Some early sea trout have been seen in the lower and middle river, and with anglers taking advantage of the lower water levels a few have been caught and lost, including a fantastic fish of 5lb caught by Dave Tucker fishing the Half Moon water below Beam Weir.

With the exceptionally warm weather at the end of the month the brown trout have also been active.

At the time of writing the river is in spate after a day of heavy rain, this is just what was needed to encourage a run of spring salmon and early season sea trout.  The current forecast for the next month is April showers, so the prospects look good for some excellent spring fishing.

Charles Inniss started the account with a fine fish of 8lbs on opening day from the middle river, and David Williams caught the second, approximately 11lbs, from the same pool on Saturday 3rd. Wayne Thomas landed an estimted 13lb fish on Saturday 10th, also from the middle river.

The trout fishing season has also now started and with some warm weather good hatches are likely. An excellent Brown Trout, estimated at nearly 2lbs, was also landed by David Williams from the middle river.

Wayne Thomas’s 13lb salmon

A reminder to all salmon fishermen:

Please remember to take extra care when playing and landing salmon.  Handle the fish as little as possible by always using a net and keep the fish in the water at all times, (as in the photgraph above). Do not drag a fish over stones or onto the bank, and do not lift a fish by its tail or gill covers.

Evidence shows that fish handled with care will go on to spawn successfully.

This year’s Association AGM will be on the 16th March at the Half Moon.

Tight lines to all.

The following message from the EA was recieved by those who are on their emailing list:

You can now download your catch return form from the EA website and return it to us by email. You can also save a copy for your own records. You can download the form by clicking on the following link and then selecting the new 2011 catch return form.

When you email your form to the EA, please include your licence number in the subject bar. We will still be sending out the paper forms to those people who haven’t sent back their catch return and this can be posted back to us in the normal way. The paper forms will be sent out in the next 3 weeks.

Early reports would suggest that catches of both salmon and sea trout are similar to the last two years, which considering the difficult fishing conditions is very encouraging. Certainly the number of salmon showing all along the river indicates a good run this year. The brown trout fishing has been the best for a long time.

As soon as there is a good spate in November the broodstock will be trapped and taken to the hatchery ready to be stripped. Several improvements have been made to the hatchery and the team are all ready to go. Hopefully up to 25,000 eggs will be reared on to swim-up fry.

The Torridge Fishery Association’s annual draw and dinner is nearly upon us. This event has proved very popular over the last few years and raises valuable funds for the association to carry out various conservations projects on the river, including the running costs of our hatchery.

This year the draw and dinner will take place at the Half Moon Inn, Sheepwash on Saturday 8th October, at a cost of £22.50 per person. Guests will enjoy a fantastic three course dinner, sitting down at 7:30pm, with a choice of first course, followed by roast beef and a choice of deserts. If anyone has any special dietary requirements or would like a vegetarian option, please contact the Half Moon.

The prize draw will take place after the dinner, where there is a chance of winning some excellent prizes, including: fishing on various prime beats of the river donated by riparian owners, and prizes donated by local businesses and individuals who support the association. Tickets for the draw are available from Charles Inniss (01409 231 237), Paul Ashworth (01805 804 143), The Half Moon and The Duke of York in Iddesleigh.  Draw tickets are £1 each, and £5 for a book.

Discounted rates are also offered by the Half Moon for those wishing to stay the night. This year’s event has been moved forward to within the October extension to the fishing season, so some late salmon fishing can also be enjoyed (a fishing permit is necessary – see season extension 2011 news item).

 To book a place at the dinner, please call the Half Moon on 01409 231376.

In order to gather data on the number of late-running salmon, the EA has agreed to allow anglers to fish on the Torridge for salmon (not sea trout or brown trout) during the first fortnight of October. All fish must be released and fishing must only be with a single barbless or debarbed hook. The scheme is being administered by the River Torridge Fishery Association. As well as a valid national rod licence, anglers must be in possession of a permit giving permission to fish during this fortnight. Anglers fishing without a permit will be deemed to be fishing illegally out of season. Permits can be obtained from the Secretary of the Association, Charles Inniss (See ‘home page’ for contact details) or from The Half Moon Inn (see ‘places to stay’). Together with the permit to fish, anglers will be issued with a catch return form that must be completed and returned to the Secretary by 31st October. Anglers failing to complete the catch return form by that date will not be issued with a permit in 2012. There will be no permit fee, but anglers issued with permits who are not members of the Association will be encouraged to join (Associate membership £15) or at least make a financial contribution towards the cost of administering the scheme. For any further information please contact the Secretary.</

The unsettled weather continues with signs of a good drop of rain on the way, and at the time of writing the river is on the rise. A good spate now will set up some excellent fishing to the end of the season.