Fishing The UK, Fly Fishing in Devon, Exeter, South West

The River Exe winds it’s way across Devon and Somerset for more than 50 miles before reaching the Sea at the substantial Exe Estuary ria in Exmouth. This large body of flowing water is home to a large number of coarse, game and sea fishing species making it a challenge to anglers all year round. The River Exe always has been, and still is, a favourite among those who fish it – not really surprising when it contains legendary fish like the 64lb Salmon Richard Voysey caught in 1924!

As mentioned previously I have an Exeter Angling Association annual permit granting me access to a great number of fisheries in and around the Exeter area. The Countess Wear Fishery is 1 of 4 fish-able stretches on the River Exe included on said permit. Located a couple of miles up stream from the Exe Esutary it is influenced by the tides in terms of fish species and water levels. Changing conditions make the fishing a little more challenging and often requires a change of tactics upon each visit.

Within the short stretch of the River exe from the Countess wier bridge up to the first bend it contains a real mixed bag of species. You can expect to catch Bream, Mullet, Carp, Chub, Dace, Brown Trout, Eel, Par Salmon and Roach offering you a better than average chance of catching a lot of fish.

This particular fishery is less than a mile away from where I live, an ideal place to fish in the evening after work or whenever I have only a few hours to spare. I set up around 5pm, 100metres up stream from the bridge. Please be aware of the overhead power cables, they are a lot lower than you think. I have witnessed someone cast right over the top of the cables without realising until they saw a swim feeder swinging 7ft above the water surface.

I decided to take my two Chub Outkast Twin Tip rods fitted with the 5oz quiver tips and Shimano Exage 4000FA reels. The flow of water between low and high tide can be somewhat rapid, using a heavier tip and feeder allows me to fish through the periods of strong flow. The end tackle is very simple, A Drennen Oval 2oz feeder that can run freely up and down the mainline on a Korum Feeder Bead. The main line is attached to a swivel with the knot protected by a Drennen swivel stop bead. To finish a size 12 Drennen Super Specialist hook is tied to a 2ft long fluorocarbon 3lb hook link.

I started with 2 maggots on the hook, clipped up my reel and began to feed the swim by recasting every 5minutes for the first 4-5 casts. The tide was on it’s way in and the action was instantaneous, as soon as the bait hit the water the rod tip would start to twitch. During the first 20 minutes I had to resort to using one rod as I simply couldn’t keep up with the bites! Brown Trout, Chub, Par Salmon and Dace made up the majority of the catch. A hard fighting brownie of 1lb and a Chub of 1.5lb made an appearance along with some decent size Dace. The par salmon looked wonderful in the setting sun, each spot on their flanks glistening like a ruby.

River Exe - Brown Trout

River Exe - Par Salmon, beautiful

As the tide reached it’s highest point fewer bites gave me the opportunity to change one of my rods over to a large chunk of luncheon meat and 1oz lead. I cast this out with the hope of catching something larger and allow me to keep up with all those bites when the tide started to turn. If you are going to fish the River Exe when the tides are large you will need to wear waders, the entrance to the field gets submerged under a few feet of water cutting off  access to the car park.

River Exe - Entrance to field floods when tides are high

The tide began to turn and once again the bites came thick and fast. After landing another Brown trout the tip of the rod baited with luncheon meat slammed round. Frantically picking up the rod and reeling into the fish I felt two very powerful lunges before the line went slack. Probably a 30000000lb mako shark, oh well better luck next time.With the sun well below the horizon darkness closed in rapidly, I packed up and went home wondering what took that luncheon meat in such a hurry.

For more information take a look at the Exeter Angling Association Website.

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River Exe - Chub Outkast Twin Tip

RIver Exe - Countess Wear

River Exe - Countess Wear

The River Culm has provided me with many hours of enjoyable fishing and is one of my favorite places to fish in the winter. I hold an Exeter and District Angling Association permit giving me access to 3 stretches of the Culm all of which contain a good head of pike, dace, chub, roach & gudgeon, brown trout, the occasional carp and if you are very very (I am placing an emphasis on very) lucky some barbel. I have had great success fishing for pike during the winter months with my biggest being a little over 17lb. I have had a number of 1lb+ Perch and Roach with some nice chub up to 3lb. This Sunday afternoon I had a few hours to spare so headed out to see what I could catch.

Being an impromtu decision to fish the Culm I didn’t have my favorite baits of Worm and Maggots so settled for some Halibut pellets of varying sizes, luncheon meat and bread flake. The river looked great, not too low with a little colour to the water. Looking below the bridge I could see a few chub and dace, none of which huge but fish I wouldn’t mind catching. I walked down the left side of the River to the first bend. This spot has a large area of deep slack water, plenty of cover, and other features making it ideal for pretty much all species.

Today I would be using a Chub Outkast Twin tip rod along with a Shimano Exage 4000 FA reel. Both are awesome pieces of kit, the Outkast Twin tip I use for 90% of my coarse fishing.  As the name suggests the Chub Outkast consists of two tip sections. One a full length Avon top and the other quiver tip carrier section making it extremely versatile and great value for money. It has a great amount of power when needed but also can be very sensitive detecting the smallest of bites. The Shimano Exage 4000 FA is a front drag reel, extremely smooth, robust and reliable. A perfect combination.

River Culm - Chub Outkast Twin tip

River Culm - Shimano Exage 4000 FA

When fishing a river for the first time it is a good idea to keep the end tackle as simple as possible. My first visit to the River Culm resulted in losing a great deal of end tackle before I found the areas free of snags. I started with an 8mm halibut pellet and a small PVA mesh bag of smaller pellets.

