface of the water between it and its apparent destination. I had to make a quick decision! Do I strip the line back, with the risk of hooking the animal or do I just leave the line where it is and hope that the animal just swims over it which is often the case with swans and otters. I chose the latter but I got it wrong!

The animal swam through the line, taking it with him and eventually hooked itself. As it desperately tried to clamber up the far bank to freedom my rod began to bend double! Patch then appeared on the scene and immediately started swimming across the river in pursuit of the distressed creature, and it soon caught it! All hell was soon let loose with both animals fighting viciously. Rod had by now joined me to see what was going on. The noise was horrendous! Barking, growling, yelping, screaming, splashing, screeching - you name it! Patch had the animal by the throat and seemed intent on killing it! Rod grabbed hold of my fly line, thereby taking the pressure away from my Sage fly rod and gently started to coax the swimming/fighting pair back towards our side of the river. Eventually it became clear as the pair came closer to our bank that Patch had caught a fox! Almost fully grown, the animal was disorientated and severely distressed with a terrier attached to its throat and my treble hook firmly embedded in its back leg. Once the pair were back on dry land we tried everything possible to separate them but Patch had other ideas! We cut the line in the hope that the fox would escape but Patch was determined to apprehend his quarry and was having a ball! The fox meanwhile was distressed and weak and despite giving a good account of itself it didn't have enough energy to make a run for it! At one point I chucked a big rock at Patch to get her off the animal. It hit her square between the eyes, she wobbled, got back on her feet and then reattached her jaw to the fox's throat! This was a killing machine the like of which I personally had never witnessed before! It wasn't pleasant! Patch continued with a relentless attack which was distressing to hear. We had no option but to put the fox out of its misery and a fellow angler performed the deed!

Patch had had her fun for the night and then curled up in the grass and went to sleep! Needless to say we didn't catch any fish in the pool that night. A sad end to an incredible story.

A fellow angler told me that I would stand more chance of winning the lottery than to have experienced this crazy event! I think I must agree!

Latest fishing report!

Rod and I fished Mon, Tues and Wed nights! There are fish about but the water is desperately low in my view. I got a a 3lb sewin and Rod had one similar on Monday night. Wednesday night was hard work from 11.00pm till 5.00am. Rod lost a big fish, I didn't even get a pull! Tuesday night was CRAZY and is the subject of my next post! You won't believe it!

Disappointing trip!

Spent 4 nights fishing last week with Rod and Sandy but failed to even get a pull let alone a fish! I tell a lie - I caught a 3lb brown trout on Monday night. Both Monday and Tuesday nights turned extremely cold however I did see the odd fish move. Friday night was perfect except for a tinge of colour in the water. I met a few other anglers along the way but I am not aware of any of them catching!

Nick catches!

Nick made contact with me today to let me know that he caught a 3 lb fish this morning and lost a fish of about 7lb at the net during the night. As he is fishing all week lets hope he gets some more sport! Here is his final report for his trip:-

A report of my week. Fished Sunday night but no fish. Monday night lost a fish of about 7 lbs at the net. Tuesday morning I had a fish of 7 lbs and on Tuesday night I lost one of about 4 lbs. Thursday morning I had one of 3 lbs. I fished again on Thursday night, Friday night and Saturday morning but no fish. Please find attached two photos of the fish, the last two nights were very quiet and very windy while last night and this morning the river was how I like it. I'm hoping to go again at the end of July! The picture with the rod is the 7 pounder! I hope you have some good sport when you go down

The State of Nature!

Rodney Byles has kindly alerted me to this speech by Iolo Williams. Listen to it and let me know what you think. I completely agree with what he is saying and I too would love to see CHANGE!

The State of Nature!

Latest HMI Report!

Half Moon fishing report Wednesday 29th May

After a dry six weeks, North Devon was deluged with almost two inches of rain a fortnight ago and the river came down in full spate.
This has encouraged good runs of salmon and sea trout which are now well distributed throughout the main river. Anglers at the Half Moon have enjoyed some of the best spring fishing for several years. 9 salmon have been caught in the last 10 days the largest fish of approx 14lb caught by Hutch Wright:his first salmon.Other successful anglers have included Martin Weeks,Ron Burton,Brian Lovering, Graham Henderson and Sheila Sykes.

Despite the cold, Martin Weeks and Ron Burton caught 6 sea trout in two nights fishing:all in the 2lb to 4lb range

In the last few days there have been good hatches of fly and the brown trout are feeding more readily on the surface.

With more settled and warmer weather forecast, the prospects for June are excellent

last update — 30 May 2013

Sandy gets 2!

Sandy caught 2 sewin over the weekend, 2 - 1/2 lb and 6 lb! Absolute bars of silver!

Rodney Byles has something to say about LAL Blog links?

