The Devon Angling Association

It is getting to the time of year that we need to remind holders of Salmon and Sea Trout permits that your catch returns are mandatory and must be returned to the Hon Secretary by the 20th November 2014 (even if nil)

To assist we have added an option to complete your catch return electronically (for the moment using either a word document or a spreadsheet) and return by email.

See the tab 2014 catch returns or https://devonanglingassociation.org.uk/2014-catch-returns/

Though the river is still at bear bones level, I have herd a few whispers of the odd migratory fish in the river. Hopefully we will get a few huge October spates to minimise the number of nil returns!

SANA have published the results from Five Nations Fly Fishing completion here http://www.sana.org.uk/ :

Team event:

Gold Medal – Team England B

Silver Meddal – Team England A

Bronze Medal – Team Scotland A

Click to access 5N%20Top%203%20Teams%202014.pdf

Individual Event:

Gold Medal – Robert Brown – England A

Silver Medal  –Kenny Riddell – Scotland A

Bronze Medal – Paul Lee – England B.

Click to access 5N%20Leader%20Board%202014.pdf

Alan Graham has sent through a selection of photos taken as he acted as controller on the Devon

Competitors and controllers meeting at Taits Tomb on the 8th August

Bertrand Padilla representing France A, keeping a very low profile on his knees in the river

Thierry Lelievre representing France B a picture of concentration

Scotland’s own Alan Liddle

As part of the Stirling International Angling Festival, the Devon played host as one of the venue of the Five Nations Flyfishing Competition where teams from Scotland, Ireland, England, France and Belgium fished the Devon, Carron, Carron Reservoir and Lake of Menteith over two days.

The DAA provided volunteers to act as controllers on both days under the supervision of the SANA organisers.

Conditions on the Devon were far from perfect, with the river at bare bones level, but I understand that some competitors had very successful sessions. We await the “final scores” with interest.

I was able to assist on Saturday and was allotted beat nine approximately a kilometre upstream from the Black Bridge. With my first competitor Richard from Co. Cork representing Ireland we spied three or four fish of about a 1lb right at the bottom of the beat before the official start time, by the time he could start they had disappeared. He was able to catch the inevitable salmon parr but was not able to catch a regulation fish.

Richard’s approach would be completely alien to the majority of DAA members, casting teams of three “spidery but not spider” wet flies upstream and keep constant contact by rapid retrieves. His casting was astonishingly accurate and he only once got tangled in the undergrowth. He was fantastic company for the morning

After a short break while the morning’s Devon anglers headed for lunch and to the Carron, the Carron anglers made it to the Devon.

My afternoon competitor was Claude from Luxemburg who was representing Belgium. Claude took an almost scientific approach to preparing his cast, carefully measuring the distance between droppers. His approach to the river would be even more alien to DAA members, than Richards. Using a 10′ #2 rod and very small nymphs (size 22) his casting rarely involved any fly line (occasionally he might use 3 or 4 foot of the fly line) he probed every bit of water without disturbance. He was a dab hand using an 8′ rod and dry fly. Sadly he met Richard’s fate catching only parr but came within millimetres of a regulation catch. I suspect that a kinder beat his approach would have been extremely successful.

Claude was in truth quite frustrated at his lack of success on the beat, which I can completely understand as I am certain that on other beats he would have filled his pockets! To spend three hours watching his approach to trout angling was a pleasure and education.

Having delivered Claude back to the meet point, it was interesting to exchange opinions with the other DAA controllers. I think we were all impressed with the standard of angling, learnt a lot from watching the French and Belgium anglers alternative approach to casting, learnt from the skilled traditional anglers and at least for the moment thought about investing in a set of skateboarders knee pads beloved by these guys!

A long but interesting day, from which I learned a lot and thanks to Richard and Claude I know have a bundle of new flies to try and copy plus several new casting strategies!