River Culm - End tackle

From the picture above you can see everything is very simple, 1 ounce fox lead that can run freely up the main line, a bead protecting the swivel, a 4lb fluorocarbon hook link and a Korum quick stop size 12 hook. The halibut pellets are pre-drilled and fed onto the quick stop with a small needle that comes supplied with the hooks. I like to use a snap link & swivel so I can quickly change the lead or swap it over to a feeder. I used the carrier section of the rod with a 2 ounce quiver tip.

My first cast was into a tree, the last time I cast a lead was at Morecambe bay and that was a matter of casting it as far as I could so trying to be accurate over a few meters was hard to get back into. The next cast was a lot better, placing the rig nicely under an over hanging tree. I waited for a around 30minutes, a few bites but today it seemed like a change was in order. I pinched some bread onto the hook and cast to a different spot just before a fallen tree hoping that the bait would waft gently just below the branch. As soon as the bait had settled the rod tip started to twtich non-stop, an abundance of small fish had great fun chewing the bread.

After some very small chub and roach I moved a few meters down river so I could cast across into a deep channel with a lot of cover. I also decided to try luncheon meat, although the bread was getting bites it simply wasn’t robust enough to stand up to the 10billion strong gudgeon and minnow assault. I made a few more casts into some trees and bushes but was soon into a decent sized chub. The end of my session was drawing to a close, it felt good to be back on the bank of the River Culm.

The River Culm offers some great fishing to the mobile angler, bating up a few swims with some bread mash and then fishing each spot for a short period of time often is the best tactic. Trotting can be productive but finding a long stretch of river uniform in depth and free from snags can be difficult. I prefer to fish during the autumn and early winter when the water is high and the River banks are not as over-grown. Chucking a big worm into a back eddy when the water is coloured is great fun, pike, perch, chub and roach all seem to love it. For pike dead baits are reliable (sprats, brown trout, roach all work) and preferably I only use one set of trebles striking as soon as I get a run to avoid deep hooking. I even caught a 5lb eel on a sprat while fishing for pike.

Please take a look at the Exeter and District Angling Association website for further information about this stretch of the River Culm.

View River Culm – Killerton Estate Stretch in a larger map

River Culm

River Culm

River Culm

Tavistock trout fishery is a fly fishing and self-catering holiday cottage venue situated on the edge of Dartmoor. The owner Abigail is incredibly enthusiastic about creating a fishery that exceeds ones expectations of fishing. Tavistock trout fishery manages to achieve this through the opportunity to catch sizable fish in a picturesque setting while having access to great on-site facilities.

As I passed over the bridge and onto the fishery I was greeted by a pot belly pig, chickens of various shapes / sizes, cats and a great authentic farmyard feel. As you walk down through the farm and past the self-catering cottages you eventually stumble upon the 5 lakes. The fishing lodge is great, it caters not only for the fisherman but for partners and children. The tackle shop is surprisingly well stocked and the staff are friendly and approachable. In terms of what a small fishery could offer Tavistock trout fishery has it all.

1. Tavistock trout fishery lodge and tackle shop

The fish stocks vary depending on which of the 5 lakes you fish but each contains a few surprises. There are some enormous fish to be caught if you are lucky enough to hook into one. They regularly stock 10lb+ brown and rainbow trout along with a large number of smaller fish. None of the lakes are particularly large in size but some are between 12-18ft deep, so I am assuming there is enough water volume to avoid over-stocking.

On the day of my visit the weather seemed pretty much perfect, overcast and not boiling hot. For the first couple of hours I struggled and after fishing 4 of the lakes (ponds) all I manged to induce was the frustration of a fish swirling. I went super fine and ended up using my 4wt rod, a 2.5lb leader and a very small gold head nymph. I eventually induced some more confident pulls and using a very slow retrieve hooked into a 5.5lb rainbow.

2. 5.5lb Rainbow Trout

After a while more fish started to show in the upper level of water and throughout the rest of the day I managed to catch another 4 fish. The staff made me aware of a number of escapee’s from the stock ponds one of which I caught, it was the smallest rainbow I have ever landed, all 4 inches of it.

I left around 5pm after an enjoyable but difficult fishing, out of the 7-8 anglers there I was the only person to catch. Without wanting to blow my own trumpet I think that a lot of other fly fishermen under-estimate how difficult fisheries of this size can be. The fish can become extremely wary of being fished for so I like to use very small flies and cast to moving fish, rather than relentlessly casting again and again hoping something will take.

Although I prefer to fish larger venues I think you can learn a lot from fishing smaller venues when conditions are not perfect. On the day I was rather optimistic and purchased a 6 fish permit with limited catch and release for £40 which is not cheap but nor is it expensive. I read a few negative reviews about Tavistock which I think were unfair, and more than likely based on people thinking it would be easy to catch. If you keep an open mind and don’t make the assumption it will be easy and enjoy the facilities and relaxed environment you will have a great days fly fishing.

I had fun at Tavistock Trout Fishery and I think Abigail has created more than just a fishery. If you interested in learning about everything it has to offer take a look at – http://www.tavistocktroutfishery.co.uk/

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3. Tavistock trout fishery resident

4. Overlooking Kingfisher lake from the lodge

5. Osprey Lake

6. Tavistock trout fishery resident

7. Entrance to Tavistock trout fishery

8. Tavistock trout fishery resident

9. Tavistock trout fishery lake

10. Tavistock trout fishery