Mr Wheatley. I have only just picked up this link to your ill informed comments about Andrew Holmes’s blog. If Andrew Holmes has not already blocked your entry to his blog and you are able to pick this up, I understand that Andrew Holmes is not responsible for controlling, moderating or amending the content of the LAL website. Perhaps if he was the website would be regularly updated, rather than lag a year behind and when you click on News etc it would be current rather than relate to seasons’ past. And of course it would not direct you or anyone else to his blog. So rather than making insulting remarks to Andrew Holmes I would recommend that you direct your ill advised and inappropriate comments to the LAL secretary or the website administrator, whoever that is, to remove the link to Andrew Holmes’s blog. I would also respectfully suggest that you seriously consider focusing your energy into casting a line, rather than casting disparaging, unhelpful and foolish remarks to fellow LAL anglers.

Rodney Byles

Nick gets a 7 lb sewin!

Nick tells me he caught a 7 lb bar of silver yesterday morning! Well done Nick - keep them coming.





And Sandy's ladder looks equally as good!

Mad drivers?

Rod alerted me to this idiot who nearly gets killed at a train crossing. Might be Llangadog?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=iJmxNpo8VDQ

Please be aware from now on - anonymous comments, whilst often really interesting and informative, will under no circumstances be published! Regardless of who they are! All you need to do is register an email address and a password - its simple!

Chis Morris gets a fat 10lb sewin - what a way to start his season?

Chis has sent me this report

Out last night on the Llandeilo stretch.Rewarded with a lovely 10lb sewin not too long after full dark..
Chrome bright, looked as though it was straight off the sea follwing the small spate on Friday
Down to the backing twice but well hooked for once....
Can only assume there must be fish higher up now too.
Chris

Nick tries his luck too!

Nick has sent me this report which should precede Sandy's.

Spent 2 nights on the river Tuesday and Wednesday. The river is looking nice. Best night was Tuesday night as the moon was out and the river was calm. I had one good pull which was a sea trout or salmon and I am planning to go again in 3 weeks!

Sandy ventures out!

Sandy spent 2 nights on the river last weekend. He installed the ladder above Crewel Pool and tested it out by swinging back and forth and generally acting like a wild ape! He said it didn't move an inch although some locals walking their dog on the other side of the river were concerned and shouted to him asking him if he needed any help!

Many fellow anglers will be delighted with the ladder news, me being one so thank you Sandy for going to so much trouble to help others! He has even made a table to go with the bench and rod rack he made last year for Crewel Pool which he will be installing later in the month! I for one can't wait to try them all out!

Sandy tells me that he fished Friday and Saturday night. He saw some big running fish but didn't manage to connect with them. From what he said I gather that the overnight temperature on Saturday night fell quite sharply making fishing uncomfortable. Fair play to him for having a go so early in the season!

Tight lines

kingfisher

This years springer has eluded us!

We had a lovely time at the Half Moon Inn and enjoyed the fishing very much but the conditions weren't quite right. The water was at perfect level most of the time but was far too dirty! Today was a complete no no! Gale force winds, rain - just horrible so we didn't bother fishing. We concentrated all our efforts on Beam which is the best beat at this time of year but still the water wouldn't clear enough to bring the salmon on. Although neither of us connected with a salmon there were other highlights that we will remember! We watched a female otter fishing in turbulent waters which was fascinating and most enjoyable. We saw a wide selection of birds including Kingfishers, Herons and a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. We had some great crack in the bar in the evenings, especially one certain member of our party getting pissed which was completely out of character of a person who I thought was largely tea-total! Brilliant! Great food, breakfasts that could not be bettered anywhere in my view. The only let down was the wine or lack of it - shame on you HMI!

This morning we all picked up our copies of Torridge Reflections, a book written by Charles Inness, previous owner of the HMI and on initial inspection I think it will be a very entertaining read. The book recalls the Inness family's ownership of the HMI for 40 years and tells many stories of success and failure, the rise and fall of the river Torridge and the many characters who have blessed the rooms of this famous fishing Inn. Charles says that the first print run of 500 is nearly sold out. I can't wait to read it!

Another spring salmon caught!

Charles from the HMI told me today that a 14lb springer was caught at Beam yesterday! Lets hope we get lucky with our trip.

10 1/2 lb sewin caught!

Rodney Byles has informed me that a cracking 10 1/2 lb sewin has just been caught on the Towy but there is no information available as to where it was caught. Even so its quite an encouraging start to our new season and so early too!

Tight lines - kingfisher

25 lb salmon caught on Beam!

http://www.halfmoonsheepwash.co.uk/news.php

With my fishing trip coming up within 2 weeks I think things are looking pretty optimistic?

Huge Torridge salmon caught!

A 22 lb + spring salmon has been caught on the Half Moon Inn water! The fish was caught on a Silver Doctor size 8 on the 12 th March.

Sunday 17th March 2013 - Work Party

I spent 3 days in my caravan at Llangadog and enjoyed the time I was there. The weather in the mornings was gorgeous but April showers soon piled in in the late afternoons and evenings with some torrential downpours overnight. Great to walk the river though and to look at all my favourite spots to see if there have been any changes. Can't wait till the fishing starts! Ate my lunch on Sunday sat on the bench above Crewel Pool with Nick - we both commented on how quiet it was.

I was surprised to see so many huge Starling flocks - really amazing to see them when they all take to the air! It was also nice to see 13 Curlew in the field by the railway bridge too. It was good to have some company during my walk on Saturday when I walked the full length of the river!

Here are a few images taken during my stay!

Half Moon Inn, Sheepwash - spring salmon on the run!

The salmon season has started on the Torridge! Having spoken with Charles Innes tonight, he tells me that 1 salmon has been caught and another lost on Beam. I hope to go down there in early April with Rod and John in the hope of getting another spring salmon as I did there last season. His book about the River Torridge and life at the Half Moon Inn is now on sale having already sold 450 copies! Well done Charles - I've ordered mine!

Inappropriate comments?

Just as a reminder to anyone who chooses to read this blog and who may wish to post comments!

I (kingfisher) am the sole administrator of this blog and I will decide which comments are published. This is my blog and if anyone tries to post comments on it which I don't like or which I think are offensive to me or any of my angling friends then they won't get published, so if you think its funny to do so then please don't bother! On the other hand anyone who posts a perfectly reasonable comment, whether it be complementary or critical, is welcome to do so and I will have no hesitation in approving it as it has always been my intention to welcome all constructive contributions. Finally, NO anonymous posts will be published so please reveal your identity!

Work party!

This years work party will take place on Sunday 17th March, around about 10.00 am I presume? I hope to attend and I understand Sandy will too. I just hope the weather is reasonable and that the river isn't too high.

The new season beckons!

You will all have received your LAL invites by now no doubt? Its really good news that the committee decided to hold the visitor fees firm at £100 or £90 for AOP's. I think this was a sensible move under the circumstances because the cost of getting to the river is going up all the time. I reckon it costs me about £45 in diesel for every trip and that's without accommodation such as B & B or hotels. I intend to utilise my caravan more this year I think as camping on the river itself is getting less attractive as I get older! I must say I can't wait to make my first visit and to see the river again for the first time this season. I believe there will be a Work Party Weekend towards the end of March so I may attend that if I am able to as I would like to help Sandy install the new ladder above Crewel. Lets hope we get a good run of fish this season shall we?

Tight lines!

Wader studs?

I've just ordered some wader studs from Sportfish! Not just for my waders but I intend to try them in my walking boots too! They are relatively cheap at less then £5.00 for 30 studs plus p & P. I am fed up with sliding and slipping about in my walking boots so I'm going to try them and see what happens.

www.sportfish.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=wader+studs

Rodney Byles makes some suggestions for the AGM to consider!

I understand that earlier last season a LAL member or members, living within the Parish, had commented that the Towy was somehow their river and, therefore, their interests and requests should take precedence over ‘Guest’ members, which they deemed to be ‘Outsiders’.  This is total nonsense and a ridiculous notion and I found the deluded remarks unhelpful, inappropriate, misguided and offensive. Guest members pay twice the fees of Local members and suspect fish far less. The small minority of moaning Local members should recognise and appreciate that Guests have been subsidising their fishing for many years. If it weren’t for the predominant number of Guest members there wouldn't be a LAL Club.

With this in mind, I believe it’s time that LAL adopt similar membership criteria as other Towy angling clubs, which do not discriminate where their Members live. I am, therefore, proposing a different structure where anglers, fishing with a season permit on LAL water, ALL have the same distinction of being Members, with a suggested fee structure as follows:

Annual Season

Adults: £75  (Or previous total membership income divided by the number of members), plus initial joining fee of £30.

Seniors: £40 plus initial joining fee of £30

Ladies: £45 plus initial joining fee of £30

Juniors (under 16): £5.

Armed forces: Free

Registered disabled: Free

Note: For existing members no joining fee, but for future lapsed membership re-joining fee of £30.

Adult day ticket (24 hrs): £20

Junior day ticket (24hrs): £5

Adult weekly ticket: £70

Junior weekly ticket: £15

In addition catch returns to be submitted by 31st December (or some other agreed date) as specified in Club rules. LAL will assume that those members who do not submit a return by the due date do not wish to receive an invitation to renew membership or receive any further communication from the Club. Anglers with lapsed membership wishing to reapply will incur a £30 re-joining fee, in addition to the relevant annual fee. (Note: There is at least one Towy Club that charges double the normal annual fee, if applying after 1st April) 

On a separate matter, I used the hut at Crewel on two occasions last season. Each time there were empty drinks cans and nylon and other rubbish left both inside and outside the hut by inconsiderate anglers. Surely it’s not too much to ask for anglers to take their own rubbish home.

Rodney Byles (Visitor Member) 

LAL AGM 2013!

You will probably all be aware by now that the AGM will be held on Friday 25th January at 7.00pm! I notice there is no mention on the Agenda about Crewel Pool fishing rules! I am not sure yet whether I will be able to attend.

kingfisher